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Our  Canaries 
beneficial ;  also  give  a  few  ripe  dandelion  heads.  Do  not  omit  to  give  the  bath, 
and  allow  plenty  of  fresh  air.  As  the  moult  progresses  begin  to  cage  off  the 
best,  and  keep  them  well  acquainted  with  the  show-cage.  Give  a  little  maw 
seed  and  a  little  egg  food.  Should  any  of  the  birds  show  signs  of  bowel 
trouble  give,  for  a  day  or  two,  a  little  bread  scalded  with  milk.  Give  equal 
parts  milk  and  water  to  drink.  A  few  drops  of  Parrish's  Chemical  Food 
mixed  with  the  egg  food  now  and  again  during  the  moult  will  be  found  very 
beneficial.  Having  got  your  birds  through  the  moult,  your  object  must  be  to 
keep  them  in  sound  health  and  condition.  Feed  on  the  best  Spanish  Canary 
seed  and  summer  rape,  with  now  and  again  a  little  maw  seed,  and  a  little  hemp." 
MORE  USEFUL  ADVICE. 
Mr.  Hugh  Connerton,  writing  on  behalf  of  Mr.  J.  J.  Robson  anent  the  moult- 
ing of  the  Border  Fancy  Canary,  says :—"  Whilst  the  birds  are  moulting  keep 
them  free  from  strong  light;  allow  them  a  free  use  of  the  bath,  and  put  them 
in  as  large  a  cage  or  flight  as  possible,  wherein  they  can  have  plenty  of 
exercise.  Some  fanciers  put  in  the  drinking  water  a  concoction  of  saffron  and 
rum  which  has  been  much  diluted  with  boiling  water.  A  teaspoonful  is 
added  to  the  drinking  water  to  help  the  colour.  Then  towards  the  end  of 
the  moult  a  little  piece  of  sulphate  of  iron  is  added  to  tighten  the  birds  up." 
Another  Border  Fancy  enthusiast— Mr.  Thos.  Arnot,  of  Hawick— also 
writes  giving  his  methods  of  moulting  this  variety.  "  I  turn  all  young  ones 
into  flights,"  he  writes,  "and  avoid  crowding  as  much  as  possible,  as  it  is 
the  means  of  a  great  amount  of  trouble  before  the  moulting  begins.  As 
soon  as  I  see  the  young  showing  signs  of  the  moult  I  put  them  in 
cages  in  pairs  and  cover  all  light-feathered  birds  by  using  strong  paper  and 
making  a  parcel  of  each  cage,  only  allowing  them  room  to  get  through  to 
the  drinker  ;  and  when  I  clean  out  my  cages  I  sponge  all  dust  away  and  wash 
all  the  perches  so  as  to  prevent  the  birds  from  getting  any  dirt  on  their 
new  plumage.  I  always  keep  a  good  supply  of  sand  on  the  bottom  of  my 
cages,  and  cuttle-fish  bone  so  that  the  birds  can  get  at  it. 
A  MISTAKE  TO  GUARD  AGAINST. 
"  I  give  nothing  but  the  best  Canary  seed,  taking  care  to  see  there  is  no 
dust  amongst  it ;  and  every  other  day  I  give  them  a  little  German  summer 
rape  and  a  little  hemp  seed  twice  a  week,  and  as  a  tit-bit  egg-food  also 
twice  a  week.  I  never  use  any  colour-feed,  but  make  a  free  use  of  the  bath 
with  soft  water  for  the  birds  to  bathe  in,  and  an  occasional  plantain  stalk 
and  good,  sound  linseed  when  they  are  finishing  the  moult,  and  fresh  linseed  meal 
added  to  the  egg-food.  I  generally  get  a  fair  amount  of  polish  on  my  birds. 
A  mistake  a  great  many  fanciers  make  is  in  sending  their  birds  out  to  shows 
before  they  are  ready,  and  the  birds  in  consequence  become  stuck  in  the  moult; 
