The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1883-10-12
About nockIng.Birds.

About hooking. Birds.
Strolling down Market street one day
last week we were stopped by burst OF
bird notes. The melody came through
. door to side entrance. There were
clear pipings and whistlings, alternated
with cooings and every other wild
wood note that was ever heard in for
est. The concert was so tempting that
we pushed open the door and followed
the alley-like entrance to the place OF
the singing. Instead of the forest filled
with sOngsters, which Imagination had
conjured up. there were only q few
mocking-birds singing on porch.
About thirty, it seemed, were in one
large cage. Others were confined in
smaller ones. Fifteen or twenty cana
ries occupied part of the large cage
above the hooking birds, but these
looked gloomy and dispirited, and only
gave utterance to tiny chirps and peep
ings.
"What is your price for those mock
ing birds?" we asked of the proprietor.
They are worth three dollars apiece,
and the canaries one dollar and fifty
cents. 1 don't want to sell any but the
hooking birds, though"
"Where did you get all these birdsP"
we asked.
Il am regular dealer in birds, and
have been for the past ten years, was
the reply. Il bought these in New Or
leans, and brought them up here to sell.
l have been here nearly week, and l
am going back tomorrow"
"Have YOU sold many?''
"All but these you see here, out of
about three hundred mocking-birds and
one hundred Cuban parrots besides.
have been buying and selling birds for
the last ten years. buy 'em in New
Orleans from the dealers there. and
bring them UP here and to other North
ern cities. l only buy mocking-birds,
as good canaries are worth more there
than they are here. These which you
see have snapped my birds for, and
am taking them back to sell on my next
trip. will get three dollars or four
dollars for them there, while up here
they are worth only about half as
much"
How much do the others cost you?"
1.-The Knockers cost me fifty cents
apiece in New Orleans when / buy from
the bird merchants. They are CreoleS
who buy them from the boys who make
q business of catching the young ones
Just before they leave the nest. When
l buy from these boys only have to
pay ten or fifteen cents apiece, but it is
not often have the chance, as | don't
stay long and must get up n lot as
soon as possible"
..Who catch the birds and where do
they find them?''
1.-The boys, black and white. who
live out on the plantations and the
coast. They make regular business
of this, and when they catch enough
they bring them to the city and sell
them to the street bird merchants. 1t
is against the law now to take them
off the plantations, and most of them
come from the sea-coast."
'Where do the old ones build their
nests?"
Everywhere almost, but generally in
wild rose-bushes, old fences and low
trees. They are not very particular
about these nests and make 'em out of
a few sticks, which they lay up to-
gether and fix so they will just hold the
eggs. They lay four or five and every
one matches. When left to themselves
they raise only two broods, but when
they are taken out by the catchers they
lay and hatch three or four. The bust
ness is much larger one than you
might think, as thousands of young
birds are bought and sold every day"
"Where did you get your parrots?"
81 bought thed Of the New Orleans
dealers, too. They get them off boats
which are sent out to catch them on The
real parrots and can't talk, but they sell
well, as lots of people want them.
They cost two or three dollars down
there and here we get seven or eight
dollars, dependin' mostly on the Gus
TONER
"Nhere do you sell you stocks?'
''Oh. most everywhere. l bring 'em
here and take 'em to lots of Northern
cities. People in Northern towns pay
the best prices, but they like canaries
better than Knockers"
soil VI
working people. Since l have
been here 1 have sold only two or three
to rich customers. 1t seems like they
had rather have dogs than BIRDS" here
a contemptuous expression passed over
the dealers face.
Il presume" suggested the reporter,
'ahat you sell the most to girls and
women?'
mo, 1 don't; men and boys are
about the only customers have. Since
l came hore sold one bird to lady
from New Albany, and l had hard work
to do that. It's not often a woman
ever comes around to buy, and when
they do they're troublesome custom
ers."
In further conversation the dealer
said that the birds which he brought
here were usually kept till they were
three months old before being offered
for sale. They are all males, as there
is no demand for the females, which are
distinguished by black feather mark
ings on their wings. They are very
healthy, and few ever die. The trade
is not risky one, there being no diff
Guilty in selling the birds. and the profits
are consequently large. Most, If not
all, of these dealers are either Germans
Or Italians.-LOuisUille Courier Journal.
Ahouf fats