228 
AMERICAN AGrRICULTURIS' 
[June, 
Aunt Sue’s Clints. 
Amelia.— Your friend need not necessarily have meant 
“a guard ring” ; there are “regard” rings, so-cailed, 
because the initials, or first letters, of the different 
stones ! as purposely arranged, spell “regard”—thus, 
Ruby, Emerald, Garnet, Amethyst, Ruby, and Diamond. 
Watertown.— They have “the right” to have the 
child christened “Nettie,” if they choose to exercise it. 
It is a matter of taste ; should prefer to have her named 
Antoinette, and use “Nettie,” as a pet name. Nanette 
“means” Little Ann; Beatrice, blessed; Theodosia, 
God’s gift; Kathleen, little darling; Helen, light; Ida, 
happy. Many other names have a pleasant meaning. 
J. W. W.—I can only give you such information,con¬ 
cerning “ the number of visitors to the Centennial,” as I 
glean from the papers, not being “posted” officially. 
The number of cash admissions from May 10th to Nov. 
10th, was 8,004,274; free admissions, 1,906.092; Total, 
9,910,966. Total cash receipts, $3,813,724; though why it 
should not have been $4,002,137, if the admission was 50 
cents, my arithmetic does not enable me to determine,— 
[Aunt Sue forgets that there were several 25c. days.— Ed.] 
Mabel S. W. wants to know what “ cutting up didoes ” 
is derived from. It has quite a classic derivation from 
Queen Dido herself. When she was about to found the 
city of Carthage, she bargained for as much land as could 
be contained within an ox-hide. The contract being 
concluded, the cunning Queen cut the hide into a string 
long enough to encircle ail the ground she wished to pro¬ 
cure for the site of the new city. Hence arose the phrase 
of “ cutting a Dido,” and its application to sharp practice 
and eccentric, unexpected proceedings. 
Mrs. M. A. B.—Bryant is “ the oldest,” being 80 ; 
Longfellow 70; Whittier 69 ; Holmes 68; and Lowell 58. 
In Amrtguo.—I have always heard (J. G. Holland’s 
poem of) Kathrina pronounced “Kat—reen—a” (or 
“Kat—reener” without rolling the final r); the h being 
silent, as in “ Thisbe ” ( Tisby ). 
Miss X. Y. Z.—Had you read my “ Chats ” in the April 
number when you wrote your letter? 
Thanks for letters, puzzles, etc., (received up to the 18th 
of April) to L. N. J., Emma R., William M., Kate M., 
Blackwell S., Florence M., William M., Jr., F. P. S., 
J. H. P„ E. A. Y., C. A. T„ Geo. E. L., Willie (Bailey), 
Maggie S., E. B. P., F. A. P., R. M. McD., Whe (J) 
atley(W-), J. R. J., M. A. R., Gertie D. W., Joe L., 
W. Carlo, Lollie, G. A. C„ Jesse M., J. W. B., and 
M. A. C.—If I have failed to notice any letter written to 
me before the date mentioned above, it is probably be¬ 
cause it was sent to 245 Broadway, N. Y., (where I don't 
live) instead of to Brooklyn (where I do reside). 
The Pet Bird. 
You will at once say that this is not a home picture— 
and you will be right. Why is it not a scene at home ?— 
You have no doubt noticed that the part of the house in 
the distance, the piggin or one-sided pail, and the big 
water-jar, are all such as belong to another Country, while 
the dress of the young Miss is quite unlike our present 
fashions. Having a bird for a pet, is much more common 
in Europe than with us, as they 
have many more song birds than 
we do, and the people take much 
more pains in raising and taming 
them. Indeed, there are parts 
of Europe where the people get 
a large part of their living by 
raising and training birds ; they 
are not pets to them, as they do 
not care for them, because they 
are fond of them, but for the 
money they will bring; they only 
raise the birds to be pets for 
others. You perhaps will wonder 
that the bird in the picture does 
not fly away. It is no doubt a 
Bull-finch, which becomes very 
tame, and so fond of the person 
who cares for and feeds it, that, 
though allowed its liberty, it will 
not go off to join its wild com¬ 
panions^ It does not seem wrong 
to keep a bird of this kind which 
stays a captive When it could go 
off if it wished. In some parts 
of Europe these birds are taught 
to whistle tunes; if taken early, 
it is not difficult to teach them 
one tune, which they will whistle 
very correctly, but it is difficult 
to teach them two airs, and have 
them keep them apart. A bird 
that will perform more than one 
air well, brings a very high price. 
The Bull-finches are also taught 
to raise a little bucket of water 
when they wish to' drink, and" to 
pull up a car of seeds when 
hungry. The Canaries, though 
they cannot 1 e taught like the 
Bnll-fincb, often show much at¬ 
tachment to their owner, and are 
very pretty pets, though some 
are much more intelligent than 
others. We were in a depot not 
long ago, where the man who 
kept the refreshment place had 
three Canaries ; these were al¬ 
lowed to fly about at. will for a 
part of the time each day ; they 
would go where there was all the 
noise and din of rushing steam, 
the screams of whistles, and 
among the crowds of passengers, 
without getting at all confused; 
they would come back whenever 
the owner whistled for them, as 
obediently as a well trained dog. 
Our pet birds, if we except the 
Mocking-bird, which is never 
much of a pet, generally come 
from other countries. Our birds 
in their wild state seem to have 
very knowing ways, and no doubt 
could be tamed and taught as 
well as others, but very few seem 
to have given attention to them. 
After all, we think it as well that 
our own birds should be left to 
the enjoyment of their liberty. 
We can, if we take pains, make 
them very good friends without 
confining them in a cage, as the correspondent shows who 
wrote so pleasantly last month about “ My Pet Birds.” 
If we keep the cats away from them, and do not allow any 
one to frighten them, there are many birds that will come 
to us of their own accord. If we would keep pet birds in 
the house, it seems more kind that they should be those 
lhat have been bred for many years in cages, and which, • 
never having known liberty, are perfectly contented to 
live away from the woods and fields, which our own 
birds, when caged, seem to pine for. No one should 
keep pet birds, or indeed pets of any other kind, who is 
forgetful and cannot attend to them regularly. A day of 
neglect may bring much suffering to the poor little cap- ■ 
five, who depends upon you for food and water. Recol¬ 
lect, that the keeping of a living pet of any kind, brings 
with it an obligation or promise to care for it regu¬ 
larly, as you place it where it can not help itself. 
