"One of my birds who lived in a cage so con-
structed as to have the seed always in a box of which he had
to lift up the lid, and the water in a well to be drawn up in a
bucket, was quite unhappy when his home was undergoing re-
pair, and he had to live for a time in an ordinary cage, and
sang his merriest song when he had to go to work with his
little chain and pail again. I taught him to lift the lid of the
box by having it open for one day, and then gradually lower-
ing it by means of a piece of silk put round it, fastened at the
back of the cage, till it was quite shut. He very soon found
out that he must lift it up with his beak in order to reach the
seed; and at last he became so crafty about it, that he would
take out two or three seeds at once, and put a reserve by his
side between the wires while he ate one. The cage was made
with a wooden back, and the box was let into this above the
door, and the lid fastened to the inside with two little hinges
(care should be taken that the lid is not too heavy for the bird
to lift easily, and that it should fall at once when not held up);
a little bow window was constructed in the front of the cage,
in the floor of which was a little hole with a wire across it, to
which was attached a light silver chain fastened to a silver
bucket about the size of a thimble. A small colored glass
tumbler was fixed below the bow window, by means of four
strong wires and a ring. This was filled with water and the
bucket dropped into the well, and the bird hauled up the chaio
236 ftOMfiStiC PEt§.
with his beak, holding each fresh haul with his feet till the
bucket came to the hole, and he could drink out of it. I taught
him this accomplishment by filling the bucket with water, and
putting it on the floor of the bow window to accustom him to
look for water there; then I let it down by means of the chain
pushed through two of the side wires by degrees, lowering it a
little more every day. At first the bird pulled up the short
bit of chain with his beak, and let it go before he could drink
out of the bucket, but he gradually found out that he must
hold the chain when he had drawn it wp, and when he had
once succeeded in doing this his education was finished; he
never forgot the art, and often showed his delight in his task
by singing when he had drawn up the bucket while his chain
was under his feet, before he quenched his thirst. Of course
it is necessary to see that the machinery of the bucket, chain,
and well is always in order; any hitch preventing the bucket
from falling into the well and getting refilled with water would
cause the poor little bird to die of thirst. The bullfinch and
siskin will readily learn this accomplishment, and I had a mule
bird (whose parents were a goldfinch and canary) who learned
it very quickly; but I never succeeded in teaching a canary to
put his foot on the chain, though he would pull it up with hi?
beak readily enough — of course, always to be disappointed by
the falling down of the bucket. A goldfibch will learn to pull
a little wagon up an inclined plane in the same way, and
to take his seed out of it, the chain attached to the wagop
having to be hauled in and held in the same manner.
Page 164
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
"One of my birds who lived in a cage so constructed as to have the seed always in a box of which he had to lift up the lid, and the water in a well to be drawn up in a bucket, was quite unhappy when his home was undergoing repair, and he had to live for a time in an ordinary cage, and sang his merriest song when he had to go to work with his little chain and pail again. I taught him to lift the lid of the box by having it open for one day, and then gradually lowering it by means of a piece of silk put round it, fastened at the back of the cage, till it was quite shut. He very soon found out that he must lift it up with his beak in order to reach the seed; and at last he became so crafty about it, that he would take out two or three seeds at once, and put a reserve by his side between the wires while he ate one. The cage was made with a wooden back, and the box was let into this above the door, and the lid fastened to the inside with two little hinges (care should be taken that the lid is not too heavy for the bird to lift easily, and that it should fall at once when not held up); a little bow window was constructed in the front of the cage, in the floor of which was a little hole with a wire across it, to which was attached a light silver chain fastened to a silver bucket about the size of a thimble. A small colored glass tumbler was fixed below the bow window, by means of four strong wires and a ring. This was filled with water and the bucket dropped into the well, and the bird hauled up the chaio
236 DOMESTIC PETS.
with his beak, holding each fresh haul with his feet till the bucket came to the hole, and he could drink out of it. I taught him this accomplishment by filling the bucket with water, and putting it on the floor of the bow window to accustom him to look for water there; then I let it down by means of the chain pushed through two of the side wires by degrees, lowering it a little more every day. At first the bird pulled up the short bit of chain with his beak, and let it go before he could drink out of the bucket, but he gradually found out that he must hold the chain when he had drawn it up, and when he had once succeeded in doing this his education was finished; he never forgot the art, and often showed his delight in his task by singing when he had drawn up the bucket while his chain was under his feet, before he quenched his thirst. Of course it is necessary to see that the machinery of the bucket, chain, and well is always in order; any hitch preventing the bucket from falling into the well and getting refilled with water would cause the poor little bird to die of thirst. The bullfinch and siskin will readily learn this accomplishment, and I had a mule bird (whose parents were a goldfinch and canary) who learned it very quickly; but I never succeeded in teaching a canary to put his foot on the chain, though he would pull it up with hi? beak readily enough — of course, always to be disappointed by the falling down of the bucket. A goldfinch will learn to pull a little wagon up an inclined plane in the same way, and to take his seed out of it, the chain attached to the wagop having to be hauled in and held in the same manner.