118 Song Birds. 



4. Where it is desired to keep Canaries separate 

 from English birds, two divisions answer extremely 

 well ; and if the top of the cage is made flat in the 

 centre, or to rise to a shelf at the back, single cages 

 can stand all along it, containing one or two especial 

 birds or singers : and as it is with Canaries a law of 

 the Medes and Persians to allow no singing over their 

 own heads (if they can put it down), all those who 

 are underneath will warble indefatigably. A good 

 party of English birds, Linnets, Redpoles, Chaffinches, 

 Goldfinches and Siskins, are delightful to have in such 

 a cage. A single Bullfinch I should recommend to 

 be kept overhead ; and if valuable foreign birds form 

 part of the collection, I should advise either a third 

 central division for them, making the whole thing 

 larger, and covering their partitions carefully with 

 green baize in cold weather, at least at night, or else 

 the Canaries might be put in with the other finches, 

 trusting to their agreeing. 



At any rate they can be very happy, and if it is 

 difficult to bring up a young family well there, BJI 

 attached couple can always be disposed of in another 

 case while they are employed in rearing their young. 

 One way of managing would be to have only hen 

 Canaries in the English aviary, and as they are 

 extremely pretty, the cock birds must either be con- 

 tented to sing outside, or build, with well-chosen mates, 

 in separate cages. Sometimes, however, they disgrace 



