388 



RECREATION. 



tures, sent to cheer our earthly life. How 

 is it possible that any woman can be so 

 cruel as to wear the plumage of one of these 

 beautiful creatures for personal adorn- 

 ment? How can any woman enter a 

 church and pray God to forgive her sins 

 while still wearing the wings or plumes of 

 a bird that has been murdered to decorate 

 her hat? 



EFFECT OF SOLITUDE ON BIRDS. 



A friend claims that if a pair of pet birds, 

 such as canaries, etc., are placed together 

 in a cage and left almost entirely to them- 

 selves they will in time grow lonesome, 

 mope, become sick and die. 



He contends that noise or association 

 with others of their kind is absolutely es- 

 sential to the welfare of birds. Also, that 

 this rule applies to all animals, whether in 

 a state of nature or domesticated. 



Having cited no authorities for his stand 

 and having had no practical experience, I 

 venture to doubt the correctness of the 

 statements. 



Kindly let me know whether these con- 

 tentions are correct, and what authorities, 

 if any, support or negative them. 



George M. Zotty, New York City. 



ANSWER. 



So far as I am aware no person has ever 

 made experiments such as would be neces- 

 sary to afford an authoritative answer to 

 the question under discussion. It is quite 

 possible there are some species of birds 

 which would not thrive nor be happy if 

 kept entirely isolated, even in pairs. Of 

 course, the sad results of solitary confine- 

 ment are well known, and its effects, while 

 not so pronounced in the lower animals as 

 in man, are yet strongly marked by melan- 

 cholia, or what is sometimes called nostal- 

 gia, and general loss of health. The higher 

 animals become almost as wretched in 

 solitary confinement as man himself, al- 

 though they do not so easily give way to 

 insanity under such conditions. 



In regard to birds, at least one author, 

 Miss Buist, asserts that certain caged birds 

 prefer solitude to society. On the other 

 hand, it is undoubtedly true that many 

 species are happiest in the company of man. 

 At this moment I can not think of any 

 species of birds which seem to me unlikely 

 to thrive if kept in pairs in good surround- 

 ings entirely away from man. In other 

 words, it is my opinion the contention 

 that the presence of man is actually essen- 

 tial to the health and life of any bird in cap- 

 tivity, when the conditions of its captivity 

 are otherwise satisfactory, is erroneous. For 

 example, of all caged birds the canary is 

 most dependent on man's companionship, 

 yet I am perfectly certain that if a pair of 

 newly fledged canaries were placed in a 

 comfortable room and properly fed and 



cared for they would not miss man's so- 

 ciety in the least, nor be in any way af- 

 fected 'by it. This, however, is only an in- 

 dividual opinion, and experiment might 

 prove it erroneous. If the other party to 

 the argument has any facts bearing on this 

 subject, it would be interesting to have 

 them published, with a full statement of 

 the conditions. W. T. H. 



HOW REFORM GROWS. 



C. C. PARSONS. 



As fair she was as flowers that summer 

 brings, 

 With tender heart, soft smiles, and all 

 of that; 

 Yet o'er her head a dead bird spread its 

 wings 

 Among the ribbons of her Easter hat. 



"It needs just this to give it character," 

 The "artist" said, combining hat and 

 dove; 

 Alas for art! It took just that from her, 

 With those of us who right and justice 

 love. 



"Yes, slay the birds, rob every woodland 

 glade," 

 One said, made bitter by the poor bird's 

 doom; 

 "Oh, you don't understand. These birds 

 are made!" 

 The answer came, "Yes, made, but made 

 by whom?" 



"Dear me," she said, "how upright grow 

 their ways!" 

 Then asked of him how he liked her new 

 hat; 

 And he, whose part had ever been to 

 praise, 

 Said, "Poor dead bird, I like it all but 

 that." 



She bought the hat to make a grand dis- 

 play, 

 To sate her pride and catch the jealous 

 eye; 

 But ere a month its days had rolled away 

 She laid the gaudy thing, disgusted, by. 



"They common grow, I doubt if they're 

 good style" — 

 How comes it that such swift reform is 

 born? 

 Upon a Dago woman's headgear pile 

 She saw a dove like hers, that Easter 

 morn. 



"Harold," said the dear girl, "am I the 

 only girl " 



Harold groaned involuntarily. 



— "am I the only girl you ever told she 

 was the only girl you ever told she was the 

 only girl you loved ?"— Indianapolis Press. 



