THE CANARY 75 



or restless in one part of a room who will be per- 

 fectly contented in another, and I have heard 

 of birds made miserable, and refusing to sing, 

 by a peculiar wall-paper which they disliked, 

 and of others who showed approval or disap- 

 proval of the color in their mistress's gown. I 

 have spoken before of a bird's exceeding sen- 

 sitiveness to unpleasant sounds and violence 

 or abruptness of movement. 



An English writer of many years' experi- 

 ence with canaries declares that most of their 

 diseases are caused by terror, neglect, or cold. 

 If this be true, and I firmly believe it, we 

 should feel reproached as well as grieved over 

 the illness of our little prisoners, for, as I 

 have said before, no one has a right to take 

 the happiness and the life of another being, 

 even a bird, into her hands, unless she is able 

 and willing to give intelligent and loving care 

 to it. 



As to the training of a bird, either to sing 

 or to perform tricks, if that is desired, care 

 should be taken to select one capable of learn- 

 ing; for there are great differences in ability 

 as well as in docility. Some birds have nat- 

 urally inferior voices, and on such ones time 



