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Feathered Pets.
A TREATISE ON

The Food, Breeding and Care of

Canaries, Parrots,
And Other Cage Birds,
BY

CM A 3 . N. PAGE.

PUBLISHED

BY T H E A U T H O R ,

D E S MOINES, I O W A ,

Entered according to act of Congress, in the year 1898,
By CHAS. N. PAGE,
in the Office of the Librarian of Congress at Washington.

PREFACE.

T

HE pleasure of keeping feathered pets is frequently lessened by
the lack of a practical book on the subject, which can be readily referred to when in doubt as to the best manner of caring
for them. When it is considered that there are probably two million cage birds kept as pets, by the people of this country, the importance of such a book will be appreciated. Before undertaking
this work, the writer traveled many thousands of miles, and talked
with many of the most prominent bird breeders and keepers, and
this book has been prepared, with great care, from our own experience and that of many of the leading fanciers in this country and
Europe, and is intended to answer the many questions which are
daily being asked. The subjects have been treated in a concise
manner, and the most valuable, reliable information which we
could obtain from our large library, has been condensed and put in
plain language, for the reader, all useless matter and information
about birds, not ordinarily kept, being omitted. If we can assist
the reader to better appreciate and care for God's most beautiful
creations, the birds, we shall be satisfied.
"They join in a concert of gladness and glee,
The programme is rich and the tickets are jree."

mmmymmM
COMBINATION B I R D CAGE A N D A Q U A B I U M .

(Described*on Page 24.)

THE LOVE OF BIRDS.
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.
— Wotdsworth.

Who can help loving the birds as we watch
their cheerful actions, jumping from branch to
branch or winging their flight from tree to tree,
and listen to their pleasant twittering and to
their wild bursts of song when it seems as
though they could not restrain their joy.
Their beautiful melody brightens the heart of
everyone, and makes life happier for us all,
Dull, indeed, is the mind and finer sensibilities
of the person who can consider the birds without appreciating them, or who will wantonly
destroy these heavenly warblers that God has
placed here as companions for us, to lead our
thoughts to the Creator as the bird ascends
with so little apparent effort from the sordid
affairs of earth to revel in the freedom of the
blue ether above.
When a child how greatly we have enjoyed
wandering in the woodland, meadow, or even
through a large field of hazel brush which lay
not far distant from our homeA examining the
many curious vegetable formations, and beautiful, although common, wild flowers which
appeared at various seasons from the earliest
Spring Beauty and Violet to the late fall
flowers.
We like to live close to nature and the pleasure of these rambles was not a little enhanced

6

FEATHERED PETS.

by the song of the birds and watching their
peculiar habits of life. Their movements are
so unlike those of other live creatures, even
when they are on the ground.
Notice how
some of them go with a series of quick jumps
or hops, raising the wings slightly to help themselves along; others take a rapid run without
using the wings and with their body held so
closely as to have an appearance of sliding
along. Then again, there are those which use
the feet but little, and fly from place to place,
even though it be but a few inches.
Then what a pleasure it is to discover a bird's
nest, often in the most peculiar or unexpected
place. Examine the workmanship and see how
skillfully these master weavers have manufactured the nest of twigs, dry grass, hair, an occasional piece of twine, cloth or other "pick
ups," and how nicely it is lined, so as to make
a soft bed for the delicate bodies of the young
birds, which are forthcoming. A few days later
we creep up cautiously and find several beautifully colored, or perhaps spotted, eggs in the
nest, and, still later, we are delighted to find
that "our birds" (we call them ours by this time)
have come out of their shells and have their
widely extended mouths, which seem larger
than their heads had ought to be, making nature's first call for food.
How closely we examine them without daring to touch them "for
fear they will break," as the boy was with the
new baby. Once or twice a day, thereafter, we
visit the nest, in spite of the loud scoldings of
the parent birds, until finally we find the nest
empty and the young birds flown away to hunt
mates and set up housekeeping for themselves.

FEATHERED PETS.

7

After learning to enjoy the birds in their
native habitat, it is not surprising that we
should desire to transfer some choice songster
to a cage in our own home where we may enjoy
watching it more closely and have the lull
benefit of its tuneful melody constantly.
Trapped birds, however, seldom prove satisfactory, as they are not accustomed to confinement and are discontented, longing for their
freedom. They frequently refuse to sing or
eat and finally die of, shall we say, homesickness. By taking birds from the nest before
they can fly and rearing them by hand this
trouble may be partially overcome and the
bird taught to really enjoy his cage home, as
is the case with Mocking-Birds, Cardinals, Nonpareils, Parrots, etc., which are seldom bred in
captivity.
As this book is devoted to a description of
the various birds usually kept as cage or house
birds, and to a statement of the best manner of
caring for them so as to keep them in health,
we shall say very little of birds in their wild
state. For most of us lovers of birds it is not
enough to see and hear the songsters in the
woodland or even among the trees on our own
lawns, but we want more than this, we want to
possess them and 1o call them ours. It must
be my mocking-bird or canary which wakens
the household with his joyous warbling; my
parrot who makes funny remarks to callers or
to the boys on the street, and rrutf avairy of
finches which by their beautiful colors and
charming actions delight every beholder, and
that "brightest yellow canary that I ever saw,"
is one that I raised, and its golden yellow color

8

FEATHERED PETS.

was imparted by my skill in breeding and feeding.
It should always be borne in mind, that in
keeping pets of any kind, we take on ourselves
the responsibility for their comfort, health and
happiness, and it is a crime to neglect them, or
to remain in wilful ignorance of their wants and
thereby allow them to suffer and die. It is
equally cruel to liberate a canary, or other bird
of the same nature, which has been bred in captivity, and knows nothing of providing for its
own wants and can find no such food as it has
been accustomed to. If you release a lark or
nightingale, they seem to be glad to get away
and to have the free use of their wings, and
speed away exulting in their freedom, but with
a canary the case is different, the poor bird does
not know where to get nor how to procure its
food. It has no idea how to obtain its food, but
sits bewildered on the branch of some tree and
frequently perishes from hunger, or falls an easy
prey to some stray cat, or other animal, or dies
from the effects of some storm or cold weather,
in spite of the mistaken kindness of .their former owner. The very color of the canary prevents its obtaining food like other birds. When
a canary is released you will soon see the other
small birds gather round it and they seem to be
absurdly jealous, and will not let it feed, even if
they do not kill or injure it by their attacks.
The curiosity and jealousy of small birds may
be easily shown, and also some amusement secured, by fastening a scarlet cloth on the tail of
a sparrow, and watching the antics of the other
birds around it. As canaries are more largely
kept in the homes than any other birds, we shall

FEATHERED PETS.

devote much of our space to them, but most
other small, seed eating birds will thrive on the
same care.

THE VOICE OF BIRDS.
" Little dew-drops of celestial

melody."

Who can help enjoying the song of birds;
from the earliest robin in the spring until late
in the fall the woods and fields ring with their
melody, beginning with the lark in the earliest
morning hours and closing with the Nightingale's evening song.
Each species of birds has its own peculiar
notes which distinguish them from all other
animals. They are undoubtedly the means
which they have of communicating with each
other, and their various notes are understood
by birds of their own species. This language
of birds is little understood by human beings,
and still who can fail to instantly recognize the
cry of alarm which arises from fear of some
impending evil, and it is true that such cries
of the smallest song bird are recognized by
other species of birds as well as by the ordinary
barn fowl, and they look around and take
alarm at once, and we, therefore, know that
they have to some extent a common language.
That this language may be in part learned by

10

FEATHERED PETS.

other birds is also known to us. That matchless songster, the mocking-bird, imitates the
song of every other bird, and the canary is
readily taught the notes of the lark and nightingale.
The song of birds, however, is usually expressive of love or pleasure. The canary will sing
best when in a cage near his mate. The male
bird is always the best singer, and uses his song
to attract the attention or win the love of the
female. Unless regularly taught, birds usually
sing without regard to any particular order of
song, but carol out their low notes intermixed
with louder ones. The female birds do not usually sing, because their larnyx is shaped somewhat differently, and is not as muscular as the
male's. In the same species of birds you will
notice a great variety in tones, for instance, with
canaries, some birds seem to have a soprano
voice, others are tenor or contralto, but any bird
having a pure, soft, clear voice, is valued.
By
training, the compass of the bird's voice is
greatly increased, so that with a high grade St.
Andreasberg Roller canary, or Campanini canary, their voice ranges over several octaves.
Birds are quick to notice any noise, whether
of loud speaking, or especially of instrumental
music, and this will frequently excite them to
sing, while in their native habitat, it more frequently has the contrary effect, it being then
the means of scaring them. Some birds, like
the nightingalp, sing only during the pairing
time or hatching season, while others, such as
the canary or goldfinch, sing throughout the
year, except during the moulting season, and a
few continue their song at that time also.

FEATHERED PETS.

11

Almost any variety of song birds may be
taught to change their song by taking them
from the nest and whistling or playing instrumental music to them for a short time each
day. Most kinds of birds have a certain time
of the day when they prefer to sing, but this
changes with the individual. Canaries may
readily be taught to sing during the evening.
An explanation of the manner of teaching
them will be found under the heading of
canaries. Wild mocking-birds have been
known to sing all night on moonlight nights.
Birds have been taught to begin their song at
a motion of the hand, or when their owner
snapped his fingers at them, or at some peculiar whistle. Syme divides the song of birds
into six separate sounds: First, the call note
of the male in the spring; second* the loud,
clear, and fierce notes of defiance; third, the
soft, tender, full, melodious love warble; fourth,
the notes of fear or alarm when danger
approaches the nest; fifth, the note of alarm
or war-cry, when a bird of prey appears; sixth,
the note the parent birds utter to their brood,
and the chirp or note of the young, all of which
he considers as intelligible only to the birds of
the same species. Under this heading we will
say nothing about the voice of parrots, magpies, or other talking birds, as that subject will
be referred to more fully under another heading, but we cannot refrain here to repeat a
story of an English lark which we find in an
English publication.
The skylark is one of the best songsters of
England and English people everywhere are
very fond of these birds. As you are doubtless

12

FEATHERED PETS.

aware, there is no such thing as a song bird
natural to Australia; there are birds that chatter, birds that shriek, but no birds that sing.
Among the many emigrants to the Australian
gold regions, was a young Englishman, who
started a store in the gold section, about two
hundred miles from Melbourne. He was quite
prosperous, and, like a dutiful son, wrote home
for his father and mother to come and live with
him, and, if they possibly could, to bring with
them a lark. A lark was procured, and, in due
time, the old folks and their feathered charge
took ship and departed from England. The old
man, however, took the voyage so much to heart
that he died, but the woman and the lark arrived
in sound health at Melbourne, and were speedily
forwarded to Mr. Wilsted's store at The Ovens.
It was on Tuesday, when they arrived, and
the next morning the lark was hung outside the
tent, and at once commenced piping up. The
effect was electric. Sturdy diggers, big men
with hairy faces and great, brown hands, paused
in the midst of their work and listened reverently. Drunken, brutal diggers left unfinished
the blasphemous sentence, and looked bewildered and ashamed.
Far and near, the news
spread like lightning. "Have you heard the
lark? . Is it true, mate, that there is a real English lark up at Jack Wilsted's?"
So it went on for four days, and then came
Sunday morning. Such a sight had not been
seen since the first spadeful of the golden
earth was turned. From every quarter, east,
west, north, and south, from far o^ff hills and
creeks twenty miles away, came a steady concourse of great rough Englishmen, all brushed

FEATHERED PETS.

13

and washed as decent as possible. The movement was by no means preconcerted, as was
evident from the half ashamed expression of
every man's face. There they were, however,
and their errand was to hear the lark. Nor
were they disappointed. There perched in his
wood and iron pulpit was the little minister,
and, as though aware of the importance of the
task before him, he plumed his crest, and,
lifting up his voice sung them a sermon infinitely more effective than the bishop himself
could have preached. It was a wonderful sight
to see that three or four hundred men, some
reclining on the ground, some sitting with their
arms oh their knees and their heads on their
hands, some leaning against the trees with their
eyes closed, so that they might the better fancy
themselves at home and in the midst of
English fields once more; but sitting, standing,
or lying, all were equally quiet and attentive,
and when after an hour's steady preaching, the
lark left off, and his audience soberly started
off a little low spirited, perhaps, but on the
whole much happier than when they came.
"I say, Joe," one digger was heard to say to
another, "do you think that Wilsted would sell
him, the bird, you know; I'll give as much golddust for him as he weighs, and think him
cheap."
"Sell him, be blowed!" was the indignant
response. "How would you like a feller to
come to our village at home and make a bid
for our parson?"

MODES OF CAPTURE.
Aside from the canary, there are but few
kinds of birds that can profitably be bred in
captivity. By far the best time to secure a wild
bird for caging is to take it from the nest.
It
requires considerable care to watch the nests so
as to capture the bird just before they learn to
fly, as, if taken earlier, they are very liable to
die soon after being captured. After the birds
have learned to fly, it is much more difficult to
capture them, and they are not easily tamed.

If a bird is trapped when quite young they soon
become used to* cage life, and some consider
them more hardy than nestlings. In the northern statesthere are but few birds which it is
desirable to cage, and we do not like to encourage the practice of trapping birds, as we consider it cruel, and still there are some who demand the information in a bird book, and we
therefore insert it. The trap cage most used in
this country is shown by the accompanying
(14)

FEATHERED PETS.

15

illustration.
In the center part of the cage,
which is made of wire, a live bird is placed.
The cage is set in such a manner that when
another bird alights on the flies, which are made
of twine netting, they close quickly and entrap
the wild bird. The old "figure four" trap, which
all country boys know how to make, and which
is in use every winter for catching rabbits, can
be arranged so as to capture birds.
Another trap which is easily handled by
boys is readily provided by obtaining a large,
round sieve, and supporting it with a stick six or
eight inches long, to the center of which is tied
a string, the other end being held by the person who has charge of the trap. Under the
sieve should be placed a few seeds or crumbs,
which will attract the bird, and when it is under
the center of the trap, pull the string and the
sieve will fall over him. There are many other
styles of traps used, or which can readily be
devised by an ingenious lad, as well as the flying nets • used by professional bird catchers.
These bird catchers usually conceal themselves
in some nook near a brook or pond which the
birds frequent, and frequently use a trained
bird to attract the wild ones. The best success
in trapping birds is usually had from early
morning until the middle of the forenoon. In
the southern states where mocking-birds and
redbirds are trapped in great numbers, nooses
are made of horse hair or some small twine.
Bird-limeJs also used quite largely, but care
should be exercised in using it, or it will soon
become smeared over the feathers of the bird,
thus rendering them quite unsalable and spoiling their value as a cage bird until after they

16

FEATHERED PETS.

moult. This bird-lime is smeared on twigs or
branches of trees immediately over some place
where birds go for water.
The preparation usually kept for sale by bird
dealers under this name is prepared by boiling
the inner bark of the white holly until it forms
a thick, mucilaginous paste, but a preparation
of equal value may be made by boiling linseed
oil down to about one-third its original quantity. This should be done out doors, as when
the oil is reduced in this way it is highly inflamable. When a bird alights upon one of the
twigs smeared with bird-lime he sticks fast until
released by his captor, and if not taken off at
once he is liable to flutter himself to death in
the same way that the fly does when entrapped
by fly paper.
After the bird is captured the utmost care
should be taken to provide it with food which
is suitable for it. Some birds will eat without
hesitation, as soon as taken from the trap,
almost anything which is given them, and seem
to take to cage life. Other birds, however, are
much frightened and refuse to eat anything at
first, but if supplied with food and left to themselves without being bothered or looked at,
they will soon begin eating and their fright will
gradually wear off.
Everyone likes to have their birds tame so
that they will take iood from the hand and fly
to the side of the cage when their owner appears, or even come out on the hand when the
cage door is open. Some persons seem to be
friendly with every living creature, and birds
take freely to them. With others it requires

FEATHERED PETS.

17

weeks and even months before the bird shows
itself friendly.
The one secret in taming is to move slowly
around the cage in putting in seed, water, cleaning the cage or handling it in any other way.
Move with a steady motion and avoid any
quick, hurried actions which might frighten the
bird. This is especially the case with parrots.
Anyone exercising this care can handle birds
without fear of their biting them, but if they
poke at the bird with their finger or move suddenly the bird will resent it as an attack.
After the birds are trapped their manner of
life in the cage differs so greatly from that when
they were in the wild state, and they have so
much less exercise and different food, that they
usually show some signs of sickness. This is
noticed when birds are taken from one part of
the country to another. They feel the effects
of the change of air and water just the same as
a human being.
Any bird which has been bred in captivity
or taken from the nest when young is readily
tamed, but frequently bird fanciers find that it
is impossible to tame the trapped birds, especially if they are a year or more old. A young
bird, like a youngs dog, will learn quicker than
an old one.
The age of birds in captivity depends largely
upon the care bestowed upon them. There are
a number of instances of parrots living one
hundred years or more, and one Macaw parrot
owned by a royal family of Europe is said to
be over two hundred years of age. Canaries
frequently live to, be fifteen or even twenty
years old, and one lady writes me that she

18

FEATHERED PETS.

has a canary which she knows to be twenty-two
years old, and he seems as lively and sings as
well as ever. Goldfinches and other varieties
of finches live about twenty to twenty-five
years. Mocking-birds about fifteen years.
Should a pet bird escape from its cage do
not delay trying to capture it. Sometimes an
empty cage hung out, or what is better, placed
on a white sheet or bed spread on the ground
will attract the bird's attention and he will enter
it to get food or water. If the bird has a mate
it may be hung out in a double cage, the door
of the vacant section being left open. Sometimes he will alight on the cage to roost at
nightfall. If still loose it is well 9 as twilight
approaches to throw open the windows and
brilliantly light up one room in which his cage
is placed in such a location that it can easily be
seen from without. Mosquito netting stretched
loosely over a hoop or large wire loop may in
some cases be used effectively.
" Gome little bird and live with me,
You shall be happy, blithe aud free;
You shall be all the world to me,
Come, birdy, come and share your glee."

SELECTING AND BUYING.
Many of our readers are doubtless located far
from any large city, where there are good reliable bird stores, and they are therefore obliged
to depend on ordering their birds to be shipped
to them by express.
It is very important, indeed, to select a dealer on whom you can depend implicitly. We are acquainted with many
dealers, in various parts of the United States,
as well as with some in foreign countries, and
there is as much difference in the character of
the man in this business as in any other.
The
trade offers many chances for dishonesty and
misrepresentation and there are dealers who
make it a rule to take advantage of their customers, expecting to sell to the same person
only once. There are others who are strictly
honorable and will do as they would be done
by, believing that it pays better, from a financial
standpoint, as well as from any other. You can
usually form an opinion of the character of the
the dealer by his circulars and letters, or you
can refer to banks or express offices for information, if you are not fully satisfied.
Where it is convenient to do so it is always
best to go to some good bird store and devote
sufficient time in selecting a bird so that you
will be fully satisfied. Always, select a song
bird for beauty of song, and not for its handsome plumage alone; or if you are purchasing a
young mocking-bird or other bird which is not
(19)

20

FEATHERED PETS.

yet in song, pick out a bird which has smooth
plumage, looks healthy, examining particularly
its feet, and it is also well to see that it is not
very wild or scarey. We desire especially to
warn our readers against purchasing canaries,
parrots or other birds from bird peddlers. If
our readers could accompany us to the stores
they would readily see the reason for this warning. Even the most careful bird importers will
occasionally get birds which are not up to grade
or which are unhealthy, wild, or otherwise objectionable. It is always difficult to dispose of
such birds, and it is from such stock that the
bird peddler makes his purchases. The birds
purchased are given strong, invigorating medicines, which make them look bright for a few
days, but the effect of the medicine soon wears
off and the birds then show their true condition,
much to the discomfiture of the buyer who has
been imposed on.
These fakirs also frequently color the birds,
thus giving them fancy plumage.
Wild Yellow birds, or so-called American
canaries, are captured and put in the small
import cages and sold as German birds. Not
one out of a dozen will ever sing, but as they
can be trapped and handled at about 25 cents
apiece they make a very handsome profit for
the bird peddler. Large Mexican Paroquets,
which cannot be taught to talk, and are considered valueless by bird dealers, can be purchased at very low prices, and they are sold by
bird peddlers as young Mexican parrots, and
can of course be sold at a lower price than
good Mexican parrots are ever offered at. The
bird peddlers also purchase trapped Mexican

FEATHERED PETS.

21

Yellow-head Parrots at 10 cents to $i each,
and sell them at somewhat lower prices than
good nestling parrots, can be purchased. The
peddler guarantees these birds fully in every
imaginable respect, but his guaranty is valueless, as he is entirely irresponsible.
It costs no more to feed and care for a good
bird than a poors one, and it pays much better
to have a bird which you will always be satisfied with, and as a rule, you cannot obtain such
a bird except from a responsible bird dealer.
Birds mav be safely shipped to all parts of
the United States, and we have known of their
being six days in transit and arriving in perfect
condition. A canary in its Wooden shipping
cage weighs only about one pound, and although
the express companies insist on double rates,
still it costs but little more to ship 2,000 miles
than twenty-five miles. The cage should always
be wrapped with strong paper, leaving small
holes on one side only, for ventilation. A
sponge should be put in the water cup, unless
the shipping cup, invented by the writer, is
used. The water cannot be spilled out of it.
Beside the pleasant window swings
My happy pet canary;
He answers to my call, and sings
With voice so loud and merry.
A prisoner? No; just hear his voice
Ring out its gay, glad story;
The brass cage is a royal home,
He loves to sing its glory.

CAGE LIFE AND CARE.
In their native home birds have an unbounded
space for their enjoyment, but with caged birds
we must give them such space as will be suited to
their needs, without inconveniencing the owner.
There are comparatively few bird fanciers who
can afford to fit up a room as an aviary, especially for their birds, but when this can be done
it is quite desirable, and birds will usually
thrive better in such an open place, but they
will not sing as well as when confined to smaller
space, where they have nothing to entertain or
occupy them but their song.
The old style cages were usually made of soft
wood and these cages were used exclusively for
several hundred years. It was found, however,
that the insects would congregate in the joints
and this proved to be very injurious to the birds,
though it could be remedied by dipping the cage
for several hours in water, and after drying, oil
thoroughly, taking special care to soak it into
the joints.
Not many years ago the painted
wire cages came into use and thev are still sold
largely, in country towns and by the department
stores, in large cities, where people go to look
for bargains. These cages are better than the
old fashioned wooden ones and some of them
are quite prettily painted, but unless the cage is
thoroughly japanned and dried in a high heat,
this paint scales off and is apt to be eaten by
the bird, with very injurious effect.
(22)

FEATHERED PETS.

23

The best cages are now made of brass wire,
thoroughly lacquered to prevent tarnishing.
They are not only better for the birds in every
respect, but are handsome, and the cost has
now been so greatly reduced by the improved
machinery for their manufacture that the price
is very little more than that charged for an
ordinary painted wire cage. Our illustration
shows the most popular style, and thousands of

IDEAL BRASS BIRD CAGE.

these cages are sold by leading bird dealers
throughout the country, and large numbers ^f
them are shipped to Europe and all parts of
the civilized world, America being known as
the best manufacturer of goods in this line.
There are many hundreds of styles and sizes of
cages, the most popular for the singing canary
being about seven inches wide, ten inches long
and about the same height. This cage is amply
large for a singing canary, though there are

24

FEATHERED PETS.

many bird fanciers who use one six by nine
inches, and others who use a cage fully double
this size, thinking that it gives their bird more
exercise. The best improvement which has
been, added to the cage during the past few
years is the wire screen around the bottom,
which is intended to prevent seed being scattered. This screen, or fender as it is often
called, is usually made of brass cloth. Some
of the manufacturers have the cage door above
this fender; others have it cut in the fender.

ADJUSTABLE BRASS CAGE FENDER.

If you already have a cage you can buy an adjustable brass fender which can easily be made
to fit any size cage if the seed cups do not extend
too far from the cage; or the ordinary brass wire
cloth can be purchased and cut to proper
length and you can readily fit it around the
cage. A very pretty substitute can be made of
tarlatan, with a drawing string at the top which
will go around the middle of the cage, the bottom being tied with a ribbon under the cage.
The ingenuity of man has been exercised for
years past to add to the beauty, convenience and
attractiveness of bird houses One quite pretty
cage brought out a few years ago has a fish
globe on top of the cage with a hollowed center, thus allowing the bird to come up into the
dome, so that by looking through the fish globe

FEATHERED PETS.

25

it looks as if he was standing on a perch in the
center of the water. These cages are not popular, however, as they are quite expensive, and
the glass being of such peculiar shape it is
liable to crack from variations in temperature.
See illustration on page 4.
Square cages are now used almost exclusively in place of the round ones which were
so popular twenty years ago, but as one author
has well stated: "The shape of your bird house
is quite a matter of taste. Its size is a matter
of principle. The larger the dwelling, the less
music you will in all probability get out of its
occupant. He will think more about skipping
and jumping than singing, and in short he
will pay more attention to his own amusement than to yours. But on the other hand,
who wants a bird to be singing from morning
till night. You may depend what you lose in
quantity you gain in quality, and in my opinion
it can't be wrong to allow to caged birds the use
of their limbs in return for the music of their
throats."
For young birds which have just been taken
from the breeding room, many breeders prepare
a cage covered with mosquito netting in place
of wires, thinking that this better protects the
birds from flies and insects and is also softer for
them to fly against. Not many years ago glass
cages were in use in England
They were
bright and gay, being formed frequently into
minature palaces, but where made with solid
glass sides they soon proved to be injurious to
the birds, owing to lack of ventilation, and if
spun together with glass rods they were very
breakable and also very expensive.
In Germany, where most of the canaries are bred, the

26

FEATHERED PETS.

cages for them are manufactured by the children of the peasants, out of fir-wood. These
cages are about six inches long, four inches
wide and six inches high, with a feed box at
one end and a small earthen drinking cup at the
other. The peasants receive about three cents
each for making these cages.
The birds are
shipped in these cages across the ocean and
usually remain in them until sold by the dealers

LARGE BRASS AVIAKY CAGE.

in this country. They sing much better, however, when transferred to larger cages. Breeding cages will be mentioned more fully under
the head.of breeding canaries.
Aviary cages are now becoming quite popular and why should they not? There is nothing

FEATHERED PETS.

27

which will attract more interest or excite more
admiration than a large aviary cage containing a variety of birds* The illustration
shown herewith represents one of the latest
styles. The cage is about twenty-four inches
in length, fifteen inches in width, and twentysix inches high, or with dome, it has a total
height of thirty-eight inches. This cage will
accommodate twenty to thirty birds, and one,
which the writer now has, containing twentysix birds, would attract the attention of any
beholder. It has also a revolving wheel, which
moves whenever the birds light on the perches.
The following birds are well adapted to live
together in an aviary: Goldfinches, Linnets,
Bullfinches, Chaffinches, Siskins, Nonpareils,
Indigos, Shell Paroquets, Java Sparrows, Nuns,
Weaver Birds, Nutmeg Finches, Cut-throat
Finches, Strawberry Finches, Zebra Finches and
female Canaries. We would not put male
canaries in with the other birds, as they are apt
to fight with other singing birds.
Persons who can afford to fit up a room
especially far an aviary, or to partition off a
portion of their conservatory for this purpose,
can easily make a beautiful spot of it and will
be delighted with the study of their feathered
pets. A few spruce or other varieties of evergreen trees which have flat, spreading branches,
may be arranged in such a room, and are quite
showy. The writer has fixed up one room with
a hickory tree in the center, and the birds seem
to like it even better than the evergreen. A
tree several feet high and well branched can
easily be cut off and tacked in place in the
center of the room. The room selected for

28

FEATHERED PETS.

the aviary should have a sunny aspect and be
free from drafts during cold weather. It should
be arranged to heat it either from your residence or by means of a gas or oil stove surrounded by wire netting so that the birds
cannot fly against it. Sand should be used on
the floor of the aviary as well as on the floor of
all kinds of bird cages, or regularly prepared
bird gravel is much better than the sand, but,
if it is not obtainable, coarse, well washed sand
will answer.
The floor of the cage should be kept scrupulously clean and the bottom sponged off at

A HANDY PEHCH SCRAPER.

least once a day; and in one of the best and
largest bird stores in the United States they
clean the cages and put in fresh bird gravel
twice a day, and think that it pays them to keep
their birds free from every taint. Perches for
canaries and other birds of: the same size should
be about seven-sixteenths of an inch in diameter. This makes a restful size for the bird's
feet. If the perch is too small the feet become
cramped. They should be made of soft wood
and kept cleanby scraping, but do
not wash.the perches unless they
are thoroughly dried again before putting in the cage, as nothing is more tender about a bird
than its feet.
It helps to amuse and interest
a bird to suspend a small bell or other trinket
in the cage for it to play with.

FEATHERED PETS.

29

If through disease or some accident your
bird dies, be sure to thoroughly soak and clean
the cage, and it is sometimes a good plan to
oil or lacquer it after cleaning. It is difficult
to explain, but birds seem to know when a
death has occurred in the cage, and another
bird will never do well in such a cage unless it
has been thoroughly renovated. In cleaning
the cage always use soft, cold water without
soap, and a soft cloth or sponge. The use of
soap is apt to destroy the lacquer which covers
the brass, and consequently your cage will
turn black. It can be recleaned by the use of
muriatic acid, but this takes off all the lacquer
left on it and it is quite difficult to relacquer a
cage properly. Should you have a brass cage
which needs relacquering it is well to take it to
any factory where they do brass work, such as
a chandelier factory. If your cage is a cheap
one it will pay better to buy a new cage than to
experiment with it, but if it is an expensive
cage and you are not near any factory where
they can attend to this kind of work, you can
obtain lacquer from some bird cage factory and
apply it yourself with a brush after the cage
has been thoroughly cleaned with muriatic acid.
The difficulty in doing this kind of work is to
apply it smoothly to the wires so that it will
not stand in drops.

AIR AND WATER.
"Where shall I hang my bird?" is a question
we frequently hear, and our answer is, place
the bird, if possible, just a trifle higher than
your head, so that he will not be disturbed by
your frequent moving around the room. Put
him where he will have plenty of fresh air
without being in a draft. It does not hurt a
bird to be in the open air any day of the spring,
summer or fall when it is not really chilly, but
it is decidedly harmful to place it before an
open window unless the day is particularly
warm and but little air stirring. There is about
as much injury caused to birds.from hanging
them in such a location as from any other
cause. Singing birds are as susceptible to a
"sore throat" or cold as the ordinary concert
singer or prima donna, and it is frequently more
trouble to cure them. Prevention is always
easier than cure.
Birds enjoy an occasional sun bath and like
to plume their feathers when the sun is shining
on them, but this must not be taken as any
reason to hang a bird which has been accustomed to indoor life out where it has no shelter
from the full rays of the midsummer sun. This
we consider a very cruel practice, but still it is
done thoughtlessly by many bird owners. Any
lady who is skillful with her needle can easily
make a cage awning or parasol, if you will call
it that, for sheltering her bird. It may be
(30)

FEATHERED PETS.

31

stitched at the corners to the cage, or small
weights can be concealed by tassels and hung
at the corners to keep it in place.
Tobacco smoke does not appear to be at all
injurious to birds unless it becomes so dense as
to be suffocating. Gas is very injurious and
weakening, and in rooms where it is burned the
birds should be hung quite low where the air is
purer.
Fresh, pure water should be plentifully supplied to the bird in some dish or receptacle
which can be kept clean. This water vessel
should be washed daily, and if a rusty nail is
placed in it, it is by some considered a means
of keeping the bird in health. The bath dish
should not be neglected.
No boy who is
acquainted with the luxury of a swim will deny
a bath to his feathered pet, and almost all birds
enjoy it. Of course this is always accompanied
by a little splashing, and it is well to remove
the bottom of the cage and put the upper portion containing the bird over the bath dish,
which may be placed on the table covered with
a towel. During the hottest part of the year
let him have his bach every afternoon, and if
possible in the full rays of the sun. In the
winter your bird will not require a bath so
often, but when you consider that the temperature in most of our houses is kept at almost a
summer heat during the winter, you will find
that your bird enjoys his bath at that time
almost as well. Be careful to have the cage
dry and comfortable after the bird has bathed.
The worst objection to the bath is caused by
people who allow the bottom of the cage and the
perches to become wet, and this proves injurious

32

FEATHERED PKTS.

to the bird. We want to give one caution
here, however, and that is never let your female
birds have water to bathe or dabble in while
they are setting.
One of our friends in Kansas writes us that
she has one canary which will not bathe unless
the cage is -set on the table, and another will
only bathe when placed on the floor. It all
depends on the way the bird has been treated
in its younger days. When they get into certain habits they dislike to change from thern.
Some will not use the bath dish when it is more
than half full of water, and much prefer warm
water to cold.

MATING BIRDS.
It is not necessary to make any extended
remarks here on this subject, as the breeding of
all varieties of birds in confinement is quite
difficult except in the case of canaries, and the
subject of breeding canaries will be found
treated fully under another heading. While it
is true that there are a few instances of parrots
being bred in captivity, still it is very rare.
Mocking-birds are also occasionally bred in
captivity, but it requires much care as well as
seclusion, as the mocking-bird is very jealous
of its nest and has been known to destroy the

FEATHERED PETS.

33

entire structure and the eggs contained in
same, and even to kill the young when the
parent birds are disturbed in such a way that
they think the nest is in danger.
Goldfinches,
Linnets, and other finches are occasionally
bred, though they do not do as well bred alone
as when bred with canaries.
Australian Paroquets are about the only kind
of paroquets which breed well in cages, but the
breeding of these little birds is confined almost
exclusively to the Russian peasants.
In breeding birds it is important to have a
dry, airy room and one which can be secluded
from disturbances. Nests and other surroundings should be provided to as nearly resemble
the natural dwelling place of the bird as possible, and plenty of material so that the birds
can manufacture their own nest lining.

NAMES OF BIRDS.
We frequently have inquiries for appropriate
names for canaries, parrots and other birds, and
are glad to suggest here the following names,
hoping that it will be the means of keeping
some of our readers from naming all their
canaries " D i c k " and their parrots "Polly,"
which seems to be an almost universal custom:
Albert, Alfie, Charley, Barney, Robbie, Robin,
Tom, Pedro, Mack, Dickie, Bo-peep, Jimmie,
Jack, Harry, Bobbie, Bennie, Don, Ely, Fred,
Jerry, Butter-cup, v Baby, Pinky, Polly, Belle,
Bessie, Carrie, Nellie, Flora, Topsy, Trudy,
Beauty, Joy, Kittie, Mollie, May, Gladys, Fanny,
Merry, Totty, Daisy, Posy, Katie, Brownie,
Pipp, Dot, Biddie, Emma, Nettie, Jacko, Midget,
Sweetie, Cap, Roxie.

FOOD.
Nothing is more important than the proper
selection of food for your bird
Pure, fresh,
clean food is necessary at all times, and not
only that, but the food must be that which is
best adapted to the needs of the bird
The
digestive organs of birds form them into two
distinct classes: those having cartilagineous
stomachs, covered with very strong muscles,
called the gizzard. With this class of birds the
principal- food is grain and seeds of various
kinds, which require grinding, and nature has
provided that gravel or some similar hard substance is necessary to help them grind their
food and prepare it for digestion. The second
class of birds are those which have membraneous stomachs, resembling that of carnivorous
animals. These birds feed on fish, insects, or
flesh, and the gastric juice assists the action of
the stomach in digesting the food
To the
former class belong most of the birds which are
kept as cage pets, and it is very necessary for
them to have plenty of gravel at all times, as it
takes the place of teeth. While we should try
and make the food of birds in captivity agree
with that which they were accustomed to when
in their natural state, still this is frequently
difficult, if not wholly impossible, for who in
this country can furnish us with the seeds which
birds imported from Africa, India, or Australia,
are accustomed to eat. For this very reason it is
(34)

FEATHERED PETS.

35

advisable to feed a variety of seed so that the
birds can take their choice, being careful to give
them nothing which is objectionable. Some
birds will eat almost everything that is placed
before them, while others which are more delicate refuse to eat when they do not find the
food which they are accustomed to. Canaries,
linnets, siskins and all kinds of finches live
almost exclusively on seed.
Mocking-birds
and other soft-billed birds which are accustomed to eating insects, must have meat food.
This is supplied in regular prepared mockingbird food which any bird dealer can furnish.
All kinds of seed^eating birds will not thrive
on the same kind of seed, nor should seed
necessarily be their exclusive diet. They are
very fond of lettuce or other green stuff, and
also of occasional insects, and the egg food
which is described below is greatly relished by
almost all kinds of birds. Egg paste, such as
we have used for years past and is also used by
most bird fanciers, is made on a small scale as
follows: Boil one egg for twenty-five or thirty
minutes until it is past the state which is usually
considered "hard boiled," and is in such condition that it is readily made into a paste. It
should be grated o'r chopped fine and rubbed
with a knife or spoon until it becomes pastelike, with about the same quantity of cracker
crumbs, to which should be added as much
cayenne pepper as will lay on a dime for seasoning. This should be fed in small quantities
only about once a week to older birds, though
it may be used freely for young ones. Maw
seed and granulated sugar are frequently mixed
with this egg food in small quantities.

36

FEATHERED PETS.

Of the various kinds of seed used for feeding
birds by far the most important is the German
Summer Rape seed. The best grade of this is
imported from Germany where it is grown
exclusively for the birds; and in fact, many of
the German bird fanciers who make a business
of breeding birds, feed no seed aside from this.
St. Andreasberg canaries, which are noted the
world over as the highest grade of songsters,
are fed exclusively on this seed. It is without
doubt one of the best seeds for feeding the
majority of seed-eating birds. It is not as
rich nor fattening as hemp. The seed is small
and of a peculiar dark reddish color, quite similar to turnip seed in general appearance, and
has a mild, somewhat sweet, taste. A large
portion of the rape seed sold in this country is
American grown, most of it being produced in
Wisconsin, but the wholesale groceries and
other dealers who put up large quantities of
bird seed in packages for selling in groceries,
drug stores, etc., use wild mustard seed which
has been cleaned out of flax and can be purchased at about fifty cents per hundred pounds,
whereas pure German Summer Rape is worth
fully ten tirnes that price by the ton. It is
needless to say that this wild mustard is very
injurious to the birds, and it quickly spoils the
song of imported German canaries, though it is
possible for American-bred birds to stand it for
a while, although their voices soon become
harsh and rasping.
Canary seed stands next in importance The
best variety is grown in Sicily. The seed is
plump, well formed, though not quite as large in
size as the Spanish, still it is of better quality.

FEATHERED PETS.

37

It should have a bright lustre, and be clean and
clear from all trash and dirt. Such seed sells
at the highest price on the market, and for this
reason most of the dealers in bird seed use the
cheap Dutch or Smyrma seed, which is very
inferior in every respect. Old canary seed may
be known by the lustreless appearance of the
shell and the honeycombed interior, which is
the work of small insects. Such seed is quite
injurious.
Hemp seed is the richest of all seeds, and
should be regarded more as a dainty than as a
food for most birds; and still it is a fact that
probably two-thirds of the ladies who keep
canaries will feed them a large portion of hemp,
as all birds are as fond of it as children are of
candy. This has a fattening tendency, and
injures the voice. Hemp seed should only be
given to canaries as a treat, three or four seeds
at a time being sufficient, but it should never
be mixed with other bird seeds, as the canary
will waste the other seed in searching for it. It
makes a very good food, however, when
crushed, for the very young canaries, and is a
good food for parrots.
Maw, or blue poppy, is the smallest of all the
seeds used for birds. It is of a peculiar greyish
blue color and should have a clear, fresh, appearance. But little of it should be fed to canaries on account of its stimulating and medicinal
qualities, owing to the large percent of opium
which it contains. Goldfinches are quite fond
of it, however, and it should always be mixed
with their seed.
Of millet seed their are many varieties, the
German millet being small round seed, while

38

FEATHERED PETS.

the French yellow millet is larger and of
peculiar yellow appearance. There is also a
white variety which is used to a limited extent
in some sections. Millet should form apart in
the food of all finches, and may be used to a limited extent for canaries. All birds are very fond
of millet in the head, and it is a good plan to
grow a small quantity of this and save the heads
as soon as ripe, so that they can be put in the
cage during the winter. Millet is the cheapest
of all seeds and is, therefore, mixed largely
in the cheap mixtures.
Padda, or unhulled rice, is the ordinary rice
of commerce before the hulls are removed, and
although it is very hard it forms a strengthening diet. Red birds, parrots and cockatoos are
quite fond of it.
Sunflower seed is the principal seed for parrots, and is also greatly liked by redbirds.
The Russian is the variety most generally used.
It is quite a pleasant tasting seed, and is rich
and oily It is stated that feeding this seed
gives a lustre to the feathers of the bird; and
poultrymen quite frequently purchase it for
feeding their fowls for a few weeks before
poultry shows. Cracked corn, oats and other
grain may be fed to a limited extent; Indeed,
cracked corn is found in most mixtures of
parrot seeds. Through the eastern states buckwheat is also fed largely to parrots and redbirds.
All classes of birds enjoy a change of diet,
and should be given green food occasionally.
Chickweed, lettuce, plantain and fresh fruits
may be fed freely to most birds, but it is best
not to give any juicy, acid fruit to parrots.

FEATHERED PETS.

39

Grated carrot and boiled potato are also relished by most birds, and soft billed birds should
have a frequent supply of flies, grasshoppers,
meal worms, ant eggs and other delicacies. As
meal worms are so constantly required by soft
billed birds, it is a good plan to breed them. A
box or earthen jar half filled with bran or corn
meal with a few strips of burlap sacking or old
flannel buried in it, and twenty-five to fifty
meal worms placed in the midst, will soon
propagate all you nee,d
The jar should be
kept covered with a piece of cloth and occasionally dampened.
Powdered charcoal placed with the bird's
food occasionally, aids its digestion greatly, but
it is necessary to mix it with some kind of soft
food so that they will consume it.
Birds have no teeth and their beaks are made
hard so as to enable them to seize, hold and
divide their food. Most birds live by picking
^g^igggig^^ ^ up small objects such as seeds,
insects, etc., and their sharppointed beak enables them to
do this conveniently as well
as to pick off small pieces of
apple or other food which is
placed near them. Gravel is
sometimes mixed with bird
seeds, but it is not a good
plan. It should always be
l^________?^lBP placed on the bottom of the
~~^
^
cage. There is a great difference in the quality of bird gravel. Some is
made of limestone crushed, and it is very apt
to fuse and dissolve before doing its work. The
best quality of bird gravel is made of a mixture

40

FEATHERED PETS.

of granite and a stone containing mica, which
the particles break off from and leave sharp
and angular at all times instead of wearing off smooth.
A piece of cuttle fish
bone should be kept in
every cage as it is a necessity for all seed eating birds on account of the
salt it contains. The cuttle
bone should not be placed
between the wires of the cage
as the bird is very apt to fly
against it and hurt itself
Cuttle bone can easily be attached by boring two small
holes through it about a half
inch apart. A darning needle
would answer for making
these holes- and the cuttle
bone can then be attached
with a small piece of wire.
Our illustration shows one style of cuttle fish
bone holders.
Birds are singing rouud my window
Tunes the sweetest ever heard,
And I hang ray cage there daily,
But I never catch a bird.
So with thoughts my brain is peopled,
And they sing there all day long;
But they will not fold their pinions
In the little cage of song.
—Stoddard.

DISEASES OF CAGE BIRDS.
It has been frequently asserted that birds in
their natural state are never sick, but this belief
is unfounded, as there are many instances which
are too well authenticated to admit of doubt,
but like all tame animals, birds that are kept in
confinement are exposed to more maladies
than those which live at large. This trouble is
caused largely by want of cleanliness, by lack
of gravel in the cages, and by hanging the cage
in such a location that the bird is in a draft of
air, thus causing it to be affected by cold,
loss of voice, asthma, etc. These maladies
are greatly increased by giving birds various
kinds of delicacies, such as candy, sugar, pastry, etc. In this connection we want to say
that a bird's health and song depend largely
upon the selection of seed or other food for it.
If properly fed and supplied with pure, fresh
water and the cage is regularly cleaned and
kept free from insects, disease will seldom
make its appearance. One of the most frequent causes of trouble is hanging the bird
close to the top of the window with the sash
lowered about a foot, thus causing a strong
draft of air, or putting the cage in a room which
is kept very warm during the day and very cold
at night. If your room is kept at a much lower
temperature at night, be sure to always throw a
cover over the cage.
41)

42

FEATHERED PETS.

When a bird is in good health his appearance
is usually sleek and smooth, with the feathers
lying closely to his body. When you perceive
him sitting dull and stupid and all bunched up,
something is out of order. In this chapter we
refer specially to diseases of canaries and other
seed-eating birds
For parrots and mockingbirds see other headings.
All the remedies which we refer to are common home remedies which will be found in any
household, and can be used at once without
waiting to send to any bird dealer for medicines. There are many patent medicines sold
by bird dealers for the various diseases, and it
is well to keep some of them on hand for emergency. Moulting is a perfectly natural operation and still it is often attended with illness of
various kinds, as the system of the bird seems
to be deranged at that time. During this
period the bird should have extraordinary
good care. Their food should be of great
variety so as to allow them to select that
which they prefer. Avoid giving them sweetmeats, or other heating delicacies which are
injurious. It has been observed that wild
birds always moult at the time when their food
is most abundant. Of course, the nature of the
canary has been somewhat changed by the long
years of breeding this bird in confinement, and
canaries moult at various seasons of the year.
A little hemp seed may be given at this time;
also stale white bread soaked in water, soaked
seed, fresh fruit, and half ripe plantain or other
weed seed which the bird appears to like.
Birds at this time are also quite fond of beet
or carrot root which should be grated or cut in

FEATHERED PETS.

43

small pieces. A little flax seed may be mixed
with the other seed in the cage and small pieces
of beef suet are appreciated by some birds
during this season. Some canarie§ are especially fond of marigold flowers, and they have
medicinal properties which are beneficial to the
bird. One of the best German breeders with
whom we are acquainted makes it a rule to
keep the cage covered and semi-dark for several weeks during moulting season. Cloth is
much better to cover the cage than paper, which
is apt to rattle and alarm the bird. Strong
saffron tea may be put in the cage at this time,
and it is said to have the effect of making the
plumage of canaries more brilliant, as has also
the cayenne pepper food, which will be found
mentioned under another heading. If properly
cared for the birds will soon don their new suit
of bright, fresh feathers, to take the place of
their old suit which was becoming quite ragged
and disreputable. During the moulting season
birds should be frequently fed with the eggpaste described on page 35. This food is a
good thing for canaries at any season and
should be given to them about once a week
when in health, and daily during sickness.
It is also an excellent food for young birds.
During moulting season it is a good plan to
have half an inch or so of dry sand in the bottom of your canary's cage, as frequently they
enjoy dusting themselves in it.
The most common complaint of birds is a
cold. This may be cured by using the egg-paste
above mentioned. A teaspoonful each of rock
candy and glycerine dissolved in a gill of water
with ten or fifteen drops of paregoric added
makes a good cough mixture.

44

FEATHERED PETS.

Catarrh— This is properly a cold in which the
under side of the tongue becomes hardened by
fever, and the orifices of the nose are stopped.
To remove this stoppage in a parrot or other
large bird a small feather may be drawn through;
a little borax dissolved m water may be applied
to the tongue two or three times a day. A
mixture of fresh butter, pepper and garlic is
good for the bird if you can induce it to take
the remedy.
Loss of Voice—This is usually caused by overfeeding, o.versinging, or a cold A little pure
rock candy dissolved in the drinking water and
a double quantity of red pepper mixed with the
e
gg paste will usually effect a cure. After
moulting, a loss of voice is sometimes observed,
and this is usually caused by a cold contracted
during the moulting season. Try hanging a
piece of raw, fat bacon in the cage. One of the
best small preparations for helping the voice of
birds is called Song Restorer. It is quite cheap
and can be had from any bird dealer.
Ast km a — When the bird is affected with
asthma you will notice it opening its beak as if
to gasp for air, short breath, wheezing and
puffing out of feathers until the bird has the
appearance of a ball. Feed the egg-paste and
give a teaspoonful of warm bread and milk
every morning, and also put a piece of raw, fat
salt pork, sprinkled with cayenne pepper in
the cage.
Consumption, or Waste—This malady is usually the result of unnatural food, which interrupts the function of digestion. The bird's
feathers appear ruffled, the flesh dwindles and
it quits singing. One of the best authorities on

FEATHERED PETS,

45

birds says that he knows of no better remedy
than to give the bird a live spider. They will
usually take it greedily. A rusty nail in the
drinking water strengthens the stomach and
helps the digestion. Water cress is also excellent for feeding the bird at such time, and a
drop or two of cod liver oil gives relief.
Loss of Appetite—In this case it is best to give
plain food and as a rule the seed alone is sufficient for the bird, but we have found that feeding a little hemp at such a time will often be
the means of the bird regaining its appetite. A
head of millet or even common fox-tail put in
the cage will often tempt them to eat.
Apoplexy—Food which is too rich and nutritive sometimes produces this disease, many
times resulting fatally to the birds. It sometimes occurs that while they sing, eat, or sleep,
they suddenly drop from the perch and expire
in a few minutes. A bird may sometimes be
saved by cutting the nail of the big toe until it
bleeds, and then immersing the bird in cold
water several times. One of the quickest ways
to treat a bird, however, will be the shower
bath, by sprinkling thoroughly with cold water
and then placing in a dry, warm position.
Diarrhoea—This is frequently a fatal disease
wjth canaries and other birds, and is caused by
a cold, foul drinking water, musty seed or unsuitable food The bird frequently passes white fluid
matter, which causes much inflammation of the
rectum; cure the cold if it has one; be sure the
seed is fresh and good, and place' a rusty nail
in its drinking jwater. A piece of common
chalk should be placed between the wires of
the cage, or put some powdered chalk in bottom

46

FEATHERED PETS.

of cage. Two to five drops of paregoric in
its drinking water, or a few drops of blackberry brandy in the same way sometimes helps
to cure severe cases. 'Feed some egg and
cracker food without the pepper. Examine
the little patient, and should the excrements
have glued the feathers together so as to
obstruct the passage, it is well to cut the adhering feathers carefully away with a pair of
scissors and annoint the parts with sweet oil.
Constipation is most effectually relieved by
feeding apple, lettuce or other green food.
Freshly grated carrot powdered over with
sugar is greatly relished. In severe cases put
three or four drops of castor oil in the bird's
mouth and also apply same to the vent, or give
as injection with a rubber dropper. If the bird
can be induced to swallow a spider that will
usually effect a cure. Stale bread soaked in
cream is a good food at such a time.
Sometimes birds are troubled with intestinal
worms much as children are. The feathers are
ruffled and the bird gapes as if something was
lodged in the throat. Either santonin or cina
in the drinking water will ordinarily effect a
cure.
The windpipe worm, or gape worm as it is
called in poultry, sometimes annoys parrots
and other cage birds. The bird shakes its head
violently, gasps and coughs. It sometimes
happens that the worm is coughed up. It is
difficult to treat for this trouble, but a few
drops of olive oil or kerosene put directly into
the windpipe with a medicine dropper or quill
are said to sometimes loosen the worms so
that they are coughed up.

FEATHERED PETS.,

47

"Epileptic Fits—Improper
food may be considered the cause of this disease, which is usually observed among seed-eating birds and is
believed to be incurable. By feeding plain
food this trouble may be largely obviated,
though it is sometimes thought necessary to
put the bird out of its pain, as no pleasure can
be derived from a bird suffering from this disease. One authority on bird diseases says that
he has found no better remedy than giving a
few drops of olive oil internally when the bird
was able to take it, and when suffering to
sprinkle them with ice cold water.
Vertigo, nr Twirling —While this is not, properly speaking, a disease, still it is rather a common trouble, and is quite objectionable. Birds
affected with this habit turn and twist their
heads and necks so as to frequently overbalance
themselves and fall off the perch. There is no
better way of breaking this habit than to throw
a cover over the cage and leave it on for the
balance of the day. Birds are more apt to be
affected with this trouble in a round cage than
in a square one.
Foot Disease—By some this is called gout,
but it usually results from unclean cages, and
from not using gravel or sand in the bottom of
the cage, and scraping the perches. It is very
prevalent, also, with birds which refuse to bathe
themselves. The bird's feet should be bathed
in luke-warm water from time to time, leaving
the feet in the water so that all matter adhering
to them may be softened. It may then be
removed and the foot dried with a soft cloth
and rubbed with glycerine before sand touches
them. If possible place the bird on a perch or
in a corner of the cage on soft hay.

48

FEATHERED PETS.

Sore Eyes—The juice of the red beet given
the bird internally and also as a wash for the
eyes greatly relieves this disorder. Goldfinches are frequently affected by it when fed
too much hemp seed. Annointing the eyes
with fresh butter has been known to give excellent results.
Some bird fanciers describe many other bird
ailments, but in the end admit that they know
little about it. It is easier and better to keep a
bird well than to cure it when sick.
Broken Limbs—Occasionally
a bird's foot
will become caught in the wires of the cage
and its leg will be broken. When the bird is in
this condition place it in a very small cage, without perches, on some soft hay; wrap up the
cage and keep quiet. Be sure that food and
water is in a convenient place where the bird
can find it without moving. In some cases it
is necessary to bind splints on the leg to hold
in place.
For Scaly Legs moisten with very warm milk
and a slight rubbing with the finger will usually
cause the scales to peel off. It is usually beneficial to rub the legs and feet with olive oil.
Sore Feet and cramping of the feet are often
caused by the perches being too small. It
should for a canary never be less than sevensixteenths of an inch in diameter. For any
trouble with the feet or bruises on them, it is
well to bathe the feet with a gill of warm water,
to which ten drops of tincture of arnica has
been added.
For Overgrown Nails—Take the bird's claws
between your thumb and finger and cut off
the superfluous part with sharp sissors, being

FEATHERED PETS.

49

careful not to cut so close as to start the blood.
The beak may also be trimmed, should it become so long as to bother the bird.
Red and Swollen Feet and Legs- Are sometimes caused by the bird subsisting" too much
on seed and not having sufficient green food.
Changing the food will usually improve the
blood of the bird and affect a cure,
Pulling of Feathers—This is usually caused
by bad blood or feeding the bird too rich food,
which starts diseases of the skin, causjng it to
itch. In such a case the only remedy is to
maintain a plain diet and put some millet in the
cage with its other bird seed. It is well also
to keep a piece of fresh apple in the cage, and
mix just a trifle of salt with the Qgg paste.
Bird Lice or Mites.—In case your bird looks
lean and out of order, if he is restless, especially at night, and is continually picking his
feathers, you will usually find that he is
infested with mites. Throw a white cloth over
his cage at night and in the morning you will
doubtless find many of the tiny red insects. It
sometimes seems as though these must come
out of the air, as they get on the bird regardless of the best care and attention. Wash
your cage thoroughly, being especially careful
to remove the top or handle, as the insects
swarm under that cap. After washing, dust it
thoroughly with the best bird insect powder that
you can obtain. Take the bird in your hand
and dust the same powder thoroughly through
his feathers, using your fingers, and see that all
parts of the bird receive plenty of the powder.
It will be necessary to make another application of the insect powder three or four days

50

FEATHERED PETS.

later, as the nits or eggs will be hatched out in
the meantime. If you use a wooden cage it
will be necessary to scald it
thoroughly
and varnish or
oil the woodwork. This bird insect powder is harmless to
the bird, but will kill the mites. Some ladies
prepare a small bag made of thin
cloth, filled with the powder and hang
it up in the cage where the birds can
play with it, and in this way the
powder will sift out and into the
bird's feathers.
The insect powder gun, illustrated
herewith, is excellent for puffing the
powder on the bird and into all parts
of the cage.
Most bird dealers handle a bird
medicine or tonic which is a stimulant and invigorates the bird, and in this way
assists it to recover from many bird ills.

HAUTZ M O U N T A I N

CANARY.

THE CANARY.
This sweet songster is the most popular
favorite of all the song birds, not only in America, but throughout all civilized countries. This
popularity is largely because of its bright and
handsome color, its pleasant, fascinating, active
ways, its adaptability to cage life, and above all
its sweet song. It will doubtless always continue
to hold the first place in the affection of all lovers of birds. It is the most bright, lively and
happy little creature imaginable, perfectly contented to make his home in a small cage, and
all day long produce the delightful music which
makes the heart of every hearer lighter, and
seems to make the sun shine brighter in the
home.
(51)

52

FEATHERED PETS.

This bird is a native of the Canary Islands,
Maderias, Azores, and other small islands
near the western coast of Africa.
The
Canary Islands are in about the latitude of
Florida and have somewhat of a tropical
climate, but this is varied by the high mountains. In their native habitat the canary is
chiefly found in the mountainous district, his
home being several thousand feet above the
level of the sea. The wild birds generally mate
about the latter part of March, and their nests
are usually in the tall trees of the evergreen
species, frequently in the tops of these trees,
and never less than eight feet from the ground.
Parent birds are very affectionate, and both
parents assist in feeding the young birds. Their
original color is that of gray, merging into
green beneath, some having small patches of
lighter yellow feathers on various parts of the
body. The wild bird is about five inches in
length, and in many ways resembles the linnet.
The first we hear of the history of this bird
is that a merchant ship trading with the Canary
Islands took as a part of her cargo several thousand of these birds which had been trapped in
the Canary Islands, thinking that they could be
sold for a good price as song birds to the
Europeans. The ship containing these birds
was wrecked near the coast of Italy, but by the
kindness of some sailor their cage was opened
and the birds liberated, and they flew to the
nearest land, which happened to be the Island
of Ejba. Here they found so propitious a
climate that they multiplied rapidly. It was
not long, however, until their superior song was
recognized, and they were trapped in large

FEATHERED PETS.

53

numbers and their domestication began. The
shipwreck which is mentioned above occurred
early in the sixteenth century. The Italians
were the first to breed these birds, but they
were soon shipped to all European countries,
and found special favor in Russia, Germany,
Belgium and England. The first mention we
have of them in England is in the latter part of
the sixteenth century, but in the year 1610 we
find them described in a book on natural history The rage for breeding these curious
golden birds became very popular, and they
were hybridized with many other species, and
this resulted in a curious intermixture of colors.
In Italy they were bred with the citril and
serin; in Germany with the linnet, green finch
and siskin. These mixtures have changed the
original color of the canary as well as the shape
of the bird. In an English book published in
1709 there are twenty-eight varietes of canaries
mentioned, comprising nearly all of those
known at the pr sent time, and some which
have become extinct. The climate has also had
something to do with the change of color in
these birds. It has been remarked by Adamson that the canary which in its native home at
Tenerife is almost brown, becomes yellow and
sometimes nearly white after being bred a few
years in France, and it. has been observed by
other naturalists that the covering of animals'
winter fur or feathers becomes thicker and
lighter in color in proportion to the coldness of
the climate which they inhabit.
In England and Germany canary societies
have existed for upwards of a century, and
annual shows or exhibitions are held with prizes
offered for the best birds.

54

FEATHERED PETS.

Breeding has also changed the size of canaries The Germans, who breed exclusively
for the song of the bird without regard to color,
are found to have the smallest birds, being
about five and one-half inches in length. The
English breeders select their stock for size and
color, and they therefore average much larger
than the Germans, the largest variety being the
Manchester Coppy, which often measures eight
and one-half inches in length, and looks more
like a small yellow pigeon. Their song is quite
inferior to the German birds.
In the days of Queen Elizabeth a cage bird
was a luxury to be enjoyed only by persons who
were very wealthy, but now every family in the
land can easily afford one of these charming
songsters to brighten their home. In selecting
a canary it is well to remember that the most
handsome plumaged bird is not always the best
singer. While it is desirable, of course, to
have a bird which is of good color and shape,
still these points must often be surrendered to
the song, which is of much more importance,
and you will never repent having sacrificed
color to song. Do not, however, decide too
hastily, as it may be possible v that some defect
in the plumage of your bird which would
diminish its market value although in no way
interfere with its song, can be easily remedied.
For instance, a damaged tail can be changed
by pulling out the defective feathers, and their
place will soon be supplied by new ones.
Select a cage which is suitable for your bird
and do not disturb it more than you can help
for a few days until it is accustomed to its new
location. The best trait in the character of the

FEATHERED PETS.

55

canary is that he will sing no matter where you
place him. It is well to remember that canaries
are accustomed to the very small cages in
which they are usually shipped, and are sometimes frightened when removed to a large cage
and seem to be afraid to fly down from the
higher perches. They also have trouble to
find the seed and water, and it is well to be
sure that the seed and water is within easy
reach and that the bird finds them. You must
not consider that your bird is in misery simply
because he is a prisoner. The cage is his home
and he has never known any other life.
All bird lovers, however, enjoy letting their
canary loose in the room, and we know of one
instance where a bird has be~en given the freedom of the house for several months at a time,
only returning to its cage when in want of food
and water. Birds cannot, of course, be kept
successfully in this condition where there are
chHdren who are apt to leave the doors open
or thoughtlessly injure the bird.
Of the many varieties of canaries undoubtedly the most popular in the United States is
the German. These birds may be divided into
three classes': the Hartz Mountain or common
German canary; the St. Andreasberg or trained
singers and the Campanini or trainers, as they
are sometimes called.

HARTZ MOUNTAIN CANARIES.
These are the most popular canaries throughout all parts of this country and fully a hundred thousand of them are imported every

56

FEATHERED PETS.

year. We consider them the most satisfactory
bird for the people. They are bred by the
peasants in ordinary living rooms, high up
among the Hartz Mountains of Germany, and
these birds are very hardy, even more so than
the American bred canaries. They are famous
for their clear, pure, beautiful song. The
music of the Hartz Mountain birds is a restful
melody and they endear themselves by their
cheery song, bright plumage and active ways.
They are perfectly happy in the cage, require
very little care, and if properly attended to,
are free from diseases. While there is a variety
of colors most of the Hartz Mountain canaries
are somewhat mottled with dark greenish
brown, though many of the birds are clear
yellow; a few of them have crests or topknots.
Many persons prefer the dark
spotted birds, claiming that
they are more hardy and as
a rule better singers than those
which are all yellow, but in
I our experience we have found
N
^ very little difference in this

SEVERAL TYPES OF CRESTS OR TOPKNOTS.

regard. In the canary breeding section of
Germany almost every family keeps a few
cages of these birds, or has a room devoted to

FEATHERED PETS.

57

their breeding. Breeding is usually begun in
February, but should not be continued longer
than September. As a rule, the canary breeders secure three hatches during the season.
There are very few harsh notes in the song of
the Hartz Mountain canary. His voice is
mellow, clear and full of variety, there being
quite a difference in the compass of the v,oice
of different specimens, some being higher in
tone than others. A musician will often be
enabled to classify his. birds, some have
soprano, some alto, tenor or contralto, and
there are still others which have a wide compass from high to low, the difference in the
voice resulting largely from the different
methods pursued by the breeders, each of the
large breeders being specially anxious to
obtain certain desirable characteristics in the
voices of his birds, and in this way secure a
reputation of breeding birds of special merit
which will entitle them to prizes in the various
bird exhibitions, and also to higher prices on
the market
Although the Hartz Mountain birds do not
receive the care and attention paid to the
trained birds, still the best bird buyers who
select for the American market are so particular that it is seldom indeed that a poor
bird is imported except on special orders from
a class of dealers who look only for something
cheap, or to supply some of the bird peddlers
who travel around the country with a few cages
of birds on their shoulders which they call the
finest birds ever imported, although they are
in reality culls.

58

FEATHERED PETS.

The natural song of the Hartz Mountain canary is varied by the occasional notes of the
Nightingale or other trained singers. Some of
the best German breeders keep a Nightingale
or a trained canary in the room to which the
small birds are sent as soon as old enough to
leave the nest, and this improves the voice of
the young birds greatly. In this country there
are only three importers of canaries. Each of
these firms employ bird pickers who travel over
the mountains in Germany and gather together
a supply of birds which are selected from the
stock of the small breeders.
The shipping cages for canaries are made by
the children and peasants and are of soft,
straight-grained wood. They are about four
and one-half inches wide, six inches long and
six inches high, having a feed box at one end
and a small earthen mug for water at the
opposite end. These cages are put in rows of
seven, being bound together with a piece of
pine thrust through the intersection. Three of
these rows of cages in width and twelve in
height are bound together between two boards,
thus making what is called a case, holding two
hundred arid fifty-two of these birds. The case
is covered with a coarse linen or canvas cloth
for shipping across the ocean. These bird pickers and bird buyers become very expert in
handling birds, and they can feed and water
fifteen hundred birds, which is about the average number that is allowed for each man to
attend to, in three hours. The bird pickers are
accustomed to the different breeds of birds,
and expert judges of the song, as well as being
thoroughly posted on the numerous ailments

FEATHERED PETS.

59

to which the birds are subject, so that they can
tell instantly whether the bird is in perfect
order or not. From the first of April until the
middle of July very little business is done in
this line, the exporting season being suspended,
so that this is a holiday for the bird buyers, but
they usually live among the peasants and become acquainted with the various breeders and
thoroughly posted on their stock
It is of the
utmost importance that the bird buyer be expert
in distinguishing the sexes, as the small breeders
frequently do their best to impose on them. It
requires sharp eyes and good judgment to be
able to distinguish singers from females. As a
rule the head of the,male bird is broader than
that of the female and flatter on the crown; the
color is also more sharplv defined and not as
apt to be mealy. The body is generally more
slender throughout and the color is deeper and
brighter around the beak and eyes and over the
head.
The American buyers are obliged to compete
with those from England and other countries,
and sometimes, when birds are scarce, the
competition becomes very sharp. Some of the
principal villages are many miles from the railroad station, as is the case notably at St. Andreasberg, and the bird buyers usually carry
their birds on foot, not trusting them to any
other mode of conveyance. The retail trade in
Germany is a very important branch of business,
as Germans are, almost without exception, bird
lovers, and they are frequently willing to pay
much higher prices for choice specimens than
can be obtained in this country; and it is therefore sometimes difficult to obtain Campanini or

60

FEATHERED PETS

trainer canaries. We have known of standing
offers being made some seasons of $25.00 each,
but none could be secured. Some of the most
prominent retailers of birds in this country
place orders with the importers to select a certain class of stock for them which they consider
especially adapted to their trade, and they are
willing to pay the importer an extra price for
such birds. Bird buyers who are constantly
making trips between this country and Germany, on their return trip usually take a stock
of Mocking-birds, Nonpareils, Indigos, Redbirds and fancy pigeons for the German bird
dealers. We have sometimes seen lots of several thousand Nonpareils being prepared for
shipment to Germany and England, as they are
great favorites in those countries. As a rule,
there is very little loss in shipping birds across
the water if they receive proper care, but should
there be severe storms, or very cold, windy
weather, the birds are readily affected by it, and
in some cases it seems almost as though they
become seasick. When Canaries arrive in this
country they are usually kept covered and in a
quiet place for several days before being reshipped. In the large buildings occupied by the
bird importers, shelves are arranged close
together around the room and the birds are
placed on them, and their voices thoroughly
tested before any shipments are made.
ST. ANDREASBERG ROLLER CANARIES.
These birds are bred in the world renowned
town of St. Andreasberg, Germany. This is a

FEATHERED PETS.

61

small place located on the very summit of the
Hartz Mountains and is a pleasure resort in
summer for invalids suffering from lung and
throat troubles, as the air is particularly pure
and bracing. This seems to have a wonderful
effect on the tone of the canary, and it is here
that the best canary breeders in the world are

ST. AKDHBASBUBG HOLLER CANABY.

located. Bird education is carried on to a
degree that can scarcely be understood by
ordinary breeders. The young birds are taken
from their nests before they have an opportunity to hear or acquire any of the canary song,
and their naturally clear toned voices are
trained by listening to the notes of Larks,
Nightingales and also to the bird organ which
is a small instrument employed to train their
voices in the breeding room. There are also in

62

FEATHERED PETS.

this breeding room various mechanical devices
which produce long thrills, water bubbles, flute
and bell notes and other pleasing sounds which
the birds imitate and thereafter form a part of
their song. Some of these birds which have
long silvery thrills, charming flute notes and
whistling are especially cared for and given
further training. Many of the birds are found
to have voices which are not sufficiently pure
and soft to be capable of high training and they
are discarded from the training room. There is
another class of breeders who train their birds
almost entirely from other canaries; these have
spent three or four seasons in the training room
and are what are called Campanini Canaries.
Some breeders think that canaries will learn
better from these trainers of their own species
and more quickly learn to imitate the choicest
notes. It is therefore often difficult to obtain
these instructors no matter what price you offer
for them as not more than one bird in a hundred proves to be of sufficient high qualities to
be classed under this heading.
The St. Andreasberg Roller Canary, as it is
sometimes called, because of its rolling notes,
can sometimes be taught to whistle a tune, but
such birds are very expensive. The St. Andreasberg Canary is an ideal bird for an invalid,
their voice being particularly soft and restful,
and they are frequently purchased for presents
to sick friends.
These birds are sometimes
inferior in color to the ordinary Hartz Mountain
Canary, and average a trifle smaller in size, but the
voice is not to be compared. The Campanini, as
has been before mentioned, is superior to the St.
Andreasberg. It is bred in the same room

FEATHERED PETS.

63

handled and trained in the same way. The
voice usually ranges over several octaves, every
note being pure, soft, sweet and musical.
ENGLISH CANARIES
The English breeders devote their study and
attention to high color and large size, and
have for years been patiently breeding with
these objects in view. English canaries have
not proven to be as strong and healthy as the
German birds, and consequently there are now
very few of them being imported, as dealers
must expect a heavy loss on their shipments,
owing to changes of climate.
The Norwich Canary is a general favorite
among the English breeders. He takes his
name from the city of Norwich, where for generations he has been bred and cultivated, and
is easily recognized anywhere by his brilliant,
deep reddish-yellow plumage. He averages
about six and one-half inches in length,
looks much larger than the German birds and
has a very attractive appearance. We consider
the Norwich Canary by far the most beautiful
of all the canaries, but their song is much inferior to the Hartz Mountain birds. This may
be largely owing to the food given these birds
as well as their lack of training. Their color is
frequently so dark that they are sometimes
called red canaries. This color is produced
artificially by feeding them during the moulting season a large amount of the best quality of
cayenne pepper mixed with hard boiled egg
and cracker crumbs.

64

FEATHERED PETS.

Next in importance to the English birds we
find the Manchester Coppy which is the giant
of the canary family and is really a remarkable
bird both for the size of his body and for the
crest which usually adorns his head. This bird
is massive, graceful and quite sprightly. They
are usually bred to a clear yellow color, but
frequently have crests of another hue. Very

MANCHESTER COPPY CANARY.

few of these birds are brought to A-rnerica, and
they are only the poorer specimens, as a good
Manchester Coppy will readily sell in England
at from five to thirty pounds sterling, which is
equal to $25.00 to $150.00.
The London Fancy Canary has body feathers
of dark, golden yellow, but the wings and tail
are blackfor dark green.
Gold and Silver Spangled Lizard Canaries
are now classed in- the front rank of fancy
birds. In their native country they are certainly beautiful birds, being handsomely spangled with clear gold or silvery feathers, the

FEATHERED PETS.

65

body color being of a greenish cast, sometimes
overcast with a rich golden yellow of the Norwich. ^ The most important feature of these
birds is their cap or crest, and their spangling
on back is as prominent as in the breed of fowls
known as Silver Laced Wyandottes.

SCOTCH FANCY CANAltV.

The Scotch Fancy Canary more nearly resembles the Belgian Canary than the English. It
is a long, slender bird, having flat head, but the
neck is straighter or more in line with its body
than the Belgian's. There are no crested birds
in the Scotch class.
BELGIAN CANARY.
This may well be called the aristocratic
member of the Canary family, as it has a most

66

FEATHERED PETS.

peculiar and finely formed head and neck, jutting
out in a singular manner from well-formed shoulders and back. Bird breeding in Belgium and
Holland has been confined to the shape of the
bird instead of trying to obtain superior song,
and this is the climax of their labors. To the
ordinary observer the bird, which is well shown
by our illustration, looks awkward, but to the

BELGIAN CAKABT.

trained eye of the bird fancier this peculiar
shape is desired, and marks of high breeding in
the Belgian bird are everywhere apparent.
These birds are of exceedingly nervous temperament, and should never be caught or handled
when it can possibly be avoided. They are
usually pure yellow in color, but the color is

FEATHERED PETS.

67

subordinated to the shape. A full-bred bird is
seldom found in America, as they bring a very
high price. The plumage of the shoulders and
breast is sometimes ruffled, thus giving it a
striking appearance, but most of the birds are
smooth. The Belgian Canary can never equal
the German in voice, even with the most careful training, its voice being not capable of the
great variety of tones which the German birds
have. The birds of this breed which are
imported into this country are usually half or
quarter blooded, which are more hardy than the
full blooded.
MULE CANARIES.

Canaries may be mated with a great many
other varieties of birds. The principal ones
being the Goldfinch, Linnet, Bullfinch, Siskin
and Chaffinch though the}' have even been
mated with English Sparrows. The most
important of the crosses is that with the Goldfinch, either male or female Goldfinch may be
used in mating, but there are very few female
Goldfinches imported into this country and for
that reason the crosses are ordinarily made by
using female canaries. The result of these
crosses is a very prettily marked bird and the
song is often of superior quality. They are
quite free singers and owing to their bright
merry ways and attractive plumage they are
really a desirable bird. In making the cross it
is well to use a clear light yellow female canary
so as to overcome the dark colors of the Goldfinch. The male Linnet when mated with the

68

FEATHERED PETS.

canary produces a bird which usually has dark
greenish plumage and they are superb songsters
learning to imitate the notes of other birds
quite readily. It has frequently been stated
that all mule birds are superior to either of their
* parents in plumage and song. While this is sometimes, perhaps frequently the case still we would
not advise our readers to attempt any such
crosses further than that of the Goldfinch or
Linnet with the canary as there are a score of
chances against success and "more plague than
profit" will probably be the result.
Dr. Bechstein, the noted German authority
on cage birds, says that when breeding Goldfinches, Linnets or other birds with canaries, it
is well to supply the following food in addition
to their regular diet: "Soak a piece of stale
bread in cold water for an hour, afterwards
squeeze put the water and rub in half a thimbleful of Cod Liver Oil with some maw seed, and
give a level teaspoonful of this to the birds
each day, and scald the rape seed which you
put in the cage. Dandelion should also be
kept in the cage for the health of the birds."

CARE OF CANARIES.

Any one who keeps a pet owes a duty to the
bird to see that it is provided with a house of
suitable size for its comfort and happiness, and
that this house is kept clean and provided with
whatever the bird may need for its health and
comfort. Under another heading we have
spoken about the selection of a cage. The cage

FEATHERED PETS.

69

should be kept clean by washing it with cold
water whenever it appears necessary, and it is
of the utmost importance to keep gravel or
cleanly washed, bright sand in the bottom of
the cage at all times. The perches should be
scraped frequently so as to keep them clean,
but it is not best to wash them unless they are
left out of the cage until they are thoroughly
dry. The dishes in which drinking water is
kept are very apt to become covered with a
slime or fungus growth as well as by lime from
the water. By washing them frequently with
sand soap they can be kept clean and bright,
but should they become so coated with lime
from the water that they do not look well, it is
best to throw them away and obtain new ones.
The gravel or sand in the bottom of the cage
keeps the feet of the bird clean and free from
dirt adhering to them, but one of the worst
habits we have noticed among bird fanciers is
that of putting paper in the bottom of the cage
without sand over it. It may look nice, but it
is not cleanly, in the eyes of the bird at least.
See that the bird is given an opportunity to
bathe once a da)'. Sometimes they do not care
to avail themselves of it, but if they should go
long* without a bath it is well to sprinkle them
with a little tepid water.
Canaries require a high degree of warmth on
the account of the activity of their muscles ; the
feathers with which they are covered combine
the greatest warming power with the least amount
of weight. They will do well in the ordinary
temperature of the house, but it is well to avoid
putting them in any place where they will be exposed to a draught of air, or to sudden changes

70

PEATHEKED PETS.

of temperature. Steam is quite" injurious to
them, and it is therefore well to keep them out
of the kitchen. When sweeping, if there is much
dust, cover the cage with a cloth or remove it to
some other room. All kinds of birds enjoy
sleeping in a warm place, and if you will take
the trouble to throw a cloth over-the cage at
night, you will doubtless add much not only to
the comfort of the bird, but to its length of life.
They soon become accustomed to being put to
bed in this w.ay, and expect to be covered at
the regular hour.
The subject of food for birds is more fully
treated in another chapter, but we want to
remind you here, of the importance of pure
fresh seed. There are more birds killed, or who
have their voices permanently injured or destroyed by use of hard, musty or wormy seed, or
varieties which are injurious, than by any other
cause. You cannot tell the difference between
good seed and poor, by the looks, only an expert can distinguish it, but the bird readily discovers it. During the summer and fall the bird
should be supplied frequently with fresh seeds
from the garden or field. They are especially
fond of chickweed, plantain, cress and many
other weeds which are found everywhere. It is
also a good plan to let a few heads of lettuce
run up to seed for feeding the bird, but do not
put much of this in the cage at a time. It is
also a good plan to dry some heads of millet,
plantain, and other plants so that the bird can
have the pleasure of picking the seed off from
the head during the winter, and it would be an
easy matter to prepare a box or flower pot with
a few plants of lettuce or cress growing in it, so

FEATHERED PETS.

71

as to give the birds an occasional fresh leaf during the winter. Fruit is especially good for
birds, but we would avoid that which is very
juicy or acid. About once a week the canary
may be given some of the egg paste and a little
Mocking Bird food or a few ant eggs mixed with
the paste will be greatly relished. They are fed
with this mixture when they first arrive from
Germany.
In the selection of foods, however, let your
standard be German summer rape and the best
Sicily canary mixed in about equal proportions.
In the winter when you are unable to get any
green lettuce leaves or other green foods for
your birds, it is well to put in a bit of cabbage
leaf or grated carrot.
It is better to let the bird get a little hungry
occasionally than to over-feed it. Do not keep
the seed cup in your cage filled full; it is much
better for the bird to be limited in his diet and
have fresh seed put in daily. Some persons
make it a rule to put in sufficient seed to last
three or four days so that they will only have
to fill the cup twice a week. The first day the
bird sings beautifully, and it is no wonder—he
has his pick of the choicest seed in the box,
but the second and third day he fares poorly
and at the last he sits around waiting for something to eat which he can relish. There is a
difference in the quality of even the best seeds
and the bird will pick out those which suit its
fancy and leave others which appear dry or distasteful to him, although to your eyes they
look equally good. Once or twice a week your
bird might enjoy a small quantity of rolled
oats, but be sure that they are clean and fresh,

72

FEATHEliED PETS.

as during the summer they are very apt to
become musty.
Give an occasional feed of rape and canary
seed which has been soaked for a few moments
in water, rinsing it thoroughly before putting
it in the cage. 'This cleans it from all dust and
make's it as soft as when gathered from the
field.
Ail Canaries are fond of hemp, and the voice
of a great many birds is spoiled by feeding it,
the birds frequently becoming so fat from the use
of hemp that they refuse to sing. Hemp seed
should, therefore, only be fed as an occasional
treat, and not as a food.
Pure, fresh, clean water is an imperative necessity for your bird. It should be renewed at
least once a day, and during the hot summer
weather your bird will enjoy a fresh drink several
times a day.
Nothing will do more to keep the bird in
good health than an occasional sun bath, but do
not leave the bird hanging in the sun too long
during very warm weather unless you put a
shade over the top of the cage, so that the bird
can retire under that should he feel overheated.

TAMING AND TRAINING.

It is much more pleasant to have your bird
tame so that it can be easily petted and
handled than to have it wild and scary, and he
will soon become tame if properly treated.
Always move slowly around the cage and
avoid any quick motions in putting in seed

FEATHERED PETS.

73

and water or in moving the cage from place to
place. If it is necessary to catch a bird, put
the hand in slowly and do not attempt to catch
him until you are sure the opportunity is right
for it. Hold him' carefully with the wings
closed so that he cannot flutter or ruffle his
plumage. By beginning young, birds can be
easily tamed and taught to shake hands, ring a
bell when they desire attention, draw up a cup
containing their food or water, and many other
amusing tricks.
Canaries are very fond of hemp seed and you.
can readily teach your bird to fake the
seeds from >our fingers, and after a while he
will take them from your lips and thus be
taught to kiss you. It is a good plan to have
something in the cage to amuse the bird, and
we know of nothing better than toy bells, swings
or spring perches.
Cats are not to be trusted generally, although
we have known and kept cats which would
seem to pay no attention to the bird, still
should the bird happen to get out of its cage
and hop along the floor, the cat is ever ready
to take advantage of such an accident as it is
their nature to do so, and they are also excellent climbers and bird catchers.
The training of birds should begin when they
are very young, about as soon as taken from
the nest. They should not be allowed to listen
to any ordinary American canary nor to any
bird which is not a superior songster. They
also may be taught from the flute or other
musical instruments. It requires a great deal
of time and attention to teach a canary so
that they can whistle a tune, and as a rule they

n

FEATHERED PETS.

should be trained three times a day, though
many persons train them only for an hour in
the morning and an hour towards evening, as
canaries sing better at that time than" during
the middle of the day. It should thereafter be
repeated to hirri either by whistling or playing on some musical instrument whenever it
seems necessary to refresh his memory, and
especially when the bird is through moulting,
as they frequently stop singing during that
season and are apt to have a more limited
variety to their song. If you are training quice
a number of young birds at a time and you
find some of the number which have harsh,
loud voices, it is well to discard them at once
and do not leave them with the others. There
are some persons who like such a bird and are
•accustomed to boast that their bird can be
heard for two blocks, but no true lover of bird
music will want a bird which bears such a reputation.
There are many ladies who desire a bird
which will sing in the evening by lamp-light,
and some birds have a habit of singing at that
time. If for any reason it is desirable to have
your bird sing in the evening, it can be accomplished by covering the canary's cage during
the daytime except at intervals for feeding, and
uncovering it in the evening, when the room is
brilliantly lighted. After a few days' training
in this way it will become accustomed to singing in the evening, and it will not be necessary
to continue the training, as he will sing as freely
by artificial light as in the daytime. In some
foreign countries bird trainers have put out the
eyes of their birds with a hot needle, so that

FEATHERED PETS.

75

they would sing as well at night as during the
daytime, a n d they claim t h a t the birds become
better singers, but we are very glad that we live
in a civilized country, where no such cruel practice can b e c o m e prevalent.

BIRD EXHIBITIONS.
Bird exhibitions are quite popular in Germany and England. Some of these are private
not being o p e n to the public, but in other
places p e o p l e have been freely invited to bring
in choice canaries, and small prizes h a v e been
awarded for t h e choicest birds both in plumage
and in song. Those which are most important
and on t h e most extensive scale have been held
at South H a m p t o n and Sunderland, England,
where they have an annual bird show, all species
of birds competing. T h e birds are arranged on
stages provided by the society, but t h e y are
allowed to remain in t h e cages supplied by
their owners. All varieties of song birds and
cage birds a r e entered in competition here, and
it has been truly said that
"When birds of fine feather are gathered together,
Well clothed in their colors so bright,
'lis ra sight worth seeing by each human being,
7Sofe only by day but by night."
T h e n u m b e r of entries of canaries alone at
one of these shows was nearly eight hundred,
so that it c a n well be j u d g e d there was a great
deal of music on the days of the exhibition.
There are many towns and cities where an
exhibition of birds could be arranged by the

76

FEATHERED PETS.

ladies, and would attract a great deal of attention. One church at Des Moines, Iowa,
recently held an entertainment consisting of
music and exercises by the children, most of
which had special reference to God's most
beautiful creations, the birds. Members of the
congregation were requested to bring their
birds and the cages were artistically arranged in an arch over the stage and bung
around the sides of the room and on the chandeliers, and their delightful songs added
melody to the evening's entertainment. Such
a concert could easily be arranged anywhere,
and not only will it prove an attraction, but it
will teach the children to love these "little
dewdrops of celestial melody."

BREEDING.

Breeding canaries is a very interesting and
we^may say fascinating process. It affords great pleasure to the children to rear a
nest of beautiful birds, and
they are always interested in
watching the nest building,
seeing the patience of the
mother bird during the season of setting, noticing the
hatching and daily growth
of the young birds and their
development in song. The breeding of birds is
an employment for ladies which is both pleasant and profitable if properly conducted. The

FEATHERED PETS.

77

great trouble has usually been in improper
food, unsuitable location, or lack of care and
training, which have combined to give American bred canaries their harsh, choppy notes and
the name of "screeching canaries" among bird
dealers. There is no good reason why fine birds
cannot be bred successfully here if you secure
good stock to" begin with and give them as
good care as they have in Germany. A wide
field of usefulness and profit is opened for those
who are willing to undertake it, and will work
intelligently to secure a good reputation for
their birds.
It is no easy matter for any one except an
expert to distinguish sex in canaries. The male
bird, or singer, has a larger, squarer,* and altogether a HARDER looking head than the female.
The color of its head is more decided and
brighter, particularly around the beak and eyes.
The body is inclined to be slimmer, and more
compact than the female. In the female the
crown of the head is usually high and rounded,
and the colors are more apt to be dull, or
" mealy." If your bird sings a long, free song,
and especially if it swells its throat when singIng', you may be quite certain that it is a male.
We have known some sweet singers among
female canaries, but their song was short, and
more of a twittering nature, or disconnected.
The usual season for mating is during February, March, April and May, though they are
frequently allowed to continue breeding until
September. There have been cases known of
one pair of birds producing ten and even as
high as twelve nests of young during the year,
but such high breeding is very exhausting and

78

FBATHEEED PETS.

three nests are usually considered sufficient by
the best breeders. It will thus be seen that if
success attends you the profits should be quite
large. Many birds are affected with what is
called "mating fever" during the month of May
when the sexual impulse is strongest and
frequently stop singing, droop and die. If you
mate them, all is well, but if you do not care to
do so, they should- be put in a different cage in
another room and be given a change of food.
This change seems to cheer them up and they
soon recover.
In breeding canaries, you should choose first
between the aviary and separate cage system.
An aviary requires the least care and attention.
A room can be devoted entirely to the birds or
• part of a room partitioned off with half inch wire
netting. Put a tree in the center, on which the
birds can perch, as well as a few other perches
about the room. The nests may be made of
small wooden boxes or baskets ; 01 the regular
wire nests may be used, on the tree, or in out of
the way places, around the room. A cocoanut
cut off at the end
so that the birdcan enter makes a
good nest. A well
ventilated attic is
nice for such an
aviary as the birds
are less apt to be
disturbed in such
a place, and you
cocOAJnrr SHBLI. NEST.

wiH

find t h a t s u c h

an aviary opens up a new world of interest to
you, as you study the life of your birds, watch

FJEATHEiiED PETS.

79

them build their nests, and "keep house." In
this aviary should be placed two or three
females to each male, as canaries are polygamists.
The usual rule being ten females to five males.
As a rule you will find that they will be a happy
family together, but occasionally one or two
of the males will be pugnacious, and have to be

DOUBLE B R E E D I N G CAGE.

removed from the room to prevent their fighting. The females should be freed in the room
first, and the males left in small cages hanging
in the room for a few days, before turning them
v
loose.
The more common way of breeding, however, is with a single pair in a breeding cage,
which should be not less than eight inches wide
and twelve inches long, and one, ten by twenty
is better. The female should be placed in this
cage and hung up on the opposite side of the
room from your singer, but within sight. If
they call to each other and appear to be

80

FEATH1SRKD PETS.

friendly, the male may be placed with her in
the breeding cage, but it is better to leave them
separate for about a week.
By using the double breeding cage which has
a removable partition in the center'the male
bird may be separated when necessary, or two
females may be kept with one male. The
accompanying illustration shows this style of
cage.
It is of great importance to use choice birds
for breeding from, and imported German birds
of both sexes are best. If the parent birds are
both the same age the sexes of the young birds
will probably be about evenly represented,
while if the female is much older there will
probably be a larger proportion of males.
It is not best to mate birds which are both of
dark plumage; at least one of them should be
yellow. Never mate birds which are both
crested, or the progeny may be bald heads. It
is claimed that mating birds which.are both
clear yellow will frequently result in inferior
stock.
The breeding cage should be hung about
eight feet high, against the wall, in a position
where it will not swing nor be disturbed. Wire
nests are much better than willow or other material. The bottom of the cage should be liberally strewn with gravel, and
some nesting material, deer's
hair is best, should be provided,
and the birds' will arrange it in
the nest to suit themselves. The
deer's hair bird nesting can be had from
any bird dealer at five or ten cents per package.

FEATHERED PETS.

81

A lot of old plastering from some old build-,
ing should be furnished daily, or what is better,
oyster s h e l l s
finely
crushed. B i r d s thus
provided s e l d o m lay
soft-shelled eggs.
During the breeding
season the birds should have, in addition to
their regular seed, a daily feed of hard boiled
egg and cracker, grated fine and mixed into the
form of a paste; also plenty of lettuce, apple or
otl>r green food to prevent danger of becoming egg bound. Keep plenty of fresh water
and a cuttle-bone in the cage. Cleanliness is
especially necessary during the breeding season,
but try and disturb the birds as little as possible. Again let us caution you: always move
slowly around the birds. Lice are particularly
annoying at this time, and they breed very
rapidly in the nest. It is therefore well to
dust the nest and cage frequently with insect
powder.
In about eight days after mating you may
expect to find a small sea-green egg in the
nest. Canaries usually lay their eggs from
seven to ten o'clock in the morning and their
nest usually consists of four, f\ve or six eggs.
The male often assists the female in the incubation while she is off-the nest getting food or
exercise. The first egg is usually hatched in
thirteen days and thereafter one is hatched
each day. Sometimes a loud noise, such as the
report of a gun, a peal of thunder, or the
slamming of a door, will kill the embryo in the
egg. With proper food canaries are seldom
egg-bound, but when you find your bird in this

82

FEATHERED PETS.

condition hold her belly over boiling water so
that she will have a vapor bath, taking care not
to have it too hot for her. Apply a drop or
two of sweet oil to the vent and return the
bird to her nest and it is probable that the egg
will soon be laid.
If canaries are well provided with food at all
times they will seldom eat their eggs. Better
fill their food dishes at night so 1 hat they will
have it early in the morning. Should an egg
accidentally be broken, remove the pieces at
once and clean the place so that the birds do
not get a taste of it.
Should you notice that the female is inclined
to sweat in the nest, it is sometimes best to
remove the male to another cage so that she
will be obliged to come off to feed herself.
After the young birds are hatched the egg
and cracker paste should be continued and the
old birds will feed it to their young. Some
lettuce, chickweed or other green food should
be supplied daily. In from two to three weeks
the young birds will be able to leave the nest
and go about the cage and feed themselves.
Soaked canary and rape seed should be supplied
and they may be put into a separate cage where
they will have special care as they are better to
be separated from the parent birds. Another
good food for young canaries is hard boiled
egg mixed with about the same quantity of corn
meal. They are also fond of crackers soaked
in milk. The birds will be in full feather when
about six weeks old and very soon thereafter
they begin moulting and it is sometimes two
months before they are in full plumage again.
During this period a few seeds daily of crushed

FEATHERED PETS.

83

hemp will help to keep them in good order.
It is best to put the cage containing the young
birds in a separate room entirely away from
their parents as soon as weaned. At this time,
when about four weeks old, the males will be
noticed swelling their throats and trying to
warble and the sexes may then be separated.
While a canary's capacity for song may depend upon his good breeding, his excellence
is sure to come from musical training, as his
song is learned by imitation and he will learn
the song of the lark, nightingale or other bird
just as quick as that of a canary. If you expect
your young birds to become good singers you
must place near them as choice a songster as
you can obtain and not let them hear the voice
of any other bird. A little money spent for a
fine singer to act as instructor will be well
repaid.
The training should be begun as soon as they
are through moulting, when about three months
old. In Germany a large number of young
males are placed in a half lighted room connected with an apartment above by an aperture
in the ceiling. In the upper room are placed
the choicest singers obtainable as instructors,
and the young binds rapidly learn to imitate
them. They may also be taught from a flute,
triangle, piano or organ.
When birds are young is the best time to
tame them. Teach them that you are friendly.
Speak gently whenever you approach the cage.
Did you never notice a lady jump and press her
palpitating heart when suddenly startled? Well
a bird has even more of a nervous temperament. He is always busy in one way or another

84

FEATHERED PETS.

and may be industriously picking at his sand
or seed in the bottom of the cage when suddenly his cage is grasped and jerked off the
hook. Do you wonder that he is frightened and
flutters about? A word or whistle from you
before you took his cage would have saved him
this fright.
A dark yellow color on your canary is always
handsome, and this may be gained by feeding
cayenne pepper during the moulting season.
Canaries are fond of this as a mixture with
their soft food, and greedily consume it in large
quantities. There is a difference of opinion as
to its effect on the voice however, the German
breeders believing it injurious, still we have
known some cayenne-fed birds which were fine
singers. Most of this pepper sold in stores is
largely adulterated, and it is important to secure
that which is strictly pure from a bird store.
The food is prepared by taking one hard-boiled
egg and an equal quantity of cracker or Geiman zwieback, if you can obtain it. Grate fine
and mix with a heaping teaspoonfull of cayenne pepper. Knead with a knife until it forms
a paste, and then sprinkle with a little sugar.
This food should be fed during the first moult,
beginning when the birds are about seven or
eight weeks old and continuing a teaspoonful
a day for each bird during the moulting season.
Frequently birds so fed become very dark yellow and sometimes an orange scarlet, so that
they are called red canaries. The birds during
this time should be supplied also with seed and
their usual food, and be careful not to overdo
the pepper feeding. The color of any older

FEATHERED PETS.

85

canary can be brightened by this food during
the moulting season.
If it is necessary to feed the young by hand
because of the mother bird dying, use cracker
crumbs and crushed rape seed mixed. Moisten
as needed with yolk of egg and water and feed
from a quill. They are always hungry and
require feeding eight to twelve times per day.

AMERICAN YELLOW BIRD.
This bird is frequently called the wild American canary, or American goldfinch. It is a
beautiful lemon yellow bird, with black cap
and white and black wings. It not only is very
pretty but has many graceful attitudes when in
the cage. The song is sometimes quite pleasant,
though not by any means equal to the canary,
and he has not the ability of learning the tunes
of other birds. These birds are easily trapped,
and irresponsible dealers have frequently sold
them as German canaries ; in fact, on our last
trip to St. Louis, we'saw quite a number of these
birds in a bird store, which were being offered
in this way at alow price. The bird dealer informed us that he found no difficulty in disposing of them, and but few of his customers
came back to make any fuss about it.
The seed which is fed these birds should be
the same as that fed a canary, but it should be
thoroughly soaked. They are also quite fond
of crushed hemp and maw seed. They are quite
sociable and really desirable birds in the aviary.

EUROPEAN GOLDFINCH.
Next to the canary this may be considered
the most popular cage bird, and especially is this
the case in all parts of Europe. There is considerable difference of opinion among the English bird fanciers as to whether the canary or
his rival the goldfinch is the best singer, but it
must be unanimously allowed that the goldfinch excels in beauty of plumage, and he is
a remarkably docile and clever bird. The
goldfinch is a native of England and almost
all parts of Europe. During the summer they
(66)

PKATHERED PETS

87

resort to gardens and fields, especially in the
mountainous districts, here they remain until
late in the fall. They are quite easily trapped, and many thousands of them are kept in
cages where they frequently live from 15 to 20
years or longer. These birds have been imported
and naturalized in Cuba and Africa. Our illustration shows as well as can be done with one
color, the markings of the bird. The front of
the head is of most vivid scarlet, and a broad
margin of similar color surrounds the base of
the beak ; a black stripe passing around the
back of the head and down on each side of the
neck, in front of which there is a white spot;
the neck and back are of a beautiful brown, the
feathers of the wing and tail being of velvety
black with whitish tips, and having a bright golden stripe about an inch long on the wings. The
female bird is smaller and not as handsome, and
but very few are brought to this country. The
Goldfinch is a beautiful, animated bird, whose
body is in almost incessant motion. Its song
is agreeable but does not contain as great a
variety of notes as the canary. They are readily taught many cute tricks : such as climbing a
ladder, eating hemp seed from the mouth or
hand, firing a minature cannon, running a tread
mill, feigning death, etc. They are more easily
trained than almost any small bird that we know
of. In this country they are sought more for
their beauty in the aviary, and for mating with
female canaries than for any other purpose, and
no one can have a nice- aviary without at least
one goldfinch. They sing throughout the year
except during the moulting season.

88

FEATHERED PETS.

The goldfinch should be fed on canary, rape
and maw seed with a little crushed hemp. If
the canary and rape, seems to be to hard for
him, it is well to soak them. He is also very
fond of sweet apple, ripe fruits of any kind,
and lettuce, and enjoys his bath which should be
given daily. His cage should be a medium or
large sized canary's cage, as he must have plenty
of room for exercise. He is not subject to
many diseases, and requires the same treatment
when sick, that you would give a canary.
There are several other varieties of goldfinches besides the one which we have described,
but it is the most prominent.

THE LINNET.
Although of plain plumage, the linnet is a
beautiful songster and is kept quite generally
throughout Europe, its sweet, well modulated
song and docile manners making it a desirable
cage pet. It has a marked ability for learning
many amusing bird tricks. It is quite hardy
and free from diseases and sings at almost all
seasons of the year. It requires the same
sized cage and the same general care as the
canary. A male linnet is frequently mated
with the canary and the young make excellent
singers, though their plumage is not as fine as
the Goldfinch and canary males,

THE BULLFINCH.
This bird is a native of Europe and northern
Asia, the best specimens being usually received
from Germany, although in northern Russia,
Sweden, and other far north sections, the birds
are much larger in size, still their voice is
inferior. The natural tone of the bullfinch is
objectionable, and it is only when trained that
they are highly valued. They have the faculty, however, of imitating the song of other
birds and also learn readily to pipe a tune,
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FEATHERED PETS

being perhaps superior in this respect to any
other bird, their tones being much better when
taught from a flute. It requires time and
patience to teach the bullfinch in this way,
but he well repays the effort and soon becomes
the favorite of most bird fanciers.
The German bullfinch is a trifle larger than
a canary, having a body about seven inches in
length, which is large and well rounded; the
beak is short, black and thick; the head, tail
and tips of wings are clear black; the back is a
rich brownish gray and it has a crimson breast;
his appearance is striking and attractive.
When wild the bullfinch forages on the
crops and eats the buds of young fruit trees,
and he is always considered an enemy of the
farmer, but when captured he soon becomes
contented to live in a cage.
In Germany there are many trainers who
make a business of training bullfinches, and in
their training room they usually have about
fifty of these birds. Only one air is taught
them until they become quite proficient. The
lessons are given several times each day, and
they are not permitted to hear any other music
or any other bird sing until they can whistle
their song perfectly. Shoemakers and tailors
frequently make the training of bullfinches a
profitable sideline, and they are taught such airs
as will make them the most saleable; those going to England being taught " God Save the
Queen," those intended for the United States
are taught America, Yankee Doodle, Star Spangled Banner, or other popular melodies. A
trained bullfinch which can whistle two or three
different airs will bring a high price on any

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91

market, but such birds are usually kept in Europe, as prices are much higher there than in
this country. They are not long-lived birds,
six to eight years being about the limit.
The bullfinch when in captivity should be fed
on rape, canary, and hemp seed, giving plenty
of pure, fresh water for drinking and bathing
purposes, and fine, clean sand in abundance for
the bottom of the cage."
A rusty nail should be kept in the drinking
water, and any diseases which show themselves
will be readily recognized, and they are easily
treated. One peculiar disease of the bullfinch
is melancholy, or dejection, in which state they
will sit apart, with ruffled plumage, without
being absolutely sick, but will not sing. In such
case they should be fed exclusively on soaked
rape seed.

THE SISKIN.
This is a small variety of finch ; the head and
neck is black, shoulders an olive green, throat
yellow, wings brownish black. They are a
beautiful happy little bird, universally admired
in the aviary and moreover excellent singers.
They sing the year round, except when moulting and their song is quite pretty, being low and
agreeable and they imitate the song of various
other birds. They are usually fed crushed
hemp, canary and maw seed, and require about
the same treatment as the canary, but they are
a very greedy bird and it does not do to feed
them too much. They are frequently crossed
with the canaries, and some very fine birds have
een the result of such a union.

THE CHAFFINCH.
The chaffinch is one of the most handsome
of the small finches being distinguished for his
bright colors and active habits. They are a
very popular cage bird throughout Europe, but
comparatively few of them are kept as cage
birds in this country. The chaffinch is a
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93

native of all parts of Europe, but during the
cold season he emigrates to north Africa. The
forehead of the male is black; the neck slate
color; shoulders and body a reddish brown;
back an olive green; the wings black striped
with white. The reason that there are not more
of these birds kept in cages is that they sing
better when wild in their native habitation than
when kept in captivity unless they are taken
from the nest when quite small and trained by
professional bird trainers, and such birds are
expensive.
Their food in the wild state consists of all
kinds of insects and seeds. When in the cage
German rape seed is considered the most
appropriate food for them mixed with about
one-third canary and occasionally a few seeds
of hemp may be given, though it will not do to
mix them with the other seed. A piece of
sweet -apple or a little lettuce may be given
occasionally as a variety, and they should have
an occasional meal worm or some insects to aid
digestion and keep them in good song. Ant
eggs mcy be also given occasionally. The
voice of this bird is remarkable for his clear
notes and trilling, It is distinguished in this
way beyond almost every other bird, approaching very nearly to distinct articulation. They
seem to have several different and distinct
songs which are frequently combined or made
to follow each other in rotation. It can be
taught songs in similar manner to the Bullfinch
but has not the wide range of notes nor such a
faculty for imitation.

THE NONPAREIL.
There are many bird fanciers who consider
this the handsomest plumaged of all birds, and
the color is so strangely mottled that it is
frequently called the "painted bunting." Great
numbers of these birds are trapped by the
negroes in the south for the northern bird market and also for exportation to Europe. We
have seen thousands of these birds prepared
for shipping to Germany, where they are frequently sold as Texas canaries. The color of
the bird is difficult to describe, but we may say
that he has a violet head and neck with a red
circle around the eyes; the back yellowish
green and the throat and breast are bright red.
He is about the same size as the G'erman
canary and requires the same cage, food and
treatment except that he is especially fond of
meal-worms, grasshoppers and insects. The
bird seed best suited for him is canary and millet in equal proportions. He has a low sweet
song though not equal to German canaries, still
it is greatly admired, being a melodious warble. They are easily domesticated and soon
become contented to cage life. They can be
bred with the canary but do not make a really
desirable cross. They have very few diseases
and require the same cures as are recommended
for the canary.

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REDBIRD, OR CARDINAL GROSBEAK.
This is often called the Virginia Nightingale.
It is a native of most of the southern states and
is one of the handsomest birds in existence, his
color being of brilliant red, with a black spot
around the beak and throat. He is capable of
raising the tuft of feathers on his head, which
gives him a rather commanding appearance.
He has a very sweet, pleasant song, which
pounds more like a whistle, and any one who
has kept one of these birds always regrets to
part with it. They usually live twelve to fifteen
years with proper care. They are inclined to
be rather wild when first changed to a new cage,
but if handled carefully they soon become great
pets. The female is of rich dark brown color,
and by some is considered fully equal to the
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FEATHERED PETS.

male, though they are not as handsome, and
consequently but few of them are kept in confinement. They will breed in captivity. The
redbird requires a good-sized cage, as it is nearly
as large as a mocking bird, and a medium sized
mocking bird cage is ordinarily used for it.
They should be fed a mixture of canary, hemp,
padda, wheat and cracked corn, to which may
be added a little fresh green food occasionally.
They are also fond of meal worms, spiders and
insects. Aside from the regular food, it is a
good plan to occasionally give them a small
quantity of raw beef which has been grated or
chopped fine, but do not give too much of this.
They should be given bits of apple or boiled
potato frequently, and should have a plentiful
supply of gravel and fresh water, and a piece
of chalk should be kept in the cage. They are
bothered with very few diseases.

JAVA SPARROW.
In the Java Islands these birds abound in
immense numbers and are as much of a nuisance there as the English Sparrows are in
America. They make, however, a very pretty
cage bird, and although their song amounts to
but little, being scarcely more than a twittering, still their pretty compact plumage will
always attract attention in the aviary, and no
aviary is complete without them. The pure

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97

white variety is the most desirable; their body
has a solid, smooth appearance, like a piece of
statuary; the beak is stout and handsomely
tinted with dark red toward the base. They
are an affectionate bird and happy in confinement and occasionally we find those which are
quite good singers. They should be fed on
canary, millet and padda; their principal food
when in the wild state is rice.

THE INDIGO BUNTING.
These are quite handsome little American
birds which make their home in the southern
states. They are of dark indigo blue color,
thus making a striking
object in a well stocked
aviary. The i n d i g o
bird is about the size of
a canary, and his food
and care should be the
same as recommended
for the nonpareil. He
soon becomes contented with cage life and his merry warble makes
him quite popular, though his notes are not
loud nor of great variety. They will usually
live longer in an aviary with other birds than
when kept in solitary confinement and they are
readily taught many amusing tricks.

ZEBRA PINCH

FANCY FINCHES.
No aviary is complete without an assortment
of fancy colored finches, as they attract a great
deal of attention. It is best to keep just one
pair of each kind in the aviary all of the following are sociable little birds and do very nicely in
an aviary.
The Magpie Finch is a glossy black plumaged
bird, with a tinge of purple on the head, throat,
wings and back, and these colors with the pure
white breast makes a very attractive bird.
The Nutmeg Finch, which is also known
under the name of Chestnut Finch, is a curiously marked rich chocolate on the back, and
with numerous white crescents on the lower
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99

body. These birds are quite hardy and will
live for many years, requiring but little care.
The Cut-throat Finch
is gtven this name owing
to its having a peculiar
band of brighest red extending from ear to ear
across the throat. It is
of soft fawn color with
delicate markings over
the rest of its body. Has
a peculiar trait of executing a combined song
and dance sometimes,
which is quite amusing.
The Zebra Finch is quite a small bird of dark
greenish brown plumage; the throat, chest and
breast are of pale yellow with a bright patch of
orange about the middle of the body; the beak
is red. They make very bright and intelligent
pets.
The Strawberry Finch or Avadavat, is of a
very small size, has dark brown plumage over
which there is a red tint covered with small
pearly white spots. They are a'very pretty,
peaceably inclined little bird and sing quite
well.
The Weaver Bird is another very interesting
little bird for the aviary, and displays wonderful ingenuity in nest building. There are many
varieties of these birds, which vary greatly in
color, though the variety ordinarily kept is of
brilliant reddish orange marked with satiny
black. They should always be provided with
a variety of nest building material so that they
can exert their skill; they frequently build a

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beautifully woven nest only to tear it to pieces
again a few days later, should it not be their
breeding season.
The White Capped and Black Capped Nuns
are also attractive aviary birds having affectionate, winning ways; they are good natured, playful and have a sweet little chirping song, but
some have the reputation of being rather delicate. All of the above finches thrive on a
mixed diet of millet and canary seed, but should
have apple, lettuce or other green food once or
twice a week and plenty of gravel and a shallow
dish of water in which to bathe.

As the body of many varieties of finches is
quite slender, it is necessary to have a special
cage for them. The cage which we illustrate
is made for this purpose and has wires less
than half an inch apart, while in the ordinary
canary cage the wires are five-eighths of an
inch apart.

THE NIGHTINGALE.
This has well been called the most melodious
of all singing birds; his voice has the greatest
compass, flexibility and variety and it has a
peculiar charm not possessed by other songsters. Many of these birds are used in Germany
for training the St. Andreasberg Roller Canaries,
as they are masters of music.
This bird is a native of Europe and many of
them are trapped to supply the markets of the
world; comparatively few, however, are ever
brought to this country, as, owing to ignorance
of proper care and treatment necessary for
keeping these birds, many fanciers have been
unsuccessful with them.
The Nightingale has very plain plumage, but
as one writer says: "Nature has* compensated
for its plainness by giving it a voice in which it
seems to study and compose beforehand the
melodious notes it wishes to be heard. It
begins softly; then the notes swell till they run
like a torrent. It goes from serious to gay,
from simple notes to the wildest warbling, and
has throughout the whole the ability to please
the nicest ear." The Nightingale requires the
same food and care as the Mocking-bird, but
should be given more fresh ripe fruit and
berries and the utmost care should be given to
providing supplies of gravel and fresh water.
They usually sing from January until July.
The lark requires about the same care, but
should have, if possible, a piece of freshly cut
turf placed in the bottom of the cage once a
week, and ab.out half an inch of sand or gravel.
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Americans should take a special pride in the
Mocking Bird, for he is a bird peculiar to this
continent, and is an unrivalled songster, excelling not only every American bird, but all kinds
of birds from every country of the world.
While his natural song is not of the melodious
sweetness of the lark or nightingale, or even the
beautiful song of the trained canary, still he
mimics the song of all other birds, in a most
charming manner and combines their song in a
wonderful variety, holding the listener spellbound. He does not confine his mimicry to
songbirds, but takes pleasure in mimicing any
other sound he hears, from the scream of the
eagle, the mourning of the dove, the cocks crow
in the early morning, or the hens cackle, the
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103

squealing of pigs, squeaking of a pump handle,
or rusty hinge on the barn door, or the quarreling of cats.
The mockingbird has not the bright plumage
which so well decks many of the song birds, and
is in no way showy in appearance. The color
of the male and female mocking-bird is quite
similar and it is difficult for anyone to tell them
apart except an expert. The body is from 9 to
10 inches long, well shaped, of dark brownish
gray, the head being of a darker hue ; the breast
very light ; its movements are lively and graceful, and any one who has had the pleasure of
owning a realy good songster will never want
to part with it, and he is sure to be a general
favorite wherever known, not only throughout
this country, but the world over.
Owing to its well developed powers of mimicry, the mocking-bird is the easiest trained of
all songsters. He will incline his head to one
side and listen to every strain whistled to him,
and seems to take pleasure in repeating his lesson, frequently giving it variations which were
not in the lesson.
The finest mocking-birds come from Louisiana and Texas, and they seem to be larger and
hardier than those hatched in the north and
frequently live to be twenty years of age.
They sing all the year except during the moulting and breeding seasons. They should have a
large cage which should be kept clean and
have plenty of gravel strewed in the bottom so
as to keep the feet in good order. They are
very fond of bathing and should daily be given
clean water in a large bath dish.

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FEATHERED PETS.

Many of these birds are trapped in the southern states, but they are greatly inferior to the
birds which are taken from the nest and
brought up by hand. It is considerable work to
feed and care for a young mocking-bird until
they are of size suitable for selling, and therefore the nestling birds are always more expensive than trapped ones. The mocking-bird
will breed in confinement but it rarely pays and
for this reason very few of the female mockingbirds are sold. The young mocking-birds do
not develope their musical powers during the
first year, but they usually begin when about a
year old and by the end of the second year are
singing very nicely, and in the third year they
reach their highest perfection.
They are a very long lived bird if kept free
from diseases, but are very voracious eaters
and frequently consume more than is good for
them. Care should be taken therefore not to
neglect to feed the bird sufficient food for his
needs, and it is better to give him food twice a
day. You will have better success in feeding
the prepared Mocking-bird food mixed with
grated carrot, though for a variety he may be
fed occasionally a mixture of hard boiled egg
and potatoes in proportion of two parts of
potato to one of egg. They are very fond of
meal worms, grasshoppers, spiders and insects
of all kinds and these seem to strengthen the
bird and prove the best medicine which can be
administered in case of sickness. They are
also fond of huckleberries and in fact all kinds
of berries.
The season when insects are not obtainable,
it is well to put scalded or soaked ant eggs and

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105

soaked currants in with their mixed food. A
meal worm or two may be given daily, but care
should be used not to put too many in the
cage as they are very strong food.
The prepared mocking-bird food can be had
from any bird dealer, but it is well to buy it
from some prominent dealer so as to be sure
and have it fresh and pure. If not properly
made the food is liable to become rancid, and
in this state it is undesirable for the bird. If
exposed to the air the prepared food will also
become full of worms or insects and some
object to feeding the food in this condition,
although it is not injurious to the bird and in
fact, they seem to like it better. There are
many different receipts given for making mocking bird food and very good food can be made
in the following manner, although we do not
recommend it where you can obtaia the prepared food which is put up with the greatest of
care with the best ingredients.
Two beef hearts boiled until they are thoroughly cooked and tender, the yolks of two
dozen hard boiled eggs. For this purpose the
eggs should be boiled for at least half an hour.
Two pounds of parrot crackers, or if you cannot obtain these, the ordinary soda crackers
will answer the purpose. The above materials
should be thoroughly grated until they are
fine. Add to this two pounds of split peas and
two pounds of hemp seed; both of these can be
ground in an ordinary coffee mill. Thoroughly
mix all of the above ingredients, and add one
pound of maw meal to the mixture. A small
quantity of fresh lard is frequently added to
make it moist. This food may be put up in

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FEATHERED PETS.

ordinary glass fruit jars to exclude from air and
keep fresh. When fed to Mocking Birds it
should be mixed with about the same bulk of
fresh grated carrots.
During the moulting season it is well to mix
grated sweet apple with the food, as it gives it
a flavor which is relished by the bird.
Mocking-birds are subject to very few diseases, and these result usually from improper
diet or from cold. They are more easily cured
usually by giving proper care and food, than by
administering medicine. A live spider given to
the bird will cure many of its complaints ;
for constipation, feed plenty of fresh green
stuff, insects or meal worms, or give a dose
of three drops of castor oil daily for three
days. Stale bread soaked in boiled milk,
sprinkled with cayenne pepper, will usually cure
diarrhoea. The Pip is caused usually by a cold,
and by examining the external skin of the
tongue, you will notice a white horny scale,
which causes the bird to stop singing ; this
should be carefully removed with a sharp knife
or with the finger nail, as, if it is allowed to remain the bird is very apt to die. The scale
should be peeled off by beginning at the base
and peeling toward the tip of the tongue. Apply
glycerine to the tongue after removing the scale,
and feed only soft rich food.
Lice cause great annoyance to the bird, and
it is well to use insect powder in the cage frequently. The beak and claws of mocking-birds
frequently become too long, and need to be
trimmed, with sharp knife or scissors, and as the
bird grows old, the legs should be annointed
with vaseline, glycerine, or some other prepara-

107

FEATHERED PETS.

tion of like nature, so as to keep the scales from
growing coarse and hard.
Blindness is sometimes occasioned by poor
food or hanging the cage too high in a poorly
ventilated room. It is usually incurable, but as
soon as noticed the bird should be removed to
fresh air and fed with rich food. Sometimes a

WOOD F R A M E M O C K I N G - B I R D

CAGE.

blind bird will live in apparent perfect health
and song for many years, and they sing by
night as well as day. One lady who has
excellent success in keeping mocking-birds
writes us that she always tries to gain their
perfect confidence so that they will come out of
the cage on her finger, and always seem to be
glad to take their food from her hands or lips.

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FEATHERED PETS.

She tries to think of everything from their
standpoint, and never allows anyone to tease or
poke their fingers at the birds. She uses dry
leaves for the bottom of the cage and thinks
they are better for Mocking-birds than sand.
It is also well to whittle out perches which are
broad and flat, and sloping at one end. The
Mocking-bird seems to enjoy resting on them.
Putting a piece of bark in the bottom of the
cage, and a pint or so of fresh damp soil will be
appreciated, as the birds like to work in it.
Mocking-birds like sweet milk, and if you
cannot obtain meal worms or other insects,
small bits of fresh beef or chicken will be
relished by the bird. He enjoys a sun bath but
it is well to have the top of the cage shaded so
that he can retire from the heat if he finds it too
intense.
Orioles, robins and the various kinds of
thrushes require the same general care, food,
and treatment as the mocking-bird. All of
these birds, if trapped when young, make
excellent cage birds though as there are but few
of them kept in cages we consider it needless
to give a more extended description of them.

TALKING MINOR.

TALKING PETS.
The most interesting birds to many persons
are those which have the ability to imitate the
sounds of the human voice, and for this reason
they have always been favorite household pets.
Some possess this power in a very high degree,
not only repeating words and sentences, but
bringing them out in such a way, that it seems
as if they had human power of connecting ideas
with words, while others will repeat only a few
words they have heard. The magpies, crows,
ravens, rooks, starlings and talking minors are
the principal birds which have power of speech
aside from the parrots. Most of these birds
have glossy black plumage.
The Magpie is especially remarkable; it is a
native of the western parts of the United States
as well as of various parts of Europe, and bears
a bad reputation for his sly pilfering habits.
He not only amuses one by his apt remarks
which he seems to have a faculty to bring in
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FEATHERED PETS.

most unexpectedly, but he also becomes a nuisance on account of his habit of carrying off and
concealing any jewelry,trinkets, or odds and ends
that he may pick up. From his peculiar antics
he is often called the "clown" of the bird family.
The general color of the bird is black, with white
stripes on the wings and tail. In some families
these birds become great pets and are allowed
to wander about the house at will. The prepared
mocking bird food is their principal diet, to
which should be added occasional scraps of meat;
bread and fruit. The magpie is subject to very
few diseases.
In England the Raven is frequently kept as
a pet; it is a bird of glossy black plumage and
stately demeanor. He is easily taught to pronounce a great variety of words, and cannot
fail to amuse and please his keeper. His
natural food is cafrion, and when kept about
the house he will take care of himself and
always be able to pick up sufficient food of his
own choice to supply him.
In many parts of this country the crow is
kept in the same way and is a natural born
thief. He will fairly compete with the magpie
and raven and other birds of the same class.
The talking Minor, sometimes called Mino or
Mynah, is a member of the Starling family
from the East Indies. He is an agreeable songster and has considerable talent for imitating
the human voice, speaking plainly and readily
forming sentences. His plumage is an iridescent black with a white stripe on the wings
and yellow patches on the head. Should be
fed prepared mocking-bird food, boiled rice,
ripe fruit and occasionally small pieces of raw
beef.

MEXICAN DOUBLE Y E L L O W H E A D PARROT.

PARROTS.
These are by far the most important class of
talking birds. It has frequently been said that
after one experience in keeping a parrot no one
will thereafter be without one. While it is true
that they require some care, still they afford a
great deal of amusement and are considerable
company, especially in families where there are
m children. Many of our friends would as
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112

FEATHERED PKTS.

soon think of selling a child as they would of
selling their parrot, so greatly do they become
attached to it. There are about three hundred
and fifty varieties of parrots which are scattered
more or less plentifully throughout the tropics,
but comparatively few varieties are really
desirable as cage birds, and many of them cannot be taught to talk.
This class of birds differs from others in
several ways. The beak is hooked all the way
from base to tip and both the upper and lower
mandible are movable, both being hinged, and
this enables the birds which subsist largely on
nuts, hard seeds and the stones of fruit, to crack
them easily, the peculiar formation of their bill
enabling them to bring the nut nearer to that
part of the jaw where the greatest power is for
cracking1, just as the greatest power in a pair of
nut crackers is near the joint. Their hard
curved bills enable them to split and remove
the shell and get the meat of the nut readily.
The head of most species is large, the crowns
flat; the legs are short with two toes placed before and two behind, to enable them to climb
easily and also to hold their food.
In their wild state they usually nest in the
hollows of trees and it is said that the male and
female sit alternately on the eggs. They are
sometimes known to lay eggs in captivity, but
they seldom set on them sufficiently long to
hatch them out, and it does riot pay to try to
bree.l parrots in captivity. There is also another
difficulty in breeding parrots, and that is, there
is no method of distinguishing the male from the
female, in the talking varieties. Both sexes
are considered fully equal in talking ability.

FEATHERED PETS.

113

Their colors and size are the same. In the smaller varieties of parrots which are usually called
Paroquets, there is usually a difference in color
between the sexes.
In their native country parrots are more destructive to crops, than any other class of birds.
They assemble in great flocks in the fields and
on the fruit trees, and devour all they can, and
carry off more to their nests. While the favorite
habitat of the true talking parrot is always in the
torrid zone, still there are some species to be met
with fully forty-five degrees of latitude which
would be as far north as the Ohio River, and one
aujthority speaks of having found the Carolina
Paroquets as far north as Lake Michigan, but
at the present time, their habitat is confined to
a. much more southern latitude.
The tongue of the parrot is thick, fleshy and,
without doubt, a highly sensitive organ. It is
covered with tiny spines, and moistened with
a salivary secretion, which enables it to taste
and compare various articles of food. Frequently in feeding a parrot some food to which
they are not accustomed, it is amusing to watch
them taste it and apparently think whether they
are going to like it or not. The eyes of the
parrot are placed on either side of his head so
that he cannot distinguish a small object close
in front of him without turning his head on one
side, which posture gives the bird a grotesquely
critical air.
By far the best talking parrots are young
birds which are taken from the nest and
brought up by hand, but such birds are much
more expensive than those which are trapped.
We have known trapped birds to be sold by

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FEATHERED PETS.

the natives in Mexico as cheap as ten cents
each, while hand raised birds in the same locality would bring about $5.00 each and that is
about the real difference in value between the
two, as the trapped birds are a nuisance and
rarely learn to talk, and even then the task of
teaching them amounts to far more than the
difference in the first cost.
Our illustration represents the parrot sellers
of Corinto, and it is a typical scene off the coast
of Mexico where the natives come out in small
boats to sell their wares. The tide in the
harbor runs strong, and to any but the skillful
natives the handling of a canoe in such troubled
waters is a dangerous thing The venturesome
Nicarauguans who dwell along the coast make
their living by selling parrots and other merchandise to the passengers of the coast vessels, and the Pacific mail steamers which stop
there on their journeys.
Parrot selling is particularly profitable, and
each boat carries quite a load of these birds.
The parrots do not like to fly, but hold their
positions on the gunwales of the boats
undisturbed by the rocking of the water, and
chatter volubly, heedless of the bargaining
which is going on between the lady in the boat
and the people on shipboard.
When taken from the nest, or trapped before
they learn to fly, the young parrots readily submit to confinement and soon become household
pets. The popular mistake in keeping parrots
is using too small a cage. The Cuban or Red
Pleaded Mexican parrot may get along in a 12inch round cage, but such a cage would be much
to small for a Mexican Yellow Head or African

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Gray parrot, and they should have a cage not
less than fourteen inches in diameter, and a sixteen inch would be better The square parrot
cages are becoming very popular, in some parts
of the east, but do not seem to take well in
the western states where the round cages are
preferred.
Parrots will learn to talk better
when in a cage, than when allowed their liberty
or when chained to a perch. Perches for parrots
should always be of hard wood, so that they cannot destroy them, but should never consist of
metal, as the metal perches are too smooth and
are apt to be too cold for the bird's feet. When
a parrot is allowed freedom of the house he is
very apt to find food which is unwholesome,
and is also liable to destroy furniture. When
allowed his freedom it is best to clip the inside
feathers of one wing, so that he cannot fly.
The cage should be kept scrupulously clean
and well provided with sand and gravel, or what
is better the sharp grit, such as is sold for poultry.
This acts as teeth for the bird, and helps to grind
the food and keep the bird in good health.
While it is true that parrots will eat a great
variety of food, and many persons are in the
habit of even taking the bird to the table with
them and allowing them a dish with a variety
of all kinds of food such as is on the table, and
claim that their bird keeps in good health, still
we would not recommend such a procedure.
Birds will always do better on a plain diet and
you should specially be careful not to give
meat, fresh bread or greasy food. The best
food for all kinds of parrots consists of sunflower, hemp, padda and cracked corn, but it
is well to give theni one soft feed each day

PARROT STAND,
The tray uui be raised and the top of a parrot cage placed over,
so as to cover bird at nijiht, if desired.

(n

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FEATHERED PETS.

consisting of Pilot crackers or stale bread soaked
in coffee or boiled milk. These Pilot crakers,
which are manufactured by most of the large
cracker companies in the country, are made
simply of flour and water, without any soda,
shortening, or salt and they should be sufficiently hard baked so that after being wet they
remain spongy instead of becoming sticky.
Most parrots like a piece of dry cracker occasionally and are fond of nuts and all kinds of
fruit. A few pecan nuts or peanuts may be
given occasionally and ripe fruit is beneficial,
but avoid very juicy acid fruits. Do npt feed
fresh bread as it is very apt to impact in the
stomach and consequently cause trouble. It is
well to lay aside some fresh bread until it is
three or four days old and it will then be in
good condition for the bird. Parrots drink but
little water and when they are first received
from the south we always keep water from
them for several weeks, giving them in place,
once or twice a day a drink of boiled milk
made hot with cayenne pepper, or of coffee
with or without sugar and milk, as the bird
seems to prefer it. After the bird has been
several weeks in the north we begin giving a
small drink of water once or twice a week, and
if it does not appear to affect the bird injuriously we finally leave a dish of water in the
cage constantly, being particular, however,
that it is set in such a way that it will not become foul.
When parrots are very young we give them
soft food twice a day, but as soon as they
appear acclimated and able to eat the seed, we
remove all soft food which is left at noon and

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119

leave them only the seed for the afternoon and
evening. Some of the most successful bird
dealers in the country feed their parrots with
ordinary yellow or white corn which has been
soaked over night and then boiled for several
hours until it becomes soft, and this makes an
excellent food. During the season when fresh
sweet corn is obtainable parrots enjoy having
an ear of it placed in the cage. When parrots
are young- and unable to crack the hard seeds
it is well to soak them or cook oatmeal or
prepare a food of rice thoroughly cooked, with
the first water drained off so as to remove as
much of the starch as possible. Hard boiled
eggs mixed with an equal quantity of cracker
crumbs and some cayenne pepper for seasoning
is also relished by the birds. While it is not a
common practice to give cuttle bone to parrots
still it is a very good plan as it aids digestion
and the small quantity of salt contained in the
cuttle bone seems to be good for the bird.
During the moulting season a pod of red pepper
or a piece of raw onion will act as a tonic.
But very few parrots will bathe in water as they
seem to object to it as much as a hen does, and,
like a hen, prefer a dust bath, but it is usually
inconvenient to allow them to take it. It is a
good plan to sprinkle the bird with soft tepid
water, in which may be dissolved a small
quantity of borax, once a week during warm
weather, and at least once a month during the
winter, but care should be used to put the bird
in the sun or near a stove or radiator so that its
plumage will dry thoroughly, and be careful
that it is not exposed to a draft.

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It is well to bear in mind that the gizzard of a
parrot, as well as of all other birds, takes the
place of the teeth, and that it can no more grind
its food unless supplied with gravel than a mill
can grind without millstones. The lack of
gravel in the cage is the cause of frequent ill
success in keeping parrots. The cage should be
washed frequently with soap and water, in order
to keep it clean, but be sure that the perches are
thoroughly dried before puttingthebird in again,
and it would be better to scrape the perches instead of washing them.

TEACHING PARROTS.
"What shall I do with my parrot to make it
talk?" is a question we are frequently asked at
all seasons of the year. More complaints come
however, from persons who have made the bad
error of purchasing a bird from some peddler,
or from some store where they can obtain one
cheap, thinking that a parrot was a parrot no
matter what its pedigree or previous history
was.
As we have previously said trapped parrots
can be purchased at almost your own price from
the natives in Mexico and this is a strong
inducement to an unscrupulous dealer to
purchase them to supply his trade at what
appears to be a low price, but still is an
enormous profit. We know of one dealer in a
large city who makes it a rule to handle only
trapped birds. He guarantees them fully to
talk, and should a bird be returned he generally

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121

exchanges it for another. Sometimes the bird
is returned six or eight times, but finally the
customer becomes disgusted or worn out so that
it stays sold. The dealer knows that these
trapped birds cannot be expected to learn to talk,
and most of his trade is from persons who live out
of the city and he never expects to see them
again. It is far better to purchase from some
dealer who has a reputation to sustain and
whom you can depend on to supply you a first
class bird even if it costs you a little more in
the start.
All young, hand raised parrots of the varieties named -in this book will learn to talk if
they have proper care, but the secret in taming
and teaching parrots is to move slowly and let
them know that you are friendly. We have
been in many bird stores where the parrots are
kept cross, so that they could not be safely
handled or touched by any one. This we consider entirely useless, as a tame bird is much
more satisfactory, and we have never had any
parrot that we could not handle within ten days
after receiving them.
Always move slowly
around the cage, and never poke your finger or
anything else at the bird. If a parrot starts to
bite you do not jerk your hand away, but blow
in its face or tap its beak or claws lightly with
a lead pencil; this is sufficient to make it stop.
It is needless to have a squawking or screaming parrot, as the bird can be easily taught that
it is against your rules for it to make an undue
amount of noise. Tapping lightly on the cage
with a stick, or on the claws or bill, is usually
sufficient punishment to stop the noise, though
some bird fanciers make it a rule to cover the

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FEATHERED PETS.

cage with a cloth or paper, and others think it
best to give the bird something to play with.
A piece of cloth in the cage, a toy bell or even
an ear of corn will usually keep the bird busy
and stop its noise.
Young parrots frequently begin talking before
they are well feathered out. They are usually
received in the northern markets about the first
of July, and they frequently begin talking within two weeks if their owner will talk to them,
but they require teaching just as a baby does.
You would not expect your child to learn from
picking up words which he happens to hear you
say, though after a parrot becomes accustomed
to saying a few words, he will usually continue
learning and pick up many sentences. Some
parrots are slower and do not begin for several
months or even for a year or more, and then
suddenly cause surprise by repeating whole sentences.
As a rule a parrot will learn much quicker
from a lady's voice, than from a man's, and still
quicker from a child's. The best way to teach
the bird to speak, is to keep entirely out of sight
while giving him the lesson ; the cage may be
covered with a cloth, at a certain time each day,
and a half hour or an hour spent in talking
to the bird. They will usually learn more rapidly in the afternoon or about sun down than at
any other time during the day. Covering the
cage with the cloth transfers the attention
of the parrot from everything else, and its entire
attention is fixed on what it hears, and within a
few days it will begin to repeat words and sentences. After once beginning to talk the cloth
may be removed, when you are talking to it if

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you prefer to do so. Too much attention cannot
be paid to the linking together of words forming any sentence you desire the bird to learn.
Let each word glide into the next as smoothly
as possible, being particular to articulate plainly,
but not to make too much of a pause between
the words.
Some parrots which have been declared untrainable have been taught to talk quite freely
within a week by putting them in a separate
room and talking to them through a tin speaking tube. One jeweler with whom we are
acquainted has taught many birds in this manner, the bird being confined in the cellar under
his work bench.
Years ago it was a common practice to split
the parrot's tongue, but this is a very cruel plan,
and not only does it not help the bird to learn,
but it actually hinders its ever learning to articulate distinctly.
There are many persons who prefer to purchase a bird which has begun to talk so that
they are sure to obtain one which can be
taught, and for this reason talking parrots
always sell at a higher price, as it is of
course some trouble to teach them, but we consider it better to purchase a young bird before
it has learned any words and teach it yourself,
as it then becomes accustomed to your voice
and learns more rapidly and you can teach it to
say just what you wish to.
The memory of parrots in recalling words
which they have heard possibly months before
is truly remarkable, and they also have the
faculty of connecting a sentence with a person's
face whom they have not seen perhaps for

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FEATHERED PETS.

several months. Many of the amusing stories
which are told of parrots are without doubt
exaggerated, but there are well authenticated
instances where these birds have used expressions with apparently little less than human
understanding.
Near one of the ferries in New York City
there is a news stand in charge of a boy, or we
may better say in charge of a green parrot. As
the passengers come off from the ferry they
are accosted with the cries: "World, Daily
Journal, Herald, last edition Times," as well as
the names of other prominent papers. When
they look in at the news stand they see a boy
sitting in the back part of the small 100m, but
it is a parrot which is tramping over the papers
on the counter and calling the various editions.
Many customers have become so familiar with
this bird that they will lay down the proper
amount on the pile of papers and take whatever paper they decide on, and the boy apparently gives the business very little attention.
At Patterson, N. J., a parrot was several
years ago rescued from a fire in a boarding
house. About a month ago early one morning
the bird called out loudly, "Fire! Fire! Send
for the engines! Look out for the stairs! Hurry
up! Never mind your clothes! Fire! Fire! Polly
wants a cracker! Fire!" The building really was
on fire and every boarder in the house was
awakened by Polly's cries, and they all fled to
the street and one of them was thoughtful
enough to take Polly along with him in her
cage. In this case it appears that the parrot
saved the lives of several persons by her memory of the fire which she had been in years

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125

before, and connecting what she had heard at
that time with the present case.
The only American ship which has so far
been badly injured in the Spanish war is the
torpedo boat Winslow. On this boat they have
a fighting parrot which they call "Jack the
ripper." On that memorable day "Jack" called
out, "remember the Maine, remember the
Maine, darn the torpedoes, go ahead, kah, kah,"
as the boat went ahead. The bird seemed to
catch the spirit which animated the breasts of
the gallant little crew, and again called: "Man
the tubes, man the tubes. Yankee Doodle
came to town, look out there, give it to 'em,
remember the Maine." When the ship was in
the midst of the shower of shot and several of
the men were killed, the bird flew from place to
place around the deck seeming to realize the
situation and continued its shrieking calls.
There are many cases known of parrots living to very old age and one parrot in Connecticut is said to be one hundred and eighteen
years old, and has been for one hundred years
in the same family having descended from
father to son through three generations.
Another Macaw Parrot is said to have been
kept in one of the royal families in Europe for
more than two hundred years.

DISEASES OF PARROTS.

Parrots are subject to but few diseases ; but
these diseases frequently prove fatal, if they do
not have early attention. They are caused

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FEATHERED PETS.

usually by catching cold, or by food or water
which does not agree with them.
The state of parrots health is usually indicated
by the excretions which in a strong healthy bird
consists of two parts : One being rather thick
and dark green and the other a thin white substance. Should the excrement be entirely composed of the green or of a hard brown substance,
or all slimy white or be watery, the bird is out
of condition and requires treatment or change
of food.
If your bird catches cold, put it in a warm
place and it is a good plan to wrap it up in a
piece of flannel. Put ten drops of aconite in a
glass of water and every hour pour a teaspoonful down the bird's throat. We may say right
here that Homeopathic medicines seem to be
well adapted for bird ailments and physicians
often prescribe for them. Bird peppers, or red
pepper mixed in their soft food usually seems
to have a tonic effect and is beneficial to the
bird.
If the bird seems to have a very severe cold,
and running at the nose we would clean the
bird's nost rils with a feather dipped in salt water,
and then moisten them with oil of almonds. A
vapor bath is also good for the bird and is easily
arranged by placing the cage over a cane bottom^ chair, removing the cage bottom. Set a
pan of boiling hot water under the chair, and
cover a quilt over the cage, chair and all. It is
well to peep at the bird occasionally to see that
he is not overcome by the vapor.
For indigestion give a plain, light diet of
cracked corn, padda ,and a few sunflower seeds;
put a teaspoonful of lime water in the drinking

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127

water, and a teaspoonful of warm Bordeaux
wine can be poured down the bird's throat.
Vomiting is frequently caused by overeating
or fright, and in that case it is of little importance, but should it arise from inflammation of
the stomach, and be accompanied by weakness,
shivering and loss of appetite it is well to apply
hot poultices of flax seed to the belly; or apply
sand as warm as is pleasant to the hand. Five
drops of nux vomica may be put in a half glass
of water and give the bird a teaspoonful every
half hour until three or four doses have been
given by which time the vomiting will probably
cease. A teaspoonful of glycerine daily will
usually correct the trouble.
Diarrhoea or loosening of the bowels is the
most common and also the most dangerous illness of the parrot, and nothing causes it sooner
than sour food. When a parrot is affected in
this way the cage should be hung in a sunny
place, and kept as warm as possible, remembering that parrots are natives of the hottest
countries in the world. They should have plain
food at this time consisting mostly of unhulled
rice or padda. If they can be induced to eat
it, a piece of cracker soaked in brandy, sprinkled
with red pepper, will warm the stomach and
usually affect a cure. In severe cases put three
to five drops of paregoric in a teaspoonful of
boiled milk, and give, this dose every three
hours. Should they not eat sufficient food it
will be well to supply them with hard boiled
egg, peanuts and dry cracker; also give some
boiled milk with pepper. Do not allow the
bird to have any water, fruit, nor green stuff of
any kind. Whenever your bird is addicted to

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FEATHERED PETS.

this complaint keep a rusty nail in the drinking
water. Should dysentery result give one-half
teaspoonful castor-oil with ten drops of honey.
For constipation we know of nothing better
than a half teaspoonful of oil which may be
mixed with the same quantity of honey and
given once or twice a day. The vent should
also be annointed with olive oil.
Parrots are also somewhat addicted to asthma
which arises from having an undue allowance of
heating food. The bird should be given a.
change of diet, and if quite ill should be fed
with a stiff paste made of boiled milk and
wheat flour to which should be added a liberal
quantity of cayenne pepper and keep the bird
in a warm place.
Some parrots are subject to fits and will
tumble off their perch and after a few convulsive struggles lie as if dead in the bottom of
the cage. When this happens it is well to
drench them with cold water, especially on the
head. If this does not revive the bird, dip him
several times in a pan of cold water; sometimes
pulling out one or two of the tail feathers will
revive him. If parrots are subject to frequent
fits it is well to administer a little spirits of
nitre putting half a dozen drops on their soft
food each day. Give plenty of fruit, fresh air
and water. When neglected and left without
sand in the cage inflamation of the feet sometimes sets in. Bathe and clean thoroughly
with warm water and anoint with glycerine.
It is a great annoyance to the owner of a fine
bird to see it strip itself of its plumage, and
this is usually caused by the bird being confined in too small a cage, lack of cleanliness,

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129

and the feeding of meat or greasy food. When
birds are addicted to this habit we would give
them only cracked corn, sunflower and padda.
Do not feed hemp seed, but adhere to a strictly
plain diet and have plenty of gravel in the
cage. It is also well to put in an ear of corn,
some spools or other articles for the bird to
gnaw at or play with. In many cases where
feather pulling arises from too rich food the
bird's general health can be helped by keeping
some cuttle-bone in the cage. It is also a good
plan to keep an inch or so of dry sand in the
bottom of the cage, as the bird frequently likes
to wallow in it, and the feather pulling is caused
by an itching of the skin. Fruit or green
food is good for the bird at such a time.
Frequently, however, feather pulling is caused
by insects, and it is well to take the parrot out
of the cage and rub insect powder thoroughly
through his feathers in all parts of the body.
By doing this for several days they will finally
all be exterminated.
Parrots always require careful handling for
the first year in the north until they are thoroughly acclimated. We all know that a person
removing from the southern climate to the
north is apt to have some spell of sickness, and
this is more specially the case with parrots than
with human beings.

AFRICAN GRAY PARROT.
This is usually put at the head of the parrot
family, both in ability to talk and whistle,
in imitation and in intelligence. He is a

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FEATHERED PETS.

handsome bird of shiny gray plumage, the tail
being brown when quite young, but after the
first moult it becomes bright red. The feathers lay smoothly to the body, and while its
body is about the same size as the Double Yellow Head, still it appears somewhat smaller.
These parrots are imported from the western
coast of Africa, and the best birds come in
sailing vessels direct to this country, most of
them being landed at New York City, though
there are occasional lots which arrive at New
Orleans and other ports. Those brought over
on steamers are never healthy and usually die
within a few weeks, so that during the past few
years very few birds have been sent in that
way. Occasionally there are birds of this
species which have red feathers on the back as
well as the red tail, and these are known as
king parrots and always command a higher
price. The Gray Parrot has been longer known
than any other variety of parrots and is said to
be the longest lived of any, with the single
exception of the Macaws.
When first received in this country these birds
are somewhat wild and give vent to harsh guttural sounds, if well treated however, they soon
become tame and can be taught very easily.
They are as hardy a bird as any variety of parrot, but are sensitive to drafts and should therefore be kept in a warm room, except in the summer time, when they may be hung out doors.
The Gray parrots learn more readily in the
morning, than at night, and have a more clear,
correct pronunciation than any variety, and they
also learn much longer sentences.
They are
not usually considered as good singers as the

EEATHERED PETS.

131

Double Yellow Head, though they have been
taught to sing very nicely. Owing to their long
confinement on sailing vessles during their trips
to this country; they are apt to learn considerable profanity from the sailors, and it is therefore better to purchase a bird which has not
learned to talk. They learn to whistle much
more quickly than any other breed of parrots
and can be taught to whistle a tune very pretty.
These birds are always more expensive than
other breeds of parrots owing to the cost of importing them, and the number which die in
transit, but after they have been for a month in
this country they are usually acclimated so that
they are seldom sick, and they therefore make
a very satisfactory bird.

MEXtCAN'DOUBLE YELLOW HEAD PARROT.

This is the most popular of all species of parrots, and many of the bird fanciers rate it as
fully equal in ability and intelligence to the
Gray African. If the teaching of th< se birds
begins when they are young, they learn to talk
quite readily and becomes very fluent. The
bird's body is of dark beautiful green color
with bright red, and some blue feathers on the
edges of the wings and tail. On top of the
head there is a spot of yellow, or pale orange
color. This spot on the head gradually extends
over the head, so that on a bird one year old
it is about one-half inch below the eye, and by
the time the bird is four or five years old the
entire head and neck is bright yellow, thus

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FEATHERED PETS.

giving it a venerable appearance. The feet and
beak are usually white, the tongue varies in
color, some being white, some black and some
spotted.
This bird is frequently called the operatic
star owing to his natural gift of song, his voice
being clear and ringing, and many wonderful
stories are told of their singing powers. After
being trained they become very tame, nice pets,
and are very apt in imitating peculiar sentences
or witty sayings which they hear, as well as the
sounds of animal life, cats, dogs, etc.
AMAZON PARROT.

This is a very pretty bird about the same
size as the Double Yellow Head being about

FEATHERED PETS.

133

fourteen inches in length. It is a nice green
color, the feathers sometimes marked with dark
margins; a bright blue band extends over the
forehead while the cheeks and throat are
marked with yellow. He is rated as being
next in talking ability to the Double Yellow
Head. Comparatively few of these birds are
imported into the United States though they
are more popular in Europe. They are captured
in Brazil along the upper Amazon river.

CUSAN PARROT.

This is the most common of all parrots and
is very popular owing to its bright colors and
its ability to learn quickly. These parrots are
usually taken from the nest before fully feathered and imported into the United States when
two to four months old. They are natives of
many parts of Cuba, though those from the
Isle of Pines are usually considered the best.
About ten thousand of these parrots are sold
annually to customers in the United States.
They usually arrive in this country about the
last of June and all through the month of July,
New York being the principal port of entry.
Most of these birds are sold as soon as they
arrive and by the first of November very few of
them remain in the hands of the dealers, so
that during the winter months it is difficult to
obtain them.
The Cuban parrot is ten to twelve inches
long, with green body, white forehead, scarlet
throat and blue and green on the wings and

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FEATHERED PETS.

tail, thus making it one of the most gorgeous
colored of birds. They do not need as large a
cage as most varieties of parrots; a twelve or
thirteen inch cage being amply sufficient.

CARTHEGENA PARROT.
This is also popularly known as the Single Yellow Head and by some parties is called the half
yellow head parrot. These birds are usually
from the Republic of Columbia in South
America, the principal port from which they
are shipped being Carthegena. They are
frequently sold as Mexican parrots though they
are not from Mexico. They are slightly
smaller than the Double Yellow Head; have
light green plumage with a small spot of yellow
on the top of the head; the wings and tail have
some blue and red feathers. These birds are
very gentle, quiet and intelligent. Have most
retentive memory and closely rival the Double
Yellow Head in talking ability. They are
regular acrobats in the cage and seem to delight
in funny antics. The beak is black or mottled
with black.
MEXICAN RED HEAD PARROT.
This small parrot may well be called the pet
of the parrot family. He is a very quiet, gentle
bird, about the size of the Cuban, but is always
tame and easily handled by any one and there
is much pleasure in training them. They are
considered about equal to the Cuban parrots

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135

in talking ability and are quite pretty, although
they do not exhibit the many colors of the
Cuban. They do not make the loud, harsh
noises which are sometimes so objectionable
with the Cuban parrot when not well trained,
and we have found that many of them become
very good talkers, though not equal to the
Double Yellow Head. Some of them, also,
become excellent whistlers and singers, having
soft, clear voices and they are great mimics.
Many hundreds of them are sold each year,
and they are cheap and usually prove quite satisfactory.
MACAW PARROTS.
This is the largest of the parrot family and
the writer has had some of these birds which
were nearly three feet in length. They are
also the most gorgeous plumaged. They are
easily tamed, enjoy being petted and rubbed,
and we now have one bird which will lay down
and roll over on its back to be caressed. They
are rather voracious birds and do not hesitate to
let } ou know that they are hungry, by means
of loud squawks. They possess powerful beaks
and can readily destroy furniture. We have
known our macaw to crush the hickory handle
of a tack hammer with apparent ease. It will
therefore be seen that it does not pay to quarrel
with these birds, or make them angry or they
might use the same force on your hand. The
largest, most splendid plumaged and best known
of the species is the Scarlet Macaw, which is of
brilliant scarlet on the head, neck, breast and

136

FEATHERED PETS.

upper part of back, the wings being of dark indigo blue, with some feathers of yellow and
green, and the same colors are in the long tail.
These birds should be kept chained on a perch
so that their plumage will not be broken or injured, which is apt to be the case when they are
confined in a cage.
The Blue and Yellow Macaw is also a very
attractive looking bird of about the same size
as the above variety, the prevailing colors
being a handsome bluish green above, and
orange on the breast The macaws are natives
of central South America, and can readily be
taught to talk, but they are not of equal talking
ability with any of the other varieties of parrots which we have described. Their food consists principally of stale bread or crackers
soaked in milk, though they are fond of corn,
nuts, sunflower and hemp seed, and also of all
kinds of ripe fruits, but should not be given any
meat nor sugar as it is apt to cause skin diseases.
PAROQUETS.
There is a great variety of these little birds
which would seem to belong to the parrot
family, their name which is also called Parakeet,
meaning a small parrot. Few of them are
capable of learning to talk, the only one which
is desirable in this respect being the Beebee
Paroquet, which is commonly called the Dwarf
parrot being smaller than a Mocking-bird.
These birds are imported from South America,
and are of green color throughout. When

FEATHERED PETS.

137

taught to talk his voice is small and flute-like,
more nearly resembling that of a child's. The
words are clearly spoken and they learn to
speak long sentences, and some of our friends
say that they display a remarkable aptitude in
saying the right things at the right time. They
should be kept in pairs as they seem to enjoy
each others company, though they can be kept
singly if desired, and they become greatly
attached to their mistress. The best food for
them is a mixture of canary and hemp seed
though they are very fond of sweet apple,
banana, or other ripe fruit and enjoy a daily
bath.
Mexican Paroquets are sold quite largely in
various parts of the United States, but their
sale is more by bird peddlers, who call them
young parrots. They make nice pets but very
rarely learn to talk. By far the handsomest of
all the paroquet family is the Australian Shell
Paroquet. They are quite small birds, the body
being about the same size as the German canary,
and in fact they frequently go between the wires
of a canary's cage. They look much larger however, as their feathers are fluffy and their tail is
very long and graceful, thus making the 6ntire
length of the bird about nine inches. They are
very tame in Australia, where they are called
"grass birds" or *'love birds," but few of them
however, are imported from that country as they
are usually bred in Russia by persons who make
the breeding of these birds their business. They
are easily bred in captivity, and become great
pets, being readily taught many amusing tricks.
They are hardy and will stand a much lower
temperature than the canary. Their plumage is

138

FEATHERED PETS.

a beautiful shade of light green with a few
brownish or black feathers intermingled, thus
giving them a handsome mottled appearance.
The feathers of the head are lemon color, with
a spot of blue on each side of the neck. The

AUSTRALIAN SHELL FABOQUETS

inside of the male bird's wing is of brilliant
violet, while the female bird is plain green. In
this way the sexes are readily distinguished.
They require ?bout the same care and attention
as canaries, and should be fed mainly on canary
and millet seed.

FEATHERED PETS.

139

COCKATOOS.

These are curiously attractive birds of the
parrot family which are easily tamed, though
they rarely become'
good talkers. They
are large birds and
have gay plumage.
They are natives
of Australia and
New Guinea, and
breed in the dense
forests. The most
popular species is
the large sulphur
crested variety. This bird is about
sixteen inches in length; has a
large clear white body with short
tail and appears in the distance
more like a great white owl. His
beautiful large crest is of lemon or
sulphur color and he can raise and
expand it at pleasure, thus making
a very attractive bird.
The Leadbeater Cockatoo is the most beautiful of all the tribe. They are smaller than the
above variety; the body is white, the head,
neck and breast being delicately tinged with
pink ; the crest is beautifully striped with red,
yellow and white and it is very elegant when
raised. Cockatoos can endure a much lower
temperature than other parrots. They should
have about the same care except that they are
fond of potatoes and onions, but milk seems to
> be injurious to them.

140

FEATHERED PETS.

The Cockateel or Cockatillo which is sometimes called the Australian Cockatoo Paroquet
is a favorite cage bird being very amiable and
gentle. It is about the size of a common pigeon, of rather sombre dun color, with yellow
cheeks and wing coverts ; tail black, and crest
is usually gray and yellow.

INDEX.
Accidents
48
Ageof Birds
17,125
Air and W a t e i
30
Amusements
28
Amusing E x p e r i m e n t
8
American Goldfinch
85
Apoplexy
45
Artificial Coloring
84
Asthma
. , — 44
Australian P a r o q u e t
137
Avadavat
99
Aviaries
22,27,78
Aviary Cages
26,100
Awning for Cages
30
Bathing
31
Bird-lime
15
Bird Shows
75
Blue Bird
97
Breeding
76
Breeding Cages
79
Broken Limbs
48
Bullfinch
89
Bunting...9^,97
Buying Birds
19
Cages
22
Cage and A q u a r i u m Com'd 4
Canaries
51
' • Belgian
65
''
Campanini . . . . . . 59, 62
Crested
56
English
63
"
H a r t z M o u n t a i n . . 55
"
Lizard
64
London F a n c y ... 61
"
Manchester Coppy 64
Mule
67
"
Norwich
63
"
Scotch F a n c y . . . 65
St. Andreasberg.. 60
Bedtime
70
"
Breeding
76
Care of
68
Color
84
"
Diseases of
41 to 50
Food
70
"
Mating F e v e r . . . . 78
"
Moulting
42, 82
"
Night S i n g i n g . . . . 74
Sex, How to Tell.. 77
11
Sweating
82
1
'
Temperature
69
Taming
83

Canaries, T r a i n i n g
72, 83
"
Young Birds
82
Canary Seed
36
Cardinal
95
Catarrh
44
Catching Cold
30,41
Catching Escaped B i r d s . . 18
Cats
73
Cayenne P e p p e r
84
Chaffinch
92
Charcoal
39
Chestnut F i n c h
98
Cleanliness—
69
Cleaning B r a s s Cage
29
Cockateel
140
Cockatoo
139
Colds
43
Constipation
46
Consumption
44
Convulsions
47
Covering Cage
41
Cramping
48
Crow
109
C u t t h r o a t Finch
99
Cuttlebone
40
Dealers in Birds
19
Diarrhoea
45
Diseases
41
Draughts
41
Dust Injurious
70
Egg-Bound
81
Egg Eating
82
Egg Paste
35
Epileptic F i t s
47
E u r o p e a n Bird B u y e r s . . . . 58
Evening Singing
74
Exhibitions
,
75
Feather Pulling... „
49
Feeding Young Bird s
82,85
Females Bathing
32
Fenders
24
Finches. Varieties
98
Fits
,
47
Food for Birds
34
F o o t Disease
47
Fruit
38
Gas Injurious
31
Goldfinch
86
Gout
47
Gravel
28,39
Grosbeak
95
H e m p Seed
37

Hoarseness
44
Hybrid Birds
67
I m p o r t i n g Birds
, . . . 58
Indigo Birds
97
Insects
49
Insect Food
39
Insect Powder
49
Insect P o w d e r Guns
50
Java Sparrows
96
Lacquering Cages
29
Larks
101
L i b e r a t i n g Birds
8
Lice
49
t.
Linnets
88
Loss of Appetite
45
Loss of Voice
44
Loud Voices Objectionable 74
Love Birds
138
Love of Birds
5
Macaws
. 135
Magpie F i n c h
98
Magpies
109
Mating
32
Mating F e v e r
78
MawSeed
37
MealWorms
39
Medicine
50
Millet Seed
37
Minor or Mino
110
Mites
49
Mocking Birds
102
Mocking Bird Diseases
106
Mocking Bird Food
104
Moulting
42
Mule Birds
67
N a m e s for Birds
33
Nesting M a t e r i a l
80
Nests
6, 80
Nightingales
lol
Nonpariels
94
Nuns
100
Nutmeg Finch
98
Ov'rgrown Claws and Beak 48
Padda
38
Painted Bunting
94
P a r o q u e t or P a r a k e e t . . . 136
Parrots
Ill
"
African Gray
129
'•
Amazon
132
"
Carthagena
134
Cuban
133
D'bl. Yellow Head 131
"
Dwarf
136
''
Macaw"
135
"
Red Headed Mex'n 134
Single Yellow H'd 134
Bathing
119
"
Breeding
112
41
Cages
114
"
Diseases
125

P a r r o t s . D r i n k for
118
F e a t h e r P u l l i n g . . 128
Food
116
Gravel
120
Stand
117
"
Stories
.. 124
Taming
121
Teaching
120
Tongue S p l i t t i n g . 123
T r a p p e d . . . .20, 113,120
P a r r o t Sellers of Corint© ..115
Peddlers of Birds . . .. 20
P e p p e r Food
35, 84
Perches
28
Perch Scraper
28
Place to H a n g
30
P o p p y Seed
37
Rape Seed
36
Ravens
109
Red Bird
95
Scaly Legs
48
Seed for Birds
36
Selecting Birds
19, 54
Sex—how to tell
59, 77
Shipping Birds
21
Shipping Cages
26
Siskin...
91
SkylarkStory
11
Soft-billed B i r d s . . . 101 to 108
Song of Birds
9
Sore Eyes
48
Sore Feet
:. 48
Sparrow, J a v a
96
S t e a m Injurious
70
Strawberry Finch,..
99
Sun B a t h
30
Sunflower Seed
38
Swollen F e e t
49
Talking Minor
110
Talking P e t s
..108
T a m i n g Birds
16
Teaching Birds
11
Texas Canaries
94
Tobacco Smoke
31
Tonic .
.
50
T r a p Cage
14
Trapped Birds
7
T r a p p i n g Birds
14
Trick Birds
87
Twirling
47
Vertigo
47
Virginia Nightingale
95
Voice of Birds
,... 9
Waste
44
Water31
Weaver Bird
99
Worms
46
Yellow Birds
85
Young Birds Moulting
82
Zebra F i n c h
99

"AQUARIA"
A New Rook Dv the * & &
Author of "reathered Pets."

Fully illustrates and describes all the best
breeds of Fancy Fish for the Aquarium. Contains complete instructions for the care of Gold
Fish, making home-made Aquariums, Fountains, breeding Fish profitably, etc . so plainly
given that any one can succeed.
ONLY COMPLETE BOOK PUBLISHED FOR LE8S THAN $ 1 . 0 0 .

PAPER COVER, 15 CENTS.
CLOTH, 50 CENTS POSTPAID.

CHAS. N. PAGE, Des Moines, la,