29 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER AND COUNTRY 
a long taper spout, and a rose contrived to pour the' smallest 
possible quantity of water, and thereby prolong the pleasure. 
Listen, you who find the days long. He watered his liowers 
with one hand, and held his breakfast in the other. And 
then his pipe: I always wondered whether this part of his 
breakfast was for himself or his garden. He was lynx-eyed 
to look for blight; and I have seen him twisting his head in 
every possible way, until he got his mouth charged with 
smoke immediately under a certain leaf. The whole con¬ 
tents were then discharged ; and, as the blue smoke curled 
and eddied among the leaves, and the little green torments 
fell under the influence of the narcotic, satisfaction was 
painted in his face. He knew every leaf, and when one 
became “ sear and yellow' ” he plucked it with a sigh. I 
watched him throughout the season. I saw all the flowers 
blossom, and I saw them fade. That man loved a garden, 
and not that only; he had a blackbird and a skylark, and 
they were placed where the verdure shadowed the cages, 
and they shared the enjoyment of the garden with their 
master. Was not this man the better for his love of a 
garden and of birds ? Rush into his room, and tell him he 
has succeeded to a fortune, and need work no more; tell 
him that he may now indulge himself; he will not pursue 
sensual or low pleasures ; he will have gardens and birds. 
Look at that cart loaded with furniture; and here, by the 
way, let me ask, Did you ever move ? I do not mean bodily; 
but did you ever move from one house to another? Perhaps 
you fancied you were furnished as well as most people; but 
were you not ashamed of the last load ? It always looks so 
shabby—the canvass bottom of the sofa, the old tea-tray, 
the common dish-covers, and the last lot of bedding wrapped 
in the patchw'ork counterpane of the servant’s bed. It has 
been well said, “ Three removes are worse than a fire.” Well, 
but this cart contains the furniture of a poor woman, and 
contains it easily. She sits behind on the tail-board, and 
her household gods are with her, namely, three children, one 
canary, and four stumps of Geraniums. The canary, or 
some such bird, is the only one she can keep, and the seed 
it consumes comes out of her own bread and butter. 
Even a very bad man may be mollified by a bird. Many 
of our readers, doubtless, perused the execution of a horrible 
murderer at Marseilles named Matraccia. He was a man 
stained with every crime—steeped in iniquity to liis lips. He 
deliberately warmed his dagger and rubbed it with garlic, be¬ 
cause it was a tradition in his country that it made it sharper. 
He then coolly murdered two unoffending women. What 
was his request? That his parrot might accompany him to 
execution. It was granted, and he shed tears on wishing 
it good-bye on the scaffold. I hate maudlin sentimentality 
as much as any one, and I am no lover of melodrama. I 
think and I believe this—sensuality and association with 
men as depraved as himself had brought this man to the 
scaffold; but there remained the one good point, and his 
bird appealed to it. 
The associations connected with the love of animals are 
comparatively pure. The feeling is universal. Canaries, 
larks, or other singing birds are too tame for some natures. 
They substitute ravens, magpies, and jackdaws; but they 
keep birds, and they submit to all their tricks, and to the 
expense attendant on them. Those in the higher walks of 
life keep sheep or cattle, horses, dogs, &c. 
In whatever class a man may move he is desirous to sur¬ 
pass his fellows. This feeling of emulation is the source of all 
progress. Hence Exhibitions. If two persons are com¬ 
paring animals or birds of the same breed there will often 
be a difference of opinion as to their merits, and then an 
authority is called in to decide. This feeling is rife among 
children with their kittens, guinea-pigs, or rabbits. Now, 
then, we have two propositions. Firstly, that all ages, ranks, 
and sexes have a natural love for animals; secondly, that 
they like to possess the best or most valuable specimens. 
How shall we turn both to account? Let your children 
have their pets by all means; but be careful to choose such 
as they can easily govern, and such as will look up to them. 
You are then causing the better feelings to expand; but if 
you give them unmanageable ones you cause anger and often 
cruelty to be the result. Do not hurt their feelings by killing 
their favourites, and do not tease them by speaking dis¬ 
paragingly of them. Do not let them take to anything 
which will be inconvenient to keep. The little troubles of 
GENTLEMAN’S COMPANION, April 14, 1857. 
little folks are not less real than those of after life. I was 
once staying in a house where two little girls had a pet 
kitten ; but this kitten was de trap in the house, and orders 
had been given that when a favourable opportunity 
offered it should be drowned. An unkind person had told 
them of the order. I shall never forget the real agony 
of these two poor little girls. They ate nothing all day. 
It was passed in signals one from the other, and at every 
moment they stole out to see that their pet was safe. As 
bedtime drew near it was painful to see their distress. 
Although generally obedient, on this occasion they did not 
go when they were told, and at last, when sharply ordered, 
they burst into tears, and cried, “ Oh, do not have kitty killed! ” 
Such torment as this should be avoided. 
We started with general things, and have got to children. 
Let us ascend in the scale. Take the careful man—the 
town man. For many years he has toiled, he has striven, 
he lias rejoiced in his good fortune, he has steeled his heart, 
and imposed silence even on imperative wants in adverse 
times, because he had an object in view. Through the 
dingy, dusty panes of his counting-house he liad visions of 
green trees and a far-stretching landscape. In the hurry 
and tumult of active life in business, when his limbs were 
weary and his temples throbbed, he saw himself sitting 
under his own vine and his own fig tree ; and, when cursed 
with ingratitude daily encountered, and hurt by unjust sus¬ 
picion, he saw himself surrounded with the lower order of 
creation, with animals that would look up to him, and cause 
the silver cord of early feelings to vibrate and sound sooth¬ 
ingly. And his partner, his good, careful wife, who, per¬ 
haps, left the country to follow him through good and bad 
report, in sickness and in health—hers has been no light 
struggle; she has worn a hard face many times towards her 
children when her heart yearned to, and pleaded for them. 
She has repulsed the sons when they tried to coax from the 
mother that which they dared not ask from the father. She 
has refused the daughters when they only wished to have 
things like other people, who, they were sure, were not 
better off than themselves. She kept the one object in view ; 
she saw, after all her strivings, peace and quiet in the 
country. And what then ? The pent-up desires of youth 
have not weakened, but now they can be indulged; and they 
cau keep the pets they wanted to keep when they w'ere 
children. 
The men who have been foremost in battle, some of those 
who have been first and greatest in renown, when the tur¬ 
moil is over take to their first inclinations, and surround 
themselves with birds. It would not be difficult to name 
many, but it is unnecessary. The prize-lists of Agricultural 
Meetings and those of the leading Poultry Shows will prove 
what I assert. Gallant men in the Crimea cared for their 
two or three hens, one turkey, and a goose almost as much 
as they cared for themselves. It was not an uncommon sight 
to see a grenadier guarding the captain’s poultry, and the 
fine fellow was often as fond of them as their owner. If on a 
long sea voyage there is a coop of fowls on board they will 
not lack attention; almost every seaman will care for them, 
because he is naturally fond of them. To conclude, the 
liking is found in every class of society, and long, say we, 
may it prosper. It is a pure and harmless pleasure, a 
healthy pursuit, and may boast itself of much practical 
utility. 
POINTS IN THE BELGIAN CANAPJES. 
Your correspondent “ C. C.” inquires what are the points 
of the Belgian Canaries, and having been a breeder of this 
variety for thirteen years I beg to offer him my ideas; at 
the same time I know not if they are the same as are 
considered requisite by English amateurs. 
The first point I consider is length, the longest bird 
measured from the tip of the beak to the end of the tail. 
Secondly, that the bird should stand erect like a Powter 
Pigeon, without stooping or crouching, or being hooped or 
bent. 
Thirdly, it must be slim and slight, not thick and clumsy. 
Fourthly, the feathers on the chest should fold over so 
as to form a frill. 
Fifthly, colour to be either a clear whole colour or else 
evenly and regularly pied, not slurred or blotched. 
