194 Management of Cages 



put under the trees of the lawn and garden, so long as 

 cats are not about ; but as a rule birds prefer to be 

 hung up not lower than the level of a person's face, 

 for they do not care, as with human beings, to be 

 looked down on. 



The really fresh out-of-door air will do them a 

 world of good, and will, when they bathe, dry their 

 feathers much quicker than when in a room. There 

 is a way of talking to one's birds, which perhaps is a 

 particular gift, but when possessed or acquired, makes 

 a large difference to the tameness and behaviour of 

 one's cage pets. 



Just as in some gardens, plants will flourish because 

 their owner delights in them individually and under- 

 stands them, so with the birds. Nothing is done well 

 without trouble, simply because the command of " Six 

 days shalt thou labour" is divine, and therefore the 

 truth. 



If we put birds in cages they are denied to a great 

 extent the privilege of obeying that law, and their 

 owners must in consequence carry it out for them. 



For nothing labours more industriously than a 

 bird. The work of keeping itself clean, of finding its 

 food, of building its nest and rearing its young, is 

 continuous and unceasing, each in its own turn and 

 season. 



The morning, mid-day, and evening hymns of 

 praise are never missed when the time comes for 

 singing ; the plan for their existence, I had almost 

 said their redemption, is completely and faithfully 

 •carried out. 



