Birds in a Sitting-room. 29 



9. Very pleasant it is in a room if a special pair of 

 pets begin to make a nest. At the moment I write 

 this, one pair of Canaries, within a yard of my head, 

 are thns engaged, and very amusing it is to watch 

 them. The right thing for their building is a cage 

 about twenty-two inches by sixteen, in which there 

 are two small square compartments, intended to hold 

 seed-boxes. I always think it best to remove these 

 boxes, and then filling the space with small sprays of 

 fir or box, the nest is made to fit in in a pretty way. 

 If the sprays are cut in February the fir generally 

 does not lose its leaves. These nest rooms have 

 small round holes for doors, and the bag of wool and 

 hair should be tied securely outside the cage to the 

 wire bars. 



10. The instinct and cleverness of birds is really 

 very wonderful, when one has time to watch them. 

 This very pair, for instance : it is the cock bird's duty 

 to feed the hen while sitting, and the gentleman here 

 being young and apparently rather giddy, his wife 

 evidently considered that he required training before 

 the time arrived for his duties to commence. And a 

 very funny affair between the two they made of it ; for 

 first Mrs. Tuft got into the nest and waited, and then 

 she went down and undutifully pecked her husband 

 without the least explanation ; at which, Tuft, who is 

 rather timid, looked both alanned and anxious. Flying 

 Tback to her nest and seating herself, she again called 



