On Taming Birds. 17 



not be understood to imply a starving system ; I do 

 not think making a bird hungry and miserable 

 which in bird- language are synonymous would be 

 likely to make it quickly become at home ; the seed 

 is, at any rate, never kept long away; my only 

 object is to obtain the chance of talking to the bird 

 and making friends with it while it is partly engaged 

 in eating. A single bird in a cage tames very much 

 more quickly than when there are two or three. If, 

 as spring comes (for I am supposing newly-caught 

 birds to be bought in the winter only), the 

 birds do -not seem to have become quite happy, I 

 think that it would be then much better to give them 

 back their liberty : still, as far as my experience 

 goes, I do not think this sacrifice will be often called 

 for, they attach themselves so soon to their companions 

 .as well as to their owners. 



5. I speak of birds bought in the autumn and 

 winter only, because it seems cruel to think of buying 

 old birds at any other season, excepting those which 

 (like foreign birds and Canaries) are always kept in- 

 doors. The bird-catchers frequently obtain them by 

 making their own nest the trap which catches them ; 

 and when one thinks of the little diamond eyes 

 shining out upon us with such apparent fearlessness, 

 though all the while we see how the poor heart is 

 beating, it does seem very cruel to remove the faithful 

 mother from the pretty nest of which she is so fond. 



2 



