VI PREFACE. 



corns as possible and ruffles as few susceptibilities as 

 may be, bearing in mind the fact that there are victories 

 that are worse than a defeat, and that nothing is ever 

 gained by losing temper. 



Such being the case, another bird-book is not only admis- 

 sible, but imperatively called for, if for no other reason 

 than to chronicle the latest discoveries made in Natural 

 History by the many earnest thinkers who devote more 

 or less of their time and energy to the better understanding 

 of the subject, and particularly that branch of it that treats 

 •of the management of the feathered tribes in a state of 

 domesticity or of absolute captivity. 



There are probably not many people who, admitting 

 the initial right of man to confine birds of various kinds 

 for his pleasure or advantage, would deny the fact that if 

 birds are kept it is desirable that their habits and inclinations 

 should be studied, conformed to and gratified as far as 

 practicable, in order to make them as happy and comfortable 

 as possible in their new surroundings. 



Of course, there are a few well-intentioned people who 

 hold that we have no right to make "winged prisoners" 

 under any combination of circumstances whatever, but 

 such amiable enthusiasts need not detain us long, for if 

 their contention were pushed to its legitimate conclusion, 

 it would be equally unlawful for a man to keep a horse, 

 .a cow, or even a few head of domestic poultry. 



The object, then, of this book, which by no means 

 professes to be infallible, is to facilitate the keeping in 

 cage and aviary of every kind of British Bird that is really 

 suitable for the purpose. The rules laid down and the 

 directions given are all the outcome of much practical 

 ■experience in a study that has been dear to the writer 

 from early pinafore days, and is still as full of interest 

 and attraction as ever. 



