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Our  Canaries 
will  have  increased  in  size  so  as  to  make  it  difficult  to  get  the  rings  on 
without  injury  to  the  tiny  fragile  toes  and  legs. 
HOW   IT   IS  DONE. 
When  the  proper  time  has  arrived  get  the  rings  all  placed  handy  on 
a  cleared  table,  take  out  the  nest  of  young,  and  first  examine  the  condition 
of  the  nest.  If  it  is  much  soiled  around  the  sides  or  in  the  bottom,  make 
a  new  one  in  a  similar  pan  or  box,  dust  it  well  underneath  with  pyrethrum 
powder,  and  then  take  up  a  youngster  from  the  old  nest  and  arrange  it 
carefully  in  the  left  hand  with  the  tips  of  the  thumb  and  forefinger  free 
to  hold  the  leg  and  foot  which  is  to  be  rung,  place  the  hind  toe  back 
against  the  shank  of  the  leg,  and  the  three  fore  toes  straight  out  and 
close  together ;  hold  them  in  this  position  between  the  tip  of  the  thumb 
and  forefinger.  Now  take  up  a  ring,  put  the  three  fore  toes  through  it, 
and  pass  it  on  over  the  foot,  and  upwards  over  the  hind  toe  and  leg 
until  it  is  past  the  end  of  the  hind  claw  ;  now  release  the  hind  toe,  which, 
returning  to  its  normal  position,  will  prevent  the  ring  again  passing  over  the 
foot  voluntarily  and  dropping  off.  Place  the  bird  in  the  clean  nest,  and 
repeat  the  process  with  each  of  the  others  in  turn.  It  is  all  a  work  of 
moments,  and  the  nest  of  young  may  be  returned  to  the  cage  in  a  very  short 
space  of  time.  Nevertheless,  we  prefer  doing  all  these  operations  in  the 
evening,  at  or  near  roost-  time,  as  the  old  birds  are  then  far  more  tractable 
and  quiet,  and  are  less  apt  to  resent  any  interference.  They  settle  down  to 
roost  as  soon  as  the  young  are  returned  and  re-commence  the  daily  round 
next  morning  as  though  nothing  had  happened.  If  the  brood  is  young  and 
the  rings  appear  to  go  on  too  easily,  always  make  a  point  of  looking  in  the 
nest  for  the  next  day  or  two  to  see  if  any  have  slipped  off,  in  order  to  replace 
them  at  once  before  the  foot  has  grown  too  large  for  the  rmg  to  be  replaced. 
On  the  other  hand,  if  the  young  are  already  so  large  that  a  difficulty  in 
getting  on  the  rings  is  anticipated,  place  the  rings  in  a  saucer  of  hot  water- 
not  so  hot  that  the  finger  cannot  be  comfortably  borne  in  it — or  hold  them  in 
the  mouth  whilst  getting  the  birds  ready  and  take  them  direct  from  the  water 
or  mouth  as  required  to  slip  over  the  foot.  The  heat  will  slightly  expand  the 
rings,  and  the  moisture  will  help  to  slip  them  easily  over  the  foot. 
CHANGING  THE  NEST. 
If  the  nest  is  dry  and  clean  when  the  young  birds  are  rung  it  will  not  be 
necessary  to  give  a  new  nest  at  that  time.  A  dust  with  fresh  insect  powder  round 
the  edge  will  suffice,  and  this  is  always  advisable  to  prevent  insect  pests  becoming 
very  numerous.  But  by  the  time  the  young  are  about  a  fortnight  old  the  sides  of 
the  nest  are  often  in  a  very  soiled  condition,  and  a  new  clean  nest  at  this  age  is 
always  advisable  for  sanitary  reasons.    This  may  be  made  ready  in  a  similar  pan 
