122 STOEIES ABOUT BIRDS. 



(TliP (Tannrti IMrl 



SINGULAR incident, showing the 

 effect of music upon a canary 

 hird, occurred not long ago, at 

 Ivr»xbury, in the state of Massa- 

 chusetts. A lady of rare musical attainments 

 was playing on the piano, when all at once her 

 l)ird, who seemed to have been listening very 

 intently, burst forth into a strain of song so 

 loud, shrill, and powerful, as at once to arrest 

 her attention. Nothing like it had been heard 

 before. The little creature's breast seemed 

 actually swelling and heaving with his efforts 

 to give vent to the conception with which his 

 tiny heart was beating. All at once, at the 

 very full tide of his melody, he was silent. 

 His mistress took him from the cage, and he 

 turned over in her hand and died ! On dissec- 

 tion, it was found that he had completely split 

 his windpipe from top to bottom. 



