670 
FANCIERS’ JOURNAL AND POULTRY HXCHANGHE. 


IMPORTATION OF BIRDS AND ANIMALS. 
Tue fondness for birds is a passion that seems to be grow- 
ing among our people, and the taste is one that should be 
encouraged, as it is both humanizing and refining in its ten- 
dencies. The music of singing birds is most pleasant to the 
ear, and to one whose sensibilities are not entirely deadened,, 
it will exert a cheering influence amid the cares and per- 
plexities of this workaday world. Few people, however, are 
aware of the extent to which the importation of singing 
birds is now carried on in this couutry, and few except those 
who are frequent visitors at the different bird fancying estab- 
lishments in our city, will be able to realize the knowledge 
and skill that are required to successfully carry on the busi- 
ness, ; 
Among singing birds the Canary is of course the most 
popular with the masses, because, in the first place, it is 
cheaper than most others, and secondly, requires less care in 
its management, while its notes are fully as musical as those 
of many of its more expensive rivals. 
The Canary bird is a native of the Canary Islands, but has 
been naturalized both in Europe and in the United States, 
although large numbers are imported from Europe to this 
country. The color of the Canary in its native woods is a 
dusky green, but in the domesticated birds we see a great var- 
iety of colors—green, yellow, white, brown, gray, etc., and 
frequently a mixture of two or three of these in one bird. It 
breeds freely with several other species, such as the goldfinch, 
bullfinch, siskin, green, linnet, ete. Altogether it is reck- 
oned that there are no less than thirty different varieties of 
Canaries, and as a consequence much skill is required in 
making selections. Bechstein, than whom there is probably 
no better authority on the subject, says in this connection 
that those which have the upper part of the body of a dusky 
green or linnet brown, and the under part of the yellowish- 
green of the green bird, with dark brown eyes, are the 
strongest and most nearly resemble the primitive race. The 
yellow and the white have often red eyes, and are the most 
tender. 
The Canary that is most admired among us now, is one with 
the body white or yellow, with the head, wings and tail of 
a yellowish dun, 
Bechstein also gives the following directions for getting 
and keeping good Canaries: ‘‘ Choose from among the young 
that which promises a fine tone, and seclude it from all other 
birds, that it may learn and remember nothing bad. It 
should be observed whether the bird likes to sing alone or in 
company with others, for there are some which appear to 
have such whims, liking to hear only themselves, and which 
pout for whole years if they are not humored on this point. 
Itis very important to distribute regularly to singing birds 
the simple allowance of fresh food which is intended for the 
day. By this means they will sing every day equally, be- 
cause they will eat uniformly, and not pick the best one day 
and be obliged to put up with the refuse the next. About 
two teaspoonfuls of dry feed is sufficient for the daily nour- 
ishment of the Canary.” 
To those of our friends who desire choice birds we would 
recommend the establishment of Mr. Louis Ruhe, No. 98 
Chatham Street, New York. Mr. Ruhe is one of the largest 
importers of birds and rare animals in this country, and 
twenty years’ experience is asure guarantee that the best 
may there be obtained. He employs no less than twenty- 
three ‘‘pickers’’ or experts in the selection of birds and 

animals, who travel constantly through the Hartz Mountains 
and other parts of Europe to select the stock, which is ship- 
ped from time to time to this city. He also has correspond- 
ents in Liverpool, London, Antwerp, and Hamburg, who 
keep him constantly advised of the advent of rare and curi- 
ous birds and animals into those ports, and upon whose 
judgment he largely relies in making purchases for impor- 
tation. 
Mr. Ruhe makes a specialty of supplying menageries and 
parks with them, and to him we are indebted for the impor- 
tation of most of those which are now on exhibition in this 
country. . 
We recently visited his establishment, and were struck 
with the many varieties of curious birds and animals from 
all parts of the world that are now confined in his cages, and 
which will furnish a rare study to the student of natural his- 
tory. Birds of beautiful plumage and birds of choicest song 
will there be found. Animals from every clime, and rep- 
tiles that make one shudder to look at, have been gathered 
together in his place, but which want of space will not per- 
mit us to describe or enumerate. 
To give a faint idea, however, of the extent of his business, 
we will say that the Custom House returns for one year, to 
the first of May last, will show the enormous importation of 
38,152 Canaries alone by this one house. Dealers and others 
who are seeking after rare specimens of birds or animals can 
certainly do no better than by giving Mr. Ruheacall. He 
also deals largely in bird-seeds and cages, while his prepared 
food for mocking-birds is said to be unsurpassed. 

A SPIDER ON HER DRESS. 
A CERTAIN lady in this village, whom we shall call Mrs. 
Jones, because that is not her name, has some goods stored 
in the cellar of one of our stores. A few days since she 
visited the cellar, with the evident intention of obtaining 
some articles, and while there one of the clerks had occasion 
to visit it also for the purpose of getting a few pounds of 
butter for a customer. He noticed that the lady in question 
stood close to a quantity of eggs, and that her crinoline had 
assumed undue proportions. He apparently paid no atten- 
tion to her, however, but hastened back to the store and 
informed one of his fellow-clerks of what he had accident- 
ally discovered. A consultation was immediately held, 
when one of the clerks resolved to ascertain the correctness 
of their supposition, viz., that Mrs. Jones had a number of 
eggs concealed in her dress. In order to do this, the clerk 
seized an axe-handle and commenced flourishing it near the 
entrance to the cellar. As soon as Mrs. Jones made her 
appearance in the store, the clerk said to her: 
‘“‘Q, Mrs. Jones, there is a spider on your dress !”? 
He instantly struck it in several places with his shillelah, 
causing the eggs to break and stream from her crinoline in 
all directions. The effect can be better imagined than de- 
scribed. Mrs. Jones did not stop to offer any explanation, 
but left the store as fast as the propelling power furnished 
by Dame Nature could carry her. 


ke@s~ An Irishman found a Government blanket recently, 
and rolling it up put it under his arm and walked off, say- 
ing: ‘ Yis, that’s moin—U for Patrick, and S for McCarty; 
be me sowl, but this learnin’s a foine thing, as me fayther 
would say ; for if I hadn’t any edication I wouldn’t have 
been afther findin’ me blanket.”—Danbury News. 
