2IO 
Our  Canaries 
"  Select  a  bird,  a  cock  for  preference,  that  is  variegated  or  marked  with 
deep  bronze  green  markings.  Mate  it  to  a  clear  bird  of  the  opposite  sex  and 
colour ;  and  the  produce  of  the  union  will  be  birds  teeming  with  natural 
colour,  birds  that  will  colour  on  feeding  50%  better  than  those  bred  from  clear 
birds. 
"The  moulting  season  is  a  critical  time  for  birds,  especially  the  highly 
bred  exhibition  stock.  Get  your  birds  into  gO(5d  condition,  for  strong  healthy 
birds  moult  easily,  whilst  birds  in  poor  condition  usually  have  a  bad  moult. 
Cages  should  be  clean  and  all  traces  of  red  mite  removed.  The  room,  too, 
must  be  well  ventilated,  but  free  from  draught." 
PUTTING  ON  "  FEED." 
"  All  will  then  be  ready  to  commence  the  moulting  season  and  colour- 
feeding.  It  is  safest  to  cage  your  best  exhibition  birds  singly,  but  birds  you 
know  to  be  of  a  peaceful  disposition  can  be  placed  three  or  four  in  a  cage.  If 
you  have  a  large  flight  cage — not  too  high,  and  the  perches  all  one  height  from 
the  floor  for  preference — you  may  turn  a  dozen  or  twenty  birds  in.  As 
soon  as  one  starts  feeding  on  the  colour-food  they  will  all  '  follow  suit.'  It 
often  happens  that  the  best  fed  birds  are  those  that  have  been  fed  in  a  flight. 
"  Many  fanciers  cover  their  birds  up  during  the  moult,  but  this  is  hardly 
necessary.  I  have  found  that  a  red  or  yellow  blind  kept  drawn  over  the  window 
will  subdue  the  light  quite  enough  to  prevent  its  affecting  the  colour  of  the 
birds  ;  it  will  also  prevent  the  birds  from  seeing  the  colour  of  their  new  feathers 
so  well,  with  the  result  that  they  will  not  fight  or  pluck  each  other  so  much.  It 
is  also  a  matter  of  great  importance  that  the  moulting  room  be  kept  at  an  even 
temperature.  I  like  an  even  temperature  of  about  65  degrees,  and  it  assists  the 
birds  very  much  if  this  heat  be  a  moist  one. 
"  The  colour-food  should  consist  of  the  ordinary  egg-food,  to  which  must  be 
added  a  proportion  of  the  finest  pure  tasteless  pepper.  Commence  with  the 
following  mixture  ;  two  or  three  of  Peek  Frean's  tea  biscuits,  one  hard-boiled 
egg  (using  the  whole  of  the  egg),  two  teaspoonfuls  of  fine  sugar  and  one 
teaspoonful  of  pure  tasteless  pepper.  Day  by  day  gradually  increase  the  amount 
of  pepper  until  the  maximum  of  four  heaped-up  teaspoonfuls  is  reached.  To 
ensure  equal  distribution  pass  the  whole  through  a  biscuit  mill  one  hour  before 
using.    Allow  a  full  teaspoonful  of  this  colour-food  to  each  bird  per  day." 
BLEND  OF  "HOT"  AND  "COLD." 
"It  is  a  matter  of  opmion  whether  a  better  or  more  lasting  colour  is 
obtained  by  using  a  small  quantity  of  cayenne  pepper  in  the  colour -food. 
Many  well-known  authorities  advise  mixing  2  oz.  of  pure  Natal  cayenne  pepper 
to  each  pound  of  the  tasteless  pepper,  and  using  the  blended  peppers  as  above 
