THE CAGE BIRD AND THE BIRD-FANCIER. 
461 
avoids any sudden movement; in short, softness and 
gentleness win the day. After a time, the prisoner is no 
longer startled by the coming of its keeper; is no longer 
scared by his presence; takes the worm he throws it 
before his very eyes, and at last from his fingers, as a 
child takes bread from its mother’s hand. 
The days lengthen : the sun rises higher in the heavens; 
his rays become more fervent, and play cheerfully in at 
the window. Through the agency of the bright orb, 
song is once more awakened in the breast of the captive : 
it seems as if the prisoner had passed into a new exist¬ 
ence. The sun cheers the isolated being more than 
anything else can do : the bird has forgotten its old life, 
and lives henceforth for song and its protector. Hence¬ 
forth the captive is content. 
It is different if the bird loses its freedom in the 
spring,—in the courting days. It is then usually not 
long before it begins to sing, though the song, as we may 
well imagine, seems only to speak of a lost love ! And 
when we separate the male from the faithful female, the 
whole year often passes over before its troubles are 
forgotten and it sings again. The business of taming 
takes a long time, and costs a great deal of trouble. The 
fancier, however, seeks the affection of his protege: he is 
determined to win it, because its songs render bright 
hours happier and sad ones lighter. 
Most people are utterly mistaken in their ideas 
respecting the relations existing between the “fancier” 
and his birds. It is not unusual to give vent to 
superabundant expressions of feeling on this score. 
Without the slightest reflection people say: “ Oh! poor 
wretched creature, cooped up in a cage ! How can any¬ 
one be so cruel as to keep tame birds ? Why are they 
