CHAPTER VII 



BIRDS TRAINED TO PERFORM 



1. Song-Birds. 2. Talking Birds. 3. Birds That Give Warning 

 of Danger. 4. Birds as Decoys. 



Song-Birds 



Birds taught to execute some little trick or song 

 have, since the dawn of civilization, taken the 

 position of favored household pets. Mere tame- 

 ness, although tolerated because of the attrac- 

 tive disposition of the bird, or beautiful coloring, 

 or the fact that it gives the trainer a complacent 

 feeling of having conquered a wild creature by 

 kindness, does not lead to violent enthusiasm for 

 the bird. What is most fancied is one which, like 

 a bullfinch, can whistle "Yankee Doodle/' or a 

 parrot that will recite the tale of "Old Mother 

 Hubbard," or a crow that performs ludicrous 

 tricks with its bill like the famous bird at the New 

 iYork Hippodrome. A bird of this sort will be 

 cherished by its owner and proudly exhibited at 

 every chance. 



In the same way, a common barn-yard duck 

 means nothing to a duck shooter, but if it has de- 



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