46 CANARY BIRDS. 



terms. But he will also pair with other 

 females, without afterwards troubling him 

 self much with either them or their eggs. 

 It is noticed, that from unions such as these, 

 the largest broods and the best birds are 

 produced. But we lose in these unions one 

 source of pleasure to the bird-keeper: for 

 who would like to lose that prettiest of 

 sights, when the forwardest nestling arrives 

 at the perch, and sits between its parents, 

 fluttering its little wings, and being fed by 

 them alternately, in the midst of busy and 

 delighted twittering. Of course, when one 

 bird is the father of several young families, 

 there is not much chance of his being much 

 at home with any of them ; and the mother 

 has no business to be always off her nest, as 

 she must be, to supply a strong brood all 

 by herself, with food. Cheerfulness, too, is 

 an important thing in a bird cage, and a 

 poor little hen, toiling on all alone, is by no 

 means a lively sight. When the females 

 can get at their rivals, a general skirmish 



