CANARIES AND CAGE-BIRDS. 



any one came into the office, he would ask, "Will you have brandy and water?" 

 .and, to a second person, "What shall I mix for you, sir?" adding, "Please 

 make mine straight." It is said that bird could speak two hundred words, and 

 would answer correctly any ordinary questions pertaining to himself or the office. 



A Minor which the writer owned some years ago detested a series of questions : 

 and, if any one persisted in repeating a question once answered, he would curse and 

 swear, and fly about the cage as though in a great passion. This bird possessed, in 

 an extraordinary degree, a sweet, clear voice for whistling, and seemed to take 

 great pleasure in running the chromatic scale, giving the full tones and the interme- 

 diates, both ascending and descending, with perfect accuracy. 



A well-known New-York journalist possessed a bird of this class, which accom- 

 panied him around the world, and was his constant companion in his various wan- 

 derings. The bird, which was a present from a lady friend, possessed a fine 

 musical and spiritual education. He could whistle several bars of operas, and repeat 

 various selections from the good Book when first presented ; but constant associa- 

 tion with evil-mouthed servants caused him to deviate from the straight path, and 

 he became a living example of the effects of bad company. Minors, like Parrots, 

 easily learn bad language : whether they are sinners by nature, as vicious boys are. 

 I do not know ; but it is most certainly a fact, that two bad words are learned with 

 pleasure when one good one is a hard stud} T . 



The owner of the above Minor, being desirous of showing his bird's accomplish- 

 ments off before a religious lady, was putting him through his course of instruction, 

 and had reached an interesting part of the conversation, when the bird, espying the 

 friendly servant, abruptly changed the course of remarks by dwelling on subjects 

 disagreeable and most untimely. 



He horrified his hearers by yelling, "Take out your false teeth!" "Pull 

 down your vest ! ' ' and sundry other phrases not at all becoming in such a good 

 bird. His subsequent presentation to a Sunday-school teacher betrayed the regard 

 of his former owner for his friend. But his new owner, on taking the bird, con- 

 cealed in the breast of his coat, to the church, had no occasion to be thankful for his 

 gift. He expected to show naughty boys how even a bird could repeat the general 

 confession ; but the Minor electrified the congregation, and startled the good preacher, 

 by politely asking him to wipe off his chin. 



All Minors do not make talking-birds, but whether or not one will learn to talk 

 may usually be determined by the attention which the bird pays his teacher : when 

 once trained to speak a word or two, the remainder is an easy matter. The words 

 first taught him should be easy of pronunciation; and the words " Miiio " or 

 mother ' ' are usually the first which he is capable of pronouncing, as they seem to 

 exactly suit his style of voice. When talking, the Mino's enunciation of the Indian 

 and English languages particularly is plain ; and the inflexions are correct if the 

 teacher has done his full duty. His imitations of various animals are remarkably 

 c-lear and correct, and his whistle is marvellously pure and sweet. A Minor which 

 had been hung as an ornament in a wealthy man's window rendered the owner of a 

 dog, and the dog himself, two crazy beings by his mocking whistle. 



He is a natural mischief-maker, and his tricks at hide-and-go-seek when he finds 

 a shining article will rival those of the Crow family in their cunning. Tie a gold 



