KIDD'S OWN JOUKNAL. 



27 



" showy " as well as sprightly, and are scarcely 

 ever " mopish " in an aviary. Thus do they, 

 by their activity and playfulness, keep the 

 inmates in a constant state of jollity. 



As many persons will have particular taste9 

 of their own to gratify, and prefer some birds 

 before others, our hints as to numbers and 

 selections, are, of course, merely suggestive — 

 not arbitrary. 



It would be advisable to have not fewer than 

 four aberdevines, four chaffinches, four twites, 

 and four yellow-hammers. One thrush will 

 be sufficient, and he must be put in when a 

 young nestling. After the first or second 

 year, these birds get spiteful ; and they then 

 commit awful havoc among the small fry, 

 despatching them with a coup de bouche ; 

 still, however, they sing so well, and pipe so 

 melodiously, that one is worth the venture. 



We would not recommend more than one 

 or two choice specimens of the black-cap, 

 and two or three cole-tits, blue-tits, and 

 marsh-tits ; two garden-warblers, three hedge- 

 sparrows, one nightingale, three redstarts, 

 three reed - sparrows, two stonechats, two 

 whinchats, two titlarks, two woodlarks, two 

 larger and two lesser white-throats, and one 

 pah* of wagtails, grey or yellow. 



With the single exception of the last-named 

 pair of wagtails, we recommend no hen birds 

 whatever being introduced. With animals, 

 as with the human race, a strict sense of pro- 

 priety and moral rectitude must be observed ; 

 all conventional forms must be respected ; and 

 a Codex morum established, from which there 

 can be " no appeal." 



Dame Nature has been singularly cruel, 

 arbitrary, and over-exact, in her organisation 

 of the female character ; but perhaps she has 

 some good latent reason for it, into which it 

 is not lawful for us mortals to pry. All we 

 can say about it is — we cannot see it. It cer- 

 tainly does seem deplorably " odd," that when 

 some two, three, or more of the gentle sex 

 are met together, they can never be long in 

 each others' company without there being a 

 " row." A — hem ! Just so was it with our 

 colony. We thoughtlessly left the ladies and 

 gentlemen together, and a " row " was the 

 consequence ; nay more, the results were 

 ^ awful." There were, day after day, flirta- 

 tions, assignations, and elopements, of course ; 

 followed (also of course) by alienations of 

 affection, heart-rendings, jealousies, duels, 

 assassinations, bloodshed, murder. Good fun 

 was it, however, if we may be allowed to jest 

 on so " serious " a subject, to observe with 

 what perfect abandon some of the " miserable 

 offenders " would give themselves up to the 

 honied voices and insinuating eloquence of 

 their spruce betrayers. Oh, how sinfully 

 " wicked " they did look at their less-favored 

 and disappointed rivals ! It was better than any 

 play. 



Being a man of rigidly -moral principles, 

 we were not long in perceiving our error ; 

 and, when perceived, in rectifying it. Every 

 " lady " bird — causa teterrima belli — was with- 

 drawn ; lovers' vows were frustrated ;* and 

 the gentlemen-vocalists left alone in their 

 glory. 



Of the soft-billed birds last particularised 

 we must observe, that a close eye should be 

 kept on the blue-tits and the hedge-sparrows. 

 The former are habitually spiteful, if they 

 cannot get an abundant supply of their most 

 favorite food. Under such circumstances 

 they will, sometimes, like our friend the ox- 

 eye, take a too close survey of their neighbor's 

 head, break it open sans ceremonie, and 

 swallow its contents ! 



The hedge-sparrow, although an object of 

 just suspicion, is not uniformly quarrelsome. 

 If, therefore, you observe in them no dispo- 

 sition to fight, you may give them the entree. 

 They are a sprightly bird, of a good pre- 

 sence, and have a rich mellow song. 



The water-wagtail is another ferocious 

 bird — first cousin in disposition to a robin. 

 Two, therefore, of the male sex can never 

 agree under any circumstances. If asso- 

 ciated, one would speedily become disposed 

 of. Try only one pair. They are beautiful 

 showy birds, and will run round the margin 

 of the fountain with untiring activity. Being 

 in their movements like the titlark, the con- 

 stant vibration of their tails, and the bend of 

 their graceful forms, become objects for 

 unceasing admiration. They will nearly 

 always be in, or on the fountain — water being 

 their delight. 



The nightingale being a bird of truly sin- 

 gular habits, we have suggested the propriety 

 of admitting one only. If there were more, 

 the chances are that none of them would 

 sing. This bird never allows himself to be 

 surpassed or outdone in song. If therefore 

 his fellow sing louder than he, and more joy- 

 ously, from that moment he would become 

 dumb, mopish, and sulky. Alone, he will 

 perhaps " awaken the groves " with his voice. 

 The other " warblers " we need not here com- 

 ment upon. We shall have " lots " to say of 

 them at a proper season. 



By the way, it may not be irrelevant to 

 call attention at this time to the " blue-tit," 

 already noticed. He is a most diverting 

 little creature. Our readers will find, as we 

 did, that whenever the thrush picks out any 

 choice morsel of food from the pan on the 

 floor, and flies upwards with it, Master Tom 

 will cling closely round the thrush's neck, 

 allow himself to soar upwards with him in 

 flight, and finally force, by " high pressure " 

 from his mouth, the said choice morsel of 



* "The course of true love never did run 

 smooth." — Old Proverb. 



