The Portland daily press., 1898-04-15
THE HOME,
HOW TO KEEP BIRDS.

HOW TO KEEP BIRDS.
Birds in captivity require very careful
treatment to keep them happy and well.
One always has great pity for wild bird
caught and Gagged, shut in from its ma
tive freedom of the woods and groves, and
compelled to live out its days behind
prison bars. Birds which are used to the
cage, or which have been born in it. take
kindly to the life, and if properly cared
for are very happy, and add very much
to the beauty of a home. Canarles for
generations have been accustomed to con-
finement. and are therefore among the IA
vorite available birds for the domesticated
life of pet and plaything.
1t is important in choosing bird to
know what kind of food it prefers. Birds
are either seed eaters or eaters of soft
foods. Among the seed eaters are in
cluded parrots, canaries, blackbirds, card
inals and grossbeaks. The eaters of soft
food are the hooking bird, cat bird,
oriole, bluebird, tanager, sklyark and
jay.
OF these birds the parrot and canary
and the hooking bird are most often
found in cheerful bondage, the parrot
often enjoying the freedom Of the house,
and the mocker, if taken from the nest
while fedgling and given spacious
cage accommodating himself agreeably
to; circumstances, and flooding the house
with song from dawn's earliest ray till
the shadows gather at night.
Tn hl1vinO Gaad for VOur canary. select
only the best, that which is plump and
fresh, and which has in it a mixture of
hemp seed, which birds regard with great
favor. They cannot be fed wholly on
hemp seed, because 1t is too rich to be
good as an exclusive diet, but little of
It pleases them and adds piquaucy to
their food. They are fond of a leaf of let
tuce. of celery tops, or apple, OF now.and
then a bit of orange or banana. Chick
weed does not come amiss. A cuttlefish
bone on the side of the cage Is part OF the
needful furniture.
Mocking birds are found to thrlvs on
dietJ of carefully prepared food, which
may be bought at the shops OF prepared
at home in the latter case being made
of mixture of one half zwieback, one
quarter ants eggs and one quarter hemp
seed, They like the yolk of a hard boiled
egg and carrot grated finely and given in
generous measure. ssg-
The birds which are to sing and be happy
must have clean cages. The ounce of
prevention which keeps from their feath-
ers the minute insect pests which deprive
them of beauty and comfort is found in
immaculate cages, where fresh gravel is
daily strewn, and where the bird has every
facility for daily athing. Always remove
the bath tub after the bird has useG it,
and replace it with fresh water the next
morning at about the same hour as be-
fore Birds respond to period1clty in
their care lust as children do. A moult-
ing bird requires more generous diet
than usual, and his cage should be ex-
cluded from draughts. See that birds
have a supply of fresh drinking water
daily.
WAYS be kept in the midst OF blazing sui
light. There is no greater mistake. Use
Hcommon sense, and let the bird DO moved
from the too glaring sunlight into the
pleasapt shadow, or have an awning over
the cage to make him comfortable.
Parrots are disposed to be cross and
fretful if oyerfed; yet they are sociable
birds, and dearly love to come to the
family meal and share tldblts from the
family board. II treated with uniform
oentleness and never leased, they will
Usually develop amiable qualities Har-
per's Bazaar.
THE TEA HABIT.
rbe manner in which the tea habit has
increased is alarming; it is fast becoming
universal. 1t almost seems that soon
only those already addicted to some other
from of intemperance will form the alb
stemious class. Tea is drunk at all hours,
with food and without, and is taken hot
and cold. There is some excuse for the
popularity of the hot infusion. In COM
mon with other hot beverages it is very
accountable as stomachic and general
sitnuIant, but it is the heat and not thu
infusion that stimulates. A cup of hot
bouillon will prove as agreeable and more
nourishing and stimulating. No excuse
can be found for the senseless habit of
drinking the usally harmful iced tea. 1t
is simply an expression OF the natural
perversity of human nature when given
up to pernicious habit; unsntlsned
with the excess in it's ordinary form,
some new means, without reason or ad-
vantage, are devised for its more 9 lator-
ate practice. In warm weather many
other cold beverages are better.
Unless excessively sweetened, lemonade,
orangade. ETC.. are vastly more palataDle
and certainly harmless Another folly or
the tea dIlnker is dilution of the infusion
with milk. and further peryersion with
sugar. The i'll effects of tea drinking
are sufficiently portsntous without the adj
dition of the large amount of sugar taken