The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1900-01-04

lnything else. a
"One woman said TO me the other day
hat her birds had not been singing for
some months, and she thought she would
simply open the cages some day and let
them fly away. Poor little things, they
would not live twenty-four hours if they
were let out summer or winter. l beg
ged her if she was tired of them not 20
turn them adrift like that, but to give
hem TO some one who was fond of them.
The great trouble in keeping birds Is
1raughts, which are almost sure TO Kill
hem When birds were first put into the
pig department stores nearly half of them
we're lost. but now we have them put in
heltered place, and probably very few are
ost in a season.
II feel sorry for the poor little birds
hat see hanging outdoors. People think
ha 1t will do them no harm on a warm
lay, and they put them out, and they have
'ompany come in and stay to dinner, and
hey are engaged in the evening, and by
he time they are in bed they remember
that they have left the bird out and by
that time it mas taken a bad cold. 1 see
hem hanging out when 1 go by in cars
md feel like stopping to take them in.
Extreme heat is almost as bad, and in
email apartments where birds are hung
in kitchens which are close, hot and
'teamy, they are sure to acquire some
disease.
There are very few people who know
/ anything about birds. There was one nice
little woman in Boston who really did I'M
derstand them. She died recently, " years
old, and she had been keeping birds
boarding house for forty-two years. She
had one of the Oldest parrots known
| 80 years old. Sometimes she had as MANY
as 300 birds. They were sent to her
from all parts of the country, some of
them to be boarded simply and others to
/ be treated. She used 90 give them regu-
10 1iniT n Of hon
There is great increase in the demand
| for birds. Last year different dealers in
this country imported 10000, and last July
and Augusta it was almost impossible TO
| find one. This year we shall have at
least $4,000 more imported, 1 believe We
have been receiving more birds than any
| other country. but on the continent they
seem to be following our example, and
have diverted some of our supplies.
There is all the difference in the world
in canaries and in their notes. Different
people like different qualities of tone, but
the majority of people like to be advised.
| Frequently they take advice of any one
who happens to be standing around when
| they purchase the bird Some one VIII
say:
That's good bird
Eyes, it has very sweet notes. some
one else will say and the purchaser will
decide Immediately upon that bird, which
| may not be one of the best by any means
| You want to hear bird number of times
| before you can decide how it can sing, and
| it may take two or three efforts before 1t
| will really give out its notes freely. A
| friend of mine has bird which has GER
| tain pretty little song that she likes very
much, but you may have to listen some
| time before you hear it.
when l am going around among the
| birds and hear one that has a sweet note
| I go to il and make single mark on the
| 7 4
when the bird is singing again, and if |
| still like it | put a second mark on the
| cage Then when I hear ii third time
| put third mark on, if I am satisfied,
| and then if any one comes in ana asks
my advice about bird l have one that
| can recommend.
| soThere is as much difference in the dis
| position of birds as there is in people.
| Now we have had a pair of birds here
| that I have been very much interested IN.
| They were put in the cage together ana
| they Immediately made friends instead OF
| ouarre,ing They sat on the perches to-
| gether. If one went 90 the seed dish the
other would follow, and then they would
| both go TO the water dish. If one sat in
| The swing and the other ON the perch they
| touched bills and kissed each other l
| don't stay in one place long enough 10
| keep birds, but if l did / should want u
| bird that would let me love it, L mad one
| canary that lived for twenty-one years,
| "Canaries can learn TO do many cunnMS
| tricks When / have one L take II IN my
hand every day for few minutes. Iheh l
omen the cage door, put a htue DIT OF
somethin green on my hand' ana 'he
bird hops out on it. He is accustomed 10
hand and is not afraid. After mat ne
can learn to do many tricks. know
one man who has canary whlch VIII
never eat hemp seed because 1t has been
taught not to- The man will put two or
Nd &c
nv the cage and say: Master is nun
1 grv: he wants to be fed He will open
! the cage door; the bird will fly out on his
| finger take a hemp seed from the dish,
crack it with his bill, and then lay it
on his masters tongue.
| "Java eparrows are very attractive little
birds. There was one in one of the stores
| that seemed to take a fancy to me. 1t would
| twitter whenever 1 went near the cage and
| sion when l went away. If held it near
my face it would twitch my ear In play. !
| decided mat l must have 1t, but while
went to see about getting it some one had
sold it. The man was just ready to take it.
| He offered to give IL up if | wanted 1t so
much. but l could only have kept it few
months and l was glad to have 1t find a
| good home. That was in Brooklyn, and
| some time after there was a fire in the
| anartment house where the purchaser of
| The bird lived. He escaped with his wife
and then remembered the bird and they
had become so attached to 1t that he went
| hack and rescued it at considerable risk.
| lone thing l never do is to hang a bird
high. If the cage is high you cannot see
| into II without climbing on a chair, and
YOU don't realize when anything is need
ed. Some people say their birds will not
sing while they are mating. My birds
| will sing. take good care of them, pet
| them. and never let strangers in to dis
| turb them. From August to November
they are moulting and require special care
and change of diet A little lettuce, APP
ple plantain, a little sweet orange and
hard boiled egg, with little pepper are
some of the things they may have. They
should never have hemp seed, which Is