WHICH SHALL WE CHOOSE? 21 



Birds too large to be conveniently kept in a 

 city often make agreeable pets for the country, 

 where room is not so limited. The crow is 

 one of the most attractive, being a very wide- 

 awake personage, with plenty of ideas, and 

 wit enough to carry them out. He becomes 

 much attached to the human race, as soon as 

 he is convinced they do not want to eat him. 

 He must be watched, however, for his great 

 propensity is to carry off and secrete silver, or 

 anything that strikes his fancy. As to desert- 

 ing his home, and going away with his wild 

 relatives, if properly treated and made comfort- 

 able he will rarely do so. 



Owls of several kinds afford no end of di- 

 version when tamed ; but they, too, need the 

 run of larger quarters than a house. 



The magpie is full of fun and frolic, and 

 learns to talk, but one needs a private detec- 

 tive to keep him out of mischief. 



Of the foreign birds are many with which 

 we are familiar in cages. The English gold- 

 finch, a pleasant little fellow, readily accus- 

 toming himself to a cage, and a sweet singer 

 without much variety; the song -thrush, a 

 charming bird and a sweet singer, as is also 



