Introductory . 
117 
change its quarters in the morning ; for in this 
way you are less likely to forget to do it, or if you 
do, most likely you soon will miss your pet from its 
usual place. 
We had better begin, however, by thinking of 
how to obtain our 'birds. When people first start 
a new interest, they are sometimes apt to think 
that they cannot have too much of it, and thus 
they begin on too large a scale, and then find it 
very vexing to part with birds, of whom they 
have grown fond, because they find it really impos- 
sible to keep all. I have tried having quantities ! 
Once I had several dozen, and it took at least one 
person’s time all day to attend to them, and in all 
the number I did not half know any so well as I 
might have done had they been much fewer. If 
I were you, therefore, I would begin with only 
one or two birds, or at the most with a pair and 
one other ; a single Goldfinch or Bullfinch or Tom- 
tit is immense amusement when you can let it hop 
about in the room, and if you have a pair of Gold- 
finches or Canaries you may feel quite sure of their 
being very happy in each other’s company. 
It is very funny to see the queer tempers birds 
display. I had, some time ago, a Mr. and Mrs. 
Bullfinch, and nothing would induce them to live 
