a4a DOMESTIC PETS. break their domestic peace, if, while the hen is sitting, her hus- band chooses to feed his neighbor's wife through the wires. The pairs should be kept as retired and out of sight of each other as possible. The materials for the nest should be hung up in the cage in a little net; fine moss and cow-hair are best; if cotton wadding is given it is apt to get matted and clogged round the bird's claws. The hen will generally make the nest herself; but some birds are idle about it, and do not take the trouble to do more than to put a little moss or wool into the basket, and then it is as well to make a nest for her; but it is not at all certain that she will allow it to remain in the bas- ket. Some birds seem to prefer sitting on their eggs without a nest, or are very capricious about its formation, and will undo one day the work of the previous day. It is as well to leave them to their own devices till the young are hatched, and then they may have a little moss or cow-hair put in under them to make their bed softer. The hen generally lays four or five eggs, and sits thirteen or fourteen days, unless she or her mate have a bad habit of eating the eggs. They should be left in the nest, and not touched or interfered with at all, until a fortnight has elapsed after the laying of the last egg; then, if there are no signs of hatching, the eggs may be put into warm water; if they float the probability is that they are addled, and no young bird in the egg; if they sink, they may be replaced for a day or two, but if not hatched then, they should be taken away, or the hen wiil go on sitting uselessly (on dead birds probably). Sometimes a violent jar, caused by the shutting of a door near the cage, or the fall of the cage itself, will kill the birds in the eggs, or the mother bird will cause their death by allowing the eggs to get cold, if sitting irregularly. The egg food must be provided in readiness for the hatching; and it is necessary to watch the birds* proceedings at first, lest they should not feed the young ones; but very few canaries are un- natural enough to leave them unfed, although they do not like to be overlooked, and, if they are shy birds, will refuse to feed their little ones when they are in sight, so that one has to watch them without appearing to do so. If they feed them once they will continue to do so; if not, it will be needful to bring them up by hand, giving them the soft egg food with a DOMESTIC PET& '243 quiD', aa with the nestlings before mentioned. A fresh nest must be given if the first nest becomes dirty, and the young birds carefully transferred to it with no more touching than is necessary. Some parent birds will resent any interference with their young, and will desert if they are meddled with; others will appear pleased at any notice bestowed on them, and will call our attention to their children with great exultation, chirp- ing and flying up to the nest, looking in, and then looking up in our faces as if to say, "Pray admire my lovely infants."

AI-modernized reading of the original text

break their domestic peace, if, while the hen is sitting, her husband chooses to feed his neighbor's wife through the wires. The pairs should be kept as retired and out of sight of each other as possible. The materials for the nest should be hung up in the cage in a little net; fine moss and cow-hair are best; if cotton wadding is given it is apt to get matted and clogged round the bird's claws. The hen will generally make the nest herself; but some birds are idle about it, and do not take the trouble to do more than to put a little moss or wool into the basket, and then it is as well to make a nest for her; but it is not at all certain that she will allow it to remain in the basket. Some birds seem to prefer sitting on their eggs without a nest, or are very capricious about its formation, and will undo one day the work of the previous day. It is as well to leave them to their own devices till the young are hatched, and then they may have a little moss or cow-hair put in under them to make their bed softer. The hen generally lays four or five eggs, and sits thirteen or fourteen days, unless she or her mate have a bad habit of eating the eggs. They should be left in the nest, and not touched or interfered with at all, until a fortnight has elapsed after the laying of the last egg; then, if there are no signs of hatching, the eggs may be put into warm water; if they float the probability is that they are addled, and no young bird in the egg; if they sink, they may be replaced for a day or two, but if not hatched then, they should be taken away, or the hen wiil go on sitting uselessly (on dead birds probably). Sometimes a violent jar, caused by the shutting of a door near the cage, or the fall of the cage itself, will kill the birds in the eggs, or the mother bird will cause their death by allowing the eggs to get cold, if sitting irregularly. The egg food must be provided in readiness for the hatching; and it is necessary to watch the birds* proceedings at first, lest they should not feed the young ones; but very few canaries are unnatural enough to leave them unfed, although they do not like to be overlooked, and, if they are shy birds, will refuse to feed their little ones when they are in sight, so that one has to watch them without appearing to do so. If they feed them once they will continue to do so; if not, it will be needful to bring them up by hand, giving them the soft egg food with a quill, aa with the nestlings before mentioned. A fresh nest must be given if the first nest becomes dirty, and the young birds carefully transferred to it with no more touching than is necessary. Some parent birds will resent any interference with their young, and will desert if they are meddled with; others will appear pleased at any notice bestowed on them, and will call our attention to their children with great exultation, chirping and flying up to the nest, looking in, and then looking up in our faces as if to say, "Pray admire my lovely infants."

The housekeeper's companion