The Morning Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Okla.) 1919-1927, 1921-02-13
HANS IS LEADER
OF ORCHESTRA
Ninety Five Feathered
Songsters Sing Perma-
nent Engagement
LIKES CANARY MUSIC
Mrs. Apperson's House Of
Song a Treat to Lovers
of Fine Bird Music
"a, MILDRED T.. CHADWICK

Bi MILDRED T. ClLADN lCk
gApUIpA, Feb. i2.---'ull throat-
.d and clear the sweet notes Of "a
,iny visitor from the Iiartz noun
.alns OF Germany cause many n
nedn.. ian on Hobson street to pause
moment before the House OF
sorr II he will wait moment
iopeur the CHEEKY silver tones Of this
usty singer will be taken up by the
40 or more voices which, In his nine
. vea-s of life In this country he has
,ralucd If the passcrby is curious
enouth he will seek admission 20
che house from which this wonder
mi music comes and a curious and
Interesting sight will meet his eyes.
pesido tho door stands u mammoth
cage with nearly forty singing cana
-ley. iu every room in this house
cages containing ono or more birds
are hanging, but the prize Of tho
whole collection, Hans Is I'm a
cage Isolated from the others and II
is he who leads the chorus in their
woodland anthems. Unlike some
human onera singers. Hans. the
opcra singer from the mountains.
is not temperamental, but will sing
AT any and all times at request of
his owner, Mrs. Mary Apperson. The
plaving Of the phonograph is always
A signal for Hans to warble his
sweetest, and soon the Sylvan chorus
whHh takes up his strains, drown
cut the mechanical music, putting 1t
10 shame with the purcness and
sweetness Of their tones
Hans the Pioneer.
When Hans first came 20 this
country. nine years ago, he was all
alone in thu. House of Song but
slowly q few at a time. other singers
were added TO keep him company
When the collection had grown to
q point where the mere having of
birds ceased to be a novelty for Mrs.
Appers1n. she decided TO raise them
in earnest and began really TO make
a study of bird raising. Most OF her
birds of which she now has ninety
five are German rollers and opera
singers and all of the breeding birds
came originally from the lfartz
mountains
Like some American singers. only
the male Of the specie sings and
careful attention rs required to prop
erly train the singers. Harsh noted
birds and loud singing birds must
be wealed out and placed far
enough away from the swcct-toned
birds who are under the tutclage of
a training bird so that they will not
be interfered with in the training.
All of the fifty odd singers in Mrs.
Apperson's collection have been
trained by Hans. with the occasion
al assistance of bobolink, a lark
and nightingale. and 81 corp Of
seven trained assistants form the
main BODY Of the chorus when all
OF the birds arc singing. "The singing
canary responds most readily said
Mrs Apperson, when its owner
makes most of II. talking and sing
ing to it much as a mother does TO
her child" The birds must be given
all Of the sunlight possible and fed
regularly once n day and given an
opportunity to take a bath at least
once a week. at really Is no trick
ct an TO raise the birds, providing
these simple rules are followed, "
Mrs, Apperson claims. THE diff
cult part lies in teaching them TO
sing as and when, one wants them
10. To properly train a singer takes
from four to five weeks with the
training bird. who Isl usually an older
singer like Hans Constant associN-
ton with the birds during which has
confidence Is gained and he grows
70 love his owner Is the secret Of get
ting him to sing when one wants him
to- she says.
Making Family Home.
Some OF her birds she has had
for n number of years and others
are less than year old and in a
number Of cages, happy couples are
busy building n nest with cotton and
string which has been placed in
their cage. The greatest number of
birds are placed In the kitchen, for
= II Is there that Mrs. Apperson works
most during the day. without the
CHEEKY songs Of my feathered
friends days would ofttimcs be
monotonous but with them for com
pany every day is filled Every bird
has his own distinctive notes and
Mrs. Apperson has learned to pick
guy any particular songster without
fan
DO they ever all ang at once''
Mrs ADperson was asked and doesn't (
II dooleu you, II they do" "fhoy
often DO, but the music IL so sweet
and soft that one could not dislike
u watch she says, and started
lhe Photograph.
Away over In the corner, few
preliminary trehles az heard and
men followed closely by another
ana another, the chorus break 8
forth High above the rest and
Tarlhnglv clear and bell-like. Hans.
! the master singer, breaks out In his
song and one by one the others
cease, while the soloist pours forth
ms melody. then all together, like