The morning news., 1889-02-19

A snatch of tune made one look UP to
see which bird had learned to whistle.
THAT is bird l am keeping for a friend.
| do not like to have birds taught artificial
notes. That one is perpetualy showing on
his accomplishments when | am present,
and it is only when | am IN the next room
and he cannot see me that hear his natuT~
el song"
How came you so much interested in
birds?n
"A friend from the west was visiting me
eight or nine years ago who had a good
deal of knowledge of ornithology. She
watched the bird, in Prospect park, and
before | knew it found myself watching
them too. For years spent day after day IN
the wilder portions of the park, opera glass
in hand, noting their ways from under the
trees. Early in the morning would start,
taking my lunch with me, end sometimes l
was there, making notes or waiting to see
a little play ended, until the birds had
tucked their heads under their wings at
sundown, The park was my avlAry until
it was overrun by boys"
you still spend your summers studying
birds in the wOOdsW
"Yes; when can tell by birds note
whether he is in the dumps or in jocund
frame OF mind then is the time
to observe him in his natural
home. At nesting time have my
scouts out Boys bring me word where the
birds are building, and | can look on at
courtship and love and the soberer family
affairs | went to 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 blrdcage
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 cloZged with
dust or other matters and a birds health
must suffer from lack of ventilation.
Doesn't it take long time to care for a
bird room?"
"At least an hour and a half every morn
ing. Every water cup and food dish must
| be washed in hot suds, the seed dishes must
| be filled, the perches must be washed in
sudS, the trays in the bott DmS of the cages
taken out, emptied of their gravel washed,
wiped dry, provided with clean gravel and
put back again. | use wire cages only, and
in additiol to the sudS bath | scald the
perches occasionlyj and clean with carbolic
acid. That keeps off vermin effectualiy
| never allow a cage from bird store to
come into nv house Perhaps it is impos-
slble to keep birds clean in stores; at any
rate thew are apt to be in wretched cOndi-
| tion. Then the dealer will put one into a
pasteboard box or paper parcel, where the
poor thing used to perching finds 1t hard to
stand on the fiat surface and gets frightened
or injured When | want to buy a bird
take my own bird ba ,ket With me- It. is
specially fitted with perches and little con-
veniences for bringing the traveller home
| comfortably.
''By the way do you know that 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 is not
pestered; but in the house If it is annoyed
in the night it dutters its wings and makes
such a commotion of protest that | cannot
sleep until it is attended to. The birds are
shut into their cages before dark, or rather
they go In of their own accord Just as the
chickens go home to roost at II ghtfall. Be
fore the windows are opened for fresh air
in the sleeping room every cage is covered
with shawl or piece of flannel to keep
them warm. 1t is not bad plan to darken
the windows very carefully, or in spite of
their hoods there will be a chorus of chirps
and peepings showing that the birds are up
and would like to be doing long before it
suits you to acknow. edge that day has
begun.
"Of course in an aviary or any room
used for no purpose but bird-keeping the
birds can spend the night on their favorite
perches, and cages need not be introduced at
alln
as there no difficulty about getting food
to keep roomful Of birds in healthY'
There is very little trouble with the
ed-eaters. Birds which need the soft food
or mocking bird food sometimes make a
little fuss at first about taking it; but the
greatest difficulty is the indiscretion CT
bird owners. There are birds so delicate
that bit of fresh biscuit will kill them,
and yet people will give their pets tct
bread, cake or candies"
Mrs. Miller has had pets other than birds,
During the early part of this winter see
had curious marmoset domiciled on her
sitting room mantel. Some time ago she
made familiar friend Of lemur and be-
fore that OF South American kinkajou
The bird room, as | have described it, was
aud the winter before that,
and very proba bly, of the winter after this
Just at present she is so 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 early and to write
without interruption until lunch time She
may take pen and paper again in the after
| noon, but the afternoon usually and the
evening always belongs to her family.
Like Helen jackson, who never penned a
line for publication until she was mature
woman at the zenith of her powers; like
Mary Mapes Dodge, who did not write un-
| til she was looking for an absoring occupa-
ton after the death of her husband; like
Margaret Deland, who astouished ner friends
with the sudden success Of john Ward
| Preacher" Olive Thorne did Lot send out
her first volume until she had some expert
| ence of life and its ways She was ambi-
tious as girl. ami mbitious as young woman, ,
but her babies filed her arms with other
pleasant cares, and 1t was not until she
reached the leisure Of mother whose little
ones are growing fast into big Cnes that she
| delighted the children Of thousands Of other
mothers with Little Folks in fur and
feathers a perfect book of Its kind. For
eight or ten years now her children's books
have been coming out, Queer Pets at Mar
cys," Little People of Asia" and kin
dred charming volumes. Her later work
has been almost exclusively Dird studies for
the children's ELDERS, though she has q ven
ture in "a totally different direction, his-
tory of Delaware, for D. Lothrop Compa-
ny's "Stories of the States series on the
stock this winter.
Personally Olive Thorne impresses one