Maison rustique, or The countrey farme· Compyled in the French tongue by Charles Steuens, and Iohn Liebault, Doctors of Physicke. And translated into English by Richard Surflet, practitioner in physicke. Now newly reuiewed, corrected, and augmented, with diuers large additions, out of the works of Serres his Agriculture, Vinet his Maison champestre, French. Albyterio in Spanish, Grilli in Italian; and other authors. And the husbandrie of France, Italie, and Spaine, reconciled and made to agree with ours here in England: by Geruase Markham. The whole contents are in the page following

CHAP. LIX.

Of diuers infirmities hapning to little cage birds, to∣gether with their remedies.

AMongst other diseases of birds, they are subiect easily to loose their sight, and become blind, if it bee not speedily looked to, and especially the Spinkes. Wherefore, for their better recour••rie before they be quite blind, you shall take beets & draw the iuice out of them, mingling it with a little sugar, & with this licour, you shall make her drinke for the space of three daies, to be taken euery s••cond day, after the maner that we haue spoken of in the behalfe of the linnet. And you shall lay in her cage a sticke of the wood of the fig-tree, in such sort as

that the bird may vse it for a pearch, and rub her eies against it, for the curing of them: which remedie will then be expedient, when you perceiue their eies to begin to shed teares, and their feathers begin to stare and stand vp. When they shall bee troubled with impostumes, you shall vse the same remedies which we haue spoken of in the chap••er of the Canarie bird.

But in as much as it often falleth out, that birds do breake their legs, I haue thought it good to teach you the way to heale them •• you shall giue them their meat in the first place, in the bottome of the cage: secondly, you shall take away their rods and pearches, that so they may not thereby take occasion to be hopping to looke for their meate, and so thereby to labour and stirre their legge, because by stirring thereof, they perish and are spoiled. And this course will likewise serue when any bird hath her thigh broken. And I would aduertise you not to bind or swaddle it after the manner of the world, for so you should cause some impostume to grow in the place where you did bind and tie it. You shall doe that which hath beene said very easi∣ly▪ if you lay her meate in the bottome and lowest part of the cage; all manner of pearching being cut off by the taking away of the rods and stickes which were in it for that purpose, and keeping them in some by-place for feare, that by the hearing of noise, they should beate and shake themselues, letting their legge or thigh which they shall haue broken remaine vntied and vnbound; for nature will heale it, and make it to grow together againe speedily.

Notes

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