THE EDUCATION OR TRAINING OP YOUNG BIRDS. 99 



another, will, mostly, sing exactly alike ; and the song of 

 young birds of the same stock and of the same brood, has, 

 as a rule, the same stamp, being subject, however, to many 

 variations in the case of individual songsters. Very few 

 young surpass their teachers, only about one-half of them 

 will usually attain to nearly the same proficiency as is 

 possessed by the " models ; " the others are not worth notice. 

 They either depart from the " rolling," or they do not 

 achieve the desired duration and roundness of the melodies. 

 As soon as the cockerels begin to " study," they are trans- 

 ferred to a "tutor "and lodged separately in small cages 

 about half as large again as the " Hartz-cages " (rarely twice 

 as large) — 6 inches broad, 7 inches high, and 9 to 10 

 inches long, called singing-boxes. In these cages the 

 songster then stands, usually in a wire cage which just fits 

 in. The so-called "singing-cupboard" is arranged in a 

 similar manner. It has nine to fifteen compartments for 

 the reception of the wire cages containing the songsters. 

 Each compartment of the cupboard, as well as each separate 

 singing-box, may be darkened by means of a gauze curtain, 

 or a door of ground glass, or by a wooden door, as the 

 breeder or caretaker sees fit. Mr. H. Lubeck has proposed 

 the construction of an acoustic singing-box, which con- 

 sists of a thin, curved lath of pine wood, 28 inches long 

 and 6 inches broad, both ends of which are nailed to a 

 board about 14 inches long and 6 inches broad, closed at 

 the back also by a crescent-shaped board, provided with a 

 wire railing in front, and in all other respects appointed 

 like an ordinary cage ; it is said that, heard from such a 

 box, the song has a very powerful and pleasing effect. The 

 teacher should be an old male belonging to the same 

 breed, and should be an excellent singer, otherwise the 

 young will learn nothing, but rather corrupt the old 

 bird. On the other hand, one may set several old birds 



