The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-04-08
CANARY BIRD VOYAGES.
Great Care Necessary for the Warb-
Iers While mt Sea.

the slightest idea OF the amount OF work
implied in the transfer of the birds from
the German breeders to the American own
ers of pet cansries. It's long story and
as full of problems IS a modern novel.
of course, a good many OF the German
birds go to the English market. and II is
comparatively a simple matter to ship
them so short a distance. A large proper
tion of the best singers the Campanni
birds. stay in Germany; for the Germans
are such music lovers that they will pay
sixty to seventy dollars for a canary more
quickly even than the Americans. who are
supposed to be so lavish with money. still,
the United States afford the best bird
market in the world and the number OF
ordinary grade canaries shipped here each
season is enormous. New York is the dis
tributing point. and the New York import
ing firms have large staff of employees
working for them abroad. We have about
thirty travelling men who go back and
forth between Europe and New York. Then.
too We have a few travellers in South
America and Africa, but our chief trade
is in canaries. and is carried on with the
great German exporting houses. whose
shipments we distribute.
These German firms employ scores OF
pickers who go from village to village
through the bird breeding districts. select
ing the singers. The pickers job isn't
shrewd as a weasel; for the breeders arc
up TO all sorts of tricks. and will try in
every possible way to get around him. and
palm off old. sick. or silent birds on him.
| The hardest proposition he finds is in dis
| tinguishing the sexes of the birds. The
| colors in the head feathers are the indica-
ton, and some of the breeders are adopts
at dyeing feathers; so it's clever picker
that doesn't bring in at least a few female
"a for s-h ha hae mai or
prices 1t takes years Of experience to
teach a man even moderate proficiency in
this feature of the buying. Through the
summer and fall the pickers work isn't
so very bad. His route lies far off the lines
of railway. and he does a tremendous
amount Of tramping; but he is well known.
along the way. and Hospitality entertained.
and the weather is usually good. After
the first of November it's another story
The winds and storms. especially among
the HaFtz Mountains, where the best
canaries are bred, are simply terrific, and
the snow lies on the paths four or five feet
deep. The cold is intense, and many pick
ers have been badly fr0stbitten. a few
even dying from the exposure. Still. tins
holiday season must be provided for and
the birds. after the summer sales. are
scarce; so the picker must search every
nook and corner of the breeding district
to supply the demand of his house He
starts out early in the morning. taking a
helper with him TO carry his cage crates.
This helper after the cheerful custom OF
the Fatherland is usually a woman, and
more often than not an old woman. The
two travellers buffet their way through
the snow and storm. and the greatest care
is exercised in protecting the birds carried
with them from cold. The little wicker
cages are first packed in straw. then COW
cred with thick linen, and finally wrapped
in heavy wOolen blankets. Frequently, in
extreme weather. pickers have been badly
frostbitten. because they have taken of
their great coats to wrap a bout cages hold |
ing birds Of special value.
These cages. by the way provide dis
tinct industry for German peasants in the
bird districts. They are made BY the
poorest classes. who white them by hand /
in the long winter evenings. and clever |
hand can make fifteen in an evening /
They sell for about cents. and are I
always in demand. Many Of the breeders /
contract to sell all their birds to a certain |
firm In that case. the picker's work is
slightly lightened; for he doesn't have to I
arm against competition and need only |
wrestle to foil the wiles of the breeder /
After he has canvassed his district he I
takes his birds to the nearest railway sta /
ton. and ships them to his employer. The /
crates 90 as baggage, and the picker always I
accompanies them and helps to handle .
them At the exporting house the birds /
are unpacked and kept until they are all /
in frst-class condition for shipping From
% 900 to 3d. 900 canaries are taken care Of
daily; and during the busy season, about .
600 birds are received and sent out each
week. There are a great many rooms in
the building, no two kept at the same
temperature, and the different birds are
allotted to rooms. agreeing in degree Of .
.He l. F.N.
been accustomed. A small army OF work
men is employed; the apprentices clean
ing. feeding and watering, while the old
hands sort out the grades of birds. doctor
the sick aud prepare the stock for ship
ment.
The strongest birds are selected for
America. for the long ocean voyage plays
havoc with any save the healthiest For
the London market, color is the chief con-
sideration. Two men are always sent with
a London consignment, one to manage the
business. and a young fellow to learn the
ropes More female CanaTies are sent to
England than elsewhere; fer the street
fakirs in London. buy only the cheap
female birds, take them home and paint
them skilfUlly. and then peddle them
about the town. The man who is sent to
America with a consignment OF birds has
a hard Job before him, and it takes Won
derfully honest. sober. and faithful man
10 carry il through. He has five large
crates. which contain about Loo birds. and
the probabilities are that he will be obliged
to work for twenty hours out of the TWEEN
ty-four. He and his charges are slowed
away In the coal bunkers or the steerage
where he makes the crates fast 10 the walls
and floor. He begins his work by 4 a. NJ.
and spends from enc to two hours cleaning
seed. preparing food, and drawing water
for the birds Then his charges are fed
and Watered. and each is carefully eX-
amiued FOR indications Of sickness. The
cages are scrupulously cleaned. and the
quarters ventilated as well as possible
The slightest neglect IN all this care might
bring about disease and a long death list,
and that would mean business ruin for the
man in charge.
Sometimes the dreaded bird pest. called
schnappen. breaks out, and then the ten
der IS wild with despair. Cases have been
known where. out Of 500 birds. not more
than twenty were alive when the consign-
ment reached New York. The ship rats
are another dreaded enemy: and in spite
Of all vigilance, invariably make way with
a few birds during the voyage Nothing
in the world is more voraclOus than a
ship rat and although the bird tender
usually stays up most Of the night TO pro
tect his charges. the rats actually attack
the cages and devour birds before his
very eyes One OF the hardest problems
that can confront bird tender is a long
delay in the voyage. through some acct
dent to the ship. In the old days such
situations were frequent, and the mastery
way in which bird ratiOns were shortened
and made to last was a marvel.
During good weather. the man in
charge of the birds. may possibly ac-
complish his days work in ten hours; but
if the sea is at all rough he will be