156 PET BIRDS OF BENGAL 



a covered cage. The English reader would 

 be startled to hear this ; but it is a fact, 

 that these favourites of sun-shine and the 

 blue sky, are kept covered up day and 

 night except for the few minutes the cage 

 is cleaned. Sometimes, a kindly owner 

 would put it out in the sun to give it a 

 taste of a long-lost joy. God knows 

 whether it possesses an yearning for its 

 native element. The owner knows, at least, 

 that the bird sings quite lustily in its 

 circumscribed surroundings. Every evening, 

 these covered cages are taken out for an 

 airing to a field or a park, and a number of 

 cages is placed side by side. When one 

 bird breaks into song, the others join in a 

 hearty chorus, and a most delightful 

 competition goes on for a long while. The 

 Indian bird-lover, possessing little scientific 

 curiosity, seems to be anxious about the 

 comfort of his charo-e. He fits up the casje 

 with a tight and strong piece of canvas as 

 a floor for the bird to exercise its legs ; 

 and in order that the bird may have 



