INTRODUCTION 



walls of our houses. All the quadrupeds and 

 bipeds that for centuries have been in contact 

 with man, that are grouped in friendly confidence 

 around his dwelling, that live for his use and 

 pleasure, and are, more or less, imder his chrect 

 supervision, being fed and cared for 

 by him, are domestic animals 

 and those who know true coun- 

 try life are never surprised 

 to sec Brown, the horse 

 poke his head through the 

 garden gate, or Blanche, 

 the cow, walk up to the 

 kitchen door and e}'e the 

 meal that the housekeeper 

 has prepared for the 

 mother hen and lier brood. 

 That horse, that cmv, those 

 chicks, take an active part in the 

 external life of the household. We 

 follow with interest their good and 

 their evil fortune (they have both from time to 

 time), and we soothe their sufferings as much 

 as possible. 



And the hens ! if they are not domestic 

 animals in the true sense of the term, we 

 invite the city denizen who doubts it to go 

 without eggs. What privation if there is no 



white of egg for the sick baby, no fresh-boiled 

 egg for the debilitated okl man! liens in tlie 

 poultry yard and eggs on the table, such is the 

 true ordei' of things ; so the |"K)iiltry yard, as 

 well as the hens and the cocks, is ])art of the 

 homestead. 



Besides these there are many 

 bii'ds li\'ing about our dwell- 

 ings which, though not 

 actually domestic under 

 all as|)ects, are ne\'erthe- 

 less tame. Swans and 

 ducks, turkeys and 

 geese, are rather nearer 

 to us than pigeons and 

 canai'ies, but they all 

 come under the head of 

 domestic animals. The 

 canary, especially the one that 

 puts a little gayety into the dull 

 home of the workingman, is a domes- 

 tic animal we should regret to be without ; also 

 those handsome, many-colored birds in our 

 a\'iaries which herald the dawn with their 

 warblings and disperse our waking cares. 



Thus domestic animals deserve attention. 

 We very often see pretty traits in their charac- 

 ter which, unfortunately, we do not remember 



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