Label Type
Usage LabelLabel
Canary Cage
Canaries were used in the mines as a safety measure to detect toxic gases.
Highly sensitive to carbon monoxide and methane, canaries are effected by
toxic gases even before mice. Miners kept these birds in small cages next to
them as they worked - if the bird stopped chirping, or began to sway in its
perch, the miner understood that toxic gases had entered the shaft. A few
seconds early detection of such gases could mean the difference between life
and death.
collection of Wilma Steele
