THE CANARY 73 



make the "bird of the golden wing" very 

 dear to us, and nothing should be left undone 

 to make him as happy as a prisoner can be. 

 Yet in many homes the bird in his gilded cage 

 is hardly more than a piece of decoration ; he 

 gets his seed, such as it happens to be, every 

 morning (perhaps), and his water-cup is filled 

 when his mistress happens to think of it; if he 

 scatters his seed he is half smothered in mus- 

 lin, and if he sings too much he is put in the 

 dark ; but that he is a fellow-creature, with 

 feelings, desires, and affections that he needs 

 companionship and love, never occurs to her. 



To such pet keepers I have something to 

 say. 



First, the intelligence of the canary is very 

 much underrated. So far from being a mere 

 singing-machine, he has a character of marked 

 individuality. He has his likes and dislikes 

 as decided as our own, and not only has he a 

 choice in the matter of food, place in the 

 room, position of cage, and such things, but in 

 his friendships with other birds, and between 

 the members of the family. 



Moreover, some canaries are good-tempered, 

 gentle, and cheerful in disposition, while others 



