KIDD'S OWN JOURNAL. 



93 



months old. The male birds are very sociable, 

 and rarely quarrel ; several therefore can be kept 

 in a very small space, without inconvenience cither 

 to their owners or to themselves. The high prices 

 (from one to two guineas each) asked for these 

 birds, have been a great obstacle to their general 

 introduction. I have, therefore, this year, been 

 induced to rear 100 chickens; and I have deter- 

 mined to dispose of them at the moderate cost of 

 12s. per pair, exclusive of Is. for package. Any 

 persons wishing to possess themselves of these 

 birds, can do so by dropping me a line, addressed 

 to Stoke Climsland, Cornwall. I will then for- 

 ward them full particulars. — W. J. M. 



Curious Attachment between a Dog and a Kitten. 

 — Mr. Editor, — I send you the following account, 

 in the belief that ic will interest not a few of 

 your numerous readers. I have a female dog, 

 about two and a half years old (partly of the 

 Charles and Blenheim breed), now suckling a 

 kitten. The latter was about six weeks old when 

 I had it given me; but it was old enough to 

 swear and set up its little back at my dog, and 

 maintained a warfare for a day or two, when 

 peace was proclaimed. They then became good 

 friends, and they now stick closer than two bro- 

 thers. The dog seems to think the kitten is her 

 lawful offspring, for if she be absent any consider- 

 able time, she manifests all the anxiety that a 

 mother does under such circumstances. One 

 night the kitten was lost, and the dog fretted and 

 mourned sadly, nor would, she be comforted. 

 This is the more remarkable, as the dog never 

 had any puppies of her own. She was about 

 six or eight months old when I first had her. I 

 had almost forgot the most astonishing part of my 

 tale. The dog positively gives milk! I once had 

 a dog that suckled a kitten, but she had pre- 

 viously had pups: she turned the latter off, and 

 took to the kitten. If you think well to announce 

 this to your readers about Nottingham, I shall be 

 happy to show any who may wish to witness it, 

 this natural curiosity. — D. C. Gregory, 3, 

 Pleasant Row, Ison Green, near Nottingham. 



Ski/lark with a faint Voice. — I have a fine male 

 lark, Mr. Editor; a last year's bird. He is very 

 fond of singing to himself, sotto voce, but he does 

 not "come out" as a lark should do. How 

 shall I act ? Will he ever improve ? — S. W. D. 



[Feed your lark on Clifford's German 

 Paste, and chop a few sweet (blanched) almonds 

 in it. Twice a-week give him some slice 1 

 liquorice root in his water pan, and daily one 

 mealworm. The season is now so far advanced 

 that he will soon moult, but if he bo treated as 

 we hare recommended, he will no doubt, next 

 season, sing even louder than you wish him 

 to do.] 



BIRDS OF SONG. 



No. XXL— THE NIGHTINGALE. 



We have now arrived at our penul- 

 timate chapter. Let us therefore, once 

 more impress most forcibly on the minds of 

 our readers, before parting company with 



the nightingale, that these birds form the 

 strongest of all possible attachments — attach- 

 ments which, when once formed, know no 

 change ; unless indeed, they be cruelly 

 slighted, or thoughtlessly neglected. They 

 do not at all recognise the legal axiom — 

 " Qui facit per dlinm, facit per se." No 

 servant, therefore, no giddy child, must have 

 the care of them. If you have endeared 

 yourself to them by personal attention, you 

 must continue to minister to their wants and 

 their pleasures, and feed them with your own 

 hand. 



To a true lover of the feathered tribe, 

 these demands on their affectionate regard 

 will be anything but irksome : for, next to 

 loving, what can exceed the pleasure of being 

 loved ? unless, indeed, it be the Imoivledge 

 of that pleasing fact — a knowledge, by the 

 way, that we cannot on every particular 

 occasion directly arrive at, much being left 

 in rerum naturd, for hopeful, painful, plea- 

 surable, delightful conjecture. We have, in 

 our time, enjoyed much of this " poetry of 

 life," but it is a subject on which, of course, 

 nothing can be sung or said here. Love 

 never dies, never will die. 



Of all our songsters, the nightingale stands 

 pre-eminently alone for an affectionate heart ; 

 but like all other affectionate hearts, it must 

 not be trifled with, else will it break. We 

 have heard of well-authenticated cases, in 

 which nightingales have pined gradually 

 away from the very day they were handed 

 over to the care of a stranger ; refusing 

 their food, and turning melancholy. It has 

 been beautifully remarked, that " love is 

 strong as death." These sweet little inno- 

 cents are faithful expositors of the fact; and 

 here let us make a slight digression. 



We have been earnestly solicited of late, 

 to enter at large upon the subject of " tam- 

 ing" birds. We may do so perhaps, at 

 a future time. On the present occasion a 

 feAV sentences, judiciously expressed, will 

 suffice for the desired end. 



We have no direct means of divining the 

 " why and because " of certain predilections 

 and prejudices, observable in birds and other 

 animals. We daily see actions among them 

 for which we cannot in any way account. 

 Thus, for instance, if a dog enter a room 

 full of company, you shall presently observe 

 him make a careful tour of the apartment, 

 sniffing first at one, and then at another of 

 the assembled guests. Towards some, his 

 tail will be seen to wag with every symptom 

 of kindliness and good-will ; whilst towards 

 others, he will, with tail deflected, show un- 

 mistakeable signs of suspicion, perhaps of 

 disgust. Depend upon it, the animal's dis- 

 cernment is rarely at fault. We would 

 willingly be guided by such a Mentor. 



Just so is it with the feathered race. 



