Bird Notes from Far and Near. 
85 
into a perfect torrent of melody." . . . This occurred often 
during the traveller's visits, hut when these ceased the hird 
becan-^e silent again and in a few months died. 
The Redbird or Cardinal is remarkably handsome, l)ut of a 
very jealous disposition. . . Two pairs cannot be kept in the 
same enclosure. . . The male is a fine songster, he is a Caruso. 
. . They build fine nests, lay eggs and hatch their young, but 
never raise them. 
" One can leai ii imich fi oiii the study of birds. Tliey teach us virtue, 
generosity, kindness, gratitude — all those things that go to make living 
worth while. Many would glance at those birds, perhaps see nothing in 
them and pass on ; other.s would be attracted by their phitiiage, by their 
song, by the beautiful whole of the great cage, with its topical setting fitted 
with life and song ; but tlie student, he who sits and watches and studies 
can learn nnicli." 
The birds do not, except on rare occasions, hybridi.se. 
Each stays by his or her mate, each bearing their share of the 
burden and responsibility of the family. . . They are generous 
to the stranger that alights on the wire. . . Surely it shows 
kindness to feed a uestful of half starved babies they never 
.saw before, and I have seen that done ; four young Linnets, 
half grown, some cruel boys had taken from their nest and left 
Oil the side walk to die, not knowing what to do with them I 
put them in the aviary and wanted to see what would happen. 
. . The young birds called and down came a Linnet and 
examined them and flew to the food tray, ate greedily, and then 
fed those j-oung birds till they were satisfied. . . They were 
reared to maturity. . . Could there be greater kindness than this ? 
" With over 600 birds to feed, the question of proper food is no small 
one. We mix in large bins, built for the purpose, our own seeds, buying 
direct from the importers and accepting only clean, bright seed. We use 
mostly canary and millet, with a little hemp in winter (which is very 
fattening), some sunflower seed, wheat and cracked corn. We have little 
rustic tables on which twice a day the seed is placed, and each bird takes 
what best suits his fancy. We always have cuttlebone and crushed shell 
scattered about, and once a week a little plate of raw ground beef is put on 
each side ; those that need the meat eat it, others leave it alone." 
■' Our family, large as it is, is a happy one ; iheie is little or no 
quarrelling, for there is plenty of food and room for all,— only at eventide 
. . . they scold a little . . . one unmindful of the rights of others, has 
chosen the limb or corner that belongs to someone else, and for a few 
