KIDD'S OWN JOURNAL. 



153 



longer ; and our thoughts become more so- 

 cially enlarged one towards the other. We 

 have often thought, — what would this lower 

 world of ours be, if deprived of the cheerful 

 light and genial warmth of the mighty Sol ! 

 11 Clouds and sunshine" wisely alternate 

 amongst us, and give variety to the passing 

 scenes of life. 



The gigantic strength of mother earth is 

 now becoming daily visible. Samson-like, 

 she may be held spell-bound for a season, but 

 her latent energies cannot be long kept 

 down. 



Long since, we saw the Snowdrop's head appear, 



The first pale blossom of th' unripened year ; 



As Flora's breath, by some transforming power, 



Had changed an icicle into a flower ! 



Its name and hue the scentless plant retains, 



Though winter lingers in its icy veins. 



The Alder trees, too, have been putting 

 forth their buds energetically, and the pro- 

 gress of vegetation has universally com- 

 menced in right earnest. Be it ours, to 

 watch its progress from day to day ! But 

 our duty now lies with the imprisoned vic- 

 tims in a cage ; who, just now, are being 

 cruelly tortured. 



We can scarcely pass through any of the 

 streets of London at this season, without ob- 

 serving a blackbird in an open cage, sus- 

 pended in some bleak situation out of doors. 

 This is done with a view to " harden" him. 

 Harden him indeed ! On the principle, we sup- 

 pose, of those hard-hearted women who send 

 their children out on a frosty day, with their 

 legs bare — to make them"healthy." Bah ! We 

 might just as reasonably turn one of our dear 

 innocent boys out, without an overcoat, and 

 let him sit the entire day on the top of a pole, 

 in a public street. The " air" would do him 

 good, — at this season. 



It were vain for us to wield our pen on 

 such a subject. Song-birds are " doomed" 

 to be martyrs to this adherence to an old 

 custom. Hence the wiriness of their voice, 

 the unsightliness of their persons, and the 

 " unknown tongue" in which, for the most 

 part, we are saluted as we pass under, or 

 within sight of their cages. The force of our 

 remark, and its naked truth, can be abun- 

 cantly verified by any one passing from Par- 

 liament street over Westminster Bridge. At 

 the extreme corner of the last avenue, leading 

 to the bridge, these we see exposed during all 

 seasons, with no sides to their cages to stem 

 the draughts — sky -larks, robins, &c, &c, in 

 every variety. They tremble in the wind ! 



" Unhappy creatures ; worthy of a better 

 fate !" have we often mentally ejaculated, as 

 we passed through this public thoroughfare. 

 These birds have been " tine" birds — well 

 chosen in the first instance ; but our ear has 

 never failed to detect their degeneracy in 

 song, from time to time. Husky, wiry, in- 



harmonious, shrill, and " painful " have been 

 their musical efforts ; nor would we care to 

 call any one of them — our's. Neglect such 

 as this, may proceed from ignorance ; but in 

 the present case, ignorance cannot be called 

 "bliss ;" so far, at least, as the poor birds are 

 concerned. Let us, therefore, take it upon 

 us to make their master " wise." In setting 

 him right, we preach a practical lesson to all 



OTHERS. 



The proper food of a blackbird is — German 

 paste, stale bun, and hard-boiled egg. They will 

 thrive well on this, as general food. A mor- 

 sel of cheese, bread and butter, a snail, an ear- 

 wig, or a spider, varied with a few meal worms 

 — will keep them hearty for very many years. 

 Always bear in mind that your birds should 

 be rendered tame and familiar, if possible. 

 Attend to them yourself, and let them see 

 that you are interested in their welfare. 

 Careful observers are they of all personal at- 

 tention, and never slow to reciprocate the 

 feeling. We hold it as a doctrine, sound 

 to the letter, that we can tame anything; 

 aye, anybody ! Why not ? The " law of 

 kindness" was never yet known to fail — in 

 our memory, in any one instance where the 

 heart was thrown into the endeavor to please. 

 We must all fall before it. 



The reason why many blackbirds fall sick, 

 and become subject to " cramp," is — the care- 

 lessness shown with regard to cleanliness. 

 Their sand is allowed to remain unchanged — 

 perhaps a week. It is naturally damp from 

 causes sufficiently obvious ; but when we 

 consider that these birds are fond of washing 

 and splashing, and that this operation satu- 

 rates their sand with water, how needful does 

 it become for us to give them dry gravelly 

 sand, every morning I We always try to 

 reason with people who love birds — or 

 say they do, by placing them in loco parentis 

 towards them. We say— " If your bird was 

 your child, how would you treat it ? Would 

 you neglect it — pass by without noticing it 

 — or cease to think of it on every constant 

 opportunity ? Would you not rather study 

 its happiness, by the anticipation of what 

 you know it is fond of, and ' win' its affec- 

 tions by every act of kindness and endear- 

 ment ?" Surely you would. Well, then, 

 the cases are parallel ; for, we repeat, kind- 

 ness and assiduous attention will win over 

 anything and everything. We shall " die 

 happy" in this firm faith ; and leave pos- 

 terity to find out what now they are so slow 

 to believe. 



We have said that bat-folded birds are the 

 best. They are so ; because their " wild" note 

 will never change. Young birds are very 

 imitative ; and if kept within the hearing of 

 parrots, and other such hideous monstrosities, 

 the sooner their necks are wrung, or their 

 liberty given them, the better. We once had 



