It is a most beautiful little
creature, very active and agile, climbing about by means of its
long tail and flexible toes, and leaping like a little Jerboa. It
should have grains of wheat and maize, and canary seed, and
plenty of water always, in the cage; and wool or flannel and
grass for its nest, which in its wild state is the most beautiful
and elaborate construction of leaves and grass woven together
into a round ball and suspended from strong grass-stems,
wheat-stalks, or thistle-heads. In the winter it takes refuge in
corn ricks, or burrows deeply in the earth, and makes a warm
bed of grass. Even in confinement the harvest mouse will
show its instinctive propensity to store up food for the winter,
and if a number of grains of wheat or seed are given to it, will
carry them off and hide them in its nest.
Birds. — None of these little creatures, however pretty and
intelligent they may be, seem to us to be such desirable pets to
be kept in the house as birds, to which the remainder of this
article will be devoted. We can make them so happy, and they
can tell us when anything is amiss with them so plainly — so
thoroughly enjoying our petting, and becoming so attached
232 DOMESTIC PETS.
to us — that no trouble is thrown away upon our feathered
pets.
On the whole, canaries flourish best in imprisonment. All
the English finches do well in aviaries or cages; but one does
not like to see them imprisoned while their brothers and sisters
are flying about at large close by — one thinks they must envy
them their liberty, and long to join them; while canaries would
suffer extremly exposed to the cold of winter, if, indeed, they
survived it. As regards other birds — robins, wrens, titmice,
sparrows, &c. — it is much pleasanter to have them visiting us
from the garden than to keep them shut up all the year round;
and larks and nightingales are so completely out of their natu-
ral element in cages, that one cannot feel happy in keeping
them. Any one who will take the trouble to feed the birds
that congregate round the house in winter, may soon have a
family of pensioners.
The robins will become our very familiar friends, hopping
about at their ease on the breakfast-table, examining every arti-
cle in the room with the utmost self-possession; will visit us
regularly through the cold months, and, if they leave us in
spring, will bring their young ones to make our acquaintance
when they leave their nests. Crumbs of bread, potatoes, and
scraps of fat will make a feast for the poor little hungry birds,
driven by frost and snow to our doors; and the saucy tomtits
and sparrows will afford us much amusement in return for our
hospitality.
We may get much insight into the special characteristics of
the birds by watching them when they are at their ease, and a
hard winter will sometimes make them so tame, and so accus-
tom them to our care, that they will hover about us out of
doors, and peck at the windows for admittance at their usual
feeding hours.
Page 161
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
It is a most beautiful little creature, very active and agile, climbing about by means of its long tail and flexible toes, and leaping like a little Jerboa. It should have grains of wheat and maize, and canary seed, and plenty of water always, in the cage; and wool or flannel and grass for its nest, which in its wild state is the most beautiful and elaborate construction of leaves and grass woven together into a round ball and suspended from strong grass-stems, wheat-stalks, or thistle-heads. In the winter it takes refuge in corn ricks, or burrows deeply in the earth, and makes a warm bed of grass. Even in confinement the harvest mouse will show its instinctive propensity to store up food for the winter, and if a number of grains of wheat or seed are given to it, will carry them off and hide them in its nest.
Birds. — None of these little creatures, however pretty and intelligent they may be, seem to us to be such desirable pets to be kept in the house as birds, to which the remainder of this article will be devoted. We can make them so happy, and they can tell us when anything is amiss with them so plainly — so thoroughly enjoying our petting, and becoming so attached
to us — that no trouble is thrown away upon our feathered pets.
On the whole, canaries flourish best in imprisonment. All the English finches do well in aviaries or cages; but one does not like to see them imprisoned while their brothers and sisters are flying about at large close by — one thinks they must envy them their liberty, and long to join them; while canaries would suffer extremly exposed to the cold of winter, if, indeed, they survived it. As regards other birds — robins, wrens, titmice, sparrows, &c. — it is much pleasanter to have them visiting us from the garden than to keep them shut up all the year round; and larks and nightingales are so completely out of their natural element in cages, that one cannot feel happy in keeping them. Any one who will take the trouble to feed the birds that congregate round the house in winter, may soon have a family of pensioners.
The robins will become our very familiar friends, hopping about at their ease on the breakfast-table, examining every article in the room with the utmost self-possession; will visit us regularly through the cold months, and, if they leave us in spring, will bring their young ones to make our acquaintance when they leave their nests. Crumbs of bread, potatoes, and scraps of fat will make a feast for the poor little hungry birds, driven by frost and snow to our doors; and the saucy tomtits and sparrows will afford us much amusement in return for our hospitality.
We may get much insight into the special characteristics of the birds by watching them when they are at their ease, and a hard winter will sometimes make them so tame, and so accustom them to our care, that they will hover about us out of doors, and peck at the windows for admittance at their usual feeding hours.