LADIES DEPARTMENT. 
379 
Those birds which are to be paired for the first 
time, should be placed together in a small cage for 
a week or ten days, to be wonted to each other. If 
two females are to be paired with one male, they 
must previously be accustomed to each other's so- 
ciety, by being also kept togelher in a small cage ; 
and the breeding cage should have two compart- 
ments, separated by a board, in which a sliding 
door has been made. In one compartment, a lively 
male may be enclosed with a female. When she 
has laid eggs, the sliding door may be moved and 
the male admitted to the other female; and when 
they have both laid, this door may be kept open. 
The male will visit both females alternately, when 
they will not trouble themselves about each other; 
otherwise, without this precaution, jealousy would 
incite them to destroy each other's nests and throw- 
out the eggs. In a room, or aviary, a male has 
sometimes two and even three females placed with 
him ; with one of these, he will more especially 
pair. But when this favorite is about to sit, the 
others will receive a share of his attentions, and 
from the latter usually the greatest number and the 
best birds are reared. 
The female, as with the majority of birds, is usu- 
ally the architect, the male only selecting the place 
and procuring materials, the coarser of which is 
used for the external structure, and the finer for 
lining the inside of the nest. The females will 
sometimes show indications of their instinct by 
building nests after their own fashion, generally 
being irregular in figure, and not nicely finished, at 
least externally. It is in the nest itself, where 
the pairing takes place, the female attracting the 
male by a continuous piping note, repeated more 
quickly the nearer she is to laying. An interval 
of seven or eight days elapses between the first 
pairing and laying the first egg. Every day after- 
wards, nearly at the same hour, an egg is laid, the 
number varying from two to six. 
When the birds are good breeders, it is needless 
to attempt to assist nature by artificial means; and 
it is best to leave the birds entirely to themselves. 
In other cases, it is customary to remove the first 
egg, and replace it by an ivory one, placing it in a 
box filled with clean, dry sand, and so taking away 
all the eggs till the last one is laid ; all are then 
returned to the nest to be hatched. They often 
lay three or four times a-year, from March to Sep- 
tember, and some are so assiduous in pairing, that 
even moulting does not interrupt them. The eggs 
are of a sea-green color, marked on one end with 
reddish-brown or violet spots or stripes. The 
period of incubation lasts thirteen days. 
If, from the sickliness of the male, or of the fe- 
male, any of the eggs are unimpregnated, they must 
be taken out of the nest when the hen has sat for 
a week or ten days, held lightly between the fin- 
gers in the sunshine, or in a bright light ; the fe- 
cundated ones will then appear filled with veins, 
while the bad ones will be quite clear, or already 
addled, the latter of which must be thrown away. 
The male rarely relieves the female in hatching, 
nor does she very willingly permit it. Immediately 
after feeding, she returns to the eggs, and should 
the male perchance be on the nest at the time, if he 
should not directly quit, he would speedily be com- 
pelled to do so by pecks and blows. The young 
are occasionally killed in the egg, in consequence 
of loud and near noises, such as heavy thunder, the 
firing of fire-arms, violently slamming the door, or 
any other very loud knocking. — Americanized from 
the German. 
A NEW PREMIUM FOR HOUSEHOLD PRODUCTS. 
We notice that the Agricultural Society of 
Keene, N. H., have awarded a premium to a Mrs. 
Livermore, a. clergyman's lady, for the best home- 
made bread. We like this idea well, and hope to 
see it acted upon by other societies. Let the staff 
of life be taken in hand, and let the premiums of- 
fered be appropriate and worthy the object of hav- 
ing a good loaf of bread. 
The truth is, the premium lists of our agri- 
cultural societies do need revising, altering, and 
amending, exceedingly. We shall" take an early 
opportunity to offer a few hints upon this matter. 
Among the rest we shall certainly remember good 
bread. For we maintain that good bread is inti- 
mately related to good morals, as well as happiness, 
and certainly to good health. Ladies, if you would 
" keep all quiet at home" and keep your husbands 
there, keep them well supplied with good bread, 
and let it be the handiwork of your own hands, 
sweetened with smiles, and lightened with love ; and 
my word for it, your household shall not only be 
blessed, but it shall bless you. 
* 
FIRE PRECAUTIONS. 
There are few fires that might not have been 
prevented by the exercise of prudence, and a vast 
number which have been caused by negligence, 
arising from sheer laziness. The practice of read- 
ing in bed, for instance, is a common cause of fires, 
which cannot be too highly censured. If the fol- 
lowing precautions are strictly observed, accidents 
by fire will rarely occur, either in country or town : — 
1. Avoid leaving your light burning at the side 
of your bed, but place it on a table, stand, or the 
floor, at a proper distance from any inflammable 
substance. 
2. Never set aside a bucket, cask, nor box con- 
taining hot ashes, or cinders, either in a closet or a 
cellar. 
3. Never suffer a piece of lighted paper, cigar, 
nor other ignited substance to remain on the floor 
without immediately extinguishing it by treading 
on it, or otherwise. 
4. Never enter a barn or stable, nor other room 
containing inflammable substances, with a naked 
light. A close lantern should always be used. 
5. Never blow out gas lights, but always ex- 
tinguish them by turning off the supply. Should 
the smell of gas be strong, immediately close the 
cock at the meter, and avoid carrying a light into 
the apartment where the escape has taken place, 
before the gas has been removed by ventilation. 
6. Have your chimneys kept clean by frequent 
sweeping. 
Washing Made Easy. — Make a suds as usual, 
then add about a tea-spoonful of spirits of turpen- 
tine to each bucket of water, stir it up, put in the 
clothes, and let them soak an hour and a half, and 
then boil them as usual. Unless very dirty, they 
will need no rubbing, the turpentine having the 
effect to loosen the dirt. "One wife" says it is in- 
valuable. 
