2 



British Cage Birds. 



they chase each other, and utter angry cries and notes of 

 warning and remonstrance ; and how battles are fought, and 

 the sides of each bird taken by friends, who appear to 

 abet and succour them if undue advantage is taken by the 

 foe. All these things are known to the watchful and observant 

 ornithologist. 



Again, it is well known that when a bird of domesticated 

 habits descries a bird of prey, it utters a note of warning, 

 which is understood by every species of bird in the neigh- 

 bourhood; and whenever a small bird is attacked, and it 

 utters its cry of impending danger or terror, there is a 

 sudden rush of all the birds within hearing, of every kind 

 and species — not being birds of prey — to its assistance. Indeed, 

 cases have been known where a hawk has been completely 

 beaten off its prey by this combined attack, and so thoroughly 

 baffled, that it has had to make a rapid and ignominious retreat. 

 A large number of ornithologists are of opinion that birds 

 are governed by a code of laws and regulations, perfectly 

 understood and acted upon by them, and that when any bird 

 has the temerity to seriously transgress these laws, it is brought 

 to account and punished according to its deserts. 



Songs of Cage Birds. — The songs of cage birds are con- 

 sidered, by the majority of people, to be their chief attraction. 

 The natural songs of some of them, such as the Woodlark, 

 Nightingale, Skylark, and Blackcap, are so rich, various, and 

 melodious, that it would be a most difficult, if not an impos- 

 sible, task to improve them ; but there are other birds, such as 

 the Bullfinch, Greenfinch, Chaffinch, Siskin, and Canary, whose 

 songs can be greatly improved by artificial aid ; and others, 

 again, such as the Fauvettes and Shrike family, which imitate 

 very skilfullj'- the songs of any birds who may indulge in 

 sweet rustic lays in the neighbourhood of their -homes. Thus 

 it will be seen that there are two classes of song birds — those 

 that sing their natural " wood notes wild," and those that 

 acquire a song artificially taught them. The Finch tribe are 

 most prone to imitate the songs of other birds. Linnets may 

 be taught to imitate the song of the Skylark or Woodlark, 

 Goldfinches and Siskins that of the Canary, and so on ; but, in 

 order to achieve success, the birds that are intended to be in- 

 structed in this way must be removed from their parents at 

 an early age, and reared by hand, otherwise they are sure to 



