The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1913-01-27
Poll pnPrNt'H


And that | like to bite
A habit most pernicious,
1t seems, In peoples sight
You critiotse my walking,
Assisted by my beak.
And wish I'd do more talking,
Since ! know how to speak.
If yeu were brought from Siam,
And shut up In cage
To live alone as I am,
guess you, too. would rage.
Instead OF feeling jolly.
I'm confident 'twould vex
II people called you Polly
Without regard to sex.
I'm sure you'd grow too weary
To make the least reply.
To- that stale cracker query.
AS year by year went by;
So when I'm cross and snappy,
Just make it your own case
Would you be gay and happy
If you were In my place?
If you are a good woman and
good mother you will not wear dead
birds or their plumage on your hats
You will not let your children have
Gagged wild birds or animals for pets
1t would be utterly impossible for a
really good woman to have one OF
these unhappy little captives in her
house.
There is something wrong about
your nature II you can see ii and not
suffer untold agonies at the sight.
Miss Marshall Saunders, in a little
| booklet, recently said:
During the meeting of the Amer
lean Humane association in Boston
! last November | was haunted by the
thought of the scores of European
goldfnches and linnets in the Boston
stores who were eagerly going up
and down their cages all day long,
trying in vain to break through the
combining bars. We were doing what
we could in that successful conven-
ton for the cause Of suffering crea-
lures, but II seemed as II l could not
wait for the turn of the birds. Have
patience, little brothers, I felt like
saying. your case will come next,
but the painful certainty was impress
ed upon me that our efforts would
be put forth for a fresh installment
OF victims. AS far as | could find out,
the shipments are too numerous to
keep pace with the deaths. and in
thinking much and painfully on the
subject. I ask myself the question.
Who is II that demands these for
eign birds? Is the great American
public crying out for bird slaves, or
! lis the traffic carried on, primarily
for the benefit OF bird exporting
houses abroad, and. secondarily. for
the enrichment of bird dealers in
America 2 l believe few persons
| in every community like to have a
| foreign bird in their possession from
variety OF motives They prefer Il
European linnet, thrush, lark. bull
! finch, goldfinch, an African or Ash
attic finch or parrot to a canary. An
other larger class. sauntering along
| the street. sees the snowy display of
- frdc IN fNS N ar q
and kindly and ignorantly sets about
caring for the defenseless foreigner.
/ who generally dies. | claim that
both these classes could study foreign
birds more successfully in aviaries
and reservations under the care Of
skilled curators. The birds would
+ live longer and would be more In
teresting. and the unwise, Illogical
and uncharitable traffic In foreign
( birds would be stopped. / should like
/ to see the humane societies take an
/ interest in this matter, and also in
quire into it. Figures must be kept
and we ought 10 be able to get at
many birds are imported, where they
come from. what is the percentage
of deaths, by whom are they pur-
chased, etc. / appeal To humane
workers TO do something for the for
eign birds--the pitiful little captives
/ QpI tIGIHE Their SuilSEih6 NblC5S All
protest all over this continent, We
let our black slaves go--let us set
the bird slaves free also.
/ Eight years ago ! could go into
any bird store on this continent and
buy a vivacions. brilliant red cardinal,
captured in the Southern States. Now
the bird dealers cannot sell me one.
and I say to them, How delighted /
am that this nation is extending its
protection OF birds. However, I can
still buy Brazil cardinals--those bright
and graceful creatures, equally viva
cious, equally fond of liberty, as the
red cardinal / buy them and set
them free in a large aviary. where
they have partly natural conditions,
but. unfortunately. / cannot buy all
the captives in the bird stores
"A short time ago l went into bird
store in New York State and said to
the girl in charge, That Brazil cardi-
nal in the little cage has sore beak
and looks in poor condition. Why do
you not give him something besides
those dry seeds? In his native land
he probably had fruit and green stuff
all the year round
THE girl seemed surprised at my
statement, and I pointed TO "A japanese
robin darting restlessly to and fro In
q narrow cage, and asked, Do you
think that bird Ia happy
No. she said frankly. i don't be-
lieve in keeping wild birds in cages.
+ but this isn't my store
T. II told her OF a pair OF Japanese
robins. or. more properly speaking.
Pekin nightingales that I had had. OF
their ceaseless activity and their love
OF freedom-that they would go like
streaks of light back and forth in an
aviary fifteen feet by thirty-two, then
UP q flying cage to a roof veranda.
where they had fifteen feet more by
thirty-two, yet I did not consider that
space enough for these little Oriental
beauties, and sent them to a larger
aviary.
The girl thought I had done right.
and, asking her to tell the owner OF
the bird store that she had better
give her cardinal a change of diet.
and expressing the hope that she
would he soon Obliged to give up keep
irg foreign, birds, as she had been
obliged to give up the natives.
went away,
mot far from this store I came
across another, In which were TWO
Brazil cardinals these in a reasonah bly,
large cage. They were in better con-
| dition physically than tho other. but
oh. the mental apathy ard unhapni-