66 BIRDS 



the knowledge or ability to provide, and under such cir- 

 cumstances bird-keeping is not to be encouraged. 



But to maintain that every caged bird is unhappy is a 

 contention which cannot be supported. The brain of a bird 

 is not developed to the point which has been reached by the 

 higher mammals. Even they become perfectly contented in 

 captivity when properly housed, so why should not the bird ? 

 There are no grounds for believing that the avian mind is 

 concerned with matters other than those of its daily exist- 

 ence. Na one who has had personal experience with 

 properly fed, correctly caged wild birds can doubt their 

 contentment. Relieved from the problems of securing daily 

 food, freed from the ever-present dangers which throng 

 their feral lives, their lot certainly is not that of the 

 oppressed. 



Such results, however, are dependent on the bird-keeper 

 himself. No person should take upon himself the respon- 

 sibility of caring for any living creature, unless he is thor- 

 oughly familiar with the conditions which are necessary for 

 its well-being. This rule applies to the keeping of horses 

 and dogs, as well as to that of the most delicate birds, and 

 its infractions are even more likely to be found in the first 

 field than in the latter. 



Because of the alarming decrease in numbers of native 

 American birds, laws prohibiting their capture became neces- 

 sary. There can be no question of the justice of these 

 restrictions, but to their passage must be attributed the lack 

 of interest in avicultural matters, general in this country. 

 The English, notable for their love of pets and the thor- 

 oughness with which they pursue their hobby, support two 

 societies and three periodicals exclusively devoted to the 

 study of wild birds in captivity. A great volume of facts 

 concerning nesting and other habits of birds has become 

 known through the efforts of these enthusiasts, not to 



.J 



