Every morning a canary should have a daily allowance of summer
rape seed, canary seed and millet seed, in equal proportions — alto-
gether a dessertspoonful per day. Most birds will eat more than
this amount if it is allowed them. As early in the spring as pos-
sible, they should have every day a small quantity of chickweed,
lettuce or water-cress, well washed and fresh. In the winter a thin
slice of sweet apple may be put in the cage daily. Once a week in
winter half a wine-cracker may be put into the cage.
During the moulting season, in July or August — months which
are about as fatal to canary birds as to infants — the food should be
carefully chosen and proportioned. The mixed seed should be put
into the cage as usual ; and, once a week at least, a small quantity of
raw beef, of the tenderest sort, scraped and moistened with cold water,
should be put into the cage. Once a week hard-boiled yolk of egg
and grated cracker should be mixed and put into the cage. Many
authorities on the treatment of birds object to sponge-cake, lumps of
sugar and hemp seed as unsuitable. The latter is thought to be too
rich and fattening ever to give to a canary. A canary should never
be left in a room alone constantly. It will droop and die. The best
singers are those surrounded by the voices of children, the sound
of a piano or the hum of a sewing-machine occasionallv. Birds,
PETS IN THE HOUSEHOLD, 347
like human beings, want companionship, and particularly these little
pets. And what is true of canaries in this respect is true of all
birds kept in the house. The best canaries are the German, known
as Andreasberg, a species raised in the Hartz Mountains. They arc
the lono-est lived and most docile.
Teaching a canary bird to whistle or warble a tune requires patience
and persistence, as do most things that are worth the doing. It
should be placed in as small a cage as possible ; cover the top and
three sides of same so that it cannot see you or anything about the
room to attract its attention ; then set the cage in front of a looking-
glass (open side to glass) so that he can see himself, imagining it to
be another bird. This done, commence as you wish, either to whistle
or play on some musical instrument. Four or five lessons will be
sufficient if the bird proves an apt scholar.
Parrots. — The larger species of parrots are known as maccaws
and cockatoos. The smaller species are the parroquets. The gray
parrot is a native of Africa. These, of all parrots, make the best
talkers, are the aptest scholars, and possess the most retentive mem-
ory. The gray parrot will learn to talk, whistle, sing, cry, laugh,
mew like a cat, bark like a dog, bray like a donkey, and crow like a
game-cock. They will learn until about their tenth year, and have
been known to live in a cage for neacly a century. In selecting one
you wish to educate yourself, never take one that is wild. He should
be tame enough so that when you approach him he will in no way
act shy or frightened. A wild parrot can rarely be tamed ; conse-
quently, he can rarely be taught.
Page 227
Presented as published in 1883. Historical recipes may not meet modern food-safety standards. Cook from the modern interpretation, not the original instructions.
AI-modernized reading of the original text
Every morning a canary should have a daily allowance of summer rape seed, canary seed and millet seed, in equal proportions — altogether a dessertspoonful per day. Most birds will eat more than this amount if it is allowed them. As early in the spring as possible, they should have every day a small quantity of chickweed, lettuce or water-cress, well washed and fresh. In the winter a thin slice of sweet apple may be put in the cage daily. Once a week in winter half a wine-cracker may be put into the cage.
During the moulting season, in July or August — months which are about as fatal to canary birds as to infants — the food should be carefully chosen and proportioned. The mixed seed should be put into the cage as usual ; and, once a week at least, a small quantity of raw beef, of the tenderest sort, scraped and moistened with cold water, should be put into the cage. Once a week hard-boiled yolk of egg and grated cracker should be mixed and put into the cage. Many authorities on the treatment of birds object to sponge-cake, lumps of sugar and hemp seed as unsuitable. The latter is thought to be too rich and fattening ever to give to a canary. A canary should never be left in a room alone constantly. It will droop and die. The best singers are those surrounded by the voices of children, the sound of a piano or the hum of a sewing-machine occasionally. Birds,
like human beings, want companionship, and particularly these little pets. And what is true of canaries in this respect is true of all birds kept in the house. The best canaries are the German, known as Andreasberg, a species raised in the Hartz Mountains. They are the longest lived and most docile.
Teaching a canary bird to whistle or warble a tune requires patience and persistence, as do most things that are worth the doing. It should be placed in as small a cage as possible ; cover the top and three sides of same so that it cannot see you or anything about the room to attract its attention ; then set the cage in front of a lookingglass (open side to glass) so that he can see himself, imagining it to be another bird. This done, commence as you wish, either to whistle or play on some musical instrument. Four or five lessons will be sufficient if the bird proves an apt scholar.
Parrots. — The larger species of parrots are known as maccaws and cockatoos. The smaller species are the parroquets. The gray parrot is a native of Africa. These, of all parrots, make the best talkers, are the aptest scholars, and possess the most retentive memory. The gray parrot will learn to talk, whistle, sing, cry, laugh, mew like a cat, bark like a dog, bray like a donkey, and crow like a game-cock. They will learn until about their tenth year, and have been known to live in a cage for nearly a century. In selecting one you wish to educate yourself, never take one that is wild. He should be tame enough so that when you approach him he will in no way act shy or frightened. A wild parrot can rarely be tamed ; consequently, he can rarely be taught.