sop, made with stale bread soaked in milk, squeezed dry, and sweetened with manna. If the patient refuses this food, a little moist sugar or honey is substituted for the manna, but the latter is considered preferable. The peppermint is prepared by pouring hot water over the dried leaves and allowing them to infuse in a warm place for a couple of hours, when they are strained through a piece of muslin. It is prepared fresh every day, or every alternate day at the farthest, and given in place of the drinking water. The Germans never give their birds cold water to drink, they give it lukewarm, and if a bird is in health they get a little egg food every day or every alternate day, as they believe that it induces a bird to eat its seed more freely. The Germans consider that a newly-imported bird should not have a supply of sand given him, and only very sparingly after he becomes acclimatised until he gets accustomed to it, as otherwise it will kill it. I cannot see the danger, nor understand the logic of this advice, as birds cannot be kept in health without a supply of sand or grit, but I reluctantly tell what the Germans say. Another thing about which they are very particular is the temperature in which their birds are kept. It varies from 60deg. to 65deg. Bird dealers in this country keep them in a much higher temperature, say, from 70deg. upwards; the warmer they are kept the more freely they sing, but the greater the heat the sooner they will be brought into moult, when they cease to sing, so that a moderate use of heat is preferable.

scream"

If a bird becomes too vivacious and begins to " he is gradually put into outer darkness, the cage being covered by degrees with thick cloth until the light is entirely excluded. After a few days he is allowed to have a little light, and if he still "screams" he is again covered. After a few weeks of this treatment he will understand the reason and refrain. The great cause of failure among many fanciers of these lovely songsters in our country is attributed to the manner in which they are fed and treated, and more particularly is this the case with imported specimens. The Germans have made a

life study of the subject, and their methods of feeding and treatment ought not to be ignored.

CROSS BREEDS.-Birds bred between the Lizard and Norwich Fancy canaries, or between the London Fancy and Belgian Fancy, or any other cross between separate and distinct varieties, are named cross breeds, but in some towns some of these crosses have distinguishing names given to them, as, for instance, some people call three-parts bred Lizard canaries "Spangle Backs." Then again, the birds frequently denominated "French Canaries" come within this category, as they are merely three-quarter bred Belgian Fancy canaries. None of these crosses, excepting the Cinnamon and variegated Cinnamon, are of any real intrinsic value, as they are used principally for experimental purposes only.

CHAPTER XXIV.

CANARY MULES.

GOLDFINCH AND CANARY MULES.-Formerly these elegant and highly-prized hybrids were all shown in one class, under the general name of "Goldfinch and Canary mules," and the rule for judging them in those days was, to use the vernacular of that period, "nearest the canary," which is meant to signify a bird with the fewest dark feathers on its body. At the present day, however, there are several classes for these birds at most of our "All England" shows, and they are capable of the following divisions and sub-divisions: Clear or ticked yellow, clear or ticked buff, evenly-marked yellow, evenly-marked buff, unevenly-marked yellow, unevenly-marked buff, dark jonque, dark

buff.

A goldfinch and canary mule with a perfectly clear body and a rich, deep broad flourish round the beak, is the rarest and most valuable of all the canary hybrids, more particularly if the under flue or small body feathers next the skin are clear as well, Next in estimation to a bird of this description is one very lightly ticked; in fact, the one most nearly resembling a clear bird-hence the term "nearest the canary." Size, colour, contour, feather, and condition are all points of merit in birds of this kind; but the aforenamed qualities far outweigh every other consideration in judging them. The evenly-marked variety is to my thinking, by far the handsomest, and it is without doubt, the most popular. The even markings, the rich orange band that surrounds the bill, commonly called the "flourish," the