The Lake County star. [volume] (Chase, Mich.) 1873-current, 1877-02-22
Training Canaries.
ERNEST Ingersol in st. Nicholas.I !


Canaries show a great aptitude for
tricks, sometimes learning to do many
amusing and difficult things, and also
to sing tunes very well. They soon
come to know their masters or mistresses,
and will often follow them about. I
"mind," as a Scotch girl would say, a
little lassie who had pet bird so tame
that in pleasant weather she used every
day to open the window and let it 90 out
of the house, for 1t would always return
at evening, tapping on the window
panes, to be let in, if the sash happened
to be closed. An English gentlemen
had canary for several years which
never was kept in cage, and in summer
was always flying out to the gate or
down the road to meet its master, perch
ing on his finger, nesting in his bosom,
or best of all, clinging in his hair, where
it was completely happy; at the same
time only one other person in the house
would it allow to touch it, resenting any
attempt at familiarity with the fiercest
anger. At last however this bold little
fellow got bewildered in a sudden dense
fog and was lost. Canaries can live out
of doors in our climate very well in sum-
mer, and sometimes join the families of
wild birds; but their house-bred consti-
tutions can hardly stand the cold of
winter, and escaped birds probably all
perish before spring. They are very at
fectionate little creatures, always prefer
companions, and will make friends even
with natural enemies. A fancier in Lon
don had cat which, with her kittens,
would eat out of the canaries' dish in the
bird-room and never think of harming
them, while the birds seemed to enjoy
Tabby's society.
To tame birds and to train them to
perform tricks are two very different
things. Any one may do the first b !
constant, quiet kindness, endless atten-
ton and patience. Accustom the bird
to your presence, and let it understand
that whatever you do about it nothing
is intended for its terror or harm. This
learned, teaching it to perch on your
finger, or come TO your whistle or call
is only a matter of time and gentle pa.
tience. Some odd tricks may be taught
them if they are cute, for different birds
differ very greatly in their ability to
learn, as we'll as their natural talents
and dispositions-but the astonishing
exploits of some troupes of "perform-
ing birds" which are exhibiting about
the country are all taught to them by a
terribly cruel course of lessons, and you
ought not to make your pet emulate these
performances.
The Germans often teach young birds
tunes and the songs OF other birds; but
the operation is slow and tedious one,
and the results not very satisfactory
It seems to me that our highest wish
should be to perfect all that is natural
to a canary, and not try to make him
something else than he is, or was in
tended to be.
LONDON Spectator: We may add an
other incident which we heard years ago
from the lips of Mr.. Julian Young. the
accomplished son of one of the actors in
1t. Mathews and Young had some grudge
10 pay off on surly tOll-bar keeper. II
should be promised that just beyond the
bar there was road which led
back into the town. Dressed precisely
alike, driving gigs almost exactly similar,
with horses OF the same color, making ny
their faces TO the same expression, and
putting to him the same grotesque ques
tions, they drove through his gate in an
endless succession of precisely similar in
dividuals.