Chapter IX: Preface (9)

A window full of flowers and green plants makes all the difference to a room. There are always certain difficulties about growing plants in a room; but these may, however, be partly overcome. One is the great change of temperature between day and night in winter; another is the very evil effect of gas on plants; and a third is the presence of dust. The difference of temperature is met to a great extent by taking the flowers away from the window at night and putting them in the middle of the room. This is specially necessary when there is any danger of frost. If gas is burned in the room where plants are all day, it is wise at evening to take the trouble to move them into another room, for nothing injures them more. As to dust, ferns and plants which have smooth leaves should be gently sponged with warm water once a week, or else the pores will be so choked that the plants will not be able to breathe. Those plants which cannot be sponged, such as fine-leafed ferns, geraniums, etc., should be gently sprayed occasionally, or, in warm weather, placed out-of-doors during a soft shower. When a room is being cleaned, the plants should either be taken away or covered with soft paper.

The window chosen for your plants should be a sunny one and as draughtless as may be. It should not be opened unless the day is very mild. One thing to remember is that wherever the plants are they should have as much sun, as equal a temperature, and as little draught as possible.

Watering

No exact rule can be given for watering; but it should be noted that water ought never to be allowed to stand in the saucers. In winter, one good watering a week with lukewarm water, applied in the morning, will be sufficient. In spring, when the plant is more active, more water will be needed, and in summer constant attention must be given to watering. Remember, that not only the surface but the whole soil needs moistening.

Flower-Pots

In spring time, if the plants seem to have outgrown their pots, or if they are not thriving well, re-pot them in larger pots with the best earth you can get. Water well after re-potting.

Turn the plants round every day, as the sun always draws them toward it.

Indoor Plants

A list follows of suitable plants to be grown indoors. Green plants are mentioned first.

_Aspidistra._--Of all green plants the aspidistra is the best to grow indoors. (This plant indeed is so hardy that it will stand not only draught but even a certain amount of gas.) Its smooth, beautiful leaves should be carefully sponged every week.

_India-rubber Plant._--The india-rubber plant is a very handsome, smooth, bright-leaved plant. It should not be given too much water.

_Ferns._--Several hardy ferns grow well in a window. The maidenhair is very beautiful while it lasts, but it is a poor thing the second year unless it can be put into a greenhouse and cared for.

_Ivy._--Small-leaved variegated ivy will grow under almost any conditions. Its leaves should be kept clean. If grown up a small trellis it is very pretty.

_Japanese Fern Balls._--In February and March one can buy Japanese fern balls. The balls have to be soaked for two or three hours in water (rainwater if possible) and then drained and hung up in a window where there is not too much sun. They should be watered three times a week. Gradually the delicate ferns will grow and unfold until the whole ball is a mass of green. In November they should be put away in a cool dark place until the following February, when they can be started again.

_Miniature Trees._--Fine little trees can be grown from chestnuts, beechnuts, acorns, and hazel-nuts. Collect the nuts as they fall and leave them in a dark place, until about two weeks before Christmas, when you lay them in bowls full of wet moss or in pots filled with earth, and put them in a warm dark place near hot pipes, or in a warm cupboard. This warmth will start the root growth. When the root is two inches long, fill a bowl with moss or pebbles, lay the nuts on the top so that they are only half covered, with the roots downward, and keep in a room where they will have plenty of light. Water frequently but do not let much water stand in the bowl.

_Wheat or Canary Seed._--Wheat or canary seed can be sown in any kind of dish, the bottom of which is covered with wet moss. Sow the seed thickly and then keep the dish in a dark cupboard until the seedlings are about two inches high. Then place it in a sunny window. The seed, which will take about three weeks to grow, makes a beautiful patch of clear light green in a room. Keep the moss wet.

_Mustard and Cress_ can be sown in pots or on pieces of wet flannel.

_Campanulas._--Blue and white campanulas are grown in almost every cottage window, and they are very beautiful and graceful. They can be grown in pots, but are prettiest in baskets from which to hang down.

_Fuchsias and Geraniums._--Both fuchsias and geraniums are gay and delightful plants for a room. Good kinds should be bought in early summer and well watered. In winter the plants should be kept in a cool dark place, until with the coming of spring they begin to grow again. Both can very easily be increased by cuttings. To do this take off a shoot of about four inches long, cutting it off just below a joint. Then pull off the leaves just above the joint and put it into some earth in a sunny corner and water it well. In about a month roots will have formed and it can then be potted.

_Bulbs._--Bulbs, such as tulips, iris, daffodils, crocuses, scillas, and snowdrops, can be grown in pots or deep earthenware saucers that have been filled with cocoanut fibre. This can be bought at any florist's. A little shell, shingle, or sand, can be mixed with the fibre, and a piece of charcoal should be put at the bottom of the pot to keep it sweet. The bulbs need only to be covered with a thin layer of damp fibre. Water regularly, as they must never get dry. If your pot has no drainage hole it is a good thing a little while after watering to turn it gently on one side so that any water which has not been soaked up by the fibre can run off.

Bulbs can also be grown indoors in earth. Plant them in October just below the soil, and keep them in a cool dark place until they have made a little growth. Then bring to a sunny window. Horsfieldii narcissus, polyanthus-flowered narcissus, and yellow jonquils, grow well, and so do tulips, hyacinths, and crocuses. In a sunny window the Scarborough lily (_Vallota purpurea_) can be grown. It is a very gorgeous and imposing red flower which blossoms in August and September. It should be planted in autumn and plenty of room allowed for its roots.

The Good-Luck Lily, which is a strong and beautiful polyanthus narcissus, can be grown in bowls filled with pebbles and water. Fill the bowl almost to the top with clean pebbles (which can be brought from the seashore), and among them plant the bulbs and fill up with water which must be added to as it evaporates. Among the pebbles put two or three pieces of charcoal.

Bulbs in Glasses

Hyacinths and daffodils can also be grown in glasses filled with water, either glasses sold for the purpose, or any kind into the necks of which the bulbs will fit. The bulb should be placed in the glass in October, and should not quite touch the water. Use good fresh water and put a little piece of charcoal in the glass. Change the water once a week. In warm sunny weather the hyacinths can be put out of doors for a little while every day.

Window Boxes

One cannot grow very many things in a window box, but it is most interesting to grow a few. In a town it is often all the garden that many people possess.

The length of a window-box will depend on the size of the window. Its depth should be ten inches at least. At the bottom of the box some cinders or other rough material should be put, and then it should be filled up with the best earth you can get. And because of the difference it makes to the growth of your flowers it is worth while to take a great deal of trouble in getting good, rich mould. The earth may be kept level, or heaped up at one or both ends, and a few stones added to make a tiny rockery, in which you can grow small saxifrages and other rock plants.

Flowers for Window-Boxes

Nasturtiums and canary creeper can climb up a little trellis made of sticks at each end of the box, or they can cling to strings fixed to the box and nailed high up at the side of the window. Wandering Jew or ivy-leaved geranium will fall over the front of the box and make it look very gay. Bulbs, such as winter aconite, squills, snowdrops, a few daffodils, tulips and irises, will grow well in boxes. These should be planted rather deep. Then primroses and forget-me-nots can be planted, and in May a border of lobelia, one or two geraniums, pansies, fuchsias, a plant of lemon verbena, and some musk. Mignonette, Virginia stock, collinsia, should be sown in spring in little patches or lines.

Keep the leaves of all the plants as clean as possible by gentle watering with a rose. Never let the earth get dry from neglect, or sodden from too much watering; yet water well, for driblets only affect the surface, and it is the roots far down in the box that need moisture.

Cutting Flowers and Packing Them--Flowers for Post

It is best, if possible, to pick flowers the day before you want to send them off. Pick them in the afternoon, sort them and bunch them up, and then stand them in water right up to their heads, and keep them there over night. A basin is the best thing to put the flowers in, unless the stalks are very long, and a jam-pot or two in the water will help to keep them from tumbling over and drifting about. Be very careful that the blooms do not touch the water. Keep the flowers in water until you are ready to pack them. Tin boxes are best to send flowers away in; but generally one has to use cardboard ones. Choose the strongest you can find and line it with two sheets of paper, one across and one long ways, and each long enough to fold over when it is full. Then line again with some big cool leaves or moss. Dry the flowers and pack them as tightly as possible, taking great care not to crush the petals. Cover them with a few more leaves and fold the paper over. Then wrap up the box, remembering to write the address on a label tied at one end of the box, so that the postmark will not be stamped on the box itself and perhaps break it.

Picking Flowers

When you are picking flowers to send away, never pick old ones. Buds are best generally, especially in the case of poppies; but they should be buds just on the point of opening. Always use scissors to cut flowers with. A very slight tug at a little plant in dry weather pulls its roots out of the ground. Cut the flowers with long stems and with some of their green leaves, and at the top of the box that you are sending away it is pleasant always to put something which smells very sweetly--lemon verbena, or mignonette--for that first sweet scent is one of the very best things about receiving a present of this kind.

The Reception of Flowers

When flowers are sent to you, each stem should be cut with a slanting cut before you put it in water. Flowers with very thick or milky stems should be slit up about half an inch, and woody stems are best peeled for an inch or two. Put the flowers deep into water that has had the chill taken off it. Always put flowers in water as quickly as possible after they are picked. Change the water every day, and recut the stems if they look at all brown or dry.

PETS

In no case do the following hints as to the care and character of pets go so far as they might. But they lay down broadly the most useful rules. In cases where a dog or bird is really ill, and ordinary remedies and treatment do not help, the advice of some one who knows should be asked. It is because all children are in touch with some one who knows, that this chapter is not longer. The aim of the writer of most of the notes which follow has been to describe those creatures which are most commonly kept as pets, with a few suggestions as to their care in ordinary health.

Dogs: Their Care and Food

All dogs need plenty of exercise; indeed it is scarcely possible to give them too much when once they are over six months of age. After twelve months they can follow a horse, but a bicycle as a rule is too fast for a dog, and the excessive exertion is likely to make them ill. Plenty of fresh air and freedom are necessary, and your dog should never be chained except at night, when he should have a snug bed away from any draught. The house is the best place for a dog to sleep, but should he live in a kennel it must be a roomy one, filled two or three times a week with clean straw and raised from the ground about six inches so that it will keep dry. Kennels with runs in front are the best, as then the dog need never be chained. In these there should be a wooden bench for him to lie on, sheltered by a sloping roof. An earthenware trough of clean water he must always have, and most dogs will do best if they are fed twice a day: a light breakfast of biscuit or brown bread and a good dinner of scraps or dog-biscuit soaked in gravy with vegetables and plenty of rice. A rounded leather collar is best for dogs with long hair, as it does not show so much or spoil the coat, but for smooth-coated dogs a flat plain collar is best.

Washing Dogs

Dogs should not be washed very often, nor will this be necessary if they are well brushed every day. A stable dandy-brush is best for short-coated dogs, and a hard hair-brush, or one of those with metal bristles, which can be bought in most saddlers' shops, for long-coated ones.

Common yellow soap and soft thick towels should be used when your dog really needs a bath. Have a pailful of warm water, a pitcher to dip it up with, a piece of mild yellow soap, and a pail of cold water. Pour a little warm water over the dog, beginning with his back, shoulders, and sides, and finish with his head, rubbing the soap into a lather all over him at the same time. Be careful not to let any water into his ears, or soap into his eyes. Next rinse the soap well out of his coat with the warm water, beginning with the head. Then pour the cold water all over him and let him shake himself well. Rub him dry with towels and give him a run on grass. Big dogs must be washed in a yard, but you can put a little one in the tub indoors. All dogs are better for something to eat after a bath. To swimmers a plunge in a pond or river is good exercise and a tonic; but dogs should not be thrown in.

Feeding Puppies

Puppies at first need feeding five times a day. At four months old four meals will do. At twelve months they settle down into grown-up dogs, and the two meals are sufficient. Do not feed them later than six o'clock, and always give them a walk after their last meal. A few dry dog-biscuits when they go to bed will do no harm, and a large mutton or beef bone now and then will do them good, but small bones are very dangerous, as they splinter and may kill or seriously injure the dog.

Distemper

Young dogs are almost sure to have distemper, and if a puppy about six or eight months old is depressed and quiet, and his eyes look inflamed, you should put him away by himself at once, sew him up in thick warm flannel, bathe his eyes with cold tea, and attend very carefully to his diet. It will be difficult to make him eat, but you must coax him and even pour strong beef-tea or milk down his throat, for if he does not eat he will have no strength to fight the disease. Tripe is the best food for him if he will take it, but try everything to tempt him, and give him as much as he will take. When you take your patient for a walk (and he will need exercise) do not take him where he may meet other dogs, for distemper is very infectious. Put an extra coat over him, wrapping it well round his throat and chest. Distemper is a fever, and the risk of chill is very great; it means inflammation of some sort from which the dog being weak is not likely to recover. It is always best to call in a veterinary surgeon when a dog shows symptoms of distemper.

Tricks for Dogs

If your dog is a terrier there is no end to the tricks you can teach him. Always begin by teaching him to "trust," for it is the foundation of his training, and he will learn it before he is two months old. Do not keep him "on trust" for more than a second or two at first, but gradually make the time longer, until he will let you leave the room and not touch the biscuit until you return. Then you can teach him to die, and waltz, sing, ask, box, and beg. Treat him always with patience and firmness; be quick to reward but never give in to him. You will, of course, bear in mind the character of the dog in teaching him tricks. Dogs of dignified nature, such as St. Bernards, mastiffs, Great Danes, and deer-hounds, for example, you would not labor to transform into performers. The best dogs of all for teaching elaborately are poodles.

What is Due to Dogs

Do not overdo your mastership. Remember that a dog needs much liberty and independence to develop his individuality, and an enterprising puppy learns more by observation and experience in a week than a pampered lap-dog does in his whole life; he learns self-reliance, but he will always run to his master or mistress in any real difficulty, and you who are his master or mistress must be wary not to misunderstand or disregard him, for he needs sympathy and love, and if he does not get them he either becomes cowed and stupid or a ne'er-do-weel.

Buying Dogs

If you wish to buy a dog, the best way is to get the catalogue of some big dog show, and find the address of a well-known breeder of the kind of dog you wish to have. If you write to him and tell him exactly what you want he will probably send you a suitable puppy at a fair price. If you think of buying through an advertisement, have the dog on approval first. Another objection to buying a dog at all casually is that you will not know either his temper, which is generally inherited, or his age. In all cases it is best to buy puppies and train them yourself. This means a good deal of trouble at first, and takes time and patience, but the younger the puppy the easier he is to train. The best age is about five weeks old. With constant attention day and night for a few weeks you will have a perfectly trained dog who will be a perfect companion to you for years.

Brief descriptions of some of the best known dogs are here given, beginning with terriers:--

The Bull-Terrier

The bull-terrier is very discriminating in his attachments and does not easily lose his temper, or, as a rule, fight, unless he is unduly excited. He is such a nervous dog that if he is roughly treated he is apt to become a coward, but there is no truer, more faithful friend than a properly trained terrier of this breed.

The Fox-Terrier

The fox-terrier is often a restless fidgety dog in a house; indeed, to keep him much in the house seems to affect his intelligence. He fights readily, but a strong master can alter that. In sharpness and brightness and hardiness he is not to be beaten, and no dog is more inquisitive and full of spirits. Perhaps of little dogs he is the best.

The Irish Terrier

The greatest fault of the Irish terrier is his fondness for barking unnecessarily; but he is particularly intelligent, active, and vigorous, and will learn any trick your ingenuity can devise for him.

Other Terriers

There are many other terriers--the Skye, with coat nearly sweeping the ground; the black and tan, the Welsh terrier, and others less well known; but for pluck, brains, and fidelity, it is impossible to beat bull-terriers.

Spaniels

Of all spaniels the Clumber is the most intelligent and beautiful; he is also, although not a very demonstrative dog, very sincere in his devotion to his master.

The Cocker is a small spaniel: an active, merry little fellow who can be taught to retrieve. The black spaniel and the liver-colored Sussex are, like the Clumber, of the oldest and best breeds, and the Sussex variety makes an excellent house dog. He is quiet and dignified and has very good manners. The common Norfolk spaniel is intelligent, a good water dog, and a faithful companion. A satisfactory puppy should not cost more than five dollars. He and the Cocker are the best of the spaniels as pets, although these two breeds are also capable of good work in the field if carefully trained.

The Retriever

Retrievers occasionally make good companions, but for the most part they are dogs of one idea--retrieving--and have little interest in using their intelligence in any other direction.

Setters

The setter is a wise and affectionate animal. He is full of spirit and needs careful training, but train him well as a puppy and you will be able to take him everywhere with you, for he is a very gallant and courteous gentleman. In color the English setter varies with the different breeds. The Gordon setter is black and tan, and the Irish is red.

The Collie

The reputation for uncertain temper which collies have is not well grounded. They are excitable, it is true, and apt to snap if you romp too long and wildly with them, and they do not take correction kindly; but people who have owned many specimens of this beautiful breed testify to having found them always loving and sagacious. A collie should always belong to one person; many masters make him too universal in his affections, and under these circumstances he does not develop intelligently. The collie at work is the wisest of dogs, he knows each individual sheep in his care, and in snow or mist will bring every one to the fold before he rests.

Collies may be taught to play hide-and-seek--a game they are very fond of. First hide a ball in the room and help the dog to find it, and by degrees he will find anything by himself and will seek all over the house and garden. Among bad habits many collies have the serious one of running round and barking at horses. This should be checked by keeping the dog strictly to heel where he is likely to meet any traffic.

The Sheep Dog

The old English bob-tailed sheep dog is a bouncing, rough-and-ready fellow. He is not suitable for a house dog, but he is honest and true and a good worker, and one can get extremely fond of him.

The Newfoundland

The Newfoundland is one of the grandest of beasts. The true Newfoundland is black all over, except for a white star on the chest, and he stands at least twenty-seven inches at the shoulder. The black-and-white specimens are called Landseer Newfoundlands, on account of the famous painter's fondness for them. In character these dogs are dignified and magnanimous, and they are particularly good with children. Many stories are told of their gallant efforts in saving life from drowning. The Newfoundland is used for draught in the island from which he takes his name.

The Mastiff

The mastiff is the best of all guards; it is more pure instinct with him to guard his master's property than it is with any other breed. He is honest through and through, and as a rule he is gentle and a good companion.

The Bull-Dog

The bull-dog is stupid and not particularly affectionate. Although excitable he is not quarrelsome or savage, and if reasonably treated no doubt would make a quiet, faithful pet. A not too highly bred bull-dog is likely to be more intelligent than his very blue-blooded relations.

The St. Bernard

The most majestic of dogs is the St. Bernard. He is high-couraged and sagacious and very discriminating in his devotion. Once your friend, he is always your friend. Although with you he never makes a mistake, he is apt to growl at strangers, and is not to be relied on to be polite to visitors. If you have one of the rough-coated variety you must groom him regularly and take great care of him, as he is a delicate dog and subject to weakness in the back and hind legs if he is allowed to get wet or lie on damp ground.

The Great Dane

The Great Dane, or boarhound, is a powerful and active dog. His appearance is suggestive almost of a wild beast, and he is particularly well fitted to act as guard. He is gentle and manageable with those he knows, and his great courage, intelligence, and strength make him a most desirable companion.

Hounds

Of hounds that hunt by sight we have the English Greyhound, swiftest of dogs, but neither very intelligent nor affectionate; the Scotch Deerhound, dignified and very devoted to his master, and a wonderful jumper over gates and walking-sticks; and the Irish Wolf-hound, bigger and less graceful than either of the others, but with a great big heart and noble courage. Gelert was of this breed. There is also the Borzoi, whose appearance is a combination of greyhound and setter, a very beautiful but rather stupid animal. Finally, there is the Bloodhound, remarkable for great intelligence, good temper, and fidelity. He is one of the finest of dogs, wise and self-reliant and capable of the truest devotion to his master. He seldom or never fights, but is full of courage in spite of his naturally nervous disposition.

Toy Dogs

Toy dogs are fairly intelligent, but noisy and wayward. They cannot be recommended as interesting pets, since they have little originality; but they can be taught tricks, and if treated sensibly and not pampered, no doubt they would develop more intelligence. The best of the toy dogs are Pugs, toy Pomeranians, the King Charles' Spaniel (black and tan in color), and the Blenheim spaniel (white and chestnut).

The Pomeranian

The Pomeranian is a sharp and rather snappy dog, not remarkable for either great intelligence or amiability; but, as with all breeds, there are individual exceptions to this rule.

Poodles

Poodles are intelligent and the best of all dogs for learning tricks. They are also very expensive.

Mongrels

Mongrels can be the best of friends. They are often more original and enterprising than their too highly-bred cousins, and they are very self-reliant; but as a rule they are not so courageous nor so steadfast as a well-bred dog. The chief advantage of possessing a mongrel is that dog-stealers are less likely to be tempted by him, and you can give him more freedom, which will make him more interesting and intelligent than a dog you need to shut up and look after carefully.

Cats

There is very little to say about cats, except that they need much petting and plenty of milk and tit-bits. They should always have a warm bed in a basket or chair. They should never be allowed to stay out-of-doors at night.

Wild Rabbits

Of all rabbits the brightest and most intelligent, as a pet, is the wild rabbit. If you can get two or three baby wild rabbits and feed them on milk, they will grow up very tame. We heard recently of two small wild rabbits that were taken out of the nest and brought up by hand. They and their mistress and a collie pup would play together, and they ran about the room, racing over the floor and furniture. In the summer one escaped from the coop on the lawn in which they were shut up, so the other was turned loose too. They would both come out of the bushes when called, run about over one's dress, and hunt pockets for oats or bits of apple, and would still play with their old friend the collie. It is sad to tell of their death, which they met at the jaws of a strange dog who came marauding. They did not recognize in him an enemy, and easily fell his victims.

Tame Rabbits

The long-haired Angora variety of rabbit is intelligent and very handsome. These need regular grooming and great care, or their long coat gets matted and frowsy. Belgian hares are big, powerful animals, rather apt to be uncertain in temper, but they have beautiful glossy coats and are enterprising and amusing. The lop-eared rabbit is a stately beast and less brisk than his prick-eared relations. The Himalayan rabbit has no connection with the mountain chain from which it has its name, is white, with all its extremities--nose, ears, tail, and feet--black or very dark in color. The Dutch rabbits are small. The body is colored, but the neck, forelegs, and jaws are white. But to the ordinary owner of a rabbit in a hutch, particular variety does not matter very much.

Rabbits' Hutches

A good hutch can be made of a grocer's box, by covering the open front partly with bars or wire netting and making a door. The hutch should stand on legs, or at any rate should be raised from the ground, and holes should be bored in the bottom for drainage. Then put in clean straw, and it is ready for the rabbit. In cold or wet weather and at night, it is well to throw a cloth over the hutch for warmth. The hutch must be well ventilated, and it should be made in two compartments, one to admit plenty of light, and the other dark. It should be made so that the animal may be confined in either compartment while the other is cleaned out.

Food and Exercise

Bran, grain, and vegetables--such as peas, parsley, carrots, turnip-tops, but not much cabbage--serve for rabbits' food. It is advisable to vary it occasionally. The leaves should not be wet, but a dish of clean water may always stand in the hutch.

The animal should be allowed at least half an hour's run every day, precautions being taken against its burrowing habits, and against its finding anything poisonous to eat. More than one family should not be allowed out at the same time, as they are very pugnacious. Most diseases are the result of neglect in cleaning out the hutch regularly and thoroughly. Rabbits which most nearly approach the wild in color are hardiest.

Teaching Rabbits

If you find you have an intelligent rabbit who quickly learns to come to you when you call him by name, you will find, with patience, you can teach him that when you say "On trust," he must not touch the dainty you offer him, and that "Paid for" means he may have it. He will also learn to "die," and shake hands when you tell him to do so.

Guinea-Pigs

Guinea-pigs need treatment and housing similar to rabbits.

Squirrels

In buying a squirrel make sure it is a young one, because whereas a young one is difficult enough to tame, an old one is not to be tamed at all. Unless you can give him a really large cage, with room for a branch on which he may leap about, it is cruel to keep a squirrel at all, so beautifully free is his nature. A little side compartment containing a revolving wheel should be added. Your only chance of taming him is to be extremely quiet and gentle in all your visits to the cage and in giving him his food--nuts, acorns, grain, cold boiled potatoes, dry bread, and now and then a small piece of cooked meat. A very charming account of what it is possible to do with tame squirrels will be found in a little book called _Billy and Hans_, by Mr. W. J. Stillman.

Mice

Mice should have a cage with two compartments, one of which should have a door in the woodwork but no wires. In this room should be a bed of hay. The natural food of mice is grain, but in captivity they are generally fed on bread and milk and slices of apple. They can be tamed to a small extent, but for the most part they do no more than run round a wheel, although if other gymnastic contrivances are offered them they will probably do something with them. Dormice (to whose food you may add nuts) sleep through the winter months, and are therefore not very interesting for more than half the year.

Turtles

A turtle is rather an interesting animal to keep, although he will not do much in return. Even in summer they have a curious way of disappearing for weeks together, and in winter, of course, you see nothing of them. An ordinary mud turtle is often seen moving slowly along the roads after a rain. He can be carried home by turning him over on his back--but be careful to keep your fingers away from his snapping mouth. As a rule they can feed themselves, and they also have the happy knack of doing without food altogether for long periods, so that you need not be anxious.

Fish

Bowls of goldfish are not uncommon, but few people seem to care for fish of other kinds. And yet a little aquarium can be stocked for a small sum and is a most interesting possession. One small tank of young bream, for example, can be a perpetual and continually fresh delight. Let the tank have cloisters of rockwork and jungles of weed, so that hiding may be possible, and then watch the smaller fish at their frolics. Young trout are hardly less beautiful, and very easy to keep healthy, in spite of general opinion to the contrary. The important thing is to maintain a current of water through the tank. The old way was to carry the overflow down a pipe in the centre through its surface opening, but an improvement on this system is for the leakage to be at the bottom of the tank and the inflow at the top. Young perch are beautiful too,--and tench, and dace, and roach,--and all are hardy. Feeding them is very simple. The shop from which you buy the fish will keep you supplied with the proper food. The American catfish, with its curious antennae or whiskers, and its gleaming eyes, set as by a jeweler, is more wonderful, and not a whit more difficult to keep. But to be amused by such unfamiliar neighbors as a tankful of fish there is no real need either to stray abroad or to spend any money. The ordinary minnow, which you can catch in any stream and pop into a jar, will serve to introduce you to a new world--a world of silent progressions, of incredible celerities, of amazing respirations.

Silkworms

Silkworms, if kept at all, ought to be taken seriously and used for their true purpose. That is to say, you really ought to wind their silk carefully. Few owners of silkworms in this country seem to trouble to do this. Silkworms' eggs can be bought of any naturalist, or some one who keeps silkworms will willingly give you some. The time is about the end of April. They are usually laid on scraps of paper, and these you put in shallow paper and cardboard trays covered with gauze, and place them in the room where the sun can reach them. As the worms hatch out you must move them--it is done best with a small paint brush--to another tray or trays and keep them supplied with fresh mulberry leaves or lettuce. The worms continue to grow for about a month, and then, when full-sized, they prepare to spin. You may know that this time is reached by their refusal to eat, and you must then make a little paper toilet, about two inches deep, for each worm, and drop it in. You have now nothing to do (except to watch the worms regularly) for some weeks, in which time the cocoon has been finished and the worm has become a chrysalis. When the chrysalis inside the cocoon rattles the time has come to wind the silk, or the moth will shortly emerge and eat it. The outside of the cocoon is useless and can be removed by placing the cocoon in warm water. Once that is out of the way, the silk can be wound on a card. The moth soon afterward appears and, after growing to its full size, lays its eggs--some two hundred--and dies. It must be remembered that with silkworms a little practical demonstration from any one who has kept them is worth much more than many pages of hints. One thing is of the highest importance, and that is constant attention. Silkworms must never be neglected.

Other Caterpillars

Silkworms are more useful but not more interesting than many other caterpillars which can be hatched from eggs. The Privet Hawk Moth, for example, is very easily bred, and a very beautiful creature it is when in full plumage. But for information on this subject you must go to more scientific books.

Pigeons

Pigeons are not exactly pets, for they rarely do more than come to you for their food, just as chickens do, but they are beautiful creatures and no country roof is quite complete without them, and a dove-cot is a very pretty and homely old-fashioned object. Usually, however, the birds are given a portion of a loft. Whatever the nature of their home, it must have separate compartments for each pair of pigeons and must be warm. If a loft is used there should be sand or gravel on the floor, with a little lime to assist the formation of the shells of the pigeons' eggs. The place should be kept clean, and you must guard against rats and cats. Pigeons eat peas and pigeons'-beans and most kinds of grain. If they fly loose they will find out other food, such as green meat, for themselves. But if you keep them at home you ought to give them some. They should have a dish of water in a regular place. New pigeons should be shut up by wiring in their house for a fortnight before you give them their liberty, or they will fly away. They do not care for hay or straw in their boxes, but will make a nest in their own way when they need one. Pigeons are of many kinds, the commonest of which is perhaps the Runt, and the prettiest a white Fantail. Any one who takes up pigeons except merely for the pleasure of owning one or two should read up the subject carefully.

Doves

Doves, which are happier when kept in pairs, require the same food as pigeons. As a rule they are kept in wicker cages. They are not very interesting.

Parrots

Parrots are most companionable pets, and, next to a dog, quite the most interesting and intelligent. They are always cheerful: whistling, singing, and talking. The gray parrot is the best talker, and speaks much more distinctly than any other kind, but the Blue-fronted Amazon is more amusing and far better-tempered as a rule. These birds are very beautiful, with bright green plumage and touches of yellow and red, and a blue patch on the forehead. The best food for parrots is parrot seed, on which they may be fed entirely, and they should never be allowed dainties except nuts, fruit, and a little piece of sugar. In the summer time sprinkle your parrot with water through a fine hose every morning, but in the winter do so only when he asks for a bath by trying to get into the water basin. As to talking, parrots will pick up far more readily any words they hear by accident than any that you set yourself to teach them. They will also get by heart in this way a few bars of a whistled tune. When parrots are apparently spiteful it often proceeds much more from nervousness than from vice. If frightened they will peck anything near them. It is important to have a thick baize cover for your parrot's cage, and to put this over it directly the lamps are lit.

Smaller Cage Birds

Before coming to the different kinds of birds which you can keep, a few general words about their care ought to be said. Remember that with them, as with all pets, the most important of all rules is perfect cleanliness. The best cages are wooden ones with unpainted wires, and the perches should be of different thicknesses, as, if they are all one size, the bird is likely to get cramp in his feet. Once in a week at least the perches and tray should be scrubbed with very hot water with soda in it, but they must be dried thoroughly before they are put back into the cage; therefore if possible it is best to have two sets of perches and to use them alternately. A thick layer of red sand or shell gravel should be sprinkled on the tray, and occasionally a pinch of maw-seed thrown on it.

Baths

All birds should have a bath given them. They like best a shallow glass dish, which should be put in the cage when the tray is out. It is a good plan to put a biscuit-tin lid on the floor of the cage to prevent the bird from making the woodwork wet. Other rules in the care of all birds are--never let them be in a draught, but do not keep them in a very warm place. Cover them with a white cloth at night, and in cold weather put a shawl over that.

Food

Seed-eating birds do best if they are fed on canary seed and a little summer rape, with now and then a few hemp-seeds, some Hartz mountain bread, and a bit of groundsel or water-cress that has been well washed. If they look dull and sit in a puffed-up little heap, a drop of brandy in their water often does good; and, should they show signs of asthma, try chopped, hard-boiled egg, with a few grains of cayenne pepper, and a bit of saffron or a rusty nail in the water. These are also good when the bird is moulting. For insect-eating birds you must buy meal-worms and ants' eggs, and thrushes and blackbirds need earth-worms as well.

Tricks

Some birds are easily taught tricks. We remember a red-poll who would draw his water up from a well in the cage in a little bucket; but if you teach your bird to do this you must be careful to watch him, in case the string gets twisted and the bucket does not reach the water, when your pet will suffer terribly from thirst. He will also learn to pull his seed-box up an inclined board if you put it day by day a little farther from him, so that he must draw the string to get his food. It is better to take a long time in training birds, and tempt them with any dainty they care most for, such as water-cress, groundsel, chickweed, or hemp-seed, as otherwise you must starve the bird first, or he will not trouble to get the seed. This means a certain amount of cruelty and cannot be right.

Canaries

The favorite cage-bird is the canary, which, though a foreign bird, is kept in this country in greater numbers than any other bird, and is also bred here. One has to be very well posted up in the nature of the bird to be protected against deception when buying it; and you ought therefore, in getting a canary, to find some one competent to buy what you want.

Canaries must be kept carefully. They cannot stand much air. Be particular that the cage does not hang in a draught, and let it be large enough for comfort. When evening comes it is kinder to take the cage out of a room in which there will be much light and noise, and put it somewhere dark and quiet, as the air of a room where gas is burned is not good for it. But if moving the cage is not convenient, lower it to a position below the level of the burners and cover it up with a thick cloth. By day the cage should be hung in the sunshine if possible, but if the sun is very hot a green gauze cover ought to protect the bird a little. If the bird's singing is too lusty--as sometimes happens--a handkerchief thrown over the cage will check it; but this seems rather hard treatment.

In feeding canaries follow the rules on p. 356, but you may put a lump of sugar between the bars now and then, or a sprig of groundsel or water-cress. Do not give them cake; it is no real kindness.

When they are moulting, canaries (and other birds too) need rather more attention. Give them a little richer food, such as chopped-up eggs, and put some saffron in the water. There is a kind of insect called the red mite which often attacks canaries. It is not the rule by any means that canaries should be thus troubled--many escape--but it may happen. If you cannot account for the bird's despondency in any other way, catch it and look at its skin under the feathers of the breast and the under part of the wings. If there are little red spots, it means that the red mites have found out the cage, and you must wash the bird every day with a weak solution of white precipitate powder--about twelve grains to a small glass of warm water--and either wash the cage too with a stronger solution, or, if it is a wooden one, destroy it. Now and then you ought to clip their claws, if they seem too long.

The Love-Birds

The love-birds feed almost entirely on millet or canary seed, and they like a sod of grass in their cage. They are bright little birds, but are naturally very wild and need much petting if you wish to tame them. Once tamed, however, they are very confiding and amusing.

The Cardinal

One of the most beautiful of cage-birds is the red-crested cardinal. He is quite hardy and eats seeds and insects impartially, thriving on canary, millet, and a little hemp-seed, with meal-worms now and then. He should always have a very large cage, or he will spoil his plumage. His song is sweet and strong.

Wax-Bills

Wax-bills eat millet-seed, canary seed, and a little soaked bread and sponge-cake.

Other Foreign Birds

Java sparrows are pretty creatures, although they do very little for you. Perhaps the most attractive of small foreign birds is the avadavat, a tiny, perky little soldier. These live quite comfortably together; and indeed, if it is permitted, you should certainly, for the non-singing birds, have a large cage and keep many such birds in it rather than put them in small cages. They will be far happier.

The Chaffinch

The chaffinch has to re-learn his song every spring, and for a fortnight or more you will hear him trying his voice very sweetly and softly, but as soon as he has acquired his song in perfection, it will be so strong and piercing that on fine days he often has to be banished from the sitting-room. He should not, however, be exposed too much to sun and wind; a cloth thrown over half the cage will make a shelter. The chaffinch is another bird that should never be put in a bell-shaped cage. He should occasionally have flies and other insects given him. He is lively and hardy and a very gay companion.

The Goldfinch

We remember a goldfinch that became very tame, perching on his owner's hands and taking seed from her lips. Goldfinches should never be kept in bell-shaped cages--which make them giddy--but should have one with a square flat top. Along this they will run head downward. They are such active birds that they need plenty of space. They chatter all day long and are very cheery, and they are very beautiful in their brown, gold, and scarlet coats. In a wild state the goldfinch feeds chiefly on the seeds of weeds and thistles, groundsel, and dandelion, and he is therefore a friend to the farmer, but in captivity be will thrive on canary and German rape with several hemp-seeds daily, and now and then lettuce, thistle-seed, and fruit.

The Bullfinch

The bullfinch is squarely built, with a black head and pink breast. No bird can be more affectionate and intelligent. He will learn to pipe tunes if you put him in the dark and whistle a few bars of some easy melody to him over and over again; and he soon gets a number of fascinating tricks. After a while you will be able to let him out of the cage at meal-times, when he will hop about from plate to plate and steal little tit-bits. No bird is so fond of sitting on its owner's shoulder as the bullfinch can be. Also, unhappily, few birds are so liable to fatal illness. A bullfinch can be apparently quite well one minute and the next you find him lying at the bottom of the cage. Over-eating is often the cause of his death, so that one must be careful. Hemp-seed and apple-pips, for instance, which he loves, should be given in moderation. Rape and millet, lettuce and ripe fruit suit him best. Gardeners are great enemies of this sturdy little bird on account of the damage he does amongst fruit-trees, but he probably does a great deal more good than he does harm by eating insects which are fatal to plants.

The Yellow Bunting

The yellow bunting (or yellow hammer) can be a pet; and he has the sweetest little whispering song. If you have a caged bunting, his seed should be soaked in cold water for some hours before it is given to him, and he must have the yoke of a hard-boiled egg, meal-worms, ants' eggs, and any insects you can catch for him. He must also have plenty of opportunities for bathing, and as much fresh air without draughts as possible.

The Blackbird

The blackbird is delicate when caged and must have plenty of nutritious food, bread and milk, boiled vegetables, ripe fruit, insects, and snails. He is a thirsty bird and needs plenty of water.