PREFACE. 
T HERE are but few amongst ns, it may be asserted, wbo are 
indifferent to tbe pleasure of “keeping” birds. Almost every 
one bas, in bis borne or homestead, some feathered favourite, 
which tends to his enjoyment and demands his care. The 
love of possession and dominion is, doubtless, at the bottom of 
the attention and wealth lavished on these little creatures. 
For it is not enough that we hear the lark, “the messenger 
of mom,” carolling at “ Heaven’s gate ;” the thankful night- 
ingale chanting its evening hymn ; it is not enough that we 
see the crimson-breasted, flame-crested pipers and warblers 
darting and flashing in the sunlight. We want more than 
this, we must possess them — have dominion and control over 
them, and call them ours. How beautifully my blackbird 
sings ! how elegantly my pigeons gambol about and sail 
through the air ! what a lot of eggs my hens lay ! — this is 
what we aspire to say, being content only with absolute owner- 
ship. Tastes naturally differ as to the hind of bird which is 
best. There is a wide field for selection. Blackbirds, Thrushes, 
Finches, Canaries ; Parrots, Macaws, Lories, and many others, 
each with its pretty peculiarity, — all with ample claim to be 
“ petted.” 
In keeping Pets, however, of whatever kind, one great truth 
should always be borne in mind : while we, by virtue of our 
great privilege, have dominion over the birds of the air, the 
beasts of the field, and the fish of the sea, it is our duty 
to use our authority so gently that persuasion may supplant 
force, and our demands be shaped in form of favours 
craved. We should never forget that, with the custody 
of the docile little creatures, we also take the responsibility 
of their comfortable existence ; and that if we evade 
that responsibility we commit a crime. Let us ever bear 
in mind that their wants began with their captivity or 
exile ; and continue only because they cannot, in their arti- 
