The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1872-01-18
How a Bull6nch Conquered Baron
ROthschild.

ROthschild.
Twenty-Five years ago it was rare
thing to see Bullfnch among Gagged
song-birds, for in the wild state little
Bully only whistles, or makes plaintive
cry, which both male and female utter
They hide away timidly in shady
coverts, and it takes practiced eye to
find their nest in thick bushes or hedge
rows. This nest is formed of bits of
wood, and fine, thready roots are woven
inside. The mother-bird lays five or six
bluish-white eggs, mottled round the
big end with brown and violet spots,
and sits on them fortnight, the usual
time with small birds. The young bull
finches, when two months old, are strong
enough to fly and leave their mother.
The Bullfinch sometimes mates with the
Canary bird, and bird children of such
families are highly priced as songsters.
They wear i'll part their mothers
Canary yellow gown, and they sing con-
stantly. The Bullfnch prima-donnas
made their debut in the piping times of
peace and plenty, under Louis Philippe,
in Paris, at Baron Rothschild's palace.
They came into fashion in this way: In
the year 1850 or 1851, Baron Rothschild
was travelling i'll the Tyrol. While they
were changing his carriage-horses,
handsome young mountaineer offered
him shabby cage inhabited by Il sober
looking bullfnch. Birds can not be al
ways in full-dress or in song, and Baron
Rothschild waved "No, do not want
it," with the back of his majestic hand.
A bird is not, indeed, the most con-
venient fellow-traveller in carriage /;
but the Baron changed his mind when
he heard this bullfinch warble the
cdchucAd, and then several Tyrolcse airs,
without ever missing a note. How
much for this bird Z" he asked the peas
ant.
a florin, sir" replied the youth.
1T is worth more" quoth the banker,
and suiting the gesture to the words, he
put three or four gold pieces into the
bird-trainer's hand, which made him
open his eyes very wide. Have you
any more birds that sing as well as this
one?" he asked, smiling at the poor fell
lows delight.
"Sixty of them, sir; | am raising
them all the while, to sell to travellers,
but nobody pays me like you, sir, or 1
should now have a bird of my own to
pet, and not to sell. See Gretchen,
yonder, sir; these two years we have
been of one heart, but her father will
not listen to our plans, for own nothing
but my cabin and my birds"
in months time" said Rothschild,
"I shall be back in Paris. Come and
see me there. This is my address, and
H., l.
driven off at brisk trot.
A month after this meeting, to the
very day, our bird-keeper, with sixty
cages and their inmates on his shoulders,
suspended by a pole, reached Rue
Latittc, covered with the dust of the
high-road, rang at Baron Rothschild's
hotel, and asked to speak with the
master, showing his card. While the
Swiss porter was hesitating whether to
admit this strange visitor, the Baron
fortunately came to the window. He
knew the Tyrolese bird-keeper at once,
by his stack of cages, and sent word for
him to come in.
Mr.. Rothschild," said the mountain
lad, in German, "you told me to come.
Here l am. Allow me to offer you this
the bird you bought in our mountains.
He will sing you a dozen airs" And
thereupon he set to bobbing his head
like Chinese doll, before the bird.
Bully presently puffed out his throat,
moved his head gently, half-opened his
wings, and then, half-closing his eyes, as
if trying to remember, began to warble
German and Tyrolese songs without
words, air after air, to the end of the
twelve. The Baron, amazed at this feat,
which showed so much perseverance in
the trainer as well as talent in the bird,
ordered his steward to give the lad Il
hundred dollars and to lodge him at
small hotel near by, adding that his
friend from the Tyrol should be his
guest while in Paris. The Figaro and
other papers, that week, had few neat
about the plumed musicians.
The bullfinches were seen, listened to,
and admired at the famous bankers, and
no price was thought too high for such
well-educated birds. The Tyrolese
youth returned home, still afoot, but
with no cages swinging on his shoulder,
and with seven thousand francs folded
away in his belt. Seven thousand francs
fourteen hundred dollars! This is
quite fortune in the Tyrol. The bird
keeper married his Gretchen, who was
sixteen years old upon her wedding day,
about ten years ago. Her cheeks still
wear their mountain roses; she speaks
French as well as German, and accom-
panies her husband and the birds to
their great city market.
Trained bullfnches sing all the sum-
mer then are silent from the end of
autumn to the early spring-time. As
the sun kisses the brown earth's cheek
until she smiles back ON him in flowers,
you hear the birds recalling in soft un-
dertones the airs they had forgotten un-
der the reign of the frost-king. Now
they repeat them, note by note, begin
again whenever they strike false note,
never tire of this exercise, but persevere,
like true artists as they are, until they
have recovered all that they had learn
ed. Then they sing all day loDg-they
sing even to the moon and stars, like
nightingales and mocking-birds, drunk
Ell with melody. 1t is a month or six
weeks before they sober down, and be-
come respectable family birds, singing
occasionally to the bright sky overhead
or the sweet flowers below, or to all to-
oathar - He03fh and JIorne