SINGING AND CAGE BIRDS.
The birds now kept in cages either for the beauty of their plumage or their song, now em brace a great variety, running all the way through the finches, linnets. sparrows, thrushes, up to the parrots, and the more magnificent plumaged araras and cockatoos. The musical canary is however, the universal pet, found in almost every household, and is generally admired for its sprightly action, delicate coloring, and its pleasing and varied song. Their original home is in the Canary Islands, but over 300 years of domestication has so changed their color and instincts that the domesticated bird would no longer be recognized, except by the naturalist, either in his songs or plumage. In confinement more birds are ruined by too much coddling, and mistaken kindness than by all other causes put together, They are semi-tropical birds and can not stand extremes of heat and cold, drafts, or a confined atmosphere. All the feathered tribes require plenty of air and light, and when at liberty take a large amount of exercise. This in confinement must be liberally supplied as to the first two; and the third their natural instincts will tempt them to so far as their cages will al low. Canary birds are classified, as German Harz, which resemble the wild birds more than others, and as Dutch Belgian, or Parisian, which have longer legs, a more arched back, and a some what ruffled breast. The first class are bright yellow, straw color, or nearly white, yellowish white, green or gray, cream colored filberts, and spotted or mottled. These latter may be smooth-headed single-colored birds, the head alone shaded, or they may be green. gray, brown, or black-headed with brilliant plumage as to their body; this with the depth of color on the head constituting value. There is another strain of birds called swallows; their value con sists in the regularity of their markings. The most prized are the capped, filbert-colored birds, but swallows are nci, necessarily capped, since if the wings only are marked they are called wing swallows. The Belgian (Holland) canary is i pure yellow in color. They are divided into Parisian, large birds, with ruffled shoulders and breast; the Holland smaller, and the ruffles less developed; and the Brussels, a slender, deep col ored bird with a flat head. The German can aries, however, are generally considered to be i the best singers. The shape of the cage is m material, but the larger the better. They must always be hung above the reach of cats; they should always have the morning sun, and in summer the cages should be hung out of doors, in the shade as muchas possible. If painted cages are used, the paint should be kept well covered with varnish. The utensils should be of china or glass, the perches of soft wood of a size large enough so the claws of the bird may grasp half way round. And the ut most cleanliness should be used. Give them a water bath every day. The principal food should be clean, sweet canary seed, with a little rape added. A cuttle-fish bone should always be kept in the cage, and also a little clean, sharp, fine • gravel should be allowed once a week. Chick weed and lettuce should also be given them, and occasionally, during the moulting sea son, the yolk of a hard-boiled egg rubbed up in Indian meal. Sweet apple is also good, and occasionally a piece of stale bread, but no cake of any kind. Until the bird is six months old, it should have the yolk of hard-boiled eggs as a part of the diet. If the birds are lean, give a little flax seed every other day, and occasionally to all birds, a little poppy seed, and coarse oat meal grits. In relation to breeding and raising young birds, a writer describes the manner of breeding in the Harz mountains, Germany, as follows: According to the size of the space at your disposal, place from three to six males in your room, and three times as many females. Place a large number of jumping-bars at differ ent heights and distances. Arrange, also, two nests for each hen. In the center of the breed ing room a little table must be placed, for feed ing and drinking purposes. Water vessels must be so arranged, that the birds can not bathe in them. On the floor place building material, such as short-cut hemp, Manila, animal hair, feathersetc.; the birds will take care of the rest. Supply fresh food and drink each day; the birds must be disturbed as little as possible. The principal food for them while breeding is German rape-seed mixed with a little canary seed. After the young have been hatched give them, twice or three times daily, eggs boiled hard, grated, equally mixed with soaked or grated crackers; instead of crackers, stale bread, moistened with water, may be serried. One egg will be sufficient for fifteen or twenty birds each day. Lettuce should also be supplied in abund ance; also, cuttle-fish, egg-shells, and gravel. Soaked rape-seed can not be sufficiently recom mended; with it the old birds feed the young, and the young soon learn to feed themselves. To save time the egg may be cut in halves, and thus served. The egg-shells are eaten with great relish by the old birds, on account of the limy substance contained in them. If the egg be not grated, but served as before described, it will be well to add soaked (wheat) bread. Food and drinking vessels of china are preferable to all others. Greens, such as lettuce, chickweed, etc., can be supplied daily during hot weather; but on cold, damp days green food should be ad ministered with great care, as it tends to induce diarrhoea, which, in many cases, proves fatal to the little songsters. During the first few days there will generally be well-contested fights among the males; unfortunately, this can not be avoided. After the birds have been mated, and each cock has obtained his hens, there will be peace and harmony in the breeding-room. The hens will then select their nests and labor dili gently in their construction, the cock affording all the assistance in his power. The bird-raiser must now pay strict attention to his breeding room or cage. It will be expedient to number the nests; observe carefully when the first, as well as the last, egg has been laid, in order to ascertain when the twelve days haVe passed, and when the young birds must come from the shell. Examine the nests daily, and remove the dead young. Watch closely lest there be among the flock a growler, who can do considerable mis chief, destroying nests and eggs, as well as kill ing the young birds. Such ill-mannered growl ers must be immediately 'removed. After the first brood have left their nests, and are no longer dependent for food on the parent birds, they must be separated from them and placed in a large cage, that the next brood may not be disturbed by them. They must then be well cared for, so that they may not catch cold.
They must be carefully kept from every draft. As soon as the young cock can be distinguished by his singing, he must be separated from the others, and placed in a cage by himself near good singers, who will serve as his instructors. A breeding-room must have an abundance of light, and should have the morning sun. One or more evergreen trees, planted,in boxes and placed in the bird-room will give it a pleasant appearance, and afford great pleasure to the birds. If no live trees can be had a cut in the month of February, will answer instead, and remain green for some time. Nest boxes of tin or wire are most desirable, as those of wood or pasteboard are suited for the genera tion of insects. After the young birds have left the nest, it is desirable to remove it and cleanse it thoroughly, in order that all the vermin may be destroyed. It will be well to keep constantly on hand some insect powder, and to strew, from time to time, a little in the nests. The genuine Parisian insect powder, although. it completely destroys lice, is harmless to birds. Lice are dangerous enemies to the young brood.. Want of cleanliness is the cause. of the increase of insects, which annoy the breeding-hen, espe cially at night. Through this the little sufferer is compelled to scratch with her feet, in order to remove her enemy. Again, particles of excre ment are thus collected on the claws, which becoming hard, increases the pressure on the delicate egg-shell and ultimately ruptures it. Under these circumstances, the nest may be purified by dipping it in boiling water, or by strewing in it Parisian insect powder. Should the bird have soiled claws it must be caught and have its claws purified by immersion in luke warm water. The building material having been placed in the cage, becomes saturated with excre ments and rendered unfit for use. Building material must, therefore, never be supplied in liirge quantities, but from time to time,' as may be necessary. It may also be placed outside the cage, and accessible to the birds only through the wires. Nests placed inside the cages have not generally the necessary protection. The young bird of the preceding brood, and even the cock in the breeding cage, will often,busy them selves about the nest, thereby breed ing-hen to leave the nest, while they inspect the eggs and in many cases break them. Sometimes they will peck at the materials of the nest, and, in so doing, break the eggs. A nest which is open at the top is not useful; nay, it is even un fit for use, ' because the excrements of birds whose nests are above will fall into them; soiled eggs will not be hatched out; the excrements will, moreover, harden, and with their sharp, I pointed edges will often injure the coming brood. It will, therefore, be advisable to give the nest a covering of strong paper, or paste board, leaving only one part open in front; such protected nests are preferred by the birds. In such cases the birds do not rob each other of the building material, and the breeding ,birds are not disturbed by the approach of others. In cages the same general rule should be used. The nests too should be placed in corners opposite so the lien may take her choice, and covered so they may be retired. The material may be of short cotton wool as to the bottom with a little fine down for the surface, Sometimes the male bird is cruel. Unless very quiet he should be removed once the hen bird begins to sit ; but if the male conducts himself properly and feeds his mate let him remain. While sitting the hen must be supplied with extra food about the tenth day or at least before the twelfth day. The food of the young birds should he hard boiled yolk of egg rubbed up with stale bread crumbs. After 'the young birds leave the nest on or about the twenty-first day the old birds will continue to feed them, but it is better that there be a separation in the cage when the young birds are of this age, since the old birds often begin to lay for a second brood before the young birds are able to take care of themselves. Hence the advantage of a double cage for breed ing purposes. During the whole time the old birds are feeding the young in addition• to hard boiled yolk of eggs and bread crumbs, there should be soaked rape seed, canary seed, greens, and the usual food of the birds, and this should be continued for the young birds. When the young males begin to sing they should be sepa rated from the females and hung where they may hear a first-class singer, and also the notes of out-door birds, if possible. Since thus they may learn to adapt their song to that of other birds. To learn a bird to whistle a tune: Select a strong, loud-voiced bird and place in a room where it can hear no other sound. Procure a good toned bird organ and play the tune se lected for an hour at a time two or three times a day. It may take three months or more for the bird to catch the notes fully, and thereafter they will sing nothing else. The fore going instructions will apply to all the sparrow and finch tribes or hard billed birds. In relation to the diseases of birds and their treatment, Our Pets or the Book of Birds says: It is much easier to prevent disease, by taking proper care of birds, than to cure them. It would, however, be ridiculous to state that birds, whose treatment is in every respect proper, never get sick. Even at liberty the bird is subject to diseases of va rious kinds. Whosoever watches his birds care fully will soon observe that the sick bird is exactly opposite to the same when well. The healthy bird is fond of exercise; and views his surroundings with bright eyes, while the sick bird will remain sitting on one spot, his plumage puffed and ruffled, his eyelids drawn down, and his head for the most part hidden behind his wing. The sick bird does not refuse to eat, but attacks his food with a greediness which imme diately arouses the suspicions of the fancier. Ac cording to the nature of the disease other symp toms will soon appear. The sick bird opens his bill as widely as the healthy bird, during oppress ively warm days, but the eyes of the healthy bird are wide open while so doing, whereas the sick bird will keep them closed. The breathing of the bird is accompanied by strange unnatural sounds, while the motion of the feathers on the i bosom is irregular. The throat looks pale; he is feverish and cold, as shown by his shaking his body, which motion he repeats oftener and oftener. Fits generally follow, and the bird drops from his perch and lies a corpse in the bot tom of the cage. Many diseases show symptoms of this kind, and even the doctor's power is of no avail; but a few hours elapse from the begin ning of the disease till death.