The clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1883-1888, 1884-07-09
II MADE HIM SING.
aTr. Edwards Prescription for Evolv.
ing MELODY from Recaicit-
rant Birds.

rant Birds
If any one has q canary bird that
won't sing said Mr.. William Edwards
to 4 Few York Sam reporter. Il can
give him q prescription that / never
knew to fail in making 3 bird . hrst-
class warbler.
Mr.. Edwards is the naturalist who
has been mentioned heretofore IN the
SIN in connection with experiments
having in view the possible domestiea-
ton Of the alligator in Sheepshead Day.
These experiments. it may be remem-
bered. were not entirely satisfactory,
owing to the drowning Of one OF Mr..
Edwards two subjects. and to the sue
cumbing of the other, last winter, to
uncongenial climatic influences. after
six months diet of air. .
In the case of this prescription.
continued Mr.. Edwards, ''it is the bird
that is to be well shaken before taken.
instead of the medicine. ! discovered
it in this way: Our canary-bird, Dick,
Is 5 years old, and when his notes were
due, after a careful bringing up, he
failed to utter q sound. We waited
reasonable length Of time. and as he
did not show any inclination to sing,
we looked on the time and care that we
bestowed upon him as entirely thrown
away. II he had not been such hand
some bird he would have been disposed
of at once, but his style kept hm IN
the family. He was housed In q pretty
brass cage, and received more attention
than he deserved, as we then thought.
s.About year ago, Dicks cage was
hanging in an upper window one day,
and from some cause it fell TO the
ground below. When the cage was
picked up it was found that one Of the
birds legs was broken. We were
about to put Dick out of his misery,
when LADY who lived near us inter-
fered. She said she could mako him
as good as new, which VIC didn't think
was doing much, as when he was new
Dick wasn't inventoried very high BY
us. The lady, however, took him and
snlintered the broken leg. For three
weeks Dick laid on tho bottom OF his
cage as patient rs could be. He took
his rations with discouraging regularity
and relish, and one day hoped upon
his perch as pert and fresh as if he had
lust returned from long vacation IN
the country.
..But he was as mute as a mummy.
His stylo was as handsome as ever,
though. and he paraded it to its full ca
pacity. About three weeks after COM
ing out of the hospital, Dicks apart
ment was again hanging in the same
window and again tumbled to the
ground. The limb that had been so
carefully doctorcd and nursed before
was again broken. We splintered it as
previously, and in short time brought
the bird around once more. The day
that he resumed his position on his
perch will never be forgotten in our
family. He jumped to his place, cock
ell his eyes around the room, as if to
see whether we were all present,
Strengthened himself, stretched out his
neck, and-well, talk about a canary
bird singing. He filed the room with
unheard of notes, and sent them ring
ing out of the windows until they PEN
etrated the whole neighborhood and
set every bird there was within quar-
ter of mile to singing at pitch that
threatened the splitting of all the feath-
cred throats that part of the bay con-
tanned. Sing? Why, he wouldn't stop.
He kept it up right along all day, and
woke mp in the night to put in a~bar or
two he had forgotten to execute before.
l guess that all the music that had
been pent up in his soul for four years
got away from him that day and night.
But if it did he filled up again right
away, for Dic.s has ever been able TO
provide an abundant supply of it ever
since.
You see that bird had simply been
stubborn all his life. He could have
been singing for four years if he'd
wanted 10, and he knew it, but he'd |
made up his mind that he'd take it ca
sy and put on style. When the cage
fell out Of the window with him the first
time lie didn' think so much about il,
but when itdroppcd the second time
he began to wake MP to what he be-
lieyed She true situation was. He got |
it into his head that he was dropped |
out of that window because he wouldn't |
sing, and Two trips was ali he wanted. |
He made up his mind the second that |
if he ever got around again he would /
sing until he made things hum, and he
did.
That's my prescription for making
canary birds sing when they won't |
sing, and | have no reason to believe
that it wont work tic charm every
time, ifsHsed according TO directions