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KIDD'S OWN JOURNAL. 



the offender is that has been thus spiteful ; 

 and if you find any recurrence of the outrage, 

 remove him at once. There must be no in- 

 subordination allowed. When bringing in 

 the daily supplies of fresh food, &c, you 

 will be much amused by closely watching 

 the movemento of the expectant guests. 

 They will cling to the wires and feed freely 

 from your hand. 



If ever you purchase any good song- birds, 

 whose plumage may be defective, simply 

 press hard upon the stumps of their taUs, and 

 draw out the whole of the tail feathers — one 

 by one. In less than a fortnight after they 

 have luxuriated in the aviary, a new tail will 

 be discernible in prospective ; and in a short 

 month their entire plumage will be beautiful. 

 This affords abundant proof of the benefits 

 derivable from air, exercise, and amusement. 



Our next chapter will include a complete 

 world of operations connected with an aviary ; 

 and if we may offer an opinion, it will be 

 one of universal interest to all who love to 

 keep their birds well and " happy.'' 



Half the birds that are pent up in cages 

 lead a life of unceasing misery. Their 

 owners talk loudly about M loving" them ; 

 and they " prove" their love by letting their 

 pets exist in dirt and filth. One glance at 

 the interior of a bird-cage tells its own tale ! 



BIRDS OF SONG. 



THE THRUSH. 



{Continued from Page 154.) 



We come now to discuss the merits 

 of the thrush — one of our very earliest birds 

 of Spring. 



The thrush is a bold, saucy rogue — one 

 who will not be daunted or put down by anv 

 one. He fears no enemy, — not he ! And 

 determined if possible to have no enemies, he 

 sings to all alike. We observe that he pays 

 due deference to the blackbird, with whose 

 " matins" he rarely interferes ; but no sooner 

 are the devotions of the latter over, than the 

 welkin rings out with the most ravishing 

 strains of joy. 



No suppressed notes have we here. Our 

 hero's heart is full to the brim ; and we must 

 hear what he has to say, both to his mate 

 and to us. So rapid, too, is his utterance, so 

 long his " little story" of love and happiness, 

 that " variety" appears in every second note 

 he utters. 



The one great business of the thrush's 

 life appears to be devotion to his ladye-love, 

 affection to his numerous offspring, gratitude 

 to his Maker, and fondness for the society of 

 man. He is rarely silent throughout the 

 day ; and at the close of evening, he whistles 

 so long as a streak of light is visible. His 



" vespers," on our return home, rejoice our 

 heart. The park resounds far and near with 

 his outpourings of joyous melody. 



We are now singing, be it known, of the 

 musical thrush, Turdus Musicus — not the 

 missel thrush. The latter is a much larger 

 bird than the former, and does not sing nearly 

 so well, nor so much. A handsome bird he is, 

 truly, and an ornament to a garden lawn ; but, 

 as a cage-bird, or a vernal chorister, he must 

 not rank high. The musical thrush is the 

 more taper and elegantly-formed bird of the 

 two. When he stands erect, he is a most 

 loveable object. His fine intelligent eye 

 speaks eloquently for him ; nor need he fear 

 exhibiting his 'cerebral development. His 

 head is a noble study, having only one organ 

 in it — the organ of " music." How he " dis- 

 courses" this, all of us who live in the country 

 know to our infinite delight. 



The time for " pairing" depends much on 

 the weather. When the early part of the 

 year is mild, and the sun visible at intervals, 

 early pairing and early incubation are the 

 consequence. Nests are already formed ; and 

 marriages, of course, have long since been 

 contracted. Hence the song of the birds is 

 " sweet." We may remark here, that never 

 do birds sing more sweetly than when first 

 united. All their best endeavors to please 

 their spouses, and render their lives "happy," 

 are then exercised to the full. Nor do these 

 good offices cease and determine until the 

 compact can be lawfully rescinded with the 

 termination of the season. Such is " birds, 

 law. ' Being moralists in our way, we do 

 wish these remarks of ours to extend below 

 the surface ; for, as we have often said, we 

 may learn a profitable lesson every day, even 

 by a consideration of dumb animals. They 

 shame us in almost every branch of their 

 domestic economy. 



The nest of a thrush, like that of a black- 

 bird, is not closely concealed ; consequently 

 the school-boy and the villainous bird-catcher 

 make sad havoc with their eggs and offspring. 

 How often have we heard the parents bemoan- 

 ing the loss of their infant progeny, in tones 

 which would have melted any heart, save only 

 those above-mentioned, which are notoriously 

 made of iron, and therefore impenetrable. 

 There is, however, much sound sense in these 

 noble birds. They grieve, truly grieve for 

 their loss, but they " sorrow not as those 

 without hope." Making the best of matters, 

 again do they go through the heavy duties 

 of nidification, incubation, and hatching; and 

 a second brood sometimes escapes the mur- 

 derous scrutiny of the robbers' eye. On such 

 occasions, how joyous must be the feelings of 

 the "happy pair!" How excessive their 

 fondness for each other, and for their children ! 

 And with what delight must they bring them 

 out to see the world, and teach them to 



