Norwich bulletin., 1922-07-22
now ro oARR roR RrRps. 5.

Dear Sisters of the Social Corner: Al woman-just plain everyday sensible sort Of Woman-Was one day strollfng carelessly through the bird department Of a certain store in Boston. Suddenly she stopped short, and looked hard at the sight which met her eyes A hun dred wooden bird cages each with al hundred birds, crowded closely togeth- CT. fiutterfng, flying and creeping in ap- parently great discomfort, were stacked against the wall like so much cord wood making a veritable pandemoniun of fear and sound.
 This woman has a heart as big as1 all outdoors, when it comes to a ques-l ton of sickness or discomfort for any of the little feathered tribe; and every fibre in her body responded to the plain tive cries of misery from those unhap-i py birds-she had loved birds from childhood had studied them-their ways and needs-whenever she saw a chance, and the sight of these ten thousand helpless creatures who had come all the way from Germany, as the foreman af- forwards admitted, without the clean-l ing Of either their cages or their bodies fired her indignation.
 She hunted up the manager of the store, then she explained few things to him in so effective fashion that in 8 surprisingly Efert space of ttsne the condition of those birds was materially changed Their cages were washed, tht birds given baths and proper food placed
 in their receptacles.
 Today t:.e importation of canaries and
 other singing birds from Hartz noun tains and the peasant provinces of Ger many is carried under rigid rules pre- scribing proper feeding and daily bath for every individual bird.
 While in there she observed tiny ca-
 nary beating his wings feebly against the cage bars. His head dropped. his eyes were duii That bird is sick" de- clared my friend after one keen glance,
 "why don't you do something for the little thing inmediatefy?e ?e'
 "Wl1at shall we do?" asked the floor ! man. helpiessiy.
 That bird has an attack of asthma and he needs 10 be placed in the dark. He won't wheeze so badly then and he musn't have any but mixed seed. It will have to be prepared by putting it l in a cup, pouring enough water over it ] to cover, and let t stand all night. Tn the morning drain of the water through small sieve; let a little fresh water i flow over 1t, and dry with a cloth This | process takes out all the dust and ctaff l present in dry seed and helps the asth- matic bird wonderfully.
 1 That was a few years ago. Today my l friend owns one of the oddest little hos pitsls and bird boarding houses. in the
 world, she has patients, by the score. l The operating room of the noisy little hospital is an interesting study. Tiny l wicker baskets filled with the downiest cotton are supported on tall wicker
 stands, and from birdies' beds. The 1 chirps and calls which greet one in his passage through the room are incessant
 and the bright, gIancing eye. just visi- ble, over the riin of the basket hold a 1 thousand mute appeals. Once a dainty i canary was brought to the hospital tc 1 be operated on for tumor. It came 1 in 8 nonogramed work-basizet, and one ] or two Of the tiny instruments form ing part of the hospital equipments l were called into service. The little pa. tiert took the event with something ap-
 proaeting philosophy, and my friend as
 serts that the birds in the operating room seem to realize that something is z going to hep them. and that they un-