1">4 CANARIES AND CAGE-BIRDS. 



The song is a curious combination of sprightly, mellow notes, which are uttered 

 with such precision and in such clear tones that the hearer thinks he is roaming the 

 wild woods, listening to a chorus of wild songsters, each pouring foi'th his best songs 

 in his endeavors to outdo all others. The song can be described partially by saying 

 it is a wild tangle of joyful melody, and combines the beautiful, plaintive tones of 

 the English Nightingale, and the sprightly, curious jangle of our own Bobolink : 

 and it is sung in a manner which is in keeping with the bird's restless movements. 

 As soon as the Pekin Nightingale commences his song, he keeps time with his mar- 

 vellous springs and jumps ; and, during the continuance of the song, a stranger to 

 the bird would be puzzled to know whence the delightful notes came. His joyous 

 warble is heard at all hours of the day, and by gaslight as well, and never becomes 

 monotonous. The ever-changing songs of the birds of the wildwood always delight 

 the ear by their pleasing variety, and such is the effect of the varied notes of the 

 Pekin Nightingale. 



The bird is an accomplished gymnast, and can turn somersets and stand on 

 his head with an ease which would make a professional acrobat envious. His con- 

 tortions and evolutions are as bewildering as they are laughable ; and an owner of 

 one, no matter how long the bird may be in his possession, will be constantly 

 amused by new tricks. As a household pet, the Nightingale of Pekin cannot be 

 surpassed ; and, after a few lessons in training, he becomes so tame, that it is unne- 

 cessary to confine his dashing movements within the narrow limits of a cage. He 

 may be allowed the run of a chamber, and will successfully elude the craftiest efforts 

 of the cat to catch him. His large eyes are ever on the alert ; and if it is needed to 

 prove the saying, that a sharp-eyed being can see around corners, or look in fourteen 

 different directions at the same time, one should observe the ease with which a 

 Nightingale will observe the approach of a strange object. All the tricks which 

 are usually taught birds of any class may be taught him ; and the readiness with 

 which he learns to perform them cannot be excelled by that prince of performers, 

 the English Goldfinch. Offer him a dainty in the shape of a meal-worm, and, when 

 he thinks you are not looking, he will snatch it from between your fingers with a 

 rapidity that will cause you to search the floor, thinking you had dropped it. He. 

 becomes very tame, and quite affectionate toward his master ; and nothing delights 

 him so much as to have his cage-door opened, and the privilege extended him of 

 perching on the master's shoulder or head. 



If a stranger of his own kind is placed anywhere within calling distance, the 

 call-note of one is answered immediately by the other ; and with animated eyes, and 

 expressive movements of the tail and body, his delightful song is poured forth with 

 his best efforts, only to be answered by his newly found rival. The chorus is 

 enchanting ; and no moment of silence is observed, except for feeding, as long as the 

 birds are near enough to hear each other's song. 



' A bird which can sing and won't sing must be made to sing "is an old saying, 

 probably uttered before birds were discovered ; and the only case to which it applies 

 is that of the Pekin Nightingale : place a song-bird of any kind within hearing dis- 

 tance, and, if a single note is uttered by him, the Pekin Nightingale immediately 

 imitates the song, and also sings his own. It is said that it is only necessary to 

 stand a Chinaman in front of him, and the recognition of his countryman is suffi- 

 cient to force the bird to his best efforts. 



