The Macaws are notable for their very long tails, very big beaks, and

very brilliant colouring. The two species usually seen in England are

the Scarlet and the Blue-and-Yellow Macaw. They come from Southern

America, and have a most magnificent appearance while flying from tree

to tree, with the sunbeams flashing from their gorgeous plumage.

As a pet, the macaw is rather too noisy, and has a horribly loud and

dissonant yell by way of a cry. It is, however, a magnificent bird,

often measuring more than a yard in length. The colour of the plumage is

almost entirely of a rich glowing scarlet, relieved here and there by a

little blue, yellow, and green.

The Blue-and-Yellow Macaw is another native of tropical America, and

though not so gorgeously resplendent a bird as its scarlet relation, is

yet a remarkably handsome creature. As may be surmised from its popular

appellation, the colour is chiefly of the two tints blue and yellow,

mixing occasionally so as to produce green.

Without going too deeply into minute details, it will suffice to say

that the upper part of the back, the wings, and the tail are azure blue,

and the under part king’s yellow. On the forehead is a patch of green,

the chin is black, and the cheeks are white and naked, with the

exception of three narrow bands of very tiny feathers drawn successively

beneath the eyes.

The parrot tribe may be fed upon various vegetable substances, such as

grain of different kinds, seeds, nuts, Indian corn, and biscuits. The

stones of peaches are great favourites with these birds, who derive much

amusement from picking with their scoop-like tongues the soft fruit from

the interstices of the rough stone.

They ought not to have any kind of animal food, not even milk, which is

frequently recommended for their use, as their systems are apt to become

heated, and then they pull away their feathers in their attempts to

alleviate the irritation. Sometimes a parrot will pluck itself bare in

every part where its bill can reach, and so injure itself materially. A

capsicum pod now and then is, however, a treat, and may be given

sparingly. Be careful to use glass or earthenware pans for their food,

and see every morning that the cage and pans are quite clean and bright.

PIGEONS.

The practice of rearing pigeons for fancy or amusement has been for a

long time prevalent in England. In ancient times the “dove-cote” was a

general appendix to the family hall or farmer’s homestead; and at the

present time it may still occasionally be observed peering above the

trees in country districts; while in London the pigeon-loft, with its

“dormers,” “area,” “traps,” and other appliances, may be frequently seen

on the house-tops, more especially in the districts inhabited by the

working classes.

Pigeons live together in pairs; and when a cock and hen once form an

attachment, the union generally lasts during their lives. The pigeon in

a wild state breeds only twice or thrice in the season, but the domestic

birds will breed every six weeks, or during the greater part of the

year.

Whatever number of broods a pair of pigeons may bring up in a year, the

hen never lays but two eggs before she sits. She incubates for eighteen

days after the laying of the second egg. Both the cock and hen assist in

the hatching: the hen usually sits from the afternoon till about eleven

o’clock on the following morning; the cock then takes her place, and

sits while she goes out to feed and exercise herself, and generally

keeps on the nest until two or three o’clock in the afternoon.

When first hatched, the young are fed for about eight days with a milky

secretion prepared in the crop of the parents, and regurgitated into the

mouth of the young, and afterwards with grain and seeds the old ones

have picked up in the fields and treasured in their crops. In this mode

of supplying the young with food from the crop birds of the pigeon kind

differ from those of any other family.

[Illustration]

Formerly it was common to erect buildings as dove-cotes in the

neighbourhood of great country mansions: many of these were of

considerable size and elevation, as shown in the engraving. The custom,

however, has fallen into disuse, and pigeon-houses of more moderate

sizes are now generally employed.

A small one is very often formed from a wine-cask, which has holes cut

in its sides, and a small platform made before each, to form a

resting-place in front for the birds to alight upon. The interior is

divided into chambers by the carpenter, or any boy of common

carpentering ingenuity may readily do it himself. The cask is then

elevated on a stout thick scaffolding pole or the trunk of a straight

tree, and made perfectly secure. In arranging the internal chambers for

the birds care should be taken that they are large enough for them to

turn round in with ease. The cote should be fixed in a warmish spot, and

not exposed to cold easterly and northerly winds. The top of the cask

should be thatched or boarded, and this protection should come well over

the holes and sides of the cote, so as to protect it from the heat of

the sun in summer and the drifting of the rain in unseasonable weather.

[Illustration]

The young fancier may employ one after the fashion shown on the

following page: this, with its compartments, may be fixed up against the

south or south-west side of a stable, barn, or out-house. The outside

should be well painted, and the alighting places slightly slanted, so

that the water or rain may not lodge on them, but run off to the ground

outside. The whole should be so placed that it can be approached by a

ladder, which ought not to be permanently attached to the cote, or it

may be a means for the intrusion of cats and vermin.

It sometimes happens that a spare loft or room presents itself to the

young pigeon-fancier, which may be made use of for a pigeon-house. When

this is the case, it can easily be filled up with pigeon-boxes, which

may be arranged round the sides, while holes are made on the outside of

the building for the pigeons to fly in and out at. Broad flat perches

may also be placed across the room, upon which the birds may rest. The

boxes for the nests should be at least a foot square.

It is far more advantageous and profitable to keep pigeons in a spare

room than to employ the dove-cotes on a pole, or those fixed against the

side of a house, as double the number of young birds may be reared, the

nests being sheltered from the inclemency of the weather.

[Illustration]

As to the compartments, or nests, every one should be furnished with an

earthenware nest-pan, of a size adapted to the pigeons for which they

are intended. Sand or gravel should be sprinkled over the shelves and on

the floor, as the small stones with which it abounds are useful to the

birds in helping them to digest their food, and a little old

mortar-rubbish or pounded burnt oyster-shells should be given, to supply

the lime necessary for the shells of the eggs. Everything about them

should be kept very clean, and the whole apparatus, of whatever kind it

may be, should undergo a frequent and thorough purification, while the

nest-pans or boxes should be well cleaned after every hatching.

[Illustration]

There is a contrivance of great use which is employed for letting into

the loft those birds who may not happen to come home before the areas

are closed for the night. The object of this door, which is called the

“bolting wire,” is to let the birds in without letting those in the loft

pass out. It is made by placing before a square aperture cut in the

pigeon-house a couple of wires about three inches apart from each other

(as seen in the drawing): these swing loosely upon a piece of wood,

which turns on a wire, and their lower ends come over the lower ledge on

the inside. By this arrangement, when a bird outside presses against the

bars and tries to get in, the whole opens inwards, and he easily enters;

but if one from within tries to get out, the wires press against the

ledge at the bottom, and effectually prevent his egress.

Within the pigeon-house should be placed boxes for the grain, pulse, and

beans that the birds feed upon.

Pigeons are great devourers of food, and will eat any kind of grain,

such as wheat, barley, oats, peas, beans, vetches, Indian corn, tares,

&c. Small beans, called pigeon’s beans, are the best general food for

all pigeons. If possible, the peas, beans, or tares given to the birds

should be old, as new pulse is apt to disagree, and purge them. Hempseed

is very stimulating, and although pigeons are very fond of it, it should

be sparingly given.

Pigeons are very fond of lime and salt, and to supply themselves peck

out the mortar from between the tiles. To prevent this, it is best to

make them what is called a “cat,” which will be exceedingly grateful to

them, as it will tend to keep them in good health. This is done in the

following manner:--

Mix some sifted gravel or earth with old mortar-rubbish, or pounded

burnt shells, if this cannot be obtained; add a few handfuls of salt;

and make the whole into a mass with water. Portions of this may be put

into flower-pots, and placed in situations where the birds can get at

them easily.

[Illustration: MATING CAGE.]

Pigeons are often sadly annoyed by vermin. To prevent the increase of

these intruders, the most scrupulous attention should be paid to

cleanliness in every part of the houses, nests, and places of resort,

and the birds should be provided with shallow pans of water to wash in.

Sometimes there is a little trouble attending the mating of pigeons, and

it is of great importance that they should be properly matched, or the

young will not be purely bred. The mating coops should have a thin

lattice-work partition between them, so that the birds may make

acquaintance with each other, and match together, when they may be

placed in one pen. When they are properly mated, they may be left at

liberty to arrange and build their nests, which they will do very

readily. The illustration on the preceding page shows the construction

of the mating cage.

VARIETIES OF PIGEONS.

The Columbidæ, or family of pigeons, are one of the most numerous and

most widely distributed families of birds. They are all vegetable

feeders; and many congregate in flocks. But notwithstanding their

numbers, general distribution, and beauty, only two, out of a great

number of species, have been brought into subjection by man: these are

the common pigeon, or house pigeon, known as the Rock pigeon when in the

wild state, and abundant in several parts of the cliffy and caverned

shores of the British Islands, and the Collared, or Cream-coloured dove,

with a narrow black collar round the neck. This latter is frequently

kept in confinement: it breeds freely if in very large cages, and it may

be reared in the open air in this country if protected during severe

winters.

[Illustration]

BLUE ROCK DOVE.

The Blue Rock dove is the undoubted origin of all the different

varieties of domestic pigeons. It is a most beautiful bird; its general

colour is blue, with two black bars across the wings. In some few of the

large dove-cotes blue rocks still exist; but the pure race,

uncontaminated by intermixture with any of the numerous varieties of

domestic pigeons, is scarcely to be obtained except in the distant

islands of the Hebrides, or in remote districts unfrequented by man. It

is a swift flyer, a good forager, and a prolific bird; but its

comparative wildness renders it ill adapted for a domestic pet.

[Illustration]

THE ANTWERP, OR SMERLE.

Smerles are the Flying Pigeons of Belgium. These extraordinary birds,

that perform races of 500 miles, returning home to Brussels and the

adjacent towns from the south of France, and even from Spain, closely

resemble the blue rock in general form; but, as shown in the engraving,

the feathers of the wings are rather broader, and the head and beak

thicker and shorter. They are of various colours, as blue, checquered,

red, mealy, &c. Their desire to return home is so great that it is

useless to attempt to establish a stud of them, by liberating old birds,

however long they may be shut up; the only plan is to rear young from

them whilst confined in a room or loft, or to obtain young birds that

have never flown at the place of their birth. These, from the peculiar

noise they make, are termed “squeakers.”

We do not know any more delightful fancy for boys than Antwerps, as they

are strong, hardy, fertile, and require no special trouble; good water

and a little care in cleaning is all they ask; and they reward their

owners by being always ready to convey to their home messages from any

distance which they may have been trained to fly. The training is thus

accomplished: the young birds, when they can fly round with the others,

and dash about in the air in that vigorous style that characterises the

breed, are taken a short distance from home and set free. They rise, and

circling round and round, descry their home, and make straight for it.

Their next journey is longer, and so on; the distances are gradually

increased, until the birds will return even for several hundred miles.

When these birds are used to convey messages, the paper must be so

attached as not to impede their flight. The proper mode of doing this is

to write upon a strip of thin soft paper, about half an inch broad by

three or four inches long: this is rolled round the leg, and secured by

a thread. An ordinary letter, tied to the bird in the manner that is

often represented in engravings, would entirely prevent its flight.

[Illustration]

THE POUTER.

The breeds of pigeons that are most valued by fanciers are those that

differ in the greatest degree from the blue rock doves and the common

mongrel dove-house pigeons. Of these the Pouters, Carriers, and Tumblers

are the most esteemed. The pouter is a remarkable bird, distinguished by

the extraordinary power it possesses of inflating or blowing out the

neck: it is also characterised by the extreme length of its legs, which

should be feathered to the toes, and the length of the feathers of the

wings and tail. Pouters are of various colours: some are purely white,

but in general they are blue, or black, marked or pied with white upon

the crop, and with white flight feathers in the wings; there are also

red and yellow pied birds.

The properties for which a pouter is valued are usually stated as being

five in number; viz. length of leg, length of feathers, slenderness of

body, size of crop, and colour. Pouters possessing all these properties

of the breed in a very perfect degree are rare, and consequently very

valuable. Ten, or even twenty, pounds is no uncommon price for a pair of

birds sufficiently good to win prizes in the competitions at the

exhibitions of poultry and pigeons; but very fair specimens may be

bought at the dealer’s for a few shillings per pair.

Pouters are not such good nurses as many other pigeons, often neglecting

their young before they can feed themselves, when they die, unless fed

by being crammed with beans at least twice a day. For this reason we

would not recommend the young fancier to begin with this breed.

[Illustration]

THE CARRIER.

The Carrier of the present day is not, as its name might seem to imply,

ever used to carry messages, but is a high-class fancy variety, valued

in proportion to the perfection of its properties. In a good carrier the

beak is long, thick, and straight; the beak-wattle, or membrane at its

base, well developed, and standing well up from the head. The

eye-wattle, or membrane round the eye, should be large, flat, and

circular; the skull narrow and long; the neck very slender and long; the

plumage firm and glossy, the tail and flight feathers being long. The

colour most valued in carriers is a brilliant jet black: many first-rate

birds are what are called duns, a variety of brown. There are also white

and blue carriers, and occasionally pied birds are seen. The blacks and

duns are, however, the most perfect in properties; and they may be mated

together without risk, as they will always produce either black or dun

young birds, and not, as might be expected, a mixture of these colours,

or a bird intermediate in colour between the two.

Carriers are very fair sitters and nurses, but they are subject to

diseases of the eyes, and are not as well suited to young fanciers as

some of the other breeds.

[Illustration]

THE DRAGON.

For grace, style, and beauty there are no pigeons superior to Dragons.

They are almost everything a young fancier could desire--good homing

birds, able to do 50 or 100 miles with ease; active on the wing, close

sitters, good nurses, fertile breeders, requiring no special care;

full-sized birds, good in a pie, and not expensive in first cost. Their

general form is somewhat like that of the carrier, but they are much

more active, and far quicker in flight. Some of the best dragons are

blue; others are white, red, yellow, and black. They differ from the

carrier in the size of the eye and beak-wattle, and in the beak.

[Illustration]

THE TUMBLER.

The Tumblers are the very opposite of the breeds last described. Small

birds, with rounded heads, short beaks, and pretty little red prancing

feet, they are the very pets of the pigeon fancy. In colour the tumblers

vary very much. There are blues, blacks, and other self colours; then

some have white heads--these are termed bald heads; others have a white

mark below the under bill--so they are termed beards; but the variety

most valued is that termed the almond tumbler. In this breed every

feather of the plumage is variegated with black, yellow, and white, the

yellow forming the ground colour. These almond birds are reared by

experienced fanciers with beaks so short that they are hardly able to

bring up their own young, and others have to be employed for the

purpose. Birds of this extreme character are not suited to young

fanciers; but the ordinary flying tumblers, which can be bought at any

dealer’s for a few shillings per pair, are most pleasant pets--good

breeders, active and joyous on the wing, constantly turning somersaults

in the air, good in a pie, and able to fly home, if trained, some thirty

or forty miles with ease.

[Illustration]

THE BARB.

The Barb, or, as it used formerly to be called, the Barbary pigeon, from

the country from where it was originally obtained, is regarded with

great esteem by fanciers, and very good specimens cannot be obtained

except at high prices. In size the barb is rather a small bird. The

colours are usually black, dun, red, yellow, or white; blue barbs,

strange to say, are not known. The eye of the barb is surrounded by a

naked skin or wattle of a red colour; this should be circular in form,

and the larger it is the more the bird is valued: the skull should be

broad, and the beak short and stout. Barbs are good sitters, and bring

up their young ones very well. They are also striking in appearance, the

red eye-wattle contrasting well with the colours of the plumage.

[Illustration]

THE OWL.

Like the barbs, the best Owl pigeons also come from the north of Africa.

Formerly there was very common in this country an elegant, short-beaked

bird of a beautiful blue or silvery colour, known as the owl: this was

of medium size, and possessed rapid powers of flight. Beautiful as the

breed was, it has almost entirely been superseded at the pigeon shows by

a very _petite_, delicate, white breed, the first specimens of which

were brought to this country from Tunis about a dozen years since. A

very good specimen of this charming little variety is represented in our

engraving. Since that true blue and black owls of the small size have

also been introduced. The great drawback to this fairy-like little breed

is its delicacy. The young fancier would do well to choose for his first

favourites a hardier variety.

THE TURBIT.

The Turbit is a pigeon somewhat resembling the owl, but its head is

flatter, and it has a turned crown of feathers at the back of the neck.

In colour it is peculiar. The wings, with the exception of the larger

flight-feathers, are coloured, and the remainder of the body should be

white. There are turbits of all varieties of colour, or, as they are

termed, blue, black, red, yellow, and silver turbits.

THE FANTAIL.

There are a number of pigeons which are strikingly distinguished by

remarkable peculiarities in the form of the plumage; such are the

Fantail, the Trumpeter, and the Jacobin. The fantail is perhaps the best

known of these. The number of feathers in the tail of an ordinary pigeon

is fourteen, but in this breed it is greatly increased; in some

specimens even to three times that number, and thirty feathers are not

uncommon in good birds.

The carriage of the tail is also greatly changed; instead of being borne

behind, like that of an ordinary pigeon, it is held aloft, like the

expanded tail of a peacock.

[Illustration: THE FANTAIL.]

The engraving represents one of the best white fantails, the tail full,

carried well over the back, and the long swan-like neck thrown back so

as to touch the tail. Fantails are good hardy birds, and as they can be

bought at all prices, very well suit the young fancier. Moreover, they

soon become very tame, and may be reared almost everywhere.

[Illustration]

THE TRUMPETER.

The Trumpeter is not as common a variety as the fan-tail, but is fully

as remarkable. It derives its name from its peculiar voice, which is

quite unlike the ordinary coo, coo, of a common pigeon; and it is also

distinguished by the singular arrangement of the feathers on its head

and feet: the latter are feathered to so great an extent that the bird

appears to have four wings. Many of the larger quills on the feet of a

good trumpeter will exceed four inches in length if unbroken. Trumpeters

have a tuft over the beak and a turn of feathers at the back of the

head. They require to be kept most scrupulously clean; otherwise the

elegant appendages on the feet become clogged with dirt, and the birds

lose all their attractiveness and beauty.

[Illustration]

THE JACOBIN.

No variety of pigeon excels the little Jacobin in its quaint prettiness.

The tiny little head is half concealed in a recurved cowl of feathers

which runs down at the sides of the neck, and nearly meets in front.

The head, the flight feathers of the jacobin, and those of the tail,

should be purely white, those of the rest of the plumage coloured. The

most common colours are red or yellow; but there are also black jacks,

as they are sometimes called for shortness, and also blues, and some

that are entirely white. Jacks breed very freely, and we cannot

recommend a prettier pigeon, or one better adapted to the juvenile

fancier.

* * * * *

The foregoing breeds include all the best known varieties. It is true

there are many others described in the works on pigeons, but none better

fitted for the young and inexperienced fancier.

The breed known as Runts are characterised by their enormous size,

sometimes weighing even as much as four pounds or even four and a half

pounds a pair. But they do not fly well, and are more suited for pigeon

pies than for a fancier’s loft.

There are also the breeds known as Nuns, Spots, and Helmets, which are

white with more or less colour on the head, &c.; but for beauty of

marking none surpass those blue breeds that possess the arrangement of

colours in the plumage that characterises the original wild rock dove.

POULTRY.

FOWLS.

There are few occupations more attractive than the care and charge of

domestic poultry. It is most interesting to behold a hen with her

family, and to mark her care and tenderness for them; while to see the

little chicks themselves, picking and scratching about, basking in the

sun, or running hither and thither after the hen, or nestling under her

wings, is a very pleasant sight.

Like the pigeons, fowls are all descended from a single species of wild

bird, the common wild jungle fowl of India. This has been domesticated

from a very early period, and carried to all habitable parts of the

globe. A large number of different varieties exist in a domestic state,

none of which are known in the wild condition. The chief breeds known in

England at the present time are the Dorkings, Game, Spanish, Hamburghs,

Polish, Cochins, Brahmas, Malays, Bantams, Silky fowls, and the common

barn-door fowl, which is a very mongrel breed. The best known French

varieties are very valuable for economical purposes: they are Houdans,

Crève Cœurs, and the La Flèche breeds.

Fowls require both animal and vegetable food. When allowed to range at

large their great search is for worms and insects, which they obtain for

themselves. They must be supplied with grain, such as barley, oats, tail

wheat, &c.; and they should also be well furnished with raw vegetables,

grass, cabbage or lettuce leaves, unless they have a free range over the

fields. Boiled potatoes and other vegetables are also very serviceable

to them. The staple food should, however, be grain, and this may be

mixed with boiled potatoes. The quantity of barley for each fowl is

about a quart a week, if they are entirely fed by hand; but in barn or

stable yards they require much less. They should also always have a

plentiful supply of pure and clean water.

All fowls dependent upon man for food should be fed regularly twice or

thrice a day in the same place. The food should be given to them at

nearly the same hour--eight o’clock in the morning and four in the

afternoon, as in the spring and autumn birds retire early to roost, and

it is very bad management to call them from their perches for feeding.

Young chickens should be fed much more frequently if it is wished that

they should grow into fine, handsome birds.

FATTENING.

When fowls are to be fattened for the table, they must be fed oftener,

and with different descriptions of food, than when they are simply kept

for rearing stock or laying eggs. They then require ground barley or

oatmeal, which fattens them much quicker if mixed with milk. Indian corn

is also a capital fattener, and, as it is now cheap, may be used. Gross

food, made up of impure fat, grease, and flesh-food is very bad for

fowls. When fattening for the table, they should have their food three

times a day, at morning, noon, and evening; and they should be kept warm

and comfortable during the night.

Fowl houses should be warm and dry, and have compact earthen floors,

well raised, and littered down with gravel, from which the large stones

have been taken and the small ones left.

LAYING.

Nests (baskets or boxes) must be made for the hen, in which a chalk egg

or two should be put. The nests may be made of short straw. Some hens

will lay one egg every day, and others one every other day.

The eggs ought to be taken from the nest every afternoon, when no more

may be expected to be laid; for if left in the nest the heat of the

hens, when laying the next day, will render them less fit for domestic

use.

HATCHING.

When the hen has laid her number of eggs, nature has provided for their

being hatched by giving the bird an instinct to sit or incubate. This

instinct is made known by a particular sort of cluck, and by the hen

sitting steadily on the nest in which she has been in the habit of

laying.

In selecting the eggs to be sat upon by the hen, choose such as have

been recently laid, and not those of angular shape or extra size: the

latter are often double yolked, and rarely produce chickens.

The number of eggs to be hatched by the hen must in some degree depend

upon her size. A moderate-sized hen will very nicely cover eight or nine

eggs in the cold spring months, and twelve or thirteen in April or May.

An odd number is often chosen; but there is no advantage in so doing.

The hen having received her eggs may be then left to herself; she should

have water placed at a convenient distance, and her food may be given to

her near the place of sitting.

The hen sits on her eggs twenty-one days, during which period she seems

in a dozy state, and seems to require but little food or exercise. Some

hens will feed every day; but others will go for several days without

leaving the nest, or taking nourishment: these should be lifted off the

nest, and fed daily.

When chickens are hatching, which usually takes place twenty-one days

after the eggs are placed under the hen, it is best to leave them

entirely to themselves.

As soon as the hen becomes a mother, a great change is seen in her

character--all her former habits give way to maternal solicitude. A good

hen attends to her brood with the most persevering fondness; she will

attack the fiercest animal who dares to molest her progeny.

REARING OF CHICKENS.

When the chickens are hatched, they require no food till the following

day, when they may be fed with crumbs of bread slightly moistened with

milk, and egg beaten up with an equal quantity of milk, and then heated

so as to form a soft custard: this is the best food that can be given

them. They should also have a few grits, and after a few days some small

wheat.

If the weather is dry and warm, it is best not to coop the hens, as by

scratching they obtain a supply of insect food and worms for the chicks,

which is better than anything else that can be given them; but they

should not be let out in damp weather in long grass before the dew has

dried up. If cooped, the coop and hen should be placed in some nice dry

and sunny spot in the lawn or garden, within sight of the

dwelling-house, and where no cats are likely to prowl about. There

should be a little pan of water set within reach of the hen, near the

bars of the coop, and stones should be placed in it to prevent the young

brood from drowning themselves, and this water should be frequently

changed.

[Illustration]

The changes of weather should be watched, and when it sets in wet or

cold the young brood should be carefully protected by the removal of the

coop into some warm sheltered place, such as a stable, coach-house, or

outhouse; and so with care continue to be nursed, guarded, watched, and

attended to, till they are about seven weeks old, when they will of

themselves separate from their parent hen, take to the roost, and act

independently.

There is a great choice of breeds in the different varieties, and we

will state the advantages of each.

Dorkings are large heavy fowls, first-rate for the table, good sitters

and mothers: but rather delicate, require a good grass range, and do not

do well on damp soils.

Spanish are handsome fowls, lay numerous large eggs, do not sit; are not

so good for the table as the Dorkings, being longer in the limbs, and

not so fleshy.

Cochins and Brahmas are large domesticated fowls, very hardy; can be

kept in by a low fence; they are good layers, good sitters, good

mothers, and useful family fowls on the table.

Hamburghs are pretty, light, active, roaming fowls; they are called

everlasting layers, as they never wish to sit, but lay on incessantly,

except at moulting-time. They do not bear close confinement well, and

are difficult to keep in enclosed places, as they fly like pheasants,

and know not bounds.

The crested Polish, black, white, and spangled, are also non-sitters and

good layers; but they are not so hardy as the spangled Hamburghs.

Game are hardy, very fair layers, good sitters, the best of mothers;

plump on the table, though not very large; well able to take care both

of themselves and their chickens.

Bantams are pretty little pets, that may be suffered to roam about a

garden without doing any injury.

The French breeds--Houdans, Crève Cœurs, and La Flèche--are remarkable

for their good qualities as table fowls.

The White Silky fowls are a very singular breed, with divided feathers,

like wool or silk, black skins, and black bones. They have their good

points, however: they are admirable sitters and nurses, and bring up

young partridges and pheasants better than any other fowls. They are

also very good to eat, though their black skin renders them rather

unsightly on the table.

These varieties offer sufficient choice even to the most particular

amateur, who should make his selection in accordance with his wants and

his locality--according as he requires egg-producers or chickens for the

table, and whether he can afford his fowls the advantages of a free

range over green fields, or has to keep them in a confined space, near a

suburban residence.

THE PINTADO, OR GUINEA FOWL.

Guinea fowls associate readily with the common fowls in a poultry-yard;

but they have this peculiarity, that the cocks and hens are so nearly

alike that it is difficult to distinguish them, except by the voice, the

hens only uttering the constantly-reiterated cry of “Go back! Go back!”

The head is covered with a kind of casque, with wattles under the bill,

and the whole plumage is either black or dark grey sprinkled with

regular and uniform white spots. The pintado is a native of Africa.

These birds lay plenty of eggs, rather smaller than those of the common

hen, and speckled. They may be reared by placing the eggs under a hen;

but the chicks are extremely tender, and very often a sudden change of

the wind in March will sweep off a whole brood in a few hours. The young

should be fed with custard, &c., as ordered for fowls.

[Illustration]

[Illustration]

DUCKS.

The common wild duck, or mallard, is the original stock of the

domesticated duck, and appears to have been reclaimed at a very early

period. The mallards come from the north of Europe, at the end of

autumn, and, migrating southward, arrive at the beginning of winter, in

large flocks, and spread themselves over all the loughs and marshy

waters in the British Isles.

The tame duck is a larger bird, and varies greatly in colour. Tame ducks

are easily reared: the best way to get them is to place duck’s eggs

under a hen, for the tame duck is often a careless mother; the hen, on

the contrary, generally hatches a duckling from every egg with which she

is entrusted. She does not conduct her young to the water, and generally

exhibits much anxiety when the young brood take to it; but she watches

over them, and is ever ready to defend them from danger. “The village

schoolboy,” as old Bewick says, “witnesses with delight the antic

movements of the little brood under the charge of a foster-mother, who

with anxious fears paddles upon the brink and utters her unavailing

cries or calls, while the ducklings, regardless of her warnings, and

rejoicing in the element so well adapted to their nature, are splashing

over each other beneath the pendant foliage, and diving their heads

beneath the water.”

[Illustration]

There are many varieties of the tame duck. One of those most in request

is the dark-coloured Rouen, which is very prolific in eggs. The

Aylesbury, or white variety, is large and profitable. The Muscovy duck

is a distinct species, and not a mere variety, much larger than the

common duck, and distinguished by a membrane of a red colour, covering

the cheeks and extending behind the eyes. There are also several other

foreign species, as the Mandarin and Carolina ducks, which are kept

rather for ornament than use.

Ducks sit for thirty days. They begin to lay in February, and when not

watched will lay abroad and conceal their eggs. They generally lay at

night, or very early in the morning. While sitting, the duck requires a

secluded and soft place. On hatching, she should be taken, with her

brood, and put under a coop; a shallow pan of water should be placed

near her for her drink and for that of the young ones, but it should be

very shallow. In a few days she may be let loose, when, with her brood,

she will immediately take to the water.

Young ducks should be fed upon oatmeal or barleymeal, and kept in a warm

place at night time, and not let out early in the morning. They should

at first be kept from water to swim in, as it always does them harm.

When the ducks grow large, they may be fed upon oats thrown into a pan

of water.

[Illustration: MUSCOVY DRAKE.]

THE RABBIT.

Of all domesticated animals dear to the British schoolboy’s heart the

rabbit is, perhaps, the most general favourite.

Rabbits may be kept simply as pets or curiosities, or as a commercial

speculation, and in either or all of these conditions they are sure to

answer the expectations of the owner, provided only that ordinary pains

be taken with them. As pets, they can be made tame, affectionate, and

playful; as curiosities, they can be modified, by careful breeding, into

the oddest shapes and most eccentric colouring; while, as a commercial

speculation, they can, with proper care and forethought, be rendered

extremely profitable, and will pay a heavy percentage on the original

outlay.

As an example of this fact we may mention the case of a young carpenter,

one of those steady, hardworking, intelligent men who are sure to get

on in the world, simply because they keep their eyes open to all that

passes, always watch for opportunities, and always seize them when

found. This man used to make a considerable addition to his income by

his rabbits, fattening and selling a large number annually, besides

steadily increasing his stock. He was ever watchful on their account,

and never went to a house where he was employed in his trade without

asking for the waste potatoes, crusts of bread, and similar substances,

which he used to take home and convert, by judicious mixture, into

nutritive diet for the rabbits.

As, however, there are but few boys who keep rabbits for the purpose of

making money by them, we will treat at greater length on their general

management than on the method of feeding them at the least cost and

selling them at the highest price.

Before rabbit-keeping is attempted it is necessary to prepare, very

carefully, a habitation for the future pet, and in the following pages

will be found full instructions for that task. It is hardly possible to

take too much trouble about the rabbit-house, and any abatement in this

respect is sure to prove the truth of the old proverb, that penny wisdom

is pound foolishness.

Two objects are to be considered in this matter; the first and most

important being the comfort and happiness of the creature who is

intended to live in the house, and the second the waste of time, money,

and patience, which the constant sickness and ultimate death of the

rabbit is sure to inflict upon a neglectful owner. So we advise the

intending rabbit-keeper to expend plenty of trouble upon his house or

hutch, and assure him that the healthy and thriving condition of his

pets will more than repay the trouble, and their rapidly-increasing

numbers more than defray the expenses originally incurred.

Should a single rabbit be at first kept--a good method, by the way, of

experimenting before undertaking the more arduous and responsible task

of setting up a regular establishment--a house or hutch like that which

is represented in the accompanying illustration will be all that is

needed.

[Illustration]

Such a one as this may be easily made by any boy of ordinary ingenuity,

as no great neatness in joints is needed, and the only requisites are

strength and compactness. Should not the young carpenter possess the

wood and tools needed for the entire construction of the hutch, his best

plan will be to purchase an old tea-chest or egg-box from the grocer’s,

and modify it into the necessary form. The box will cost about

fourpence, or sixpence at the most; the wire will cost a penny, and the

nails another penny.

If no tools can be borrowed, a boy can set himself up for ordinary work

at a very cheap rate, the following being all that is really needed:--

Saw, one shilling; hammer, eightpence; half-inch chisel, with handle,

sixpence; small three-cornered file, twopence; two bradawls, one large,

and the other rather small, twopence,--these will be without handles,

and the best way is to drive the “tang” of the bradawl into the end of a

stick of firewood, then cut the stick into a handle, shape it with a

knife, and bind the end with string or wire to prevent it from

splitting. These handles are just as useful as those which are

purchased, and have the advantage of costing nothing but a few minutes’

labour. The whole set of tools need not cost more than half-a-crown or,

at the most, three shillings.

As will be seen from the illustration, the hutch is divided into two

portions, that on the left hand being much the larger, and employed by

the rabbit as a day-room. That on the right is small, and is used as a

sleeping apartment. These two chambers are separated by a partition of

board, in which is cut a hole, through which the inmate can pass

backwards and forwards.

[Illustration]

As it is often necessary to confine the rabbit in either compartment

while the other is being cleansed, the aperture must be closed by means

of a sliding door drawn up and down through the roof, as seen at A. We

have found by experience that the purpose was fully answered by

substituting a strong iron wire for the wooden handle, and letting it

pass through the hole bored in the roof. We mention this, because it is

always best to know the simplest and easiest plan of proceeding. The

wire is firmly secured, as seen in the engraving. After cutting the

sliding door to the proper shape, bore a hole at _a_ with the little

bradawl. Sharpen one end of an iron wire (the same as that of which the

open front is made) and push it firmly into the hole. Now bend the wire

upwards, until it lies flat upon the wood, and then bend it over the

edge, as seen at _b_. Cut off an inch of wire, sharpen both ends, bend

them so as to form a staple, and drive the staple over the wire at b, so

as to hold it firmly in its place. Two small holes should be made with

the little bradawl in the proper direction, and the hammer must do the

rest. Bend up the wire again, cut it off to the proper length, and all

is ready for fixing, which is done as follows:--

Take the board which is to form the partition, and which is easiest made

from the lid of the box, and cut out a round, arched, or square hole

near the bottom, the hole being about an inch narrower every way than

the sliding door. Lay the door over the hole, and place on each side of

it a strip of wood a trifle thicker than the door. These slips are

technically called guides, because they guide the door in the right

direction: try whether the door will slide easily up and down them, and,

if so, nail them firmly in their places. Then get a second pair of

wooden slips, not so thick, but about half an inch wider than the first

pair; lay them on the guides so that they overlap the door, and then

nail them down. The door will then slide up and down when pulled or

pushed by the wire.

To make this part of the proceedings quite clear a section of the door

and slide is given below: _g_ represents the guides; _f_ the board and

their slips which overlap the door; and the door itself is shown by the

dotted lines _b_*. When fitted together the partition-board, with its

door and slides, is shown in the engraving. _a, a, a_ represents the

board itself; _b_ is the sliding door, and _c_ the wire by which it is

worked; _d_ is the hole of communication, which is opened or closed as

the door is moved up or down; which is here shown as half closed.

[Illustration]

The dividing-board being thus completed, mark the place where the wire

_c_ is to come through the roof, and bore a hole about half as large

again as the wire, so as to allow it to play freely. By the simple plan

of making a large nail or waste bit of wire red hot, and charring this

hole, the swelling by damp and consequent sticking of the wire will be

prevented.

All being ready, slip the dividing-board into the box, taking care to

insinuate the wire into its proper place, get it quite upright and

square, make sure that the sliding door plays without hitching, and then

nail it all tight. Bend the top of the wire into a loop, and the most

troublesome part of the business is over. The young carpenter must

remember that the dividing-board, with its sliding door, must be made

and fixed before anything else is done, as it not only strengthens the

box and keeps it in shape, but would demand twice as much trouble after

the door and front have been made.

We now come to an easier and more ornamental part of the work.

In the engraving both doors open from the front, the one being wired and

the other plain wood; but it is best to have the larger door open from

behind, as the wire-work is then twice as strong, and all the trouble of

making a hinged frame is dispensed with.

Put the box on the ground, and draw a line from one end to the other,

just half an inch from the edge. Mark the line off in half-inches, and

bore holes quite through the wood, one hole coming at every half-inch.

Repeat the same process immediately below, but be careful only to bore

the holes half through the wood, or the wire will of course fall

through.

Then cut your wire into lengths, measuring them by the depth of the box,

and cutting them about one-third of an inch shorter than the total

depth. Laying them against the end is a simple method of getting the

precise length. Sharpen one end of each piece of wire, push the

sharpened end through the hole at the top, draw the wire down, insinuate

the point into the hole below, and then, holding the middle of the wire

with the fingers of the left hand, in order to keep it from bending,

drive it down with the hammer until quite level with the top of the box.

When all the wires are thus driven home, nail a strip of wood over them

at the top, and they can never come out again.

It will be better to strengthen it further by passing a similar wire

horizontally across the others, driving each end into the wood, and

binding all together with fine wire. This will be a protection through

which not even a rat could crawl, and which no cat could tear away with

her hooked claws.

The door of the sleeping apartment is easily made of a single piece of

board, cut to the requisite shape, affixed by leathern or metal hinges,

and fastened by a simple hasp. The door of the day-room is made in a

similar manner, but opens from behind. A row of deep notches should be

cut at the bottom of this door, and corresponding holes bored through

the back of the sleeping-room floor, in order to let all the wet drain

away and keep the rabbit dry. The hutch should be made to slant a little

backwards so as to aid in the drainage.

Slate floors have been suggested, in order to prevent the ill-drained

moisture from soaking into the substance--a result which is sure to take

place, sooner or later, with a wooden floor. Slate, however, is rather

expensive, but it is easily cleaned, and can be thoroughly washed; so

that the suggestion is worthy of notice.

Having completed the hutch, we must next see about a feeding-trough. The

ordinary troughs are nothing more than long wooden boxes; those who use

them generally find that the food is much wasted by being scraped out

with the fore feet, and that the rabbit contracts a habit of sitting in

the trough, which, in course of time, renders it very offensive, and

makes the food unwholesome. But by a little exercise of ingenuity both

these annoyances can be prevented.

To check the scratching out of the food, run a strong wire from one end

of the trough to the other, about half an inch below the edge, and one

inch from the side. When the rabbit begins to scratch, the paws come

against the wire, and get so jarred that the creature soon relinquishes

the bad habit.

[Illustration]

The habit of squatting in the trough is easily prevented by a very

simple plan. A strong wire, about three or four inches long, according

to the depth of the trough, is set upright in the centre. Another wire

is arranged as seen in the illustration, the ends being driven firmly

into the wood of the trough, and the middle passing through a loop at

the end of the central wire. In the engraving, _a_ represents the wire

which prevents the animal from scratching, and _b_ that which keeps it

from getting into the trough. The edges, whether of the trough, the

sliding door, or the guides, must be either bound with tin or edged with

zinc wire, the latter being rather preferable.

The reader will observe that in the engraving of the hutch it is shown

standing on a table, the top of which projects far beyond the legs. The

object of this precaution is to keep off rats, which are the bane of all

rabbit-owners, and can climb up almost anything. They, cannot, however,

walk like a fly, in a reversed position, on a flat surface, and in

consequence, a projecting board of five or six inches in width is an

effectual protection against these pests.

The hutch is easily kept clean by attending to each apartment

separately. First close the sliding door, so as to confine the rabbit in

the apartment in which it happens to be, and with a hoe or similar

implement scrape the floor quite clean, afterwards rubbing it with a

wisp of straw. Take care that every scrap of refuse food has been

removed. Then close the outer door, open the slide, drive the rabbit

into the clean apartment, close the slide, and scrape and rub the second

chamber.

The trough should be removed when the day-room is cleaned, and

carefully examined before it is replaced. The hutch being clean, the

slide may be opened, and the animal allowed to run about. The hutch

should be cleansed at least every day, and if a second cleaning be added

it will not come amiss. This continual cleaning will involve some

trouble; but no one ought to keep a rabbit who neglects this essential

duty, or to undertake the charge of an animal unless he intends to make

it as happy as it can be in a state of imprisonment. A supply of straw

should be placed in the sleeping-room for a bed, and should be changed

daily.

If possible, the rabbit should be allowed to take a half-hour’s run

every day; but precautions must be taken against its burrowing habits

and the chance of finding and eating something poisonous. In the wild

state, a rabbit never eats anything that is injurious, but when

domesticated many of its instincts are in abeyance, and it will eat many

substances which it would reject when wild.

The best defence against burrowing is to have a brick floor for the

animal to run about on. There is also a substance called, I believe,

Parker’s cement, which, when laid down, becomes rapidly dry, and is so

hard that not even the teeth of a rat, much less the claws of a rabbit,

can work their way through it. This cement is mixed with water and sand

to the consistency of thick cream, and while settling is “flatted” with

boards, and makes an admirable level flooring, easily washed and as hard

as stone. On this substance the rabbit can be allowed to amuse itself

without danger, and when its time of recreation has expired it should be

caught and replaced in its hutch.

We may here mention that the proper method of taking up a rabbit is to

hold it by the ears with the right hand, and to support the body by

placing the left hand under it.

Should a number of rabbits be kept, it is as well to allow each family

to have a run in succession. It is very pretty to see the playful antics

of the young rabbits, the races they run with each other, the scufflings

they have in the corners, and the staid manner in which the mother sits

and looks on, and when they become too noisy silences them by a stamp of

her foot.

This gesture is used either as a signal of alarm or defiance, and the

force of the rabbit’s hind foot is really astonishing. We have known a

buck rabbit vanquish a large cat in a fair fight simply by jumping over

her back and kicking fiercely as he passed. He struck out whole bunches

of pussy’s fur, and the cat, unaccustomed to such treatment, ran away

and left her antagonist victorious and triumphant.

It is necessary to separate the rabbits in their exercise, and not to

permit two families to occupy the same ground at the same time, as they

are very quarrelsome animals, and will fight desperately among

themselves. In any case the buck rabbits should not be allowed to mix

with the others, for they are terrible bullies, and will assault and

kill even their own children, without the least remorse. When properly

tended, the rabbit becomes quite tame and familiar, and will come to its

owner at the sound of its name.

The food of rabbits is easily obtained, and consists of bran, pollard,

grain, and various vegetables. Parsley is an especial favourite, but

cabbage leaves should be avoided as far as possible, as they are apt to

have a bloating and puffy effect, and are often injurious, especially to

young rabbits, giving them the disorder that is well known under the

expressive term of “potbelly.”

The following is a list of vegetables which rabbits can always eat in

safety:--

Grasses of the finer sorts--the coarse, large-bladed grasses are not to

a rabbit’s taste--lettuce, parsley, carrots and their green tops,

turnip-tops, green ears of corn, sow or milk thistles, clover, tares,

vetches, beet-root and leaves, vine leaves occasionally, green furze

tops, potatoes, and Jerusalem artichokes. Cow-parsley, as it is

popularly called (_Myrrhis temulenta_), is a very favourite vegetable

with the rabbit: but unless the gatherer is perfectly acquainted with

its form and leafage, he will be wise to leave it standing; for it

marvellously resembles the common hemlock (_Conium maculatum_), which is

extremely poisonous; and unless the two plants be thoroughly known, the

rabbit may be poisoned through the mistaken kindness of the owner.

As this plant is a really valuable one, we will give a few simple and

plain directions for distinguishing it from hemlock.

Cow-parsley is about three feet in height, the leaves are greatly

branched, and the stem is ribbed, spotted with purple, and covered with

numerous short hairs slightly bent downwards. The hemlock in general

shape resembles the cow-parsley, but it may be known by the smooth

reddish purple spots and its unpleasant smell when the leaves are

grasped in the hand.

Various dry grains, such as barley, oats, and Indian corn, are useful to

the rabbit; and dry peas are also beneficial if sparingly given when the

creature has been partaking largely of green food. Very little water is

needed; but it is better to put into the hutch a small pan with a few

spoonfuls of water in it. A very little oil-cake is useful in the

winter. At first the rabbits do not like it, but they soon become

accustomed to its taste, and are then very fond of it.

Before proceeding to the mode of breeding rabbits, we will glance at the

varieties into which these creatures are modified by careful management.

The three chief points in a “fancy” rabbit are the ears, the dewlap, and

the curve of the back.

The ears must in every case be exceedingly long, and must never stand

upright, as in the common rabbit of the warren. The most perfect and

valuable form is the Full, Flat, or Perfect Lop. In this variety the

ears lie as if hinged to the head at their bases, and bent downward, so

that when the animal is reposing the tips should quite or nearly touch

the ground. The convex part of the ear must be upwards, or the value of

the creature is deteriorated.

The next valuable variety is termed the Oar-Lop, because the ears spread

horizontally from the head, like the oars of a waterman’s boat. A really

good Oar-Lop rabbit is seldom seen, and when found is thought by some to

be equal to the Perfect Lop, of which, indeed, it seems to be the

preliminary stage. In all cases the measurement across the ears from tip

to tip ought never to be less than sixteen inches; the more they exceed

that measurement, the more valuable is the animal.

[Illustration: PERFECT-LOP RABBIT.]

[Illustration: OAR-LOP RABBIT.]

The Horn-Lop is another very curious variety, deriving its name from the

position of the ears, which fall completely over the face, with their

points directed to the front. In some specimens they fall so completely

over the face that the edges pass over the eyes, and must act as a

partial barrier to perfect sight, like the leather blinkers that are so

absurdly attached to draught horses.

[Illustration: HORN RABBIT.]

The lopped ears do not show themselves when the rabbit is young, and for

the first month or two it is not easy to decide whether the little

creatures belong to the straight or the lop-eared variety. Moreover, it

often happens that one or two of each family retain the upright ears

throughout their whole existence; and it is of not unfrequent occurrence

that the “lop” is delayed for a very long time, and then suddenly makes

its appearance. Sometimes one ear will exhibit the lop most perfectly,

while the other remains upright or very slightly bent. Some fanciers

attach a piece of lead to the recusant ear in order to make it coincide

with the other, but we do not agree with the practice. The ear never

looks quite natural, and as the rabbit will have or, as the phrase is,

throw young ones with perfect lops, it may be kept for breeding if a

doe; if a buck, it can be fattened for the table.

The second point of interest is the dewlap, the large double pouch which

is seen under the chin and throat, and which is peculiar to the fancy

rabbit. If the dewlap be not large and full, with its two lobes well

developed, and sufficiently firm to form a cushion for the head while

the animal reclines, the rabbit will be thought worthless by fanciers.

The shape of the fancy rabbit is very different from that of the common

variety. It is altogether on a larger scale, and the back rises so much,

that its summit ought to be two inches higher than the top of the head.

The colour, again, is very important. It may be white, black, mottled,

tortoiseshell, blue, and in fact any colour except the plain grey.

Whatever it be, it must be arranged after a special position. On each

side of the nose must be a patch of the darker colour of the body,

forming what is called the “butterfly smut.” A large patch on the back

is called the “saddle,” and a row of spots termed the “chain” is drawn

in front of the body and seems to hang over the shoulder. The legs must

be white, and the tail and snout of the same colour.

Very few rabbits possess all these qualities; but even the combined

excellences of smut, chain, and saddle will fail to gain a high rank for

any rabbit which does not possess a good “carriage,” _i. e._ whose back

is not at least two inches above its head, and whose nose and ear-tips

do not nearly touch the ground. Some writers say that the fancy rabbits

are more delicate of health and less easy to rear than the common

variety; but we have bred many families of them, and never found any

difficulty in rearing them. Their superior size renders them valuable

for culinary purposes, and, as out of every family the greater number

are deficient in the requisite marks of a fancy rabbit, the table can be

well supplied with these fat and well-flavoured creatures.

The last variety we shall mention is the beautiful Angola rabbit,

remarkable for its long silken hair, a speaking likeness of which may be

seen in Landseer’s wonderful picture of Titania.

We will now devote a few words to the breeding of rabbits.

The rabbit will breed at a very early age, _i. e._ from eight months

upwards; but those who want healthy young ought not to allow the rabbits

to breed before they are one year old, or after they have completed

their fourth year. The buck and doe should be always kept in different

hutches, out of each other’s sight, and only allowed to remain together

for a very short time. The rabbit usually breeds four times in the year,

or even oftener; but as a general rule it is not advisable to allow more

than three breeds in the year.

When the doe rabbit feels the time approaching for her young to be born,

she begins to bite in little pieces the hay of her bed, and when she

does so a supply of very fine soft hay should be placed within her

reach. She then pulls this together in her sleeping-chamber, and mixes

it with downy fur plucked from her own body, ready for the reception of

the expected family.

It is as well to put a pan of water within reach, as the animal

generally thirsts after the young are born, and unless she can get at

water, is apt to eat the young merely on account of the moisture. One of

my own rabbits acted in a very odd manner. She called to one of her

family, telling it to come to her. The disobedient child refused, and

the mother accordingly seized it by one ear and dragged it along.

Unfortunately, she pulled so hard in one direction, and the young one

pulled so hard in the other, that the ear was fairly dragged from the

head. The mother treated the matter very easily, ate the severed ear,

caught hold of the other, and succeeded in reducing her offspring to

obedience.

While engaged in maturing her young, the mother requires a very ample

supply of food, eating nearly twice as much as at other times. She must

have plenty of green food, and a mash of barley meal and milk will be

found beneficial. For the first week or ten days the door of the

sleeping-room should not be opened, as the mother-rabbit is very jealous

of her young, and if they are handled, or even looked at, will sometimes

eat them. This is a terrible habit, and if a rabbit once act in that

manner, provided that she is well supplied with food and drink, the best

plan is to fatten her for the table.

The young are suckled for about five weeks, when the mother weans them,

and they learn to eat tender grass-blades, and other green food. If the

family be very large, there is sure to be at least one small and weakly

among the number. This should be removed and destroyed, so as to ensure

that only the strong and healthy are reared.

There are several diseases to which domestic rabbits are liable, but

these ailments are nearly all caused through negligence; and in a really

well-appointed and carefully-tended rabbitry a sickly animal is hardly

ever seen.

Except in the case of valuable fancy animals, the trouble and expense of

attempting the cure of a diseased rabbit are so great, that few will

find themselves repaid, even by the recovery of the invalid. Recovery,

however, is so very dubious, that in almost every case it is cheaper and

more humane to kill the animal at once, which is performed

instantaneously and painlessly by holding the creature up by the hind

legs, and with the edge of the right hand striking it a sharp blow

behind the ears. Let the young rabbit-keeper rest assured, that if one

of his pets should fall ill, the sickness will in ninety-nine cases out

of a hundred be chargeable to some negligence of his own.

THE RAVEN.

All the members of the Crow tribe have a decided family likeness; and,

as a general fact, the relationship can be recognised as long as they

belong to the British species. But as there are several foreign birds

which bear a decided resemblance to this tribe, though really belonging

to other families, it is needful to give a few hints as to the method by

which these may be distinguished. The young observer must look first at

the beak, then at the wings, and lastly at the legs. In all these birds

the beak is strong and conical, arched on the keel, _i. e._ the ridge

along the upper surface, with the sides rather flattened as far as the

tip. The nostrils are set at the base of the beak, and hidden by plumes.

The wings are never very large, and mostly pointed. The tarsi, _i. e._

the long, straight leg-bones, are of moderate length, and covered with

strong, shield-like scales.

The British representatives of this large family are the carrion crow,

the rook, the Royston or hooded or grey crow, the chough, the raven, the

jackdaw, the jay, and the magpie.

The Raven, once so plentiful over England, is now nearly extinct, except

in some of the wild uncultivated districts, where it still lingers,

uttering its hoarse, loud cry, flapping its broad wings, and committing

no small havoc among the young or feeble animals that have the

misfortune to dwell in its neighbourhood.

To procure a raven is now a difficult task, and can seldom be

accomplished except by giving an order to the regular dealers. We do not

advise any of our young readers to possess themselves of a raven unless

they have ample space for the bird, and are quite certain that it cannot

get into any mischief. Either a magpie, a jay, or a jackdaw, seems to be

possessed with an incessant spirit of mischief, but the raven seems to

have enough for the three, and as it possesses enormous muscular power

and irrepressible audacity, it is a peculiarly unsafe inmate of a house

or garden.

For our own part, we have been for some months undecided whether we

shall have a raven or not. We should greatly like to possess one of

these birds, but then we know that he would pull up all our newly-sown

seeds, bully our cat, peck the servants’ heels, get into the milk-pail,

tear our papers to pieces, and, in short, spoil everything within his

reach. We could, of course, chain him up, and clip his wings, or put him

into a metal cage, but we think all such proceedings to be needlessly

cruel, especially in the case of a bird like the raven, whose instinct

teaches it to roam far and wide, and whose opportunities of exercise

ought never to be confined to the limited space comprehended by a chain

or a cage.

When treated properly, the raven possesses a very mine of amusing and

companionable qualities, at all events to those who treat it kindly, and

whom it does not suspect of any intention to injure. It is a capital

talker, equalling the parrot in that respect, except that the voice is

very gruff and low, as if spoken from under a feather bed.

The raven is not long in taking the measure of its companions, and has a

supreme contempt for those who display weakness of mind or resources.

Nothing seems to make a raven so happy as frightening somebody. He likes

to come quietly behind a nervous person, deliver a heavy _dab_ at the

ankle with his iron bill, and then walk away as if he knew nothing about

the assault. He will frighten dogs half out of their senses, chase the

cats, drive the fowls about, and as to the horses, he mostly takes a

fancy to them, sitting on their backs, or walking calmly and

deliberately among their legs. Indeed the raven always has a great

affection for stable life. He likes to saunter in and out of the stalls,

to flap his way from one horse to another, to peck at strangers, to

patronise the helpers, to be on speaking terms with the grooms, and, we

regret to say, has a strange talent for picking up all the evil language

which is too often found in and about the stable-yard.

He encourages the presence of dogs and cats, because he always steals

their dinners; and if he can find an opportunity of making a sly raid

upon the luncheon of a groom, he is sure to seize it. He becomes the

patriarch of the yard, and stands by his dignity as such. He _won’t_

die, but lives on, year after year; sees successive generations of

horses, grooms, and proprietors pass away, and seems to despise them for

not living as long as himself. Time seems to have little power with him.

His feathers take a greyer hue when he is a century or two old, but in

disposition he remains ever young, malicious, crafty, active, quaint,

and voracious.

He will eat anything, and can be taught to devour the most remarkable

substances, provided that he thinks them very valuable, and not intended

for food. Raw meat is perhaps his favourite diet, and he is greatly

pleased with rats, mice, small birds, fat beetles, big grubs or worms,

and similar delicacies. But he will eat bread when he cannot get meat;

and if he can only be got to believe that the article is extremely

valuable, he will make a breakfast on a newspaper or a shirt-collar.

He can be easily induced to swallow even a black-lead pencil or a

pocket-handkerchief, by a very simple process. Drop the article as if

accidentally, search for it anxiously, go away without seeming to see

it, and hardly will your back be turned when the raven will have

snatched up the missing article and conveyed it to his storehouse.

If watched from a spot where the observer cannot be seen, he will be

noticed to proceed in a very methodical manner. He will first pick up

his prize, and walk about solemnly with it in his beak, as if displaying

a captured trophy of war. He will then put his foot on it, seize one

corner of the paper or handkerchief in his beak, and deliberately tear

it into strips, which he will probably swallow. As to the pencil, he

pegs at it with the point of his beak at a wonderful pace, making the

splinters fly in all directions, and ever and anon looking round, to see

that no one is watching him.

Clever as is the raven, and intelligent beyond the wont of birds, his

very superiority in this respect often has the effect of rendering him a

victim to superior powers. There is scarcely any bird that can be hoaxed

more readily than a raven, or that can be “drawn out” with greater ease.

Those who humour his ways can make a perfect puppet of him, and induce

him to play most undignified antics, without giving him the least idea

how thoroughly he is being imposed upon.

Our last advice is that, unless the reader can afford plentiful space

for his bird, and assure it a kind treatment, he will act wisely not to

attempt to procure a raven. Should, however, he be able to afford it

these necessaries of existence, by all means let him procure one of

these most amusing birds.

Ravens require scarcely any trouble, and when they have fairly

established themselves, will not desert their homes under any

circumstances. They ought to be fed once, and once only, _per diem_, for

they will find plenty of insects, worms, and other little delicacies,

without giving any trouble. They should always be furnished with a place

of retreat into which they can retire whenever they feel tired of the

world, and they like the hermitage to be deep, dark, and warm, sheltered

from wind and rain, and out of the way of inquisitive eyes.

Finally, a raven is an excellent judge of character, and if he is really

appreciated, he will become a firm and faithful friend.

[Illustration]

SILKWORMS.

“The proudest king

May thank the silkworm for his robe of state.”--AKENSIDE.

The rearing and management of silkworms is an innocent and agreeable

pastime both to boys and girls, and it is very interesting in many

points of view. One fact is, that while the caterpillars of all the

other tribes of moths and butterflies, when they have arrived at a

certain state of maturity, show a restless disposition, and wander about

and hide themselves in a variety of places in order to spin their

cocoons, the silkworm, on the contrary, is content to remain stationary

in the open tray or box in which it may be placed. After consuming its

immediate supply of mulberry leaves, it waits for a further quantity,

and when the period arrives for spinning its cocoon, instead of showing

any migratory disposition, it seems to place itself with confidence

under the care of man to provide it with a suitable place for its

convenience and protection.

The silkworm is systematically known under the name of the _Bombyx Mori_

of Linnæus, or the Mulberry-tree Moth, which in the winged state is of a

cream colour, with several transparent bands of a darker colour across

the anterior wings and a crescent-shaped central mark. The caterpillar

when full grown is nearly three inches in length, and is too well known

to our young friends to need any particular description. The eggs when

good are of a pale slate or dark lilac colour; they may be purchased in

Covent Garden market for about ten shillings per ounce; and care should

be taken to obtain them of a proper colour, because those that are of a

pale yellow are imperfect.

The silkworm when first hatched is black, and does not exceed in length

one-fourth of an inch. The desire for food is the first symptom it

exhibits of life, and at this period it is more active than at any

other. When about eight days have elapsed after its hatching, its head

becomes considerably enlarged, and it turns sick, refuses food, and

remains in a state of lethargy for about three days. This sickness would

appear to arise from the pressure of the animal’s skin, which has become

too tight for the increased bulk of its body. Indeed, the very great

difference in the size of the worm from the beginning to the end of the

caterpillar state is so great, that Nature has furnished it with several

skins, each of which it casts in succession.

[Illustration]

The body of the caterpillar is begirt by twelve rings, which approach to

or recede from each other according to its motion; there are nine

breathing-holes on each side of the body, seven eyes on each side of the

head, and two small orifices below the jaws, through which the worm

ejects its silken filament.

The art of using this filamentous substance seems to have originated

with the Chinese, and to have been discovered at a very early period,

and the raw material was purchased by the Persians, Tyrians, and Indians

for a long time before it was introduced into Europe. For many ages silk

bore an enormous price at Rome, but about the middle of the sixth

century two monks arrived at Constantinople from India, bringing with

them the white mulberry and the eggs of the silkworm, which have since

been reared in Italy, Spain, France, and other parts of Europe.

FOOD OF THE SILKWORM.

The silkworm feeds, as every one knows, on the leaves of the white

mulberry; or, when these cannot be obtained, upon those of the black

mulberry; or, in lieu of these, upon the leaves of the common garden

lettuce. The white mulberry is especially cultivated for the value of

its leaves, its fruit being insipid and very inferior to that of the

common species, the leaves of which are equally good in this country for

the food of the silkworm. There has been a variety lately introduced

from the Philippine Isles (_Morus multicaulis_), which has larger

leaves, and which is easily propagated by cuttings put into a cucumber

frame in October, and transplanted in the following May; yet, still, to

ensure success in the rearing of silkworms the young naturalist should

stick to the old black mulberry, as such trees are to be found in

various vicinities. To propagate this, a branch from another tree may be

set in the earth, which will frequently grow. The amiable Sir John

Philipport of Hammersmith, so celebrated for his “Elysian groves and

fountains fair,” and for his sterling English qualities, has in his

grounds a fine mulberry-tree, which he reared by placing a very loose

branch in the ground in the autumn of 1850, which threw out roots, and

started at once into a tree. The story of a gate-post made of a mulberry

trunk becoming, and now remaining, a fruitful tree, is well

authenticated. The leaves to be used should be those of a large and

well-grown, prolific tree, and they should be gathered with care, so

that the young buds of future leaves should in no way be injured;

moreover, a tree should never be stripped twice in a year.

HATCHING, FEEDING, AND TEMPERATURE.

[Illustration]

Having procured the eggs, which should be obtained about the latter end

of April--they are generally bought on slips of paper just as they were

laid by the moth--they should be placed in trays made of stout cartridge

or thin pasteboard of the form seen in the cut, and there should be

provided to go over the case some thin gauze. The trays may be placed in

a window facing the south, where they are fully exposed to the rays of

the sun; there they should remain undisturbed till they begin to hatch;

and as the young worms appear they should be removed into other trays,

and fed with the mulberry leaves. The temperature should be regulated

from sixty-six to seventy degrees, and the room ventilated, and

preserved equally free from damp or too much dryness. They should be

kept particularly clean, dead leaves and dung cleared carefully away,

and in lifting them from one tray to another they should not be touched

by the fingers, but removed by threads of cotton passed under their

bodies, or with a camel’s-hair pencil.

MOULTINGS.

The caterpillar has four moultings, which may be all accomplished in the

period of four days each, if the heat of the room be increased to from

ninety-five to one hundred degrees of Fahrenheit. When the heat is

regulated to a lower standard, the first moulting takes place on the

fourth or fifth day after hatching, the second in four days more, the

third in five or six days more, and the last in about eight days. Ten

days more are required after this moulting, so that in about thirty-two

days after hatching the caterpillar has attained its full size. During

all these changes of the worm it requires the nicest attention.

[Illustration]

THE COCOON.

At the end of the time mentioned above the worms change to a clear pink

or flesh colour, and look semi-transparent; they refuse their food,

become restless, and prepare to spin or form their cocoon. At this time

care should be taken to raise the walls of their tray habitation, or

they will climb over them and be lost. What is called the cocoon nest

should now be prepared by twisting the corners of a piece of

writing-paper, and raising its edges into the form of the lower shell of

an oyster. A number of these should be prepared and affixed to a piece

of tape, with their pointed ends downwards; and into each one a single

worm should be placed when it quits its food, and seems ready to spin:

it will then dispose its web in such a manner as to leave a cavity

within.

The cocoon consists of three distinct layers of silk: the first is loose

and flossy, and is unserviceable for the silk manufacture; the second is

closer, the silk crossing from side to side; and the third is still

finer, and is glued strongly together, so as to form a compact inner

coating.

THE AURELIA.

When the cocoon is completed, the enclosed caterpillar again casts its

skin, with the head and jaws attached to it, when it appears under the

form of a conical chrysalis of the ordinary shape. At first the

chrysalis, when opened, exhibits only a yellowish fluid, but by degrees

the various parts of the future moth appear, and in about a fortnight or

three weeks a slight swelling of the chrysalis indicates the approach of

another change; a rupture down its back succeeds, and by degrees the

moth bursts through its horny coating into the hollow chamber of the

cocoon, and if left to itself would soon eat its way out.

[Illustration]

WINDING THE SILK.

The chrysalis, however, must be prevented from eating through the

cocoon; and previous to the egress of the moth from its aurelian state,

the silk must be wound off. When, by taking up the cocoon, it is found

that the caterpillar has passed into the aurelian state--which may

easily be known by shaking it, as then the aurelia, from its harder

texture and shrunken size, will be heard to rattle--then it is time to

wind off the silk. The cocoon is placed in a cup of warm water, after

the loose outward silk has been removed, and then, an end being taken,

the whole continuous filament may be wound off on a piece of card. The

length of the thread of a cocoon varies from 600 to 1,000 feet; yet the

whole does not weigh more than three grains and a half. An ounce of eggs

will produce about 40,000 caterpillars, which will consume 1,073 lbs. of

leaves, and produce from 80 lbs. to 100 lbs. of cocoon, or about eight

pounds of raw silk.

[Illustration]

THE MOTH.

When the silk is wound off the aurelia presents itself, and being put in

a separate case, it remains motionless for about twenty days, when

suddenly it appears as a pale yellow moth, with wings which seem

scarcely adapted for flight. It crawls heavily about the place where it

has been hatched, having a slight tremor in its wings, and eats

nothing: the male speedily dies; the females hover about a while without

flying, and lay their eggs on the slips of paper presented to them for

that purpose. They then soon perish. The female moth generally produces

about 300 or 400 eggs.

[Illustration: THE MOTH.]

GENERAL REMARKS.

The place where silkworms are bred, should persons wish to pursue their

rearing upon a larger scale, must be free from noisome smells, cattle,

and all noises. Persons attending them must be scrupulously clean in

their persons, and wash themselves after every meal. Great attention

must also be paid to the temperature of the apartment in which they are

kept, which must also be free from all dust or smoke; and the most

thoughtful and tender care is requisite in everything connected with

their treatment and management.

[Illustration]

THE SQUIRREL.

The pretty little squirrel has long held a high place in the affections

of pet-lovers, and there are few who have not admired the brisk lively

movements, the full intelligent eye, and the soft bushy tail of this

creature. To possess a tame squirrel is often a legitimate object of boy

ambition, not unfrequently shared by their elders. In order to give our

readers a few hints as to the procuring, management, and taming of this

pretty playmate, we offer the following suggestions.

The first care of every intending possessor of a squirrel should be to

prepare a comfortable home for the expected guest, so that the little

creature may find its first association with captive life as agreeable

as it can be made. In point of fact, the young naturalist should try to

give to the squirrel’s future home the greatest possible resemblance to

the native domicile.

The very best house for a squirrel is an unused room, fitted up with

strong tree-branches, and furnished with a cosy little box, filled with

hay and dry mosses, by way of a bedchamber. As, however, such

accommodation is not readily found, we will just describe the mode of

making a very strong, sightly, and cleanly cage, at a comparatively

small expense, and possessing the advantage of coming to pieces when

needed, and being packed flat like a portfolio for removal. It will be

much cheaper than a purchased cage, quite as handsome, and more easily

cleansed.

[Illustration: FIG. 1.]

Make, or, if you are not a good workman, get a carpenter to make, a

shallow wooden tray about two inches deep, lined with tin, which should

be turned fairly over the edges, or sundry difficulties will appear in

course of time. (See fig. 1.) Then go to a wire-worker’s, and order him

to make two frames of galvanized iron wire, like fig. 2, and two more

like fig. 3, each being about half an inch shorter than the interior

length and width of the tray, into which they are intended to fit

easily. Also have another piece of similar wire made large enough to

bend over the arched tops of the end-pieces, so as to make a roof like

the transepts of the Crystal Palace. The edges of the side and

end-pieces should be very stout, but those of the roof only moderately

strong, or it will not bend easily. It will be better to have a square

opening at each end, which should be closed by a door of similar

materials. As this wirework will be of coarse manufacture, and have

tolerably wide intervals, the cost will be very moderate.

[Illustration: FIG. 2.]

After these frames have been procured, fit them together, and fasten

them by twisting bits of wire round the edges at intervals of three

inches or so. Put this frame into the tray, and the cage is complete.

The staples at the ends are useful for receiving the hooked end of a

slight iron rod, looped at the other end to the edging-wire, as seen in

fig. 4. These rods act as braces to keep the whole structure firm, and

also hold it down to the tray. Some suitable sticks or branches should

be fastened to the wires, as the squirrel is fond of playing about on

them.

This is the day-room of the squirrel, and its bedroom is merely a

proper-sized box, with wire-work substituted for the wooden bottom, a

hinged lid, and a hole cut in one end. This should be supported on four

legs; a nail at each corner (not a brass-headed nail) will answer the

purpose perfectly well. This box is simply placed in the tray at the

back of the cage. If it can be managed, a duplicate tray will be

exceedingly convenient, as the cage needs the extremest cleanliness, and

can be simply purified by changing the tray every morning, washing very

carefully the one just removed, and leaving it in the air till the next

day. A duplicate sleeping-box will be equally serviceable. The box

should be furnished with perfectly clean hay, mosses, lichens, &c.

[Illustration: FIG. 3.]

[Illustration: FIG. 4.]

The cage should never be less than two feet long, two high, and one foot

wide. All should be thus particular about the size of the cage, because

we hold it to be a cruel deed to take an active little creature like the

squirrel from its fields and wide woods, where it can sport at will over

unlimited space, and coop it up in a close, evil-smelling, little cage,

where its only exercise can be obtained by driving a wheel round, and

its wonderful faculty of leaping wholly checked. How much wheel-work

would the squirrel do if it had the choice of a tree or a wheel for its

exercise? Even in a cage, provided it be of a proper size, the little

creature would not trouble itself to get into a wheel, but prefer

clambering about the wires, and jumping from one side to another, in the

exuberance of its activity.

Many persons assert that the squirrel is quite fond of the wheel, and

delights in driving it; but they forget that the poor little creature is

driven to that as its last resource for needful exercise; and it no more

delights in pulling a wire wheel than the caged lion and tiger delight

in their restless pacing of their dens.

The exercise of the powers with which it is so liberally gifted is

essential to the health of the squirrel, and its health must suffer if

it be not permitted to leap. Look at it in a tree, and just see what

astonishing jumps the pretty creature takes; how it will spring fairly

from the ground to the trunk of a tree, making a jump of some six or

seven feet in length and four in height; how it gallops up the

perpendicular stem, with its tail laid behind it, like a fox’s brush;

how it scuttles up the branches, always contriving to keep the bough

between itself and the spectator; and then how, when it has arrived at

the topmost branch, and considers itself safe, it sits up in its own

charmingly impertinent position, spreads its tail over its head, and

looks down with a calmly supercilious contempt on the clumsy two-legged

animal below, who cannot run up a tree, and has no bushy tail for a

parasol.

No one who has once witnessed this sight could ever be guilty of such a

cruel act as penning up a squirrel in a small cage, where it has no room

to perform its pretty tricks; and if the reader cannot furnish his pet

with a proper house, we earnestly dissuade him from keeping a squirrel

at all.

Having prepared the house, the next business is to procure the

inhabitant. Be ever wary of those wandering dealers who carry a squirrel

about for sale in their arms, stroke its head, and put their fingers to

its mouth to show its tameness. In almost every case the man is a cheat,

and in many instances a cruel one.

The apparent tameness of some of these little creatures is caused by a

small dose of strychnine, which renders the animal dull and spiritless,

and is generally fatal in the course of a day or two; so that the

disappointed purchaser finds his pet dead and stiff at the bottom of its

cage before he has possessed it for many hours. Some of these men are

said to employ a preparation of opium for the same purpose.

In cases where these impostors wish to sell an old and cross-grained

squirrel as a gentle, young one, they pull out its front teeth, so that

the poor creature not only cannot bite, but feels such pain in its jaws

that it recoils whenever the cruel owner puts his finger to its mouth as

a proof of its good education and gentle disposition. As all rodent

animals depend solely on their beautifully-formed and chisel-shaped fore

teeth for their subsistence, the unfortunate squirrel is unable to eat,

and dies miserably of hunger.

Taking warning, therefore, of these hints, let every intending purchaser

of a squirrel be very wary respecting the seller, and examine the

squirrel’s eye, to see if it be bright and lively, and its mouth, to see

if the teeth be perfect. The age of the squirrel may also be known by

its teeth: if young, they are nearly white; if old, of a deep yellow.

Squirrels when taken after they have reached their full age are nearly

always vicious and ill-tempered.

The best way, therefore, to obtain a good squirrel is either to order it

from a respectable dealer, who will be sure to supply a young and

healthy animal, or to be independent of dealers, and take the creature

out of the nest.

For this purpose the young naturalist should go into the woods about the

middle of summer, and look carefully among the branches for the home of

the squirrel, called either a “cage” or a “drey,” according to the

locality. The nest is made on the exterior of leaves and fine twigs, and

lined with moss, lichens, and similar soft substances. There are two

kinds of nests, one used in summer and the other in winter. The winter

nest is very carefully concealed, being placed at the junction of

several large branches with the trunk, so as to shield it from prying

eyes below, the blasts of the keen winter wind, and to support its large

dimensions.

The summer cage, on the contrary, is not so carefully concealed, but is

placed upon a considerable elevation, and often upon boughs so slender

that they bend in a most alarming manner beneath the weight. Still, it

often happens that a nest can be reached without danger, in which may be

found one or two young squirrels of just the proper age.

When captured at an early age, the squirrel often becomes extremely tame

and confiding, and will play with its owner as if they had both lived in

the same nest. It is a pretty sight to witness the gambols of a squirrel

with its human playfellow, to see the active little animal jump on the

shoulders, run all over the body, perch on the head, poke its wise

little head into a pocket, and then with a quick dive of the ready paw

bring out a nut, which it straightway cracks and eats as merrily as if

in its native woods. Such a sight is pleasant for many reasons; not the

least being that it proves the kindly disposition of the boy with whom a

squirrel, though naturally timid, will thus fearlessly play, and it

gives promise of more extended sympathies when he attains to riper years

and more matured faculties.

The squirrel when in confinement is best fed on the substances which it

eats while in the wild state, such as nuts, acorns, corn, and similar

substances. It will also eat bread-and-milk, and likes to nibble a

biscuit by way of a treat. As the squirrel is known to be carnivorous to

a certain degree, it may be useful to give it occasionally a young bird,

or a few eggs of the thrush, sparrow, or any other common bird. We

cannot, however, give personal testimony to the good effect of this

diet. Hard shell-fruits, such as nuts, acorns, &c., are absolutely

necessary to this animal, as the structure of the teeth compels it to be

continually nibbling. In all the rodent animals the front teeth are four

in number, flat, slightly curved, and edged like a chisel. They play

against each other in such a manner that they mutually keep each other

sharp; and in order to supply the constant wearing away to which they

are subject, they grow throughout the whole lifetime of the animal,

being pushed forward by fresh growth at the base.

It sometimes happens that a rodent animal, such as a rat or a rabbit,

loses one of its teeth, and the consequence is that the corresponding

tooth in the jaw, finding nothing to check it, grows so long that it has

been known to reach even the forehead, to form a complete ring, and

sometimes to penetrate the other jaw. In all these cases the poor

creature was miserably thin, and would probably have died from gradual

starvation at no distant period.

The last-mentioned point in squirrel-keeping, though of course the most

important, is the absolute necessity for the most scrupulous

cleanliness. In their native state, all animals are clean to a degree

that might shame many a human being, and their instinctive sanitary

customs are most praiseworthy. Even the pig, for instance, so often

cited as an example of filthy habits, is when wild a model of

cleanliness, and when domesticated absolutely revels in a thorough

scrubbing with soap and hot water. The squirrel, in like manner, though

perfectly sweet and clean in a wild state, is sure to be most offensive

in captivity, unless the cage be carefully purified daily.

It is for this reason that we are so particular in recommending

galvanized iron for the materials of the cage, avoiding wood altogether,

as an evil odour readily penetrates wood, and can never be totally

expelled. The duplicate tray and sleeping-box will prove to be of the

greatest service in keeping the cage clean, and will save much trouble

to the proprietor and annoyance to the inhabitant.

Should the squirrel-rearer prefer to employ wood in any part of the

cage, he must be sure to bind with sheet-tin every edge and angle of the

woodwork, as the little creature will nibble at the exposed edges so

continually with its chisels of teeth, that it will speedily render the

article useless.

Before closing these remarks, let us enjoin on every intending rearer of

a pet to consider well before he undertakes the sole guardianship of any

creature, and to assure himself that he will perform with punctuality

and completeness the many little offices required by animals when taken

from their natural state of existence, debarred from the exercise of

their ordinary capacities, and rendered incapable of procuring food or

keeping themselves in that state of cleanliness which is the ordinary

condition of creatures in a state of nature.

He must make up his mind that the task will be somewhat troublesome, and

will now and then interfere with contemplated projects; but at the same

time he must rigidly determine that nothing shall cause him to forget,

or induce him to omit, one single duty towards the little creature under

his care. It is dumb, and has no language to declare its wants or

proclaim its injuries; and this very dumbness ought to incite in every

right-feeling heart a strong compassion for the helpless state in which

the creature is placed, an unshakeable resolution to make it as happy as

it can be under the circumstances.

It is possible to elevate the character of a kindly-treated pet to such

a degree, that it will voluntarily forsake the society of its own kind

for that of man, and even if granted its liberty, will refuse to avail

itself of the gift, and return to the protection of the sheltering hand.

By humane and sympathetic treatment a pet may be made happier than in

its native state, and be saved many pangs of suffering by a kindly

owner. All animals when wild have to pass through a sort of schooling,

and get sadly knocked about and bullied by their elders before they

attain maturity and strength to become bullies in their turn; but if

reared in gracious captivity, they will escape the ordeal through which

they must have passed.

Lastly, let the owner remember that his little favourite is wholly

dependent on him for every necessary and comfort of life, and that it

will be a piece of arrant cruelty--or, at all events, of inexcusable

thoughtlessness--to permit the captive to feel the pangs of hunger or

thirst, or to suffer the discomfort of an unclean home.

[Illustration]

WHITE MICE.

The mouse is a lively little animal, and one of the most timid, although

he eats in the trap as soon as he is caught. The brown mouse can very

rarely be tamed; but white mice are bred and brought up in a state of

domestication, and the young fancier can obtain a pair for a shilling at

any of the fanciers. The female has frequently six or eight broods in a

year, but at these times she must be separated from the buck, who very

frequently destroys the young ones.

Cages for white mice may be easily purchased by those who _have the

money_--mark that--and you may indulge yourselves, my young friends, to

any tune, from the sweet jingle of sixpence to the respectable clink of

a golden sovereign. The best kind of cage is that like a squirrel’s, but

on a small scale.

Some boys who have ingenuity will construct pretty little houses for

their white mice. We remember seeing one on which there was a mill, by

which the white mice, very much like millers in their looks, ground

their own corn by means of a turnabout fixed on a post of the dormitory,

and it was very amusing to see the little creatures come out of the

chimney and look about as unlike chimney-sweeps as white is to black.

The principal food for white mice is bread-and-milk, oatmeal grits, and

any other common food, except cheese, which is bad for them. They should

be kept particularly clean, and their cages ought to be arranged, and

beds made up every day, or they will give out a most disagreeable smell.

Piebald mice are sometimes produced by a union of the common field-mouse

with a white mouse: there are also some expensive varieties, such as the

black mouse, and the black and white mouse, which the young gentlemen

who have more money than wit may purchase for a few shillings each; but

we say sixpence: sixpence apiece is enough for any pets of this kind.

[Illustration: MISCELLANEOUS.--CONJURING, CHESS, ETC.]