Our home pets; how to keep them well and happy

GIFT OF
A, F. Morrison

ONE OF THE BIG DOGS

Our Home Pets

How to Keep Them
Well and Happy

BY

OLIVE THORNE MILLER^

Illustrated \ ; ;, I \

NEW YORK
HARPER & BROTHERS PUBLISHERS

1894

Copyright, 1894, by HARPER & BROTHERS.

All rights reserved.

fi-

CONTENTS

CHAP. PAGE

I. IS IT CRUEL TO KEEP BIRDS? „ . I

II. WHICH SHALL WE CHOOSE ? . . . . IO

III. TO GET HIM HOME 23

IV. TO TAME HIM 30

V. HIS PRIVATE APARTMENT 42

VI. WHAT SHALL HE EAT? 53

VII. HIS BATH .- 62

VIII. THE CANARY 72

IX. HIS MUSIC LESSON 78

X. THE HOSPITAL . 84

XI. THE TALKING TRIBES ...,„. 96

XII. THE BIRD-ROOM . 117

XIII. THE AVIARY 132

XIV. THE DOG AS A PET 141

XV. THE BIG DOGS 149

XVI. THE MIDDLE-SIZED DOGS 157

XVII. THE SMALL DOGS 165

xvin. THE "TOYS" 173

P35629

vi CONTENTS

CHAP. PAGE

XIX. THE HOME AND CARE OF THE DOG . .184

XX. THE PERFECT PET, THE CAT . . . .195

XXI. CATS OF HIGH DEGREE ...... 2OI

XXII. THE COMMON PUSSY 2IO

XXIII. THE CARE OF THE CAT 219

XXIV. THE MONKEY TRIBE 231

XXV. ODDITIES 241

XXVI. SOME PECULIAR PETS ...... 250

INDEX 0 . . . 259

ILLUSTRATIONS

ONE OF THE BIG DOGS . . . Frontispiece
THE BROWN THRUSH . . ... Faces pa^e IO

THE CATBIRD " " l6

BALTIMORE ORIOLES IN FREEDOM . " " 24

THE CARDINAL GROSBEAK .... " " 32

THE BOBOLINK " " 36

THE OWL

44

THE HATH OUT OF DOORS .... " " 68

THE COCKATOO " "112

THE FAMILY PET .... . " 144

THE BEGGING SPANIEI " 164

THE MALTESE " " 176

A TABBY BABY " " 196

CATS OF HIGH DEGREE " 2O2

TABBY KITTENS " " 214

THE BLACK CAT " " 2l6

IN MISCHIEF " " 232

OUR HOME PETS

; I i1 ,-, ;;-,-,•'-,•.

IS IT CRUEL TO KEEP BIRDS?

" Bird of the amber beak,
Bird of the golden wing,
Thy dower is thy carolling;
Thou hast not far to seek
Thy bread, nor needest wine
To make thine utterance divine;
Thou art canopied and clothed,
And unto song betrothed."

— STEDMAN.

A GOOD deal of sentiment is expended upon
caged birds. From tender hearts, and from
others not so tender, we often hear, " I can't
bear to keep a bird in a cage !" Now, without
in any way advocating the caging of birds, I
must say that there are two sides to this, as to
most questions.

It is true the captive is at the mercy of his

OUR HOME PETS

owner; his food depends upon some one's
memory; his comfort, his very life, are in the
power of another ; but the same is true of the
household dog and cat, still more of the horse.
Moreover, the last-named animal is so much
"v^orse 0$: that he;is;made to work, and often
$akUy aj)us'e4 byj his' owner, yet we hear little
sjrn;j>athyf expressed, for, his state of slavery.
rrrltrp,crruei fo cJajftOre an adult bird, accus-
tomed to freedom and to caring for himself,
and confine him in a cage ; it is worse than
cruel, it is brutal, to neglect to provide care-
fully for his comfort when thus imprisoned.
But that a captive bird, properly caught and
properly cherished, must necessarily be unhap-
py I emphatically deny, and my opinion is
based upon several years' close study of birds
in confinement.

By " properly caught," I mean taken from
the nest, or when just out of it. By " proper-
ly cherished," I mean not only fed and watered
as regularly and carefully as we attend to our
own physical needs, but in every other way
made as happy as is possible by loving atten-
tion and thoughtful consideration.

As to the canary, born in a cage, of caged

IS IT CRUEL TO KEEP BIRDS? 3

ancestry, he is utterly incapacitated for free-
dom. So far from being a kindness to give
him his liberty, it is a positive cruelty. He
has never sought food or shelter, he has no
notion of doing either, and he must inevita-
bly perish. Birds that have been taken from
the nest are in a similar condition of igno-
rance. Unless kept in captivity a very short
time, and afterwards supplied with food till
they learn to care for themselves, to thrust
them out is like taking a child brought up in
luxury and forcing him into the streets to
pick up his own living. This comparison is
not in the least exaggerated. A young bird
is taught by his parents where and how to
get his food. Close observers may see this in-
struction going on all summer, when nesting
is over and young birds are out. If, then,
this period of instruction is passed in a house,
and he is adult when turned adrift, there is
no one to teach him, and he must learn by
hard experience, or die in the attempt.

I have read stories of children being induced
to set free their pets, because they would be so
much happier. One in particular I remember,
because I was so indignant about it, where the

4 OUR HOME PETS

bird refused to be left in the park, but flew
back several times and alighted on its owners,
and they actually had to scheme to get away
from it. It was told as a self-sacrificing and
virtuous deed, when, as a matter of fact, it was
undoubtedly pure cruelty, and that bird, ac-
customed to care and shelter, probably died
of want and exposure.

Another use of a caged bird, or any captive,
that is of great value as I look at it, is the op-
portunity it gives for lessons in consideration
and care for others, and love and kindness to
animals. It has been ascertained by statistics,
carefully gathered from training-schools and
prisons, that very few men who in boyhood
owned or cared for a pet animal, or who were
instructed in kindness to the lower orders, are
to be found among criminals. This fact, which
should not astonish us when we think of the
elevating tendency of unselfishness, puts into
the hands of parents and teachers a powerful
weapon for good. Not only does the pet bird
or beast entertain and amuse the boy, but,
under proper direction, it trains him in gentle
ways, in a sense of justice, and it goes far to
insure an honest life.

IS IT CRUEL TO KEEP BIRDS? 5

There is a further point to be considered.
Birds are caged, and have been since the be-
ginning of the world — so far as we know ; no
one of us can help it. To rescue one or more
from the miserable conditions of a bird store,
and make them happy in our homes, is a deed
of charity, not an unkindness. If we could
arouse all over the world a sentiment that
would prevent the catching of birds at all, I
should rejoice with all my heart. But since
we know that is impossible, let us try to com-
fort ourselves by redeeming from uncomforta-
bleness every one that we can.

An English lady whom I know has a de-
lightful way of taming the birds on her place
without making them prisoners. It is thus :
When they are about ready to leave the nest,
she removes a bird — perhaps two — from the
parents' care, assuming the duties of the par-
ent herself, and feeding her captives carefully
every half-hour from four in the morning tiH
dark. At the same time she talks to them,
and gets them familiar with her. When they
are full-grown, and not at all afraid of her, she
opens her windows and lets them out, keep-
ing the food and water supply in plain sight,

6 OUR HOME PETS

within the always open casement. Her re-
ward is a charming colony of birds in her
grounds, who come freely into her house, ac-
cept food from her hands, sing for her, bring
their wild mates and their little ones, and in
every way are enchanting daily visitors. But
she is careful not to retain them too long, and
to keep a supply of food convenient for them.
Birds so educated have been known to stay
out-of-doors all summer, and take up winter-
quarters in the house year after year.

But even when the birds caught are grown
up, if the second condition is carried out and
they are "properly cherished," they frequent-
ly become so attached to their homes that
they will not accept liberty when it is offered.
Nor need we be surprised at this. The life
of a bird in freedom is by no means so easy
as it appears ; an intelligent observer soon
comes to know that he is at work nearly
every hour of the day, beginning several
hours before we are out of bed. When there
are young ones to be fed, the parents are
absolutely driven from morning till night,
and, as their lovers well know, nearly all bird
music ceases during those hard-worked days.

IS IT CRUEL TO KEEP BIRDS? 7

Now when one of these little workers is
made comfortable and happy in a house, and
well fed, without exertion of his own, he be-
comes— exactly as does a human being — dis-
inclined to work. Thrusting him out of his
easy home is, in fact, condemning him to a
life of hard labor, which is often as distaste-
ful to him as the loss of an income is to a
man. To be sure, a captive is deprived of
fresh air and his natural out-of-door life, but
when he is used to these conditions it is with
him a matter of choice — as it is with many
of us — between a life of bondage without la-
bor, and freedom with it.

I have had birds, more than one, who did
not care even to leave their cages, who would
stay inside all day with the door wide open,
perfectly cheerful and contented. But it
must be remembered that I spared no thought
or labor to supply my birds with everything
that would add to their comfort or their pleas-
ure.

I do not deny that most caged birds are
unhappy; and because I love them, I am gen-
erally made miserable by every one I see,
panting and pleading for relief with eager

8 OUR HOME PETS

eyes, in the glare of the hot sun, or against a
burning brick wall ; shivering in the draught
of an open window ; shrinking from the fall-
ing rain and the unaccustomed night air;
smothered in muslin up to their roof, or
starving on a thimbleful of seed and about
as much water. But this is not because they
are caged ; it is because of the thoughtless-
ness or carelessness of their keepers.

I regard it as just as bad to keep a bird with-
out giving due care and attention to its needs
as to leave a horse in a stable without food
or exercise, or a dog chained to a post day
after day and week after week. Looked at
in* one way, indeed, it is worse, for a dog
can make himself very disagreeable, and re-
mind people of his presence, while the horse,
representing a considerable sum of money,
is usually thought of ; but the poor bird, not
worth much in dollars, with a language un-
noticed and unintelligible to most of us, can
only die, as thousands of them do die every
year, victims to the neglect of somebody.
This is truly an outrage, and no sympathy
that is expended on these unfortunate creat-
ures is wasted.

IS IT CRUEL TO KEEP BIRDS? 9

One thing more I should like to say. Al-
though I maintain that a captive can be made
entirely contented, I never have, and I never
intend to have, a bird caught or caged for
my pleasure or my study. And again I say,
most emphatically, that unless a person is able
and willing to give daily thought and care to
a bird, it is bitterly cruel, even wicked, to as-
sume the charge of one.

My position on the caged -bird question
thus fully defined, I wish to give some sug-
gestions in regard to making birds not only
comfortable, but happy.

II

WHICH SHALL WE CHOOSE?

HAVING decided to keep a bird, the impor-
tant question is, naturally, what shall be chosen
out of the great variety of native and foreign
birds to be found in our bird stores ?

It may help to a decision to inquire a little
into your motives. Why do you want a bird ?
Is it to put a finishing touch to a room, to en-
tertain you with song, to amuse the children,
or to be a companion to you ?

If the decoration of a room is the object,
your way is plain ; get a brilliant-hued parrot,
or a

" Cockatoo, creamy and white,

With roses under his feathers
That flash across the light,"

put it into a gorgeous gilded cage, upon a hand-
some standard, in the middle of a bay-window,
and the thing is done. If you want a singer,
choose a canary or a mocking-bird ; either one,

mm.

THE BROWN THRUSH

WHICH SHALL WE CHOOSE? II

properly encouraged, will sing enough to sat-
isfy the most exacting; in fact, most owners
of these birds are forced to keep a cloth cover
for the cage, to moderate their too exuberant
song, or to relegate the irrepressible to sol-
itary confinement in some retired apartment,
so that people may talk, and rest their weary
ears. So be sure of your object.

If what you desire is something to amuse
the children, by all means procure a big cage,
and fill it with a dozen or two of the pretty
little African finches, who live amicably to-
gether, and with their endless pranks furnish
never-failing entertainment to the little folk.

If you care for a delightful companion, I
recommend to you our own native birds, the
most intelligent you can get; perhaps one of
the thrush family — the wood -thrush, robin,
or thrasher, or a bluebird, or, better still, a
pair.

If your heart longs for the king of singers,
and one of the most intelligent birds in the
whole list, I suggest the clarin, a Mexican
bird.

" He is the poet bird, who
Through joy, through sorrow, through all things;"

12 OUR HOME PETS

but I warn you that you must love him, and
let him know it, or he will be little more than
a shadow in your house. He is so sensitive
in organization that you must win his heart
before you can enjoy his finest song, at least
in our climate, so far from his home.

The choice may depend somewhat upon
another thing; birds are divided into seed-
eaters and soft-billed. The former class, which
includes parrots, canaries, and all finches, is
easily cared for, the food being ready for use
when bought. The latter class — thrushes,
bluebirds, and all insect eaters — must have
soft food like mocking-bird food, ants' eggs,
meat, etc., all of which require preparation
and greater care.

To speak in detail of the more common va-
rieties to be procured in our stores. The
qualities of the canary it is not necessary to
mention ; he is so common that every one is
familiar with them. I will begin, therefore,
with the next best known, the parrot. Of this
bird there are almost innumerable varieties,
of nearly every color and size. The gray Afri-
can, a solemn-looking personage in light dove-
color with a brilliant red tail, is considered

WHICH SHALL WE CHOOSE? 13

the most intelligent in the matter of talking,
though most of the family may be taught that
accomplishment. Cockatoos do not learn so
readily to speak, but they can squawk and
scream with the loudest. Their almost incura-
ble passion for making unpleasant noises, es-
pecially loud shrieks, is a serious objection to
these birds, and one should consider the state
of her own nerves before consenting to harbor
one. All the tribe — paroquets, cockatoos,
macaws, and even the sentimental love-birds
— are noisy and often unbearable in a room.
On the other hand, they are affectionate, in-
genious in mischief, and exceedingly enter-
taining pets, besides being easily kept happy
and in health, and very long lived. I never
knew of a person making a companion of one
of the family without becoming warmly at-
tached to it.

The mocking-bird, so often kept in captiv-
ity for his song, is really a most interesting
inmate of our homes for other qualities — his
spirited manners, his intelligence, and his fer-
tile wit. No bird of my acquaintance will
think of so many droll things to do, and be
so certain to do them, as this one. He is not

14 OUR HOME PETS

so affectionate as some others, but when he
does become attached to people he is well
able to show his preference. If allowed his
freedom in a room, he will be so busy and
happy, with occupations he can invent for him-
self, that he will not be troublesome with ex-
cessive singing.

In considering the less-known cage birds,
let us begin with the one most frequently
seen, the American robin. This bird is easily
tamed, being intelligent and naturally fearless.
He soon learns that no harm is intended to
him, and that behind his wires he need not
dread the human being who, out-of-doors, he
never thought of fearing. He takes kindly to
life in our houses, and especially to the food
that he finds on our tables. He is also affec-
tionate, readily becoming fond of individuals.
When free in a house he is particularly enter-
taining, ready in invention, and doing things
no one would expect of him. He is observ-
ing, having his own opinion of everything he
sees, and well able to make his wishes under-
stood. As a singer he is not noted in captiv-
ity, although if kept away from other birds,
and not allowed too much liberty, he will sing.

WHICH SHALL WE CHOOSE? 15

The thrasher, or, more properly, brown
thrush, considerably resembles the robin in
confinement, though he has none of the thrush
composure, being very restless in manner. He
is always busy, always interested, and full of
devices to amuse himself and you. Some-
times, especially if kept apart from other birds,
he will sing beautifully in a cage, but I must
confess there was always too much society,
and too much going on, for any thrasher to
sing in my house.

The thrushes — wood, hermit, and Wilson's
— are all lovely and winning birds in a house ;
but it is difficult to make them at home, or to
reconcile them to captivity. They are re-
served, and rarely familiar with other birds.
They do not go into wild panics, or make mad
efforts to escape ; but they look straight at one
out of beautiful, untamable eyes, in a way
that makes it very hard for a bird-lover to
keep them confined a moment. They do not
condescend to pranks, and amusement is the
last thing we must expect from this dignified
family.

A rollicking, mischief-loving relative of the
thrushes is the cat -bird, and for eccentric

1 6 OUR HOME PETS

freaks and lively frolics, I do not know his
equal. The mocking-bird is nearest like him
in these respects. I will engage that no house
that possesses a cat-bird at liberty will ever
lack entertainment or suffer from ennui.

The Baltimore oriole is an exceedingly dec-
orative bird. He is susceptible to kindness,
and if taken young and kept alone, becomes
very tame and friendly. He does not sing ex-
cept in the spring, nor does he show so much
intelligence as the thrush family. He is, how-
ever, inquisitive, and he delights to pick things
to pieces, especially lace, and fabrics in which
the threads are distinct. He will pry into un-
accustomed places, behind and under furniture,
creep through blinds or gratings, and pick
holes in the wall-paper. He is interesting, and
one readily becomes attached to him.

Bluebirds are charming in a house, gentle,
always uttering their sweet little warble, and
bringing to mind the orchards and

" the long sweet hours
That follow the fragrant feet of June."

They are affectionate and easily tamed, and
half a dozen will live amicably together. Never

THE CATBIRD

WHICH SHALL WE CHOOSE? 17

mischievous in pranks, they are delightful to
look at and listen to, but not so amusing,
nor apparently so intelligent, as those already
spoken of.

The Virginia cardinal is a favorite cage bird,
both on account of his beauty and his song.
Indeed, an English lady who had one of these
birds for years declares that he is a finer singer
than the nightingale. That is a high compli-
ment for our bird, for the nightingale is famed
in song and story, and by many considered
the finest singer in the world. The cardinal
is not specially interesting as a pet. His song
and his brilliant coat are the sum of his at-
tractions. If his food dish is well supplied,
and his comfort in other respects attended to,
he becomes entirely reconciled to captivity,
but never — at least in the room with other
birds — familiar with his human neighbors. I
have heard of cardinals kept alone who became
friendly and affectionate, but I have myself
owned several of them, and never felt ac-
quainted with one. To my taste, the female
is much more lovely, and a sweeter singer than
her mate, having softer tints and not so loud
a voice.

1 8 OUR HOME PETS

The rose-breasted grosbeak, nearly related
to the cardinal, is, in my opinion, a more beau-
tiful bird, though not so well known. He is
black and white, with an exquisite rose-colored
shield on his breast. He resembles his more
brilliant cousin in characteristics, though he is
not so fine nor so persistent a singer. He is,
indeed, rather shy, and not particularly satis-
factory as a pet.

The orchard oriole, while not so brilliant in
coloring as the Baltimore, is a ready and fine
singer, and a beautiful bird. The female is a
charming songster and a pretty bird, in soft
yellow olive, with bright blue legs and feet.
The male of this family I have not found
pleasant in disposition. He is quarrelsome
and jealous, and would do better alone than
in the room with others. One that I kept
fretted his mate to death.

The red-winged blackbird is a pleasing house
bird, with a bewitching wild song of few notes,
which, however, breathes the very spirit of
the woods, and is most attractive to wood-
lovers. He is a seed-eater, and requires little
care, but does nqt show so great intelligence
as the thrushes.

WHICH SHALL WE CHOOSE? 19

A beautiful bird, but very difficult to keep
in health, is the scarlet tanager. He does not,
in a house, readily accept any food but living
flies, and he never ceases to regret his liberty.
If he has the companionship of several of his
kind, he is more likely to be contented ; but he
does not care for other birds, and he is almost
sure to mope and die. I know of but one bird-
dealer in New York who succeeds in keeping
this bird alive, and I think his secret is in
giving him plenty of company of his own
family.

The golden -wing woodpecker, or nicker,
though extremely wild at first, and hard to
accustom to mocking-bird food, if carefully
treated, without being frightened, will become
tame and friendly. His song is very low and
rarely uttered, but his calls and cries are pleas-
ant, and suggestive of woods and summer days.
I do not regard him as a desirable pet, and
much -thought is needful to make him happy,
such as supplying the cage with fresh branches
on which to hammer.

The blue-jay is a more than usually fasci-
nating pet when taken from the nest and never
accustomed to wild' life. He reminds one of a

2O OUR HOME PETS

mischievous child, and he is one of the busiest
and happiest of captives, though he must be
watched closely, or he will destroy books and
furniture without end. As a cage bird he is
not specially interesting. It is only when free
in a room or house that his capabilities have
play.

The bobolink is of a peculiar organization,
madly afraid of every human being — and no
wonder! utterly declining to believe in one's
good intentions, and beating himself to death
against the wires. I have found him too pain-
ful to look at, and impossible to keep in cap-
tivity for a week. When a bobolink's confi-
dence is won, and he is away from other birds,
I have heard of his being a delightful and com-
panionable pet, though I never had the pleas-
ure of seeing one. I can hardly conceive of
this bird as singing in confinement, but I have
authentic accounts from a bobolink-lover of at
least three who have kept their respective hu-
man homes in charming music all the season
through. To secure this, weeks and months
of care and pains would not be lost, for his
song is one of the enchantments of a New
England June.

WHICH SHALL WE CHOOSE? 21

Birds too large to be conveniently kept in a
city often make agreeable pets for the country,
where room is not so limited. The crow is
one of the most attractive, being a very wide-
awake personage, with plenty of ideas, and
wit enough to carry them out. He becomes
much attached to the human race, as soon as
he is convinced they do not want to eat him.
He must be watched, however, for his great
propensity is to carry off and secrete silver, or
anything that strikes his fancy. As to desert-
ing his home, and going away with his wild
relatives, if properly treated and made comfort-
able he will rarely do so.

Owls of several kinds afford no end of di-
version when tamed ; but they, too, need the
run of larger quarters than a house.

The magpie is full of fun and frolic, and
learns to talk, but one needs a private detec-
tive to keep him out of mischief.

Of the foreign birds are many with which
we are familiar in cages. The English gold-
finch, a pleasant little fellow, readily accus-
toming himself to a cage, and a sweet singer
without much variety; the song -thrush, a
charming bird and a sweet singer, as is also

22 OUR HOME PETS

the English blackbird, the latter with capacity
for eccentricity rarely equalled in any of the
feathered folk. The skylark, a favorite cage
bird in his native land, does not flourish well
with us, according to my experience. He is
exceedingly shy, and is some extra trouble, as
he needs, every few days, a fresh bit of turf to
keep him happy.

The starling, in his quaint speckled dress, is
a social and friendly fellow, droll in his ways,
with the queerest song of any bird I know.

The Brazilian cardinal is a beautiful bird
in soft dove-color with brilliant scarlet head.
He is a tireless and rather loud singer, but
bright and merry, and easily kept in health
and spirits.

This list is surely long enough for every one
to select from, and every bird mentioned has
been for sale in New York bird stores, though,
perhaps, not all at one time.

Ill

TO GET HIM HOME

ON starting out in search of an American
-bird — if you decide to have one — the first ex-
perience will be discouraging. Every dealer
will deny that he has an American bird, in
spite of the mocking-birds, South American
parrots, and cardinal-grosbeaks which are al-
most always to be found in his stock. The
truth is, that he so little regards the birds
asked for that he really does not remember
them. If you will walk slowly down the store
and look for yourself into all the cages, you
will be almost sure to see a robin or a bluebird
tucked into some obscure corner as not wor-
thy of notice.

Remembering this curious idiosyncrasy of
the dealers, which I have often noticed, you
must make up your mind to search for your-
self, and having found a bird, make arrange-
ments to have him taken home. The best

24 OUR HOME PETS

way, and one that I strongly urge, is to take
him yourself. If you do not attend to the
matter, the bird-dealer, who regards the little
creatures in his cages as so much merchan-
dise, may put the frightened bird into a com-
mon pasteboard box, with no perch, where
the unfortunate prisoner slides and scrambles
around in the dark, during his whole trip to
your house, arriving wild and tired out, and
more than ever convinced of the cruelty of
man. I have known one to be so terrorized
by this experience that he never recovered
from it, but was a shy, nervous fellow forever
after.

Or, if not into a paper box, he may be thrust
into one of the small German wooden cages
in which canaries travel from Europe. These
cages are simply idiotic for any bird bigger
than a canary, for the reason that they have
two perches, one about an inch and a half
from each end. A bird too long to perch so
near the bars can only rest on the floor be-
tween, with tail and wings held in unnatural
positions. It is almost impossible for one to
be carried in this way without being fright-
ened by the cramped quarters. Usually the

BALTIMORE ORIOLES IN FREEDOM

TO GET HIM HOME 25

plumage is materially injured, and often a
wing is broken, or tail feathers pulled out by
his struggles.

The way I have adopted is vastly better
than these. I have two conveyances, one or
other of which I take when I go bird-hunting.
One is a small -sized, square -cornered splint
basket, perhaps eight by ten inches in size,
with a cover and handle. To prepare it for
use, I cover the bottom with several thick-
nesses of paper, which are easily renewed,
then fasten a good -sized perch across the
middle, an inch or two above the floor, hold-
ing it firmly by a tack through from the out-
side. Into one corner I fasten with fine wire
a small deep cup for water, into the opposite
corner a cup for food. The basket, being
woven, lets in plenty of light and air. A bird
as large as a robin has enough room, and, as I
carry it carefully, he is not afraid to eat and
drink if he wishes.

The other carriage, which I use for smaller
birds, is one of the wooden cages above men-
tioned, made over, first by a thorough scrub-
bing and scalding, and secondly by removing
the absurd perches at the ends, and placing

26 OUR HOME PETS

one across the middle, so that head and tail
are both accommodated in natural attitudes.
This done, I wrap the cage in buff or white
wrapping-paper, making a nice package that
I am willing to carry, and tying it up in such
a way that one end has no string across it.
Then I take scissors and cut the paper on the
left-open end, across the top, and down the
corners on each side, leaving it whole at the
bottom. This makes a paper door opening
over the wooden door.

The reason for all this care is that a bird
may not be scared to death by the rattle of
paper in doing up his cage, and it is necessary
to cover him, to screen him from seeing things
and people about him, which will drive him
wild. When my door is complete, I arrange
a string in such a way that I can tie it up or
open it without disturbing the fastenings of
the rest of the string.

When my bird is chosen, I untie this special
string, fold back the paper door, and draw up
the round wooden bars that form the door of
the cage. Then the bird, already caught by
the dealer, is gently loosened at the door, and
instantly fastened in by slipping the wooden

TO GET HIM HOME 27

bars back to place; the paper door is quietly
closed, the string tied, and he is not at all
startled. A bird arriving at home in either of
these conveyances is calm and unhurt, and he
has no terror of me.

To change him into a cage which I have
already prepared with food and water, and a
cover laid over if he is wild, I first open the
cage door, then place the door of the travel-
ling cage against it, having turned back the
paper door. Then I draw out the bars that
keep him in the small cage, and he is sure to
step at once into the large one.

To get one out of the basket above men-
tioned is a little more difficult operation. I
hold the basket slightly opened before the
door, with my hands or a cloth over the ends,
so that he can get out only one way. He is
certain to hop out as soon as he sees a good
opening with apparently no one watching him.

When he is safely housed and the door shut,
I leave him alone. If not covered up, I walk
away and pay no attention to him nor come
near his cage. I sit down afar off, and read or
write, or occupy myself in some way, till he gets
used to his new apartment. He will look at

28 OUR HOME PETS

everything with the most eager interest, the
room, the other birds, if there are any, and his
new cage. Almost any bird will appreciate
the improvement in his quarters, and begin to
try them by jumping from perch to perch.
Then he will learn where his food is, and lastly
begin to eat and drink. All this should be ac-
complished quietly, without excitement, and
to do so he must be left alone, and especially
not be stared at.

The next day he will begin to feel some con-
fidence in you, and you may come quietly and
slowly up to him, put in fresh food and water,
and speak gently to him, but not look at him
much when near. A few days of this careful
treatment will do wonders towards reassuring
the trembling captive, and preparing him for
feeling acquainted, and from that to growing
tame and becoming attached to you. It makes
months of difference in taming a bird, the way
he is brought home.

A very wild bird should always be covered
with a light cloth so that he cannot see people.
I once brought home a frantically wild golden-
wing woodpecker, who beat himself against
the bars as though he would kill himself. I

TO GET HIM HOME 29

swathed his big cage in a light woollen shawl,
leaving about three inches uncovered at one
end. Then, before he noticed the opening, I
seated myself with my back to the cage and a
hand-mirror in my hand, in which I could see
him, while he did not think I was looking.
Then I kept perfectly still.

In a few minutes a long beak was thrust from
behind the shawl screen, and a large eye came
slowly beyond the edge. There he paused,
and looked at me, at the room, the ceiling, the
window near him, and the bird opposite. I
remained silent with my back towards him,
and he studied his new world for several min-
utes, then retreated behind the shawl.

Each day I made the opening a little wider,
and changed the dishes from behind the screen
so that he saw only my hand, and in a week I
had, inch by inch, taken off the cover and given
him the full view of the room. This wood-
pecker, though I never make the least effort
to tame a bird, became so familiar that he
would hop on to me, and stand still and let
me pick him up, which I never knew any
other creature in feathers to do.

IV

TO TAME HIM

THERE are three, yes four, possible degrees
in our relations with a bird. In the first, his
fear is overcome ; in the second, he is made
happy ; in the third, he is tamed ; in the
fourth, he is humanized.

The first step of his progress, which in the
majority of cases he never gets beyond, is es-
sential to his comfort and our own, and the
sooner it is taken the better. I have already
suggested in a previous chapter that the cage
of a very wild bird, until he gets accustomed
to our presence, should be covered. Not until
he can endure to see people about him with-
out going into a panic, can the first step be
taken.

A good way to do this is to place the cage
on the table or desk beside you, going on with
your occupation as usual, and not often look-
ing at him. That is, if your occupation is a

TO TAME HIM 3!

quiet one, reading, writing, or hand sewing.
I should never put a bird by a sewing-ma-
chine, nor near any machine making sudden
or violent motions.

If the stranger sees he is not observed, he
studies you and your surroundings well ; he
gets used to being near you, and at length
loses his terror of you. Then you may be-
gin to speak to him and take notice of him,
and when that no longer frightens him, to
offer him dainties. This must be done grad-
ually; you can't force a bird to lose his fear,
and you must remember that with him we
have a race terror to overcome, something
that his parents and his parents' parents have
instilled into him. Impatience and attempts
to hasten progress make things worse — that
is, if you really wish to gain the bird's good-
will.

Birds can be made what is called tame by
the heroic process often practised on parrots
by the natives who catch them, and some-
times by the dealers. It is a curious per-
formance, but so far from overcoming their
fear, it intensifies it to a point of abject slav-
ishness, painful to one who loves birds. It is

32 OUR HOME PETS

thus : First protecting the hand by heavy
leathern gloves, the tamer seizes the wild creat-
ure by the legs and drags it out of the cage.
The parrot has no notion of submitting to
fate, and it shrieks, struggles, and bites sav-
agely, while the tamer holds it firmly with the
left hand, and strokes its back with the right.
It now becomes a question of strength of will
and physical endurance, for the tamer con-
tinues his stroking till the bird gives up,
whether it be hours or days (including part
of the nights), as it is in the case of a bird of
spirit.

The tamer must remain in a room alone
with his pupil, and must never give up his
efforts till he yields. The poor captive often
holds out till nearly dead of hunger and fa-
tigue, but when he is finally conquered, it is
for good and all. Though he is tamed, how-
ever, he is not won. He always has the bear-
ing of a slave who obeys from fear, and nat-
urally, he is a pitiful sight to a bird-lover.

Having accustomed the bird to your pres-
ence, the next step is to establish friendly re-
lations with him, and to make him happy,
something that is almost universally over-

THE CARDINAL GROSBEAK

TO TAME HIM 33

looked by keepers of birds. Begin to talk to
him, sing or whistle to him, give him some-
thing he likes ; in a word, make him feel ac-
quainted. He will be as ready to respond to
these attentions as a child or a dog, and it
will make him as happy. How many birds
and other pets live in1 our houses year after
year and get hardly a word or look from us !
They are ignored as if they were wooden im-
ages or music machines, instead of fellow-
creatures with sentiments and emotions like
our own. If you have never tried it, you will
be surprised to see how quickly the little fel-
low will answer a kind word, how he will
wriggle his small body, and show in every
movement that he is pleased, that he recipro-
cates your good -will. Some birds — notably
canaries — will answer with their sweet call
every time you speak, and keep it up as long
as you do.

Let me caution you never to allow a bird to
be teased or annoyed. Many boys and men
who should know better delight in amusing
themselves in that way. It may look droll to
see a bird in a rage, scolding, beating his
wings, snapping at a finger, and in other ways

34 OUR HOME PETS

showing that his evil passions are aroused,
but it ruins him for agreeable house compan-
ionship. It develops bad temper and disa-
greeable ways, such as squawking in jays,
screaming in parrots, and harsh scolding in
others. It makes them irritable, malicious to
other birds, and often to children.

To make him thoroughly happy, a bird in a
house needs some amusement ; he pines for
something to interest him, and, like a child
kept in, he should be provided with play-
things. A pet paroquet that I knew once,
though he had the freedom of his master's
house, was furnished with a small basket of
playthings, a bunch of keys, a bit of chain, a
spool or two, a few marbles, and other things.
The bird knew as well as any child that the
basket and its contents were his, and he made
a great row if any one touched them. Many
times a day he got down his basket, and
amused himself an hour at a time with its
treasures.

Another bird — a parrot — had to be enter-
tained every day, and if people were busy and
he were neglected, he helped himself to play-
things. A favorite object was a spool of

TO TAME HIM 35

thread, from which he cut the contents with
his sharp beak, and then demolished the
spool. A lead -pencil or pen -handle to bite
and reduce to slivers was acceptable ; and, in-
deed, he could amuse himself with almost
anything, and, when he was not supplied with
a stock of his own, he was always in mis-
chief.

A thrush I once had used to amuse himself
with the hanging fringe of a towel laid over a
chair. He would run at it, try to pull out the
threads, and, holding by the beak, swing back
and forth with great relish.

A crumpled newspaper laid on the floor is
often a source of pleasure, also a ball that
rolls easily, as a marble. A string is the de-
light of most birds, but it is dangerous, for
they are apt to tangle it around their legs, and
frighten if not hurt themselves ; moreover,
some birds will swallow a string, and suffer
till they throw it up.

All this may be accomplished with a bird
without making him what is called tame, /'. e.,
so much at home that he will come at your
call, alight on you freely, take food from your
lips, and let you stroke or handle him.

36 OUR HOME PETS

To make a bird tame, you should find out
his special dainty, and reserve that to admin-
ister yourself. For a canary a hemp-seed is
the great temptation ; he never gets enough
hemp-seed, because they are too rich for an
exclusive diet. Take one in your fingers, and
hold it close to the bars at the end of a perch,
where he can approach on the inside and take
it if he chooses. Then speak to him gently,
or make a little chirruping sound or a low
whistle. He may not take it the first time,
and after you have held it there awhile, take
it away. By no means drop it in his cage, or
he will learn that by waiting patiently he will
get it, whereas by taking it away he learns
that he cannot have the hemp -seed till he
takes it out of your hand. The second time
he will be less afraid, and in a few days he will
begin to tease for it.

With a soft-billed or insect-eating bird a
meal-worm will work in the same way, and
if you dislike to hold one of these wrigglers,
a buzzing fly or a little spider will do as well.
Either of these you may, if you prefer, hold
in a pair of printers' tweezers with the same
results. Gentleness and patience, and some

THE BOBOLINK

TO TAME HIM 37

dainty the bird desires, will tame the wildest
in time. Some birds are extravagantly fond
of fruit — a berry, a soft-soaked currant, a bit
of apple or pear ; others prefer a morsel of
fresh beef. Try your bird till you discover
his choice, and keep that to win him with.

The old way of tiring out a bird, and re-
fusing him any food or water till he takes it
from the hand, seems to me unnecessary and
cruel. When the victim at last snatches it
because he is perishing for want of it, he is
just as much afraid, and, besides that, he as-
sociates you with suffering and fear. The
effect is the same as the parrot-taming above
described. When coaxed with a tidbit, on
the contrary, he is not suffering hunger ; he
has his common food ; it is a luxury for
which he is tempted to brave you. The ef-
fect is quite different.

If you let him out of the cage, you can
easily teach him to come to your table or
your hand for the coveted morsel, and if
you are always gentle of voice and manner,
he will rapidly lose his dread, and some-
times become troublesomely familiar, and —
strange as persons who have not kept pet

38 OUR HOME PETS

birds may think — a great deal of company
for you.

To tame a bird completely, you must keep
but one. These little fellows are very quick
and strong in their feelings. If one really
loves you, he will not tolerate a rival in your
affections, and he will never be truly fond of
you if you divide your attentions. Some birds
are intensely jealous, not only of other birds,
but of young children and babies. Indeed,
to get his best out of one, either in affec-
tion, in intelligent acts, or in song, you must
have him alone, and you will find that you
must win his heart by love and kindness, just
as you do bigger hearts about you. Once
won, however, he is more loving and more
constant than many people of your own size.

A bird and other animals, no less than a
dog, will pine in the absence of the loved
one, and will die from a harsh word. Cases
of this kind have been authenticated too of-
ten to be ignored or denied. We deal with
tender and loving hearts within these feath-
ered frames, and we should be thoughtful
and loving in our care. Above all, we should
be gentle. Think what suffering our noisy

TO TAME HIM 39

ways must cause the delicately organized
bird we forget upon its perch ! The boister-
ous play or crying of children, loud talking
or laughing, the roar of wagons on the pave-
ment, the banging of a piano, or the rattle
of a sewing-machine — each of these must
cause nervous disturbance, if not positive
pain, to a being so sensitive to the slightest
sound.

There is a relation, beyond all these, possi-
ble to be established between birds and our-
selves, which I have called " humanizing."
It is similar to that so common between us
and our pet dogs, and it changes the habits
of the captive from bird ways to human
ways. As our house-dogs learn to sleep on
a mattress and be covered, to wear a pro-
tection from the weather, to wipe their feet,
and other things, so the bird may be taught
to sleep in a bed with his mistress, to eat
from her dish at table, or be fed from a
spoon, to consider her shoulder his proper
perch, in fact to depend on her as a child
would. This does not seem to me a healthy
relation for the bird, and, as a matter of fact,
it generally ends in unhappiness and death.

4O OUR HOME PETS

The reason is plain : to us it is a mere
pastime, an amusement ; to the bird it is
the absorbing passion, a matter of life and
death.

Few persons are willing to give to a pet for
any long time the devoted and unremitting
attention demanded by one whose feelings
and emotions are cultivated beyond the nat-
ural relation between our race and the brute
creation. It is far better never to go beyond
"good comradeship " with our pets. Delight-
ful friendships may be enjoyed within these
limits, and more is almost sure to bring mis-
ery to the bird, and pain to those who love
him. Among many other cases of unhappi-
ness and death from excessive emotion in a
" humanized " animal, I have known even so
cold-blooded a creature as an alligator to
show such absolute devotion to his mistress
as to make her almost a prisoner with him,
to cause him to pine in her absence, and end,
most pathetically, in dying of joy on her re-
turn.

Why, indeed, should we wish to cultivate
in what we call the lower orders, sentiments
and emotions belonging to the higher ? Few

TO TAME HIM

things are to me more pathetic than the ap-
pealing, yearning look in the eyes of an intel-
ligent dog, who seems longing with all his
soul for expression.

HIS PRIVATE APARTMENT

THE cage is the bird's private apartment,
and to make him happy it must be as well
suited to his needs, as comfortable and con-
venient, as our rooms are for us.

The first point to consider is the kind of
cage to select. The indispensable quality, in
my opinion, is that it shall be entirely of metal,
without a particle of wood except the perches.
The reason for this preference is that wood
is hard to keep sweet and is a harbor for ver-
min, while cages of wire, with zinc trays, may
be scalded and wiped dry in a moment. No
insect can escape destruction, and there is no
dampness or odor as from wet wood.

If but one or two birds are kept, and some-
thing very fine is desired, beautiful cages may
be bought made of brass wire with zinc trays.
These are rather costly, however, and if a
cheaper one is decided upon, a very good plain

HIS PRIVATE APARTMENT 43

cage in large sizes is made of iron wire, with
suitable tray, and the whole painted, the up-
right wires one color, and the tin stays, of
which there are three or four according to size,
in a contrasting color. The best, and the most
becoming to birds of whatever hue, is white
for the upright wires, and some dark color for
the stays and corner posts.

This cage has a wire bottom, which, when
the tray and perches are removed, acts like a
door with a hinge, and may be shut up within
the cage. This arrangement makes it possible
to pack the cages (which are made in three or
four slightly differing sizes) in nests, which is a
great convenience in putting them way. At
the same time the wire bottom is a safeguard
when the tray is removed to be cleaned. In
every way I have found these cages most con-
venient.

The size is the next consideration. Dealers
will tell you that to make a bird sing he must
have a small cage. I have in my own house
proved this to be a mistake. I never have a
small one, and my birds sing as much as any
one could desire. I should never put a bird,
who was not to be let out every day, into a

44 OUR HOME PETS

cage smaller than the conventional " robin
cage " of the stores. Birds like large rooms,
with space to flirt their draperies, as well as
we do, and, what is almost as important, they
do not wear off their feathers rubbing against
the wires, as they do in cramped quarters.

" 'Tis but a little rustic cage
That holds a golden-winged canary,"

is poetical and pretty, but it is not practical,
and to be practical is most important when
we are arranging for the comfort of our cap-
tives.

When the cage I have described comes from
the dealer, it usually has three small perches,
one across each end just above the tray, and a
third lengthwise, about half-way to the top.
It will also be furnished with two small dishes
fastened on the outside, and reached through
a small opening in the wires.

To prepare it for use, the first thing is to re-
move the dishes ; they are too small for any
bird bigger than a canary, and are not readily
found by any bird not born to cage life, and
are troublesome to clean. Two new perches
must be provided for the upper part of the
Cage. For these, which the bird uses most of

THE OWL

HIS PRIVATE APARTMENT 45

all, get two sizes of dowelling, one perhaps
half an inch in diameter, the other three-quar-
ters of an inch. Dowelling may be bought in
three-foot lengths at house-furnishing stores
in the city, and of carpenters in the country,
and is convenient for several purposes in a
bird -room. The two upper perches should
be made of different sizes, to avoid cramps
in the feet, which are caused by the use of
perches too small, or all of one size. Fasten
these in place by cutting a rather deep notch
in each end.

Throw away the middle perch, and make
another one of the dowelling, to go across
half-way down, and exactly in the middle,
coming thus over the door. Now these cages
are somewhat elastic, and a notched perch
will occasionally fall down from the middle of
the cage, so this one must be fastened differ-
ently. I make it secure by cutting it square
off, just long enough to fit loosely between
the tin stays on which it is to rest, and driv-
ing straight into each end a large-headed tack,
about two-thirds its length. When this is
slipped into its place, the tacks rest on the
strip of tin, and the heads keep it in.

46 OUR HOME PETS

Perches arranged thus, all the same way,
across the cage, are more convenient for a
bird, and a great pleasure also, as he will show
by his constant use of them in all sorts of
lively frolics.

The perches being placed, dishes for the
bird's use must be procured. I prefer the
open, straight -sided cups that are found in
bird stores, about two inches in diameter and
one and a half deep ; but if a bird scatters his
food, you will need another kind. The best is
a dish of the size mentioned, with a flat cover,
in which are three holes, perhaps three-quar-
ters of an inch in diameter. The bird gets his
food through the holes, while the cover pre-
vents his scattering. This must, however, be
watched, for if he eats mocking-bird food, he
will dig a hole under each opening, and be
unable to get more. You must look out that
the cover is removed when the food gets too
low, or turned a little, so that he can dig new
holes. These two dishes should be placed in
two corners of the cage, and so near the wires
that they will not be under him in any of his
ordinary positions on the perch.

It is a good plan, if the cage is over a carpet,

HIS PRIVATE APARTMENT 47

to keep the food from falling out by a screen,
three inches high, of smooth white or buff
paper woven between the wires, and extend-
ing four or five inches each way from the
corner where the cup stands. If he inclines to
spatter, get a deeper cup, shaped like a glass
tumbler, perhaps one and a quarter inches in
diameter. From this it is hard to throw any-
thing.

These directions are for medium-sized and
large birds ; for a canary, or a bird of its inches,
a dish outside, into which he must thrust his
head, is not objectionable.

The tray should be covered with a quarter-
inch or more of clean bird gravel, not a bit of
paper with a little sand sprinkled on. It is im-
portant, too, to scatter over it something the
bird is fond of ; for a canary, or other seed-eater,
a few hemp-seed; for an insect-eater, a meal-
worm or a few berries. The object of this is
to have the bird tramp around in the gravel,
and so to keep his feet clean and in good con-
dition. In the cage of a canary and other
finches, should always be hung a piece of cut-
tle-fish bone.

The cage made ready, the next thing is to

48 OUR HOME PETS

decide where it shall be placed, and here one
cannot be too particular. It must not be so
near the window as to get the breeze that
comes through cracks around it, and yet it
should be near enough to enjoy the light these
little fellows need. It must not be so low that
the window can be opened directly upon the
bird, nor so high that he will get all the hot
air in the room. If the cage is small, and can
be hung, put a bracket at one side of the win-
dow, so that he will hang near the casing, and
several inches or a foot back from the glass.
The best place is just above the middle of the
window, with the crack between the sashes
made tight in winter, either by pasting paper
over it or calking it with the same. If there
is no other window in the room, and that must
be used for ventilation, it may be made safe
by laying a closely folded towel or woollen
cloth over the crack.

Always see that the shade is high enough to
let the bird look out, yet be careful that he is
not left to bake in the hot sunshine. If he
must hang in the sun, always provide an awn-
ing for him.

If the cage is too large to hang, a bracket

HIS PRIVATE APARTMENT 49

may be put up for a shelf to rest on. One end
should come up flush with the window-casing,
so that the bird can look out. Whether there
are a dozen cages in a room or only two, care
must be taken that the upper perches of all
are about the same height in the room. A
bird nearly always sleeps on his upper perch,
and he will be miserable if he sees another one
higher than himself. I measure with a tape-
line, and make all conform to the highest.

The cage must always be in the light part
of the room, and near, as I have said, but not
against, a window. It should neither be next
to the heater to get hot air, nor near the floor
to get cold air. About level with your own
head when standing is a good height for a
cage.

If you want your bird to go out in summer,
hang the cage in the shade, and not against a
house where the sun has heated it ; a brick
wall becomes like a hot stove after a few hours
of beating sun, and a bird will suffer greatly if
hung against it. He must never be set in the
window to get the draught always there, but
he may be hung below or one side of the win-
dow on the outside, if that side is shady. The
4

50 OUR HOME PETS

best place is under a piazza roof, or against the
trunk of a tree, if no cats are about.

A bird that is let out is sometimes trouble-
some about getting into the cage of another,
and insisting upon staying. To remove him
without catching him, which it is always un-
desirable to do, take the food and water dishes
from the cage he is in without startling him ;
close the doors of all other cages except his
own, in which put his dishes and any dainty
he specially likes. He will soon get hungry,
and leave the provisionless apartment, very
likely flying to the top of his own. Here he
can look down and see the feast spread, a
temptation generally irresistible, and in a few
minutes the door may be shut upon him.

I never had but one bird who would stay
out and starve rather than go home, and that
was a Brazilian cardinal. He did not appear
at all discontented, and he seemed just as
happy, when not let out at all ; but once out,
he had a rooted dislike to having a door shut
upon him, and a vagabondish way of foraging
upon his neighbors. He would stay content-
edly in another bird's cage all day. When I
wanted to get him home, I sat at my desk,

HIS PRIVATE APARTMENT 51

with my back turned to him, with a small
hand-glass in which I could see him. Yet
even when I held his door-string in my hand,
he would dash into his cage, snatch a morsel,
and out again before I could slacken the string
as gently as I wished, not to have the door
close with a spring and startle him. Some-
times it required three hours of constant
watching to get him home.

I could not bear to keep him shut up when
others were out ; it was not safe to let him
stay out all night, and I could not give so
much time to catching him. So, although he
was interesting, I gave him away, where it was
thought he could be out all the time. He
was for a while, but he proved so exceedingly
troublesome that at last he was shut in for
good, and passed a happy summer in a cage
on the piazza, carrying on music matches with
bluebirds and robins, singing from morning
till night, and apparently having just as good
a time as when he was out every day.

A point that I consider important is that a
bird shall have his cage to himself ; it is none
too commodious for him. Unless I have a
pair, or two of the same kind, I never put two

52 OUR HOME PETS

birds together. Even then I watch to see that
one does not tyrannize over the other. Birds
are surprisingly like people, and " love of rule "
is by no means confined to our branch of the
animal kingdom. If it is necessary to have
two occupy the same cage, it should always
be furnished with two sets of food and water
dishes. That is the very least one can do for
their comfort.

VI

WHAT SHALL HE EAT?

THE food of the caged bird is, naturally, one
of the most important things to be considered,
since his health, even his life, depends upon it.
As already said, birds are divided into seed-
eaters and insect-eaters, and it is much less
trouble to take care of the former than the
latter. In the selection of a pet, the question
of the ability and the willingness to devote
time to his care should largely govern the
choice.

Of the birds mentioned in the chapter
" Which Shall We Choose ?" the following are
the seed-eaters: All parrots and their tribes
(cockatoos, love-birds, etc.) ; canaries, African
and all other finches ; the grosbeaks, cardinal
and rose-breasted ; the blackbirds ; the Brazil-
ian cardinals. To the soft-food eaters belong
the mocking-bird, clarin, cat-bird, robin, and

54 OUR HOME PETS

all thrushes ; the orioles, bluebirds, tanagers,
flickers, jays, and skylarks.

The canary, as is familiar to every one, and
most of the seed-eaters as well, eat principally
canary-seed with a little rape, and they should
have hemp-seed for a dainty. Perhaps not
every one knows that there is a great differ-
ence in canary-seed, and a bird will often refuse
and scatter poor seed far and wide, while he
will eagerly devour a better quality. The seed
should be examined, and none used except
that which is plump and large and clean.
Seed should also be bought each kind by it-
self, and mixed at one's own discretion. It is
the presence of a little hemp in the mixture
of the bird stores that makes the bird throw
seed all over the room. He is in search of
what he likes best, the hemp, and so long as
one of the large round tidbits is to be found
in the dish, he will not touch the less accept-
able canary.

Why not feed him entirely, then, on what
he likes best ? Because it is too rich. Would
you feed your child exclusively on fruit cake
or mince-pie because he will choose that from
the dinner-table and refuse plainer food ? The

WHAT SHALL HE EAT? 55

safe way is to scatter so much hemp as is safe
for the bird on the gravel of the floor, perhaps
a small half-teaspoonful for a canary and some-
what more for a larger bird. He will tramp
around till he has found every one, and if he
has not been totally demoralized by having
these dainties mixed with his regular canary-
seed in his dish, he will not try to find them
by throwing everything out.

Now and then a bird thrives on hemp-seed ex-
clusively, as some parrots and cockatoos, while
others eat canary alone, as some cockatoos
and several blackbirds. Still other finches,
as the cardinal-grosbeak, live almost entirely
upon "rough rice," or rice in the husk. They
shell the grains very neatly, and they prefer
them to the shelled rice of commerce.

No bird does so well on seed alone as when
his bill of fare is varied by some sort of fresh
food every day. At least such is the result of
my experience with them, notwithstanding
what bird-dealers and bird-books say on the
subject. Without green food birds will suffer
from constipation, while with it they are rarely
afflicted in that way. There are many things
of the sort that birds like, and each one has

56 OUR HOME PETS

his individual taste, which must be consulted.
Lettuce is a common luxury, and greedily
eaten by many birds ; but I have had several
who would not touch it, while eagerly devour-
ing sorrel or plantain. All of the following
are good : chickweed, plantain (both seed stalk
and young leaf), both sorts of sorrel, celery
top, and lettuce.

Excepting the last two named, these may
all be plucked between the sidewalk and the
fence in every town where grass grows freely
in the nooks and corners. In Brooklyn, for
instance, one may easily keep any number of
birds supplied. The way to place sorrel or
any loose leaves in the cage is, after rinsing
clean, to tie up a bunch of it, leaving long ends
to the string, with which to fasten the bunch
to the wires. By this arrangement a leaf may
be plucked without throwing the whole on
to the floor, where many birds will not touch
it. Whatever is placed there should be se-
cured so that it may be plucked and eaten
without falling.

Many birds are fond of berries. Special fa-
vorites are huckleberries and " pokeberries ;"
a few birds like raspberries, several will eat

WHAT SHALL HE EAT? 57

cherries and grapes, and others like pears
better than anything. In winter there are
oranges, a section of which is a great treat to
some birds, and bananas, of which a few are
fond ; but the great stand-bys of that season
are apples and raisins and the dried currants
of the grocers.

The apples we give to our birds should be
well flavored and tender, such as one would
put on her own table, and neither gnarly, sour,
nor withered. A good apple cut into eighths,
or even smaller, as one cuts it for pie, and
wedged firmly into the cage directly over a
perch, where the bird can get at it without
clinging to the wires upsidedown, or hovering
on wing before it, will generally make birds
very happy. The currants should be washed,
and soaked all night, when they will be full and
soft, and a great treat to nearly all, especially
to the soft-billed birds. Raisins must be cut
into small bits and the seeds removed.

Another thing which would probably shock
the bird-dealer, who has a regulation menu of
" mixed seed " for all, is the fact, which I have
proved to my own satisfaction, that nearly all
seed-eating birds relisfy animal food, and are

58 OUR HOME PETS

not hurt by a little of it. A meal - worm or
two will be a treat to a grosbeak ; a few tiny
snips, pin - head size, will be acceptable to
smaller finches. Even the dainty orchard
oriole in my house, who insisted on Bartlett
pears for his daily bread, would pull to pieces
and eat a meal-worm with great gusto.

The soft -billed birds have for their staple
diet mocking-bird food mixed with an equal
quantity of fresh grated carrot. The bird
food should be carefully selected, for much of
it that is sold has so offensive an odor that it
is a wonder a sensitive bird will touch it.
Some, indeed, will not, and they die of starva-
tion with the uneatable stuff before them.
The best is of a light gray color, free from
odor, and almost as dry as loose sand. It
contains ants' eggs instead of meat, and birds
thrive on it. For readers who cannot get this
food, I will give a receipt said to be good. A
quantity of this may be made at once, and in
a cool place will keep for months.

Mocking-bird Food. — One -half zwieback,
one -quarter hemp -seed, one -quarter ants'
eggs, with a little poppy or maw seed. All
ingredients (except the ants' eggs) must be

WHAT SHALL HE EAT ? 59

ground quite fine and thoroughly mixed. The
ants' eggs added last.

The zwieback may be bought, or made by
cutting into thin slices dry bread (free from
alum or soda), and browning it in a very slow
oven. The food must be freshly prepared
with an equal quantity of grated raw carrot,
every morning, and in hot weather twice a
day, for it sours quickly, and no bird will eat
sour food.

The soft-billed birds need also fresh animal
food, or if they do not absolutely need it, they
enjoy it very much. Meal - worms, which
house-keepers know to their frequent disgust,
three or four a day, will not hurt any bird, ac-
cording to my experience, certainly not one
fed on the food containing no meat, like that
I have mentioned, and like the receipt. If
these are not easily procured, fresh, sweet raw
beef will answei^the purpose. It may be cut
into minute bits, pressed into a ball like a
marble, and placed in a dish to keep out of
the gravel ; or, what I have found more con-
venient, it may be cut with scissors into strips
the size of meal-worms, say an inch long, and
as big as a common steel knitting-needle.

60 OUR HOME PETS

The same birds like ants' eggs, which may
be bought at bird stores, and sometimes at
drug stores. Half a teaspoonful of these
should have very hot water poured on them
and soaked till soft, then be put in a dish or
on the bird's food for him to pick up. A
bone with some bits of meat left on is a treas-
ure to many birds, though it is somewhat un-
sightly in a house, and better fitted to be tied
to a branch out-of-doors for the wild birds to
enjoy. Food must always be fresh and of the
best quality, or birds will not thrive.

It is almost impossible to keep from feeding
parrots and other birds who are free about a
house some of our food, and many of them
show a great fondness for it. I know cocka-
toos who make a great row unless they have
their morning coffee, and many of them eat of
everything on the table, including hot dough-
nuts. But this diet is not gof>d for them, and
one day they will suddenly die, and no one sus-
pect the cause. I have seen a parrot changed
from a cross, bad-tempered fellow into a gen-
tle, amiable bird, simply by having his diet
limited to seed, and other things which he had
been accustomed to eat denied him.

WHAT SHALL HE EAT? 6l

Raw green peas are a great delicacy for
some of the larger birds, who take them out
of the pod, then remove the shell of each pea,
eating the inner part with great relish. They
are not hurtful. Orange seeds are much liked
by a cockatoo I know. He appears nearly
wild whenever oranges are eaten in his pres-
ence, until the seeds are given to him, when
he eagerly shells them, and eats every one.
They do not appear to disagree with him.
Within the limits denned, a bird should have
as much variety as possible to keep him in
health and spirits.

VII

HIS BATH

THE shape of an ordinary bird's bathing-
dish, as sold in the shops, is one more proof of
the universal thoughtlessness about the com-
fort of the beasts and birds whom we choose
to have in our homes. It would be really
funny, if it were not painful, to see how abso-
lutely unfitted is the dish to its object. It
could hardly be more inappropriate if it had
been planned with that intention, and the only
reason I can imagine for its present shape is
the convenience of cage-makers. They have
a notion that, to be symmetrical, the door of a
cage should bear a certain proportion to the
size of a cage, therefore everything that is to
go in that door must conform. A round bath
narrow enough to enter would be hardly
larger than the bird's drinking-cup ; 'but the
dish may be lengthened ad infinitum, hence
its absurd shape. It actually looks as if the

HIS BATH 63

dish-makers expected the bird to lie down in
his bath as we do, and possibly that is their
expectation.

The consequence of this blundering is that
a cage bird scarcely ever enjoys a comfortable
bath. If he is small enough to go in, his
wings cannot touch the water, and it is with
his wings that the bird sprinkles himself.
More than this, the water is usually so deep
for his length of leg that, to go in, his body
must be in the water. Whoever has watched
a wild bird bathing must have noticed that
he goes in till the water comes not quite to his
body, and then, with wings and tail spread,
throws the shower over himself.

I believe that not one bird in a hundred
will go into water deep enough to soak his
body. One may stoop for an instant or two,
and so let the water come up over him ; but
he will rarely stay long enough to wet the
feathers through.

This inconvenience is the reason so many
birds in our cages content themselves with
scattering water with their head and beak
only, and never go in. One often hears the
complaint, " My bird will not bathe ;" but I

64 OUR HOME PETS

think almost every bird enjoys a bath, pro-
vided he has the conveniences for it. I have
not found an exception to this in my bird-
room, though I will say that I never kept
parrots.

My discovery of what I consider the very
best bird-bath was made by chance. The first
bird I ever kept was an English goldfinch,
which was given to me. This bird, as perhaps
every one knows, is a little smaller than a ca-
nary. In trying to make him comfortable,
the absurdity of the bath struck me, and I
looked about for some more suitable dish. I
tried several things, but not one was right
until my eyes fell upon a saucer belonging to
a common earthen flower -pot. It was about
the size of a coffee-cup saucer, and, of course,
somewhat rough. I tried this, and found it
thick and perfect. Its thick edge enabled the
bird to perch and hold on without trouble, its
roughness prevented his slipping, its shallow-
ness insured him against too great depth of
water.

The delight of the bird, who had just come
from the ship in which he had crossed the
ocean, showed me that I had guessed right

HIS BATH 65

about his requirements. From that day to
this no bird of mine has ever been obliged to
bathe in a regular bird-bath.

Of course, this dish would not go through a
cage door, and I had to take out the bottom
of the cage, put the bath on a folded cloth or
paper, and set the cage over it. The happi-
ness of the bird amply paid me for this little
trouble.

I think a bird's bath should be nearly as
wide as the spread of his wings, so that he
can indulge, as he does in freedom, in beating
the water, and tossing it over him in spray.
This is some trouble, to be sure ; he must be
placed where water drops will hurt nothing—-
in a bath-room, or on a table covered with
oiled cloth or folds of linen or muslin to ab-
sorb the wet, and at a distance from furniture.

In my bird-room I had on the floor an oil-
cloth six or seven feet square. On this stood
the bathing-table covered with enamel cloth,
with a thick towel laid over to absorb the
greater part of the water. When bathing was
over, the towel was always dripping wet, and
the oil -cloth on the floor thickly spattered.
The towel was wrung and hung to dry for
s

66 OUR HOME PETS

next day's operations, and the oil-cloth dried
in a moment by a floor-cloth or light mop.
As before said, I think I never had a bird who
did not delight in his "water privileges."

The flower-pot saucer is perfect, but it can-
not always be procured. Sometimes it is not
to be found large enough, and, again, florists
do not like to sell them alone, and there is
almost no retail sale of the pots. I have more
than once bought a plant at a florist's solely
to get the saucer for my birds. A further dif-
ficulty is that saucers large enough for birds
the size of an oriole are rare, and one does not
always want to buy a plant large enough to
require it.

At last, when my need of more dishes be-
came imperative, I looked about and found a
substitute which answered the purpose nearly
as well. This was the pressed -tin pie-plate
sold by all house-furnishers or dealers in tin-
ware. These plates come in all sizes, from
six inches diameter — the smallest I ever use
— up to ten or twelve. I got the deepest that
come (which still are shallow compared to
the china bird-baths), and those with a flat
rim nearly half an inch wide.

HIS BATH 67

The only objection to the tin dishes is their
coldness in winter, but I obviated that by
warming them a little over the register. To
give them a little roughness like the earthen-
ware, so that the bird's smooth claws shall
have foothold, is important, because many
birds are so frightened by the slipping and
sliding of their feet on wet tin that they after-
wards refuse to go in. I provided for this by
a thick coat of oil paint, over which, while
still wet, I sprinkled bird gravel. When the
paint dried, enough gravel adhered to make
it pleasantly rough. I used a dark color of
paint because the birds were so attached to
the earthen saucer, and I fancied they were
not so timid about going in.

That my dishes suited their needs was
abundantly proved by the eagerness with
which they all bathed. Though I provided
two and sometimes three dishes, there was
more trouble about precedence at the bath
than about any other one thing in the room.

An account of the bathing arrangement
may be useful to persons who keep several
birds. On the table, which was an ordinary
folding cutting-table perhaps two feet by three

68 OUR HOME PETS

in size, I placed two dishes with a standing
perch between them. A bird does not like
to fly directly to the bath, nor does he wish
to alight on a table. He always prefers a
perch, where he may pause to consider. To
make one that should be portable and at the
same time firm, so as not to tip over or
even shake when an impetuous bird bounced
on to it, was my problem, and this is what I
made and have used for years :

I took a tin box, perhaps three inches high
and four inches in diameter. Through the
top of the cover at each end I punched a pair
of holes, each pair being separated about an
inch. Then across the top, so that it came
between the two holes of each pair, I laid a
rather large perch, and fastened it securely
by passing copper wire through the holes
and over the perch and twisting it tight on
the under side. To make the whole thing
firm and steady, I filled the tin box with
pebbles, and then put on the tight -fitting
cover with its foot -long perch. Of course
this was made very wet every day, and had
to be carefully wiped dry. This contrivance
was also useful in many places in the bird-

THE BATH OUT-OF-DOORS

HIS BATH 69

room. When the birds were accustomed to
it, I could bring them to my desk or any ta-
ble very easily by standing the familiar perch
on it.

Sometimes it is desirable to give a bird
the benefit of the large bathing-dish without
letting him out of the cage ; he may be new,
or it may be that other birds disturb him.
This can be done in either of two ways — the
dish may be filled and placed on a table,
then the bird's tray removed, and while his
cage is held close over the dish, the wire
bottom carefully drawn out, and the cage in-
stantly set down over the dish. This opera-
tion cannot be safely performed with a bird
liable to a panic, for he will be sure, in dash-
ing about, to slip out of the cage while the
wire bottom is half removed. If he sits qui-
etly on an upper perch, it may be easily done.

In case of a timid bird the second way is
best ; he must have a bathing annex. To ar-
range this, put an empty cage on the table
with the bathing-dish inside, remove all the
perches, and fasten the door wide open. Then
set the bird's own cage beside it, open his
door wide, and place it against the open door

70 OUR HOME PETS

of the bathing-cage so that he can go freely
from one to the other. Then thrust a perch
through the bird's cage and through the open
doors, reaching to the bathing-dish. Then go
away.

If the bird will not pass from his cage into
the other, you can easily induce him to do
so by covering his own cage with a dark-
colored cloth. Tuck it in closely, so that his
apartment will be dark, and the only light
will come from the open door. He will very
soon go to the light. Once in the bathing-
cage, if you keep well out of the way, the
wildest bird cannot resist bathing.

When he has finished, he looks at once for
a perch, for the first instinct is to get up
higher to dress his feathers. Then go quiet-
ly to the table, and gently and slowly draw off
the cover from his cage. The sight of the
familiar perches will soon draw him home to
plume himself, when you can again come up
carefully, and remove him and close his door.
After getting accustomed to this routine, I
have had birds that would come out and
bathe on the open table with no cage over
them, and return at once to their own cage.

HIS BATH 71

The secret of this is to have no perch near
except those in his cage. At the moment of
leaving the bath, the bird's one idea is to dry
his feathers, and if induced to return to the
cage for that purpose, will, in the majority of
cases, I think, continue to do so.

Even if my suggestions as to the size and
shape of the bathing -dish are not adopted
because of the trouble, I wish to urge upon
bird keepers never to give a bird his bath on
the gravel of his cage. It is sure to be damp-
ened, and will grow musty and disagreeable,
besides, in many cases, giving the bird a cold,
which leads to suffering, if not to death. If
he bathes in his cage, it should be over the
empty tray; and when he has finished, the
tray should be dried and dry gravel put on it.
The drops of water should also be wiped from
the wires of the cage.

If these things are systematized, and a con-
venient place provided for keeping all the
implements and materials where they can be
brought out and returned quickly, they will
not be found much trouble, and will add
greatly to the comfort as well as the health
of the captive.

VIII
THE CANARY

" In thy lone aerial cage
Thou hast thine ancient heritage;
There is no task work on thee laid,
But to rehearse the ditties thou hast made."

— STEDMAN.

ALL that I have said about the care of other
birds will apply as well to the canary, but this
bird is so common an inmate of our homes, and
so little understood and so frequently neglect-
ed, that I feel moved to give him a chapter to
himself.

The canary has been for so many genera-
tions a captive that he is almost as completely
domesticated as the chickens and ducks of
our barn-yards. More absolutely even than
they is he dependent upon us for his life, and
more trustfully than they does he nest and
raise his young under our very eyes. This
touching dependence and confidence should

THE CANARY 73

make the "bird of the golden wing" very
dear to us, and nothing should be left undone
to make him as happy as a prisoner can be.
Yet in many homes the bird in his gilded cage
is hardly more than a piece of decoration ; he
gets his seed, such as it happens to be, every
morning (perhaps), and his water-cup is filled
when his mistress happens to think of it; if he
scatters his seed he is half smothered in mus-
lin, and if he sings too much he is put in the
dark ; but that he is a fellow-creature, with
feelings, desires, and affections— that he needs
companionship and love, never occurs to her.

To such pet keepers I have something to
say.

First, the intelligence of the canary is very
much underrated. So far from being a mere
singing-machine, he has a character of marked
individuality. He has his likes and dislikes
as decided as our own, and not only has he a
choice in the matter of food, place in the
room, position of cage, and such things, but in
his friendships with other birds, and between
the members of the family.

Moreover, some canaries are good-tempered,
gentle, and cheerful in disposition, while others

74 OUR HOME PETS

are quarrelsome or sullen ; one bird may be
jealous to the point of fury, another pleasant
and genial, and a third perfectly indifferent to
every one. In a word, these birds show nearly
all the passions of our own race, and one who
would understand, and especially one who
would teach them, must study their character-
istics, and adapt the treatment to their pecu-
liarities.

In the matter of mating, for example, a bird
has his own notions, and must be allowed lib-
erty of choice. Even the demure little dam-
sels of canarydom accept or reject a wooer as
they see fit. It is useless to insist upon union
where there is disaffection ; the result will
surely be disastrous. Once united to their
own satisfaction, a pair will remain mated for
life, and if separated by a thoughtless owner
will often mourn, and sometimes even die.
Very touching stories are told of the recog-
nition of a pair of birds when reunited after
years of separation.

Not only have the birds a choice of com-
panions; they are observing of their surround-
ings, and show decided preferences in colors
as well as in positions. A bird will be unhappy

THE CANARY 75

or restless in one part of a room who will be per-
fectly contented in another, and I have heard
of birds made miserable, and refusing to sing,
by a peculiar wall-paper which they disliked,
and of others who showed approval or disap-
proval of the color in their mistress's gown. I
have spoken before of a bird's exceeding sen-
sitiveness to unpleasant sounds and violence
or abruptness of movement.

An English writer of many years' experi-
ence with canaries declares that most of their
diseases are caused by terror, neglect, or cold.
If this be true, and I firmly believe it, we
should feel reproached as well as grieved over
the illness of our little prisoners, for, as I
have said before, no one has a right to take
the happiness and the life of another being,
even a bird, into her hands, unless she is able
and willing to give intelligent and loving care
to it.

As to the training of a bird, either to sing
or to perform tricks, if that is desired, care
should be taken to select one capable of learn-
ing; for there are great differences in ability
as well as in docility. Some birds have nat-
urally inferior voices, and on such ones time

76 OUR HOME PETS

and labor will be wasted. Others again will be
dull of comprehension, or sullen in disposition,
and either not understand what is wanted or
refuse to attempt it. Some, also, are not phys-
ically strong enough to endure the discipline
of training.

To me it seems cruel to keep a bird in un-
natural conditions of life, andtthen expect him
to learn tricks and performances utterly for-
eign to bird nature, and if those who enjoy
such exhibitions knew the torture and brutali-
ties by means of which they are usually taught,
I am sure a performing canary would be as
painful a sight to them as it is to me. Of
course the training to sing — if properly done —
is quite different from other instruction, and
I shall give in the next chapter some direc-
tions for that, from the best authorities.

To recapitulate : there are six things indis-
pensable to the comfort of a canary :

First. — A cage large enough to give him ex-
ercise.

Second. — Regular attention ; the best of ca-
nary-seed, with a little rape-seed, but no hemp
in the dish; clean, fresh water every morning,
clean perches and fresh gravel, with a little

THE CANARY 77

hemp-seed scattered over it. A little green
food every day (when in health), such as let-
tuce, chickweed, apple, orange, or something
else that he is fond of. Prompt and thought-
ful care if he is ill. (See Chapter X.)

Third. — A proper position in the room ; near
a window, but out of danger from draughts
about it; neither too high nor too low (the
bottom of the cage about five feet from the
floor is best) ; not too near a register or radi-
ator.

Fourth. — Protection at night if the room
gets cool, such as a thin blanket wrapped close-
ly around the cage, and secured below.

Fifth.— To be taken notice of, talked to, and
recognized as one of the family.

Sixth. — To be treated gently; first, last, and
always. All violence of tone or movement to
be carefully avoided in his presence.

These rules, conscientiously carried out, will
insure to a canary as happy a life as is possi-
ble to a bird who has no knowledge of liberty,
either from experience or from inheritance.

IX

HIS MUSIC LESSON

To think of music lessons for a bird seems
rather odd, for song is nature's gift to the
feathered folk. Undoubtedly one hatched in
solitude, and never allowed to hear the voices
of his kind, would express his emotions in
some sort of musical fashion. But, as a mat-
ter of fact, many, perhaps all, birds are taught
to sing. I have myself heard several of them
at what I believe to be their singing lessons,
notably the American robin and the whip-
poorwill. In both these cases the old bird
sang his full song, and waited while the little
one, with more or less success, imitated it.
Over and over the parent repeated the notes,
and the infant tried to copy them.

These are the native teachers, but birds des-
tined to the life of parlor musicians, as the
bullfinch and some others, have human teach-
ers, when their music lessons are as regular as

HIS MUSIC LESSON 79

ours, and their instructors as painstaking as
the professors who teach our daughters.

The canary is usually imitative and intelli-
gent, and a wonderful capacity for song dwells
within his tiny frame. I may say hers also,
for his pretty little mate can sing, though not
every one knows this.

There are three distinct ways in which a
bird may receive a musical education. He
may be taught to sing our tunes, opera airs or
negro melodies, as is generally done with the
bullfinch ; or, secondly, he may be instructed
in the notes of another bird, as a lark or a
robin ; or, thirdly, his capacity may be de-
veloped, his powers of voice cultivated, and
his song remain the canary song through
all.

The learning time in a canary 's life is from
five or six months old to a year, and the owner
of one of these little fellows must make her
choice of methods and begin in time. In the
first place, she must see that her pupil is in
robust health and good spirits. To insure
that he shall have capacity, some persons rec-
ommend that he shall have peculiar training
from the nest, to keep the muscular body flex-

SO OUR HOME PETS

ible, since he cannot be taught to expand the
chest by deep breathing.

A seed diet gives the muscles compactness;
therefore, according to this system, seeds
should not be the principal diet until he "grad-
uates," but rather a soft food of hard-boiled
egg grated with cracker or bread, and boiled
in milk to the consistency of stiff paste. Some
seed may be added, and this may be varied by
bread and crackers in milk, and grated egg, or
a little lean beef chopped very fine. He should
have variety of food and plenty of it, for he is
growing and must be well nourished. It is
good, also, to let him fly about, for this helps
to expand the chest.

Now to teach him. If he is to sing " Annie
Laurie," or " The Last Rose of Summer," he
must be placed in a quiet room, with the cage
covered. Then a few notes of the chosen air
should be whistled, or played on some instru-
ment— flute, bird-organ, or piano. They must
be played slowly and distinctly, in correct
time, and over and over till the bird begins to
try it himself. He must not see the teacher,
nor hear the least noise to distract his atten-
tion from the notes so constantly repeated.

HIS MUSIC LESSON 8 1

The instructor may have to spend hours, pos-
sibly twelve, before the bird learns his lesson ;
but he must persist in reiterating those few
notes and no others, till the pupil repeats them.
When he sings his notes he should be re-
warded with something he likes; for one a bit
of food, for another a little praise.

No matter how well he has learned his arti-
ficial song, he will forget it the first time he
moults, unless it is carefully repeated to him
every day while moulting.

If the bird's owner wishes the canary to
sing like a lark or robin, he must be put
under native instruction. He is to be placed,
with his cage covered closely, in a room alone
with his teacher, whose cage is in a light,
sunny window. The lark sings for its own
pleasure, and the canary, in his darkened
cage, forced to pay attention to it, learns to
imitate it.

One man, who kept a large number of ca-
naries, tells of having one of them trained by
a wild English robin. Her cage — for it was a
female a year old — hung alone near the win-
dow, outside which was the robin's favorite
singing-perch. The cage was uncovered, for

6

82 OUR HOME PETS

he never thought of training her, and for
weeks she uttered no sound, but listened and
looked at the singing bird, and one day she
surprised her owner by giving the robin's
song perfectly. Treated in the way described,
a canary will learn to imitate almost any bird
song.

The third method, and the most natural, is
to have the young bird trained by a fine singer
of his own family — a canary — and all that is
needful to do is to keep the young one during
the learning period in a room with the fine
singer alone, when he will follow his copy so
far as his powers allow.

The things to remember are that he should
not be disturbed by other sounds, especially
other singing, and that he learns more quick-
ly if his cage is covered, so that his attention
may not be distracted by seeing anything.

One caution should be heeded. However
annoying or untimely a bird's song may be, he
should never be stopped by violence, throwing
something at him, scolding, or shaking the
cage. These little creatures are exceedingly
sensitive, and they are by terror sometimes
thrown into an epileptic fit, and occasionally

HIS MUSIC LESSON 83

killed. If too noisy, his cage should be quietly
covered, while a kind word is spoken to sweet-
en the imprisonment in darkness which he
must suffer that his mistress mav talk.

THE HOSPITAL

IT is a painful thing to see a bird unhappy
or uncomfortable, and it is a real grief to see
one ill. Even though you are not responsible
for the bird's being in captivity, and have no
neglect or carelessness to blame yourself for,
you cannot help feeling reproached, and think-
ing you will never keep another.

There are three considerations in which I
find comfort for the sickness and death of a
bird. First, I did not cause him to be torn
from his life of freedom and subjected to un-
natural conditions ; secondly, I have, in every
case, bettered his lot, and spared no thought
or labor to make him happy ; lastly, my close
study of birds has convinced me that Mother
Nature is kind to her own, and that creatures
who live natural lives do not suffer in illness
and death as we do, who have so far departed
from the simple, healthful, natural life.

THE HOSPITAL 85

Birds in illness do not seem to me to suf-
fer, and I have watched them very carefully.
They purl out their feathers, and act as if go-
ing to sleep, frequently burying their heads in
the feathers for hours together. They appear
dull, and not inclined to eat, but they do not
act as if in pain, as a dog or other domestic
animal does. When a bird has fits — a not un-
common trouble — he is undoubtedly uncon-
scious, as are people similarly afflicted, and
the struggle which is so painful to look at is
merely muscular action.

The only way for a conscientious person to
avoid self-reproach is to keep close watch of
the little captives dependent upon him (or
her), and try to attack the first symptoms of
disorder. For example, fits are often, if not
always, the result of an unhealthy state of the
bowels, and if the bird had been closely looked
after, some simple remedy would have set him
right in the beginning. It is easy for an at-
tentive observer to know the moment a bird
is uneasy, and he should be attended to at
once.

If a bird appears restless at bedtime, and
tries to fly up through the top of his cage,

86 OUR HOME PETS

one of two things is probably the matter —
either he wants a cover on his cage, and a
newspaper laid over will quiet him ; or his
upper perch is lower than some of his neigh-
bors' perches, when his cage must be elevated
to suit the requirements.

There are several common afflictions to
which birds are subject, and I will give my
method of treatment for them. First, let me
beg the bird -lover never to submit her pet
to the crude and often ignorant treatment of
dealers, who proceed as if the poor victims
were machines. Some of them will actually
bleed a bird ! Others dote on some special
patent medicine, and drench the unfortunate
with it, whatever may be the matter. There
are books which coolly advise scraping the
scales from the delicate legs and feet of a
bird, and tell one to cut something out from
under the tongue .• — practice worthy of the
Dark Ages we read about.

When anything at all is out of order in a
bird, he should be at once put into the hos-
pital— that is, removed to a quiet room, if pos-
sible, and if not, lightly covered up so as not
to be disturbed. He should not be excited

THE HOSPITAL 87

or annoyed in any way, and must be carefully
watched.

Often a bird will mope on his perch, swelled
out and motionless, eating nothing. The diffi-
culty may be that he has swallowed a rubber
band, a string, or something he cannot digest,
and after an hour or so he will throw it up,
matted into a little ball. If this ball is not at
once removed from the cage, he will be sure
to swallow it again, and have the whole proc-
ess of discomfort and disgorging to repeat.
A rubber band seems to be irresi-stible to all
the thrush family. I suppose the elastic qual-
ity deceives them, and they consider it a
worm. Whatever the reason, they cannot be
cured of the habit of laboriously swallowing
it, and as laboriously throwing it up again.

One of the first operations a bird -keeper
may have to perform is cutting a bird's claws,
which, unfortunately, grow so long in cage
life that they catch on perch and wire, and en-
danger his legs and even his life. The bird
should be caught as gently as possible, and
something light, as a cambric handkerchief,
thrown over his head, so that he may not see
the formidable preparations. This operation

OUR HOME PETS

needs two persons. One hand holds him
gently but firmly, while the fingers of the
other spread open the little drawn -up toes;
another person must take a sharp pair of scis-
sors, and cut each claw not nearer the toe than
a long quarter of an inch.

If a bird chokes, a meal - worm or a bit of
meat dipped in oil will often relieve him ; he
cannot resist the tempting morsel, and the oil
helps the offending object to slip down.

When a bird takes to pulling out his feath-
ers, try giving him raw beef or meal-worms ;
it is said to be the desire for animal food that*
causes this.

If the feathers are slow to fall out during
moulting time, fresh pokeberries in the cage
are recommended. A great deal is said in
bird books about troubles in moulting, but it
is my experience that a bird kept well, having
a daily variety of food, and, above all, made
happy and interested in life, will have no trou-
ble at all in going through this process. Nat-
ure takes care of that. I never had the small-
est occasion for tonics or other remedies.
My birds are sometimes rather quiet, but they
never lose spirits or appetite. Indeed, I should

THE HOSPITAL 89

hardly know when it occurs but for finding
the dropped feathers in the cage.

If your bird mopes and seems miserable in
moulting, exert yourself to divert him ; try
some way to give him happiness and a fresh
interest in life, and I believe you will find this
a charm above medicine.

Cold is perhaps the most common disorder
of birds, caused, in general, by the carelessness
of their owners. A cold is indicated by sneez-
ing and coughing, and the patient should be
treated like a human being — removed from
draughts, kept quiet, and given medicine.

The only medicine one should dare adminis-
ter to a creature so delicate as a bird is the
homceopathic, and I have found Humphrey's
Specifics the most simple in cases like this,
where the little sufferer cannot tell how he
feels. In the case mentioned, take the Spe-
cific for a cold, and dissolve one pill in fresh
water in the bird's drinking-cup. Then every
time he drinks he will take his medicine.

A domestic remedy for a cold, which is
sometimes successful, is a piece of raw salt
pork fastened between the wires. The bird
will peck at it, and I have known it to cure

QO OUR HOME PETS

aggravated cases of long standing, where the
patient had lost his voice, and experienced
great difficulty in breathing. I have, however,
found the Specifics unfailing in cases of this
kind.

If your bird seems feverish, i. e., drinks often,
but does not eat, proceed in the same way,
using the Fever Specific.

Looseness and binding of the bowels are
treated exactly the same way — that is, by using
the proper Specific — remembering, however,
that in the former trouble green food should
be taken away, and in the latter more should
be supplied. In the case of looseness, a rusty
nail in the drinking-cup is thought to be use-
ful, and, if he will eat it, boiled milk and bread.
In bad cases of constipation a drop of oil is
sometimes very desirable, and it can be easily
administered without scaring him into fits by
catching him and thrusting it down his throat,
as is generally recommended.

This is the way : take a small glass medi-
cine-dropper, and draw into it a drop or two
of the oil you wish to give, which I hope I
need not say should be of the same kind you
would give a child. Holding the oil at the

THE HOSPITAL QI

end of the tube, thrust the point of it towards
the bird. In nine out of ten cases (if not in
all) he will come at it with open mouth, to
scold or to fight it, and the moment he gets
near enough, press the bulb, and send the oil
down his throat.

In the same way may be administered a dry
powder which is a specific for sore throat,
more especially a diphtheritic sore throat.
This powder is iodide of mercury, and it may
be got of the proper strength at a homoeo-
pathic pharmacy. Of course for this use you
must have a perfectly dry tube, and you can
proceed in the way already described, giving
him a slight dash of the powder over his sore
throat. In any trouble of the throat, he should
be fed with soft food, like bread soaked in
milk, or grated boiled egg, or mashed potato
(without butter).

If the bird is restless at night, and moves
about on his perch, he is probably troubled by
some sort of insect pest. To remedy this,
first scald every perch in his cage, especially
on the ends, which you may then sprinkle
with insect powder, treating his cuttle-fish
bone (if he has one) in the same way. Wash

OUR HOME PETS

the cage also in scalding suds made from car-
bolic soap. This will settle most of the tor-
ments; but if the bird is still suffering, take
him in your hand, and retire to the bath-
room ; hold him over a bath-tub or a bowl of
water; gently lift one wing after the other
and throw under it, from an insect-powder
gun, a goodly supply of Persian insect pow-
der. Try to send it under and among all his
feathers while you hold him loosely.

Before you have finished you may find your
hand covered with his minute tormentors,
while the water in the bowl is liberally sprin-
kled with them. Then let him loose at once
in a cage you do not use. He will flutter and
beat his wings, and sometimes shake out thou-
sands of the enemy. I was never more as-
tounded than at the numbers that deserted a
flicker in my possession when treated thus.

When he seems relieved, put him back into
his own thoroughly cleaned cage, and plunge
the temporary one into scalding suds for its
purification. This will always, I think, put an
end to .his misery.

In any disease that you can diagnose ad-
minister the proper Specific. For example, a

THE HOSPITAL 93

bird, especially an old one, sometimes seems
to have rheumatism. The books will tell you
to soak his feet, but think how you must
frighten him to hold his feet in water long
enough to have any effect ! If the cage were
put into water and perches removed, as some-
times recommended, any bird I ever saw
would at once fly to the wires for safety, and
cling there till he dropped from fatigue. In
either of these two ways I think the fright
and excitement would undo any good from
the soaking. The only way I should treat it
is with the Specific, and keeping him in a
warm place, out of draughts and dampness.
It is said that bryonia and colchicum (homce-
opathic) in alternation will cure this disease.
To give medicines in this way you need two
drinking -cups prepared with the remedies:
leave one cup in his cage an hour, or until
you see him drink; then remove it, and sub-
stitute the other.

There remains to speak of the most trouble-
some disease that attacks a cage bird, and one
usually considered incurable. I refer to fits.
A close observer, as I have said, need never
have to deal with this trouble if she will at-

Q4 OUR HOME PETS

tend to the first symptom, for fits result, I be-
lieve, almost always, from days or weeks of
constipated bowels.

If, however, the little sufferer does get so
far, and his friend makes up her mind to de-
vote a day or two to him, she can cure him.
First, the gravel must be removed from his
tray, and several thicknesses of soft old mus-
lin substituted, so that he will not be hurt,
nor get dirt in his eyes, if he does fall. Then
medicines for the difficulty should be fixed in
his water-cup, and the cage set down on the
table close at hand, where you can reach him
without moving. Next, you must provide
yourself with a small sponge saturated with
ether or chloroform, with a tight - covered
china, glass, or tin box in which to keep it.

Do not read or sew and forget the bird, but
look at him every few minutes. If he begins
to reel on his perch and act as if he would
fall, snatch the sponge out of its box, thrust
your hand into the cage, and hold it under his
beak. It will act like a charm; he will stop
reeling, and stand steadily, looking a little
dazed. Then the danger is over for that time ;
replace the sponge, and wait again. You may

THE HOSPITAL 95

have to do this two or three times an hour
for a day, or even two or three days ; but if by
this time you have cured the exciting cause
with the medicine you are giving, your bird
will recover.

He will probably be too weak to go down
for food. I have treated a bird thus for three
days, and fed him myself by holding his food
dish up to him where he sat, on the upper
perch, afraid to go down. He would eat all he
wanted, and then I held the water and let him
drink. He took kindly to being nursed, and
from a very wild bird he became perfectly
tame under my care.

If a bird is contented on a low perch, it is
best to take out all the upper perches; but
some birds would be very unhappy under these
circumstances, and you must carefully avoid
making him discontented or disturbing him
in any way.

While under treatment it is important to
keep a bird warm, quiet, and rather dark.
Nature alone is a good nurse, and observing
the above conditions, with a wholesome "let-
ting alone," will frequently bring a bird as well
as a beast back to health.

XI

THE TALKING TRIBES

THE parrot is, next to the canary, the most
general favorite as a cage bird. Perhaps if he
cost no more than his yellow-coated rival, he
would take the lead. He is so important a
member of our households, and there is so
great ignorance as to his character and abili-
ties, as well as to his care and requirements,
that he must have a chapter to himself.

No one should buy a parrot who is not per-
sonally fond of birds, and prepared to adopt
him as an intelligent member of the family,
demanding not only seed and water, but love
and attention.

All the parrot family are birds of the finest
organization, susceptible to affection or neg-
lect, capable of being either charming com-
panions or unmitigated torments. They are
endowed with strong emotions, and suffer
from the same passions that we do ; they feel

THE TALKING TRIKES Q7

love and jealousy, as well as hate and rage.
They often die from strong emotion, some
fright or fury, grief caused by rough words or
scolding of a friend, or of longing for an
absent loved one.

A bird left to the care and society of ser-
vants, or one considered merely as an orna-
ment, lives a joyless and wretched life, almost
as would a child under similar treatment. It
is necessary to his well-being that he shall love
some one. Without this his talents develop
in every unpleasing way; he learns not to talk,
but to scream, to bark like a dog, to whistle
like the boys in the street, to imitate the city
cries, or the coughing of an old man. In a
word, he becomes a nuisance in a house ; and
he is not to be blamed for it.

It is unfortunate that we cannot begin the
training of our parrot ; as it is, he has learned
many things before he comes to us, and the
first lesson is usually the unlearning of the
teaching he has had. Many a bird has a ruined
temper, with habits of screaming and using bad
language, firmly fixed before he goes into a
family. These habits it is difficult and some-
times impossible to break up.

7

98 OUR HOME PETS

When the love of an intelligent parrot is
really won, no bird can give so much satisfac-
tion as a pet. But he must be first tamed, then
won, then taught ; his bad habits must be cor-
rected ; his health must be established.

To accomplish all this requires care and
patience, as well as a knowledge of the best
method of treatment.

Begin with his taming. If you take a bird
from a dealer, you will probably find at once
that he is not friendly ; he will either be
frightened, and squawk or scream when you
come near him, or he will show temper, scold,
and try to bite.

Your first step is to convince him that you
are his friend, that you will neither tease nor
hurt him. This is to be done, first, last, and
all the time, as with other pets, by gentleness,
quiet ways, and unvarying kindness. If you
indulge in any violence in the room with a
parrot, if you speak loud or sharply, whether
to him or to any one else, if you tease him, if
you "fly at him," bang his door or your own,
or if you allow any one to do these things,
you will never have a gentle, pleasing house-
mate.

THE TALKING TRIBES QQ

I think it will be found that the tamest,
most sweet-tempered parrots belong to gentle
women in houses where there are no children
and no men ; for it is a singular fact, which I
do not attempt to explain, that not only boys,
but the majority of men, delight in teasing or
" bothering " a bird. It is generally done in
sport, but our play is too clumsy for him, and
his temper is almost certain to be spoiled. It
is a valuable rule to make, and strictly enforce,
that your bird — especially your parrot — shall
never be teased.

Next in importance is to see that the wants
of your captive are carefully looked after, his
cage kept clean and sweet, his food fresh and
of the best quality, his water-dish properly re-
plenished. Go no further than this for a week
or two, or until he gets used to his new sur-
roundings and shows less fear of you, and, if
possible, keep him in a dark room away from
the family gathering-place.

Then begin your personal wooing; talk to
him quietly; offer him some dainty to eat, or
some trifle to play with, a fresh twig to gnaw,
or a cracker to nibble. When he is calm and
attentive to you, try — cautiously at first— to

IOO OUR HOME PETS

rub the top of his head with one finger thrust
between the wires, by no means putting your
hand in the cage. If he draws away, give it
up at once ; never press the point.

I have, in a previous chapter, spoken of
taming a parrot by force, but it is a misuse of
terms to call it taming; it is, in fact, subduing
by fatigue and hunger. The victim of this
treatment is never anything but slavishly obe-
dient, and differs radically from the bird who
is won and tamed by patience and gentleness.

If you can give a good deal of time and
thought to it, this important taming may be
hastened by placing the cage close to your seat,
a little lower than your face. The cage for
this purpose should be rather small, so that
he has not much freedom of motion. Then all
the arts of winning above spoken of should
be employed, when the captive, with attention
concentrated on that one thing, will sooner
be conquered.

After he is thoroughly convinced of your
friendship, and no longer shrinks from you,
nor shrieks when you approach, begin to teach
him ; for he is like a child : if not learning
something good, he will be picking up some-

THE TALKING TRIBES IOI

thing bad. Firs?, 'tet' me beg you to rid your-
self of the old false notion that anything about
the tongue must be cut; it is as unnecessary
as it is cruel.

It is said a parrot will learn most easily from
a woman's voice, and he is taught exactly as a
child is taught, by repeating the desired word,
slowly and distinctly, just as you want him to
say it. It is best to begin with one word, and
that perhaps most natural is his own name.
I hope it will not be " Polly," and I protest
against his first sentence being the traditional
request for a cracker. There are already thou-
sands if not millions of parrots in the world
dinning that sentence into our ears; let us
have something original, or at least fresh.

Take care also in teaching a word that the
bird understands it. If you give him a nut,
say " Nut ;" when you come in, say " Good-
morning ;" when you go out, say " Good-bye."
In this way you will have a bird who knows
what he is talking about, instead of one who
rattles off remarks like a string of phrases in a
foreign language. Do not fancy that the bird
attaches no meaning to the words; to him I
believe they always mean some definite thing;

102 OUR HOME PETS

butyf jo£ ,h2vVe-not taken.' pains to have him
understand what they mean to you, he may not
use them as you do. For instance, if you teach
him the senseless "Polly wants a cracker,"
without showing him, by offering a cracker,
what is meant, he may understand it to be a
mere greeting, like " Good -morning;" and I
believe many birds say this without in any way
connecting the idea of a cracker with it.

No one who has lived for any length of time
in the house with a parrot has any doubts of
its sagacity or understanding. To say that
the bird does not mean anything by his re-
marks is seriously to underrate his intelligence.
Moreover, thousands of instances could be
collected, of parrots combining words in new
ways, and plainly showing that they under-
stand them. I heard of a case not long ago
of a parrot deeply attached to a young lady
who died away from home. Soon after the
event the bird began to call, " Where's Alice?"
and to ask the question of the family, and
every guest who came in. He had never done
it before, and it harrowed the grief-stricken
household to such an extent that the bird was
punished for it. He readily understood what

THE TALKING TRIBES 103

was his offence, and did not repeat it to the
family. But — here comes the proof of his intel-
ligence— when a servant or stranger was in the
room alone, he would lean forward eagerly, and
in a sepulchral whisper propound his anxious
query, " Where's Alice ?"

Another proof is furnished by a bird exceed-
ingly fond of one of the household, whom he
called " Mamma." On one occasion she felt
obliged to reprove him ; she spoke severely to
him, and threatened him with a little stick,
though she did not touch him. From that
moment he was alienated ; he no longer called
her by the tender name ; he was cross to her,
and even to her children, whom he distin-
guished from their cousins in the same house.
It was months afterwards when she told the
story, and though she had made every effort,
he still refused to be won back; he would not
forgive.

Stories of this bird's intelligence are innu-
merable. Every parrot owner has a stock of
them, and one could easily collect enough to
fill many books. It is well known that parrots
are as capricious as human beings in their
likes and dislikes; but it is not so generally

IO4 OUR HOME PETS

understood that they are also stronger in their
attachments, for, having fewer objects to in-
terest them, they set their whole heart on one
they love.

To break a bird of a bad habit or of using
an offensive sentence is hard, but it may often
be done by persistent effort and never-chang-
ing kindness. Perfect content and happiness,
and a good deal of attention in the way of be-
ing talked to and amused, will generally break
up the habit of screaming, which is frequently
acquired from the confusion in a bird store,
where every one tries to out-shriek his neigh-
bor, or may be the result of loneliness or an
unoccupied mind.

If he is to be cured of any trick, it must
never be laughed at. Some people will laugh
at the naughty doings of a child or a parrot,
which at the same time they wish to correct.
As with a child, laughing at it is fatal to the
hope of curing it. The bird understands as
well as the baby that it is a funny or a smart
thing to do or say, and the task of the trainer
is thereby made much harder.

Better than to laugh or take much notice of
it, is to divert the bird by something interest-

THE TALKING TRIBES IO5

ing, present something to him, or talk to him ;
make him forget it if possible. It is said that
a green parrot given to screaming can never
be entirely cured, while a gray one may be
made to forget it absolutely. An unmanage-
able, screaming bird can rarely be taught any-
thing.

Do not forget that a parrot dislikes inno-
vations, and generally becomes silent when
moved to new quarters or cared for by new
hands. That is why a bird fresh from the
store often appears to be dumb.

A great help in the training of a parrot is
to place his cage beside that of a talking bird.
These little creatures will not only learn more
readily from each other, but they have ways
of imparting their own impressions to strange
birds ; you may decide for yourself in what
manner, but those who know them best de-
clare it is by conversation.

The health of a bird is a most important
consideration, for all the taming and training
is wasted if the object of it is in poor condition
or dies.

The first great mistake of a parrot keeper is
in feeding it from the family table. There is

106 OUR HOME PETS

a certain fascination in seeing a bird eat bread
and meat, and drink coffee and tea, irresisti-
ble to many persons; no creature takes more
kindly to a human diet than a parrot, and to
none is it more often fatal. Sometimes, it is
true, a bird will live years under this treat-
ment, either because the family menu is not
over-rich, or because the bird has a stronger
constitution than most of his kind; but, in the
majority of cases, it causes illness, shown by
bad temper and fretfulness — before long by
death.

To avoid the begging of a parrot, and the
temptation to yield, it is always best to keep
the bird out of the dining-room, for nothing is
harder than to refuse the plain request of a
captive.

The best food for the gray, and the green
about his size, is simply dry corn or seed —
hemp, canary, or millet — with plain tepid wa-
ter to drink. Crackers will not hurt him, but
if he have any bread, it should be dry. Smaller
parrots and paroquets should have very little
or no hemp, which is too rich. Green food is
said to be unnecessary to parrots ; but I think
a little fruit, perfectly ripe, or green corn or

THE TALKING TRIBES IO7

green pease, occasionally given to a thoroughly
acclimated bird, will do no harm, and will be a
treat he will -greatly enjoy. Nuts — hazel-nuts,
almonds, and walnuts — are not bad for him;
fresh twigs to nibble at are desirable; sparingly
at first, and always soft wood, like willow,
poplar, birch, or fruit tree.

All food must be good and fresh, and in
winter not just out of a cold room, and so
of an icy temperature. There should always
be a bit of cuttle-fish bone fastened in the
cage.

There is a curious notion abroad that this
bird does not need water. It is a fact that he
can live a long time without it, but it is cruel
to deprive an acclimated bird, and he does
not flourish so well without it. The case of a
bird freshly imported is somewhat different.
Of such I shall speak later. A parrot, as well
as other birds, should always have plenty of
gravel or sand on the bottom of his cage.

In regard to bathing there is great variety
of opinion. It is a fact, I believe, that the
gray African parrot and the green ones of his
size will never bathe in a cage ; but many of
them show great delight at being sprinkled,

108 OUR HOME PETS

and all of them need it now and then for
health. It is customary to bathe a parrot by
putting him, in his cage or out, according to
his degree of tameness, into a bath-tub or
basin, spraying him with lukewarm water from
a hose sprinkler or a watering-pot, and keep-
ing him in a warm room for several hours.
Most birds like this sort of shower-bath as
often as once a fortnight. Another way is to
dip a leafy branch in water, and hang it in
his cage, where he can rub against it. Most
of them enjoy this arrangement thoroughly;
it probably approaches their native way of
bathing.

The position of the cage is no less impor-
tant with this than with other birds, and the
subject has been fully treated in a former
chapter. The parrot, being a tropical bird,
must be carefully guarded against cold, never
taken Into a cold room, and snugly covered
on cold nights, or you will hear him

"sneeze or cough-
All his red and green and gold
Cannot fright away the cold,

Cannot keep the winter off.
Ruffled feathers, rough and dim,
Tell Jack Frost hath bitten him."

THE TALKING TRIBES IOQ

In regard to the treatment of this bird in
illness, I should do with him exactly as I have
described with other birds.

Some particular directions are necessary in
the care of birds newly imported. It is safer
to buy one already acclimated, but it is not
difficult to acclimate one if a person knows
how, and will take the necessary pains. The
conditions under which the bird has been
brought from his distant home are peculiar,
and he must be gradually accustomed to dif-
ferent ones.

To begin with, he has made his voyage en-
tirely without water, and he must be inured
to the use of it by a few swallows a day,
steadily increased till he can be trusted with
an unlimited supply. (I am supposing your
bird has been imported in the ordinary way.
If he came as a sailor's pet it will be different.)

The change of food is always great, and
usually brings on the disease of which most
of them die — viz., dysentery. A simple and
sure cure for this is lime-water, in connection
with warmth and perfect quiet. In buying,
you should always find out what a parrot has
been fed on, and gradually change, if change

IIO OUR HOME PETS

is desirable, to the food preferred. No fruit,
or green food of any description, should be
given to a newly-arrived bird.

If your bird has black eyes he is young, in
spite of his venerable appearance and man-
ners. He must, it is said, be fed for a time on
corn that has been chewed by his keeper, as
that is the diet he gets from the sailors , but
this should be inquired into when buying
one.

One thing must not be forgotten : neither
parrot nor cockatoo is a safe companion for
other cage birds, or for birds at liberty in the
room with them* There seems to be war to
the knife on the part of the parrot family tow-
ards all the smaller tribes of its kind.

The cockatoo belongs to the parrot family
in the books, but in several respects he is
quite different from the parrots. He is a
more beautiful bird, being, as we find him in
the cage, either snowy white, with lemon or
sulphur color in his elegant crest, or of a deli-
cate rose -pink hue. There are rare species
who dress in black, but not one wears the gay
and often glaring colors of the parrots.

Then, again, he is an affectionate fellow.

THE TALKING TRIBES III

While a parrot will live in health and good
spirits for years in a home where he is not
particularly loved or cherished, a cockatoo
must be the object of affection, or he will
grow ill-tempered, or mope and die. He must
love, or be at war with his neighbors.

Another difference is in liveliness of tem-
perament. No bird is more grave and dig-
nified than a parrot, while the cockatoo is of
a rollicking humor, with quaint and droll ways
that make him a lively and amusing compan-
ion. When he is happy, and feels himself
thoroughly at home, a cockatoo is full of
play ; he bows and postures, lifts his feathers
in comical ways, lies on his back and plays
with a stick, turns somersaults, and performs
many entertaining gambols. It is delightful
to see two cockatoos amuse each other with
their funny antics, sometimes rolling over to-
gether on the floor like two kittens.

In intelligence the cockatoo is remarkable
even in this celebrated family. His admirers
say that he will be found to excel even the
dog in this quality. He attains this devel-
opment, however, only in cases where he is
loved, and treated as a companion from whom

112 OUR HOME PETS

sagacity and understanding are expected. No
bird is more influenced by his affections. In
the warmth of love and appreciation he ex-
pands like a flower in the sunshine, and be-
comes almost painfully knowing, while in the
atmosphere of coolness or indifference he is
reserved and self-contained — to carry out the
figure — as a bud which has never opened.

A beautiful cockatoo lived in a certain house
that I visit. He was not particularly loved ;
the child to whom he belonged teased him,
and the mother, who took care of the bird,
had frequent occasion to reprove him, for he
had some disagreeable tricks, such as squawk-
ing, scattering his food and water, getting out
of the cage and destroying things. As time
went on he was given away, where he fell into
the hands of a real pet lover, and was at once
made a member of the family, and loved and
petted. He soon became a different bird,
gentle, affectionate, and most amusing. His
naughty pranks seemed forgotten, and squawk-
ing he left off entirely.

This susceptibility to varying conditions is
so strong an indication of intelligence that
even the extreme statement of his lovers in

THE COCKATOO

THE TALKING TRIBES 113

regard to his superiority to the dog cannot be
gainsaid.

Sometimes a cockatoo, while gentle and lov-
ing with one, is absolutely savage with others,
scolding and biting strangers, or those from
whom he has received slights or annoyance.
Indeed, the memory of this bird for what he
regards as injuries or offences is phenomenal;
he really seems never to forget.

Again, the parrot is not generally an active
personage ; he will often stand on a perch or
sit in a cage all day, and apparently make no
effort to change his place or to entertain him-
self ; while, on the contrary, the cockatoo will
investigate every part of his quarters, opening
his door if it is not locked and the key re-
moved, showing a cleverness in the use of his
beak that is simply amazing.

But the cockatoo rarely talks ; he has so
extensive a repertoire of expressions that he
seems not to need the spoken word. He will
generally speak a word or two, sometimes a
sentence, and I have heard of accomplished
talkers ; but in this respect he cannot compete
with his parrot relatives.

The health of the cockatoo requires as care-

114 °UR HOME PETS

ful supervision as that of the parrot. He
should not have soft food, though he likes it.
He should eat hemp-seed or dry corn ; if any
bread is allowed, it must be well baked and
dry. Ship's biscuit or any plain cracker will
not hurt him.

There seems to be no regular time for moult-
ing with these birds when in the cage. In-
deed, some of them go for years without
change of plumage. They may be rather quiet
during that period, and should have particu-
lar care about temperature and proper food ;
but if they are kept all the time in good health,
I do not think they will be ill while passing
through that natural process.

There are several other birds who come
under the head of " Talkers," of whom I will
speak next. There is first the starling, a beau-
tiful bird of dark bluish-green — so dark that at
a little distance it seems black, with dainty
tips of buff and pale brown. He is a Euro-
pean bird, easily tamed, and capable of talking
nearly, if not quite, as well as a parrot. An
English lady who has brought up two of this
family writes most enthusiastically of their in-
telligence and charming qualities as pets.

THE TALKING TRIBES 115

The magpie is another talker, and an ex-
ceedingly busy and entertaining bird besides
— that is, if one has plenty of room for the
exercise of his abilities; for he develops best
outside a cage, and is without doubt the most
mischievous bird we have.

The common crow will learn to talk, and an-
other of his family, the raven, is really a fine
linguist, learning very rapidly, and rarely for-
getting any sentence he has once mastered.
He has also, like the parrot, the advantage of
long life to repay one for the trouble of teach-
ing him. But he is another too active to
keep in a cage, and too large and full of mis-
chief to be an altogether agreeable house-
mate.

The mino, a native of India, frequently to be
found in our bird stores, is another talker and
an interesting fellow, being intelligent as well
as affectionate. He speaks readily, but the
disadvantage with him as a cage bird is that
his native calls seem to be all shrieks, and
he is so fond of uttering them at the top
of his voice that few persons can endure him
in a house ; and hung outside, he becomes
a nuisance to a neighborhood. It is proba-

H6 OUR HOME PETS

ble, however, that if he had some liberty,
and therefore some ways of amusing him-
self, he would not show such a passion for
screaming.

XII

THE BIRD-ROOM

A SUNNY outlook and plenty of windows are
indispensable to a successful bird-room ; next
in importance is an even temperature through
the day, without too great change at night ;
lastly, thorough ventilation without draughts.
These conditions granted, a bird lover may set
up her (or his) little colony, with assurance of
being able to make its members happy and
contented. She must, however, be devoted ;
much time and earnest thought are required
to keep a feathered family in health and spir-
its.

To prepare the room : There must be no
carpet on the floor to harbor dust and clog
their little lungs with wool fibres, no uphol-
stered furniture to be injured, no delicate bu-
reau coverings to be mussed, no tidies and table
scarfs to be soiled ; no knick-knacks whatever.
In one word, everything within the four walls

Il8 OUR HOME PETS

must be free to the birds, or they will not feel
at home and act naturally.

If the bird-room is also the study, folded
newspapers may be laid over the tops of stand-
ing rows of books, none of which should be
left out of place. Boxes and drawers must be
at hand to hold everything one wishes to pre-
serve. Table-tops should be left bare, so that
they may be wiped off ; straw matting, which
can be scrubbed (if needed), must cover the
floor. Then, with no danger of their hurting
anything, birds are free to do whatever they
like, the only conditions under which they will
be natural and interesting.

The window's of the bird-room should be
.protected by screens or inside blinds, so that
in mild weather the lower half may be open
for air, while the upper half lets in sun and
light. There are only two birds that I know,
the size of a canary or larger, who will pass
between the slats of a blind ; birds rarely go
where they cannot fly through. But the two
orioles — the Baltimore and the orchard — will
creep through any opening, so that nothing
less than screens are safe for them.

By inside blinds I do not mean the use-

THE BIRD-ROOM IIQ

less things usually found in a house, divided
into unsteady, unmanageable sections, part of
which are panels, and with slats so small and
near together that they keep out everything,
including fresh air ; I mean a good, firm blind,
the size of the lower sash of the window,
made to order in one piece, to be put into
the open window like a screen, bolted to place
with tiny brass bolts, and having slats of good
size extending at least half their width. Such
blinds as these, of oiled pine, I have had made
for one dollar a window, and they were an
unspeakable comfort, letting in plenty of air,
and keeping the birds as safely as the smoth-
ering wire gauze.

No draperies or curtains are allowed in a
bird-room, to gather dust or trap the birds to
their death, as I have known them to do. The
windows should have shades, to the bottom
of which may be lightly sewed a piece of un-
washed white mosquito-netting or coarse lace,
the length and width of the window. This
supplementary shade may be neatly folded
up and pinned to the ordinary shade, be-
ing invisible from the outside ; or it may be
dropped to form a gauzy veil over the whole

120 OUR HOME PETS

window. This should be done when a new
bird is let out of the cage. If only the broad,
clear panes are between him and the out-of-
doors, he is sure to fly against them, expect-
ing to get out. Until he learns the nature
of glass — which he soon does — it is well to
employ the lace shade.

Cages must be all near the windows. I had
in my bird-room three bookcases about four
and a half feet high ; one stood between the
windows, and one against the wall each side,
next to the windows. On the top of each of
these cases I fastened a broad board shelf to
hold the cages. There were two cages be-
tween the windows, two on each shelf at the
sides of the room, and two or three hanging
on brackets. By this arrangement I made
comfortable quarters for six large cages and
two or three smaller ones, each near a win-
dow. Cages, even the largest, may be hung
on strong nails or hooks in the wall, but a
shelf is better.

Behind the shelves, to protect the paper
from spatterings, I fastened, with common
pins, sheets of buff wrapping-paper, which I
bought by the quire to have it smooth and

THE BIRD-ROOM 121

fresh. As they became soiled, perhaps after
a month, I replaced them with new ones.

Each cage had, in addition to its full com-
plement of perches, one piece of dowelling,
at least two feet long, which I called a door
perch. When I opened a cage door to let
out its occupant, I thrust this perch through
the door, and wedged it tightly between the
wires at the back. Thus it ran completely
across the cage, and projected a foot or more
into the room. The bird ran out on it, and
alighted on it in coming back. It is hard for
a bird to learn to fly directly into his door,
and the process of getting home is greatly
simplified if he can fly to a perch and run in.

In the room I put up numerous perching-
places, so that birds need not alight on chairs
and other furniture. They will rarely do this
if provided with convenient places in the light-
est part of the room.

For my little family I arranged them thus:
Across, in front of each window, reaching
from the cage on one side to that on the
other, I fastened a long perch, thrusting it
firmly in between the wires ; sometimes I had
one run from a cage to the top of a lower

122 OUR HOME PETS

of the window, resting against the cas-
ing. I was careful to make it firm always,
for birds do not like a shaky perch, though
they enjoy a swinging one. From a cage on
the side of the room to another which was
between the windows or across the corner,
I fixed perches perhaps six feet long. For
these I used strips of lancewood that comes
for fishing-rods (having a fisherman in the
family). Slender bamboo poles would do as
well, or better, but dowelling does not come
long enough.

Between a gas-fixture and a cage I fastened
another, lashing it with twine to the fixture,
to have it steady. In one bird-room, where
an alcove was defined by an arch, I had
stretched across from the tops of an orna-
mental projection on the arch a perch six feet
long, made of " printer's furniture." These
were inch -square strips of pine about three
feet in length, which were spliced together.
Under this perch I hung by wire loops a piece
of dowelling for a swing, which pleased the
birds greatly.

As part of my furnishings — all of which,
by -the -way, were evolved one by one as the

THE BIRD-ROOM 123

need appeared — I had two ladders, which I
made by lashing thin rounds of printer's fur-
niture (about the size of the stick at the bot-
tom of a window-shade) with fine twine on to
two long strips of lancewood. These ladders
were nearly six feet long, and reached from
the floor to the door of any cage whose oc-
cupant was unable to fly because of moulting,
or from any accident. The rounds were eight
inches apart, and it was a pretty sight, when
a disabled bird had fallen to the floor, to
watch him hurrying across the room, and
hopping up the rounds of that ladder as fast
as a child will run up-stairs. Birds learned
to use them very readily.

Most of the cages were left uncovered ; but
birds who were sensitive about having others
alight on their roof had their cages covered.
Usually a newspaper laid over answered the
purpose; but in one case of an extremely ner-
vous bird and a very teasing neighbor, I sewed
a permanent roof of enamelled cloth over the
top, making the lovely owner thereof perfectly
happy.

Before one of the windows of the bird-room
stood the table, which served first every morn-

124 OUR HOME PETS

ing as a place to put the cages to rights, and
later as a bathing apartment for the residents.
The daily routine of the room was this : After
my breakfast I brought out from a cupboard
devoted to the birds' belongings a coarse
grater, a clean newspaper, a box of mocking-
bird food, a carrot, and a silver knife. Sitting
down before the table, I grated as much car-
rot as I needed on to the newspaper, then
added to it an equal amount of mocking-bird
food, mixed it thoroughly with the knife, then
laid it away in the paper for use. I then pro-
duced from the cupboard a dish-pan, which I
filled with scalding suds, and placed on the
table with dish-mop and towels; then a pitch-
er of fresh water and two or three tin quart
boxes of seed, which I put on a smaller table
one side.

Then I was ready to begin my work of
clearing up. From all the cages I took the
dishes — often there were twenty — emptied
the sour or dry mocking-bird food, blew off
the shells, and emptied the seed-cups, drop-
ping every one into the hot suds, from which
they emerged clean and smoking, and were
wiped and set on the other table, all of one

THE BIRD-ROOM 12$

kind together. While they were cooling,
ready to receive the food, I took out every
perch that was soiled, scraped it and washed
it in the suds, using a brush for the purpose.
In the winter I piled them on the register to
dry ; when I had no fire, I stood them against
the window-pane in the sun.

By this time my dishes were cool, and I
filled each one with fresh water, or the pre-
pared food, or replenished the seed, accord-
ing to the need.

Then I began with the seed-eaters, who are
neater than the soft -food birds, and cleaned
every tray thus : emptying the gravel on to a
folded newspaper, I washed the tray in the
hot suds (using the mop), wiped it, and dried
it over the register ; then, using a small sieve
I sifted out all the dirt and shells, and returned
the gravel to the tray, adding a shake or two
from the box of fresh gravel. About once a
fortnight I threw this all out, and began again
with fresh gravel. When one tray was in or-
der I replaced it, adding the food and water
dishes that belonged to it, and then proceeded
to the next.

So I went through the room, leaving every

126 OUR HOME PETS

bird-cage in perfect order, with food for the day.
Then I carried away my dish -washing tools,
hung up my towels, put away my food boxes
and cans, and prepared the table for bathing.

When everything was ready (as described in
Chapter VII.) I made sure that all the windows
were right, blinds put up, lace curtains down
— if a green bird was to come out — and the
room doors latched. Then I opened every
cage door, put in the door perches, and took
my seat at my desk to rest and enjoy the
bathing. In a moment the birds began to
come out ; some rushed at once to the bath-
ing-table and began to splash, some flew
around the room, to try their wings, and
others went to the sunny windows ; but the
knowing ones came to my desk to ask for
meal-worms, or soaked currants, or raw beef,
whichever dainty they happened to prefer. I
gave out the tidbits, tossing a wriggling worm
to the floor, where it was instantly seized, or
holding it gingerly at the end of my long
tweezers for a bolder bird to snatch. The
currants I held in my ringers generally, and
one after another they would come shyly up
and help themselves.

THE BIRD-ROOM 127

After all had bathed, and pluming and
dressing of feathers were going on every-
where, I brought out my special treats. In
summer there were huckleberries for the clar-
ine ; pears for the orchard oriole ; sorrel, or
chickweed, or plantain for the seed-eaters. In
winter, slices of apple and soaked currants
for all. These I placed in the cages. The
bird would go in and taste, and make sure
that he was supplied, and then come out and
play about, try all the perches, and amuse
himself in many ways, while I sat on the far-
ther side of the room, note-book in hand,
and took notes of all the funny and serious
things that went on among them. I remained
motionless and perfectly silent, wishing not
to have them notice me, and they often did
seem to forget my presence entirely.

When I started my bird colony, I used to
leave the doors open till late afternoon. But
I found a good deal of trouble in getting the
birds back, because before dark (on a winter
day as early as four o'clock) each bird settled
himself somewhere — it might be in and it
might be out of the cage — and appeared be-
wildered if forced to move. As I was obliged

128 OUR HOME PETS

to open the windows at night and let the
room get cool, it was necessary to protect
them, and I could not do it unless they were
at home. So I occasionally had to catch one
in my hand and return him to his cage, which
I did not like any better than he did.

On closer study of my small tenants, I
found that after noon they did not move
about much, but sat quietly and sang ; so day
after day I shut them up earlier and earlier,
till at last I found they were just as happy
and satisfied to have the door closed at noon
as later. That came to be the rule, therefore ;
every door was fastened before two o'clock,
and the birds almost invariably spent the
whole afternoon singing.

To close the doors without startling and
without approaching them (which made some
timid ones dash out), I thought out a plan by
which I could shut every one without leaving
my seat. I fastened, by a loop easily removed,
a fine strong twine to each door, and by means
of staples or " double tacks " driven into win-
dow-casings below the window, I carried each
line through its own set of staples around to
my desk. Down the side of the desk was a

THE BIRD-ROOM I2Q

row of small nails, and each line (looped at the
end) was just long enough, when the door it
held was wide open, to let its loop slip over
its own particular nail.

When I opened the doors in the morning,
every string was drawn taut, and each loop
over its nail. As closing-up time drew near, I
sat at my desk with an eye to the birds, and
when one went home I slipped his loop off
the nail, let the door gently close, and then
dropped the string. So I went on till all were
shut up.

To shut the door quickly and quietly I had
several devices — doors that moved with a
spring were simply held straight back, and it
needed only to slacken the string to close
them ; doors that slid up, and were not heavy
enough to fall of their own weight, were
weighted with strips of lead fastened across
the bottom ; then, on loosening the string that
held it up, the weight drew it to place. For a
door that closed from the side with a spring,
I passed the string from the upper corner of
the door forward through the wires at the
place where that corner would be when shut,
and then I had to draw tight in order to shut.

9

130 OUR HOME PETS

When all were in I went quietly around
and removed door perches and unhooked the
strings from the cage doors, letting the latter
hang from their staples. Then I hooked the
loops at the other end of the strings all back
in their places at my desk. Thus to fasten
them open in the morning, I simply gathered
up the ends next the cages, and slipped each
into its place on the door. I have described
this in detail, as I have everything else about
my arrangements, because I have been so of-
ten begged to tell exactly how I managed my
bird-room.

The birds in, I left them to their own devices
till bedtime, when I had more work to make
them comfortable for the night. If it were
warm weather, and there were any mosquitoes
about, I wrapped every cage in mosquito-net-
ting, which I kept of appropriate size. In cold
weather each cage was carefully protected with
a woollen cover, usually some old shawl, a thin
blanket, or a worn piano cover.

It will readily be seen from this true account
of my daily work — which, moreover, does not
half tell the story — that keeping birds healthy
and happy in a room is by no means child's

THE BIRD-ROOM 13!

play. It requires genuine love for the birds,
and willingness to give up nearly all one's time
to them. I earnestly hope that no one will
attempt it who cannot heartily give both.

XIII
THE AVIARY

IF one has not room, or for any reason pre-
fers not to give the time and trouble necessary
to maintain what I have called a bird-room, he
or she may find much enjoyment with an aviary.
The distinction I make between the two is this :
in the former, human beings may also live, with
almost no inconvenience, since the homes of
the birds are in cages, even though these may
stand open most of the time, while an aviary
is an apartment entirely given up to birds
without cages.

The largest aviary I have seen was tenanted
by two hundred canaries, and it gave great de-
light to every one who visited it, in spite of the
fact that a canary shows less intelligence than
most of our native birds. Being a regular cage
product, he appears, like a slave born of a race
of slaves, to lack some of the wide-awake
acuteness of birds born in freedom.

THE AVIARY 133

Many of our familiar birds, and, I believe,
most of the smaller foreign birds brought to
our country, will live peaceably together under
certain conditions. Indeed, such a "happy
family " arrangement is frequently seen in the
windows of our bird dealers, where bluebirds
and sparrows, orioles and cedar-birds, some-
times many others, are to be seen in one big
show cage. In the small menageries common
in our city parks, also, may often be seen a
large cage with a dozen or more different sorts
of birds living together in peace.

The " conditions " spoken of as necessary to
success are two. The first is abundance of
room. Any individual, be he bird, beast, or
even human, will be made irritable by constant
companionship. Every one, even a little bird,
needs opportunity occasionally to get away
from his fellows.

An ample bay-window, separated from the
room by coarse wire gauze, or, better still, a
small apartment exclusively their own, may
be made the happy home of half a dozen
birds. If a cage is used for an aviary it must
be very large indeed, or only a few birds
kept in it, unless they be the tiny African

134 OUR HOME PETS

finches, who do not seem to mind living in a
crowd.

The second condition of contentment is
plenty of accommodations, such as numerous
seed and water cups, several bathing-dishes,
and every delicacy, such as fruit or green food,
duplicated more than once, so that one or two
selfish fellows may not be able to monopolize.
I have seen a bird when he could eat no more,
yet was still unwilling to share his food with a
cage mate, actually seat himself in the dish,
and remain there as long as he could stand it
to keep quiet. I do not say there must be a
set for every bird, but there should be at least
one for every two birds.

Ample accommodations, too, mean plenty
of perches, with several having as nearly as
possible the same attractiveness, for sleeping
perches. Almost all small cage birds want to
sleep on the very top round, and if the highest
is only one, and perhaps a small one at that,
one strong and selfish bird can keep it for his
own use, and make the rest unhappy ; while
if there are half a dozen equally desirable, he
may drive them off his, but they can find oth-
ers as satisfactory. A row of sleeping birds,

THE AVIARY 135

all puffed out into fluffy balls, with feet hid-
den, and heads tucked snugly out of sight un-
der their shoulder feathers, blue and yellow
and brown and red, side by side, is a lovely sight.

Everything, indeed, that is placed in an avi-
ary must be several times duplicated to avoid
jealousy and contention. For example, a bath-
ing-dish to every three or four birds is indis-
pensable, unless the one provided is so wide
and shallow that half a dozen may use it at
once. The birds are sure to wish to bathe all
at the same time, and scarcity of accommo-
dation makes trouble at once. Green food —
apple, sorrel, or lettuce — should be put in sev-
eral separate places, so that no one or two
can appropriate the whole.

With all these precautions, a close watch
must be kept to see that no one tyrannizes
over another, for our little brothers of the air
are surprisingly human in their characteristics.
Among them will be found the glutton, the
bully, and the tyrant, as well as the gentle, the
timid, and the unassuming, to be their victims.
I have had a bird starved to death by the
selfishness of a cage mate, and never suspected
it, closely as I study my birds.

136 OUR HOME PETS

The floor of an aviary must be thickly spread
with fine gravel or sand, which should be brush-
ed out and changed as often as every fortnight,
and the floor washed. The lady who had a
room given up to birds, which I have already
referred to, bought her gravel or coarse sand
by the barrel, as well as her bird-seed.

Cleanliness and frequent washing of dishes
and scalding of perches are just as important
in an aviary as in a bird-room ; and since the
birds cannot be covered up individually, the
room must be kept at a nearly even temper-
ature.

If a bird is ill he must be instantly removed
from the rest, and kept in a cage till well, both
that he may have quiet, medicine, and proper
food, and that he may not infect the rest, as in
some disorders he would by drinking from the
common cups. If the stock is all of one kind,
and it is desired that they shall nest, proper
places must be prepared ; little baskets, such
as come for cage nesting, may be fastened up
in quiet nooks, and material suitable for lining
placed within reach.

When the young are able to be fed, food
proper for them must be kept ready. Direc-

THE AVIARY 137

tions for preparing food for sitting birds and
their young will be found in books devoted to
raising canaries ; I have had no experience of
that kind.

The bird family to which I have alluded
more than once was kept for a good many
years — perhaps is to this day — in a room in
the upper story of a house in Brooklyn. The
mistress of it had at the time I knew it, sev-
eral years ago, two hundred canaries, all raised
from two or three pairs ; and because she had
not room for more she was obliged to discour-
age their nesting. At one time when I went to
see them a persistent little bird had "stolen
her nest," as poultry-raisers say. She collected
enough stuff for an apology for a nest, placed
it on the door-sill, and there the brave little
creature was brooding her eggs where every
one who entered had to step over her. It was
a touching sight, and the mistress could not
bring herself to break up the nest so confiding-
ly placed.

With all these busy, happy canaries — and I
never saw a livelier colony — a solitary blue-
bird dwelt in peace and contentment. He had
been brought to her injured in some way, and

138 OUR HOME PETS

as an experiment she put him into the bird-
room. At first the little yellow fellows were
in awe of one so big; but finding him a well-
disposed personage, they accepted him as a
room-mate, and paid no further attention to
him. Outside the walls of this happy bird
home lived another bird, whom the mistress
did not dare trust within — a mocking-bird.
Constant entertainment was furnished him by
his stirring little neighbors. He was as inter-
ested in their ways and doings as any child in
a circus. He often stood for an hour at a
time with attention fixed upon them, follow-
ing their movements with his eyes, and utter-
ing his sentiments now and then in a low
cluck.

It has been said that the mocking-bird can-
not imitate the canary song, but this bird sang
the canary aria frequently, louder and better
than the canaries themselves. It was curi-
ous to note the effect of his performance on
the small birds. When he began every note
ceased ; every little yellow head turned to see
who it was that so outdid them. They were
not discouraged, however; they were too hap-
py, and the music was too infectious to resist.

THE AVIARY 139

In a few moments they joined in, in chorus,
and then the house fairly rang with canary
songs.

A celebrated aviary was maintained by an
English resident in China, and described near-
ly sixty years ago by Mr. Bennett, the natural-
ist. This aviary was twenty feet wide and
forty long, and nearly as many feet in height
made of what he calls wire lattice. In this
bird-house were trees and shrubs, with nest-
ing-baskets for such of the tenants as wished
to use them. A large supply of water for all,
and rock -work for birds who liked it, were
provided. Not only every need, but every
wish of the birds — so far as known — was grati-
fied. There were even cages to use as places
of solitary confinement for belligerent or self-
ish birds, who, if they refused to learn wisdom
under this treatment, were finally cast out of
the bird paradise, and forced to take care of
themselves.

An aviary is perhaps not so much care as
a bird-room, and it is in some ways more satis-
factory; that is, if it is large enough to give
play to the individuality of birds, like those I
have mentioned. If it is so small as to be a

140 OUR HOME PETS

mere house, where the birds jostle and irritate
each other, it is of no particular interest.

The directions I have given for perches,
dishes, and food in a bird -room will apply
equally to an aviary.

XIV

THE DOG AS A PET

THE custom, old as the human race, of tak-
ing beasts and birds into the house as com-
panions and friends of the family, is one of
great interest. Not only do the creatures thus
placed under foreign and unnatural conditions
afford interesting subjects of study, but they
are useful in many ways, as protectors of our
property, guardians of our children, and safe-
ty-valves for unplaced affections. And besides
these most obvious uses, when properly appre-
ciated and enjoyed, they offer unequalled op-
portunity for lessons to our children in hu-
manity, justice, and unselfishness. Moreover,
they furnish an ever-fresh source of happiness
to those who love them ; happiness, too, with-
out alloy, since no conduct of theirs, however
base, can hurt us like the unkind words or
deeds of a human friend.

Of all the pets we gather about us, the dog

142 OUR HOME PETS

usually comes the nearest to being absolutely
one of the family. Not that he has greater in-
telligence than the cat, or some of the birds ;
but he identifies himself more completely with
his human friends, and is much more demon-
strative than others. Long years of depend-
ence and companionship have attached him to
our race, and made him almost incapable of
doing without us. A lost dog is one of the
most hopeless and wretched creatures in ex-
istence, and it is really pitiful to see his at-
tempts to attach himself to somebody. He will,
figuratively speaking, go down on his knees in
the dust to any one who does not utterly re-
pulse him, and beg in the most touching way
to be adopted.

Not only does the dog become as one of the
family, but in many cases he gets to be the
autocrat of the household, his convenience de-
ciding all questions of family policy, and his
tastes and his notions consulted before those
of any human member. Often, indeed, he be-
comes to every one excepting his doting mis-
tress an intolerable nuisance.

The dog of fashion is an expensive luxury
in our day. He requires almost as many be-

THE DOG AS A PET 143

longings as his mistress — elegant upholstered
apartments, satin and velvet cushions, and a
bed as good as the house affords ; travelling-
satchels and napping -baskets, various gar-
ments, table service and toilet articles, play-
things, ribbons, costly harness, and valuable
jewelry set with gems. There is hardly an
end to his possessions. Besides this, he often
has a maid specially devoted to his service,
and he gives luncheon parties. When ill, he is
attended by the family physician, if the latter is
either very humane or afraid of losing patron-
age ; and when he dies he is buried in a costly
casket, and commemorated by a marble monu-
ment, though sometimes he is scientifically
" preserved," placed in a jewelled receptacle
too valuable to be buried, and kept on exhi-
bition in the home his death has made deso-
late. A dog thus treated has almost ceased
to be a dog. He is a product of fashion, and
seems hardly to belong to the race of " dog-
gy " dogs, whom we all love and like to have
about us.

So intimate for generations has been the
dog's relation with the human race that he is
truly becoming almost painfully like us. Not

144 OUR HOME PETS

only does he possess most of our virtues, but
our vices, alas ! are reflected in him as in a
mirror; vanity, self -consciousness, love of
notoriety, thirst for excitement and curiosity,
all show themselves full-blown in the pet of
the fireside.

This being the case, introducing one of these
animals into the house is almost like adding
another member to the family, and it should
be done intelligently. Not only should one be
clear as to his purpose in wanting a pet, but
he should study the qualities of the various
breeds, and decide with deliberation which
will best meet the demand.

Let him ask himself, first, for what he de-
sires a dog. Is it for protection, as a play-
mate for children, as an ornament to the
house, as a companion for himself, or for
purposes of general utility ? Suppose the need
is for protection ; in the country an animal is
required large enough and savage enough to
attack a tramp or a thief, and hold him ; while
for the same use in the city, a small one who
barks an alarm is equally efficient. If what
is desired is a playmate for children, there is a
like difference in choice. The country child,

THE FAMILY PET

THE DOG AS A PET 145

wandering about the roads and fields, needs a
dog of a size and disposition to protect him,
and if near the water, to rescue him when he
falls in, as he is tolerably certain to do; but
the duties of the city child's dog are more
strictly those of a playfellow, to entertain and
amuse by his gambols.

If a house ornament is the object sought, a
St. Bernard or Great Dane that will fitly adorn
a large place by his dimensions will unpleas-
antly dwarf any ordinary town residence. The
beautiful little spaniels, the so-called "toy
dogs," more properly decorate a city parlor.

If the demand is for a companion, intellect
and affection are the things to seek, and the
size does not so much matter, though a very
large dog can rarely have in city homes room
and exercise enough for his health. For an
all-around useful animal, one of the medium-
sized dogs, such as a spaniel or collie, com-
bines the most desirable qualities.

Another point to consider is the harmony
of the dog with his surroundings, for it would
be no less inappropriate to place one of the
dainty, sensitive, luxury-loving toy dogs in a
busy, bustling country household, than to keep

146 OUR HOME PETS

a Great Dane or a St. Bernard in an elegant
apartment, or a narrow brick-on-end-shaped
city house.

It should be well understood in the begin-
ning that a pet is a great deal of trouble, and
no one should assume the care unless he is
willing to bear the burden. To surround
ourselves with these helpless dependants,
and then neglect to provide for their comfort
and happiness, is not merely cruel, it is really
a crime. As already said, taking a dog into
the family is like adopting a child, and one is
just as responsible for neglect of duty towards
one as towards the other.

When one really goes out to select and buy
a dog, especially if he has no preferences, it is
important that he should educate himself —
and by himself, of course, I also mean herself.
This is best done, perhaps, by " reading up "
on the different varieties, and then visiting
some good kennels, or, if possible, a dog show,
for the looks and appearance of an animal
have much to do with our liking for him.

Should we select his variety and then buy a
puppy? That depends; puppies are charm-
ing ; no young creature is more so, for though

THE DOG AS A I'ET 147

they lack the perfect grace, the bewitching
playfulness, the altogether irresistible charms
of the kitten, they have yet a winning inno-
cence of mien and a delightful clumsiness of
bearing that are almost equally attractive.
But puppies have another side, alas ! It is
true that the dog in his babyhood is funny,
but he is also mischievous. It is certainly
comical to see him frolic with an old shoe, a
door-mat, or some discarded garment ; but
when he snatches clothes from the line, wor-
ries one's best boots, or drags off a valuable
table-cover in his pranks, it ceases to be amus-
ing, and he will do one as readily as the other.

It is gratifying to possess a canine follower
that one has brought up and trained, but the
process requires patience, gentleness, and long-
suffering; in fact, the ordinary mortal needs
special training in these virtues himself to fit
him for the task. Besides the pains required,
there is the risk. Baby dogs are almost as
prone to disease as baby humans. They may
not, to be sure, suffer from croup or scarlet-
fever, but they have their own infant disorders,
quite as apt to be fatal.

Because of this uncertainty of life, a young

148 OUR HOME PETS

puppy of almost any breed may be bought at
a low price. Usually ten or fifteen dollars will
procure a promising specimen of a kind that,
when safely past his first year, will bring from
seventy-five dollars to twenty-five thousand
dollars, at which price some valuable animals
are held.

In making choice, one hint may be useful.
After seeing that all the " points " which show
good blood are present, the buyer should look
carefully on the body behind the fore-legs, and
also behind the ears, for indications of irrita-
tion, and promptly reject the most promising
dog who shows any such sign. Shaking the
head is also an evidence of disease which
should not be unheeded.

" For ways that are dark,

And tricks that are [not always] vain,"

the dog-dealer has a reputation second only to
that of the horse-dealer. One needs to go
armed with accurate knowledge, and even then
a thoroughly informed friend, or a responsible
agent, is safer. It would undoubtedly be bet-
ter to buy at the kennels, of which New York
has several readily accessible, than to take
one's pet at second-hand.

XV

THE BIG DOGS

IN this book the dog will be considered
merely in his relation to the family, and his
availability for the companionship of women
and children. I shall give brief descriptions
of the different breeds ordinarily kept in the
household, with the principal " points " that
testify to purity of the blood, characteristics,
and qualifications of each for life in the home,
and, lastly, hints as to care in health and dis-
ease.

The Great Dane is entitled to the palm
for size, the tallest reaching the enormous
height of thirty-four inches, and exceeding by
about half an inch the utmost record of his
rival, the great St. Bernard. He does not,
however, show the clumsiness that might be
expected from his measurement, for he is well
built. He has a fine head, with clear, expres-
sive eyes, a tail held level with the back, and

150 OUR HOME PETS

curving a little upward at the tip. The per-
fect Dane is not too heavy, and though he will
generally fall below the figures given as the
maximum, he should not lack more than four
or five inches of that height, and should bring
the scales down to between one hundred and
twenty and one hundred and twenty -five
pounds. Bowed fore-legs are to be avoided,
and spreading toes are a decided blemish.
The coat of this dog should be glossy, and if
it is spotted with black on a white ground,
its wearer is entitled to the first rank and the
highest value. Blue spots on a very light
ground are admissible, however, as are also
tigerlike stripes and a plain color.

As to his fitness for domestication, opinions
differ. No one questions his courage as a
protector of property; to dispose of a tramp
or a burglar is mere play to him. But while
admirers assert that he is easily controlled
and gentle with children, many persons -de-
clare, on the contrary, that he is always a dan-
gerous inmate of the household, being, when
roused, savage towards friend as well as foe.
Of course, dogs of the same family differ in
temperament, and unquestionably an entirely

THE BIG DOGS 151

amiable Great Dane is not an impossibility,
though he may be rare. It is, or has been, the
custom to cut the ears of this animal, but a
sentiment in favor of nature's work is grow-
ing among the more intelligent dog-raisers.

Practically equal in size to this canine giant,
and a much more beautiful animal, is the great
St. Bernard, whose value when perfect is far
up in the tens of thousands. His well-known
history gives him a reputation for nobility of
character which is borne out by facts, and no
dog of his size is his equal in gentleness, sa-
gacity, and attachment to his friends. As a
protector he is vigilant and faithful, and at the
same time he possesses more sense and discre-
tion than most of his kind. Children seem to
be his special care, and he cannot be excelled
as a country companion for them.

There are two kinds of St. Bernards — the
rough and the smooth coated. The former is
more beautiful, but is also much more care.
His slightly wavy coat needs so much atten-
tion to be kept in proper condition that he
actually should have a servant for his own
use. In color he should be red and white in
varying combinations, with patches of dark

152 OUR HOME PETS

brindle color. A white breast is indispen-
sable, white also around the nose, at the end
of the tail, and if he has a bit on the nape of
the neck, and a blaze, so much the better.
Should he happen to be without white, he is
nobody in the St. Bernard family. Any other
colors than those mentioned are undesirable.

The third of the big dogs is the mastiff, of
soft fawn-color, with black ears and muzzle,
and short, smooth coat. About no dog do
opinions differ more widely than about this
one — his friends declaring him a pattern of
virtue, while his enemies are just as positive
that he is a monster of vice, some going so
far as to call him a man-eater. There is no
doubt that he will faithfully protect his mas-
ter's property, and all agree that when once
roused he is furious, and no man or beast is
safe from his rage. Kindly cared for, he is
said to be peaceable and gentle with children ;
but if he considers himself unjustly treated, he
will fly at his best -loved friend. However
valuable he may be as a protector in a country-
place, he is certainly unfitted for the city,
where it is difficult to give him enough exer-
cise to keep him in health.

THE BIG DOGS 153

To keep any one of these large dogs happy,
and consequently healthy, he should have a
house of his own; and still better, if possible,
some one especially to care for him. He
needs a great amount of exercise, and a chain
or a muzzle is exceedingly distasteful to him.

It is agreeable, after considering these mon-
sters of the race, to speak of one who is wholly
delightful — the Newfoundland. Intelligent
and courageous, yet not savage or ugly, al-
ways kind to children, and especially valuable
as a water-dog, being perfectly fearless and a
remarkable swimmer. He should be jet black,
with a glossy coat, coarse in texture, rather
close and somewhat wavy, but not at all curly.
A white breast and toes do not detract from
his value; but a tail with a kink in it, or curl-
ing over the back, is entirely inadmissible.

The coach-dog, or Dalmatian, is much ad-
mired for his striking markings, and has had
his turn at being the fashion. He is white,
with black or liver-colored spots scattered all
over him, from ears to tip of tail. These
spots should be round, and not larger than a
half-dollar, preferably black. A black face or
black ears detract greatly from his value. It

154 OUR HOME PETS

is pleasing to note that it is not now the fash-
ion to clip this dog's ears. The predominant
trait in the coach-dog seems to be his fond-
ness for horses; indeed, those who do not like
him say he is fit for nothing but to be the
companion of a stableman, certainly not at all
suitable for a house pet. His proper place
with a carriage is running under the fore axle.

The bull-dog is considered beautiful in ex-
act proportion to his ugliness. The more his
nose turns up, and the greater number of ugly
wrinkles he can show, the higher is his value.
Indeed, it is intended that he should be ugly
in temper, corresponding with his looks, and
he is naturally a blood-thirsty beast. Yet, on
the other hand, he is said to be affectionate
and gentle to children, unless his temper is
soured by being regarded as only a protector,
and kept chained — treatment that turns the
most gentle into a savage. He is suitable
only for the country.

The big hounds can hardly be said to come
under the head of house-dogs, and they are
entirely out of place in the city. The English
greyhound is very attractive in the country,
where there is plenty of room, for exercise is

THE BIG DOGS 1 55

indispensable to him. He is an aristocratic
personage, both dainty and dignified, and, in
fact, he is said to possess almost human char-
acteristics. His coat should be short, neither
woolly nor too fine. He should be treated
like a reasonable being, for he is extremely
sensitive to injustice and cruelty.

The setters are, in the opinion of many dog-
lovers, the most beautiful and noble of their
kind. In considering the varieties of a race
noted for its subserviency to man, it is truly
refreshing to come upon one with a reputa-
tion for independence of character. When to
that quality is added strong individuality, un-
usual intelligence, and a beautiful coat of long
red hair, the attractiveness of the red Irish
setter is explained. In color he is either a
rich mahogany red, of which there are two
shades, or a golden chestnut, without black.
White may be allowed on chest and toes, a
little on the forehead, or a narrow stripe on
the face, but nowhere else. His ears should
be set on low, and hang close to the head.

The way a dog carries his tail is of the
greatest importance in the eye of the fancier;
the Newfoundland may let his hang, and the

156 OUR HOME PETS

pug may curl his over his back, but should
an Irish setter follow the fashion of either,
he would be condemned without mercy. He
must carry his caudal appendage perfectly
straight, and on a level with his spine. This
beautiful beast seems really to embody all the
canine virtues — faithfulness, intelligence, gen-
tleness with children, watchfulness, and dis-
crimination, the last exceedingly desirable.

The Gordon and the English setters are also
favorite house-dogs, and noted for about the
same qualities. All are as ornamental as they
are useful.

Pointers have the reputation of being not
so good-tempered as setters, and therefore
not so safe in families. Both require a great
deal of exercise and a judicious restriction in
diet, and both setters and pointers seem bet-
ter fitted for an active out-door life than for
the parlor.

The Eskimo dog and the spitz are so un-
suited to this climate and suffer so much from
heat that it is a cruelty to keep them. The
latter, moreover, has the reputation, whether
justly or not, of being apt to go mad.

XVI
THE MIDDLE-SIZED DOGS

IT is impossible to draw exact lines of divis-
ion in a race which ranges from four inches
to thirty-four in height, with representatives
at every inch between. The large ones shade
into the middle-sized ones so gradually that
the collie, for example, might with equal pro-
priety end the list of the one or begin that of
the other. I place him among the middle-
sized because these intermediates between the
giants and the toys are the most desirable for
home dogs, in either city or country, and his
qualities entitle him to take the lead.

The collie is a real dog, such as we love and
remember from childhood, with characteris-
tics that make him invaluable in the family
life. Intelligent above most of his race, saga-
cious, gentle, affectionate; adapting himself
perfectly to the family ways, requiring little
care in winter or summer, safe in all places

158 OUR HOME PETS

and on all occasions, with no troublesome in-
clination to worry cats or other animals, he is
really the ideal dog for a household. To be
fashionable he should be black with white
points, but he is one of the few with whom
varieties in color may be indulged in without
total loss of caste. He may wear tan with his
black instead of white, if fate so decrees. His
tail should be long, carried low, and turned
upward at the end ; his coat straight, hard, and
rather stiff, with an under coat thick and furry.
The "ruff," which is one of his beauties,
should be very full, but he must not, if he
wishes to be perfect, show much " feather " on
the legs — none at all on the hinder pair.

He should have access to water, or, if in the
city, be washed once a week in summer. One
of the pleasantest recollections of a summer in
the Berkshire Hills is of the f am iry collie cool-
ing himself by lying flat in the bed of a lively
mountain brook till his thick coat was soaked
through.

A little anecdote of a collie will illustrate
the character of the family better than any-
thing I could say. The story is vouched for
as true, and the incident occurred nearly one

THE MIDDLE-SIZED DOGS 159

hundred and fifty years ago, in the early days
of our nation — during the French and Indian
war, in fact.

The dog was a great pet in the family of a
colonial soldier, and was particularly noted for
his antipathy to Indians, whom he delight-
ed to track. On one campaign against the
French the dog insisted on accompanying his
master, although his feet were in a terrible
condition from having been frozen the pre-
ceding winter. During the fight which ended
in the famous Braddock defeat, the collie
was beside his beloved master ; but when it
was over they had become separated, and the
soldier, concluding his pet had been killed,
went home without him. Some weeks later,
however, the dog appeared in his old home,
separated from the battle-field by many miles
and thick forests. He was tired and worn,
but over his sore feet were fastened neat moc-
casins, showing that he had been among Ind-
ians who had been kind to him. Moreover,
he soon showed that he had changed his
mind about his former foe, for neither bribes
nor threats could ever again induce him to
track an Indian. His generous nature could

160 OUR HOME PETS

not forget a kindness, even to please those he
loved enough to seek under so great difficul-
ties.

While the collie is good in doors and out,
as a parlor pet or a general care-taker on a
farm, the poodle is fit only for the house. One
can hardly imagine one of these shaven and
shorn artificial products of fashion living out-
of-doors with other dogs. As regards the
beauty of the poodle, there is room for a wide
difference of opinion. One who thinks that
Nature knows how to form and decorate her
dogs will not admire the elaborate shaving in
patterns, after diagrams laid down in a book,
the "bracelets" standing out like a stiff
clothes-brush, the broornlike feet, the musta-
chios, and other grotesque ornaments of the
fashionable poodle. Happily he's a sunny-
tempered fellow, and submits to the caprices
of fashion with a better grace than many dogs
would. He is one of the most intelligent of
the race, the chosen trick dog, and more ready
to learn than any other. He is also a remark-
able swimmer and keen of scent, but full of
mischief and pranks.

Three kinds of poodles are familiar to us in

THE MIDDLE-SIZED DOGS l6l

America — the German, the French, and the
barbet. The first named is the largest, and
usually solid black or white, though he some-
times has a white star on the breast, or a
white toe or two. His coat is long, coarse,
and almost wiry, with a strong tendency to
work itself into strings — or " cords," as tech-
nically called — not bigger than a large twine.
These cords should be all over the body ex-
cept about the face, and the longer the better.
To leave no part of his body untouched, this
victim of man's desire to improve upon nat-
ure has part of his tail cut off.

The French poodle differs in some respects
from his German brother. He is a little
smaller, and his thick and woolly coat tends
to curl rather than to cord. The barbet is the
dwarf of the family, being not more than
eight or ten inches high, covered with snow-
white ringlets. He is a bright, active little
fellow, fond of fun, and quick to learn tricks.
The barbet is said not to be so amiable as
could be desired ; in fact, apt to be somewhat
snappish.

All poodles require much care to keep their
peculiar coats in order. They cannot be

l62 OUR HOME PETS

combed, and they must not be scratched. If
the owner of a handsome curled or corded
coat is not content to suffer in order to be
beautiful, if he will scratch, he must be clad
in mittens, and if his ear is the point of attack,
a cap must be added to make certain that he
does not injure the hair. It is only common
humanity that the greatest care should be
taken to keep him free from fleas, so that he
will not wish to scratch.

The dachshund and the beagle, two small
hounds, may be kept in the city, but it is im-
perative that they have plenty of exercise.
The former has one quality that makes him
troublesome in town — a ruling passion for
fight. Walking the streets with his mistress,
he will pick a quarrel with every dog he
meets, from a mastiff to a toy terrier. More-
over, he is a dog of ideas and independence ;
he will mind if the command meets his ap-
proval, not otherwise. He is said also to be
exceedingly destructive to garments and furs,
which he tears to pieces. He is not a beauty,
having a long body and very short bandy-
legs ; but he is valuable, almost priceless, say
his admirers.

THE MIDDLE-SIZED DOGS 163

If one race was especially formed for the
city house-dog, it could not meet the demand
better than the spaniels. All of them are
vivacious, full of amusing tricks, affectionate,
good watch-dogs, and delightful playmates.
Even the water-spaniel will flourish and be
happy in a city house if he is taken to the
water now and then.

For a city house the cocker spaniel has per-
haps the greatest number of friends. He has
all the virtues of his race — intelligence, fidel-
ity, good temper, and attachment to people ;
he is an excellent playfellow for children, and
the best of watch-dogs. Moreover, he is less
noisy than many of his kind, and suffers less
from confinement in a house ; for while he is
very lively and perfectly happy out-of-doors,
he also enjoys the comfort of lying about the
house. He is especially interested in the pan-
orama of life in the streets, which he will
watch from a window with great eagerness.

This little fellow seems more nearly human
than most dogs, being very self-respecting,
and painfully sensitive to ridicule or harsh-
ness. He should be treated with justice and
dignity, and never scolded or struck. In ad-

164 OUR HOME PETS

dition to all this, he is one of the handsomest
of our four-footed pets, whether he is liver-
colored, with or without white, or white and
black. His weight should be about twelve
pounds, his legs not too long, but well " feath-
ered," and it is the fashion to cut his tail.
He has a beautiful head, and bright, intelli-
gent eyes. No one who selects a cocker span-
iel for a pet will be apt to regret it.

THE BEGGING SPANIEL

XVII

THE SMALL DOGS

THERE seems to be no use in trying to su-
persede the pug in the affections of the fam-
ily. New dogs are brought out, and old ones
pushed to the front ; Europe is scoured for
novelties, and Asia is laid under contribution ;
still the little black nose of puggy is seen ev-
erywhere, still his soft satin skin nestles on
velvet cushions, and his absurd little tail curls
tighter than ever in the proud consciousness
that he is yet, as he has been for so long, the
favorite dog for the city home.

Nor is it any wonder, for the pug seems to
combine in his own substantial little body the
greater share of the dog virtues — good tern-.,
per, which makes him patiently endure the
rough fondling of the nursery ; lively disposi-
tion, which renders him a cheerful compan-
ion ; playfulness, that places him first in the
affections of the children ; and watchful care

l66 OUR HOME PETS

of the household, that proves him a valuable
guardian. He is, moreover free from the
odor that is almost inseparable from his race,
and exceedingly offensive to ours, and for
personal neatness he is not to be surpassed.
What more could we ask in a house-dog?
It is true that he is not so intelligent as some
others — the cocker spaniel, for instance —
but he is no fool for all that. He is a born
aristocrat, declining to associate with the out-
cast dogs of the street, and he bears himself
with a dignity that in one of his size is very
amusing. One cannot help becoming attached
to the little beastie.

The pug, as we generally see him on the
street or in the home of abundance, is too
fat. His graceful proportions are lost, his
liveliness is lessened, and he reminds one too
strongly of his grosser relative, the bull- dog.
The weight of puggy should never be allowed
to reach twenty pounds — twelve is better.
His markings should be very pronounced and
very black, his nose blunt, square, and like
satin ; his ears and the back line, the moles,
and the thumb-marks that distinguish him,
of the most ebony hue. Then if the wrinkles

THE SMALL DOGS l6j

that proclaim not age but blood are strong
and deep, his color a delicate fawn, the top
of his head square, and his ears drooping tow-
ards the front, he may be set down as perfec-
tion, and of the bluest blood of the pug race.

The pug appreciates his position as prime
favorite, and understands what that position
demands. He accepts the manners and cus-
toms of civilization, resists not the bath, sub-
mits cheerfully to tooth-brush and perfumery;
rebels not at bangles, blankets, and silver
bands on the neck, and will endure the most
enormous of bows without a murmur. He is
willingly carried in a dog-satchel, or by a han-
dle fastened to his harness, and he regards
satin cushions, elegant dog-baskets, and other
luxuries as his right. Long may he reign in
the world of pets !

A dog who was intended to oust puggy
from his place of honor in the household, but
who has not as yet succeeded in doing it, is
the schipperke, or Belgian "spitz," who is
said to be related to the spitz or Pomeranian
that we are familiar with ; he certainly resem-
bles him. The perfect schipperke (or"chip-
perke," as he is sometimes called) is solid

168 OUR HOME PETS

black, with a sharp nose, and small ears rather
close together. His eyes are small and brown,
and his feet round, with black toe-nails. His
tail — alas, he has none! If Nature endows
him with one (which she does not, as a usual
thing), it is at once cut off, as entirely out of
place in a schipperke.

This dog has many virtues. He is know-
ing and full of pranks, enjoys learning tricks,
which cannot be said of many of his kind.
He is lively, graceful, and comely, as well as
hardy, and he is naturally very neat. No dog
is more alert and interested in affairs around
him, and none more affectionate to his friends.
The Belgian spitz should weigh somewhat less
than a dozen pounds, and be dressed in rath-
er coarse hair an inch long and very thick on
the body, but longer about the neck, where it
literally stands up in excitement. It is also
somewhat longer down the spine, and it hangs
in a mass to hide his tailless condition. He
is in fashion at the present moment, and a
perfect schipperke is rare.

Well known, though no longer on the top
wave of fashion, are the terriers, both smooth
and rough. None the less, however, are they

THE SMALL DOGS 169

desirable in the family. The black-and-tan, a
bundle of frolic and liveliness, is perhaps the
most familiar. He now comes within the
reach of many who are not able to indulge in
the latest canine fancy, and is just as valuable
in the household as when he was rare and
costly. He is clean, and requires little care,
because of his short coat. He does not dis-
figure the cushions with white hairs, as does
the fox-terrier, and a burglar need be a master
indeed who could enter a house which he
guards. The black-and-tan will live and be
happy under conditions that many dogs could
not endure, in doors or out, cuddled, blanketed,
and ribboned, or left to look out for himself,
and he does not lose his temper or mope in
either case. " Rats " is the magic word that
will rouse every fibre of his being, and to de-
stroy them in his ruling passion.

This dog has become so common that mon-
grels are every day seen, and one who desires
a pure-blooded animal should look carefully
to his points. His weight should not be over
twenty pounds, and considerably less is bet-
ter; his coat shining, but not soft, and his tail
should not curl. In color he must be glossy

I7O OUR HOME PETS

black, with sharply defined markings of tan,
and no white. Of the tan-color should be a
spot over each eye and on both cheeks, the
lips and underjaw, and inside of the legs.
Black lines should run up through the tan on
every toe, and the hue of the tan should bor-
der on red.

Not so desirable as this charming house-dog
is his relative, the bull-terrier. He has his good
qualities, of course. As a guardian he is un-
surpassed, and for courage and persistence no
dog is more distinguished. But, on the other
hand, fighting is his dearest delight ; no dog
and no strange man can expect mercy at his
hands. It is said that he can be taught to be
kind to children, but it is somewhat risky to
depend upon a cultivated virtue, and it is safer
to select some other breed for a house pet.

A great favorite with many people is the fox-
terrier, with his short, easily-kept-clean coat,
and his lively temperament. He has many
doggish virtues — attachment to his friends,
amusing ways, fondness for a house life, and
willingness to be petted, and he is cleanly and
inoffensive as regards odor. The greatest
drawback to his desirableness as a companion

THE SMALL DOGS iyi

for the house is his almost incurable habit of
barking on all and every occasion. The en-
trance of a friend and the approach of a possi-
ble enemy alike arouse his sharp, deafening
barks, and nothing short of absolute behead-
ing will stop him. For any one with " nerves,"
therefore, the fox-terrier cannot be recom-
mended as a house pet, though for an out-of-
doors dog he has many admirable qualities.

The very name terrier suggests the deadly
enemy of the rat. The rough-coated of the
race are no less devoted to that particular
form of " sport " than the smooth. First, and
perhaps best known, is the Irish, with rich
brown coat of rather harsh texture, and eyes
not quite so entirely veiled with hair as his fel-
low rough-coats ; a good watcher, and friend-
ly with the little folk, Next, the Scotch, re-
sembling his brother of the Emerald Isle in
disposition and dress, but of lighter hue, not
much deeper than cream -color; and, lastly,
the Dandie Dinmont, clothed in hair that may
be called "a fine mix," and possessing the good
qualities of his Irish and Scotch brethren.

There is one danger in introducing a small
dog into the house that should not be over-

172 OUR HOME PETS

looked, for it affects the character of our chil-
dren. The submission of a creature who no-
toriously will "kiss the hand that beats him "
has not a good influence on our boys. The
control of a dog tends strongly to develop in
his young master inhumanity, disrespect for
the rights of others, and an overwhelming self-
conceit. The large dog will make himself re-
spected, the smaller one will not, and unless
parents are very watchful to counteract the evil
effects of unlimited authority, they will find
their boy growing rapidly in brutality and con-
ceit, and by so much failing of the nobility of
character they desire to cultivate in him. A
pet that will assert its own rights, and enforce
respect by teeth or claws, is therefore a better
aid in the development of character than the
all-enduring and all-forgiving small dog.

XVIII
THE "TOYS"

THE old-fashioned name for the tiny dogs
we call toys, "lapdogs," quaintly indicates
where to draw this line between our household
animals. They are dogs small enough to be
held in the lap, and they are emphatically pets
for the parlor, requiring the care of my lady
herself, or of her deputy, a well-trained maid.

Let us begin with the Skye, the droll little
bundle of hair who has hardly enough leg to
get about on — so short, indeed, that his long
hair almost sweeps the ground as he waddles
about. His deficiency in height is amply
atoned for by his length, for he comes peril-
ously near to resembling the weasel tribe, be-
ing at least three times as long as he is high.
Nine or ten inches tall and twenty-five or thirty
inches long is his approved measurement, and
the weight considered proper for these inches
is from sixteen to seventeen pounds.

174 OUR HOME PETS

The Skye-terrier comes in two varieties.
One of them rejoices in pretty, long, hanging
ears, and a tail which droops gracefully to
correspond ; the other matches his pert little
standing ears with a caudal appendage that
scorns to droop in the least. Both of the lit-
tle beasties have long coarse hair that, happily
notwithstanding its inconvenient length, does
not curl or kink. A dog of this breed is al-
lowed a choice in colors. He may wear black
with some white hairs interspersed, or he may
indulge in fawn-color with black or dark-brown
tips to the hairs, without really losing caste.
Again, it will not be set down to his discredit
if his coat is of light gray with black tips ; and
to blue he has an undoubted right. All of
these colors are admissible, and which is the
prettier and more desirable is a matter of indi-
vidual taste.

Though the Skye is little and of peculiar
shape, and though he is called a "toy," he is
genuine dog all through. Full of life, a good
watcher, intelligent, affectionate, peaceable in
disposition, and not inclined to quarrel, and,
above all, fond of children. To this list of at-
tractions add that he is of strong constitution

THE "TOYS" 175

and fond of sport, that rats and other small
destroyers of our peace incline to migrate
when he sets up his kingdom, and that his
coat is kept in order without much trouble,
and all must agree that few can surpass him
in desirability for the household.

No such sinecure is the care of the York-
shire ; and as to his qualifications for resi-
dence in a human family, opinions differ wide-
ly. For he is one of the dogs women are
reproached with keeping who require more
care than an average child. He must not only
be washed and dressed and fed as carefully as
a child, but in addition he must be thoroughly
brushed and groomed, from the tips of his
sharply trimmed ears to the end of his docked
tail. He certainly, if any one of his race does,
needs a special attendant, who can give an
hour or two daily to keeping his coat in order,
and as much more time to exercising him.
One cannot help pitying the poor little fellow,
for his coat must be the trial of his life, like
long curls to the child who begins to be a
" boy " before his mother is ready to give up
her baby. He truly " must suffer to be beau-
tiful." If his hair tangles, which it has a fatal

176 OUR HOME PETS

tendency to do, he must submit to unlimited
brushing ; if he scratches himself — and what
dog does not ? — he is clad in mittens so that
he cannot relieve his torture.

In color the typical Yorkshire should, first,
have a muzzle of a deep shade of tan, with-
out taint of gray or brown, and, secondly, a
straight-haired coat of blue, also without adul-
teration. His legs should be tan, and his toe-
nails black. His eyes must be dark and well
set in his head ; and beware lest he tips the
scales at more than a dozen pounds. When
the ordeal of his morning toilet is over, and
the Yorkshire is well brushed and combed
and put in order, he is eminently fitted to
spend his day — or what is left of it — sleeping
on a satin cushion in an upholstered dog-
basket.

But the Yorkshire does not take the palm
either for beauty or for care required to keep
him in order. That belongs to the snowy bit
of caninity named the Maltese. This creature
is truly a martyr to beauty, a " chien du luxe "
one writer calls him. His coat is very long
and light, and silvery white in color. He can
hardly move without tangling it, and a tangle

THE " TOYS" 177

is a serious matter, requiring to be removed
by drawing out one hair at a time. By no
means dare one resort to so rude a process as
brushing ; indeed, so delicate is the texture
that nothing more harsh than the softest
baby's brush must ever be used on this dainty
" creation " (to use the milliner's word that
seems most appropriate to him). If he has
the misfortune to get a spot on his precious
coat, no vulgar washing must remove it ; it
must be cleaned as carefully as the most deli-
cate fabric in madam's wardrobe. His regular
bath is by no means a common washing; it is
performed with a soft sponge, using a particu-
lar fluid made of fresh eggs and warm water,
and administered with extraordinary care, to
avoid tangles and colds, to which the pam-
pered beauty is exceedingly liable.

The tail of the Maltese is beautiful as the
caudal plume of the Persian cat, and is carried
gracefully over the back, as the cat carries his.
His weight should never be over six pounds.
The whole animal looks more like a bit of
bric-a-brac to adorn a drawing-room than
like a dog. Yet the soul of the dog is there,
intelligent and quick, affectionate and full of

178 OUR HOME PETS

play, could he only be allowed to indulge in
it. He is really as interesting as he is beauti-
ful. The most scrupulous care must be exer-
cised about his food. Little meat and no
grease must go into his stomach. He cannot
do without regular exercise, and — unfortunate
creature! — he, too, must wear mittens. The
Maltese is rarely seen in America, and can
never be common anywhere.

The King Charles and the Blenheim span-
iels are always beautiful and charming pets,
whether they happen to be in fashion or not,
and they have the advantage of not requir-
ing such absolute and exclusive devotion that
their mistress or their maid must sacrifice
everything to their care. One may keep ei-
ther of these dogs and still have leisure to
read a little and entertain occasionally.

The King Charles should be a fine black
with rich tan markings ; the Blenheim white
with markings of red. Both have round
heads, snub-noses, and projecting foreheads ;
eyes large and dark and far apart; ears set
far down and very long, with heavy fringe of
hair. The hair of the body should be soft and
wavy but not curly, and on the docked tail

THE "TOYS" 179

very long and silky. The legs must be well
"feathered," the body short and thick, and
the dog should not weigh more than eight or
ten pounds.

More intelligent little fellows than these
two spaniels would be hard to find. They
delight in learning tricks and going of errands
about the house. They are devotedly attached
to their friends, and in every way desirable.
Furthermore, though they are not so fashion-
able as they have been sometimes in the past,
they are always winning, and they can never
be common.

The toy greyhound, however beautiful (and
he is like a fairy dog), is never, except in
very warm weather, a pleasant object to have
about, because he is always miserable and suf-
fering with cold. He should wear a thick
blanket out-of-doors, and even then it is pain-
ful to see him shrink and shiver. His most
desirable color is clear fawn, of which there
are no fewer than four shades, golden, dove,
blue, and stone. Other colors are cream, red
or yellow, black, and mixed. In the fawn-
color should be no white markings of any de-
scription ; they detract greatly from his value,

ISO OUR HOME PETS

and injure him for the "dog show," although
they do not make him less dear to his mis-
tress. This dog must hold his ears lying back-
ward, and every pains must be taken with his
diet in order to preserve his chief distinction
— a slim figure. He is lively and interesting
in the house, unusually affectionate and good-
tempered, but not remarkably intelligent. He
is also almost painfully timid, for which, by-
the-way, he should never be punished, since it
is a part of his nature over which he has no
control. He is not very satisfactory as a pet,
for he is always delicate in our climate, and
needs particular care, such as bathing with a
damp sponge only, followed by rubbing and
careful wrapping up to prevent chill. He is
himself so neat in the care of his coat that he
does not need the rough scrubbing required
by some of his fellows.

The newest thing in small house pets is the
Japanese spaniel, or, as some call him, Japan-
ese pug. So new is he, indeed, that he has
not had time to become fashionable. He is
graceful in form, with a snub-nose, large dark
eyes, long hanging ears, and a tail curled up
like a pug's. His coat is black and white in

THE "TOYS" 181

color, and soft as silk. He may be allowed to
reach the weight of eight pounds, though if
he can manage not to exceed three he is much
more valuable. The aristocrat of the family
— for there are degrees even in the " inner
circle " — wears yellow instead of black to set
off the white of his exquisite wavy coat. Both
varieties are rare and costly even in Japan,
and very difficult to procure. In the old days
none but the highest nobles was allowed to
possess one.

An interesting story was lately unearthed
in Japan by the New York gentleman who has
imported most of the race which have ap-
peared in this country. According to the tra-
dition, which is vouched for as true, so long
ago as in the thirteenth century a Japanese
nobleman took some of these dogs to Eng-
land, and from them came the King Charles
and Blenheim spaniels, which have held their
own position to this day.

There are several of these dogs now liv-
ing in New York, brought, it is said, from
the Mikado's own kennels, one of whom does
not weigh more than three pounds, is fifteen
inches long, and worth fifteen hundred dollars.

1 82 OUR HOME PETS

This little Japanese is one of the most intelli-
gent of his race, affectionate, and exceedingly
sensitive. He is also very active, and alto-
gether a most attractive pet — perhaps the
"coming dog" about whom we have heard so
much. He is dainty in taste, and delights to
dine on tea-roses; but since at New York prices
that would be rather extravagant, he will con-
tent himself with rice and chicken. He must
have the softest of cushions, the most com-
fortable of quarters, and the best of care to
flourish. Several of these dogs were on exhi-
bition at the recent dog show.

What is called the toy black-and-tan is as
nearly as possible a copy of his normal-sized
relative, and, in fact, he is simply a dwarf, of
course the smaller the better. One is said to
have been raised that lived to be over two
years of age, and measured but four and a
quarter inches from tip of nose to tip of tail
(the body being but two and a half inches),
and three and a quarter from the ground to
the tip of his ears. One can hardly conceive
of a dog so minute. The round skull and
bulging eyes of this unnatural little fellow
seem, as one looks at him, to be pushed out

THE "TOYS" 183

of place by the crowding of the brain, and the
effect is almost painful. Indeed, he rightly
belongs to the " curiosities," and not in any
way to the home dog of which these chap-
ters treat.

XIX

THE HOME AND CARE OF THE DOG

ALMOST every individual has his own way
of treating the pets of his household, from the
thoughtless master who considers "anything
good enough for a dog," to the traditional
fine lady who provides her pet with an apart-
ment of his own, containing every appliance
for the toilet, and every article of adornment
and luxury that can possibly be used about
him, including a maid to attend to his needs.
No one seems to think it involves a question
of right and wrong, or that there is any moral
responsibility attached to the keeping of pets ;
but I maintain that there is, and, further, that
no one has a right to take into the household
an animal who cannot speak for himself (at
least so that the careless can understand) with-
out giving thought and care to his comfort
and health, and more to his happiness.

The middle course between the two ex-

THE HOME AND CARE OF THE DOG 185

tremes above cited is, as usual, the best. The
dog as well as any other pet should be em-
phatically one of the family, and made as
much at home, and as comfortable, according
to his needs, as the master himself.

The first care should be to provide him with
a regular sleeping-place, and a suitable bed
and furnishings. The dog, as well as the man,
enjoys the feeling of home given by a settled
resting-place ; and no more than the man does
he like sleeping " anywhere and anyhow," on
the hard floor or the rough mat, as it happens,
with no covering for cold nights. Pet dogs
become accustomed to soft beds and their be-
longings, and learn to sleep quietly, and keep
the covering over them. One whom I knew,
when the cover slipped out of place in the
night, used to go to the bed of his mistress,
and waken her to have it replaced. One night
when she was not well, and feared taking cold
if she got up, she felt obliged to deny him,
and he was so offended that he would have
nothing to do with her for a day or two, re-
fused food from her hand, and even took up
his abode at a neighbor's house.

For a big dog, the home with its bed is

1 86 OUR HOME PETS

naturally in a kennel, shed, or some- out-build-
ing. Wherever it is it should be dry, clean,
and light, and protected from cold in winter.
The floor should slope a little so that water
will run off, and for the bed itself there should
be a low bench or platform, on which is laid
clean straw, fresh every few days, and covered
by an old rug or bit of carpet, which is tacked
down so that it will remain in position. The
whole place should be kept clean and sweet
by the use of whitewash or paint, and frequent-
ly washed out with a hose. The owner of a
valuable dog will find his reward in the happi-
ness no less than in the good health of his
pet.

A dog of the medium size who sleeps in
the house, as the cocker and other spaniels,
as well as the black-and-tan, and his fellow-
terriers, needs at least a corner of his own in
a hall or empty room (never in a cellar), where
his bed, a strip of carpet or something of the
kind, shall be spread every night, and where,
also, if he is troublesome by reason of wander-
ing about the house, he may be chained up for
the night.

The delicate dogs, the tender greyhounds

THE HOME AND CARE OF THE DOG 187

and the toys, need beds almost as soft and as
well protected as our own, such as a half-cov-
ered dog basket, or a box of the right size
with cushions and blankets. Letting a dog
sleep in, or even on the bed with his master
or his mistress is good for neither man nor
beast, though it may be well to have him in
the room, so that he can make it known if he
needs attention in the night.

The question of the diet of a pet is, if one
would keep him in perfect condition, as im-
portant as that of our own. At the same time,
it is much more difficult to manage than our
own, for it is almost impossible to harden the
heart against the coaxings of a loving, win-
some creature who is accustomed to share
one's joys and sorrows ; and to yield and allow
him to partake of the family food is certain,
sooner or later, to ruin his health. With the
big out-of-doors dogs it is easy to make rules
and hold to them, but the pet who follows at
one's heels, who understands the call to lunch-
eon as well as any one, who sits up and " begs "
so prettily, it requires a really Spartan firmness
to resist, though it must be done or he will
suffer.

1 88 OUR HOME PETS

The best plan for feeding is to make a law,
and enforce it rigidly, that a dog shall never
have a mouthful from the table. Let him
have his regular eating time, and not immedi-
ately following the family meals, so that he
will be hungry and expecting it when they
eat. It is said that two meals a day are
enough for a dog, and just before the family
breakfast, and perhaps four or five o'clock in
the afternoon, are convenient hours. Care
should be taken that he does not eat so much
as to grow fat, and that he has the proper
kind and variety of food. It is a mistake to
give table scraps alone, to stuff him with raw
meat, or to starve him on bare bones. He
should have a little cooked meat, not highly
spiced, or bread soaked in gravy, some plain
vegetables, and a mush of some cereal, all
mixed together, and not so much of it that he
can pick out the meat and leave the rest. A
bone not so hard as to spoil the teeth is good
to gnaw on occasionally.

The dishes from which a dog is fed should
be as clean as one's own, and never of rusty
tin or iron; earthen-ware is better; and what
is left on them should be at once removed-

THE HOME AND CARE OF THE DOG 189

His drinking-water should be fresh, often re-
plenished, and always where he can get it.
The care required to insure all these things
will be amply repaid by the health and spirits
of the animal, and the mistress should at least
oversee it herself, for the creature who cannot
complain is apt to be imposed upon. The tiny
pets require even more attention, and these it
is never safe to leave to careless hands. Lean
scraps from the table, with broken bread and
potatoes or other vegetables, and a little
gravy are admissible for them. The York-
shire, and other long-haired dogs, must either
be fed from the hand or have their locks tied
back to prevent soiling. In no case should
these dainty pets be allowed candy, sugar,
cake, pastry, or other rich food. They like
them, of course, so does a delicate child, but
they are just as unsafe for the one as for the
other.

Many mistaken notions prevail about the
proper way to treat a dog. The world is
growing in wisdom and humanity, and the
old saying that " the more you beat them the
better they be," is no longer believed to be
true of the dog any more than it is of the

IQO OUR HOME PETS

woman who was included in the doggerel.
The best authorities agree that a dog should
never be whipped, or struck a blow more se-
vere than a slap with the hand, and even that
not over the ears, mouth, or abdomen, where
a slight blow may do great damage. A dog is
an intelligent being, and as sensitive to tones
of voice, to reproof and praise, as a child. The
voice alone is all that is needed to control him,
and to bruise his body to reach his mind is as
brutal and unnecessary with the one as it is
now acknowledged by the wisest educators to
be with the other. Moreover, it is very im-
portant that if a dog is to be punished in any
way it should be immediately after the offence,
so that he will perfectly understand what
it is for. He is very quick to appreciate
injustice, caprice, or cruelty, and he con-
ducts himself accordingly. If he is properly
punished for an understood fault he is peni-
tent, and begs, in his way, to be forgiven ; if
too severely or without understanding, he re-
sents it.

One who holds the lives of others in his
hands must not forget that liberty is the
breath of life to beast as well as to man, and

THE HOME AND CARE OF THE DOG IQI

every one, whether in city or country, should
daily have as much of it as is consistent with
the rights of others. To keep one of these
restless fellow-creatures chained up day after
day is terrible cruelty, and one cannot be sur-
prised that the unfortunate captive grows
cross and savage under the treatment. If he
is a watch-dog only, and it is not safe to have
him at liberty, it would be more humane to
muzzle him, and let him have the run of the
place, or a yard of good size.

To make an animal of the canine race agree-
able as a house companion in the city necessi-
tates bathing at least twice a month. Great
care is required in the case of one of the
smaller and more delicate sorts to avoid cold,
such as wrapping at once in flannel, or rub-
bing and brushing till every hair is dry.

The training of a dog for the companionship
of people is a subject worthy of a book. As a
rule, the home pet gets very little training,
and, like the child of a thoughtless mother,
runs over everybody, and makes himself a
nuisance to all persons except his doting mis-
tress. It is so easy in the beginning to teach
a dog to behave himself, and be a pleasure

IQ2 OUR HOME PETS

instead of a pest, that it is surprising how fre-
quently this simple duty is neglected, and the
pet allowed to rule the house, and make every-
body in it uncomfortable.

Most of the illnesses of dogs may be avert-
ed by proper feeding, plenty of exercise, and
frequent access to growing grass. When a
valuable or cherished dog is really ill, the first
thing to do is to secure the best medical ad-
vice possible — the family physician, if he is a
man broad enough to be willing to prescribe
for a dog ; if he is not, the best really scientific
veterinarian ; though it is said that the dog's
ailments are so much more like those of men
than of horses that he may be doctored in
the same way that a man is treated, and in
ordinary cases home remedies may be admin-
istered. I can specially recommend the use
of homoeopathic remedies, as easily given,
and working like a charm on all animals, from
a canary-bird to a horse. If, however, others
are preferred, it is well to remember that a big
dog like a St. Bernard requires as much med-
icine as a human .being, and a small dog much
less.

One of the most common troubles to which

THE HOME AND CARE OF THE DOG 193

our four-footed friends are subjected is fleas,
and though it may not be called a disease, it
deserves treatment, both for his own sake and
the sake of those among whom he lives. One
way that is recommended by good authorities
for the larger patient is to wash thoroughly
with some good carbolic or dog soap, first
making a thick lather all over him (being
careful to avoid the eyes), then rinse off, or
allow him to take a swim. Another way
that is prescribed is to saturate a rag with
kerosene, and rub it into his coat, then wash
with soap and water. This, of course, must
be done with great care, by daylight, and the
oil thoroughly removed. A carbolic-soap bath
is good also for eczema or mange. Worms
and skin diseases beyond benefit by the above
simple remedy should be treated by a physi-
cian or a veterinary ; and if rabies is feared,
the dog should be shut up where he cannot
get at any one, and medical advice obtained.
In most cases the trouble is due to causes
which can be removed. All sick dogs should
be kept quiet and not worried.

If any surgical operation has to be per-
formed, even a simple one, like removing

194 OUR HOME PETS

porcupine quills or sewing up a cut, it is
no more than humane to save his suffering
by putting him under the influence of chlo-
roform.

XX

THE PERFECT PET, THE CAT

" Let Hercules himself do what he may,
The cat will mew, and dog will have his day. "

THE use of the pet as an aid to health has
not been considered as it deserves. No in-
stinct is truer than that of the unmarried
woman of lonely life to surround herself with
pets. The companionship of cats and birds
in solitary lives has unquestionably kept more
people than we suspect out of the insane
asylum ; and if friendless men took kindly to
them, there would be fewer misers, drunkards,
and criminals than there are now. It seems
to be the divinely appointed mission of our
furred and feathered friends, who never grow
gloomy with care, never suffer from envy, am-
bition, or any of our soul-destroying vices, to
make us forget our worries, to inspire us with

IQ6 OUR HOME PETS

hope, and hence with health. How can we
despair so long as

" Howe'er the world goes ill,
The thrushes still sing in it " ?

Give but a thought to the old-time " sick-
room," silent, dark, overshadowed with gloom.
Could we, if we tried, do more to induce de-
pression, discouragement, and death ? Hap-
pily we are learning that the mind has to do
with the misdeeds of the body, and that there
are no more valuable curative agents than
cheerfulness, happiness, and hope.

But while we no longer shut out the blessed
sunlight, the life-giving air, the genial friend,
we have still neglected to bring into use all
the helpers. What can better shake one out
of his dismal depression than the antics of a
monkey, at which one absolutely must laugh ?
What will so quickly dispel the " blue devils "
as the chatter of a saucy parrot, or the pranks
of a frisky squirrel ? Keep the doctor and the
drugs in the background (if you don't quite
dare to discharge him), abolish sighs and long
faces, bring in the pets, and make trial of the
cheerful-thought cure.

A TABBY BABY

THE PERFECT PET, THE CAT 1 97

In this role the kitten is inimitable. Noth-
ing can be so droll, and at the same time so
graceful and altogether charming, as the frol-
ics of two or three kittens.

" Poor pussy " we naturally call the cat. Do
we know why ? Is it not in instinctive recog-
nition of the strange fact that this gentle beast
is the most generally misunderstood creature
in the world ? His reserve, his self-reliance, his
inextinguishable love of liberty, have earned
for him a name totally unlike his real char-
acter.

And why, again, do we always give a cat the
feminine pronoun ? The Arabs have a tra-
dition that when the first father and mother
went out into the desert alone, Allah gave
them two friends to defend and comfort them :
for defence, the dog; for comfort, the cat. In
the body of the dog he placed the soul of a
brave man, in that of the cat the spirit of a
gentle woman.

The old notion that puss is incapable of
friendship and attachments would not be worth
attention did we not see it repeated to this
day, and insisted upon as a well-proven fact.
The contrary is the truth. The cat is exceed-

198 OUR HOME PETS

ingly fond of his friends, and generous in his
conduct to other animals. He is, to be sure,
not demonstrative, nor does he kiss the hand
that beats him ; and, as we go about in our
blundering way, unless we are made uncom-
fortable by a show of affection, fairly forced
upon us, as is done by the dog, we do not
notice it, and conclude it does not exist. Puss
does not express his emotions by barking,
prancing about, and knocking one down ; but
his quiet rubbing against his friend, his gen-
tle touch of the tongue, mean quite as much
as the more noisy greeting.

The cat-mother's kindness to the young of
other animals is notorious. She will adopt
into her family and bring up with all the love
and care she lavishes upon her own little ones,
creatures so incongruous as chickens, ducks,
foxes, squirrels, puppies, hedgehogs, and even
rats. Moreover, she forms friendships of the
warmest sort ; not only with dogs and horses,
but with turkeys and fowls, readily giving up
her warm bed by the fire to share the cold
quarters of her friend.

It has been commonly supposed that be-
cause a cat will not learn to do tricks like a

THE PERFECT PET, THE CAT IQ9

dog he lacks intelligence ; whereas, the truth
is, he is too knowing to be driven to learn.
He is more like the apes, who — the Africans
say — do not talk lest they be put to work. It
is now known that if he chooses he can learn
even more tricks than a dog, and go through
them with greater precision, provided he is
taught by kindness and coaxing. If struck he
turns sulky; if frightened he will do nothing.

Nor do we appreciate the usefulness of the
cat. In some parts of the world cats are
trained to act as carriers, and then they bring
a high price. In Spain they are made free
of garrets, where most of the grain is stored.
Every attic granary has its small door under
the roof for their use ; the roofs of the city are
given up to them for a promenade, and many
of them never come to the ground in their
lives. In storehouses where grain attracts
mice, puss is monarch of all he surveys,
treated with due honors, supplied with food
and drink, and in every way made welcome.
If the whole cat race should be annihilated,
we in America would speedily be brought to
appreciate the service we have despised.

The government of the United States main-

2OO OUR HOME PETS

tains quite an army of cats, more than three
hundred, it is said, for use in the Post-office
Department. The duty of these public serv-
ants is to preserve postal matter and mail-
bags from rats and mice, which they do most
effectually, because they are kept in good con-
dition by proper feeding. Each postmaster in
the larger cities is allowed a proper sum — in
some cases as much as forty dollars a year —
for " cat meat." Before cats were taken into
service great loss was sustained from the teeth
of the rodents, who thought nothing of boring
through a pile of bags and letters in a single
night.

XXI
CATS OF HIGH DEGREE

ACCORDING to the observations of a late
traveller, the domestic cat is to be found in
every country on the globe. In Oriental
lands he is cherished, and in the West he is
rapidly growing in popular favor, though he
has always had warm friends, especially among
brain-workers, to whom the noisy dog is a dis-
turber. That the cat is certainly " looking
up " is plainly indicated by the records of a
recent cat show in London, where about one
thousand (including kittens) were exhibited,
and where as nice distinctions were made be-
tween varieties as are made in similar shows
of dogs.

In the opinion of those who thoroughly
know the cat, and appreciate his many valua-
ble qualities, no pet is so charming, none so
desirable in a quiet home. Graceful and beau-
tiful to look upon, quiet and unobtrusive in

202 OUR HOME PETS

manner, dainty in taste, he is as welcome in
the study as in the drawing-room. No acci-
dent to the most delicate treasures of bric-a-
brac marks his presence, no ear-splitting barks
disturb the absorbed worker, no violent dem-
onstrations put to flight the thoughts of the
student. When a terrier captures a rat, it is
with noise and bluster enough to rouse the
whole household ; but who knows by any dem-
onstration the moment that pussy pounces
upon his prey ? So long and so perfectly has
the unappreciated creature performed his duty
of guarding our property from rats and mice,
that we can hardly imagine what would be our
suffering without his services.

Most costly and most beautiful are the aris-
tocrats of the tribe — the long-haired cats — of
whom there are three distinct varieties, differ-
ing in form, color, and quality of coat, as well
as in disposition and temper. They are the
Angora, the Russian, and the Persian.

The first-named is brought from Angora, in
western Asia, the region which glso furnishes
the remarkable goat of the same name. In its
native land, as indeed everywhere, this beau-
tiful beast is a cherished darling of fortune,

CATS OF HIGH DEGREE 203

beloved in the family circle, and held at an
enormous value. This is particularly the case
— indeed he is altogether beyond price — if he
happens to be snowy white with blue eyes,
and is blessed with perfect hearing, which,
strange to say, a cat of the short-haired vari-
ety bearing this combination of coloring some-
times lacks.

The Angora cat, of whatever color, has a
small, daintily shaped head, with a nose not
too long, and eyes of a hue in harmony with
his fur. His shapely ears are nearly buried in
his thick fur, and end in a tassel at the tip,
while his neck and head are almost as heav-
ily maned as those of a lion. The fine long
hair, which is the distinguishing feature of the
species, is silky, with a slightly woolly quality,
and every additional inch of length adds many
dollars to his price. His tail is long and
graceful, with hairs longest at the base, and
gradually decreasing in length towards the
tip, which curls a little upward. This cat is
found in several colors. Next in value to the
pure white is the solid black, with deep yellow
eyes. Third in rating come the soft slate and
blue shades, and a light fawn, also with yellow

204 OUR HOME PETS

eyes. Other hues are red and gray, both light
and dark, and a rich smoke-color.

The Angora cat of any variety is rare in
this country, and correspondingly choice and
costly. He is a personage of well-bred man-
ners and quiet ways ; his temper is good, and
he is docile and affectionate. In a word, he
exhibits the virtues and graces natural to the
cat family, having never been soured by abuse
or neglect, or made irritable by starvation. A
cat whose value is set among the thousands is
sufficiently precious to insure good treatment.

One unfortunate passion he has, which he de-
lights to gratify, utterly oblivious of the price
set upon him by his human protectors. It is a
love of roaming, of solitary excursions, both
in the country, where he explores the woods
and fields and indulges his taste for hunting,
and in the city, where it becomes necessary to
watch him like a runaway child. So clever
is the cat in accomplishing his ends, and so
quick-witted to seize an opportunity, and so
lithe and supple his body, that he will slip out
beside a servant opening the door, or push a
window a little farther open, and make his
escape in silence and unobserved. Of course

CATS OF HIGH DEGREE 2O5

no fence will confine him an instant. With
all his attractions, this famous Eastern beauty
is not so intelligent and mentally alert as some
of his short-haired brothers of the West, but
the life of luxury to which he is destined de-
mands not so much mental as physical gifts ;
in his case, certainly, "beauty is its own ex-
cuse for being."

The Russian cat, which is seldom seen in
our country, is somewhat larger than the An-
gora, with a coat coarser and more woolly,
and a tail neither so long nor so gracefully
graduated in length of hairs. In color, this
burly subject of the czar may be black, or a
brown tabby ; at least these are the two, and
the only two, variations in which he has ap-
peared at the West. Naturally but little is
known of his character and disposition ; but
in the case of one who lived in England it is
reported that he displayed some tastes more
resembling the canine than the ordinary feline
preferences. He insisted upon living with the
dogs on the place, and accompanying them
both in their exercise and their hunts, and he
obeyed the orders and signals of the keepers
exactly as well as the dogs.

206 OUR HOME PETS

The Persian cat is born to the happiest fate
of any of his family, for, according to the
tales of travellers, he is, in his native land,
not only loved and cherished, not only well
treated and admired, but thoroughly respect-
ed, and he has an acknowledged position and
rights. In form the bewitching Persian does
not greatly differ from the Angora, but the tail
is much more effective, for the longest and
the thickest-set hairs being at the tip, they
form a magnificent plume, which the dignified
owner carries proudly erect, waving in the
air as he moves. In his splendid silky coat
is not a trace of woolliness, and it clothes the
graceful creature from the tips of his ears to
the well " feathered " toes.

Unless some undreamed-of feline marvel
shall yet be discovered, this animal must for-
ever be regarded as the perfect flower of the
domestic cat family. Not only does he easily
surpass all his competitors in beauty and grace,
but he possesses charms of disposition and
manner and dignity of bearing; and while
most affectionate and loving, is still self-re-
specting and independent.

The Persian may be seen in many colors.

CATS OF HIGH DEGREE 2O7

Very beautiful is that shade technically called
"blue," but perhaps more familiar to us as
Maltese. A superb specimen of this color a
few years ago lived royally in a house where
I visited. She was named after a queen of
old, and no royal personage ever bore herself
more magnificently I am sure. One of very
rich colors, also seen in New York, was a deep
orange running to smoke -color. Nothing
could be more exquisite to look at, though
this mottled effect is not considered "the
thing," and detracts greatly from the value of
the wearer. The black Persian, with orange-
colored eyes, is one of the rarest and most
highly prized of the race, and the pure white
is perhaps not second in estimation. There
are also several varieties of tabbies, and in
nearly every one the deep yellow eye is the
most desired. The eyes should be large and
full ; the hair should line the ears and fringe
the legs, and even the toes, of this beautiful
beast.

The love of liberty is the ruling passion of
the Persian, as it is of the Angora. Every one
of the long-haired, indeed, delights in long,
solitary tramps. It seems impossible to cure

2O8 OUR HOME PETS

them of the desire ; and what a cat really de-
sires he generally succeeds in getting, sooner
or later. To own one of these most attractive
and most costly pets in the city, where thieves
abound, is to live a life of constant anxiety
and watchfulness. Only those who have kept
guard over a sly and cunning human lunatic,
ever plotting to escape, can appreciate the
vigilance necessary for his safety. Yet, in
spite of this, so ornamental and so beautiful is
the gentle creature, that few who are able to
do so can deny themselves the pleasure of
owning one.

The curious Siamese cat, of which a few
specimens have been seen in the West, is
white and black or dun-color and black. The
favorite style of decoration is black muzzle,
ears, legs, and tail, with the remainder of the
body white or dun. It has eyes of blue or
rich amber -color, and is more singular than
beautiful. However, since it is said that the
only pure breed is kept in the palace of the
King of Siam, and it is difficult to get any to
import, it will no doubt be greatly desired,
and bring a high price. It is more delicate in
constitution than our own cats, affectionate

CATS OF HIGH DEGREE 2OQ

and timid, following its friends about as a dog
will do. The head of the Siamese cat should
be long from the ears to the eyes, and not too
broad, the forehead rather flat, and the eyes a
little oblique and surrounded by black. The
form should be delicate, graceful, and rather
long, and the tail short and thin. Some di-
rections for the care of this foreigner are given
in Chapter XXIII.

XXII

THE COMMON PUSSY

THE beautiful and costly pets of the long-
haired varieties are, in our country, beyond
the reach of the majority of persons ; but the
common pussy, the friendly little creature, all
mews and purrs and wriggles of affection, is
accessible to every one, and should have an
honored and protected place at every fireside.
And this for several reasons. He is a pleas-
ing object to look at, and we cannot have too
much beauty about us; he is indispensable to
protect us from rats and mice ; and, more im-
portant than all, he is the most available sub-
ject on which to train children in humanity,
justice, and unselfishness.

Moreover, Nature has not bestowed her
choicest gifts upon the long-haired gentry of
the feline race. For the less pretentious short-
haired, she has reserved intellect, wisdom, and
affection. The Angora and the Persian are

THE COMMON PUSSY 211

beautiful, but in cleverness and keen observa-
tion they do not compare with their plainer
contemporaries ; they are affectionate in a de-
gree, but they are not capable of the depth of
love that shines out of the eyes of a common
pussy, whose confidence has been won by kind-
ness and just treatment.

The history of the cat is strange and inter-
esting. The human race itself has hardly
passed through such vicissitudes, from worship
and royal honors to the kicks and curses of
the superstitious and ignorant. Having, how-
ever, passed from the heights to the depths,
he is now coming to be more justly treated,
neither as a deity nor as an outcast, but as a
fellow-creature with rights like ourselves. In
France the cat has not only a hospital, but a
market. Even in New York some comfort
awaits him, though the persecutions of the
ignorant and the brutal put an end to an ex-
periment that was intended to furnish the
homeless with shelter and care. The kind
hearts that originated the plan have found
other ways to mitigate the hardships of cat
life among careless, selfish, or cruel people.
Kind, motherly women, it is said, sacrifice

212 OUR HOME PETS

their own comfort, and go out at night, when
alone the cat has some chance for peace and
quietness, feed hundreds of the neglected and
the abused, and help to a merciful death such
as have suffered at the hands of men or dogs.

The short - haired, our common domestic
cat, presents a bewildering variety of colors
from which to choose the home pet. Most
rare among them is said to be the male tor-
toise-shell, a variegation without mixture, of
white. To be perfect, this animal should be
of a black-red and deep yellow in large, clear-
cut patches, not in the least speckled or mixed
up. His tail should be long and tapering, and
his eyes yellow. This perfect type is seldom
seen, and when found is of great value.

The tortoise-shell in combination with white
is a beautiful creature, and exactly as valu-
able as the foregoing, except for rarity. The
white should, like the colors, be distinctly de-
fined, and confined to the breast, the under
parts, the legs, and the nose. The eyes must
be yellow.

The tabbies ! Who of us does not remem-
ber some dear pet or playmate of our child-
hood, whose stripes lent probability to the

THE COMMON PUSSY 213

pretence that we delighted in— that he was a
real tiger out of the jungle, such as we saw in
pictures, yet who was just a plain gray tabby,
the most common and the meekest of cats?
Of this family there are several species.

The brown tabby has black stripes, with no
white on the body. The eyes should be yel-
low, and the form slim and graceful, with
round feet. This personage has the credit
of being the most intelligent of his race, the
most easily trained to tricks of all sorts — in a
word, the regular "show" animal. He it is
who appears in the troupes of " educated," or
"performing," or "learned" cats. Notwith-
standing his reputation as a public character,
adulation has not spoiled him for domestic
life. He is remarkable, even among his kind,
for honesty and faithfulness ; and his love of
children, and endurance of their often trouble-
some attentions, cannot be surpassed. He is
really the ideal family cat.

The red tabby gets his name from the color
of his stripes, which are red upon a yellowish-
brown ground. The word red, however, must
be understood in the dealer's sense ; it is the
red of some dogs, not the red of a flower or a

214 OUR HOME 'PETS

fruit. The character of the red tabby is good,
and his intelligence fully up to the average of
the short-haired.

The silver tabby is the beauty of his branch
of the cat family, with black stripes on light
blue or very pale Maltese color. Sometimes
the stripes are dark gray on a shining silvery-
gray ground, and a cat thus colored is very
beautiful. He is rather small of his kind, but
is very alert and intelligent.

Another variety of this group is called the
leopard tabby, being spotted instead of striped,
and rejoicing in topaz eyes. One of the most
attractive cats, seen now and then, seems to
be a mixture of the striped and the spotted,
and for this reason, I suppose, he has no name,
and no regular place in the list. But for the
home, and as an ornament, he is far ahead of
all others except the silver tabby. He is very
dark gray and pure black in large spots, sur-
rounded by broken stripes in a way that can
hardly be described, but is exceedingly rich
and beautiful.

In all the tabby family, white or any mixt-
ure, as of the spots and the stripes just men-
tioned, is considered undesirable, from a cat-

THE COMMON PUSSY 215

show judge's point of view, of course. In a
household pet, destined exclusively for the
family circle, these variations do not detract
from the value.

The white cat, when perfect, is perhaps the
greatest beauty of the short - haired, but he
must be absolutely perfect ; for a draggled,
thin, unkempt white cat is one of the most
unattractive of the race. In the best condition
he is elegant and graceful in shape, of a clear
creamy white, with large blue eyes. Topaz
eyes are next to the blue in beauty, while
green are a decided blemish. It is a very
common belief that blue-eyed white cats are
always deaf. They are so sometimes, but by
no means invariably, or even frequently. When
well cared for, with fur immaculate, and body
sufficiently plump, especially if he is adorned
with a delicate tuft of silky hairs on the tip
of a dainty ear, the white cat is a beautiful
animal. It must be remembered, however,
that a coat of that color is very hard to keep
in perfect order, and washing and brushing
are necessary to perfection. Even with this
additional care the cat is not nearly so much
trouble as a dog.

2l6 OUR HOME PETS

The black cat suffers from lingering super-
stition in the human mind, and great injustice
has been done him on this account. I believe
that Poe's horrible story in which he figures
has also implanted in many people a feeling
of repulsion they would hardly like to call
superstition, yet which cannot be anything
else. All this is exceedingly unjust to an in-
nocent fellow-creature, who can no more help
his color than we can ours. He is said to pos-
sess qualities finer than those of his fellows,
being keener of hearing, greater in courage
and spirit, and surpassing all others as a
mouser. He is also more electrical than his
congeners. To be perfect he must have yel-
low eyes, and fine silky fur without a white
hair. One young lady of my acquaintance
has had for a great many years a large family
of black cats, keeping them pure by at once
banishing any one showing a white hair. She
declares them to be the most knowing and
delightful of the race.

The Maltese, of many shades, from dark
slate-color to an almost silvery hue, is always
beautiful, intelligent, and good-tempered. To
be perfect of his kind he should be a solid

THE BLACK CAT

THE COMMON PUSSY 2l"J

color, without black or white, or any suspicion
of stripes, and have a dark nose and yellow
eyes. Any colored ribbon will " become his
complexion," and he never ceases to please
the eye.

It may be thought that any cat dressed in
black and white will come under one (5f the
technical titles black-and-white or white-and-
black. But that is a mistake, for the perfect
cat of either name is restricted to very limited
and well-defined markings. The black-and-
white is a black cat with white markings. The
whole body clear black, with a white patch
beginning between the eyes in a point, spread-
ing to include the whole nose, descending
upon the breast, and ending in a graceful
curve at the bottom, the whole resembling the
shape of a pear. The feet and pads may be
white ; the eyes must be deep yellow. His
perfection is often marred by black nose and
lips or black whiskers, either of which is a
blemish.

The white-and-black is the reverse of the
last named, in that it is white decorated with
black, but it is less regular in markings.
Sometimes the black appears in the ears;

2l8 OUR HOME PETS

again, the tail will be of that hue; this one
will show a black blaze on the face, and that
one will walk on black feet. He is, in fact, a
being of eccentricities. A very peculiar speci-
men was shown in a cat show, who had on the
back a perfect Maltese cross. Whatever form
the markings may take, they must be clear-
cut and even, that is, alike on both sides.

It is interesting to know that the charms of
the cat, and, above all, the irresistible fasci-
nations of the kitten, have been appreciated
vby some artists; but so great is the difficulty
of fixing in clay or upon canvas the infinitely
changing attitudes and expressions of the most
capricious and volatile of young beasts that
few have ever reached success. The greatest
of all painters of cats and kittens is a contem-
porary, and a woman, Madame Henrietta Ron-
ner, of Brussels, and her pictures are marvel-
lous reproductions of cat life. If we may
believe Ruskin, that to paint this beast it is
necessary to " know kitten nature down to the
most appalling depths thereof," then we may
safely assume that Madame Ronner is a cat-
lover, for no one really knows a cat who does
not love him.

XXIII

THE CARE OF THE CAT

THERE are among civilized people two
strange but almost universally prevalent er-
rors about the cat : first, that if he is fed he
will not catch mice, and second, that he at-
taches himself to places and not to people.

In consequence of the first notion thousands
of the unfortunate creatures are kept almost
at the point of starvation, and as a natural re-
sult are too spiritless and miserable to be
good mousers. This mistake, for it surely is
one, should be combated on every occasion
by the cat-lover, who must never tire of re-
peating that a half-starved cat is not a suc-
cessful hunter, while to a well-fed beast the
pursuit of his legitimate prey is " sport " for
which he is always ready.

Whoever wishes to have the family cat in
good condition, to keep the house clear of
mice, to play with the children, to be a credit

220 OUR HOME PETS

to his owner, must see that he has good food
and care, and that he is made contented and
happy. He can exist without these condi-
tions, but he will be a different beast. An
eminent naturalist, and a lover of the cat, says
that " one who owns a cat should treat it as if
it were his child, be thoughtful of its wants,
encourage its affections, be kind but firm in
his prohibitions, and watchful for its peculiar
traits of character."

In regard to diet. A cat should have sweet
milk to drink, and water, always fresh and
clean, where he can get it if he desires. He
needs meat once a day, and it should be
mixed with some vegetable, such as asparagus,
of which he is very fond, cabbage, or some
other that he likes. Fish is not indispensable
in pussy's menu. He likes it, to be sure, but
not so much more than meat as he is popularly
supposed to do. Raw meat is good for him,
but it must always be accompanied by vege-
tables. One meal a day is said to be enough
where there is a chance for successful mous-
ing, but a family pet who sees his human
friends eating three times, is apt to consider
himself entitled to the same number of meals.

THE CARE OF THE CAT 221

Kittens need food three times a day. They
should have meat cut very small, and bones to
gnaw, and their milk should be warmed by
adding a little hot water. Their principal
food should be boiled rice, brown bread or
oatmeal with milk, and boiled vegetables, al-
ternated from day to day, for animals like va-
riety as well as men. Both the cat and the
cat's baby are fond of catnip.

The food of the Siamese cat is, in his native
land, fish and rice boiled together, but he has
been kept in England without fish. The kit-
tens are hard to raise, and all through life this
species requires peculiar care.

It seems hardly necessary to say that the
home pet should have plenty of fresh air, and
all the sunshine he can get, but it is impera-
tive that something should be said about the
sleeping-quarters. It is a surprising fact that
many persons deliberately and regularly turn
the family cat out of doors for the night. The
poor beast is thus forced to become a vaga-
bond, to make night hideous with his yowls ;
to sleep where he finds shelter, and to keep
himself from freezing the best way he can.
Certainly there are many kind-hearted people

222 OUR HOME PETS

who have never reflected upon the straits they
thus force upon a beast they may even be fond
of. But whether fond or not, there is a moral
obligation on the part of one who takes a help-
less animal into the family to see that it is
comfortable, and also that it is not an annoy-
ance to the neighbors.

The cat should always have a bed, warm in
winter and cool in summer. If he is allowed
to enjoy his back-fence promenade during the
evening, any well-treated cat will be glad to
come home at bedtime, unless he has been
made a confirmed vagabond by former neg-
lect. In that case he can soon be cured by
forming the habit of giving him some dainty
just at bedtime. A round basket, with clean
straw or a bit of carpet, makes a good bed. A
warm cellar is a comfortable place, and a bar-
rel, prepared like the basket, is a convenient
bed. If he sleeps in the kitchen or sitting-
room, it is well to have a box of dry earth be-
side his quarters. No living creature should
be shut into a closet or cupboard for a night;
fresh air is the life of beast as well as man.

A well-kept cat is the pink of neatness, for-
ever washing and brushing his fur. The short-

THE CARE OF THE CAT 223

haired almost invariably keep themselves in
perfect order, but to the long-haired this is a
herculean task. They require washing and
brushing.

To bathe a cat is a delicate operation, and
requires tact. He is exceedingly nervous and
sensitive, and he shrinks from water. He
must be handled like a delicate child, with
slow and gentle movements, and the constant
encouragement of a voice he knows and trusts.
It is best to have a helper in the work, one to
talk to and pet the frightened creature, while
the other puts him slowly and carefully into
blood-warm suds, pressing but not rubbing the
long hairs, and rinsing in the same gentle way
in another tub. He must then be wrapped in
a blanket, and dried before a fire with warm
towels, and not be allowed on the floor until
thoroughly dry and glowing.

If the long hair of one of these beauties gets
tangled or matted together, it should first be
moistened with oil, or soft-soap and a little
water, and then separated with the fingers,
pulling the hairs out of the tangle one by one,
after which must follow the washing. The
peculiar wavy beauty of the hair and its nat-

224 OUR HOME PETS

ural way of lying will not endure the rough-
ness of a comb, or even a brush, except a soft
one.

More than any other beast the cat needs
gentle treatment. Ages of persecution have
made him suspicious, and it will require ages
of kindness to eradicate that trait from his
character. He is, therefore, on the lookout
for injustice and cruelty ; a rough word makes
him shrink as from a blow; harsh reproof
strikes upon his sensitive nerves with terrible
effect. He must be won by gentleness and
loving care before he will be convinced of the
friendship of a human being and be his nat-
ural self; and he must not be blamed for it
either; it is the fault of the race which has so
long ill-treated him. He cannot, like the dog,
take good-will for granted, because the whole
experience of his life teaches him otherwise.

His confidence won, however, no pet is so
delightful in a quiet-loving home as the cat,
and the difference between one thus treated
and the ordinary beast is marvellous. " His
gestures and actions," says Rev. J. G. Wood,
describing his own pet cat, " are full of that
spirited yet easy grace which can never be at-

THE CARE OF THE CAT 225

tamed by any creature, be it man, beast, or
bird, who has once learned to crouch in ter-
ror, and to fear a harsh tone or an uplifted
hand." And, further, ''the fearless, confiding
movements, the clear, open glance, and intelli-
gent expression of a well -treated cat are so
different from the furtive, scared look of a poor
animal that is hunted about and kicked out of
the way, that the two seem hardly to belong
to the same species. The wild savage, whose
education is a perpetual distrust of every-
body and everything, is not more unlike the
high-born and accomplished European gentle-
man than an ill-used cat unlike one treated
kindly."

Their confidence won, the individuality of
cats is marked ; they differ as greatly as chil-
dren, and should be treated accordingly. I
had in my home at one time two cats so nearly
alike that without seeing the face and its ex-
pression they could not be told apart. They
were Maltese, with silvery tips to their ex-
quisite fur. One was emphatically an aristo-
crat, who lived in the parlor, slept by prefer-
ence on a satin-covered mantel, and was most
dainty in her tastes and manners ; the other,

226 OUR HOME PETS

equally well treated, took naturally to the
kitchen, and was happiest there.

The above-quoted good friend of the feline
race, who has often used his pen in their ser-
vice, advises that if a cat needs correction it
should be given in such a way that it will ap-
pear to be the natural result of his deed, and
not a punishment at the hands of man. For
example, a cat was cured of killing chickens by
having one he had killed securely bound into
his open mouth, and kept there for some time.

It is a bad plan to let a cat go out with a
collar or a ribbon on. It is apt to catch in
something and choke the wearer. I have
known of one or two deaths by hanging from
this cause. In the case of the long-haired, too,
it wears and breaks the beautiful frill around
the neck.

To keep this charming pet in health it is
well, in addition to proper food and air and a
comfortable bed, to have a pot of growing
grass where it is always accessible, at least in
city homes, where the natural article is not
always to be found.

If a cat is really ill, he should be treated as
a human patient is treated, kept quiet and

THE CARE OF THE CAT 227

warm, and have medicine suited to his dis-
order. The most convenient and easily ad-
ministered, as I mentioned in the case of the
dog, is the homoeopathic. To insure the swal-
lowing of doses having an unfamiliar or un-
pleasant taste requires tact and some labor.
The animal must be wrapped up closely, so
that he cannot use his claws to protect him-
self from what he considers an outrage, his
mouth opened, the medicine poured down, and
his head held up till the dose is swallowed,
and the excitement of all this is apt to aggra-
vate his illness.

An English lady who is learned in cat-lore,
and has written a book upon the subject, rec-
ommends for delirium and fits a gentle aperi-
ent, and I will add that one can be brought
out of a fit with ether or chloroform.

For distemper, which begins with vomiting
of bright yellow frothy liquid, give at once an
emetic, such as salt and water (or the homoe-
opathic equivalent). After the salt and water
has served its purpose, a soothing dose is ad-
vised of half a teaspoonful of melted beef
marrow, free from skin, and not too hot. It
may be necessary to repeat this treatment.

228 OUR HOME PETS

In "cat-pox," in which the hair falls off,
should be administered a cooling diet and
plenty of grass, while the spots are rubbed
with flour of brimstone mixed with lard which
has no salt. This will cure eruptions, and as
the patient licks it he will swallow some, which
is also good. I think it is the Irish who give
medicine to a cat by daubing it on his coat
where he can lick it off.

If a cat is hopelessly ill or injured, or if for
any reason it is desired to be rid of him, the
only humane thing to do is to take his life,
provided that it is done in a painless way. A
few cents' worth of chloroform, with which a
sponge or cloth is saturated and held close to
his nose, will very soon put the unfortunate
into his last sleep. If one demurs at perform-
ing this last kindness to poor pussy, the same
sponge placed with the animal in any tight
vessel, like a common wash-boiler or covered
tub, and closely shut up, will have the same
effect in a little longer time.

It is a cruel thing to take a whole litter of
kittens away from the mother at once. It
should be done gradually, or else one left
for her to bring up. Putting the cat's feel-

THE CARE OF THE CAT 22Q

ings out of the question, her physical system
suffers.

I cannot close the subject of our treatment
of the cat without a protest against an un-
kindness, to say the least of it, which we see
perpetrated every summer. How many fami-
lies do we see in the city who pack up their
belongings and depart, bag and baggage, chil-
dren, servants, and even dogs, and turn the
key upon the family cat, who has just as strong
a claim on them as the dog, just as much right
to be provided for as he. Do they ever give
a thought to the abandoned wretch, forced
to spend his days on back fences, his nights
where he can; to have no shade from the
heat, no refuge from street boys, no water to
drink, and to steal or starve through the long
summer months, while the family are enjoy-
ing themselves in the country ? Let nobody
say the cat would not go. If well treated, and
therefore fond of the family, he would be glad
to go, and it would be far kinder to put the
beast forever to sleep with chloroform than
to abandon him to the life of a vagabond.

Moreover, besides the Society for the Pre-
vention of Cruelty to Animals, which in our

230 OUR HOME PETS

larger cities will mercifully dispose of incon-
venient pets, there is now, at least in New
York, a summer boarding-house for cats, and
almost every family knows some person who
would gladly care for the animal through the
summer for so small a sum as twenty -five
cents per week. It fairly rends the heart of
a friend of the gentle beast to see the home-
less, suffering, starved specimens of cathood
that haunt the area doors and the back yards,
half dead and wholly wretched, through the
summer months of rest and travel.

XXIV

THE MONKEY TRIBE

THE most desired and the most dreaded of
pets belongs to the race nearest the human in
many ways, our next of kin — the four-handed.
Monkeys of all sorts, from the tiny specimen
who can hide between one's two hands up to
the savage gorilla himself, have been eagerly
sought as pets since the beginning of time,
or at least as far back as we can find out how
people lived.

While our four-handed relatives are the
most amusing, they are, also, unfortunately,
the most troublesome of pets. The addition
of one of them to a family circle is almost in-
variably the cause of dissension. He is the
pet lover's delight, but just as certainly the
house-keeper's despair. The one feels that it
is cruel to confine to a cage a creature so ac-
tive and restless, while the other bemoans the
furniture injured, the bric-a-brac destroyed —

232 OUR HOME PETS

in fact, the insecurity of any object under the
roof with that mischief-working creature. The
one and the only way, therefore, to satisfy both
factions in the household, is to place the cun-
ning culprit in a room by himself, in which is
nothing he can injure, and let him visit the
other parts of the house only under the guar-
dianship of some one who can give undivided
attention to him, and who shall be made
responsible for any pranks in which he may
indulge.

Monkeys are in several respects delightful
pets. They are so intelligent that a study of
their ways is of great interest ; they are always
original, even in their naughtiness, and so
comical in their doings that they furnish a
never-failing source of entertainment to the
grown-up part of the family, while to the chil-
dren they are the most charming of playmates.
A chimpanzee who played with children would
imitate everything they did in their games,
and when they resorted to " making faces " to
amuse themselves, they found that he could
beat them at that. He understood that it
was in play, and seemed to take as much
pleasure in it as they did. No house can

IN MISCHIEF

THE MONKEY TRIBE 233

be very dull that enjoys the presence of a
monkey.

Besides this, they are affectionate little creat-
ures; they form the warmest friendships with
people, sometimes even becoming almost pain-
fully attached to a friend. They are sensitive,
too; they respond readily to kindness; they
grieve over our neglect, and resent being ridi-
culed or laughed at. One monkey felt so in-
sulted by a gentleman going about on all-fours,
which he evidently considered as intended to
mock him, that he went into a fury of rage,
and never forgave the joker, with whom he had
previously been on the most friendly terms.

That all of the four-handed are mischievous,
Dr. Oswald (who has given much study to
them) says is a mistake. The most fertile
in troublesome pranks belong to the African
branch of the family, though it must be ad-
mitted that our own monkeys are not above
reproach in that regard ; they will all, as our
grandmothers used to say, "bear watching."

The first and the most imperative duty of
a keeper of one of these lively pets is to fur-
nish plenty of entertainment for him — objects
that he may hammer and bang, and toys that

234 OUR HOME PETS

he may destroy; for what is called mischief is
simply his irrepressible activity. He must be
doing something; he has no genius for repose.
Hence it is cruel to keep a monkey in a cage,
not only because he is a pitiable sight to every
one who loves his own freedom, but because
he will pine and die for want of something to
interest him. A monkey made happy, kept
comfortably warm, and properly fed so as to
be in health, is a perennial source of interest
and amusement in a household. There is no
end to the stories of these comical fellow-
creatures, with their drolleries and almost
human ways, from Du Chaillu's quaint baby
Nshiego Mboitva down to the pathetic little
fellow on the hand -organ whose heart Mr.
Garner won by addressing him in his own
language.

Perhaps the most civilizable monkey that
we can get at is the spider monkey, from Cen-
tral America. This fellow takes kindly to our
ways of living, is neat and nice in person, ex-
ceedingly affectionate, and often most gentle
in disposition ; though animals differ in char-
acteristics exactly as people do. In buying a
pet, therefore, it is important to select one

THE MONKEY TRIBE 235

that is naturally amiable, whose temper has not
been soured by ill-treatment. When washed
and brushed every day, the spider monkey be-
comes really beautiful, and his golden-brown
coat silky to the touch. He readily learns to
walk on two feet, or hands, which makes him
about two feet tall, and he has so many ways
of expressing his mind that he may be almost
said to talk.

The only objection to the spider monkey is
his size. He is rather large for a home pet ;
but hundreds of smaller ones are brought to
our seaport cities every year, and may at any
time be bought of the dealers in beasts and
birds. There is not one of them, I believe,
unless his temper has been sorely tried by
abuse, who will not be easily tamed by kind-
ness and care, and become a source of great
pleasure to his keeper.

As I said, this restless creature should never
be caged ; but it is necessary to have some
way of limiting his range, and perhaps the
least irksome is by a light chain, not heavy
enough to be a burden, and long enough to
give him some liberty. Changing his place
from time to time, now attaching his chain to

236 OUR HOME PETS

the kitchen-table leg, now to a clothes-post in
the yard; for an hour chaining him where he
can look into the street, and for another where
family affairs may interest him, will give him
the variety he craves, and keep him interested
and amused.

This shivering exile from the tropics should
always have a warm and comfortable bed, with
plenty of blankets or other coverings. A dry
and airy furnace-room is a good place for him
to pass his nights ; but it must be dry, for he
is exceedingly susceptible to cold and damp-
ness. A small hammock, or a swing of proper
size, will furnish him amusement for hours
every day.

As to diet, the monkey needs very little or
no animal food, but plenty of grain products
and fruit. He is particularly fond of eating
what his human friends eat, and he develops
a discriminating taste very quickly. Nothing
delights him more than to take his meals at
the family table, where he will go through
the bill of fare, from soup to coffee, with the
greatest relish.

The smaller members of the four-handed
tribe, the marmosets, are much more easily

THE MONKEY TRIBE 237

kept in the city, and if one is careful to secure
a pet of a gentle disposition, he will be found
as harmless in the house as a domestic pussy.
He is neither so restless nor so mischievous
as his bigger brethren ; nor, it must be added,
is he so intelligent and interesting to study.
A marmoset who is well cared for, washed and
brushed, and properly fed, is a delicate and
dainty pet that no lady need hesitate to have
about her person; and to be close to a human
being, cuddled into the neck above one's col-
lar, or snuggled down in a warm hand, is the
dearest delight of the shivering little creature,
who suffers much in our climate.

I said the little beast was as harmless as
pussy. I should qualify that statement by
making one exception. The marmoset is apt
to be unfriendly to a bird. He seems to re-
gard a canary as his legitimate prey, and the
more spirited of the family will attack any
caged bird.

In buying one of these little fellows out of
a store or from a sailor, the first thing to be
looked after is a tight band, which it is custom-
ary to tie around the body to attach a cord
or chain to. Very often this band is uncom-

238 OUR HOME PETS

fortably tight, perhaps because the animal has
grown, and his fur is apt entirely to conceal it.
I have known more than one made very cross
and nearly killed by this band, who on being
relieved of it changed greatly for the better
both in health and temper.

Marmosets living under conditions so unnat-
ural are extremely delicate, and need thought-
ful care, first as to food, which should be mostly
fruit, with bread and oatmeal or other grain if
they like it ; and secondly, though perhaps
even more important, as to warmth. A mar-
moset prefers to be about the person of his
keeper. I knew one that was perfectly happy
in a round knitting-ball basket hung from his
mistress's belt, and another who spent nearly
all his time in the breast-pocket of his master's
coat. A completely equipped doll's cradle
furnished one pet with a comfortable nest by
day and bed by night, and he would slip under
the covers as deftly as anybody.

A marmoset that I kept myself lived com-
fortably all winter on a mantel against a chim-
ney which a furnace fire kept always warm, in
a room that was never cold. The mantel was
covered with a board wrapped in flannel, and

THE MONKEY TRIBE 239

he was fastened by a light cord to an iron
weight, the cord having a swivel so that it
would not kink. The cord was long enough
to give him the freedom of the mantel, a tall-
backed chair at one end, and a bookcase at the
other.

The bed of my pet was a wooden box lined
with blanket, with a piece of the same spread
over the top for cover; and the care with
which he lifted the blanket, curled his tail up
like a watch-spring, and slipped in so as not
to disarrange the covering was very droll to
see. In spite of all this warmth, if I heated a
flat stone and put it on the mantel, he would
discover it in a moment, take his seat on that
stone, and never leave it till all the warmth
had departed.

A pair of marmosets that lived in a house
in Brooklyn were kept in a large cage, per-
haps two and a half by four feet, and four
feet high. The bed was in a small box fas-
tened up under the roof, with a small round
hole for entrance. During the summer they
were kept on a back porch, and after get-
ting accustomed to the surroundings they
were let out every day. At first they were

240 OUR HOME PETS

afraid to leave the porch, but they soon grew
bolder, and made excursions all about the
vicinity, using the cat's highway, the back
fences. Dogs always barked at them, but
from dogs they were safe ; but I was not so
sure about cats till I was amused to see that
pussy plainly regarded the droll little beasts
as uncanny, and gave them the right of way
whenever they appeared.

About four o'clock every day the little wan-
derers returned to their cage and to their bed
for the night. Excepting when their cage
door blew shut, or somebody was too near it
when their sleeping- time arrived, I believe
they never failed to go home. Two years the
little fellows furnished amusement and inter-
est to the neighborhood by their pranks.

XXV

ODDITIES

THERE are some interesting pets to be found
among what are called the half - monkeys —
animals that are really four-handed, but differ
in other respects from the Simian race. Many
of these, and other strange little creatures,
find their way to our ports as the pets of
sailors, who are much given to buying all
sorts of oddities in foreign lands.

Two of the four-handed, who were kept
with comfort and safety in a parlor, were a
kinkajou and a lemur. The first-named was
from Central America, a pretty little fellow
about the size of a cat, with golden-brown fur,
a long prehensile tail, and large expressive
eyes. He slept all day, and came out at dusk
to eat and frolic during the evening, such be-
ing his habit in his native woods. His food
was bananas, and his manners were gentle,

16

242 OUR HOME PETS

though quaint and playful, and he was a most
enticing pet.

The second of the parlor pets was a lemur
— the black -handed lemur from Africa— and
he was a born rogue, as full of pranks and
drolleries as a monkey. He was also about
the size of a cat, with dark-brown woolly fur
and a long tail, by which he did not object to
being carried. He, too, was half nocturnal,
sleeping all day, and coming out at night for
his exercise.

By some contrivance as to quarters, and
about an hour's daily care, both of these little
animals were kept safely and agreeably to the
household. Though they were at liberty in a
parlor from about four o'clock till ten every
evening, they did no harm, because their keep-
er was always there. No monkey or other
pet ever furnished more amusement to a fam-
ily than they did. Neither of them cared to
eat anything but banana, and that only in the
evening.

Another interesting pet is the nasua, or
coati, or nose-bear, from the tropical regions
of our country. He is very comical in looks,
as his name suggests, and is one of the most

ODDITIES 243

common pets in his native land. He is amus-
ing and affectionate, readily adopts our bill
of fare, and especially delights in eggs. He
makes himself useful as a destroyer of rats
and mice and cockroaches. This little creat-
ure is not nocturnal, and should not be kept
in a cage, but have the run of the house. He
is not mischievous.

Another South or Central American is the
armadillo, the small variety called ball -ar-
madillo. He is entertaining and droll, and if
allowed the run of a yard in summer he will
find his own food, as ants and small insects
form his menu. In winter he must, of course,
be fed.

Other foreigners whom we see occasionally
in our Northern homes, and who are very
common as pets in their native country, are
ocelots and jaguars. Both are intelligent and
winning. In fact, the young of any beast may
be tamed and domesticated ; they may be taken
very early and brought up on the bottle,
which is the safest way with those mentioned,
as well as with bears, wolves, lions, or tigers.
They are very satisfactory while young and
playful, but as it is not always safe to keep

244 OUR HOME PETS

full-grown ocelots and panthers, it is cruel to
accustom one to domestication, to being fed
and cared for, and then to abandon him to his
own resources. It is hardly less unkind to
subject him to the discomforts of life in a
menagerie, at least if he is large.

This consideration — the question of what to
do with the pet grown up and not suitable for
petting— makes it undesirable to take any of
the larger animals from their natural surround-
ings. The young grizzly bear, for example, is
a bonny little beast, gentle and affectionate,
and full of funny antics ; but a full-grown griz-
zly, though ever so amiable in disposition, is
a terror to every one except his master, and,
with the best intentions, his immense power
makes him a dangerous neighbor.

We have, however, many little animals in
our country pleasant for pets, and not too
large to be kept when of full size and strength.
I should hardly include in the list, however,
one who is a great favorite and a very be-
witching infant — the fox. He is nearly as
funny as a monkey, but in spite of the best
training his taste for poultry, and especially
for wildness, is ineradicable ; and the person

ODDITIES 245

who sets his heart on a tame fox is sure to
come to grief some day by finding his pet
become a savage hunter of chickens and
turkeys.

More amenable to civilization are the rac-
coon— or coon, as popularly called — the opo^s-
sum, the prairie-dog, and others, besides the
most common of pets, the rabbit and the
guinea-pig. The raccoon has long been a
favorite pet. He is intelligent, fond of fun,
and loves to frolic with children, whom he
never harms. He is personally neat, and
readily becomes so thoroughly domesticated
that he loses all desire for freedom. This, of
course, when he is well fed and cared for, and
not caged. He will eat anything from the
table, and is often fond of coffee to drink.
He is somewhat inquisitive, it must be con-
fessed, and will now and then treat himself to
something out of the pantry, pulling out a
cork and uncovering a jar as handily as if he
had done it all his life. Therefore, a pet coon
must be locked out of the provision-rooms.

The opossum is another pleasing little fel-
low, who, being sharp-witted and knowing,
will look out for his own comfort. When

246 OUR HOME PETS

young he is, like all animals, fond of play, but
he does not usually become so much attached
to people as do some other of our little
friends. Moreover, he has the bad habit of
using his teeth too freely, chewing up slippers
and handkerchiefs and anything else he can
get hold of.

Taken young, the prairie-dog is a most fas-
cinating pet, lively and droll, as tame as a cat,
and fond of being petted. He will eat almost
any vegetable food, and the only trouble to
be feared is his fondness for gnawing and
burrowing. He is neat and nice to have
about the house, but he is happier to have
the run of a yard, and dig out a home for
himself under the sod.

An unusual pet, but, according to Dr. Hart
Merriam, one of the most agreeable, is the
common skunk. He is, to begin with, a beau-
ty, being black and white, with long glossy
fur, and a beautiful bushy tail tipped with
white. He is lively and amusing, neat in
habit, and most amiable. In regard to his
too-well-known odor, Dr. Merriam, who has
kept several of them, and knows them under
all circumstances, says that when one is well

ODDITIES 247

treated and made a pet of he never dreams of
exhibiting his peculiar accomplishment of per-
fuming a house. It is his means of defence,
and is used solely for that purpose. Boys
who wish to keep this pet must take notice
that worrying and teasing will probably be
promptly resented in a way they will not en-
joy. Dr. Merriam's particular pet rode about
the country in his pocket, accompanied him
on foot when he walked, and delighted very
specially in hunting grasshoppers. Another
that I have heard of was kept in a family for
two years, and was not only a lively playmate
for the children, but an excellent mouser.
Now here is a pet that any country boy can
capture, and he will be rare as well as pleas-
ing.

There are several other little animals native
to our country that have been kept as pets.
One such is the badger. Though not very
beautiful, with his long body and short bandy-
legs, he is good-tempered and lively, acting
much like a young puppy, especially in his
fondness for chewing and tearing things to
pieces. He is playful with children, and he
likes to go into the fields with his master,

248 OUR HOME PETS

where he regales himself on beetles and
worms.

The young deer or fawn is a most winning
pet, though he is exceedingly timid, and must
be very gently treated. The disadvantage of
this, as of other agreeable young animals, is
that petting is inconvenient when they are
grown.

The same objection exists to petting kids
and lambs, both of whom are attractive, es-
pecially the kid, who is one of the most amus-
ing and droll creatures in the world. A grown
sheep or goat would be a somewhat incon-
venient follower, and it is wiser not to culti-
vate their too intimate friendship.

Several foreign animals that we sometimes
find in our stores are desirable pets. From
Europe we get the hedgehog, a most comical-
little fellow, who rolls himself into a ball of
prickles when he is offended or frightened.

From Australia come two delectable little
beasts, the Australian opossum, who differs
materially from ours, and the wombat, a
funny little fellow, something like a baby
bear.

The most absurd animal to pet, yet one

ODDITIES 249

whom its friends declare to be most amusing
and most loving, is a pig. Of course, it is a
young one ; but as it is a pity to have to give
up one's pet to live in a pigsty, this surely
cannot be a particularly desirable inmate of
our homes.

XXVI

SOME PECULIAR PETS

SOME of the most pleasing pets are found
among the rodents, the little fellows whose
teeth are so troublesome and require so much
looking after. There are the squirrels, to be-
gin with. Every one is frolicsome, neat, easy
to take care of, and altogether bewitching.
A squirrel of any sort likes a warm bed, out
of the reach of meddlesome children, plenty
of nuts to eat, and liberty — for, like everybody
else, he hates a cage. The gray squirrel is
the most elegant of the tribe (unless we except
the black, who is not so often seen), and he is
intelligent and affectionate. The red squirrel
is one of the most lively of a wonderfully active
family, and is exceedingly inventive in pranks.
The chipmonk, though frisky enough, is said
to be the least interesting of his race, and the
flying-squirrel is rather quiet for one of his
kind, and entertaining only at night.

SOME PECULIAR PETS 251

As hinted above, all rodents require close
watching, for their teeth grow rapidly, and
something to gnaw is a necessity of their ex-
istence. This, indeed, is one reason why cap-
tivity in a cage is so distasteful to them — it
is impossible to secure sufficient exercise for
their teeth. The whole family is said to be
unusually fond of music; some of them be-
come so absorbed in listening to the notes of
an instrument, or even to whistling, that they
lose consciousness of danger, and may be
caught without trouble. I would not advise,
however, that one's hand be employed to seize
a squirrel, for he might come to his senses
and use his teeth.

Another rodent, the rat, is not popular with
pet lovers in general ; but persons who have
overcome the repugnance which our race feels
for his — Frank Buckland, of England, for in-
stance— insist that he is, above all other little
animals, amusing and entertaining. He is full
of gambols as a kitten, and scrupulously neat
in the care of his person, washing and brush-
ing his fur as carefully as a cat. Though not
over-dainty in feeding when he is wild and has
to live by his wits, he is particular and notional

252 OUR HOME PETS

to the last degree when he is cared for and
able to choose his food. The rat is pecul-
iarly amenable to instruction, readily learns
to perform tricks of all sorts, and, what
may seem most singular in one against
whom every man's hand is raised, he be-
comes warmly attached to the friend who
cares for him.

The white rat is often kept by boys, more,
however, as a curiosity than as a pet, and al-
ways under protest from their mothers. But
boys lose interest in it, and do not like care,
so the poor creature is apt to be neglected
and become an offence in the household.
This need never occur with any rat that is
cared for, especially if he is not confined to
a close cage. The white rat is neither so in-
telligent nor, in my opinion, so pretty as his
brown relative. The black-and-white rat of
Japan is sometimes seen in our country, and
he is said to resemble our own rats in his
characteristics.

A winsome pet is the common brown mouse ;
and now I fancy I hear the most vigorous pro-
tests from my readers, who, though they do
not shriek and take refuge on chairs and tables

SOME PECULIAR PETS 253

like Howells's feminine characters, still have a
strong feeling of distaste to him. Nothing can
be imagined more dainty, graceful, and alto-
gether captivating than the tricks and manners
of this humble resident within our walls. Once
allay the poor little creature's fears of his big,
clumsy, human proprietors, and his delight-
some qualities are apparent. Frisky in move-
ment, droll in conceits, and eccentric of action,
he is a never-ending source of entertainment.
Moreover, he is as teachable as the rat, abso-
lutely neat in his ways, and most loving to his
friends.

A singing mouse — which is not so great a
rarity as one would suppose from the newspaper
fuss that is sometimes made over one — has an
added attraction as a pet. The singing is no
doubt similar to that of the marmoset, and re-
sembles the canary song a good deal smothered.

All these little creatures should be tamed,
and attached to people by their affections, and
not kept as prisoners in a cage. In the former
case they display their peculiar characteristics,
and take perfect care of their coats, while in
the latter they require constant watching and
attention, and show no individuality whatever.

254 OUR HOME PETS

It is not a pet that is kept in a cage, it is a
prisoner, and a prisoner in his unnatural and
unhappy life can never afford much pleasure.

Whatever beast is kept, it should have its
own quarters, in which it is at home and free
from intrusion, and to which it can retire
when it chooses. This home should be kept
clean and sweet by frequent changes of bed-
ding and the use of soap and water. No one
has a right to keep an animal in confinement
who finds it too much trouble to attend to its
health and comfort. It should be regularly
fed on food that is most healthful for it, and,
what is quite as essential to its happiness, and
consequently to its health, it should be talked
to and noticed as much as anybody. I am
certain many animals and birds suffer and die
in our homes from pure loneliness, and from
being regarded by their human neighbors as
creatures of an altogether different nature.
Whereas the truth is, if one will but cultivate
their acquaintance, he will be astonished to
see how the dullest and most stupid will wake
out of its apparent torpor, and show Bunder-
standing and character. I know a family very
fond of pets, in which the creatures show most

SOME PECULIAR PETS 255

extraordinary individuality. Their cats do
things no cat was ever before known to do ;
their parrots and other birds show what we
call human nature in a wonderful degree, and
their dogs almost talk. The reason is plain :
the animal or bird is made one of the family;
it is talked to and petted as well as cared for ;
its intelligence develops, and the beast be-
comes very like the human being. Watched
with loving eyes, the actions of the pet are
understood and responded to, and one is sur-
prised to see almost a common language es-
tablished between the two races. It is a won-
derful and beautiful study, and that family has
more pleasure and real companionship with
its pets than any other I know.

The least attractive of the animal world for
pets are the reptiles, yet boys especially appear
to dote upon them ; possibly they are the easi-
est to secure. Where is the boy who never
kept a turtle ? — very uncomfortably, too, as a
rule. If these unresponsive, cold-blooded fel-
lows must be kept, they should at least be
made as comfortable as possible. To be strict-
ly just, too, though reptiles are harder to
understand than the races more near to us in

256 OUR HOME PETS

their nature, they do show intelligence, and
even affection.

The alligator, which accompanies home near-
ly every traveller to Florida, and often per-
forms the journey by himself in a box by
mail, should have both water and dry land, so
that he can choose for himself where he will
abide. I have seen one kept in a tub of water
unchanged till it was offensive, and another
who had absolutely no access to water at all.
Both these treatments were improper and
cruel. A good way to make an alligator com-
fortable— which we are bound to do if we
snatch him from his home and deprive him
of liberty — is to prepare a large box that will
hold water, with a board running up out of
the water that he can occupy if he desires. A
little pile of rocks, behind or within which he
can hide, will be a welcome addition to his
quarters. For food, place oysters or cut raw
beef where he can get it. He usually prefers
to eat in solitude, but his keeper must be sure
to remove the remains if there be any the next
day. The water should be changed often and
kept sweet.

Turtles should be accommodated in a simi-

SOME PECULIAR PETS 2$7

lar way, that is, with wet and dry places for
choice. Two very " cute " little turtles lived
happily once in the basin of a greenhouse
fountain, with a rock-work mound on which ,
to rest. They recognized persons, fed from the
fingers, and grew very tame. What boys call
the box-turtle, really a land-tortoise, will be,
or at least appear, quite contented if he is
" staked out " in the yard in this way: a hole
carefully drilled in the edge of his shell, and a
light cord a yard or two long tied through it,
with the other end fastened to a stake. The
animal proceeds at once ,to burrow a home for
himself, and there he will dwell in seeming
satisfaction, while his keeper can coax him
out occasionally by pulling gently on the cord
to look at him and see if he is doing well.

The Florida chameleon, which also is fre-
quently brought home by the tourist, is a
bright and intelligent creature. He requires
almost unlimited sunshine to bask in, and
flies, which he catches on the end of his long
tongue, to eat. A fernery is a comfortable
place for him. This fellow, it is said, has a
temper, and if not well treated or if teased he
shows fight, though he can hardly do much
17

2$8 OUR HOME PETS

harm. The genuine chameleon, after whom
the Florida lizard is named, is one of the
quaintest and oddest of pets; but he is a
native of the Old World, and rarely seen in
our country.

Another American of the family, often sent
from the West and South to pet lovers, is
called the horned toad, though he is no toad,
but a lizard. He is said to be an interesting
pet, and capable of being taught. All the
small members of the reptile race live upon
insects, and need to be kept in very warm
quarters.

INDEX

ALLIGATOR, a loving, 40.

as a pet, 256.

American robin caged, 14.
Angora cat, the, 202.
Animal food for birds, 57, 59.
An outgrown pet, to dispose of, 244.
Ants' eggs for birds, 60.
Arabian tradition, 197.
Armadillo as a pet, 243.
Australian opossum, 248.
Aviary.

a celebrated, 139.

ample accommodation necessary, 134.

birds must be watched, 135.

conditions of success in, 133.

conveniences duplicated, 135.

food for nestlings, 136.

gravel of floor, 136.

in illness, 136.

necessity of cleanliness, 136.

nesting in, 136.

the, 132.

BADGER as a pet, 247.
Baltimore oriole in the house 16.

26O OUR HOME PETS

Bathing annex, 69.

arrangements in bird-room, 65, 67.

dish, a good substitute, 66.

dish, a perfect, 64.

dish, the ordinary, 62.

dish, the proper size, 65.

dish, to prepare, 67.

in a cage, 69, 70.

on gravel, 71.

of a wild bird, 63.

under difficulties, 63.
Bath of a bird, 62.
Beef, to prepare for birds, 59.
Berries for birds, 56.
Bird-room, the, 117.

blinds of, 119.

cage covers, 123.

closing doors, 128, 129.

drapery of, 119.

getting back into cages, 127.

ladders of, 123.

morning tid-bit, 126.

night arrangements of, 130.

opening the cages, 126.

perches in, 121.

routine of, 124.

shades of, 119.

special treats, 127.

swing in, 122.

taking notes, 127.

wall protection, 120.

windows of, 118.
Birds.

affections of, 38.

INDEX 26l

Birds. — Continued.

amusement, need of, 34.

berries for, 56.

bone for, 60.

bringing him home, 23, 24, 26.

changing to the cage, 27.

contented, 7.

cruel to capture adult, 2.

cruel to turn loose, 4.

dealer's way to send home, 24.

delightful way to tame, 5.

dislike noise, 39.

food of, 53.

fruit for, 57.

getting back into cage, 127.

getting used to his quarters, 28.

good comradeship best, 40.

green food for, 55, 56.

green peas for, 61.

hard and soft billed, 12.

" humanizing," 39.

jealousy of, 38.

large, as pets, 21.

life of work, 6.

mitigations to captivity, 7.

most caged ones unhappy, 7.

old way of taming, 37.

orange seeds for, 61.

playthings for, 35.

private apartment, 42.

properly caught, 2.

properly cherished, 6.

responsibility for, 8.

seed-eating, 53.

262 OUR HOME PETS

Birds. — Continued.

seed for, 54.

sentiment about caged, i.

soft-food eaters, 53, 58, 59, 60, 61,

tamed but not won, 32.

teasing injurious, 33.

the heroic process, 31.

to establish friendly relations, 32.

to find, 23.

to get out of cage, 50.

to tame, 30, 36, 37, 38.

to treat a wild, 28, 29, 30.

travelling basket and cage, 25.

treatment of a strange, 27.

uses of caged, 4.

what do you want one for ? 10.

what to keep, 10.

young taught by parents, 3.
Birds' illnesses, 86.

a neglected, 97.

canaries, 75.

choking, 88.

cockatoos, 114.

cold, 89.

cutting claws, 87.

dealer's way of treating, 86.

hospital, the, 84.

medicines, 89.

moping, 89.

moulting, 89.

Nature kind to her own, 84.

not suffer in illness, 85.

painful to see suffering, 84.

pulling out feathers, 88.

INDEX 263

Birds' Illnesses. — Continued.

restless, 85.

restless at night, 91.

rubber bands, 87.

should be closely watched, 85.

slow moulting, 88.

sore throat, 91.

to administer oil, 90.

to administer powders, 91.

weakness after fits, 95.

while under treatment, 95.
Bluebird among canaries, 137.
Bluebirds as pets, 16.
Blue-jay as pet, 19.
Bobolink in the house, 20.
Brazilian cardinal, 22, 50.
Brown thrush in confinement, 15.

CAGE.

awning for, 48.

food dishes for, 46.

for each, 51.

gravel in, 47.

hanging out, 49.

importance of a proper, 42.

its position, 120.

perches of, 44.

situation of, 48, 49.

the best, 42.

the size, 43.

to prepare for use, 44.
Canary.

a cage product, 132.

age for learning, 79.

264 OUR HOME PETS

Canary. — Continued.

capability of learning, 75.

causes of disease, 75.

cruelty of training, 76.

effect of terror, 82.

forgets when moulting, 81.

"happy family" arrangement, 133.

incapacitated for freedom, 3.

intelligence underrated, 73.

mated for life, 74.

muscular training, 79.

music lesson, 78.

must be humored, 74.

our duty to him, 73.

preference in colors, etc., 74.

six things necessary to comfort, 76.

suppressed by violence, 82.

temperament, 74.

three ways to teach, 79, 80, 81, 82.

to cure of scattering seed, 55.

trained by wild robin, Si.

two hundred in a room, 132, 137,

why scatters seed, 54.
Cardinal grosbeak, food of, 55.
Care of tiny dogs, 189.
Catbird as pet, 15.
Cats.

bathing the, 223.

bed of the, 222.

care of the, 219.

collars for, 226.

common pussy, the, 210.

deserting in summer, 230.

diet of, 220.

I iNDEX 205

Cats. — Continued.

diseases of, 227.

food of Siamese, 221.

food of young, 221.

gentleness necessary, 224.

his manners, 202.

history of, 211.

individuality of, 225.

kindness of the mother, 198.

" looking^up," 201.

misunderstood, 197.

painter of, 218.

Post-office Department, 199.

thrust out at night, 222.

to keep in health, 226.

to manage, 199.

to punish, 226.

two errors about, 22O.

usefulness of, 199.

young, 14.
Cats in illness.

diseases, 227.

to end the troubles of, 228.

to remove kittens, 228.

treatment of, 226.
Cats, the long-haired.

Angora, 202.

Black Persian, 207.

Blue Persian, 207.

Persian, 206.

Russian, 205.
Cats, the short-haired.

black, 216.

black-and-white, 217.

266 OUR HOiME PETS

Cats, the short-haired. — Continued.

brown tabby, 213.

leopard tabby, 214.

Maltese, 216.

red tabby, 213.

Siamese, 208.

silver tabby, 214.

tabbies, 212.

tortoise-shell, 212.

tortoise-shell and white, 212.

white, 215.

white and black, 217.
Coati. (See Nasua.)
Cockatoos, the, no.

affectionate, no, 112.

anecdote of, 112.

food of, 55.

health, 113.

intelligence, in.

moulting, 114.

playful, ill.

qualifications, 13

talking, 113.

temperament, ill.

treatment of different persons, 113.

unlike a parrot, 113.
Crow as a pet, 21, 11.5.

DEER as a pet, 248.
Dog.

advantages and disadvantages of young, 140.

as a pet, 141.

bathing of house, 191.

bed for, 185.

267

Dog. — Continued,

bed for delicate, 186.

bed for medium-sized, 186.

care of the little ones, 189.

diet of, 187.

dishes, 188.

feeding, the best plan, 188.

harmony with surroundings, 145.

hints for buyers, 148.

how treated in this book, 149.

influence on children, 171.

liberty necessary, 190.

object in keeping, 144.

of fashion, 142.

one of the family, 142.

preparation for buying, 146.

price of, 148.

training of, 191.

treatment of, 189.

trouble of keeping, 146, 147.
Dogs, the big.

bull, 154.

coach, or Dalmatian, 153.

English greyhound, 154.

English setter, 156.

Eskimo, 156.

Gordon setter, 156.

Great Dane, 149.

Great St. Bernard, 151.

hounds, 154.

mastiff, 152.

newfoundland, 153.

pointers, 156.

red Irish setter, 156.

268 OUR HOME PETS

Dogs, the big. — Continued.

setters, 155.

Spitz, 156.
Dogs, illness of, 192.

fleas, 193.

mange, 193.

surgical operations, 193.
Dogs, middle-sized.

barbet, 161.

beagle, 162.

cocker spaniel, 163.

collie, 157.

collie, story of, 159.

dachshund, 162.

French poodle, 161.

German poodle, 161.

poodle, 160, 161.

spaniels, 163.

water spaniel, 163.
Dogs, small.

black and tan, 169.

bull terrier, 170.

Dandie Dinmont, 171.

fox terrier, 170.

Irish terrier, 171.

pug, 165-

schipperke, or Belgian spitz, 167.
Scotch terrier, 171.
terriers, 168.
Dogs, the Toys.

black and tan, 182.
Blenheim spaniel, 178.
greyhound, Italian, 179.
Japanese spaniel, or pug, 180, 181.

INDEX 26g

Dogs, the Toys. — Continued.
King Charles spaniel, 178.
Maltese, 176.
Skye, 173.
Yorkshire, 175.

EUROPEAN blackbird, 22.
goldfinch, 21.
song thrush, 21.

FITS of birds, their cure, 93.
Florida chameleon, 257.
Food for birds.

animal, 57, 59.

ants' oggs, 60.

berries, 56.

bone, 60.

cardinal grosbeak, 55

cockatoos, 55.

fruit, 57.

green food, 55, 56.

green peas, 61.

mocking-bird, 58.

orange seeds, 61.

parrots, 55, 105, 106, 107, no.

to fasten in cage, 56.
Fox as a pet, 244.

GOLDEN-WINGED woodpecker in cage, 19.
Grizzly bear as a pet, 244.

HALF monkeys, 241.
Hedgehog as a pet, 248.

27O OUR HOME PETS

Home of a pet, 254.
Horned toad, 258.

INSECT pests, to destroy, 91.
JAGUAR as a pet, 243.

KID as a pet, 248.
Kinkajou, 241.

LAMB as a pet, 248.
Lemur, 242.

MAGPIE, 21, 115.
Marmosets, 236.

and birds, 237.

a pet, 238.

care of, 238.

food of, 238.

story of pets, 239.
Medicine to use, 89.
Mino, 115.
Mocking-bird, 13.

in canary house, 138.
Monkey tribes, the, 232.

affectionate, 233.

bed for, 236.

care of a, 234.

chimpanzee, 232.

delightful pets, 232.

diet of a, 236.

entertainment needed, 233.

spider, 234.

INDEX

Mouse, 252.

a singing, 253.
Music lessons, 78.

NASUA, or nose-bear, 242.

OCELOT as a pet, 243.

Opossum as a pet, 245.

Orchard oriole and meal worms, 58.

as cage bird, 18.
Owl as a pet, 21.

PARROT, 96.

an alienated, 103.

bad habit to break up, 104.

bath, 107, 108.

care of, 99.

characteristics of, 96.

cutting the tongue of, 101.

danger from change of food, 109.

dislike of innovations, 105.

drink of, 107.

food of, 105, 106, 107, 60.

food of young, no.

fruit, 1 06.

habits before you get him, 97.

importance of health, 105.

in illness, 109.

intelligence of, 102, 103.

journey, his, 109.

kept out of dining-room, 106.

learn from other birds, 105.

needs entertainment, 34.

newly imported, 109.

271

272 OUR HOME PETS

Parrot. — Continued,

not kind to other birds, no.

position of cage, 108.

screaming hard to cure, 105.

to keep sweet-tempered, 99.

to tame, 98, 99.

to teach, 100, 101.

treatment of, 98.

varieties of, 12.

" Where's Alice?" 102.

won vs. subdued, 100.
Peculiar pets, some, 250.
Pet, the, an aid to health, 195.
Pig as a pet, 248.
Prairie-dog as a pet, 246.

RACCOON as a pet, 245.

Rat as a pet, 251.

Rat, white, 252.

Raven as a pet, 115.

Red-winged blackbird in the house, 1 8.

Reptiles as pets, 255.

Rheumatism in birds, treatment for, 93.

Rose-breasted grosbeak in the house, 18.

SCARLET tanager as a pet, 19.
Skunk as a pet, 246.
Skylark, 22.
Squirrels, 250.
Standing perch, a, 68.
Starling, 22, 114.

TALKING tribes, the, 96.
Taming or imprisoning, 253.

INDEX 273

Thrush, amusement of a, 35.
Thrushes in a cage, 15.
Turtles as pets, 256.

USE of pet keeping, 141.
VIRGINIA cardinal in the cage,

WOMBAT as a pet, 248.
Woodpecker, a frantic, 28.

THE END

W. HAMILTON GIBSON'S WORKS.

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