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OUR PETS. 
As I am very fond of pets, and have had some ex¬ 
perience in the keeping and raising of Canaries, I 
will endeavor to lay down some simple rules by which 
the fair readers of your interesting paper may be en¬ 
abled to have the pleasure which I enjoy. 
In the first place, I would advise that the desired 
stock birds should be selected from the German 
fanciers who come over from “Fatherland” every au¬ 
tumn. Be particular in looking out for young, 
sprightly ones, with keenly shaped bodies and clean 
legs, that is, free from scales, which indicate age. 
See that the plumage is smooth, as birds, when their 
feathers are ruffled, are not in good health. I usually 
place a clear, deep yellow with a lizard or variegated 
green, or brown, together, for breeding, as they pro¬ 
duce a pleasing variety—spangled and spotted—which 
is more interesting to the owner than having all of one 
color. A bird with a deep crest can also be paired 
with one without, which adds to the beauty of the 
young stock; but remember, only one must be crested, 
or their offspring may be bald, or otherwise deformed 
Cleanliness is of much importance, for health as well 
as pleasure. The best birds will soon pine and die if 
neglected either in food or cage. 
My stock birds are kept in a painted wooden cage, 
well sanded, with clean (seaside) washed gravel 
sprinkled on the surface. The floor is drawn out, and 
baths placed for their washing, on good, bright days in 
summer and warm ones in winter. One not accus¬ 
tomed to their fondness for bathing, will be amused to 
see them splashing and sprinkling all around with the 
sparkling drops of water as they flutter in the China 
bath-tub, and enjoy themselves as much as my lady 
readers who luxuriate in the serf at Newport, Long 
Branch, Cape May, and other places of resort at the 
North, or among the rolling waves of Edisto Bay, Sul¬ 
livan’s Island, or old Bay Point, at the sunny south. 
I have just witnessed the enjoyment of my pets taking 
their morning bath, nine Canaries and a brilliant 
Nonpareil being confined in one cage, where the pure, 
deep yellow, and bright, variegated lizards, form a 
beautiful contrast. 
I have found the best variety of mixed seed for their 
daily food is canary, rape, and English mattel. In 
purchasing, always procure from a reliable seedsman, 
who mil sell it fresh and bright. If musty and dusty, 
it is very injurious. A piece of cuttle fish bone should 
always be hung in the cage for the birds to peck at, as 
it is to them what lime is among poultry. Let the 
fountains be kept pure for water as well as seed, and 
give the former at least three times daily in summer.. 
When moulting, which is exchanging their old 
feathers for the new plumage, give a pinch of saffron 
flowers daily in their water for drinking, and when 
bathing. Never place the cage at this time in a 
draught. Should any of the birds seem to lose their 
appetite, place a rusty nail in the water, which 
strengthens them. I find, in our Southern climate, 
the 14th of February quite early enough to place the 
birds in brooding cages. One of my hens commenced 
laying last November, and, as an experiment, I al¬ 
lowed her to set both in that month and December and 
January: but the few which were hatched died from 
cold soon after leaving the nest, and quite covered with 
feathers. This hen has laid twenty-five eggs since 
November, 1872, and has raised many beautiful birds, 
having set seven times since November. But I do not 
recommend this frequent brooding. I think three nests 
quite sufficient for a season, and after this number 
would advise a separation until after the season has 
passed. The situation of the brooding cage is a very 
important item. The German books tell us “ the 
eggs will not hatch unless the rays of the sun shine 
upon the nest;” but in our climate this is not neces¬ 
sary. My last Canary set in a south entry, where the 
sun’s rays never reached the cage, hatched and raised 
five fine birds, that being the number of eggs laid 
June, 1873. I omitted to mention giving a small 
quantity of green food daily to the birds; sweet apple 
in winter, also young salad, radish leaves, &c.; in 
summer, chickweed and purslane; but a variety of 
fruit I find unwholesome. When the birds are placed 
in the brooding cages (February 14th) I give, in ad¬ 
dition to the seed, the yolk of the egg, boiled hard, 
and chopped fine, and mixed with stale bread grated, 
with some fine white sugar added to the latter. Give 
(when the bird is making her nest) a small quantity, 
daily, of moist white sugar, which is very beneficial 
when brooding. Let your nests (I prefer baskets to 
boxes) be securely fixed, and lined with soft grass and 
horse’s hair, well washed and pulled out; add scraps 
of crewel from your knitting baskets, ladies, of what¬ 
ever color you desire, and the industrious little worker 
will soon interweave, with her busy bill, these ma¬ 
terials into such a beautiful structure, that none but 
He who “marks the sparrow’s fall” could give the 
power to this tiny bird to make it thus. When the 
young are hatched, sprinkle the food, egg and bread, 
with a little seed, and never allow their food to remain 
long enough to become sour. 
You will find among birds, as well as human beings, 
some parents very cross, cruel, and unkind to their off¬ 
spring. Should your birds pluck the feathers from 
their young to make their own nests (for a second 
brood) more comfortable and warm, I would advise a 
cage with wired partition to be used, as they can feed 
the former brood between the wires, while making 
another nest, without molesting the older birds. 
Amarintiiea. 
THE MOCKING-BIRD. 
Turdus polyglottus of Linnaeus—the Mocking-Bird 
of the southern States. Musicians have combined 
their sweetest and wildest chords in imitation of the 
Mocking-Bird’s carol; poets have drawn their word- 
pictures of eulogy in behalf of the feathered mimic; 
still the favorite song-bird warbles his love song from 
the topmost bough of the venerable live-oak, or lower 
down amid the branches of the fragrant shrubbery 
which surround the homestead, his medley song en¬ 
trances the listener with admiration. The Mocking- 
Bird begins to sing in the early spring months, and 
warbles away the tedious hours of his mate’s incuba¬ 
tion and maternity. A pair usually rear two sets of 
birdlings, one in May, the other in July. In the 
moonlight of a summer’s night birdie turns nightin¬ 
gale. A serenade to his love in the bower, trilling 
the sweetest notes for a time, then the plaintive air of 
the night hawk, “'Whip-poor vill’s viddor,” “Pees- 
weep,” repeating each; again changing into a more 
cheerful mood, the warble of the wren and other 
I gayer songsters are all imitated, often suggesting 
that it is only a shadow from the sad to the humor¬ 
ous ; his mate quiet and attentive, no doubt charmed 
! with the pleasing variety of the music. The care and 
anxiety manifested by a pair of birds for the family in 
the nest is at once pleasing and instructive. By na¬ 
ture a nervous, noisy character, easily excited by any 
unusual soimd or scene, the bright colors of a flower 
brought near the cage will render a caged bird frantic. 
The frantic bird in the cage is easily quieted by whist¬ 
ling or singing to him; music is a soother of trouble 
to the frightened bird—assures him of protection. Al¬ 
ways on the alert for any little attention that may bo 
shown, they soon become docile and manifest many 
interesting traits. The young bird, when about four 
months old, begins to tune his throat, and in a whis¬ 
per the sweet refrain is gone over and over, gradually 
growing louder, so that in a few weeks birdie shows 
himself no mean artist; the natural musical notes 
which he is now able to sing will enable him, in 
another season, to imitate all the feathered choristers 
in the grove. The. cage bird will learn to warble an 
air that is oft repeated in his hearing, but is seldom 
the mimic that the free bird is of other birds’ notes. 
The birds moult in August and September, at which 
time they never sing; but after they have donned then- 
new suit of feathers, they sing until cold weather 
comes and scatters the woodland foliage down upon 
the brown earth. The bird is an early riser; his song 
is heard heralding the approach of Aurora before the 
grey dawn lias first lined the east. Nor does he 
weary, for at high noon, when nature seems lulled into 
repose, the insects hushed, the powerful sunbeams 
pouring down the heat of the summer solstice, still 
birdie, as if in derision, mimics and often deceives the 
feathered tribe in the supposed call of their mates. 
Cold is the heart that would not be touched by the 
plaintiff cry of the bereft birds as they quickly get the 
alarm that their nest has been plundered. The beau¬ 
tiful kite-hawk has not soared in vain; peering down 
into the shrubbery, the Mocking-Bird’s nest has been 
observed from aloft, and with one swoop the birdlings 
are clutched in her talons and born away to the kite’s 
nest on the distant pine tree. The pilfering chicken 
snake has perhaps helped himself to the dainty morsel; 
it is his nature so to do. Whisper it softly, grimalkin, 
the household pet, sleek washed favorite, breakfasted 
upon the surplus chicken bone and sweet milk, has 
slept quietly all the long day upon the crown of his 
head on the soft grass sod, took umbrage at birdie for 
trying to drive him further away from her home in the 
myrtle, complacently washes his face as if nothing had 
transpired, is ready to sleep again after the luxurious 
repast. The birds in the yard are quite domesticated, 
lifting a grub if thrown to them, following the gar¬ 
dener in his avocation to lift any insect that may 
have been exposed. Besides being a musician, a pair 
will often dance upon the garden walk for a time with 
grace, or upon a gutter, alternating from side to side, 
then rising and flying away to the grove. 
The free bird feeds upon almost every variety of 
insects—moths, grasshoppers, crickets, caterpillars, 
grubs, beetles and spiders. They catch small lizards 
and hang them upon the thorns of the plumb tree, for 
what purpose I am not able to say. In winter I have 
known them to feed upon the carcass of other birds 
and animals when insects were scarce. They eat 
fruit, figs, peaches, grapes and various kinds of ber¬ 
ries. They seldom, if at all, eat seed of any kind. 
So varied is their food that it would seem an easy 
matter to afford the caged bird suitable variety. Yet 
those who give birdie a taste of everything are sure, 
in the end, to find a bird on the bottom of the cage. 
A paste of equal parts hard boiled yolk of egg and 
Irish potato, made fresh each day, is the proper 
food; a cup of pure water, and some coarse sand now 
and then; a small quantity of meat shred up fine, that 
has been cooked without salt, may be safely given, or 
a taste of fruit. Mrs. S. E. Byers. 
Clear Creek Station, Texas. 
KizLm O' 
