The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1888-07-30
BIRDS THAT SING AND TALK.
tn Curious Contents of a Bird Fan
ciers' Establishment.
From the Washinoton Star.

sylvania avenue, lives bird fancier sur
rounded by scores of his pets. Ranged on
either side of long room are cages filled
with almost every species of song and talk
ing birds.
The business is interesting" said the
bird man to reporter, but that's all.
Pecuniarily speaking it don't amount to
much, and then again it takes great
amount of care and worry to even get
living out of it."
Are canaries as popular as ever"
Il hardly think So" was the answer;
for the last year or so the canary has been
sighted, and people are looking for some
thing In the way of a songster to take its
place.
Are the canaries that are shipped to
this country trapped in their native land"
asked the reporter
"Oh, no; no doubt many people think so,
but tho domesticated canary is vastly supe-
rior to those found in a wild state. In
some parts of Germany people make canary
raising a speciality, aud their superiority
over the wild birds is solely due to the
watchful study which has been given them.
The wild canary IS green and gray, while
as you know the dOmesticated variety Is
vastly different"
THE TRIP ACROSS THE OCEAN.
Glow do the birds like the ocean trip2"
queried the reporter
THAT'S the hardest part of the whole
business. Few people who own birds, or
who are charmed by their sweet voices, are
aware of the hardships the little fellows
have to undergo in coming TO this country
The birds are generally sent over in charge
of two men, but one Is generally enough.
His first duty, after watering and feeding,
is to sea that the crates are made fast, for
heavy weather would break everything
loose and kill many of the birds. The crates
vary from 4 to Z feet in hight. When at
sea the attendants work begins in earnest,
and day and night he is on the lookout lest
some unknown accident occur. Each bird
must receive its rations of food and water
every dav. There is a disease peculiar to
canaries known as schnappen, that breaks
out e cry now and then and carries them
off in great numbers; the disease is mainly
due to improper ventilation, or over
crowded cages"
DO rats bother birds that are being
shipped"
Indeed they do. The willy fellows, in the
absence of fresh water, are ever on the
alert for drink and birds blood is their es-
pecial delight They never devour the
birds They operate much the same as a
weasel, cutting the birds throat and suck
ing the blood. Many schemes have been
dant sometimes jerks a string, having a
number of tin cans tied to one end, making
a hideous noise, during the night tofrighten
them away"
A sign bearing the inscription Meal
Worms for Sale arrested the reporters at
tention, and turning to the bird man, he
inquired what meal worms were.
They are worms bred in meal and bran, p"
said he, but step this way and | will show
y ACoprHiuuly tho
followed, and was soon peering into box
lined with zinc AID containing myriads of
tiny squirming worms. "Those worms were
bred right where you see them, he said,
'aId are intended for what we term soft
bill birds They are the best things in the
world with which to train, the
shye5t bird Will readily take one of them
from your hand the moment it sees it. "
A set of young mocking birds lately ship
ped from New Orleans set up a shrill cry as
the bird man approached, telling their m as
ter they were hungry.
"These little fellows" said he, 'seem to
know me, and whenever they are hungry
and see me pass they tell me in this way"
Taking the young birds from the cage the
bird man held them in one hand, while
with the other be poked a combination of
and grated toast, into their gaping mouths
How can you tell when they have
enoughN
the moment they stop crying 1 stop
feeding them"
TRAINING BIRDS.
How are birds trained" asked the re-
porter.
"Well, perseverance and kind treatment
go a long way toward its accomplish ment
Some people hold that by starving a bird
you can reduce it to subsection aad make it
eat from your hand. To a certain extent
this is so, but the results thus attained are
not good, and the bird will forget the So
we're lesson YOU have taught it after 1t has
plenty to eat again. A little hemp seed
poked through the wires OF the cage sev-
eral times a day will soon be eagerly
sought for, and in a few days by holding
your hand in the cage you will find that
your previous lesson has been of great bene-
fit to the bird, for it will hop ON your fin
ger and take the seed without any fright
whatever"
How many varieties Of canares are
here?" asked the reporter.
There's the st. Andreasberg, taking its
name from small village on the summit
of the Harz mountains the Belgian or long
breed canary coming principally from Ant
werp. Client and Brussels. The latter Is of
a most peculiar shape, and its body, when
at rest, should conform to a right angle
a line drawn from the crown of the head
TO the tip Of the shoulders should form one
side, and a line from the tip of the should
ers to the tip of the tail should form the
other size of the angle. Then there's the
English canary embracing the Norwich or
deep gold canary, the London fancy, the
goII and silver Lizards, the Scotch fancy, the
Yorkshire, the Manchester or Lancashire,
and these different classes are subdivided
by cross-breeding, making other varieties
of lesser fame. Tho French canary is
another species. but that variety is merely
an extract Of the Belgian bird. Cayenne
fed canares, while not in themselves dis
tinct species Of canary, are the latest fruits
of scientific research, and deserve 70 be
classified. In the early stage of the growth
of feathers the canary is fed with cayenne
pepper mixed with its regular food In
the little quilts supposed to be young ieath-
the blood circulates, tho coloring matter
for the feathers is made. Fo ID especially pre-
pared is now for sale, and any one can by
taking their bird in proper season, make 1t
a beautiful orange color.
do you know how the food is made ~
asked the scribe, interrupting him.
W Yes. Take the best quality Of cayenne
pepper, n heaping spoonful, and add one
finely grated hard-boiled egg and an equal
quantity of grated bread. Mix the whole
thoroughly together and sprinkle vita pull
verified sugar Commence feeling the bird
when it is seven or eight week, Old, ana
after period Of two weeks feeding, the or
ange color will DO surely set
HIhere is n variety Of the canary known