1 86 The Canary Book. 



and look tenderly towards them. The birds, not the least 

 afraid, would come and give a tug at some of the loose hairs 

 that projected within their reach, and Mistress Tabby would 

 merely wink at them in a blinking sort of fashion. The 

 manner in which those cats are trained humanity forbids me 

 to recommend, as it flavours so strongly of wanton cruelty. 

 They receive their first lesson when they are very young some 

 eight or ten weeks old ; a cage containing birds is placed upon 

 the floor of a room, and "Tom," or "Jenny, "or whatever its 

 name may be, is brought and set down in front of them. The 

 kitten no sooner espies the birds than it dashes forward instinc- 

 tively to seize its natural prey, when its instructor, who is on 

 the qui vive, instantly springs forward, and, grasping the 

 would-be assassin by the skin of the neck with a vice-like 

 grip, proceeds to chastise it in manner following : Having, 

 prior to the introduction of the device to allure the poor 

 unsophisticated kitten, heated an ordinary knitting needle to 

 redness, he holds it in readiness for use in his other hand, 

 so that, as soon as the culprit has committed itself, the needle 

 is forthwith placed against the wires forming the front of the 

 cage, and poor little pussy receives a severe scolding, at the 

 same time the operator nnceremoniously begins to rub its nose 

 backward and forward violently against the heated wire. They 

 rarely, I am told, ever require a second lesson, if the first has 

 been properly given, and never a third ; but by way of a treat 

 those humane individuals (P) (the trainers) sprinkle the first 

 bird they happen to have die, from any cause, very liberally 

 with cayenne pepper, and give it to their unsuspecting pupils, 

 who no sooner get a good mouthful of the profusely seasoned 

 dainty than they drop it as they would a red-hot iron. After 

 this they would as soon think of attempting to catch hold of a 

 live coal as they would a canary. 



POISONED GRAIN. When I have had the misfortune to be 

 pestered with mice and rats and I have been sorely plagued 

 with both, but not recently, in my bird room, at least I have 

 proceeded to remove all seeds and food of every description 

 beyond their reach, and, by placing pieces of glass here and 

 there agiust the wall, and nailing tin round the legs of my cage 



