Our  Canaries 
197 
end.  It  should  be  placed  at  once  in  a  small  cage  in  a  quite  warm  position,  given 
two  or  three  vapour  baths  daily  for  a  day  or  two  (for  which  purpose  the  cabinet 
shown  on  page  107  is  specially  designed)  and  its  cage  kept  closely  covered.  It 
may  refuse  its  usual  food,  in  which  case  a  supply  of  maw  seed  and  bread  and  milk 
sprinkled  with  soft  sugar  ad  lib.  should  be  provided  until  recovery  takes  place. 
Twenty  drops  of  brandy,  five  of  sweet  spirits  of  nitre,  and  a  few  shreds  of  saffron 
should  also  be  added  to  its 
drinking  water,  and  if  the 
symptoms  become  really  critical, 
two  drops  of  a  mixture  of  equal 
parts,  by  measure,  of  brandy, 
glycerine  and  malt  extract 
should  be  given  in  the  beak 
every  three  or  four  hours  until 
an  improvement  takes  place. 
NATURAL  COLOUR 
VARIETIES. 
The  modern  practice  of 
colour-feeding  Canaries  does 
not  apply  equally  to  all 
varieties,  and  in  a  few  cases  is 
strictly  forbidden.  It  will  be  useful  to  clearly  indicate  here  which  breeds 
should  be  moulted  without  colour-food,  in  order  to  appear  in  the  tint  that  is 
bred  naturally  in  the  plumage.  Foremost  among  these  breeds  stands  the 
Border  Fancy,  which  the  rules  governing  the  club  watching  over  its  interests 
strictly  forbid  to  be  colour-fed,  and  any  signs  of  the  birds  having  been  so  fed 
would  inevitably  result  in  disqualification  on  the  show-bench  by  any  qualified 
judge.  Belgians,  Scotch  Fancies,  Lancashires,  Crests  and  Crest-breds,  Rollers 
and  Dutch  Frills,  may  all  be  regarded  as  natural  colour  birds,  seeing  that 
colour  plays  a  more  or  less  insignificant  part  when  their  merit  is  tested  on  the 
show-bench,  although  the  practice  is  not  definitely  forbidden  by  the  clubs  devoted 
to  these  breeds.  It  is  consequently  wholly  a  matter  in  which  the  owner  must 
exercise  his  own  discretion  as  to  whether  his  birds  are  colour-fed  or  not,  and 
whilst  it  would  be  perfectly  legitimate  to  do  so,  there  is  little  doubt  of  the  fact 
that  the  practice  is  not  very  prevalent  in  regard  to  these  breeds.  Crests  and 
Crest-breds  are  the  most  frequently  fed  of  the  breeds  named,  but  in  every  case  it 
is  done  more  for  the  purpose  of  gratifying  the  taste  of  the  owner  than  for  en- 
hancing the  bird's  chances  on  the  show-bench.  Green  varieties  of  every  breed  are 
purely  natural  colour  birds  and  must  be  moulted  as  such.  Indeed,  colour-feeding, 
instead  of  adding  to  the  bird's  merits  seriously  militates  against  them,  and  utterly 
spoils  the  pure  green  colour,  which  is  the  most  essential  point  about  the  variety, 
A  Special  Moulting  Cage  lor  unsteady  Lizards ;  with 
movable  shutter  at  top  and  glass  slide  at  front. 
