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KIDD'S OWN JOURNAL. 



From the sward beneath, and the boughs above, 

 Come the scent of flowers and the sounds of love. 

 Then haste thee hither, and join thy voice 

 With a world's, which shouts, — "Rejoice! 

 Rejoice ! " 



BIRDS OF SONG. 



THE BLACKBIRD. 



{Continued from page 26.) 



We were a true prophet/whilst announcing 

 in our last, that a week or two would make 

 a remarkable difference in the voices of the 

 blackbird and the thrush. They have done so 

 — so remarkable a change as to be deserving 

 of comment. 



As we make a point of rising betimes — 

 bearing in mind the dictum " caned into us" 

 by the worthy pedagogue who took charge 

 of us in boyhood, 



" Diluculo surgere saluberrimum est — " 

 no one better than ourself could tell of the 

 birds' early movements. At 6 a.m., we spring 

 from our nest ; and by so doing, hear the very 

 first voice that is audible in the garden, and 

 in Ravenscourt Park. 



Since the very heavy rains — so plentiful 

 in quantity, the voices of the birds seem to 

 have recovered their original quality and tone. 

 "We now hear the blackbird at the first streak 

 of dawn, quite melodiously discoursing ; and 

 half an hour after him, the thrush " piping" 

 most merrily and joyously. The mornings 

 are lighter, the days longer. Hourly do we 

 perceive signs of renewed life in vegetation, 

 and symptoms of bustling activity among the 

 feathered tribes. 



We now get a morning, noon, and evening 

 visit from the little rogue in scarlet livery, 

 who has made our garden his home through 

 the early winter. Nor does he come unac- 

 companied. No ! He has changed his state. 

 A bachelor no longer, he seems aware of his 

 importance ; and his lady-love has been duty 

 presented to us at the window. A pretty 

 creature is she, — most truly so. " Sure such 

 a pair were never seen ! " 



The thrushes, too, are now " single" no 

 longer. Each has paid his vows ; and at the 

 shrine of affection he has resigned his heart. 

 The same protestations have been gone 

 through with the blackbirds ; and with the 

 s^me kindly results. " Dickey Dimnock" also, 

 with such an example before him, has gone 

 and done likewise ; and the wren, with his 

 tiny spouse, is not found wanting. Our's 

 now, is a " garden of delights." We look 

 daily for nests ; then for eggs ; then foryoung 

 " happyjamilies." They are all " at home" 

 with us. We love it to be so. 



The fair moon has been shining brightly ; 

 and though the season is yet chilly, we fail 

 not occasionally to take a bracing evening 



walk, to enjoy her light, which aids us in 

 many a reflection. February has not passed 

 over without leaving much to be pleasantly 

 remembered. 



Reverting to our friends— the birds,we con- 

 sider it right pleasing to listen to their 

 harmless, eloquent tales of love and affection, 

 — so unresistingly urged, so unconditionally 

 accepted ; nor can we help saying, after our 

 own fashion of plain-speaking, that we wish 

 things were as well " ordered" amongst our- 

 selves. It would be better for us, and for 

 society too. Full many a time have we 

 wished — positively wished, in our early days, 

 that we were a sky-lark ! A " happy life" 

 is his ! 



But now we must imagine — a distressing 

 thing for our imagination to dwell on, — 

 that our readers have a blackbird, and are going 

 to keep him. The first thing then to con- 

 sider, under such circumstances, is a proper 

 cage. 



Formerly, wicker cages were in great vogue ; 

 but they are horrible dwellings for a joyous 

 bird to inhabit ; and we are glad to observe 

 they are nearly obsolete. In their stead, we 

 have been largely the means of introducing 

 proper-sized wooden cages ; wide, deep, and 

 tall — thereby affording the tenant room to be 

 " comfortable." It is marvellous to think 

 that until the present moment — and even now 

 we are " fools" in the matter of bird-cages, 

 no attempt whatever has been put forth to 

 build a handsome, appropriate, or becoming 

 cage for animals, in whom some people's 

 very existence has been bound up I 



We repeat, we never have seen, — never do 

 see, any cage that is at all adapted either for 

 the well-being of the prisoner or for the orna- 

 ment of a drawing-room. Hence, in many 

 cases, the confiding of a u pet" canary to the 

 tender mercies of a servant-maid ; and conse- 

 quently, to the somewhat less tender mercies 

 of a pampered cat. All this is in bad taste ; 

 and w r e hope in our life-time to see it altered. 

 Surely we have amongst us men sufficiently 

 clever to make a bird-cage "to order !" And 

 is our taste so utterly depraved, that we can 

 originate no improvement ? Surely not, let 

 us hope. 



The fittings-up of your cage must be well 

 looked to. One side must be entirely boarded ; 

 and the other half boarded, from the bottom 

 upwards. This will prevent draughts sweep- 

 ing through the cage. The top must also 

 be of wood, shelving down on either side. The 

 receptacles for food and water must be out- 

 side, always. They should be of white delph, 

 —deep, and fitted into wooden boxes. By 

 this means, the food will be kept from being 

 scattered, and the trough of the cage from 

 being wetted. These are two grand consi- 

 derations. 



There should be three perches in every 



