Treatment of Birds when Sick. 65 



*loubtless, as far as ladies are concerned, the best ; when 

 .tiny serious accident does happen, or when a bird is 

 very ill, it is so natural to long to alleviate the pain, or 

 to prolong the bird's realty happy life, that I must not 

 conclude this chapter without naming a bird dealer 

 devoted apparently, as so many Germans are, to 

 the pursuit he has followed in a humble fashion since 

 he was a boy of seven. His name is Litolff, 25, Rose 

 Street, Long Acre, and he seems to me to be well 

 acquainted with birds and their ailments. I under- 

 stand he is very successful as a bird doctor, and 

 mender of broken limbs ; and I may here remark 

 that a canary of my own hatched and brought up 

 large families for several succeeding years after the 

 unlucky accident which deprived her of a leg. 



16. A strange cat last winter by some extra- 

 ordinary means made its way into my room one 

 evening in the twilight, and before I knew of its 

 presence, it had sprung upon and knocked down a 

 cage from a table near. One bird flew away unhurt, 

 but the other was injured by the falling cage, and 

 had its leg broken. It was taken up and given to 

 me quite gently, and without even attempting then 

 to examine the injury, I laid it in a cage just such 

 as I described, and kept it close beside me for the 

 next ten days : talking to it seeming to comfort and 

 amuse it mightily. The leg was stiff and useless 

 for a long time after, but when once it had begun 



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