35 



afforded will begin to bear fruit. At this stage they are placed in 

 separate cages which are kept almost in total darkness. They soon 

 learn to find their food and. water, and also acquire the very important 

 habit of sitting still, except when occupied in eating or drinking. 

 Kept thus, they practise diligently, and produce their song in a 

 steady well-regulated manner, whereas the full light of day would 

 tempt them to unduly raise their voices to a degree which would not 

 for a moment be tolerated. 



The more advanced birds will now have mastered many excellent 

 song tours, and daily improvements will be perceptible. Also, alas, 

 imperfections will be discoverable from time to time, for, although 

 the young birds may have been most carefully protected from 

 hearing bad or indifferent notes, their inventive power will 

 •occasionally assert itself, and undesirable, or even intolerable, notes 

 will crop up vexatiously among the choicest rolls and trills, and, to 

 prevent the whole team from acquiring such defects, the offenders 

 must be removed from the learners' room immediately after their bad 

 behaviour renders them dangerous, i.e., when the objectionable noise 

 threatens to become established. When it is understood that this 

 weeding-out goes on for weeks, it will not be wondered at that the 

 number of promising students gets smaller by degrees, if not 

 beautifully less, so that out of, say, one hundred birds started with, 

 only ten may ultimately come out sufficiently perfect to take their 

 part in the competition of the ensuing show season. 



The constant aim of the trainer is to turn out one or more little 

 musicians able to sing so softly that not one note shall become an 

 assailant of the most sensitive ear. From twenty to twenty-five 

 good song tours produced distinctly, but in so sufficiently subdued a 

 voice as not to offend even a woman's hearing, is the great desideratum 

 sought for, but very rarely found. There are such birds, but when 

 such accomplished musicians are occasionally the reward of a 

 season's attention, they are rarely parted' with by the owners. Far 

 more numerous are those that sing softly, but fail in beauty of notes 

 or in number of changes. In another category are those birds that 

 begin well and end badly. These are readily bought by shopkeepers 

 and certain dealers for so long as they do not sing " all they know," 

 whilst the intending purchaser is listening, they fetch good prices, 

 to the ultimate disappointment of their new owners. 



