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‘Brass, Bronze, Steel lgweal) Japanned Bird and
| Animal Cages; Silver, Brass, Nickel Plated and
Rubber Fishing Reels; Brass, Bronze, Steel and
Kron Jack and ‘Safety Chain; Gold, Gilt and
ee Wire Picture Cord and Cage Specialties.

‘THE ANDREW B. HENDRYX co.,
Ane New anaes Conn., U. 8. A.

CATALOGUE
FREE.

oy D

44 OLDEN’S

NEW

€ FE. “& CoS eTOLDEN.

7 V- ‘¢ Hittle defwdrops of celestial melody.’’ —Carrywe.

<b

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165TH THOUSAND. AF R yf 18°

~, WASH NGgTs®

a)
ri

)s
CrorGE' H.. HOLDEN, PUBLISHER,
g Bowporn Square, Boston, MAss.;

240 SIxTH AVENUE, NEw York, N. Y.;
too LAKE’ STREET, NEAR DEARBORN STREET, CHicaco, ILL.

1892.

Entered according to act of Congress, in the year 1892,
By G. H. HOLDEN,
In the Office of the Librarian of Congress at Washington.

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED,

Pik FACE.

THE new work herewith presented has been writ-
ten to meet the demand of the multitude of bird-
lovers for a more extensive and exact knowledge of
the care of our beautiful pets, the birds. All that
was valuable in my previous writings has.been re-
tained. Of the 128 pages, 90 are new ; and the work
is embellished with 32 illustrations of birds and 28
of cages and cage-fixtures ; and, for the benefit of
those living at a distance, a price-list of both birds
and cages is annexed. ;

Thanks for valuable information and assistance
are due to Miss Mary Helen Boodey of Laconia,
Peet Miro WW. Caldwell, Mr. Georgey B:., Pear-
son, my brother Mr. George H. Holden, and many
others.

The book in its new form, I hope, will retain all of
its former friends, and that thousands of new ones
may be added. Co Fd.

JANUARY, 1875.

PREFACE
TO THE REVISED EDITION.

It was impossible, when the previous edition was
published, to completely revise it, owing to the haste
necessary to get the work in press to supply the de-
mand for-it. To the great body of our patrons and
readers, we need only state that the two new articles
on the gray and green parrots, so long desired and
needed, are presented in this edition. The editor
hopes they will prove as beneficial to the public as

the other chapters of the work.
G. H. H

JANUARY, 1876.

iv

PREFACE . 5
CONTENTS .-

Advice to Purchasers
Adansts’ Express
Ants’ Eggs

Asthma . 5
Appetite, Loss of
Australian Paroquet .

For treatment, see Parrot

Best Singers. :
Bird Cages

ee ciCen - c

sa e
Birds are hatched

bathe whilst mated .

“brought up by hand.

bristle up .

“desert their Young

** Limbs broken .

‘* will not bathe .
Blackbird . A -
Black-Gap . . ,
Bobolink . :
Brazilian Cardinal
Breeding Cages.
Bulfinch . 2

Canary .

Cage, one suitable
Cause of Disease
Chaffinch

Claws require cutting
Cleansing Brass Cages
Colds. a
Costiveness 4
Crowley, David . :
Cures, for all Birds .
Cuttle-fish . :

Diarrhea .
Diseases, Remedy for

Egg-bound ; 3
Egg Paste.

Eggs, Birds eat them

Epilepsy :
Express, Safety ah ay

Feathers off Head

Female Canary will mate with ;

Finches for Aviary
Avadavat
Bishop Finch .
Clrestnut . 5
Cordon Blue Finch
Cut-throat Finch

Diamond Sparrow Finch

Fire Finch

Gray Blue :

Indian Silver-bill Finch

Magpie Finch

Nun Finch

Orange Cheek

Quaker Finch.

Saffron Finch.

Spotted-sided Finch

St. Helena Finch

Wax-bill .

Zebra : :
Food for Birds .

Goldfinch . : Zi
ss Diseases
er Mules
Gravel Paper, Singer’s
Grosbeak, Rose-breast

Handsome Birds, how raised

Hartz Mountains
Hatching Birds .
Hard Breathing.
Holden’s Bird Cures.
How to mate Birds

5

Insect Powder .
Insects for Soft-bill Birds .

Java Sparrow .

Wood
Ladies’ Dress .
Linnet, Gray
Ue Red .
“Mules .
Lice on Birds .
Loss of Voice

Males and Females, how raised,

Mating Birds
a Fever .
Meal-Worms, how bred
Mocking- Bird .
“ Food

“ce

(oicege: ; :
Moult, A Young Bird should .

«¢ when a Bird should
““ My Bird is Sick” .

Nightingale
Nonpareil .

Poems
Beautiful Birds.
Birds of a nee
Black-Cap
Blackbird
Canary .
Chorus of Heaven’
Goldfinch
Gray Parrot .
Linnet . ‘
Nightingale .
Old-World Sparrow
Robin Redbreast .
Song of Birds
Tune his Merry Note
Thrush . :

Parrot, Gray

Mexican
Carthagena .

«« Single Yellow Head
Amazon

Blue Front
Maracaibo

Lan Gi itoy-ye hee

“¢ Food

Training

Diseases i
‘6 Table of Talkers .

CONTENTS.

67, 68, 69
74, 735, 76

7t

Parrot Cage .
«Stand
Patience in Training
Postage on Seed.
Poor Luck with Birds

Raising Birds .
Remedial Agents
Robin, English
‘¢ Japanese
Rupture

Saffron.
Scales on Limbs
Sexual Desire ..
Selecting Birds
Seed for Birds .
Sicily Canary .
‘© German Rape .

«* Hemp

<< Millet

coo Maw.or Poppy
se Paddy

sy Granted Corn .
“© Cracked Wheat -
Siskin
Singer’s Gravel ‘Paper
** Smothering” Birds
Sneezing . ‘
Song most admired .
Sore Feet .
Sparrow, Java i
Starling
Sweating .

Swollen and Sore Limbs ; ,

Talking Minor

Taming Birds

Teaching Birds :
Temperature for Birds
Tobacco Smoke
Trapping Birds

Training Birds.

Trap Cage é

Troopial, South American
Thrush, Song .

Virginia Nightingale

Wood-Lark .
Wrapping up Birds .

Yellow-Birds

Yellow Gall

Young Birds. 3
Your Bird Store M

THE SONG OF BIRDS.

BY W. W. CALDWELL.

WHEN spring returns in bud and flower,
And south winds breathe o’er hill and plain,
And winter’s cold hath lost its power ;
Then longings come to hear again
From field and grove the blackbird’s call,
The sparrow’s chirp, and, over all,
The bobolink’s exultant strain.

When summer blushes in the rose,
And woodland odors fill the air,
And all the grassy wayside glows
With golden light and blossoms fair ;
In welcome shade I love to rest,
While near me, o’er his hidden nest,
The linnet trills, and lulls my care :

Or wake at early dawn, when now
Faint flushes up the orient play,
And hear from every leafy bough
Glad choirs their adoration pay ;
Or, when the twilight purples die,
Thrill to the robin’s plaintive cry,
His farewell to departing day.

THE SONG OF BIRDS.

And still, when winter spreads around
The chilly covering of the snow,
And woods in dreary silence bound
No more with sounds of joy o’erflow,
Beside my hearth I sit, and hear
The same sweet music ringing clear,
And summer-time within I know.

For look! where at the window swings
Yon blithe canary, full of glee ;
And answers to my call, and sings
All day his varied melody,
So that I seem to hear again
The skylark’s song across the main,
Or nightingale in Thessaly.

NEwBuRYPORT, Jan. 14, 1875.

HE CAN A RY.

THE sweetest music of nature is the singing of
those little angels of the trees, the birds. It glad-
dens the heart to hear their ‘* wood-notes wild”
ringing through those great cathedrals, the woods,
phrasing in exquisite harmony their salutations
to the golden dawn. Their song seems to make
the sunshine brighter; and we have often fancied
we could see the golden rays darting and flashing,
and keeping time to their warblings.

1o THE CANARY.

No doubt, when Eve wandered through Eden, and
Adam wove her a bower of blushing roses, that the
birds sang the self-same tune which they do now,
and that the angels often listened when they
‘walked in the garden in the cool of day.”

In all ages, in all countries, as far back as we
have any record of time, the singing of birds has
given delight to mankind; and they must many
a time have gladdened the hearts of Noah and his
family, when he sailed over the wild waste of waters
in his ark; and the children that were with him
would listen, and recall the green nestling places
then deep down beneath the waves, where the sweet-
voiced birds built and sang.

The wildwood hath its minstrels sweet,
That fill the forest-aisles with joy;
And oft we seek their loved retreat,
To listen to the singers coy.
But not to woods need we repair
To hear the sweet canary’s song:
He trills his clear and varied air
In‘quiet homes or city throng.
He loves our kindness and our praise,
And gladly cheers our darkest days.

Mary Helen Boodey.

Europeans have never known, to a certainty, the
exact date of introduction of this charming warbler.
Aldrovandus describes the bird in his Ornithology,
which bears date 1610.

Many authors assert that the island of Elba was
the first European ground on which a canary found

FOOD FOR CANARY. II

resting-place, having flown thither from a ship bound
to Leghorn, which foundered near the island. These
sweet songsters, thus set at liberty by accident, found
a congenial clime, remained, and bred; and doubt-
less would have continued to do so, had not bird-
trappers hunted them so assiduously that not a
single specimen was left on the island.

From Italy the birds were transported to France
and Germany ; and from the latter place the whole
habitable globe is supplied. So we might with truth
say, that, among the musicians who come to our
shores to charm us with their notes, the largest
orchestra is that of the singing-birds. They require
very little of our money, and never demand an opera
house as the only theatre worthy their performance.
A few dollars will buy one of these sweet singers,
and a few more will build or buy an opera house for
his performances.

FooD FOR A SINGING Canary is as follows: For
food give only German summer rape seed and Sicily
canary seed, mixed equal parts, and purchased, not
at the nearest grocery, drug, or fancy goods store,
but at a bird store. Keep gravel paper, or washed,
silver, loose gravel‘on thick paper, in the cage; the
paper keeps the bird’s feet from the metal. A cut-
tle-bone should always hang in the cage. One tenth
of both white and yolk of a hard-boiled egg, grated,
should be given twice a week, and, in moulting season,
every day ; a piece of apple, sweet if can be had,
two or three times a week ; apple is better than let-
tuce, celery, or any other green stuff. All canaries

12 FOOD FOR CANARY; COLDS.

should be fed the year through as above, except that
the better grades of St. Andreasberg canaries should
not have any canary seed. A canary may have two
or three hemp seeds from fingers or lips once or
twice a week, to encourage tameness. The bird may
hang in the sunshine for an hour very early in the
morning ; but a bird hanging in the sunshine at mid-
day is in a bad place for his health or song. Nearly
all birds keep in better health if not hung near a
window. I have seen many so-called air-tight win-
dows, but I never saw an air-tight window fit to hang
a bird near in cold weather. A canary should bathe
two or three times a week. Remove seed and water
cups and the base of cage, and set body of cage over
the bathing dish of tepid water, and then remove
the perches. Use the regular canary bath-tub, with
three quarters of an inch depth of water. If the bird
will not bathe in the tub, try less water, and perhaps
a dozen shapes and sizes of dishes, until you find
the only one he will use; sometimes this is an old
flat saucer, with a quarter of an inch depth of water.

THE CAUSE OF MOST DISEASE is colds, occasioned
by either hanging a bird in a draught of air, near a
loose-fitting window, or keeping him in a very hot
room (sixty degrees is the proper temperature for a
bird) through the day, and then in a cool one at
night, —a variation of perhaps forty degrees in
twenty-four hours. This cold, if not cured at once,
leads to asthma. Give a paste made from hard-
boiled egg, ground cracker, and red pepper, thor-
oughly mixed together, using no water in mixing,

LOSS OF VOICE. 13

the egg supplying sufficient moisture. Sometimes a
bird seems hoarse, and apparently has

Lost H1s Voice.— This is occasioned by over-
singing: a little pure rock-candy, not flavored, dis-
solved in the drinking-water, and a quantity of red
pepper put into the paste described above, will
usually effect acure. If, however, the cold is allowed
to remain for several days without any attention or
cure, it will pass rapidly from cold to asthma, and
from that to gapes, which is best described by saying
that the bird looks like a little puff-ball, with a con-
stant panting, and his bill almost constantly opening
and shutting, as if to catch breath. His food should
be the same as described above. Many bird-fanciers
have given small pieces of salt-pork (cut about the
size of seed) with a quantity of red pepper thereon,
with beneficial effect ; also keep the bird warm, and
give, with his rape and canary, ripe plantain if it can
be had. Every morning he should have a small tea-
spoonful of warm bread and milk, and now and then
a little bit of sponge-cake soaked in sherry wine.

ASTHMA; OR HARD BREATHING, when =§ arising
from an oppressed stomach, generally yields to
plantain and rape-seed, moistened with water, as
the sole food.

BIRDS TROUBLED WITH A DIARRHGA can be
greatly relieved by placing a rusty nail in their
drinking-water. Another excellent remedy will be
found in common chalk ; let a small piece be placed
between the wires ; it is also well to scrape some
quite fine, and scatter it with the sand on the bottom

14 A BIRD BRISTLES UP.

of the cage. Should a bird be troubled with the
reverse of this complaint, —

COSTIVENESS, —a piece of sweet apple, a little
chickweed, lettuce, or any green food, will usually .
afford full relief. Most ailments of birds commence
with a cold; and the old adage of the “ounce of
prevention,” &c., is peculiarly applicable to the bird
family. Oftentimes

A BIRD BRISTLES UP, sits moping upon the perch,
with his head under his wing, and looks like a puff-
ball. If this is occasioned by the bird having diar-
rhoea, give the remedies as directed. Should it be
occasioned by costiveness, see article above.

Occasionally a bird will act in this manner when
he has neither of these complaints. Should this be
the case, examine first his food, and see if he has
been properly fed. Many times it will be found
that it is wholly occasioned by neglect in not feeding
the bird, and sometimes by not supplying sufficient
water for the bird to drink. If, however, it should
prove that the bird has plenty of food, and is per-
fectly regular, then make a change in* his food,
taking away the seed, and feeding the soft food as
recommended for birds with colds, and perhaps a
small piece of sweet apple. Occasionally a canary
is troubled with

EPpILEpsy. — A sure cure for this-has never been
discovered. The author has taken a bulfinch, and
other birds affected, and cut the hind-claws just
sufficient to draw the blood, holding the foot in warm
(not hot) water until the blood ceased to flow; then

SNEEZING AND SWEATING. 15

a slight sprinkling — with the hand—with cold
water: then feeding only on rape-seed which had
been previously soaked in water, and a liberal supply
of apple and green stuff, as recommended above,
has generally effected a cure.

Rupture. — A kind of indigestion causes inflam-
mation of the intestines, to which young birds are
more especially subject. The symptoms are a swelling
of the body, which, on blowing up the feathers, looks
semi-transparent, and full of red veins ; at the lower
part are black turgid lumps, as though the intestines
had fallen there in a knotted state. The cause of
this is generally an over-abundance of nutrition, or
bad or stale food or water ; the remedy, if any there
be, a spare diet, with a little alum or salt in the
drink ; groats and oatmeal are good in this case ; if
the bowels should be much relaxed, give bruised
hemp and maw seed, with a little stale sponge-cake
soaked in sherry wine. Sometimes the feathers of
the bird come off: then rub the bare parts with fresh
lard, or oil of almonds.

YELLOW GALL makes its appearance about the
head and eyes ; sometimes there is a small ulcer the
size of a hemp-seed. ‘This must be carefully cut off
with a sharp penknife, and the place anointed with
fresh butter, or washed with chamber-lye ; the bird
should have fresh nourishing food.

SNEEZING, often caused by an obstruction of the
nostrils, may be cured by passing a very fine feather
through them ; sometimes it is the result of a cold.
Good food, and careful exclusion from draughts, are
the remedies in this case.

16 WHEN A BIRD SHOULD MOULT.

SwEATING. — A female canary will at times con-
fine herself too closely to the nest, and thus generate
a superabundance of heat which often destroys the
brood. Wash her in a good strong solution of salt,
and after a few minutes with fresh water; dry her as
rapidly as possible in the sun. Do this once or
twice a day, and sprinkle a little sherry wine over
her plumage. Supply her with plenty of good food
to tempt her off the nest ; she is most likely a weakly
bird, and injures herself by sitting too close. A
sweating female is not fit for a breeder, so never use
her for this purpose twice.

A question often asked is, —

““\WHEN SHOULD A BrRD MOULT?” — Most birds
shed their feathers in the months of September and
October ; and, though it is perfectly natural for them
so to do, still the operation is accompanied with a
slight disease. They should be fed on the soft
paste before described ; and, as they are not well
covered with feathers, great care should be taken to
keep them in a comfortably warm place out of all
draughts of air. With these precautions a bird will
fully moult in from four to six weeks. Should a
bird not shed his wing and tail feathers readily, it is
well to pull them out, — pulling, however, only one
at a time.

BROKEN Limps are best left to themselves.
Human contrivances, where so fragile a thing as a
bird’s leg or wing is concerned, are generally more
mischievous than useful: Nature will, if possible,

SWOLLEN LIMBS AND SORE FEET. ing

perform the cure. Place the little sufferer carefully
and tenderly in a small cage, without perches, upon
some soft hay; let the seed and water be within
reach, muffle up the cage with flannel or baize, keep
every thing as quiet as possible, so that the bird
) may not be excited to move ; the chances are, that,
in a few days, all will be right again.

Occasionally a bird’s limbs will be covered with
scales, particularly an old bird’s. The best way to
remove them is to moisten the limb with quite warm
milk ; and a slight rubbing with the thumb and fore-
finger back and forth will cause them to peel off.
Care should be taken, however, not to break the
under-skin. ~

SWOLLEN AND SORE LIMBS are greatly relieved,
and oftentimes a permanent cure effected, by bath-
ing the affected parts with diluted tincture of
arnica.

SorE FrEt. — This disease is usually occasioned |
by using a very small perch, and also by not using
sufficient gravel for the bird to keep his feet clean.
The perches for a canary, or other bird of similar
size, should never be less than seven-sixteenths of an
inch in diameter, and even larger ; and for a mock-
ing-bird, and all birds of his size, perches of five-
eighths to three-quarters of an inch in diameter are
far preferable. With such perches, and plenty of
gravel, a bird will seldom have sore feet. Should
he, however, be so troubled, the best remedy is to
wash the feet in a gill of warm water to which has

been added ten drops of tincture of arnica..
2

18 LONG CLAWS AND LOSS OF FEATHERS.

It often happens that a

BirpD’s CLAWS GROW VERY LONG, and require
cutting. This is a particular operation; and care
should be taken not to cut up into the blood-veins,
which can be easily seen by holding the bird’s claw
in front of a strong light, and then not cutting with-
in at least a sixteenth of an inch of the red vein.

WHY DOES MY BIRD LOSE THE FEATHERS AROUND
HIS BILL, and his head become bare? ‘There are
two reasons for this. First, many birds seem afflicted
with an eruption, or skin-disease, which causes the
feathers to drop out. Such birds should be fed
principally upon rape-seed, and occasionally a small
piece of raw carrot, of which most birds are very
fond ; and, if a little olive-oil is at times put on the
bare spot, the feathers will commence to grow more
readily. Secondly, many birds are of a nervous
and irritable disposition, never remaining in one
position for a single instant, but are continually
hopping to and fro against the wires of their cages,
as if trying to get out, which is really the case ;
and, by coming constantly in contact with the hard
substance, they ruin their plumage. Such a bird
should be hung quite low, or, better still, placed on
a table where he can be occasionally talked to, and
noticed: then he will soon become accustomed to
his home. When partially quieted, bathe the bare
parts with water into which has been placed ten
drops of the tincture of arnica: after the soreness
(if any there has been) disappears, use a little olive-
oil, as before mentioned. .

BIRD-LICE AND LOSS OF APPETITY. 1g

One source of great annoyance to a bird, and also
to his owner, 1s the

LITTLE RED Brrp-Lice.— We now put up a
powder-harmless to birds, which is applied directly
to the bird, and effectually rids him of these annoy-
ing pests. It is put up in envelopes, and will be
sent to any address by mail, prepaid, on receipt of
twenty-five cents.

Lost HIS APPETITE.— At such times it is well
to give a very little hemp, and all the millet-seed a
bird will eat; and, if convenient, change the loca-
tion of his cage to a more cheerful place.

These comprise about all the diseases that the
canary is subject to ; and we will here state, that all
of the family of seed-eating birds have about the
same ailments, and require similar treatment.

CuTTLE-FisH.— There is an impression, quite
general, that the only use for cuttle-fish is as a “bill-
sharpener ;” this is erroneous. The cuttle-fish is a
mollusk caught in the China Sea, and is very largely
used by all manufacturers of tooth-powder, its salty
particles readily removing the tartar. All seed-eat-
ing birds are fond of this, its salty taste seeming to
give them a great relish for food.

Birds, when proper care is taken of them, are
rarely attacked with disease. If owners of feath-
ered pets would first see that the cage is perfectly
clean, and well supplied with plenty of gravel or
gravel-paper for the bird to pick upon, and that the
seed is of the very best quality, and that they are
fed, and given a bath, at a regular hour daily, — then

20 BIRDS BATHING.

birds, if kept from draughts of air, and no trash,
such as sugar, candy, figs, raisins, cake, &c., fed
them, will sing from ten to eleven months out of the
year ; which they always do with the poor families in
Germany, who find it impossible to get such luxu-
ries. It is only the wealthy and better classes that
have so-called “poor luck with birds.” And why?
Because they kill them with kindness, — though it is
very unkind to the bird.

I have often been told that a

BIRD WILL NOT BATHE, and asked how we can
make it. In reply, I can only say that I have never
yet, in an experience of nearly twenty-five years,
seen a bird that will not bathe. True, some will
not enter a bath-dish, as we would wish them to, and
will persist in putting their heads into their drink-
ing-cups or fountains instead, and, after wetting
their head, push it through their feathers, and then,
with their bill, thoroughly clean themselves ; which
is very like the person who uses the “wet end
of a towel,” instead of taking a proper ablution.
For this there is no help; and we can only hope,
that, with age, they will discover the beauties of a
toilet which can only be arranged after a first-class
bath.

“Do BirRDS BATHE WHILST MATED?” I can
only say, that some do, and some do not. It is al-
ways well to give a bird its bath, and leave it to the
bird’s judgment whether to bathe or not.

SAFFRON AS A MEDICINE for birds seems to be
almost in universal use, though why it is used is

HOLDEN’S BIRD CURES. 21

more than the author has ever been able to ascer-
tain from those using it, more than that “ My folks
used to use it;” and they presume that the bird
required it. The medicinal property of saffron is
diaphoretic, and used mostly to color and flavor
other medicines. When chewed, it leaves a bitter
taste in the mouth, though a pleasant aromatic
flavor. Itis not impossible that its bitter taste to
the bird may give an increased appetite, which per-
haps the bird needed, and in that way health is re-
stored. The author, however, has discovered no
medicinal property in it, excepting that of a cathar-
tic ; and, as such, it is very good. But quiet to the
bird is the best remedy ; and it is best obtained by
covering the bird up quite closely on the first ap-
pearance of ailment.

REMEDIAL AGENTS. — We put up in envelopes
simple remedies for the cure of the following com-
plaints ; all of which are known as “ Holden’s Bird
Cure.” Cure No. One, for diarrhcea; No. Two, for
constipation ; No. Three, for debility ; No. Four, for
moulting ; No. Five, for asthma, and loss of voice.
Either one of the above will be forwarded by mail,
prepaid, on receipt of twenty-five cents. Or the
five remedies mentioned above, and one package of
German Insect Powder (see p. 19), will all be for-
warded, prepaid, on receipt of one dollar and
twenty-five cents.

As many who own birds have a desire to breed
them, a little information may not be amiss to the
new beginner.

22 GERMAN BREEDERS.

Were you to visit one of the large breeding estap-
lishments in Germany, you would observe a quantity
of rooms arranged very much after the style of the
sleeping-apartments of a hotel. Each of the rooms
is properly furnished with light, ventilation, a quan.
tity of small trees, feeding-boxes, water for bathing
and drinking, and on the sides of the room a quan-
tity of nests, and the floor covered with fine sand to
the depth of three or more inches. In this room
are placed twenty or more male birds, and three
times their number of females ; and from this large
feminine family every male chooses his mate, — and,
reader, don’t blush, for some of them choose even
three and four mates, — all of which will hatch their
young peacefully, and live one large, happy family
together.

The young birds (males) are taken at the age of
six weeks, as they can then crack seed (and we will
here remark, that, when they are fully feathered, they
commence to warble; that is, they fill their throats
in the same manner as an old singing-bird: and this
is the only way that male birds can be told from
females when so very young), and placed in large
cages, say twenty-five birds to a cage, and kept in
rooms holding about twenty such cages until they
are through moulting ; for a young bird, as soon as
he is in full feather, commences to moult, or shed
his body-feathers: his tail and wing feathers he
sheds the second season. This moulting process
requires about six weeks ; after which they are taken
away from the sound of all singing canaries, into a

BEAUTIFUL BELL-NOTE, ETC. 23

room having a small opening in the top; and in the
room above them is kept a nightingale, skylark, or
some other fine whistling bird, the best of his spe-
cies, who acts as instructor for the young birds. It
is from this instructor they get these beautiful notes,
the bow-trill, the bell-note, the flute, the water-note,
&c., which are so much admired. At the age of six
months they become adepts at singing; and then
the exportation to all parts of the civilized world
commences.

AMERICANS RAISE Birps wholly for pleasure ; and
it certainly is a pleasure. What greater amusement
can be furnished children, and, in fact, children of a
larger growth, than mating birds, and then rearing
a nest of beautiful canaries?—to watch the busy
weavers make their nest; the constant care and
attention given to it by the mother-bird during the
season of “sitting,” who is so regularly relieved by
her loving mate, who ever and anon covers the eggs
while she is seeking food or rest? Alas! our little
canary-bird has taught many a lesson to the human
family ; and the constancy of a bird to its mate is
rarely equalled by the lords of creation.

A SUITABLE CAGE FOR BREEDING can be either of
wood, wired, or the ordinary japanned tin cage, or
brass. Should you use an o/d wooden cage, it should
be thoroughly scalded with hot soda-water, to kill all
vermin, and then varnished over. The birds should
have a nest —wire is the best — securely fastened
into one corner of the cage, first covering the nest
with canton, or cotton-and-wool flannel, and hung

24 MATING SEASON,

up against the wall at least a foot above your head,
and in a southern aspect if possible, and not moved
until you are through breeding for the season.

There should always be placed in the cage, from
a wall of some very old building that is being torn
down, a piece of mortar to make egg-shells from ; as,
without this, the female would lay soft-shell eggs.

In vain did the oldest of our English poets pro-
claim his mandate in our ears, saying, —

“Foules take heed of my sentence, I pray,
And for your own ease in fordring of your need,
As fast as I may speak, I will me speed:
Ye know well how, on St. Valentine’s Day,
By my statute, and through my governaunce,
Ye do chuse your mates, and after flie away
With him, as I move you with plesaunce.”

From the 14th of February to the middle of May,
all birds have what is known as the

MatTiInG Fever. — This fever, or sexual desire, is
the strongest during the latter part of April, and
early in May; and, if not mated, they sit moping
with ruffled feathers, cease singing entirely, refuse
their food, and often, in their silent sorrow, pine
away and die. If their attention can be diverted
from this “lovesickness,” it should always be done.
The better cure is to mate your bird. If this is incon-
venient, place him in the cheerful sunlight, tempt
him with dainty morsels of food, talk and whistle to
him ; and, if you have a friend who owns a bird, let
your bird visit him, and cheerful company will soon
restore him ; or a better way still is to leave him at
a well kept bird-store.

HOW TO MATE BIRDS, 25

A question often asked at bird-stores is,

“HOw DO YOU MATE A Pair OF Birps?” — The
reader is supposed to own a male canary. If such
supposition be true, then go to a first-class bird-store,
and buy a female canary and breeding-cage; and
the very best way to mate a pair of birds is to place
the female in the breeding-cage, and hang it up on
one side of the room ; and, Zeaving the male bird iz
his cage, hang him up on the other side, and within
sight of her. If he sings and calls to her, and she
calls back in return, as much as to say, “ May I
come in your cage?” then you can put them
together; and, though they may quarrel at first, this
will be only of short duration, and they will very
soon mate.

“The tuneful choir in amorous strains
Accost their feathered loves ;

While each fond mate, with equal pains,
The tender suit approves.”

IN MATING Birps, a young male and old female .
produce mostly male birds ; and those of about the
same age produce about equal proportions of both
-males and females.

A FEMALE CANARY WILL MATE with the following
birds, and produce a very beautiful songster, which
is known as a mule: the linnet, goldfinch, bulfinch,
siskin, our native bobolink, indigo-bird, and other
birds of a similar size ; and the male from these
birds is very highly prized on account of his beauty
and song.

A hybrid variety is mentioned in a German work

26 HOW TO RAISE HANDSOME BIRDS.

as being a cross between a female bulfinch and a
male canary; in form and plumage it somewhat
resembles both parents, and is a delightful songster,
not so loud as the canary, but with notes more soft
and mellow. ‘This is a very rare bird, it being diffi-
cult to breed and rear such.

TO PRODUCE A HANDSOME YELLOW BirD, your male
should be a jonquil, which is a deep yellow bird with
almost an orange crown ; and the female a mealy
bird, which is a whitish yellow, and has the appear-
ance of being frosted or powdered all over. A clear
yellow male and a mealy female will usually produce
a pure yellow bird ; while a clear yellow male mated
with a gray or green female will usually produce a
very handsome mottled bird. A deep yellow or
orange-colored male with a very dark-green female
often produces the highly prized cinnamon bird.

After mating your birds, a period of only seven to
eight days elapses before the female commences
to lay ; and she will lay from four to seven .eggs,
one each day, at about the same hour, and sit upon
them for thirteen days, when the operation of
hatching commences.

Dealers in birds are constantly visited by owners
of feathered pets to seek information on a subject
to which their human instinct should furnish the
answer. ‘This is particularly the case in breeding-
season ; and a question asked daily is, —

“My Brrp IS EGG-BOUND: what shall I do for it?”
A few questions from the dealer reveals the fact that
the female has been fed upon dry seed, and food of

HOW BIRDS ARE HATCHED. 27

a clogging nature; and the information given at
once is, Feed your bird some green stuff or a piece
of apple, thereby loosening it (which should have
been done before mating), and, carefully taking the
bird out, rub the passage gently with warm sweet-oil.
At times birds are egg-bound from having taken
cold:. should this be the case, give also the reme-
dies for a cold.

BIRDS ARE HATCHED ONE EACH Day, until all the
eggs are hatched. If it should happen that one or
more eggs remain in the nest, and do not hatch at
the proper time, it would be well to take them out of
the nest carefully, using for this purpose a tea-spoon
so as not to handle them, and hold them before a
strong light; and, if there is the appearance of
blood-veins, place them back carefully ; for they may
yet be hatched. If, upon the other hand, the egg be
clear and transparent, it can be thrown away as
worthless. It isa rule in Europe to never throw
away an egg until it has been laid at least twenty-
one days.

From the time the young birds are born, the male
bird helps feed them, if he is a good father, and so
partially relieves the female. If he should at times
seem quarrelsome with his mate, or show foo much
attention of a loving kind to her, it would be well to
separate them, putting him in his own cage until the
young birds are nearly feathered ; then, after they
have perched a few nights, they can be removed to
other cages, and the male returned, and another
brood raised; and the same operation repeated.

28 BIRDS EAT THEIR EGGS.

Cases have been known of raising seven broods in |

a season.

“With cheerful hop from perch to spray,
They sport along the meads;
In social bliss together stray
Where love or fancy leads.

Through spring’s gay scenes each happy pair
Their fluttering joys pursue ;

Its various charms and produce share,
Forever kind and true.”

Those who raise birds are often annoyed by the
male, and sometimes by the female bird

EATING THE EcGs as soon as they are laid: this
usually occurs from improper feeding. Birds that
are mated require’ rich food; and this rich food
should be given for three to four weeks previous to
mating them. When this is done, it is very rare
that the eggs are disturbed.

The richest and best food for your birds, in addi-
tion to their regular mixed seed, — xo hemp, — should
be the following: one hard-boiled egg — the whole
egg —grated on a coarse horse-radish grater, and
one common soft cracker, rolled fine with a rolling-
pin, or carefully grated, and then mixed together,
and fed to the birds in small quantities at least
twice per day; and this food must be continued to
the old birds until you are through breeding ; and
the same food must be continued to the

YounG Brrps until they can crack seed, which
they can do with ease at the age of six weeks. It
is, however, an advantage to soak some rape-seed,

|

BIRDS LEFT TO STARVE. 29

and put it in for the young birds as soon as they
leave the nest. ;

Another source of great annoyance to bird-breed-
ers is, that occasionally the old birds desert the
young, and leave them to starve. This I never knew
to occur where birds were placed in a suitable place,
as described on p. 23, and always fed and cared
for by the same person. It is the constant annoy-
ance to which a bird is subjected that occasions
this. It is usually the fault of those who have had
this ill luck. They take great pride in the birds
they are prospectively going to raise ; and, as soon
as they are from the egg, the cage is taken down on
all occasions, and shown to every visitor ; and, when
it is too much trouble to. take it down, the step-
ladder, a chair, or table is brought into action in
order to show up the bird family; and then the
bird-dealers are asked the question, “ Why did my
old bird desert the young before they were a week
old?”’ Those who have had this ill luck doubtless
see wherein success in the future awaits them. —

Occasionally there is no apparent cause for the
old birds deserting the young. When such proves
to be the case, and the old birds are very good ones,
it is always well to bring the young up by hand, using
the food described above, and using a quill with a
small piece cut from one side, similar to the old-
fashioned quill-pen: It can then be used as a spoon ;
and, with three or four such spoonfuls, feed them
every hour; and not feed oftener than once an hour,
using judgment in not over-feeding the birds. It is

30 DOES A YOUNG BIRD MOULT?

always a good rule to take the nest from the cage,
and keep the young birds in it, covering them over |

slightly until they are well feathered.
We are often asked the question, —
“Dors A YOUNG BIRD MOULT?”—Our answer

is, Yes. A young bird is usually in full feather |
at the age of six weeks (we will here state, that,

when he is four weeks old, he will swell up his
throat, and try to warble; and by this you can tell
the males from the females) ; and, when he is in full
feather, he commences to moult, or shed his body-
feathers. The wing and tail feathers he does not
shed until the second season : this process is slow in
a young bird, and usually requires about eight
weeks to change all the body-feathers ; during all of
which time they should be fed, at least twice a week,
on the hard-boiled egg and cracker, as described
above, and kept out of all draughts of air. If your
bird —the father of the young—is a good singer,
the young birds will learn readily, and, at the age of
six months, become fine songsters.

The English-bred canaries are now becoming justly
popular: their songs are pleasing, their plumage very
bright and varied. Among these may be named the
long and large Yorkshires and Manchesters ; the deep
gold — both clear and pied — Norwich ; the Crimson,
or Cayenne-fed, which are a deep orange or nearly
crimson color, either clear or pied; and the Gold or
Silver Spangled Lizard canaries. The latter are the
most magnificent in plumage of all the canaries.

CRIMSON AND GOLD-SPANGLED CANARIES. 31

CRIMSON AND GOLD-SPANGLED CANARIES. — There
have been imported from England recently a few
deep colored canaries, which, for the want of a more
exact term, we have called “Crimson canaries.”
The color may be described perhaps as the deepest
orange, with a tendency to shade on the crimson.
Some are clear birds; others have dark green crests ;
while still others have dark green crests and green
wings, the two colors making an elegant contrast.

The present system of color-feeding is yet but little
understood ; but it seems necessary to take deep yel-
low birds, or deep yellow-and-green birds, and feed
the brightest colored Cayenne pepper. ‘Take a bird
six or seven weeks old, and give him all he will eat of
the mixture made of a whole boiled egg chopped fine,
and an equal quantity of soft sweet buiscuit or cracker,
and a heaped-up teaspoonful of Cayenne pepper. This
may be fed. in large or small quantities, as the bird
seems to thrive or not on it. Give seeds only in small
quantity while the bird does well on the soft food.
Before a bird, thus colored, moults, he should again be
fed in the same manner, and the same feed continued
during the moult : otherwise the deep color will be lost.

Gold-Spangled Lizard canaries, also bred originally
in England, have bright gold-capped heads, and con-
tinuous lines of spangles from the neck down the
back. Each spangle is decided ; its clear gold edging
and olive-green centre, being distinct and regular,
mark the several rows with great beauty. The Silver-
Spangled are marked exactly like the gold, but have
silver-colored spangles where the others have the gold.

32 ST. ANDREASBERG CANARIES.

Sr. ANDREASBERG CANARIES. — The best singing
canaries known are bred in the German village of St.
Andreasberg, situated on one of the highest summits
of the Harz mountain range, famous for its clear air
and pure water. This clear air and pure water un-
doubtedly have their due effects on the voice of a
bird ; but much more than this, and in addition to it,
great care is taken to breed only the best grade of
singers, and to put these under the instructions of
those master-musicians the English larks and English
nightingales. Hence this canary has no short or
choppy notes; but every tone is sweet, round, and
full, —the song containing delightful bell-notes, low,
water-bubble and charming flute notes, and long, sil-
very trills and whistling notes.

Those who tire of an ordinary screeching canary
find in this grade restful bird melody which continually
delights and surprises by its many changes.

Our buyers, being residents in the village, have
every facility for obtaining the best songsters: so we
now sell one grade of these birds at five and six
dollars each, and guarantee them satisfactory.

CAMPANINI CANARIES, — These are the best sing-
ing canary bred in St. Andreasberg; the song is, in
quality, soft and sweet, every tone being true, mellow,
and musical, while the singer displays great variety
and compass. ‘The voice draws its pictures on three
octaves: now high and clear and sweet, then deep,
low, resonant, inspiring. ‘There are light and shade,
foreground of brilliancy, and distant, subdued effects,
but all one glorious masterpiece of song.

THE. GOLDEINCH.

“On! what is so pretty, so cunning, so gay,
So daintily busy the livelong day,
As my little goldfinch, — beautiful pet, —
With his butterfly wings, and cap of jet?

Far, far, from his native bowers of bloom,
He lives a prisoner, yet feels no gloom ;

For his merry glance and his sprightly song
Tell plainly as words that he fears no wrong.’

34 THE GOLDFINCH.

THE GOLDFINCH, of ali parlor birds, is certainly
one of the most delightful, alike for the beauty of
his plumage, the excellence of his song, his proved
docility, and remarkable cleverness. He is also very
easily tamed, and is capable of great attachment to

his owner; and may be taught various amusing’

tricks, such as dragging a little wagon up an inclined
plane into his cage to: supply himself with food, or
to ring a bell whenever he requires attention, and to
haul up water from a little well underneath the cage.
All these he will learn very readily, and without
any coercion.

Goldfinches have been known to live confined in
a cage for sixteen or twenty years; and, though
they may lose their bright colors, they retain their
activity and cheerfulness of disposition. Their food,
in their wild state, consists of all kinds of seeds,
&c.: in a cage, they should be fed upon maw-seed.
As their bill, though as sharp as a needle, is in young
birds quite soft, and, although very fond of rape
and canary seed, they cannot readily crack it until
they are at least two years old, it would always be
well to soak a little canary and rape for them, thereby
softening the hull, and making it a matter of no
trouble for them to crack; and occasionally, as a
reward for some trick, or display of affection, a few
crushed hemp-seed, which he should be made to
take from the hand. Most wild birds, when cap-
tured, become in confinement sullen and dispirited :
want of exercise and of a peculiar kind of food so
alters the quality of the fluids, that fits and ailments

3

GOLDFINCH DISEASES, 35

ensue ; and the bird mopes, and soon dies. Not so
with the goldfinch: immediately after his capture he
commences to feed on maw-seed, mixed equal parts
with hemp, rape, and canary, frisk about the cage,
and dress his plumage, without manifesting the least
apparent regret for the loss of companions or liberty.
His beauty, melody, and speedy reconciliation to
confinement, render him a desirable companion ; and
he is captured to cheer us with his manners and
voice in airs and regions very different from his
native thistly downs and apple-blossom bowers.
‘There are many varieties of the goldfinch, shown
by the difference in markings or colors of the
plumage. The highest prized of these varieties are
the scarlet-headed, which has the entire head colored
in rich scarlet or crimson: there are no other mark-
ings to mar the brilliancy of color on the head.
This is a very rare and beautiful variety. The
white-breasted Cheveral, or King Goldfinch, has
a pure white breast, and clear white ring around the
neck. ‘This variety is highly prized as a breeder of
white or handsomely marked goldfinch-canary hybrids.
The white-legged variety is esteemed for the readi-
ness with which he mates with the female canary.
The Black Goldfinch is a variety which is obtained
by keeping the bird in close confinement in a dark-
enedroom. ‘The goldfinch hybrids are in some cases
very beautiful birds, and exhibit a wonderful variety
of markings and color. The pure white is the high-
est prized, and the colors range from that of the
above specimen to the very dark, and are varied by

36 GOLDFINCH DISEASES.

elegant spots of brilliant crimson or yellow through-
out the plumage. The goldfinch is found throughout
Europe, and in the summer season frequents gar-
dens, groves, and even mountainous districts which
are not altogether uncultivated.

The goldfinch, when caged, sings throughout the
year, with the exception of the moulting season.
His song is on a high key, and real agreeable, and
contains many warbles, trills, and twittering notes,
which are intermingled in a most charming manner.
The bird, during the continuance of his song, is in
constant motion ; and these lively movements, com-
bined with his graceful.form, delicately blended
colors, and sprightly song, make him one of the
most attractive bird-objects with which a home can be
adorned. Goldfinches may be reared in cages in
the same manner as canaries; their mating season
begins in April.

GOLDFINCH HAS DIsEASES, epilepsy, diarrhoea,
constipation, etc., which may be treated in the same
manner as like ailments in canaries. Decline, or
wasting, is cured by changing the diet to richer food,
giving freely apple or any fruit the bird will eat, and
lean, raw, juicy, scraped beef. Giddiness may be
treated by withdrawing the maw-seed and feeding on
soaked millet and rape seeds.

The goldfinch, if properly cared for, will live
caged for tweive or sixteen years, and in his old age
will lose none of his gay colors, general friskiness,
or sprightly melody. His cage should be of the
square style, from ten to sixteen inches long.

TY{E LINNET.

I wadna gie the /zztze’s sang,
Sae merry on the broomy lea,
For all the harps that ever rang
In all the halls of minstrelsie.
Mair dear to me, where bush or breer
Amang the pathless heather grows,
The /ntie’s wild sweet note ta hear,

As on the ev’nin’ breeze it flows.
Burns.

THE LINNET, either gray or brown, is a beautiful
songster, and is very generally kept throughout Eu-
rope. He is of a hardy constitution, easily domesti-
cated, a most lovely and constant singer, uttering
many very sweet, flute-like notes; and if fed princi-
pally on canary and rape seed, with occasionally a
very few hemp seed, will remain in health.

These two birds are spoken of as two distinct
varieties, but in reality they are not; for the same
bird which at one year old, when it has no red feath-
ers in the head, is a gray /innet, becomes after the
second moulting, when the red of the breast takes a
golden hue from the yellowish-white margins of the

37

38 THE LINNET.

feathers, a yellow linnet; and in the spring of
the third year, when the forehead is blood red, the
feathers on the side of the breast the same color,
and a ferruginous tinge prevails over the whole body,
the bird comes out in all his glory as a rose linnet.
By and by, when age steals on, or sickness or con-
finement tell upon the constitution of the sweet
songster, he falls from his high estate ; his plumage
changes, and he is a brown, gray, or yellow linnet,
as the case may be. ‘There is scarcely any bird, per-
haps, that puts on so many different dresses in the
course of his life as our little linnet; there is
scarcely any telling what changes each moult will
produce: that is, in a state of confinement; for in
a natural state the bird will go through its regular
eradations of plumage in a natural manner, and one
may safely judge of his age by his dress ; but in an
artificial state it is not so.

He is fond of bathing, and we might say of two
kinds: first, like the skylark, in plenty of gravel (of
which there must be an abundance in the cage) ;
and, second, in water, and a bathing-dish must be
given daily. His diseases are similar to all seed-
eating birds in confinement; and the treatment
must be the same, for which see article on Sick
Birds.

Linnet Mutrs.— The male linnet will some-
times mate with the canary ; but the mules are not
nearly so beautiful as the offspring of the goldfinch
and canary, though they are generally good song
sters, and highly prized on that account.

THE SISKIN.

THE SISKIN, sometimes called the black-headed
thistlefinch, in point of beauty will bear no com-
parison with the goldfinch, although possessing
this recommendation in a high degree. The prevail-
ing color of plumage is a yellowish green, elegantly
marked and shaded with black; a neat little bird,
with a short tail, and stout beak ; the top of the head
is altogether black, hence one of its names.

This, as well as the goldfinch and linnet, is one of
the species used in crossing with the canary. In
Europe a favorite cage-bird, and really a beautifully
plumaged one. Their song is short and low, though
very agreeable, and they imitate with facility the
notes of various birds. Caged, they should be fed
on maw-seed mixed with crushed hemp. As they
are a greedy bird, care must be taken not to feed
them too much. In health or sickness their treat-
ment, except feeding, should be the same as the
canary.

39

THE CHAPFINCH:

“ The low, sweet singing of a bird,
The murmur of the breeze, —
How soft would glide our fleeting hours,
Blest as the sunshine and the flowers,
And calm as summer seas !”

Amelia.

THE CHAFFINCH. — Who that has ever read the
letter of Michelet to his good wife, in his work en-
titled “The Bird,” could have failed to read his
vivid description of a poor blind chaffinch that was
offered for sale in the great bird auction rooms in
Paris? This bird had been a pet; and poverty in
the family had compelled his sale. This bird is one
of the many European song-birds, and for the sweet-

40

SONG OF CHAFFINCH. 41

ness of his song, as well as for his sleek plumage,
should be generally kept.

In Germany chaffinches are so highly valued that
very high prices are given for them if they possess
a fine song; a common workman will give sixteen
shillings for a bird whose notes he considers good,
and will frequently live upon bread and water until
he can save money to purchase the desired ob-
ject.

His wild notes are soft and mellow, but have
little variety: they are first heard very early in the
year ; for Chaffy seems at all times ambitious to open
the vernal chorus, and to make a start before any
other of the feathered musicians have got their in-
struments in order. A curious circumstance con-
nected with the natural history of chaffinches is,
that the males and females separate during the
winter, and resort to different parts of the country:
hence the scientific name ce/ebs, or the bachelor, ap-
plied to this bird. In Europe they have singing
matches amongst their birds, and the chaffinch that
sings the greatest number of perfect notes within a
given time gains the prize for his owner. <A _ perfect
note is represented by the syllables to//-lolt-loll-chick-
wee-do; and if a bird slurs them over, or stops at
chick or wee, the note is not counted.

They are extremely docile, and can be trained, or
taught to perform many amusing tricks. Their food
should be the same as the canary ; adding, however,
in the spring, a few hemp-seed to induce them t¢
sing more freely.

THE BIRDS OF KILLINGWORTH.

“ THE ballad-singers and the troubadours,

The street-musicians of the heavenly city, —
The birds, who make sweet music for us al]
In our dark hours, as David did for Saul.

The thrush that carols at the dawn of day
From the green steeples of the piny wood ;

The oriole in the elm; the noisy jay,
Jargoning like a foreigner at his food ;

The bluebird balanced on some topmost spray,
Flooding with melody the neighborhood ;

Linnet and meadow-lark, and all the throng

That dwell in nests, and have the gift of song.

Whose household words are songs in many keys,
Sweeter than instrument of man e’er caught.

Whose habitations in the tree-tops even

Are half-way houses on the road to heaven.

Think, every morning when the sun peeps through
The dim, leaf-latticed windows of the grove,
How jubilant the happy birds renew
Their old, melodious madrigals of love!”

° . . . . . . .

Longfellow.

2EE BULPINCH.

BuLFINcH. — This bird has no natural song, but is
gifted with the ability of imitating, with an astonish-
ing accuracy, in a sweet and flutelike tone, almost
any air that is whistled, or played to them on an
instrument. This has made him a great favorite
among all lovers of birds.

In Germany, particularly in Hesse and Saxony, a
large number of these birds are taught, and by the
dealers brought to various parts of the world. The
raising and teaching is generally accomplished by
shoemakers, tailors, and weavers, who, being con-
fined to their rooms, are thus enabled to take care of
them. ‘The teaching begins from the time they are
taken into the house. The tune that it is intended
they should learn is whistled to them — whzstling is
always preferred, as instruments are generally too
shrill—several times a day, more particularly in
the morning and evening. ‘The tune must be whis-
tled always in the same key, and no other tune
whistled in the hearing of the bird, which is kept

43

44 THE BULFINCH,

in rather a dark place during the process of train-:
ing.
Taken as they are when quite young, and brought
up by hand, they are always tame, and will take food!
from the hand of any one, and may be trained to}
sing or pipe their tune at command: they very soon)
learn to know the person who feeds them, —and!
we will here remark that the same person should!
always feed them,—and will pipe their tune, making»}
beautiful and elegant gestures, now moving the:
body, and then the head, first to the right, then to)
the left, spreading the tail like a fan, and seem--
ingly “fanning” with it, when they commence with)
a short flourish, or prelude, and pipe their tune:
through perfectly. |
The bulfinch should be fed principally on sum--
mer rape-seed, to which may be added a little:
canary, and occasionally one or two hemp-seed, as:
a reward for piping his tune. Sugar, sweet-cakes, ,
or such-like delicacies, spoil their taste, and should!
not be given to them. A little greens in the sum.
mer, or sweet apple in the winter, is very whole |
some, both of which must be fresh. As their claws)
grow very fast, and also very hooking, they must be’
cut at least twice a year. They must always be:
handled very gently, as they are easily frightened,
and harsh treatment often causes their death.
These birds usually moult in the month of Sep
tember ; and, as they shed their feathers very rap- |
idly, —sometimes becoming a/most bare in one day,
—great care must be taken to keep them from all

THE BULFINCH. 45

draughts of air; and, in addition to their regular
seed, a little of the yolk of a hard-boiled egg
should be fed them at least three times a week.

The bulfinch has diseases. ‘These, however, are
usually caused by improper care; for if the bird
be fed and watered regularly every day, at the
same hour and dy the same person, and plenty of
dry sand freely used, the cause of disease is greatly
reduced. Occasionally these birds are troubled
with a diarrhoea, and can be greatly relieved, and
many times a permanent cure effected, by placing
a rusty nail in their drinking-water: a nail should
also be placed in their drinking-water during moult-
ing season ; and, should a bird be troubled with the
reverse of this complaint, —costiveness,—a piece
of sweet apple, a little chickweed, lettuce, or any
green food, will usually afford full relief. Occa-
sionally this bird will appear dumpish, sitting all
day upon his perch with ruffled feathers: the bes:
mode of treatment is to give him a supply of maw, o1
what is sometimes called poppy-seed, which will in
most cases quickly restore him to his usual spirits.

Piping bulfinches arrive from Europe about
December 1 each year, and are on sale from ther:
until June 1, and I have some seasons had them for
sale all through the year. To me they are the most
charming and enjoyable of all cage birds. They
pipe *‘ How can I leave thee,” ‘‘ The bridal wreath
for thee we twine,’ ‘‘ Away to the wildwood,”
‘‘ Polly Perkins,” ‘‘I will love you forever,” ‘The
mill in the valley,” ‘‘ America,” and other songs.

THE NIGHTINGALE,

“ Night from her ebon throne stoops down to listen
To this the sweetest songster of the grove ;
And pulses thrill, and eyes with rapture glisten,

As forth she pours her plaintive song of love.”

Tuis bird is decidedly the most melodious of all
singing-birds. The compass, flexibility, prodigious
variety, and harmony of his voice, make him the

46

THE NIGHTINGALE. 47

greatest favorite of the lovers of the beauty of na-
ture. Coleridge wrote thus of this bird : —

“The merry nightingale,
That crowds and hurries and precipitates,
With fast, thick warble, his delicious notes,
As if he were fearful that an April night
Would be too short for him to utter forth
His love-chant, and disburden his full soul
Of all its music.”

He will sometimes dwell for several seconds on a
strain composed of only two or three melancholy
tones, beginning in an under-voice, and swelling it
gradually by a most superb crescendo to the highest
point of strength, then ending it by a dying cadence.
His very striking musical talent, surpassing all other
singing-birds, has acquired for him the name of the
king of songsters. His food is the same as the
American mocking-bird.

When caged and well treated, they will sing for
six or eight months during the year: some begin in
December, some in January, and some in Febcuary,
and sing till the month of July.

Improper feeding, and other causes, have seemed,
so far, to render it almost an impossibility to keep
one of these birds more than a few months; and,
for the benefit of the lovers of this bird, we will give
an extract from a letter from Mr. George B. Pear-
son of Beverly, Mass. He says, —

“ As I write you, four p.M., Jan. 7, 1875, my night-
ingale is singing sweetly. He commenced singing

48 THE NIGHTINGALE,

early in December, 1873 ; and he did not cease to
sing until September, 1874. He moults with no
trouble at all, and since I have owned him has not |
had a sick hour. Your books will show you that I
purchased him in the winter of 1872; and you did |
not advise me to buy him, but to ‘wait for a better |
bird later in the season.’

“I cannot agree with high authorities, that the —
nightingale is a difficult bird to keep in the cage,
if you know how to take care of him. With the |
very best of intentions, most persons starve their |
nightingales. The bird is an enormous eater. Less |
than half the size of a mocking-bird, he will eat |
double the quantity of food that the mocking-bird |
will eat ; and he requires it. “But he is a very pa- |
tient bird, and will not, as will both the mocking- |
bird and black-cap, tell you by restless motion or |
call that he needs food. You may never fear to |
give a nightingale as much food as he will eat.

“His daily bread and butter should be the pre- |
pared mocking-bird’s food. Vary this food with
erated carrot and ants’ eggs, hard-boiled egg and
ants’ eggs, yellow turnip and ants’ eggs, elderber- —
ries and ants’ eggs (all of these half and half each), |
and ants’ eggs moistened with water, alone by them-
selves, and you have a bill of fare that will give you
delicious song.

“Can you obtain meal-worms, give your bird as
many as you can afford to give him. He will sing all
the better for every worm eaten. He is not a deli-
cate bird, as, for example, the mocking-bird, if you

THE NIGHTINGALE. 49

feed him on the right food. He is the king of song-
sters, and he has the king of digestive organs. My
bird sings from sunrise to sunset, and never a note
at any other hour. When silent, a meal-worm will
make him sing during the above-named hours. He
will sing very loud till he silences my mocking-
bird, and so loud that his song is disagreeable ; but
when he has silenced my other birds, thirteen in
number, he will delight you for hours.

““T have always been very particular to keep his
cage, perches, and feeding-dish very clean; have
used gravel (sand) in the cage freely, and given him
his bath daily ; and I see no reason why, if the same
rule is followed, that any bird cannot be kept in
health and song for many years.’’

4

THE BLACK-CAP.

‘SWEET warblers of the sunny hours,
Forever on the wing,

I love them as I love the flowers,
The sunlight, and the spring.

They come like pleasant memories
In summer’s joyous time,

And sing their gushing melodies .
As I would sing a rhyme.

In the green and quiet places,
Where the golden sunlight falls,
We sit with smiling faces
To list their silver calls.

And, when their holy anthems
Come pealing through the air,
Our hearts leap forth to meet them
With a blessing and a prayer.

Amid the morning’s fragrant dew,
Amid the mists of even,

They warble on as if they drew
Their music down from heaven.

How sweetly sounds each mellow note
Beneath the moon’s pale ray,

When dying zephyrs rise and float
Like lovers’ sighs away !”

THE BLACK-CAP. 51

THE Buiack-Cap, sometimes called the mock
nightingale, possesses, in the opinion of some,
powers of song equal to those of the more univer-
sally acknowledged leader of the sylvan choir. He
is a most delightful singer ; and his notes, though
quite different, are no less admirable than the
nightingale’s, and are heard throughout the year,
during the whole day, except in the moulting
season. This may also be called the English
mocking-bird, as he readily catches the notes of any
other songster which he chances to hear. Sweet
says that he has heard the black-cap imitate the
nightingale so exactly that even his practised ear
was deceived.

If you love real bird-music, procure a black-cap at
any cost; for he will make the whole house ring
again, his song is so full, so sweet, so deep and loud,
and so enriched with a variety of oily, silvery mod-
ulations, especially that long, soft shake, which,
though it sinks gradually into the lowest note a bird
can utter, is heard as distinctly as the louder tones ;
and then just as you think it is about to die away,
and you begin to anticipate the silence that must
follow, higher and higher swells the song to the lofti-
est burst of melody, and you feel as if you wouldn’t
part with the bird for twenty times his weight in gold.
When singing he distends his little throat, while the
whole body quivers with delight, telling that he feels
as much pleasure as he gives to the listener. Gil-
bert White, whose “ Natural History of Selborne”
every boy ought to read for the sake of its beautiful

52 THE BLACK-CAP.

descriptions of the habits of birds and animals,
speaking of the black-cap, says his “note has such
a wild sweetness that it always brings to my mind
those lines in a song in Shakspeare’s ‘As You
Like It :’ —

‘And tune his merry note
Unto the sweet bird’s throat.’”

And I have no doubt in my own mind that Shak-
speare was listening to the singing of the black-cap,
or called to memory his notes, as he had often heard
them when a boy in the green fields that spread
around his native place, when he composed that
beautiful and simple song which begins with, —

“Under the greenwood tree,
Who loves to lie with me.”

The back and wings of the black-cap are of an
olive gray, throat and breast of a silvery gray, belly
and vent white, sides of the head and back of the
neck ash color, and the top of head black as night,
whence the name. Caged, he requires the same
food as all soft-bill birds, with the addition of
elderberries, of which he is very fond. The black-
cap, and most of the genus, suffer from tender feet,
and swellings or warts upon them: a. little cold
cream will soon cure these.

TO A SKY-LARK.

ETHEREAL minstrel]! pilgrim of the sky!

Dost thou despise the earth where cares abound ?
Or, while the wings aspire, are heart and eye
Both with thy nest upon the dewy ground ? —
Thy nest, which thou canst drop into at will,
Those quivering wings composed, that music still.

Leave to the nightingale her shady wood :

A privacy of glorious light is thine ;

Whence thou dost pour upon the world a flood
Of harmony, with instinct more divine.

Type of the wise who soar, but never roam,

True to the kindred points of heaven and home.
Wordsworth.

54 THE SKY-LARK.

Tuts beautiful warbler is spread all over Europe,
and has the most peculiar manner of flying of any
of the feathered tribe, his movement being invaria-
bly upwards in a perpendicular line ; after leaving
his grassy abode, beginning his melodious song,
which he continues unceasingly till nearly out of
sight, looking like a mere speck, towards the heay-
ens, —and even then you may hear his sweet voice
dying away as if in the clouds, — he descends in like
manner, still continuing to gratify his hearers below
with his own peculiar melody till within a short dis-
tance from his nest ; then silently alighting, hiding
himself in the grass, fearing, as if by instinct, some
straggling wanderers were watching his movements,
to find out the spot to “rob a bird’s-nest,” when he
creeps along, quite unseen, to visit his home and
little family. He is the bird that Shakspeare fancied
went singing up into the very gates of heaven ; the
minstrel of the sky, who makes all the gold and sil-
ver pillars in cloud-land echo when he warbles in
his great star-roofed skyey hall. This is the bird
that sleeps beside the daisies, and among the gentle
lambs ; that makes a nest in any hole in the ground,
the print of a horse’s or bullock’s hoof serving as
well as any thing else in which to deposit the five
greenish-white brown spotted eggs. The sky-lark
will readily imitate the songs of other birds, and
also learn tunes, and in confinement sings during
half the year, and may be tamed so as to come and
eat from the hand.

THE WOOD-LARK.

“ What time the timorous hare trips forth to feed,
When the scared owl skims round the grassy mead,
Then high in air, and poised upon his wings,
Unseen the soft enamoured wood-lark sings.”

THE Woop-LaRK is also a beautiful bird, and
resembles the sky-lark in color, but is smaller. If
he cannot soar so high nor sing so sweetly as the
sky-lark, he can do what the latter can’t ; and that is,
either sit and sing on the branch of a tree, or have
a fly, and carry his music along with him. But,
though so partial to perching on a branch, like the
sky-lark he builds on the ground. Some bird-fan-
ciers say he possesses a more musical and sonorous

55

56 THE WOOD-LARK.

note than most other singing-birds ; but his imitative
faculties are not very good, for, unless reared from
the nest near some other birds, he will not learn their
strains. His song is very much prized, and ranked
by many amateurs next to the nightingale’s: he sings
far into the night. This bird is more easily tamed
than the sky-lark, and appears more happy in captiv-
ity. He is of an affectionate disposition, and, if
pains are taken to gain his affection, will become
much attached to his owner; but he is a delicate
bird, and dainty in appetite, and requires variety in
food. Most of the wood-larks perch, therefore he
must have a square perch put into his cage; but, if
not used, it should be taken away. He must have a
fresh-cut turf, if possible, once a week, and plenty of
gravel and chalk. It is very rare that either of
the larks will take a bath, much preferring — like
domestic fowls —to dust themselves ; and for this
reason sand or gravel must be used very freely, and
always kept in the cage to the depth of not less
than half an inch. The lark requires what is known
as the lark-cage, and will not do well in any other.
It isa low-priced cage, and can always be purchased
at any bird-store. The food of the sky and wood
lark is the same as the American mocking-bird. If
the bird is unwell, or becomes loose, grate a little
cheese into his food: some licorice in his water will
also be of service, as likewise a spider occasionally.

THE, THRUSH:

But when the morning broke, and the green woods
Were all alive with birds, with what a clear

And ravishing sweetness sang the plaintive thrush !
I love to hear his delicate rich voice,

Chanting through all the gloomy day, when loud
Amid the trees is dropping the big rain,

And gray mists wrap the hills ; for aye the sweeter

His song is when the day is sad and dark.
Long fellow,

THE SONG-THRUSH is a most melodious singer,
being gifted with a more powerful tone than any of
the feathered choristers of the European forest.

This speckled musician pleases with delight, and
57

58 THE THRUSH.

satisfies, as it were, the very soul of the listener.
In the wild state he sings only during the spring ;
but, when caged and properly treated, will sing eight
or nine months of the year, commencing about
December or January. It is for this reason, as well
as for his beautiful song, that the thrush is so much
kept in cages, and domesticated.

He must have a large cage, well strewn with
coarse sand or gravel, and shouid be well supplied
with water for drinking and bathing ; but his bath
should be taken away when used, as the bird is
liable to cramp. The food and water should-be put
outside of the cage, if possible. The thrush will
live many years in confinement, if properly fed and
cared for. ‘The ailment to which he is most subject
is constipation. A large spider is the best remedy ;
abundance of pure fresh air, and a change of diet,
should be given. The male and female are so much
alike in color, that it is very difficult to distinguish
them: the female is a little smaller, and has not
quite such a glossy brown plumage as the male ; so
that the purchaser of a thrush should make sure of
the sex by hearing the song. The male has great
imitative powers, and will readily learn tunes played
on wind instruments or whistled* to him, Food
same as preceding.

THE BLACKBIRD.

“O blackbird! sing me something well :
While all the neighbors shoot thee round,
I keep smooth plats of fruitful ground,
Where thou may’st warble, eat, and dwell.”
Tennyson.

THE BLACKBIRD, whose plumage is of a pure vel-
vety biack, with an orange-yellow bill, is a fine
songster. The notes, though not so various as
those of the thrush, still are of a more sweet, flute-
like tone. Besides this, he possesses the ability of
imitating airs which are whistled to him: these he
executes with great perfection, and is said never to
forget a tune once learned. An anecdote is told of

59

60 THE BLACKBIRD.

one who had been taught to whistle an air, which, |
on hearing played with variations on the piano, af-
fronted him so exceedingly that he hissed and flut-
tered his wings till the performance stopped, and
then gave his version of the air, whistling it all |
through as he had learned it. The same bird fell |
into the hands of a lady whose custom it was to
have the Evening Hymn sung at the conclusion of |
family prayers. He caught the tune, and always |
accompanied their voices, and from that time regu- |
larly whistled it every evening at the same hour, |
long after he had passed into another family, and —
continued the practice for the remainder of his life.
The blackbird will also learn to imitate the songs of

other birds, the crowing of a cock, the gobble of a

turkey, and in his wild state will often mimic them.

He is very fond of bathing, and may have a good
deep bath daily in the sunshine ; but his cage should
not be left wet, as he is subject to cramp like the
thrush: there should be plenty of dry sand or
gravel on the floor.

He will live in captivity from twelve to sixteen
years, and sing in a loud and joyous tone the whole
year, except during the moulting season.

When in a wild state, this bird sings only three
months in the year ; when caged, nearly throughout
the year. His food and treatment are the same as
for the mocking-bird.

ROBIN REDBREAST.

“ Good-by, good-by to summer,
For summer’s nearly done ;
The garden smiling faintly,.
Cool breezes in the sun ;
The thrushes now are silent,
Our swallows flown away,
But Robin’s here in coat of brown,
And scarlet breast-knot gay.
Robin, Robin Redbreast,
O Robin dear !
Robin sings so sweetly
In the falling of the year ! ”

THE ENGLISH ROBIN ReEpsBREAST. — This bird
is very popular in Europe, particularly in England,
being lively and very handsome. He is easily
tamed, so as to be let out of his cage, and play
about a room.

He has, by fearless conduct, earned golden opin-

ions from all classes of men. Every nation seems
61

62 ENGLISH ROBIN.

to protect him. Even the American redbreast/
lives unharmed, possibly on account of his connec-
tion with his English relation, whose oft-told charity)
is mentioned in the good old ballad of the “ Babes
in the Wood” whom Robin Redbreast “ painfully
did bury beneath the leaves : —

“Leaves of all hues, gold, red, and green,
Ruins of summer bowers ;
A thousand times more beautiful
Than all her choicest flowers.”

In the winter, when the berries are gone, insects)
dead, and the worms hidden under the hard-frozen}
soil, then the robin flies for refuge to the habita-,
tions of man for shelter and food. It is very amus: |
ing to see the half-trusting, half-fearful look with)
which he hops to the window-sill for the first time. |
After a while he becomes bold, and taps at the win--
dow, if the expected crumbs are not thrown out.
He possesses a sweet warbling song, is very fond
of bathing, and should therefore be daily provided
with a bath ; but, when allowed to fly about a room,
care must be taken not to leave a pitcher or any
large vessel with water within reach, as he is very
apt to try to bathe in it, and frequently gets
drowned. Being a soft-bill bird, his food is the
same as the preceding birds.

THE STARLING.

THE STARLING. —His natural song is racher
poor ; but he has a wonderfully good memory. He
will learn to repeat several airs that are played to
him, with great ease ; nay, more: he learns to pro-
nounce words very distinctly, or imitate the song of
other birds, or any sounds when repeatedly heard.
Besides this, he becomes very tame in the house, so
as to be let out of the cage, and walk about the
room. He soon knows all the persons in the house,
is always gay and wakeful, and as docile and cun-
ning as a dog. His food and treatment may be the
same as that of the mocking-bird. He is a very
hardy bird, and will sometimes attain the age of fif-
teen years.

SS

THE TALKING MINOR.

THE TALKING Minor, or “ musical grakle,” is a good
talking bird, and can accurately whistle in sweet, full
tones any song which may be taught him. A minor

|

will converse at any time, and correctly reply to in- |

quiries respecting his health or feelings — though
sometimes, if pressed too closely, my own bird will

consign the too-inquisitive person to that proverbially —

hot country.

He is a vain bird, saying often, ‘‘ Pretty minor,”

“What a pretty minor!” and replying to the common

salutation says, “I’m pretty well: how are you? Will
you have a glass of champagne ?”’

He is about the size of a dove; and his beak, feet,
and legs are orange-color. The prevailing hue of the
plumage is a glossy black, which is tinged with purple,
violet, and green, according to the light in which it
is viewed. The feathers on the head are short and
glossy, and have the appearance of satin velvet. Be-
low each eye is a small bright yellow naked mem-

64

THE TALKING MINOR. 65

brane; and close to these, but detached, another
-extends from each side to the back of the head and
down on the neck. A white stripe in each wing, with
the bright hues mentioned above, combined with ele-
gant form and graceful movements, make the bird uni-
versally admired. He is a native of the East Indies.

An East-Indian acquaintance of mine used to have
her children say the Lord’s Prayer and the Apostles’
Creed at a regular hour each evening ; but, whenever
the children were absent at the usual hour, her minor,
with most devout tone, would commence with “ Our
Father,” and repeat the prayer and the whole of the
mecreed. ;
_ The minor as a talking bird is unsurpassed. He
_ speaks plainly, and can acquire and retain an unlimited
number of words, which he readily forms into sen-
tences. My own bird will converse with me or a
stranger at any time, and can whistle, in full, sweet
tones, a regular song which has been taught him.
He flies about the house friendly to all, including the
cat and dog. He is fond of fruits and berries, which
are good food for him; and if a ripe cherry is shown
him he cries for it. He is fed daily on-Holden’s Pre-
pared Food, the same as all soft-bill birds ; boiled egg
and boiled potato is good for him, and, once or twice
a week, lean raw beef chopped fine is beneficial. He
is fond of bathing, and has the tub daily. He is tough
and strong, and should live in good health caged very
many years. The bird has been known to live sev-
enty-five years. The suitable cage is twenty-four to
thirty inches long and about twenty inches high.

‘ ms Hayy \
lly

THE GRAY PARROT.

cr Fie, silly bird!’ I answered, tuck
Your head beneath your wing,
And go to sleep;’ but o’er and o’er
He asked the selfsame thing.

Then, smiling, to myself I said, —
‘ How like are men and birds!

We all are saying what he says,
In action or in words.’ ”

WHITTIER.

In the parrot family, the African gray, with ashen
gray body, black bill, light gray face, and scarlet tail,
takes high rank. Until the bird is a year old the
body plumage is a darker gray, and the tail dark brown,
excepting close to the body, where the crimson shows.
alittle. The birds vary from twelve to fifteen inches

66

THE ‘GRAY PARROT. 67

in length, about the size of a common pigeon. Some-
times a bird has red feathers in spots on the back ;
this is known as a “king” African, and is highly
esteemed, and commands a higher price, being con-
sidered more intelligent; but I am not certain that
the “king” learns any more than his subjects can.
West and Central Africa is its home; and from there
these birds are brought to’ America, either, va Eng-
land in steamers, or direct in sailing-vessels, a few of
which arrive at New York, but most of them arrive
in Boston. -The birds brought in sailing-vessels are
preferred, because they get acclimated in the longer
trip, and have also better care when brought by the
captains themselves, some of whom have been fur-
nishing me with birds for over ten years, in both cities.

These birds make excellent talkers and whistlers,
and occasionally learn to sing both words and music
of popular ballads ; but, like children, they vary some
in “ mental activity,” though during my study of the
subject of parrot training for the past fifteen years, I
can truly say that the teachers’ abilities vary much
more than the pupils’, to the latters’ great disadvantage.
Parrots learn more readily in the three hours next fol-
lowing sunrise, or the three hours before sunset, and
should be taught verbally just as one would teach a
child, line upon line, precept upon precept. I have
known many children give from six months to a year
to long division, and not understand it very well then ;
and it may take the brightest parrot that time, or even
longer, to commit, “ The Lord is my Shepherd,” etc.,
““ Mary had a little lamb,” or a list of oaths varied

‘

68 THE GRAY PARROT.

enough to please alike the Quaker, the gamin, and.
the rector. In teaching, speak in clear, ringing tones, ,
pitched on rather a high key. Babies learn to talk
some in from twelve to eighteen months; parrots,
learn to talk some in from four to twelve months. I
have known a gray to be taught for twelve months)
and not utter a word; then one morning he said, |
and in six months more could speak fifty |
or sixty words with elegant accents, and whistle two)
songs. If we ask how talented a speaking bird may’
become, the answer presents many difficulties.
Brehm, a great authority on birds in Germany, gives}!
an account of a gray parrot, which talked in three:
languages as clearly as a human being, and at the:
same time often caught up forms of speech which had
never been repeated to it, and which it then applied!
suitably to the “astonishment of all. He also gives;
this example of its sharpness. A fat major, whom it:
knew well, one day paid a visit to teach it tricks..
‘Get up on the stick, Polly ; up on the stick!” com--
manded the bold warrior. The parrot was decidedly
annoyed. Then suddenly it laughed loudly and said,.
“ Up with you on the stick, major !’’ Brehm describes;
this as a witticism of the bird’s, and adds, “ I cannot?
relate all this parrot said and did: it was half human.”
“T had to wait,” says one owner, “ fully eight months;
before my gray pronounced one word ; but then I was;
richly rewarded, for it learned something new almost!
every day, and now, after four years, there is scarcely)
any expression in the daily conversation of the family
which it has not learned to repeat; and how well iti

{??

* Aureah |

CAGE OR STAND. 69

knows how to apply the words! It commands the

cats and the dogs, whistling to one, and coaxing or
crying to the other. If the black-cap is heard, it calls

at once, ‘ Just wait, you black-cap!’ If the blackbird
whistles, it exclaims, ‘Be quiet!’ It distinguishes

between the canary’s song and that of the red bird
-and thrush, speaking to each as it hears the song of

each.”
If proper methods of instruction are followed, there

‘is no imaginary fixed line in intellectual progress

beyond which a parrot of ordinary ability may not go.

In teaching or training a parrot, let the bird remain
for two weeks after purchase, unnoticed, further than
proper care is concerned ; it will then be less shy, and,
finding no harm is intended, will incline to become
friendly. It is better not to use any forcible means

for training, but always be gentle, and avail yourself

-of some knack, according to the bird’s inclinations.

Take away the drinking-water or coffee for some hours,

then hold it out to the bird, and offer also some tidbit,

-of which the bird is fond, and thus the bird will learn

_to take food from the hand, and will presently volun-

tarily come on the finger, allow its head to be

scratched, and soon permit you to caress and handle

it at will. Many trainers feed the bird bread or fruit
from the mouth; this as a reward for tameness or
speaking is a great incentive to progress, and birds
form warm attachments for any one who thus feeds
them.

CacE or Sranp. — This parrot should have a cage >
fourteen or fifteen inches in diameter, or fifteen to

40 FOOD.

twenty-four inches long ; but larger ones can be used,
or a stand of the usual style. Generally, parrots do
not talk as well if allowed about a room, and are apt
to find something to eat which is injurious.

Foop. —The food now very generally given to all
parrots over four months old, consists of a mixture of
equal parts of unhulled rice, cracked corn, hemp, and
sunflower seeds ; but the effects of all food should be
watched, and any one of the above which seems to
disagree with the bird must of course be withheld.
Probably ninety-nine parrots in every one hundred
thrive on the above mixture. Give daily, if eaten, a
piece of cuttle-bone the size of a walnut. Half a dozen
peanuts may be given occasionally, but no other nuts,
as they are too rich. Never give any meat, bones, or
greasy food of any kind, as they cause diseases, and
ruin the plumage. Dainties from the table are usually
indigestible and harmful. Fruits, such as apples,
oranges, bananas, cherries, can be given, but only those
proper for your special bird should be allowed in
limited quantity. A vegetable red-pepper pod can be
given every week or so, and is particularly desirable
during the moulting season. A prece of raw onion,
half the size of an egg, acts as a good tonic. Cracker,
or stale but good bread, soaked in ‘coffee, is good
daily ; but some gray parrots will not take coffee, or it
may make them nervous, in which case water should
be used. Water causes some to have diarrhoea, and
coffee, in that case, is the better drink. Silver gravel
in abundance should be given fresh daily for eating
and bathing. ‘The cage or stand should be cleansed

:
|
|

THE GRAY PARROT. 1

with water, or soap and water, every third day, and
-oftener if necessary. Bathing in sand is usual, in
water is unusual, for parrots; but water baths should
be given according to the health and needs of the
bird, one to three times a week, through the year. Use
from a pint to a quart of tepid water, in which a tea-
spoonful of borax has been dissolved, spraying the
bird with the coarse atomizer which holds a half-pint.
If a teaspoonful of wine is afterwards thrown on with
a small atomizer, the plumage will become glossy and
beautiful.

The grays, like most of the larger parrots, sometimes
live from fifty to seventy-five, and even one hundred
years.

TABLE OF THE PARROT FAMILY.

et eT Bet | Reh Rigiea DRO hed
laa sped bec Se eae ae
AB et a Petia enc a ;
ba teetee| 2 |e bes:
Seg ESE Sh er gl i ele ot coin °
gat Date ot ae a haa Co = =
Gray . | 10 cre ea Dee 10 8 oil rea
Mexican . Gao Of TietTOo hee 8 9 51
Carthagena . ro | . 8 9 Sits 9 52
Single H’d | 7 ope haem 3 7 7 30
PXGIAZOME 2 cies etncs 4) 8 Cae s 3 8 8 40
Blue-front . . . 6 tg oe - = 6 27
Maracaibo | 6 BAS boas - 4 8 28
Cuban . as me eR - 6 9 33
Dwarf . 6 6 - 4 4 10 3
Macaw 7 ee Nis - 10 6 33
Cockatoo . Gal he - 7 Ae alee
|

In the above comparative table, 10 is the highest
figure under each heading, and the total number of
points is 60.

A GREEN PARROP:

THERE are many varieties of the green parrots, but
this article will treat only of those usually caged in
America.

THE Douste YELLOW Heap of Mexico is the
operatic star of the parrot family ; his natural gift of
song is great, and his voice is clear, sweet, and reso-
nant. ‘There are marvellous stories of the vepertoire
which some of these Mexicans are capable of render-
ing. I have owned birds of this variety, which could
sing the words and music of two, three, and four
songs, and give each with its best points, well
phrased, and in a style that would always “take the
house.” ‘The Mexican is of a beautiful green through-
out the body, with a pale orange forehead, and scarlet
and blue feathers in wings and tail; his feet are
strong and white; his beak is white; his tongue

72

ee ee

A GREEN PARROT. 73

may be white, black, or mottled. His length is from
fourteen to sixteen inches, being a somewhat longer
and thicker bird than the gray parrot. As’ the birds
get older, the pale orange color of the forehead
deepens, and extends back over the head. These
birds are not only great singers, but free talkers as
well, learning many words when taught for three
months or so, and are most amusing at times by then
manner of mingling songs and speeches.

_ The grays, and these Mexicans, are the most enjoy-
able birds to own, because most intelligent and teach-
able.

Cage, food, and care, are the same for the Mexican,
as for the gray.

THE CARTHAGENA ParROr is from thirteen to fifteen
inches long, being about the size of the Mexican, and
has all green plumage, except on the back of the neck,
a pale orange marking about the size of a silver half-
dollar; and in the wings and tail feathers red and
blue markings. ‘This bird becomes quite a singer,
whistles some, and talks very well; he is generally
next to the Mexican, and his food and care are the
same as that bird’s.

Tue SincLE YeLtow Heap is smaller than the
Double Yellow Head, being from eleven to thirteen
inches long, but has the same colors and markings as
that bird, except the beak is dark, instead of flesh
color, and the narrow pale-orange stripe on the fore-
head does not extend as the bird grows older. This
bird makes a fair talker, learning easily, but not so
many sentences as those named above. His food
and care is the same.

74 DISEASES.

THE AMAZON PARROT is a native of the upper por-
tion of South America ; he is not quite as large as the

Mexican; his light-green body, and brilliant head-_
dress of blue and yellow, throat of orange tinged with |
red, scarlet-tipped wings and parti-colored tail, make |

him very attractive. He is an apt scholar, and easily
learns to talk and sing. Food as above.

THe Biue Fronr Parror is twelve or thirteen
inches long, with plain green body and blue forehead,
and slight red and blue markings in the wings. He
becomes a fair talker. His food is same as above.

THE Maracatso Parror is ten or eleven inches
long, with green body, forehead well marked with
-yellow, and wings having some blue, yellow, and red
markings. He looks like a small edition of the Mexi-
can, and sometimes makes an excellent talker. His
food is the same as above.

THe Cupan Parrot is ten to twelve inches long,
with green body, white forehead, scarlet throat, and
scarlet and blue wings. ‘These are usually imported
when three months old, so they are tame, and very
teachable, becoming quite good English scholars. ‘The
food is the same as above.

Diseases. —If parrots are properly fed, and their
cages or stands kept clean, they remain in good health
during the long life of from fifty to one hundred years.
The principal diseases afflicting birds not properly
cared for are as below. I have written these prescrip-
tions without seeing your particular patient. Use your
judgment about increasing or diminishing the number
and quantity of the doses.

COLD AND INDIGESTION. 75

Cop. — Keep the bird in a very warm place, and
‘give a few bird peppers ; into a glass of water put ten
‘drops of acdnite, and every hour pour a teaspoonful
down the bird’s throat. Second remedy: Clean the
bird’s nostrils with a feather dipped in salt water, and
then moisten them with the oil of almonds. Rub the
beak and throat externally with a solution of chlorate
of kali one part, and twenty parts of hot water; let
the bird inhale tar vapor, putting the tar in a bottle,
one part of tar to twenty-five parts of hot water.

INDIGESTION. — Give a plain, light diet of unhulled
rice, and a few sunflower seeds ; but little green food or
fruit, some salt, and tepid drinking water, with a tea-
spoonful of lime water in it; a teaspoonful of warm
Bordeaux wine can be poured down the bird’s throat.

CONSTIPATION. — Use warm castor-oil and olive-oil
in equal parts, dropping it into the vent or passage
from the head of a pin; after several repetitions, large
masses of excrement pass away; give a dose of ten
drops of castor-oil, with half a teaspoonful of honey,
once or twice a day. Feed hemp and sunflower seeds
in equal parts.

DiaRRHa@A. — Keep the bird in a warm place, feed
unhulled rice, and give a half cracker soaked in brandy,
on which sprinkle red pepper. In ‘severe cases;-put
five drops of paregoric into a teaspoonful of boiled ~
milk, and give this full dose every three hours.

Bioopy D1arrHca@a. — Give four drops of laudanum
in a teaspoonful of boiled milk every three hours.
Give no fruit or green stuff, and do not allow the bird
to drink water, unless it has had some tincture of iron
put into it. |

76 DYSENTERY AND VOMITING.

DysENTERY. — Treat as for diarrhoea ; and give also
one-half to one teaspoonful of castor-oil, with ten
drops of honey. ‘The sticky feathers under the tail
should be washed with warm water.

VomitTiINnGc, when caused only by fright, or anxiety,
or overeating, has but little significance; but when
arising from inflammation of the stomach, and accom-
panied by weakness, shivering, loss of appetite, or
bloody discharges, should be treated as follows: Apply
warm or nearly hot poultices of bread or flaxseed to
the belly ; also apply sand as warm as is pleasant to
the hand. Give teaspoonful doses of a solution of
tannin, two parts to seventy-five or one hundred parts
of warm water two or three times a day.

PULLING THE FEATHERS. — This is caused usually by
improper food, too much hemp-seed, meat, or bones,
and too close confinement. Feed sunflower seeds and
unhulled rice ; keep plenty of gravel in the cage, and
a constant supply of wood for the bird to gnaw.
Amuse the bird by giving spools and a “‘ robust ” china
doll to play with. Put a half-teaspoonful of glycerine
to a teacupful of tepid water, and spray the bird
thoroughly six to ten times daily, using the full dose
each time. Smear the plumage with the tincture of
bitter aloes. Put the bird into new surroundings to
occupy his attention. Some keepers have good results
by reducing the quantity of food by degrees, till the
bird gets only a third of its usual allowance ; then it
becomes weakened, its blood being reduced, and leaves
off the habit. For further information on diseases
and treatment, consult Holden’s ‘‘ Canaries and Cage
Birds.”

|

os

THE AUSTRALIAN PAROQUET.

PAROQUET is the name generally given to the
smaller kinds of parrots, from which birds the species
placed under this head do not otherwise differ than
in size: the term is somewhat arbitrarily applied, so
that you will frequently have the same bird called at
one time a parrot, at another a paroquet, as might

be expected, there being no exact boundary line to
divide the larger from the lesser kinds.
7 77

78 THE AUSTRALIAN PAROQUET.

THE AUSTRALIAN PAROQUET, a very beautiful and
eccentric bird, has but recently been introduced into
this country; yet he possesses so many desirable
qualifications that he has at once become a well- |
known member of the “bird family.” This bird is—
a native of the island from whence the name is |
derived ; and in a wild state leads a retired and}
sequestered life, sometimes alone, and again in|
pairs. During mating season they are found in |
pairs, and in immense numbers, the male and female |
each singing to the other incessantly. As they are
inhabitants of the ground, where they build their |
nests, they are rarely found in trees. Their plumage |
is a beautiful shade of green, with a few brownish or |
black feathers upon the back, and the feathers of |
the head a bright lemon color ; which, added to the |
bright blue spots around the head and neck, make
them a beautiful and attractive bird. They easily
become domesticated to cage-life, and are capable
of being taught many amusing tricks. They are
hardy birds, and easily endure the cold winters of
the north, the author once having placed a pair
where water froze to the depth of an inch, and this,
too, without any perceptible injury to the birds.
They should be fed wholly upon canary-seed, and
allowed frequent baths. --With this treatment they
will continue in perfect health for many years.

THE’. TROOPIAL.

THE South AMERICAN TROOPIAL has a beautiful
rich plumage, and looks very much like our Ameri-
can golden robin, or what is known as the Baltimore
oriole ; the chief difference being that he is much
larger in size, with the orange of the body more of a
yellow. Few, if any, birds have a natural song at
‘once so sweet and powerful as this; and none have
a nicer ear and a more retentive memory. Take a
young male, and instruct him carefully by means of
a flageolet or flute, and he will not only repeat the
air played, but imitate the very tones of the instru-
. 19

So THE TROOPIAL.

ment with astonishing fidelity. We have heard|
troopials thus instructed whose strain seemed to us;
the very perfection of melody, such as only a skilful]
performer could produce ; and such a one as this is:
really a valuable bird. Give us the troopial with)
the loud sweet song morning and evening, the vesper
and matin chants, and his beautiful plumes seeming:
veritable sunbeams: of the tropics, diffusing light and]
warmth around.

They are extremely active, and very graceful im
their movements, and require a cage the same size:
that a mocking-bird is usually confined in. Im
their wild state their food consists of insects and!
berries; caged, they require the same food andl
treatment as the mocking-bird. They may also be:
brought up without much difficulty upon white bread!
soaked in milk, and raw lean meat scraped fine, and!
mixed with it. There are few wild birds, which,,
when confined, become so thoroughly domesticated!
as the troopial. They can be taught with little:
trouble tc accept food from the hand, to fly to andl
perch upon the one who regularly attends to their’
daily requirements ; while their extreme docility is a)
fact proven beyond a doubt.

—— ——

THE BRAZILIAN CARDINAL.

THE BRAZILIAN CARDINAL is one of the beautiful
whistling birds of the tropics, and is justly admired
as a cage-bird. The back is dark gray, the quill-
feathers of the wings are of a darker shade of the
same color, and the tail is nearly black; the head,
crest, cheeks, and throat are bright red of an orange
hue, deepest on the chest, where it ends in a point ;
| the lower part of the body is grayish white, and the
feet and legs are black ; the strong beak is dusky
| gray ; the crest is pointed like that of the Virginia
nightingale, and is raised and depressed at pleasure.
His brilliant scarlet head forms a beautiful contrast
with the snowy white of his body. In addition to
his beautiful plumage, he is also gifted with powers
of song. If fed upon unhulled rice and canary-seed,
and given plenty of bathing water, he will live many

f years in confinement.
Y hia 81

THE JAVA SPARROW.

THE JAVA Sparrow takes his name from the Java
Islands, where they abound in immense numbers. —
Their chief recommendation is the great neatness —
and beauty of plumage ; their glossy black head, with
clear white cheeks, and delicate rose-colored bill, —
that looks like a piece of wax-work, and their light- |
slate or almost ashen-gray body, forming one of the—
richest combinations of colors; the plumage Being)
so neat and smooth that the feathers all seem to fit

. . 4
into each other ; and all appear covered with bloom —
82

THE JAVA SPARROW. 83

like that upon plums. They are very affectionate
birds, and happy in confinement ; and occasionally
one is seen that can in reality be called a bird of
song. They can be taught a variety of amusing
tricks ; and, perhaps more than any other caged bird,
will perform their tricks at command, with the seem-
ing fear of a child. The pairs are much attached to
each other, and are continually dressing each other’s
feathers. ‘They are generally fed upon canary and
millet seed, but in a wild state live chiefly on rice.
At a bird exhibition at Crystal Palace, London, a
few years since, a pair of Java sparrows were exhib-
ited, entirely white, with the black head and throat
and rose-colored beak of the gray Java sparrow, and
with the plumage equally soft and downy : and I was
told that they were most beautiful birds.

THE MOCKING BIRD.

THE AMERICAN MockING-Birp. — This unrivalled
songster, though he may not possess the melodious
sweetness of the nightingale and lark, or the beau-
tiful pipe of the blackbird, yet in himself he unites
all the excellences to a greater extent than any
other living bird. Who, on passing through the
streets of any large city on a bright night in June,
has not heard the shrill scream of the eagle, the
mourning note of the turtle-dove, the delicate
warble of the blue-bird, the cackling of the domes-
tic hen, followed by the quarrelling of a dozen or
more grima/kins, each seeming to vie with the other

as to the quantity of noise; then the cry of the
84

MOCKING-BIRD FOOD. 85

| katydid, the mellow whistle of the cardinal, the
| grunt of tbe maternal porker searching for her
juveniles, the creaking of some rusty swing-sign-
board, the pipe of the canary, and the cry of some
lost puppy wailing in the midnight air, and each
succeeding the other with such rapidity, that the
listener wonders if such a variety can come from
so small an object. All this the mocking-bird is
capable of. The mocking-bird is a general favorite,
and deserves to be attentively cared for. He is
particular, and should be fed and watered at the
Same time every day. His cage should be large, and
kept very clean, with plenty of gravel. His food
should be

Our PREPARED Foop. —It is for mocking-birds
and all long-bill or soft-bill birds; has been used for
a great many years, and is pronounced best. It is
in bottles all ready for use ; in the boxes it requires
the addition of equal quantity of grated raw car-
rot. The box-food lasts longer, and so is cheaper.
A good way is to feed the two kinds alternately. A
few ant’s eggs, soaked and mixed with the food, is
very beneficial. ‘They can be had of us. A little
sweet-apple grated up with the food gives it a fine
flavor, and often restores the appetite when it is poor
during moulting, and hot weather. During moult-
ing, add ants’ eggs and meal-worms to food, daily.

A Suppty of Insects should be gathered during
the proper season, such as flies, grasshoppers, spi-
ders, &c., and put loosely in a paper bag, and hung
up to dry ; and, when used in winter, they should

86 MOCKING-BIRD FOOD.

have boiling water poured over them, whch will!
soften them, and make them as palatable as if they)
were still alive. A grasshopper thus prepared is a)
Thanksgiving dinner to your bird. Zante currants,,
the same as used for cake, washed clean, soaked!
over night, and wiped dry, also make a dainty;
morsel.

MEaL-WorMs give a bird a great deal of life, and,,
being the richest of food, should only be givem
occasionally, say six to ten worms ina month. Every;
owner of a soft-bill bird should raise a stock of:
meal-worms. The process is very simple, and con-.
sists in first taking an old box or jar, and placing»
therein a quantity of bran or meal, — in fact, any fari-
naceous meal, —a few biscuit or part of a loaf of*
bread, a few pieces of leather from an old, worn-out
boot or shoe, and some woollen rags ; place thereim
a few meal-worms, — say fifty, — and then cover the:
opening tightly with a thick cloth. If this cloth is:
moistened with water occasionally, they will breed
faster ; and, if not disturbed, at the expiration of frony
four to six months, you will have thousands.

MOockKING-BIRDS HAVE DsEasEs. — Should your
bird’s feathers stand loosely all over, and he still
seem healthful, give him cooling food only. Should
your bird be dumpish and stupid, a few spiders will
usually cure him. Should he refuse to eat, examine
his tongue, and you probably will find on it a horny;
scale: this must be removed with great care, as, if!
allowed to remain, your bird will surely die. Ta
remove this scale, hold the bird on his back 4&rmly,

MOCKING-BIRD DISEASES. 87

with one hand, and, with the finger-nail of the other
hand, gently peel this scale from the tongue. Care-
fully watch the bird’s droppings, and immediately
apply the cure for illness.

DIARRHGA IS CURED by a very rusty nail placed
in his drinking-cup, and the reverse by insect food,
01 water with a few ants’ eggs soaked in it. Blind-
ness is not to be cured; and the bird thus attacked
wil shortly die, its spirit being broken by the illness.

During the month of May, sometimes earlier, all
birds have what is called the

MatTInG Fever. — They grow melancholy, allow
their feathers to grow rough, cease to “ plume
themselves” before retiring, waste away, and die.
All lovers of birds must have observed that a bird
never goes to sleep without arranging, just before
dark, every feather. The uniformity and tedious
ness of a bird’s life, confined in a cage, that was
not bred in one, is the cause of this mating-fever.
They have an ungratified sensual desire. In many
instances they forget their inclination for freedom
and a mate, by simply changing the cage, and hang-
ing near a window, where their time will be taken
up in watching new surroundings.

MockING-BirD LIcE are a great annoyance to a
bird, and should be gotten rid of. This is best
done by placing the bird in another perfectly clean
cage ; then steep some fine-cut chewing tobacco in
water, and, with a very weak solution, wash the bird
very thoroughly, particularly under the wings ; then
place a white cloth or towel on top of thecage,

88 BIRD-LICE AND IMPROPER FOOD.

and they will crawl up, and in a few days you will
be rid of them. Clean your cage very thoroughly
before you replace your bird therein; and, with
proper attention to cleanliness, you wil] not again
be troubled with them.

Experience has taught us that nine-tenths of the
ailments of birds are caused by improper feeding.
Bits of sugar, candy, daily green food, grapes, meat
from the table, — all are bad for any bird. Birds need
plain food, regularly given. Seed-birds require seed
free from dust; other birds, food mixed daily in

clean vessels. A bath should be given the mocking- |

bird daily ; and the vessel should be removed from the
cage when the bird has bathed. You can soon
teach any bird to bathe directly when you give him

his bath, if you give it to him at the same hour each —

day. If irregular yourself, the bird will contract the
same habit.

These remarks on the mocking-bird will also apply ©

to the thrush, starling, lark, nightingale, robin, black-
cap, and, in fact, all the family of soft-bill birds.
In doctoring your sick bird, ascertain as nearly as
possible what his complaint is, and apply the rem-
edy ; if it does not succeed, try another. Birds have
been known to be at the point of death with cos-
tiveness, when a small spider has been forced down
their throats, and a large knitting-needle, dipped
into oil, inserted into the passage as an injection,
and the bird caused to fly a few feet, when imme-
diate relief followed, and in a few hours the bird
was again in song.

THE GROSBEAK.

THE ROSE-BREASTED GROSBEAK, though a very
elegant bird, is but little known; yet few of our
domestic birds much surpass him in sweetness of
song, or beauty of plumage. He sings by night as
well as by day, and the notes are very clear and mel-
low. His great rarity accounts for the fact that he
is so seldom seen caged ; yet no bird can be more
highly prized ; the bright carmine breast, and deep
black and snowy white body, forming such a rich
contrast. Caged, he becomes very tame in a short
space of time, and, being well contented in confine-
ment, lives many years. He usually keeps in the
best of health if fed upon nothing but canary-seed.
If hemp or unhulled rice (unless necessary) is fed,
he will eat until it is with difficulty that he can move
from the bottom of the cage.

89

THE VIRGINIA NIGHTINGALE.

“Give me but
Something whereunto I may bind my heart,
Something to love, to rest upon, to clasp
Affection’s tendrils round.”
Mrs. Hemans.

THE VIRGINIA NIGHTINGALE, sometimes called the
Virginia red-bird, sometimes the cardinal, is a native
of the Southern States, and one of the handsomest
birds of the New World. His color is of a brilliant
red, with the exception of the throat and the part
round the beak, which are black. The head is orna-
mented with a tuft, which he is capable of raising,
giving a very commanding appearance. ‘Together

go

Te ee ee ee ee ee

—— is * =

VIRGINIA NIGHTINGALE. gti

with his beautiful plumage, this bird is gifted with a
very sweet, pleasing song, or rather whistle, which
sounds almost like the playing of a flageolet, being
very pleasant to the ear. He is very hardy, and
easily taken care of. He is also very tender-hearted,
and kind in feeding young birds even of a different
species, when placed in the same cage. One belong-
ing to an old woman at Washington earned for his
mistress a large sum of money by rearing a number
of young birds of other species placed under his
charge. He should be fed with a mixture of canary
and hemp seed, and rough (unhulled) rice, to which
may be added a little fresh green food, or a piece of
apple occasionally. When properly treated, this
- bird often attains the age of fifteen years ; though he
will fade away from the beautiful scarlet to a delicate
shade of pink. A lady who has had a pet Virginia
nightingale for some years says he is still in the
highest health and beauty; she feeds him upon
canary-seed, giving him a few hemp-seeds, four or
five meal-worms, or spiders, grubs, or caterpillars
every day. He is fond of Spanish nuts, almonds,
walnuts, and Indian corn, but cannot crack the nuts.
A piece of salt and a lump of chalk are always kept
in his cage, and she gives him opportunity for a daily
bath. The salt causes the bird to retain his bril-
liancy, and the chalk keeps him regular.

THE BOBOLINK.

THE Bogo.inK received his name from a peculiar
song of his own, in which he expresses very dis-
tinctly the words “ d0b-0-4ink”’ several times in suc-
cession. ‘They are found all over the United States
in the summer season, in great numbers, but migrate
southerly when. cold weather approaches. ‘Their
song is a confused, merry jingle of notes, of about
the quality of the canary, but without any method
whatever. ‘They are easily domesticated to cage-life,
and, when fed on nothing but canary-seed (no hemp),
will sing about eight months of the year. They are
hardy, and will live many years. The author owned
one that was sent to the World’s Fair in 1851, and,
after taking the first prize in Europe, came safely
back to America.

92

THE AMERICAN LINNET.

THE RED LINNET, a beautiful singing, or we might
say whistling bird, is one that should be as univer-
sally kept as the canary. His song is equally as
sweet ; and he will sing for ten months of the year,
or the whole season, excepting during the time of
moulting. The song consists of a variety of low,
sweet-sounding notes, which are never harsh to the
ear; and if kept near other birds, the power of imi-
tation being very good, he will soon add many beauti-
ful notes to the already sweet song. In confinement
he becomes very tame, and, if fed sparingly, will live
a number of years. He should be fed exclusively on
ape and canary seed, and, at times, a short allowance
of that. If hemp-seed is fed, very soon he has a
giddiness followed by epilepsy, and shortly after by
death. He is fond of bathing, of two kinds; first,
like the sky-lark, in plenty of gravel, and second, in
water ; and a bath must be given daily.

93

THE AMERICAN YELLOW-BIRD.

“ Blooming trees, and bubbling springs !
Bless me, how that wild-bird sings !”

THE AMERICAN YELLOW-BirRD, or what in reality
is the American goldfinch, is a beautiful lemon-
colored bird with a black cap and black and white
wings, and has always been a favorite with every-
body. He is a pretty thing to look at, and has many
graceful attitudes when jumping about in a cage ; or,
as we once heard a countrywoman say, who was a
great lover of birds, “ He has such a many winning
ways with him, that one can’t help liking him, if
even we try.” Then to say nothing of his singing,
although that is very pleasant to listen to, —a little
deficient in variety perhaps, not so quick in picking
up tunes as a few other birds, —still he can do no
end of things which better singers cannot do ; and,
in a wild state, his song has a brisk, cheerful, heart- —
stirring ring. Thousands are caught every season ©
by means of trap-cages, using almost any bird for a
decoy. If fed upon maw, millet, and a little canary-
seed (the two latter should be soaked a little), and
otherwise treated as a canary, he has been known to
live ten years in confinement.

THE NONPAREIL.

“A merry welcome to thee, glittering bird !
Lover of summer flowers and sunny things !
A night hath passed since my young buds have heard
The music of thy rainbow-colored wings, —
Wings, that flash sparkles out where’er they quiver,
Like sudden sunlight rushing o’er a river.”

Tue NONPAREIL is what his name indicates, —
“without an equal ;” being one of the most beautiful
cage-birds, and needs only to be seen to be admireck
He is called by many authors the “painted finch”
or “painted bunting,” and is also spoken of by
Buffon as “the pope,” on account of his beautiful
violet hood. I have a beautiful specimen of the
bird, which at the present moment has a violet head

96 THE NONPAREIL.

and neck, a red circle round the eyes, the iris brown,
the beak and feet brown, the upper part of the back
yellowish-green, the lower part of the back, and the
throat, chest, and whole under part of the body, as
well as the upper tail-coverts, of a bright red ; the
wing-coverts are green, the quills reddish-brown
tinged with green; the tail is reddish-brown. He is
about the size of the English robin, and very much
resembles that bird in his attitudes and character-
istics ; and his song, though not powerful, is very
agreeable. He is fed upon canary and millet seed,
and is exceedingly fond of flies and spiders, which he
ought to have to keep him in health. If I offer him
one, he darts across the cage to seize it, and takes it
from my hand fearlessly ; and, when allowed to fly
about the room, will catch flies for himself, either
pouncing upon them in the window, or taking them
on the wing in the course of a rapid dash across the
room. He is a sociable bird, and very inquisitive,
hopping about on the table, and examining every-
thing he sees ; and, when tired of his sudden flights
about the room, will go to a vase of flowers placed
before a mirror, and warble away to his image re-
flected in the glass. This bird is very fond of bath-
ing, and should therefore be daily provided with a
bath ; but, when allowed to fly about a room, care
must be taken not to leave a pitcher, or any large
vessel with water, within his reach, as he is very apt
lo attempt to bathe, and might get drowned.

THE JAPANESE ROBIN.

THE JAPANESE Rosin. Perhaps, not the least
among the beauties and pleasures which our present
commercial relations with the empire of Japan
afford, are the gorgeous plumage, elegant songsters,
so quickly introducing themselves, and so completely
charming us. The Japanese have reduced the
breeding of birds to a science ; so that one may
take any color or even shade to a_ bird-breeder, and
in a short space he will show you a fledgling of
just the desired hue. But the natural colors of
the robin far surpass those which can be obtained
by domestic breeding in cages. “The head of the
robin is a bronze-green ; beak yellow ; body the color
of a mourning dove; eyes black, with a circlet of
white ; throat écru tint of yellow, shading on the
breast into orange ; wing-feathers black, with parti-
colored stripes of gold and white ; and tail-feathers
glossy black, barred with white so clear, that the
bird looks as if he had just been out in an April

97

98 | THE JAPANESE ROBIN.

flurry of snow.” For this description of colors we
are indebted to Mrs. Dr. G. Kimball of Lowell,
Mass.

In size, the bird is similar to a bulfinch ; has an
eye large, mild, and genial, and every movement is
graceful and sprightly. In such a Venus of shape
and beauty, we usually expect little or no music ;
but listen! he utters a low prelude. You whistle a
responsive call, which he never fails to answer ; and
as the sun now rises, and its rays gleam on his square,
golden palace, his full, strong melody surprises you,
On, on he sings. Now you are delighted ; then rap-
ture follows delight, as trill and warble and merry
run follow in quick succession.

His voice compasses all the notes and semi-tones
contained between the low contralto and high tenor.
Every day he delights with new and surprising com-
binations, as well as notes totally different from any
before uttered. Some day from the porch he hears
a wild bird’s tender song or delicate trill, and
forthwith makes it his own, and yours too in pay-
ment for a little care and petting. He whistles
every month in the year.

Though not reared in a cage, he is tame and
teachable, never quarrels nor complains, eats with
keen relish the prepared bird-food, and occasionally
wants a few meal-worms or ant’s eggs. Being very
hardy he has few diseases. Carrot grated and
mixed with his food once or twice a week, keeps him
in good health and song throughout the year. His
cage should be square, about medium size.

DIAMOND SPARROW. CUT-THROAT SPARROW

“The birds around me hopped and played :
Their thoughts I cannot measure ; —
But the least motion which they made,
It seemed a thrill of pleasure.”

WORDSWORTH.

Diamonps, emeralds, and sapphires are beautiful
gems ; but the living gems, the beautiful little crea-
tures known-~as finches, far outshine them. I can
never forget the day that I first saw these darlings.
America is the home of the humming bird and lovely
nonpareil; Europe sends us her loved songsters: but
to Africa, India, Asia, Australia, and Japan are we
indebted for the dear, sweet, lovely little creatures,
marvels of beauty that they are, known under the
name, somewhat arbitrarily applied, of African
finches, and Japanese nuns,

99

100 AFRICAN FINCHES.

“Caged at my window the little birds sing,
Wild with delight at the coming of spring.”

Among the various colors we have the ashen gray,
turquoise blue, crimson, ruby, emerald green, mal-
tese, the rich reddish brown, the wine color, the
cinnamon and white, invisible green, and black and
white, the orange and slate, the delicate fawn ; in
fact, colors of every conceivable hue, many of them
shaded with a darker color of the same, giving the
effect to the plumage of scallop shells, laid one over
the other. Added to these you have the little white
Chinese finch, the coal black Cuba finch, the coral
red finch ; and among them all you have the neutral
tints of every color.

““To charm the sense, and soothe the pensive heart,
And bid sweet dreams and gentlest fancies start.”

These finches are thoroughly happy in each
other’s society, and sit all together in a row, packed
as closely as possible, caressing and pluming each
other. If you place a small box or nest in the cage,
and supply them with cotton-batting, thread, or
horse-hair, they will make a charming little nest,
which, if the weather be cool, several will occupy,
“cuddling” closely together, often sleeping for
hours.

The pleasure to be derived from. watching the
little creatures is certainly very great. Most of
them are the sweetest songsters ; and it seems at

———— a a ee

AFRICAN FINCHES, Io!

times, as if there certainly was a singing school, and
each was striving to see how long he could sing, and
how great a variety of notes he could utter.

Those who are confined to the house can profit-
ably spend days and weeks in familiarizing them-
selves with this, the most interesting branch of
natural history. And the price has now become
so reasonable that all who have the taste — and
who has not ?—can have it gratified. A ten-dollar
bill will purchase a brass cage, and four or five small
birds or finches. Before America was blessed with an
assortment of these pets, our own loved poet, Bryant,
MhOre——

“ And thou wert still a hope, a love ;
Still longed for, never seen.”

During the past five years there has been a per-
fect revolution in the bird trade; and Bryant’s wish
has been more than realized, for at any well-kept
bird store large family cages can be seen, and their
occupants, —

“ Birds from every clime.”

Among the various finches we will describe such
ones as are usually first selected.

ST. HELENA WAXBILL. AVADAVAT.

“These musicians excel in their wonderful art :
They have compass of voice, and the gamut by heart.”
Tue AvapavaT. — This little well-known beauty
comes to us in great numbers. ‘They are natives of
China, Asia, Africa, and India. Their plumage is
beautiful ; and, unlike most other birds, they change
plumage yearly until the third year. At this time,
the head and under part of the body are a fiery red
tinged with black, the back brown, tail black, wings
a reddish brown; all the feathers are tipped with
white, giving the bird the appearance of being
speckled with white spots; beak red, the upper
mandible on the top being almost black.

“ A little bird sang on the tree ;
His song was joyous, glad, and gay.”
THE Gray-BLuE Fincu.— This bird has a song

that seems a mixture of the canaries’ and bobo-
102

THE ORANGE-CHEEK WAXBILL. 103

links’, but very much finer than either of these much-
admired birds.

Me Sounds. ave sweet airs: that give delight.”

He will mate and rear his young in the aviary, ad-
hering to the tropical spring month,— November,
— raising beautiful young birds in our mid-winter.

THE SILVER-BILL, or Quaker bird, has a pretty
warbling song, and will often dance upon the perch,
as if keeping time to his melody. When kept in
couples, they are very affectionate, and devote the
greater part of their time to caressing each other.

“ And hear the sound of music sweet,
From birds among the bowers.”

THE ORANGE- CHEEK WAXBILL is a beautiful,
smooth little bird, always as neat as possible, with
every feather in its place, vermilion beak, gray head,
neck and throat brown.

THE ZEBRA, or orange- breast waxbill, is quite
small, but very pleasing; and, as he is scarcely
three inches long, he is considered desirable.

THE CHESTNUT FINCH is another choice bird, and
one which will speedily become a favorite. The
whole body is of a rich chestnut-brown, both above
and below ; the upper and under tail coverts white,
and the tail black.

Tue Macrre Fincn is one of the little beauties
with a bottle-green head, brownish back, white

104 JAPANESE NUN.

throat and breast, always neat and trim, and a
songster.

“From perch to perch the magpie hops,
And chirrups as he flies.”

|

Nuns, both black and white capped, often called |
African manikins, are a really beautiful bird, their |
white head forming a rich contrast with the choco- —
late brown and black bodies. An aviary is hardly
complete without one of each.

JAPANESE NuNns are a beautiful combination of
the purest white, intermingled with the much ad-
mired cinnamon color. These pets, being bred in
cages, are very tame, of a quiet disposition, and
sing so merrily that you would think two songs were
striving for united utterance.

“There’s a concert, a concert of gladness and glee ;

The programme is rich, and the tickets are free.”

Not less beautiful are the brown and white, and
yellow and white, charming pets that they are, and
with which you would not part.

THE Corpon BLUE, native of Africa, or, as some
call this well-known finch, crimson-ear waxbill, is
one of great beauty. The male has a soft, pleasing
song, and is usually to be heard cooing, as if for —
his own amusement. This little fellow has a pe- »
culiar habit of singing with a bit of twine, or some-
thing which he can hold, in his bill. If he can find
a piece of cotton, or a stalk of any kind, he will
hop about his cage, and sing to his utmost.

JAPANESE NUN. CORDON BLUE FINCH.

“Thou hast no sorrow in thy song,
No winter in thy year.”

THE CuT-THROAT SPARROW, a native of Africa,
sometimes called “fascinated finch,” is about half
the size of the canary. He is of a delicate grayish-
fawn color, spangled with white spots.

“Come, little bird, and live with me,
You shall be happy, light, and free.”

THE ST. HELENA WaxBi.t. — This finch comes to
us from Africa in great numbers ; and, being com-
paratively well known, our description will be brief.
The beak, a bright red resembling sealing-wax, a
darker shade of same passing through each eye;
also a dash of same on under part of the body: the

prevailing color of the plumage is a grayish-brown,
105,

106 THE DIAMOND SPARROW.

the wings and tail being a shade darker; all the
feathers have transverse blackish wavy lines all over
them, giving them a very soft and silken appear-
ace.

THE DIAMOND SPARROW, or “ spotted-sided finch,”
a native of Australia, is a short, stout bird, some-
what larger than the St. Helena waxbill. The un-
der part of the body is white, and the sides under
the wings quite black, with oblong white spots.
They have the utmost desire to catch flies ; and, if
allowed the liberty of a room, will rush to the win-
dow, and remain by the hour catching them. They
can be made remarkably tame, and can be trusted
without their cage.

THE Frre FIncH bears a strong resemblance to
the avadavat at certain seasons of the year. He
is somewhat larger, but has little song, being kept
particularly for beauty and cheerful disposition.

THE SAFFRON FINCH is in many respects similar
to the canary, though not quite as large. In point
of color, however, the finch is more desirable, as
the shades are of brighter tints.

“The tropic sunshine from his golden wings.”

The above comprise a variety of the family of
fiuches. There are, however, very many others,
which can be obtained at any well-kept bird store.

They should be fed upon millet-seed, and given a
bath daily ; care should be taken that they are kept
li. a warm room, and, if possible, in the warm rays

FINCHES, THEIR CARE. 107

of the sun. Cayenne pepper, sprinkled on the sand
in the bottom of the cage twice a week, will be
found beneficial. They are fond of the sun, and
delight to bask in its warmth. Their ailments are
very few, and these few are about the same as those
of the canary and other seed-eating birds ; for treat-
ment of which see article on canary. Care must be
taken not to leave them exposed to cold draughts
or the dampness of the night air. With the above
precautions, all these birds can be kept in the aviary
for many years.

So far as possible in a volume of this size, the
description of finches will be found complete.
These birds are all suitable for the aviary ; but the
following birds can be placed with them by those
who desire to make a more extended collection:
canary, goldfinch, linnet, bulfinch, chaffinch, siskin,
American goldfinch, indigo bird, nonpareil, song
sparrow, Java sparrow, Australian paroquets, love
birds, mountain finch, rose bunting, Virginia night-
ingale, rose-breast grosbeak, Brazilian cardinal,
sparrow, and many others. Of course the bird
family, like all others, is liable to domestic troubles.
Sometimes a bird of certain species will become
troublesome, and destroy the quiet and happiness
of the entire family. When such one is found, he
should be taken out, and exchanged at a first-class
bird-store for another of his kind: by this means
the aviary will become a model of quietness and
harmony.

108 BIRD-SEED.

BIRD-SEED. — Very few persons are aware how
much a bird’s health, and consequently its song,
depends upon the selection of seed. There are}
as many qualities or grades of canary-seed as |
there are qualities or grades of flour. Js al] flour |
alike? XE it is, then all seed is alike. The qual!
ity of canary-seed is usually based by dealers in seed |
upon the price per bushel, — it varying from $6.7 5
to $8.00 at present writing (Jan, 1875). The very }
best seed is the

Sicity Canary. — It is a very plump and heavy-
feeling seed, and is extremely palatable to the bird.
A sample of this seed— enough to last one bira
two months —will be sent by mail, prepaid, on re-
ceipt of twenty-five cents.

THE GERMAN SUMMER RaPE-SEED is excellent for
birds, and should always be given them. It is their
only food in Germany, where they are reared, and, |
being of a very cooling nature, will always keep the }
bird in excellent condition ; though, if fed on this_
exclusively, he will not sing as much as if his
seed were mixed with canary, — the canary giving the
bird life and animation. A PACKAGE OF CLEAR >
RAPE, or rape and canary mixed, will be sent the
same as the clear canary, and at same price. The
next seed which is used, and often by persons en-
tirely ignorant of its nature, is

HEmMP-SEED. — This is a very rich, oily, sweet seed,
and very much loved by birds of every species.
When mixed with other seeds, the bird never fails”
to scatter all other around the room, searching

'
:

rar

BIRD-—SEED. 109

tor this dainty morsel, and, so long as he has one
seed, will not taste either rape or canary. This,
being the richest of all seed, should be fed very
sparingly. If the bird is in health and song, never
give hemp ; for it only fattens, and, if constantly fed,
will ruin the song. Occasionally a bird seems deli
cate, and is a very small eater: in such a case give
a few hemp, — and only a few, unless the bird be
a long breed, in which case give about a thimble-
ful, zo¢ oftener than twice a week. Goldfinches and
siskins are fed upon

MAW-SEED, sometimes called poppy. These two lit-
tle climbing birds have very soft bills, —that is, the
young birds,—and it is with difficulty that they
crack rape and canary seed, unless it has been previ-
ously soaked, until the birds are at least two years old.
All birds are great lovers of maw-seed ; and it must
be fed sparingly; for, being a powerful opiate,
they will feed upon it until they drop from the
perch from its intoxicating effect. The few birds
that require this seed, besides the preceding, are the
bulfinch, canary, and occasionally some other seed
eating bird ; for which see Treatment of Birds. The
next seed used is called

Pappy, —unhulled or rough rice. This seed is fed
to most of the seed-eating birds of the rice-fields of
the Southern States, and also those that come from
China, Java, or in fact from any part of the world
that rice is grown. All of the family of grosbeaks
are particularly fond of it, as is also the Java spar-
row and rice bird. ur native bobolirk is not

IIo BIRD—SEED.

averse to a bountiful supply ; but, with the feeding |
of this in any quantity, his vocal powers are ruined —
For the family of finches,

MILLET-SEED is used exclusively. It is the size’
and color of mustard-seed, very sweet; and birds
thrive remarkably well upon it, though many of them)
will also eat readily of rape and canary seed. This)
seed, being nutritious, can be fed to any seed-eating ;
bird, and without detriment to them. The only)
other food required is

CRACKED Corn and cracked wheat. This is fed’
principally to macaws, parrots, paroquets (of the:
larger species), cockadillos, cockatoos, lories, &c._
The corn, being of a heating nature, should only be.
given in small quantities. |

By the present postal laws, seed can be sent.
safely through the mail; and all orders intrusted_
to us will be filled with the very best quality, and |
the largest possible amount forwarded for the money
sent.

To those living remote from a bird-store, and de-
siring one of “God’s joyous warblers,” it is with
pleasure ‘that we here state that they can be safely |
sent by express to any part of the United States o1
Canadas. All any party need do is to give an orde!
to an express company, accompanying the same
with a five-dollar bill, — this is very important to the
express company, — and for this sum he will procure
you a first-class singing canary. I am aware that
many people are reluctant to trust a bird to the
supposed rough handling of an expressman. The

TRANSPORTING BIRDS. III

expressman may handle a trunk roughly, and throw
packages around in’ a careless manner, but not
the little innocent bird.

Could you but see, as the author has so many,
many times, on a cold, bleak winter’s day, an ex-
press-messenger, clad in an ordinary under coat,
drive to the store door, and take from his wagon a
package of birds closely wrapped in his overcoat, re-
marking as he placed the package within the door,
“T could not bear, Mr. Holden, to see the little
things suffer such a terrible day as this.” Or had
you been with the author one stormy night last
winter, when coming eastward from New York
by steamer, upon which was a large shipment of
birds in charge of the Adams Express Company, you
might have seen the messenger, on arriving at Fall
River, carry the package with the utmost care inco
the cars, and place it near the stove in that part ot
the car usually occupied by himself. The comfort
and safety of these helpless. creatures was to him of
the utmost importance. Having some curiosity, I
asked him why he was so particular about the package,
he replied, without knowing to whom he was speak-
ing, “ Ah, sir, I love those little birds! they can-
not take care of themselves, and God knows my first
duty is to them.” A call at the office of the coin
pany revealed the fact, that the messenger was Mr.
David Crowley, one of the three survivors of the
fated ‘ Lexington,” which was burned in 1842. The
large bird importing houses have shipped nearly
half a million birds; and this immense number

112 TAMING AND ‘TRAINING.

without any loss worthy of mention. If our ex:
perience is worth any thing, do not hesitate to
order; for the express company will always pur-
chase at the point nearest your residence, and get
them to you with as little exposure as possible.

Almost all fanciers take a delight in having their
birds so tame that they will not only take their food
from the hand, but will readily-fly to, and remain
with, the person from whom they daily receive atten
tion. When wild birds are first caught and placed
in a cage, it is not well to begin at once upon their
education. It requires some little time for them to
become accustomed to their new mode of life: the
change of food, together with a diminishing of their
usual exercise, so changes the fluids that the bird is
not in a healthy condition, and is therefore wholly
unfit for mental training.

There are some birds which seem thoroughly in- —

capable of learning the important fact, that their at-
tendant is their friend. When it is discovered that
such is the nature of the bird in hand, it is as well
to give up all hopes of attaining favorable results.
Patience will, however, accomplish much ; and it is
best to give a long and careful trial before pronoun-
cing final judgment. Young birds can be taught
more easily than old ones. Yet with siskins, gold-

finches, Java sparrows, and chaffinches almost any ~
age will answer. One of the best ways to teach a

bird to fly and return, or to go out of doors perched

upon the finger or shoulder, is first to tease it with a —

soft feather in its cage, leaving the door open. The

TAMING AND TRAINING. 113

bird at first will appear frightened, but, on finding
that no harm is intended, will peck at the feather,
which should be quickly withdrawn. The bird, soon
thinking that it has mastered the feather, thereby
gains confidence, and will peck at the finger: soon
it will come out of its cage, and perch upon the
hand. A few choice morsels should be laid down for
it; and in this way it will soon learn to eat from the
hand itself. The bird should then be made ac-
quainted with some call, which should invariably
be used whenever the training is going on; after a
short time the bird can be placed upon the shoulder,
and carried from one room to another, care being
taken to close the windows and outside doors. In
this way it will speedily become accustomed to being
handled, and can be allowed to fly about the room,
inviting it to return by the previously-arranged call
or whistle. As soon as it attends to the call with-
out appearing nervous or frightened, itcan be taken
into the open air, and gradually accustomed to being
carried abroad without its offering to fly.

Adult birds should not be ‘carried into the open
air in the spring or in pairing time ; for at this season
of the year they show indications of resuming -heir
native wildness. A siskin, goldfinch, or canary can
easily be tamed by cutting away more or less of the
inner web of the pinion-feathers, care being taken
that the bird shall have sufficient power to fly from
the hand without injury. The nostrils are then
smeared with any essential oil, — bergamot is as good

as any, — which will render it partially insensible for a

IIl4 TAMING AND TRAINING.

time. It should then be placed upon a finger, and —
changed from one to another. It may fly a few

times, but should be brought back, and kept upor.

the hand until the effects of the oil have wholly

passed away, when the bird, finding no harm is in

tended, will sit quietly. A few crushed hemp-seeds —

should be given for its good behavior, and the above
repeated from day to day until a satisfactory result
is obtained. Hunger will speedily teach a bird to
take food from the hand. Place it ina small cage, —

one that has a door large enough for the hand to pass ©

through, — then remove allfood. In a few hours try

putting a seed-dish into the cage with your hand: if

the bird flutters wildly about, and refuses to accept
your offering, remove your dish, and wait a few hours
longer. You will not be compelled to remain long
in suspense, for two or three trials will generally

Se < aha veto

effect a good result. After food has been accepted —

from the dish, try your hand; and as soon as you
have convinced your pupil that only from you can
food be procured, and to you, and you only, must he
look for all his goodies, a friendship will be formed
which he will not be first to break. Birds that are
desired to be tame should be talked to and made
of: they should be placed upon your writing-table,
and every now and again a little notice taken of
them. It is surprising how speedily these little

fellows will learn the difference between neglect and ~

attention. Some of the best birds which have been

placed on exhibition have been those owned by —

tailors and shoemakers, who, owing to the nature

TAMING AND TRAINING. 115

of their business, could keep their feathered pupils
constantly with them.

Thus far I have spoken only of taming these
“little dewdrops.” They are capable of still greater
things, and can, with little or no coercion, be taught
to perform many amusing tricks. The goldfinch
and siskin may be taught to fire off small cannon,
to imitate death, to draw up their food and water in a
little bucket. The apparatus consists of two lines
of broad, soft leather, in which there are four holes,
through which their feet and wings are passed, and
the ends are held together beneath the belly bya
ring, to which is attached a delicate chain that sup-
ports the buckets containing the food and drink.
A bird thus equipped will draw up the chain by its
beak, retaining the draw links by its feet, and thus
succeeds in obtaining what he wishes. A cage can
be made with a bay-window, in the floor of which
have a hole: across this place a narrow bridge of
wood, to which attach a small chain or piece of cord
to hold the bucket, which should be about the size
of athimble. By drawing up the bucket filled with
water, and letting the bird drink, then lowering it
and pulling it part way up, he will soon acquire the
habit of working at it. And, by gradually leaving
a longer and longer length of chain between the
bridge and the bucket, the bird will soon discover
that he must pull the chain up into the cage, and
hold it after it is there ; and he readily comprehends
the necessity of holding the chain with his foot. As
soon as this is done, his education is complete.

116 TAMING AND TRAINING.

Birds which are taught in this way never forget, and
are always unhappy if out of their cage. Care
should be taken to see that the working of the ap-
paratus is not hard, and that it is always in order,
otherwise a serious result might follow. A chain
attached to a little wagon may be drawn into the
cage and held in the same manner; and the bird
may be taught to ring a bell by suspending it in a
corner of the cage, and leaving him without seed
until he is hungry, pulling the string attached to it
and ringing it, and putting some favorite food into
the glass. He Will soon discover, that, whenever the
bell rings, he gets his food, and will seize the string
and ring it whenever he is hungry.

A few words of advice to those about purchas-
ing a bird. All lovers of birds desire one with
beautiful plumage, as well as one gifted with exqui-
site powers of song. There are times when it is
impossible to secure both advantages in one bird,
and, when this should be the case, always select the
bird for his beauty of song, never for plumage. In
visiting a bird-store to make a purchase, — perhaps
your first one, —if the dealer has a large stock, and
there is an incessant singing, it is almost an im-
possibility for any person to select just such a bird
as he desires. One that the purchaser may think is
an elegant singer may, after you have him alone,
prove to be only a “twittering” bird, and his song
composed of only six or eight notes. Again, you
may select a bird for a sick friend who desires
something quieting,— something that will sing

TAMING AND TRAINING. II?

“words of comfort for hcurs of sorrow” you may
possibly select just such a bird ; but nine times out of
ten you are liable to select a loud, shrill singer, whose
notes seemingly pierce the brain.

How are you to obtain that which you so muck
desire? You have a friend whose bird just suits
you; but that particular song you cannot by any
possibility select in a bird-store. You have but one
resource left; and that is, your confidence in the
dealer: tell him plainly what you wish; and, if he
has such a bird, you may depend upon his giving it
to you ; for he knows, even better than the purchaser,
just what is required ; and he will strive to please
you, thereby not only gaining your esteem, but also
the patronage of your friends, whom you will as-
suredly send to “your bird-store.”” One source of
great annoyance to a dealer is, after having select-
ed such a bird, for the purchaser to turn to some
other patron (a/ways a perfect stranger) and ask his
or her opinion of the bird, and then take the advice
of a person whom they never saw before, and proba-
bly will never see again, and select a bird which
the dealer knows is not what is desired, and in a
few days —a week at furthest — return to exchange
it; when, by taking the dealer’s first selection, and
holding no conversation with a stranger whose
knowledge of a bird may have been as profound as
the bird’s knowledge of him or her, thereby causing
a “little unpleasantness ” between dealer and patron,
which was as needless as it was unnecessary.

‘Many persons have an idea that a bird with cleay

118 TAMING AND TRAINING.

yellow feathers is the best singer, while others main
tain that those with dark-green feathers are the best,
and yet others think that a mottled bird is the
best singer; and many times it is hard to convince
people otherwise. Upon inquiry, we find these ideas
usually based upon the fact, that a friend of theirs
once had a bird such and such a color, and it was
a very fine singer, and they have been repeatedly
told, that that colored bird was the best singer. To
those who labor under this delusion we will simply
state, that there are birds of every color that are in-
ferior singers, and also those of every color that are
very superior singers. The fact is, a bird’s feath-
ers have no more to do with his song than a lady’s
dress has to do with her voice. If a lady cannot
sing with a plain dress, I doubt very much whether

a moire trimmed with real lace would give her that |

much-wished-for accomplishment. In selecting a
cage for a bird, always look first to his comfort,
never forgetting that he is our little caged prisoner,
and our first duty is to make his prison-life happy.
The canary and many other birds will live happily
in a cage of any size or shape; while there are
many birds that must be confined in a flat-top cage ;
others again that must be kept in a cage the top of
which must be of wood. The bird-dealer is always
the best judge of the kind of cage best adapted to
a bird’s requirements ; and, if you follow his advice,
you cannot go amiss. The improvements made in
cages for the comfort of its occupant during the
past three years have been very many ; and, in mak-

oe

BIRD-CAGES. 119

ing these improvements, style also has been consult-
ed. We have the beautiful moresque, the Chinese
pagoda, the Swiss cottage, the mansard, gothic, and
in fact styles after every order of architecture, and
many of them are very beautiful, and certainly
pleasing to the eye. A bird’s comfort, however,
should be consulted a little, never forgetting that
he is your caged prisoner; and your first thought
always must be to make his prison life happy.
Very few who own a

“Little dewdrop of celestial melody ”

give a moment’s thought to the fact that many of the
song-birds require vastly different cages. A canary
will pour forth his chant in any cage in which
you place him. ‘True, he loves a large cage, and
will fly from one end to the other for joy. He will
even take a bath several times a day if the oppor-
tunity is given him, and plume his feathers times
without number. All this he will do, as well as eat,
and sing occasionally. Should you keep such a
bird for a pet, such a cage would answer every pur-
pose: if you keep the bird for his song, then he
must be kept in a small cage.

Owners of feathered songsters must have ob-
served that many of them constantly flutter their
wings, and look up as if about to fly upwards ; others
again look up, and turn their heads backwards, until
you think they will fall backward, which they
sometimes do. Did it ever occur to the owner of
such a bird that he was not in a suitable cage? fo1

I20 TRAPPING BIRDS.

such is the fact. To those who have not studied this
branch of natural history, and buy for the first time a
bird and cage, always take the bird-dealer’s advice as
regards the cage. Your bird will then sing readily,
remain quiet, and not fly as if afraid of his life, and
ruin his plumage the first day that you possess him.

TRAPPING Brrps. — Bird-dealers are constantly re,
ceiving orders and calls for “ bird-lime.” ‘This article
is made from the inside bark of the holly,—a tree
almost unknown in this country, though very plentiful
in England. A substitute for this can be made by
boiling linseed-oil away to about one-third the quan-
tity you start with. It is a very dangerous operation,
and should never be done in a house, its explosive
qualities being fully equal to gunpowder. It will make
a very strong bird-lime, and hold any small bird that
lights upon a twig that has been smeared with it.
Unless, however, the trapper is near at hand to remove
the bird at once, he becomes besmeared all over his
body and wings ; and it is almost impossible to remove
it until the bird moults, thereby, for the time being,
ruining the sale of it. A far better way is with a TRAP-
CAGE, and a bird for a caller; and, if you can obtain
a blind bird, he will sit quietly, and call all day long,
and many, very many more birds can be taken than
if the bird had his sight.

WrapPInG Birps.— There are very many people
who think that a bird will “smother” if covered up
closely. Such, however, is not the case. A dealer
knows better than any one else possibly can. And,
if the purchaser would only remain quiet until the

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WRAPPING BIRDS. P21

package was ready to deliver, he or she would always
discover that the last thing done was to make a few
small holes in the top to let out the hot air, but by
no means let in cold; if so, a bird would assuredly
catch cold. And lastly, I will say to all who now own
birds, or ever expect to, that all they require is suit-
able seed, as you have been informed in the body of
this work, clean water for drinking and bathing daily,
gravel-paper or sand on the bottom of the cage, a
little green stuff or sweet apple once in three or four
weeks, — not oftener, — and nothing else.

Topacco SMOKE is not, as many suppose, injurious
to birds. A little occasionally is beneficial.

TO CLEAN A BRASS, SILVER, OR GOLD PLATED CAGE,
always wash with a sponge or piece of old towel, using
clear cold water, and wipe dry. The surface of these
cages being varnished, if hot water is used, they will
have the appearance of being spattered with milk,
which can never be removed. If they are scoured
the same as brass-ware ordinarily is, the varnish will
be removed, and the cage commence to corrode, and
require polishing daily.

SILVER PLATED AND Brass CaceEs can be refinished
in two days, and made in appearance equal to new.
Cages are refinished in silver for $2.00; in brass,
$1.00.

SEEDS, FOODS, AND. MEDICINES:

TuE health and song of birds depend on the quality of seeds and foods:

I sell only the best.
PER QT.

Seed, canary, sicily; best quality, cleam <1)... °< sa). hues: aero
rape, German/summier, best’ quality, icleany .°\-7o. 90) a) >a eee

‘© millet, domestic, cs oy ee her OF Fh oe
ig se French, me : . aw olor ta at a
“ce maw, “c “ « i he 125
‘« padda, or unhulled rice, “‘ sf % 5. yt. gel Gleia gie oleae nen

hemp, Russian, o A rs

canary, rape, equal parts, mixed for Canaries - - - . - . . «20

*. Jcracked), corm .0: 5) gar eee
‘¢ hemp, cracked corn, a nid SH aWeE. meee ae Daseiia 55, IO
Ants’ egos i 2 ° Sore Se RS a Petree Ne ey ea
Maw-meal occ. (eh del oee ew) SOR ete’ A ee

Packages of seeds, ants’ eggs, or maw-meal, will be sent by mail, on receipt
of 25 cents or 50 cents; largest packages, $1 00. Fresh seeds of the best
quality can thus always be promptly had.

Cuttle-bone, large. =... 5.404)" Gas.) seach; Soloss bymgalee cos
Meal-worms . . . . . per dozen .o5; per hundred, .40; by mail, so
ood, prepared, either moist, ready for use, or dry, requiring grated

KAW GanrOtpe: ett. be Ua AS Js ee od eye DG nea
ood, moist in bottles, or Sagat in pages Peay ry Mea «spa peers Set eS

“e

moist or dry, packages by mail”. 3) 7. = 1 51) ier saromonenco
Red food, for coloring Canaries red. . . . per box, $1.00; by mail, 1.12
Graveliceves om a. ey +.» » \pint box, -o5; {quatre box.) 10
Gunning’s Tonic, a liquid not ipmadeee to tone up weak birds . . . .25
Holden’s Song Restorer, a nourishing food» - - - - + + by mail, .25
Bird Treat, or Appetizer’, 2). 25s ss, « per package, Dy many eee
Lime, to use in catching birds ... . . . . per box, .25; by mail, ©.a5

Holden’s Bird-Cures, carefully prepared after a long experience in the care
of all kinds of birds, are recommended for birds which are out of song,
either because they are sick, or are infested with vermin. We put these
powders up in suitable form for mailing, and send them to any address, with
full directions for use with each package, postage prepaid, for .25 per pack-
age; or five packages of Cures or Insect Powder, $1.00. The whole seven
are sent on receipt of $1.40.

Holden’s Bird-Cure No. 1 For Diarrhcea.
- ne No.2 . ‘* Constipation.
“sf BS No. 3 ** Debility.
sé cc No. 4 ** Cold or Moulting.
ss oe No. 5 “Asthma, or Loss of Voice.
“ # No.6 . ‘** Sore Feet.
oe oe No. 7. German Powder, for Insects.

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as a ore

a

GH. HOLDEN; BIRD IMPORTER:

240 Sixth Avenue (near 15th St.), NEW YORK, N. Y.
9 Bowdoin Square : : BOSTON, MASS.
100 Lake St. (near Dearborn St.), CHICAGO, ILL.

HOLDEN'S LIST CF BIRDS, CAGES, ETC.

My birds can be bought from me only in the above stores.

No pedlers or agents are employed; any one representing himself as
such is a swindler.

Birds and cages are sent everywhere safely by express.

Money can be sent by bank-draft, by money orders which can be had of the
Iexpress companies, by Post-Office order, or in a registered letter. Postage-
stamps are accepted for any article sold for $1 00 or less,

GUARANTIES. — Birds, cages, seeds, etc., are guaranteed best quality.

Special orders are taken for all kinds of rare birds.

German male Canaries, guaranteed to sing to suit, each $2.50 to $3.00
St. Andreasberg Canaries, trained singers, each $5.00 to $6.00
Campanini Canaries, fine grade singers, _ each $8.00, $12.00, $15.00
Be a best, imported to order eacl $25.00, $40,00, $50.c0
Canary-bird, English, red, singer, each $8.00, $10.00 to $12.00
Females, red each $4 00 to $5.00
Canary-birds, Gold or Silver Spangled Lizard, singers, each $10.00 to $15.00
Females, same kind, each $5.00 to $8 oo
Canary-birds from Norwich, Eng., large, deep golden, high green, and
fancy colors, each $4.00, 6.00, and $8.00
Females from Norwich, each $2.00, $3.00 to $5.00

Canary-birds, Manchester Coppy, the largest breed of canary singers,
each $10.00 to $15.00

Females, same kind, each $8.00 to $10.00
Canary-birds, Scotch Fancy, singers, each $10.00 to $15.00
Females, same kind, each $8.00 to $10.00
Cinnamon Canary, in perfect color and song each $5.00, $6.00, and $8.00
Females, same kind, — each $2.00, $3.00 to $4.00
Canary-birds, olive-green or golden-brown, singers, each $5.00
All female Canaries of the ordinary colors, each $1.00
High-colored females, deep gold or olive-green, each $3.00 to $5.00
Canary that pipes a tune, each $50.00 to $150.00

The above prices for males and females apply to the German birds and
the English birds, all imported, which are the finest songsters.
Long-Breed Canaries, sometimes called Belgium or Antwerp birds,

males or females each $5.00, $8.00 to $10.00
The above prices refer to imported stock.
Half Long-Breed Canaries, domestic, male or female, each $4.00 to $8.00

Special orders are taken for finest Campanini canary singers, extra large
Manchesters or other prize canaries, and extra piping bullfinches.

123

124 G. H. HOLDEN’S

Bullfinch, unlearned,

on that pipes one tune,

a € ** two tunes,

se phrasing, echo songs, etc,
Black-Cap Warbler,
Blackbird,

a that pipes one tune,
Brazilian Cardinal,

5 wy a very choice songster,
Goldfinch,

< a very choice songster,
Goldfinch Mule,

ce “ce

a very choice songster,

“ce “c “cc “ec “ee

Chaffinch,
Japanese Robin or Pekin Nightingale,
Java Sparrows,

“ec ce

Sky-Larks,

“e

Wood-Lark,

“ec

white,
choice songsters,

choice songsters,
Linnet, Gray or Brown,

“ec “ “e

choice songsters,
‘* Green,

Ce ** choice songsters,
Nightingale, English or German,

re choice songsters,

Siskin,
Starling,

Je that pipes one tune,

Talking Minor, or Musical Grakle, young,

es ‘* well trained,

Troopial,
Thrush,
‘* choice songsters,

PRICE-LIST,

each $3.00 to $5.00

each $15.00 to $25.00

each $40.00, $50.00, $60.00
each $75.00, $100.00, $150.00
each $5.00 to $6.00

each $8.00

each $25.00 to $40.00

each $5.00

$8.00

each $2.00

$3.50 to $5.00

each $5.00 to $8.00

$10.00

and high colored or clear white,

each $10.00 to $20.00
each $2.00 to $3.00
each $6.00 to $7.00
each $1.50 to $2.00
each $5.00

each $4.00 to $5.00
each $6.00 to $10.00
each $5.00 to $8.00
each $15.00

each, $2.00

each $3.50 to $5.00
each $3.00

each $5.00

each $10.00 to $20.00
each $25.00

each $1.50 to $2.00
each $5.00 to $8.00
each $20.00 to $40.00
each $20.00 to $25.00

each $50.00, $100.00, $150.00

each $8.00 to $10.00
each $8.00
each $10.00 to $15.00

All the above are imported birds; and the highest prices quoted should
purchase the choicest bird of its kind in any part of America.
The following birds are suitable for the aviary: Avadavat or Amandaya,

Bishop Finch, Banded Finch, Cordon Bluefinch, Cut-throat Finch, Celestial
Finch, Cuba Finch, Diamond Sparrow, Fire-finch, Fascinated Finch, Indian
Sparrow, Indian Silver-bill, Clear White Japanese Nuns, Brown and White or
Cinnamon and White Japanese Nuns, the Little Doctor, Magpie Finch,
Napoleon Finch, Negro, Nun (both black and white capped) Quaker Finch,
Rockhampton Finch, Strawberry Finch, Spotted-sided Finch, Saffron
Finch, St. Helena Waxbill, Spice Birds.

The preceding birds range in price from $2.00 to $5.00 each, and are im-
ported from Europe, Asia, and Africa.

G. H. HOLDEN’S PRICE-LIST. 125

Paroquets, Australian,
as Red Face Love Bird,

pair, $6.00 to $8.00
pair, $7.00 to $8.00

S other kinds, each $2.00 to $5.00
Parrots, African, Gray (young birds), each $12.00 to $20.00
if ss +°) Mtalkers; each $25.00 to $75.00

fe se ‘* extra fine talkers, each $100.00, $200.00, and $300.00

‘© Double-yellow Head, young,

each $15.00 to $20.00

& “ aC “talkers, each $40.00, $50.00, $100.00, $200.00

«© Half-yellow Head are about 25 per cent less.

each $12.00, $15.00, $20.00, $35.00
each $7.00, $8.00, and $10.00
each $4.00, $5.00, and $6.00

* Blue Front,
sé Maracaibo,
+ Cuban,
= Dwarf, tame and learn to talk,
Bobolink (wild),
ss in song,
Cardinal Bird or Virginia Nightingale,
Scarlet Tanager,
Grosbeak, rose-breasted (wild),
ce in song,
Indigo Bird (wild),
me “¢ in song,
Linnets, red (wild),
“ in song,
Mocking-Birds (nestling),
Ke «one-year-old, in song.
«f «two-year-old choice songsters,
Nonpareils,
Robins (American),
iG Golden,
sf Redbreast, European,
Red Bird or Virginia Nightingale,

Yellow Birds (American Goldfinch),

Enamelled Cages, with patent doors and fastenings,

Mocking-Bird Food (box or bottle),
Ants’ Eggs, half pint,
Gravel-paper,

each $3.00 to $10.00
each $1.00 to $1.50
each $2.00 to $3.00
each $3.00 to $5.00
each $3.00 to $5.00
each $3.50 to $5.00
each $5.00 to $8.00
each $1.50

each $3.00 to $5.00
each $1.00

each $2.00 to $3.00
each $3.50 to $5.00
each $10.00 to $15.00
each $20.00 to $50.00
each $3.00 to $5.00
each $3.00 to $5.00
each $3.00 to $5.00
each $3.50 to $5.00
each $3.50 to $5.00
each 75 cts. to $2 00

each 50 cts. to $3 0a

40 cts.; by mail, 50 cts.

by mail, 25 cts.

12 sheets, 25 cts.; by mail, 37 cts.

Lovers of birds, living remote from our large cities, and desirous of ob-
taining any article pertaining to birds and cages, can procure the best quality

from me at the lowest rates.

hao G: cH. HOLDEN S: 'PRICE-LIST,

All cage measurements are from wire to wire.

The following list of prices refers to chart at end of book: —
t Price each.
A Brass Cage, diameterof body, 6 in... 9%. 5) ye) -ahoemy

No. roo. Bae oP *§ ue Ee op ee. ie ei.
sp i = sy 9) a, Wiel, «! oe) ee
“ec ce ce ce L KE

“ tor, cs M ie = 2 ; - a ely San let anna ee

ee hee RE ee a

E02; Bia oe 3 eS by Senne Mee iV kar ES

(Ope rt cf e QS as eee ee eee

TOs. dy = A g 8" 5s Wee cktan eee

SOA: se ‘C= bady, 7a X 10s x 134 high’). ena eee
AUeats = oe 3x of x 124 “! very strong. . 1.00 9m
Se EOS: Bes e = XL ML Ree fe ae ctoo ‘
(CAD es i AS ere oe TOR oe ae es " i eee Bares

AS aRes S t 62 x ox x 12. “* “with drawer oeues
ES foo B “ “<c “ce 7 xIO X 12h “ce “é “ . 1.75 i
Se wATOT), < f° ce 74 X: OF X 135.“ VS eae :
SS TOSs Hy “3 CSS of x 13' «<*> withrdrawenw) aes :
Se nag. ve fe eC RO nee Loaner a se 3:25
SRG so) se od 8. eto: xar4e SF ke eet See ees ;
ares oo ss s 8. xro, x 144 “* withidrawer® 2 s:50eueee
pi do + a fe 1g) ix. Tox Kg ee
coors. S a “9 x1ogx 14, “ withdrawers 0394 ;
“c 114. “é ‘6 “< 73 x 93 x 15 “ “ “ . 3.50 fl
mE Saitek, “ “ ‘ 8i x rh x 16 “ ‘c & . 375 {
“+36, “ “<“ ‘< 9 x 103 x ae ce “ . 3.50
“gle i 1 5 3 oR R12. XH 75 “So Si Ss
sours, sf “ 9b k 12° 416 “1. Aen
LEG. 5 : “« 9 x1r4-x16 “with drawer... 425.8
“ce 120. ce “e ce 9 x 11k x 16 “ ce ce 4 4.50
ce I2t. “ ce “ 9 x 12 x 15% “ “ce ce t 4.50
cea: es oe “rok x 13x 183 “* for breeding 5-57.00
DS ees f * «7 x134x22 =“ wheel forcanary 6.0co
cee LOA ee rs se" rr8 x14k x17, ‘for Bullfincheess. s5i0e
Seurmnan S Se se 1 x 133-x 164.“ for Paroquctsime.e pmo
Kee ee As © ee “ 144 x20 x21 ‘ for Mocking-Bird 9.00 |
Be se “144 x 234 x23 “* for Mocking-Bird 10.00 4
fiAcae' ne “431 x 161x183} “ for Cardinal . . 8.50 |

“107, J Bisse: = “14h x 20 x 214 ‘* for Mocking-Bird 12,00

x 234 x 234 “* for Mocking-Bird 13.00

GC ce a9 << 143
Ls “¢ s “14h x3: x24 “ for Mocking-Bird 16.00
s¢ 128. Brass Banded Cage, strong, for Parrot. Vinned wires, heavy
zinc base; the best low-price cage made; diameter 12 inches,

$2.50;. 13 in., $3.00; 14 in., $4:003 254 in. ) se oe ee

Pe oe een ee eee one e Cee oe

G. H. HOLDEN’S PRICE-LIST. 127

No. 129. Brass base, body, iron, 14 x 17 x 24 in. high, for Parrot . . $7.00

SS) 4130 ee (Cage, 15 inches diameter, for barrot 02) astern Oe5O
pe Toe. fs “« body, 15 x18 255 in. high, for Parrot\ = 2). 9.50
ree, ( A Brass Cage, body, 15 x 18 x 21 high, for Parrot . . . 10,00

Bio KY UO My eso) Sie oieisiqinee hs Gelman hs or ce ey DEEOO
Seas « *s Le pe epee 260s" 8. **) Cockatoo (Apr sgn

134. Parrot Stand, 3 feet 6 in. high, iron foot, $6.00; brass foot . 7.00
be ‘¢ 3, feet ro inches high, $9.50; with swing . . I1.00
136. Cover, fits stands 134, 135, all brass, with door . . . . . 6,00

Dwarf Parrot Stand, brass, $5.00; cover, $2.00; complete . 7.00
137. Brass Cage, body, 64 x 9} x 124 high, for 4 small birds . . 2.25

eee of se So satelite giire os Care) a Papi e eo ua olen Fabs shes AZOO
CaRE os s SP TOR RLS) CXAL Ge wh le TOPs Shy Cater Ee OO
( A Brass Cage, body, 13 x 16 x 19 high, for 16 small birds 10.00

“ 40, 2 Bruce a cine ERO Kao TK: Onames Pon OGL kS NOS | sireisioye)
Cee ss SS MaTAR SRE ODS UXe Owe, a. Don yas «* 18.00

lb “ce “ec cc 20x 29 x 32 “se ce 40 ce “ce 35.00

Revolving wheel inside B,C, or D, extra, $3.50; dome, extra, $4 00
No. 141. Iron Cage for Chip, for Red, for Gray, Squirrel, $3.00, $4.00, $5.00

ers A Brass Cage, body, 15 x 18 x 21 high, for Squirrel . . 10.00
0) so whee lsiee mer scent, OO

143. Tinned wire, wood frame, sizes 8 x 10 to13 x 24 . $1.40 to 3.00
| A Same material, for breeding, body 9x16 in., $1.50; rox18 in. 2 004

Br: <e Spi 5 8 ai

cf EAA Byes a ef i “* t1 x 20 “* two doors, best size 2.50
Gigs “ S a ‘72x22 “* “ . “ two nests, 3.00
raat te * Mocking-Bird, body 11 x 21 in. . . 3.00
of ala. Broce ss ve #y Sele 3 Sen IN a) aah a 3250
Care Mi Be ie extra quality . $4.00 and 5.00

These Mocking-Bird Cages for Cardinals, Mocking-Birds, and Thrushes,
have large cups on revolving holders. Cups are filled from the outside.
No. 146. Trap, 7-x 7, $0.80; 8 x 8, $1.35; 9 x 9, $1.60; 9 x 9, 2 traps, $2.00
** 147. Lark Cage, revolving half circle for sod, wood frame . . . 3.00
148. Mouse Cage, 5 sizes; $0.75, $1.00, $1.50, $2.00 . . . . 3.00
149. Spring perch for Canary, a bird’s delight, by mail . . . . .25

. 2056." brass sprmc for hanging-cage, by mail <0) i. oe Le he DG
“ asr. Brass cham, 2 yard, ro cents; 1 yard, by mail . ... ., 2 .20
SS ae8. Brass hook, for hanging cage; by mail... > 3 1) 6/8) 05

153. Brass Seed Fenders, to fit any canary cage, each 50 cents;
wider and heavier, to fit Cardinal, Mocking, or Parrot
cages, $1.00 and $1.50; to fit Parrot Stand . . . . . 2,00
I send 1 quart any seed, 1 bath tub, 12 sheets gravel paper, 1 hook to pro.
ject cage, 1 yard brass chain, and 1 brass spring, 6 articles, for $1.00.
Brass cages are guaranteed best quality; any canary cage silver-plated for
$2.00; other cages, according to size, plated for $3.00 to $5.00.
For any article mentioned in this book, address George H. Holden, Bird
Importer, Chicago, IIl., Boston, Mass., or New York, N. Y.

THEE WSw Bote

HOLDEN’S
Canaries and Cage Birds,

By GEORGE H. HOLDEN.

A practical book for bird owners. The latest and best facts regarding
the food, care, breeding and diseases of cage birds. 375
large pages, 6% x11 inches. 12 elegant full-page
colored plates. 150 engravings of birds

and cages. Handsomely bound
in cloth. /

PRICE, $2.00.
Sent Prepaid on Receipt of Price.

**Tt will doubtless be in the hands of everybody who has a genuine fondnesi
for these pets.”— Boston Saturday Evening Gazette.

‘““The book is very creditable to the author, who is well known to nearly
every person interested in raising birds in New England.”—Boston Herald.

‘*Out of the treasures of a large experience, Mr. Holden has prepared a boo]
which will prove helpful to all who keep and rear birds.” —New York Tribune.

Address,
GEORGE H. HOLDEN, Bird Importer,

240 Sixth Avenue, New York, N. Y.
(Between 15th and 16th Streets.)

9 Bowdoin Square, Boston, Mass.
100 Lake Street, Chicago, Ill.

(Near Dearborn Street.)

H. A DAACICN

DEALER IN

SEEDS AND BULB®
410 West Fourteenth Street - NEW YORK.

Only First Quality Bird Seed and Bird Food.
German Song Restorer, ‘ 4

Dr. Brehm’s Bird Tonic, for Sick Binds.
Flower, Garden, Field and Grass Seeds.

CATALOGUES FREE UPON APPLICATION.

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“OD Haye INIOESO

40 Sixth Ave., New York, N.Y. 9 Bowdoin §q., Boston, Mass.
| 100 Lake Street (near Dearborn Street), Chicago, Il.

CL PRICES AT

Folilen’s Bir

BIRD SEED.

IF YOU WANT BIRD SEED FREE FROM

DIRT, GRAVEL, AND MOV‘ES,

ASK YOUR GROCER OR DRUGGIST FOR

McALLISTER’S.

This seed is carefully selected best quality of canary, Ger-
man rape, and imported millet seeds, and is put up fresh in
one-pound boxes.

IF YOUR BIRD HAS LOST HIS VOICE,

SHEPPARD'S SONG RESTORER, OR TREAT,

Is an invigorating tonic that is sure to get the bird into song
again.

SUPERIOR PREPARED

MOCKING-BIRD FOOD

FOR

Mocking-birds, Thrushes, Blackbirds,
Robins, Nightingales, Skylarks,

AND ALL SOFT-BILL BIRDS.

This preparation is the purest, healthiest, and cheapest
bird-food known, its ingredients approximating closely to
the food of birds in their natural state; and its use in al!
cases causes a marked improvement in their song and ap-
pearance.

FOR SALE BY ALL DRUGGISTS AND AT ALL BIRD STORES.

Ata es

McALLISTEHR,

DEALER IN

FPLOWGR AND Soe S¢GepD, Etc:

2a Dey Street ~

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