The Savannah morning news., 1902-01-05

The Little Birds Kept I'm the Dark
for quite - PeFfod while They
Learn to Sing Their Song.

Learn TO Sing Their Song.
From the Milwaukee Wisconsin.
At the coming exhibition of the Mil
waukee Edel Roller Society, an Or
ganization composed of fanciers of
canary birds, the public will be able to
get an idea of the almost human ex-
actitude practiced in the training and
exhibition of these tiny songsters.
There will be about 200 canaries in the
competition that have been trained by
their owners for months. and much
will be expected of them when taken
out of their cages and given just five
minutes in which to sing for the
Judges. There will also be homing pig
cons and rabbits included in the show.
< Bernhard Kaiser, in whose hall the
exhibition is to be held, has 200 birds
which he has raised himself. He
father raised canaries in the Hartz
Mountains before him, and Mr.. Kai-
ser uses the methods in caring for his
pets that he learned in his famous
German home.
The little canaries are Matched in
March as rule. When they are about
one month old the attempt of the males
TO sing instantly reveals their sex. The
little throats are vioceless, so far as
singing is concerned, for three months
longer, however.
During this time the little birds are
Kept in large cages, where they can
fly about and thus expand their lungs
and enlarge their vocal capacity. When
four months old, or about the first of
August, they are transferred into small
cages which are kept in the dark. The
transfer to utter darkness is not made
all at once. but when it is brought
about the birds emerge into the light
only at meal times or when their
owner brings them out to see, or hear,
rather, how they are getting along in
learning to sing. The object in plung-
ing the little canaries into darkness
is to keep their minds concentrated on
the chief concern of their lives: when
the machine which teaches them to
sing, or their fathers strike up the
songs, they are expected to listen and
go and do likewise. And they do, II
is said. though others suggest that the
same end might be accomplished with
out the confinement in the dark. Sweet
trillings percolate through the dark
ened cages and the quality and char
acter of the tunes improve.
About the first of November. after
their ninety days, sentence Is over,
the birds are set out into the light for
longer periods each day. They are
never let out all day, however, OF even
the greater part of Il, for their pow
ers have to be saved and cultivated for
the exhibition. They are not permit
ted to sing ali they want to. The songs
of each bird are carefully noted, and out
of many few are chosen. Two sets OF
four, each numbering / and as 10
quality, are selected. One set sings
high and the other low.
When the great day is at hand the
timid little bird Is taken out of its cage
and given five minutes to sing its pret-
tiest for the three august judges. It's
little throat begins TO bulge out, the
mouth opens slightly. and the air Is
throbbed by dainty and constant
trill. This Is the roll" from which
the society gets its name. After the
little songster's effort is over IL is ex-
pected 10 end it's song with few
peeps. II so, and the number OF the
peeps does not exceed five, the bird
gets a credit OF three points II tho
peeps come at the beginning OF the SONG
only one point is score. But woes to
the bird that makes more than five
peeps az the start or the close. That
one is summarily docked from one
point up. The judges also take note OF
the song which the bird sings. for there
are said 10 be five or more dlEcernible
even ln the triliinF birds, and certain
songs are rated higher than others.