6 
CAGE-BIKDS. 
and forced into a cage, they often pine and die; but nestlings—those taken 
from the nest at a very early age, or which, as Cowper defines them, are 
“ Strangers to liberty, ’tis true ; 
But that delight they never knew, 
And therefore never missed—•” 
may be made very happy by kind treatment and assiduous care, which the 
young bird-fancier is bound to afford them; and which not to afford is very 
wicked, for it is our bounden duty to be 
“ Kind to all that God has made.” 
Cage-birds are either kept for their song, their powers of mimicry, or their 
beauty of plumage. The song-birds, with the exception of the mocking¬ 
bird, brown thrush, bobolink, and oriole, are mostly natives of other 
lands, whose ancestors, or themselves, have been imported into this country. 
As, however, there are many of our native birds who thrive well in cap¬ 
tivity, we will give some of the modes of capturing wild birds, which is done 
either by traps, limed twigs, springles, nets, or dead birds. 
TRAPS. 
The common brick trap is well known to most youngsters. It consists of 
four bricks placed as in the drawing, two lengthways, upon their edges or 
narrow sides, one in front, and the fourth between the two side bricks; 
this is so placed that it will fall and lie easily upon the front brick. Within 
the trap a stout peg is driven into the ground, upon which a forked twig is 
placed horizontally; above this a stick is placed, one end being on the twig 
CATCHING BIRDS. 
TRAPS. 
and the other end supporting the brick in a slanting position. The end of 
the twig that rests on the peg is cut flat, to give it a better hold. The bait 
is strewn upon the ground on the inside of the trap. When the bird flies to 
the trap he generally perches for a moment on the forked twig; this his weight 
causes to give way, and the sustained brick, falling upon the outer or front 
brick, encloses and secures the bird. Caution should be used in placing the 
upper brick, so that it does not fall between the two side bricks unsupported 
