Daily Yellowstone journal. [volume] (Miles City, Mont.) 1882-1893, 1886-02-23
TRAINING A PET CANARY.
An Easy Method Of Teaching Them Tricks
Patience and Perseverance.

Patience and Perseverance.
A pet canary in house is sunbeam.
Always busy, never having an idle mo-
ment, and always doing something new,
it enlivens the dull and encourages the
slothful to industry. Young girls or
wives with a long and lonely afternoon
of mending before them can set the cage
on the table beside the work-basket, chat
to the bird. sing with it and teach il new
notes as the needle is piled. Patience
and continual instruction only can teach
a bird tricks. Because it sometimes
gives no outward sign of imitation is
not to I've accepted as belief that it is
not learning. 1t is practicing the trick
in private, and not until after perfect
rehearsal will it give a public exhibition.
To teach bird to kiss, hold him
lightly. chatting in soothing tones till he
is quiet; then kiss the bill repeatedly,
still soothing him with gentle talk. Kiss
the bill again and again till he ceases to
struggle in fear of the salute; then be-
stow final one-a kiss of appreciation
and release him to partake of his enjoy
ment. Repeat that the next day-sev-
eral times day if you wish to teach him
quickly-and he soon resorts to this per-
Torrance as a method of coaxing, OPEN
ing and closing his bill between your lips
exactly as you have done by him, so
nearly as bird imitation is possible. IL
he picks your lip do not notice 1t before
him. The cage of a nervous bird should
never be touched without first calling
the tenants attention, because, being al
ways engaged in some project, an alb
rupt action startles him just as it would
a human being who is come upon sud-
denly.
To teach him to sit upon your finger,
draw a chair up near the cage. hold c
conference with him. and then intro
ducing finger between the wires near
his favorite perch hold it there, patiently
reading your book or paper meanwhile.
The new object showing no disposition
to harm him, he goes up cautiously for
an examination. Then he picks to as
certain the material-may be he fights
it. This is good sign. He no longer
fears it. Repay him with some choice
morsel and cheerful words for his
courage. Try him again in the afternoon.
He may go further and light on it..
Possibly the trick may take several days.
BE patient. Once the step is attained,
vary the programme by introducing the
finger in other spots. He will soon light
on it at any point or angle. Next try
thrusting the fingers under the door
Next time fasten it open. blocking egress
with the rest of the hand as one finger
extends within. When he perches on il
draw him forth little way. Next
tempt him to the perch outside a little,
and so on. In short time you have but
to open the cage door. uplift finger,
and he is sure to fly for it, and he may
be thus called to any part of the room to
rest on the familiar perch.
To eat from the finger, let him hunger
several days for some favorite dainty
say fig. Show him one; disregard his
citation; do not let him have it. Spread
q few seeds over the end of your finger
and offer them close by his perch, allow
ing him plenty of time for speculation.
Soon he will snatch off seed or two. If
he utterly refuses put him sadly away,
leaving the fig where he may see it.
Next day try again; he'll take one or
more. That will do. Donot plague him
any longer. Give him piece of fig in
the cage, and leave him alone until next
day. He may feel independent, being
surfeited, and refuse to pick. No matter;
put him away without his fig. The next
day he is sure to pick all off the fingers.
Praise the act and reward him. After
that il is plain sailing.-Cincinnati
Enquirer.