The sun. [volume] (Morris, Stevens County, Minn.) 1882-1895, 1889-05-02
OLIVE THORNE'S BIRD ROOM.
AN HOUR IN THE WORKSHOP
OF A NATURE STUDENT,

Bazaar contains ono of her graceful, gently
humorous, lovingly and truthfully traced
bird sketches, and one day when they are
collected into volumes like Bird Ways
and TN Nesting Time" the world suddenly
wakens to the fact that one of the most
charming of modern nature students is a
woman.
Thoreau observed the sky, wild things of
the woods from his hut by Walden Pond
burroughs looks out on the open air world
from an up-Hudson farm. Roe studied
among the strawberry beds in his garden.
Like Hamilton Gibson, the nature artist,
Olive Thorne Miller goes TO the heart of
nature i'll summer but shuts herself up in
winter in Brooklyn town.
She shuts the birds in with her and her
bird room is the the most interesting apart
nent that ever a city house held. In it the
little folks in feathers dispOrt themselves
almost in freedom. 1t is her study, at tunes
her sleeping room. but robins run up and
down the floor i'll fashion as saucY and
clipper as if they were picking up worms
in the pasture!anu after a June rain. A Dol |
blue jay trails the ink over the paper while
she writes and the notes that she's jottng
cover every movement Of the sky blue Dirl
pre- ming himself in the sunshine secure in
the belief that her back is turned while all
the time her eyes are fixed on his retieXiOn
in tue mirror in her hand Birds splash in
the bath dishes, birds dart and tumble and
play tricks in the air There are cages wire
cages, mind YOU, not wood. hanging at the
windows. The door of every cage is open
From every cage door leads perch project
ing SIX inches or more into the room. There
are pGrcheS crossing each window There
NprpbpS from tho %O m
windows. There are pCrchcs in every con
Venient spot in the rCOnl
In front Of one OF the windows stanis a
table covered with rubber spread. On the
table are one or two Derches and a row of
tin pic plates, painted a dull brown color
and roughened by having gravel sprinkled
upon them before the paint was dry. The c
are the bath pans They are full of water
and delightful beach picnic the birds are
having in them.
There is mating on the floor in lieu of a
carpet. IhlS is a study and bedroom. YOU
remember, AMI must be furnished for human
as we'll as feathered occupation. Mating
can lie washed, and does not hold dust
enough to give Mrs. Millers little winged
friends the asthma. There are shades at
The windows but no lace curtains for claws
to catch III, tanglng up small toes There
is no upholstery, but plenty Of wooden and
rattan chairs There is no embroidery. no
knlCkknackS, nothing for inquisitive Deaks
20 pick at and injure bat there is bookcase
or two with cloths laid over the rows of
volumes. plainly furnished dressing table
everything simple, but sufficient. pretty. not
in the least bare. Under the more frequent
ed DerCheS are spread newspapers, and cur
iOusly enough. the bird population keeps to
these, and, Mrs Miller says seldom soils
anything in the room.
In a far corner we'll out of their wav-fOr
the bird student does not believe in over.
tanning the wild Crcatures-Stand Mrs
Miller's writing desk. On stand By its
side is a pile of note books, each Iettered
with the name of one of the birds. Bird
tragedies and comedies. bird loves and
grefs, every phase of bird life and exper-
fence IS being enacted, and day by day the
woman who watches it all is writing each
birds diary, making library of bird biog-
raphy.
Il give up my mornings to them" She
says. 'Often bring other work into the
bird room to do but in the end am absorbed
in the bird drama
"Where do your birds come FROM"
IL buy them at the bird stores | never
had d bird shot or caught for me. After |
have studied them during the winter | let
them loose. if they are able to suppOrt them
selves. in the spring"
IF they can support themselves
Yes. a bird that has been Gagged above a
year is too thoroughly accustomed to being
waited on to earn its own living NV birds
are all American binds and seldom or never
born in q cage but may lose the desire for
freedom in spite of that 1t is very easy to
tell whether or not bird wishes to go If
1t pines Tor the Sky and air it spends its DAYS
on the window sash looking out. and ruff1es
its feathers IN a Sullen, SuIky diScOnsolate
ball when in its cage. | remember once
freeing a WOodpeCker. 1t flew to a tree and
began drilling Good by, dear. l said, its
almost like parting with a child to let YOU
go. but you re all right. YOU remember how
to find insects. Some birds become so used
to cages that they do not care even for the
freedom OF room, but remain persistently
behind the bars no matter how long the
doors remain open. They have enough to
cat and get all the exercise they care for
hopping from one perch to another But
this is not true of the more intelligent
birds
Are there differences in birds brains >"
YES, indeed. MY birds become to me as
marked in their individualItes as So many
human beings. And they differ as much in
character. One bird is selfish where an
other is kind. One robin looks on the bright
side of things while its mate is decidedly
pess.mistic. People have not begun to give
birds proper credit for their intelligence.
When dog fawns upon YOU and wags his
tail he almost talks a bird is not so dem
OnStrative in its evidences of sense or affec-
ton, but the tokens are there, if YOU have
eyes for them 1t may be a new note in the
song or just fiutter or tremor of the wings,
Why, have sat on the porch in summer
and seen all sorts of bright doings among
the birds which nobody about me had the
least mixing of because they didn't catch
the cues, couldn't understand bird lang
uage"
Which is the most intelligent of our COM
mon birds!''
"Probably, think, the catbird or the iav.
The jay is terribly misunderstood and
maligned. Everybody gives him bad name
But kept one at one time in my bird-room
and he never i'll course OF whole winter
offered to modest one of the other birds. He
knew every member of the family and had a
different greeting for each. When | came
home after an absence he knew me and gave
unmistakable evidence of Joy. Some little
time after called at bird store and found
the dealer puttinga jay into a large cage
with number of small birds. He did it
with some hesitation and l was curious at
my next visit to ask the result Had tho
jay killed his little companions! He had
never shown anything but good will to them
can't see why human beings who rob birds
of their eggs or young without compunclion
who think nothing of committing robbery or
murder so long as it is directed against what
they call inferior beings, should be so severe
in their moral structures on the blue jay be
cause now and then he eats an egg when
he's hungry"
How many birds do you have in your
bird room family!'
~ do not care to keep more than ten or
twelve, and that number includes several
pairs. Iprefer not to have more than five
or six species at time. That simplities the
winters study. When l have learned to
know bird in confinement understand it's
notes and any peculiarities in its habits,
then | aim 10 study the same species free''
Are the birds natural and unconstrained
enough in their behavior in the bird room
so that you can study them in their normal
frame of mind!'
They soon come to be. I never let them
become unpleasantly conscious that l am
watching them. And l never try to tame
them. If they make friends with me that's
another thing | donot offer advances OF
course do not wish them to be afraid of
me, but beyond that try to go about my
own business so that they shall cease to no
tice me and go about theirs.'
A snatch of tune made one look up to
see which bird had learned to whistle.
THAT is q bird am keeping for a friend
do not like to have birds taught artificial
notes. That one is perpetually showing off
his accomplishments when | am present,
and it is only when | am in the next room
and he cannot see me that hear his nat
ural song.
UJo,y CANA Won so nnuoh iotarasta5 :,