WILD BIRDS IN CAGES 205 



himself very badly even a slight blow from his 

 sharp bill-hook is a serious matter. The copser's 



hand and arm have received the order to 

 Trials swing outwards to gather force for a quick 

 Co^ser str oke honeysuckle arrests the bill-hook and 



turns its direction, while the hand and arm 

 disastrously go on with the reflex part of the order. 

 And though we do not suppose there is a copse- 

 worker in the whole world who does not appreciate 

 rabbits to eat, probably most of them speak at times 

 as harshly of rabbits as of honeysuckle. For rabbits 

 gnaw the underwood, and when the butt of a stem 

 has been gnawed by rabbits' teeth, part of the wood 

 dies, and is far harder to cut than a clean stem. 



We have heard from several people that owls are 

 among the birds that cannot be tamed and kept as 



pets ; but this idea is a fallacy. Barn-owls 

 Wild taken from the nest, and properly handled, 

 in Cages w ^ grow into attractive pets, and we know 



a pair of them, about four months old, who 

 sit on their master's shoulders, and seem to return his 

 affection. We dislike the idea of rearing wild birds in 

 captivity especially such useful birds as barn-owls, 

 who are better employed in catching mice than in 

 doing tricks. But nearly all birds are susceptible to 

 a taming treatment, even such shy creatures as the 

 redshanks of the marshes, the wariest of birds in their 

 wild state. There are people who seem to possess, a 



