The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1920-12-29
BIRD IMPRESARIo.
Novel Little Musical Machine Inspires
Emulation on Part of Pupil.

Emulation on Part of Pupil.
Teaching birds to sing is the latest
field of occupation for feminine en-
deavor. That the trill and MARBLE OF
the pet canary don't "jes' come OUT
but only after weeks of arduous efforts
by bird impresarios," is the opinion
of one of the latter
Tucked away in little canary
fiat" at 5 Sylvan place, in crowded
Harlem, Mrs. William Coffey sits for
hours every day watching her efforts
on dozens of bright hued young song
sters.
In three sunny, tiny rooms and while
preparing the meals, caring for her five
year.old son, training and breeding
prize Boston terriers, and some won
derful imported fish no longer than a
good sized exclamation point, Mrs. COT
few teaches birds how to sing.
"Tr.r-r-r," then on little higher
note, "err-r.r," played the automati.
cally devised organ which acts as pro
fessor bird"
For two minutes following il pauses,
Feeble peeps, modest tweets, holder at
tempts sometimes little off key, and
trills and rolls that surpassed the
teachers song came from the threats OF
nearly 100 high-bred canaries.
As the tone came in strength from
the funny looking musical machine, SO
the tiny MARBLES kept theirs. For three
quarters Of an hour, four times day,
Mrs Cofrey trains her birds in their
musical college
Every bird must learn to sing, said
Mrs. Coffey as she told Of the success
she and her husband have had with the
birds since they began the lessons three
years ago.
"If a young bird heard nothing but
this" and she tapped table knife and
fork, "the notes he would make would
be anything but musical.
His song would be just as near an
imitation of the clicking twang OF
metal as he could make. In breeding
birds in large numbers ii Is difficult 70
find enough teachers.
1--WE have two birds who have won
special blue ribbins besides the regular
prize and the diploma honors we have
taken in New York bird shows.
''That is because they have two new
and original notes. Still these two
could not train so many young to sing,
so we train them with the organ. They
learn the same songs, then, and any
original notes they may discover are
our gain"
Stepping forward in the little room
filed with large and small cages with
their ITO feathery tenants. Mrs. Coffey
pulled what looked like half of hot
water boiler up out of the lower half.
On top was perched box about a
foot square with open doors.
This was fastened to the boiler af-
fair" by long rubber tubing. Several
hooks and turkeys seemed to COM
pIete the machine that slowly began
TO descend into the lower tank. its
speed checked by air pressure as II
rested. on the water.filled receptacle.
From the little box came the bird
notes." trills and ehirps treble toned
or low chirruped, the bright hued pu-
pills obediently practicing their lesson
in the two-minute interval following.
Mr.. and Mrs Coffey say they had
the bird business sort of wished on
them," but are mighty glad they did.
"When we began with nine females
and six males. we know nothing IN the
world about BIRDS said Mrs. Coffey.
my husband said so long as a friend
of his was compelled to forsake the
business he thought he had to take a
chance.
'TIe studied hard, and to-day bird
breeders can't understand how he has
won the prizes from them when they
had been bird men all their lives.
ut is Just because we believe in the
best care TO make the best of animals,
pay slal0 a dozen for the eggs on
which they feed. Last breeding season
we had 300 birds"
Mrs. Coffey says the young birds first
begin to take their singing lessons
when about three months old.-Phila-
delphia Public Ledger.