New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1881-07-17
TRAINING BIRDS TO SING.

with the growing popularity of trained singing
o'IuS o,hcr IMAM cahalies. which have ione
hoh0poil%cc thc care and attention of women, h II
sale has reached large figure in this city, store
where the sale OF these birds is made Il specially
VIZ ahn lal,ciy VISITED ny lkbuNE reporter BESIDES
icW holHch"d pris such as rabi It's. Guinea pigs
WHITE mice and Maltese eats, there were fully a
laouSaha blrds confined III small wicker cages hung
upon tic walls here were parrots LARGE and small H.
fayly plnincd and sobcrly arrayed talking parrots
ana silent parrots, loudly singing canarlcs by the
gross, Inockngblrds, starlings blackbrds and
bullilnchcS. The din made by these imprisoned
SohgStciS was almost dcafcning. While the parrots
hcpt up me croaking refrain that he was Il Polly,
" p'c,V io,ly' uhc canary gayIy waIbcd and the
inorkingbrd whistlcd popular tame. while The
ecTI ana nrli,ke notes Of bunch whstlng
OF ihc place, man of considerable experience,
WHISTLE cntlre tunes are the bullhnch, blackbrd
ana starting The most apt and quickest to learn is
tnc buiihnch He can be taught to whistle from
one to four different tunes. have one little fellow
mere VINO can sing the German melody, Du bIst
we enc Blnmc' with entire accuracy. lie has got
voice as clear and beautiful rs flute. His price
Is Us. have some other bullinchcs here that will
sig various other German melodies they cost from
no To 10 according to their proficiency BLACK
prus ana starllngs also sing we'll but never so
peautiluiy rs the bullinch. They usually sing
ply one tune, and are worth from 80 to $50.
WHISTLE TWO or three tunes and those that can only
whisllo shatches of "A tune. Out of one hundred
nrdS perhaps eighty will learn one tune and per-
maps three-iourths o these two or even three
Almost al trained birds come from Germany,
~, tSptciiiiy from SaXony, Sllcsia and IIcSScn.
ne liarlZ Mountain regions in SaXony furnish the
largest number of birds. Small artisans such as
taliors, shocmakers and wcavcrs are the men who
tralh BIRDS to sing and thereby make little extra
income ABOVE Their mcagre earnings. The training
pegln; soon after the birds icdgcd and can
bear being taken from the parental nest The
tunes are whisted to them few times "a day The
carly morning and falling twilight are looked upon
us peinG especially anspicious for this purpose,
probably because all birds usually sing at these
times. The birds while being trained are not al
lo"d to hear any other tune than the one 1t is de-
sired they should learn and the trainer must always
ucHVcr IL III The same key. bird acquires tune
III from four to five months Birds will sing at
command OF word or nod from the person who is
IN In the habit of feeding them They then lift up
thcir heads, sway their bodies to and fr) spread out
Their tal-icatliers, and whistle their tune Buyers
from large cities in Europe and even FROM this
country visit the little hamcts strcwn around in
tnc mountains, and going from house to house
purchase what suits them. They pay from ~ to
r., ior blId that here brings from 81 to 800. The
piriS intended for this country are put in small
wicker cages which placed seven IN n row in
cases containing no The birds suffer n great deal
rom the sea voyage. | have received many that
seemed Just ready TO die. With RULED feathers,
thil dragging and with a downcast they stub
oofhy reinse to sing. In such case take them
o9t', give Item warm BATH and for time feed
Ihem on Lotinng but finely chopped hard-b boiled