15^ Bird -Lore 



rapidly ; he became surprisingly tame, and soon appeared to enjoy 

 life thoroughly. Occasionally, he was permitted to enjoy his freedom 

 in a large room, but after running about awhile, always seemed glad 

 to return to his cage, the door of which was left open, so that he 

 might go home when he pleased. 



He was a beautiful singer, and used to stand in the long grasses 

 and fresh clover of his sod, quiver the poor pinions that could never 

 again soar skyward, and burst into the glorious carol with which 

 he had been wont to salute the sunrise, when, high up among the 

 fleecy clouds, he had appeared an almost invisible speck of personified 

 melody to the enchanted listeners below. 



As the years sped by, this much-indulged bird craved petting 

 and attention to an abnormal degree, could be coaxed at any hour 

 into singing, and formed the strange habit of trilling a low, sweet 

 carol at ten o'clock every night, which his mistress called his ''good- 

 night song. " When he had been caged for twelve or thirteen years 

 he become as playful as a kitten, and was particularly fond of going 

 through what his mistress called the "jungle tiger act," which con- 

 sisted of crouching down out of sight in the grasses of his sod, and 

 then springing suddenly forward to bite in a gentle way a finger 

 poked between the wires of his cage. He never wearied of this game 

 so long as he could induce a child or grown person to engage in it 

 with him. and before he died, a year or so later, he developed a 

 degree of playfulness that almost amounted to imbecility. 



'On the Ethics of Caging Birds.' 



[As stated in our last issue, Mrs. Miller's paper on "The Ethics of Caging Birds,' 

 in Bird-Lore for June, brought us numerous letters, from which we have selected two, 

 representing both sides of the question, for publication. As a further contribution 

 to this discussion we publish in this number of Bird-Lore several papers describing 

 experiences with caged birds. — Ed.] 



To THE Editor of Bird-Lore, 



Dear Sir : — I have always been such an admirer of Mrs. Miller's 

 writings that I confess to a feeling of great disappointment in her 

 article concerning caged birds, which appeared in your June number 

 of Bird-Lore. Will you allow me to comment on it briefly ? 



Mrs. Miller starts out with the position that while she disapproves 



