General Rules for Bird-Treatment . 153» 
CHAPTER VII. 
GENERAL RULES FOR BIRD-TREATMENT. 
The Canaries and Finch-tribe generally, require 
little food besides good canary-seed and a little 
rape or hemp. Green food is always very good 
for them too, and some people put a rusty nail in 
the water-glass now and then to strengthen them. 
A small bit of Spanish liquorice, or a little 
brown sugar or treacle is good for them if they 
are hoarse, or if they look rough and moping. 
A thread of saffron may also be given when the 
birds are moulting, which you know by seeing the 
feathers falling about. All these remedies should 
be given in the water in the drinking-glass. 
A grand thing with all birds is keeping them 
out of draughts. If you put a cage in a window- 
sill and leave doors and windows open, you may 
expect with confidence to have a sick bird next 
day. And there is, too, another injury, often quite 
overlooked, caused by leaving cages standing in 
such a place, which is, that it may often happen 
that you are out of the room when the sun comes 
upon the window, and many people would wonder 
