The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-10-08
A LITTLE GIRLS PET BIRDS.
The ParIOr of Her Fathers House
i'm California Given Up TO Them.

From the San Francisco Chronicle.
There is a little girl in Berkeley who. in
steady of playing with dolls. reading fairy
tales, or having the usual toys of children
of her age, has pets that are rare ana
beautiful, and she finds endless pleasure in
reading about them, and the best of it, as
she says, is that it Is all true" She can
prove it by using her powers of observa-
ton, for this fortunate little girl has 1CO
birds that have come from different parts
of the world. Her father. who is a San
Francisco lawyer, takes much pains to OBJ
tain any bird that she gets interested in by
reading Mabel Wrights or any of the many
books written on our "feathered friends"
These birds are so welA treated that if by
chance one gets out he Always comes back,
unless he meets pussy and it is no wonder
he wants 10 get back for they have the
best room in the house--the front parlor
a large sunny room that has been fitted up
for their special benefit.
A very unusual but most interesting
parlor it is, and one that attracts a good
deal of attention from the passers-by
From the bay window there is a large cage
built so that the birds can enjoy the sun
shine and air. The floor and walls are COW
cred with linoleum and vanished paper
About a foot below the ceiling all around
The room Chinese stray cuffs are tackled
and make cozy hooks in which the birds
build their nests Plants and branches of
trees that are often renewed, and perches
complete the furniture of the room. The
food consists of seeds, salad, and sugar,
and of course plenty of water.
When the folding doors of the back par
Tor are opened and only a wire screen
separates the two rooms, and you see the
beautiful lazuls, with their brilliant b.ue
pltlmage, the tiny strawberry finches that
IL N1a he ffsIIif rn
named after the gold diamond zebra and
white Chinese finches. the Pekin nightin-
gales Java spaTows, and, largest and
most brilliant of all, the Virginia cardinal,
darting here and there or perched around
the room and filling the air with melody,
YOU would be sure to say, as every one
does. that there is not a more beautiful
parior in California.
Ii is not everybody who would want to
give up their parlor TO birds but it is NOS
everybody who has or can have such love-
ly pets for many of these birds require
Just the care they get here TO enable them
90 stand our climate. The little girl who
owns them knows more about birds than
many a learned professor She was much
amused one day when one of the profess
sors of an Eastern college who had come
10 see her birds said when told a certain
brown bird was a bobolink, why, never
saw a bobolink look like that" He had
not recognized NfHS very COIBIlOn DlTu De-
cause he had changed his coat. In the
Eastern states. in the spring and summer,
the bobolink is jet black, streaked with
white and has a bright yellow neck, but
in the autumn he goes down to Florida
and his bright plumage is DOTTED for a so
Der brown one.
Many an interesting story this little girl
can tell of the doings of her pets. of their
sagacity. and bright mischievous ways
This same bobolink, who is very tame and
used to be allowed 20 fly over the whole
house developed incendary propensities
He delighted In opening match boxes
striking matches, holding them i'm his bill
a little while to enjoy the blaze and then
dropping them. Another naughty trick
Of this bird was breaking vases or glasses.
lie would watch for any that might have
been placed on the mantel, take them up
in his bill and deliberately drop them on
the hearth just for the pleasure appar-
entity, of hearing them smash. So mis-
chievous Is he that he is no longer al
lowed the freedom of the house.
There are several other avaries In
Berkeley. One. in the grounds of a private
school, is inhabited by numerous family
of quail, some pigeons. and canaries, but
the most interesting feathered pets the
lady principal has Is pair of rubythroat-
ed hummng birds. They occupy her apart
ments. and their nest is tiny basket lined
with cotton wool fastened to the headboard
Of the bed. Every morning they fiutter
around to wake her up and get their
breakfast, which consists of lump of SUI
gar held between her lips.
There is an ayiary in South Berkeley
owned by very interesting family Of
CT ,ese who have adapted the dress and
customs of Americans. In visiting that
aviary you are sure to give a divided In
terest to it,, for the people themselves are
sure TO claim most Of your attention, max
ing you realize how superficial racial diff
ferences are. after all, for these people
speak, act and live just as their neighbors
do who are of the better class Of Aneri-
cans. A popular air played on the piano
by one Of the daughters, some good-natur-
ed "joshing" (they use that word them
selves between another sister and a
brother, an allusion made by the mother
Of the family to her kodak-for she is quite
an expert in amateur Photographed
these things went 10 show how American
lied these ma tive Chinese can become. But
to go back to the aviary. They have
beautiful bronze-green dove from India
an Alaskan grouse, which Is brown now,
but which will be pure white little later
in the year. and msny kinds of Chinese
inches.
Another lady IN Berkeley has divided her
dollhouse by putting a wire screen through
the center, thus making a cage IN which