The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1872-02-04
Flying Flowers and Feath-
cred Gems.
OUR HOUSEHOLD M1NsTRELs
Their NumberS-IIcw to Care for Them
Their Value and PCculiaritieS.


WIN n We neglect them.
Ana sS:n ,f o 'is f s. s ny .e:s
~. And ni, cure OF every III;
AndI you mad shown me less,
Had been your prisoner still.
We were astonished to ana how great q number
Of foreign birds were imported into this city annu-
ally as matter OF traffic From statistics furnished
- at the appraisers ONCE, for the six months end.
ing on the list OF January, 1872 we found there
were 33,237 birds imported. and for the year Just
passed there must have over sxCy-six thousand
foreign birds brought TO this port by direct mporta
sion for she trade. 1t s estimated too, that fully
snc-iourth as many more ind their way here by
sailors and returned tourists thus swelling up the
number to nearly eighty.three thousand birds Of
.various- kinds
There are thirty.eight established stores in this
-. sale Of birds, and about one.fourth as
~ ~ ~, "a they are sold in private,
and not exposed to the passerpy, .-,v,-' - 80
nearly nifty dealers in bros There are four exte-
ave wire cage manufactures and six where they
manufacture wooden ones. And tbeRe dsaAsgA ~
birds and Dirdcages all make mo-
About nlne-ten ---.os'
A,sv. - the European birds are cage
-, ana OF this class two-thirds are the German
and Frencn Tor long breed) canary. The most de.
sra0e ana principal part Of the remainder OF this
ing klnds:-Tne skylark, chaGinch, thrush black
bird, wood lark, staillng, nnet tgrayA lnnet
Rreenl, siskin, nightingale bulldnch, goldnnch,
Java sparrow, amandanet. the gray or African
parrot the yellow headed or green parrot, the
mon yellow headed parrot, and the Australian Tor
SHELLY paroquets, macaws and cocKatoos.
we should take up too much space to mention all
the parrot family by name there being over twenty
different kinds to choose from In our Market The
sulphur crested cOckatOo, however, commands the
highest price, which Is $45 unless 1t is the cooka.
killos, and he Is worth 500 Some OF the lower
grades fetch only So. The 'Troopialn OF South
America, is the handsomest OF all the above named
birds.
Our tax with our readers snail relate to such OF
she european birus as we have chosen to mention
ABOVE and II shall be OF an lnformatory character
We were gratifled TO find the demand for these
charming household MINISTRIES was on the increase
In no part or the world do they command the
average high price are there as many sold In
proportion to tho population as in New York city.
As we look al our statistics say to ourse 'This
speaks well for "a nation Of shopkeepers.'" Bring
on, say we, your winged flowers and Tying gems
We have money and spare for all that Is beautl-
full social and refined.
We shall FIRST speak OF the universal favorite.
THE CANARY,
about which we have before us such a beautiful
piece OF poetry that we cannot refrain from Civ.
ing IT,
God pless thee and thy joyous throat,
Thy tri, thy churr. thy piercing note,
5s's gp, .ss Of sSms tho" w.ssr,sEook
vocsouaryl
Thou Gagged up treasure OF delight,
That knowest TO make prison bright
through m'isic's mystery;
Anon The highest reach OF sound divide,
Like faganin.
where ddst ,hou gain this wondrous Iorey
Where that which admire still more,
rha. .mss s q Sr Ps,1s SaIs and doors.
In Ionsliness spirit pours,
OF mirthiul minstrelsy
All our readers know how the canary looks and
therefore description Is useless. They all know
that he will live in any sized cage, but may not
know that he VIII sing best In moderately small
sized, round wire cage. Give him two perchcs and
clean them when you clean the bottom OF his cage.
once or twice week. If you lot the perches get
rough from any accumulation his feet will become
sore. Keep the cage bottom covered with dry,
Kravelly sand give the bird fresh water to drink
and bathe In every day. and have his seed cup filed
With fresh crop, glossy seed; and from time
70 time ill IL with hemp and canary seed, mixed,
and sometimes rape and canary seed, mixed. They
also Ike chickweed, lettuce and cabbage and 1t
would be well to put little of either in the cage
every week. In winter you can give the canary q
piuOo vi sWcct apple, anu u piece Oh cuttenSn
fastened to the wires OF the cage hurts HIM.
Keep the bird In moderately cool room, out OF q
uraught. The canary stand a great deal
of cold Sometimes his claws may want cutting.
DO this with sharp SCISSORS out mind you do n OF
cut deep enough to draw blood No other directions
are needed for the care OF bird kept only TO sing,
and you had better give him nothing else at VEN
ture, sucn as cracker or lump OF sugar from the
table. He does not need it, and II particle OF but
YER adheres to it you Will lose your bird. Salt or
butter Kills him.
The canary bird came originally from the Canary
Islands, and were more 0ften OF gray green color
than yellow The best singers among US are mix.
ture OF the nnet and canary; but these never breed
ana the supply can only be kept up by mating the
female canary with the male linnet In Germany
and France much attention Is paid 70 breeding
canaries, both for profit and pleasure and about
one-eighth Of the number we see In New Yorx were
raised here by persons actuated by the same mo-
uves as those across the Atlantic.
The canary seed that Is shipped here comes from
the East Indies, and Is the best 1t Is packed In
small barrels, holding about two-thirds as mucn as
our common-sizcd -four barrels do the slaves being
very narrow. and made with great precision.
No Gagged bird Is more easily taken care OF or pro-
pagated In cage. They will cross with the nnnet
stskin and godnnch; that is the female canary Will
mate with the males OF the above BIRDS but the re.
verse cannot De. WHAT we deem most interesting 10
our readers on that which remains TO be said about
the canary mere Is how to breed them which is very
simple, but requires some care and attention. Two
weeks before the pairing season comes, put the
female In q square cage fully two feet long and
about twenty inches high and wide place 1t in a
tired corner OF tine room where 1t Is intended to
remain. In addition to the usual daily seed give
her about one-elghth OF bard-boied egg
chopped up fine, yolk and white together.
Give the male bird also in his cage the
same quantity OF egg. Al the expiration OF
fortnight put the male bird in the cage with the
female, and they Will usually mate IN about a
weeks time. Then they want TO begin their nest.
Get q wire nest They are better than wooden.