38 The Canary, 



well versed in the breeding of birds here ; for, as I said 

 before, those engaged in the matter are very mysterious 

 about their operations, and little inclined to impart 

 their secret to the world. 



Well, our great desire now was to obtain a pair of 

 this beautiful variety for our aviary. This was brought 

 about by reading in the newspapers of the day an 

 account of the beautiful birds exhibited at the Syden- 

 ham show, and seeing a picture of this lovely variety in 

 the work of a popular author of the day, which also 

 informed us that it was almost peculiar to London and 

 its vicinity. I now recollected that I once myself bred 

 a single brood having jet black wings, tail, and head, 

 from a pair of apparently common-looking birds, which 

 my brother brought home when he came from Harrow 

 School, and which were the most beautiful of any I had 

 ever then seen. Unfortunately, however, they all met 

 with a sad fate, and I never succeeded in rearing any 

 more of the kind. Being so exceedingly beautiful I 

 brought them from the room in which they were bred, 

 and placed them in a large cage which stood in our 

 entrance-hall, on a pedestal for the purpose. As might 

 naturally be expected they were the admiration, if not 

 envy, of all who saw them, but alas ! this did not last 

 long, for one night either a mouse or rat got into the 

 cage, and killed every bird in it, so that when the 

 servant opened the shutters in the morning, there was 

 nothing but a few feathers and mangled remains of the 

 poor little things left. It was a sad misfortune, and 

 grieved us all very much at the time, but it was one 

 which we could not have foreseen, and scarcely have 



