The sun. [volume] (Morris, Stevens County, Minn.) 1882-1895, 1889-05-02
Y1ne Sun.

nOLlnR Jlelf ways from unuer tIl2 trees.
Early in the morning would start, taking
my lunch with me, and sometimes | was
there, making notes or waiting TO see little
play ended, until the birds had tucked their
heads under their wings at shutdown. The
park was my aViarY until it was OVcrrun by
boys"
You still spend your summer studying
birds in the WOOdS:''
Yes; when | can tel by birds note
whether he is in the dumps or in jOcund
frame Of mind then is time to observe hun
in his natural home. At nesting time |
have my scouts out. Boys bring he word
where the birds are building, and | AN look
on at courtship and love and the sOberer
family affairs. | went 10 North Carolina at
one time to see the mocking bird through
the mating season"
Gould you give any directions for the
care Of birds!'
1T would be easy to compile manual Of
'dOnts after the etiquette book fashion.
passed a house yesterday with a birdcage
covered to the very top with lace or muslin
hanging in the window. How would you
like that if you were bird: No chance to
see anything, no chance to breathe. The
meShes of the fabric become cIOgged with
dust or other matters and a bird health
must suffer from lack Of ventilation
Doesn't it take d long time to care for
bird ROOM
AT least an hour and half every morn
ing. Every water cup aud food dish must
be washed in hot Sud5 the seed dishes must
| be filled, the perches must he washed i'll
suds, the trays in the bottoms of the cages
taken out empted Of their gravel, washed.
wiped dr.. provided with clean gravel and
put back again. | use wire cages only, and
in addition to the suds bath | scald the
percheS occasionally and clean with CarDOlic
acid. That keeps off Yermin ctfectuauy.
never allow d cage from d bird store to
come into my house. Perhaps it is impOssl-
bic to keep birds clean in stores at any
rate they are apt to be in Wrctched cOndI-
tiOE. Then the dealer viii put one into
pastebOard box or paper parcel where the
poor thing used to p.rching 1nds it hard TO
stand on the fat surface and gets fright
ened or injured. When | want 10 buy
bird ] take my own bird basket with me.
II is specially fitted with pcrche5 and little
cOnvcnienc2s for bring NJ h. traveller home
comfortably.
BY the way do you know one of the birds
greatest pests IS the mosquito. / DO not
know how the bird protects itself out OF
doors living in mosquito haunted woods, or
whether under natural conditions it i, not
peSterGd: but in the hOuSe ii it is anEOIcd
in the night it tiutters its wing, ana makes
such cOmmOtOn Of protest that | cannot
sleep until it is attended, to- The birds are
shut into their cages before dark. or rather
they 90 in Of their own accord Just as
chickens 90 home to rOOat at nighlfalL Be
fore the windows are opened for fresh air
in the sleeping room every cage is covered
with a shawl or d piece Of flannel to keep
them warm. 1t is not a bad pan TO darheu
the windows very carefully. or in spite Of
their hoods there will be d cEOrLs of chirrs
and peep.ngS showing that the birds ar VII
and would like 70 be dOng long before
it suits yOd to acknowledge that uIl his be-
gun.
"Of course in an aviarT or any room used
for no purpose but bird keeping Tn. birds
can spend the night on their fayUrrte
perches and cages need not be introduced
at all
rs there no difficulty about ro,t,ng
food to keep rcomtLI Of birds i'll
health!'
There is very little trouble with the seed
eaters. Birds which ne 81 the soft food or
mOCKing bird food sometimes makes little
fuss at first abo.t taking it: bat tn. great
est difficulty is tn" ndiscretion Of bid
owners There are birds 50 delicate that Il
bit of fresh Biscuit viii XIII them. ami Vet
re0ne will give their lers 10: cread, cake Or
candies
Mrs. Miller has had pets otherth than birds
During the early part Of this winter she
had curious marmOect GOmicieI on her
sitting room mantcl. Some time ag0 she
made a familiar fricni of lcmur ami be
fore that OF Il South American kinkajOll.
The bird room. as have described it, was
an institution OF last winter and the winter
before that, and very probably Of the winter
after this. Just at present She is 50 busy
with pressing literary work that she IS
keeping fewer birds than usual
Her literary habits are interesting. She
likes to be at her desk carly and to write
without interruption until i1u"h m" She
may take pen and paper again in the aft T.
noon, but the afternoon usually and the
evening always belongs to her family.
Like Helen Jackson. who never renncd q
line for publication until she was d mature
woman at the zenith of her powers like
Mary Mapos Dodge who did not write uncil
she was looking for an absorbing occ apation
after the death Of her his AM: like
Margaret Deland. who astOnishcd n
friends with the sudden success Of 'Johu
Ward Preacher" Olive ThOrne did not
send out her first volume until she had some
experience of life and its ways. She was
ambitions as a girl ambitious as a Young
woman, but her babies til!Cd her arms wiki
other pleasant cares. and i was not until
she reached the leisure If Il mother whose
little ones are CrOWnr fast into big ones
that she delighted the children Of thousands
OF other mothers with Little Folks i'll Fur
and Feathers, a perfect look Of its kind.
For eight or ten Years now her childrcus'
books have been coming out, "QueeG Pets
at Marcys "LiItlc People of Asia" and
kindred charming volumes Her later
work has been almost exclusively bird
studies for the Children's elders. though she
has venture in a totally different direction.
a history of Delaware, for d. LOthr0p con-
pany's Stories of the States" series on tie
stocks this winter.
Personally Olive Thorne impresscs one
IllSI vi al as Il woman Ol RCa4lnN ulUU.
There Is rare and sweet sanity looking out
of her cOuntenance. NiEor is what strikes
YOU next. She has the mental sOundnCss
and heartlnesS Of one who looks mitch on
nature and whose ear listens to voices out
of doors. She is tall, has bright ewes that
lead you to expect fund of kindly humor
and aquantity of hair turning slightly gray
She is no pessimist, her face &c" IT,.
You could not offend her more urep.y lhan
by calling her society woman. hut ut the
womans clubs and in literary GATHERINGS no
circle is comp etc without her, Thoreau,
Burroughs, Gilbert White ami others #
that delightful line, Older and Younger, are
her favorte reading, and her own books are
worthy companions to theirs on the students.
shelves.
For those to whom whatever a woman
may do is emptiness and folly unless she
can also sew shirts, and make pies, Mrs.
Miller is the presiding genius in charming
home and possesses that crown of a Wu-
mans accomplishments, a thorough knoWl-
edge of housekeeping. Her husband. Mr.
t. Watts Miller, is a we'll known Wall
street business man.