8 



BIRD NEWS 



times in the not far distant future. 

 We sliall first consider tlae canary, 

 as a cage bird, ratlier than as an in- 

 habitant of an aviary. A cage bird 

 naturally suggests a cage. What is 

 the best cage for a canary? It is 

 an unpleasant fact that the cage most 

 popular with the bird keeper, viz., 

 the round bell-shaped, painted cage, 

 is the worst possible, but "it fits 

 nicely between the window curtains," 

 is the response made when the kind 

 of cage is questioned. This compels 

 the deduction that the bird to such a 

 person is at best an ornament — that 

 is, something to harmonize with the 

 furnitui'e. We contend the canary is 

 worthy of a better estimate and we 

 shall see that he gets it. 



(To be continued.) 



The British Ornithological Union 

 has at last passed a much wanted 

 rule to expel any member guilty of 

 taking or receiving eggs of the rarer 

 species of birds breeding in the Unit- 

 ed Kingdom. We would like the A. 

 O. U. to do likewise. 



Don't hang your bird away up 

 near the ceiling in rooms where gas 

 or lamps are burned. Put your hand 

 into the heated air stratum and then 

 realize what torture it meant for the 

 bird. 



When placing nesting material in 

 your aviary or cages, don't have 

 pieces of string or thread, else you 

 may find next morning a dead bird, 

 suspended by neck or foot. Cut all 

 strings short. 



Don't put a newly bought bird 

 into your bird room or aviary; keep 

 it under observation; it may be timii. 

 Pick, or very posibly dirty. If !-'o. 

 v-ash it. We will tell you how to do 

 that some other time. 



A NATURE STUDENT OF 

 THE LONG AGO 



Recently a burial chamber in 

 Egypt was opened by explorers. The 

 electric lamp flashed across eyes that 

 had fallen into the long slumber — 

 three thousand years ago. Some- 

 where about the year 1470 B, C, a 

 child, Yuaa, a Syrian, was born. In 

 the course of time he married an 

 Egyptian woman, Thuau, and they 

 had a daughter Thiy. It was the tomb 

 of Yuaa, and his dead queen Thuau 

 that was opened. Thiy, the daughter, 

 gave birth "to the first individual in 

 human history" — ^so-called, because 

 of all the mighty Pharaohs he is 

 the one most revealed, known as 

 Akhnaton; he founded a religion to 

 the Sun. 



On the walls of this tomb is re- 

 corded the orthodoxy of his religion. 

 Amidst the pomp and majesty of 

 Egypt, he returned to nature and told 

 his people of "a God" — -who listens 

 'when the chick crieth in the egg 

 shell,' and gives him life, delighted 

 that he should chirp with all his 

 might and run about upon his two 

 legs, when he hath come forth there- 

 from'; a God who finds pleasure in 

 causing the birds to flutter in their 

 marshes and the sheep to dance upon 

 their feet. The mighty Egyptian saw 

 the Creator in "the works of his 

 hands" and worshipped nature in na- 

 ture's God — touches such as this 

 makes all the world kin. 



OUR FLEDGLINGS 



B. N. will give each issue three 

 money prizes for best short bird 

 story; original; not to exceed 15 

 words; written by children under 16 

 years of age. 



Don't overtask your breeding birds. 

 Better get quality than quantity. 

 Three nests in a season is a good 

 average. 



