THE EQUIPMENT OF THE AVIARY 



Bird songs are never inharmonious. Sometimes there is 

 a plaintive minor strain, for the feathered folk seem to have 

 their trials in life like the humans. However, in all the years 

 I've been listening, I never yet have heard the meadow-lark 

 or the thrush "get off the key" or "out of tune." It is an 

 inspiration to see the lark prepare himself to fill the air with 

 melody. As I am crossing the mesa in the early morning I 

 often see one come up out of the soft green grass near my 

 path. He tips his head and "sizes me up," his bright dark 

 eye twinkles and he seems to say: "I think a tune would 

 cheer her up and give her something to think about." He 

 walks back and forth a moment, just a little nervous, like 

 the professional tenor, until he has chosen from his great 

 repertoire; then, as if to attract my attention, he flutters up 

 and down, and up and down, into the air, until his plump 

 little body is full of the ecstasy of motion, and soaring about 

 my head for a moment, he cries out: "Sweet, sweet, 

 sweet!" and then, as I answer, "Yes, I know it is sweet — 

 sing for me, sweet," his throat swells and trembles, and then 

 comes the flood of melody, hymning, and praising, and love 

 notes and joy, — just joy — joy — joy, — of living in this 

 "Land of Heart's Desire." 



Many people, however, are not content to know just 

 "the natives" when it comes to bird folk, and so while I 

 have been looking the country over for beautiful gardens, 

 I have kept half an eye out for the home-builders who love 

 birds, and some delightfully quaint ideas and achievements 

 in aviary building, and success in stocking the same, have I 



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