We are all lover of birds - song birds especially. How can we help being so ? They are at once the most lovely, and innocent, and joyous of God's creatures. It is good for us to cherish this love - healthful to our souls as well as our bodies: "To go abroad rejoicing in the joy Of beautiful and well created things, To thrill with the rich melody of birds, Living in their life of music; To see, and hear, and breathe the evidence Of God's deep wisdom in the natural world."

"Oh that I had wings like a dove!" said the

Psalmist, "for then would I flee away and be at rest," and it does seem that the proper home of the feathered choristers must be in brighter and more peaceful regions than those which are darkened and deformed by earthly passions and desires; and with this feeling we are inclined to look with indulgence, nay, even with some degree of reverence, upon the superstition of the Indian, who worships his "Wakon

Bird',' and believes it to be a wanderer from " Happy

Hunting Grounds" - a messenger from the Great Spirit to His children upon earth.

"Lord," said good Izaak Walton, as he listened to the song of the Nightingale, "what music hast thou provided for the saints in heaven, when thou givest bad men such music on earth ?"

That the subject of our little work is one that will interest many readers, we can scarcely entertain a doubt. There are few persons who have not, at some period or other of their lives, nourished and cherished a feathered pet; of one of these "blythe spirits" the universal favorite, the Canary, we propose to treat in the chapters of our unpretentious book.

A great many people think that to confine birds is cruel. If it were so, indeed, few would be the cage birds one would wish to see; but happily, on the contrary, for those who, like myself, are fond of the little songsters, the more we know about them, the more we are satisfied that theirs is a happy prison. Not for all birds by any means; some would break their hearts, if confined in a cage. The birds of passage, all those that come and go, should never be kept from the sunny skies they seek as winter comes. But with the Canary, as well as a variety of other birds, reared in cages and knowing nothing of that freedom upon which depends almost the existence of their wilder brethren, it would be cruel to expose them to the misery of being loose, little, shivering, trembling strangers, in an unkindly crowd. Poor little creatures, if one of them does get out, how fast it flies to seek some friendly cage; it knows not the language, the ways, and fashions of the birds around it, nor yet does it always meet with the kindest welcome from them. Besides, our canaries want petting - they have no wish, so their gay song tells us, to seek a dirty puddle instead of a crystal bath; to hide from the rain and cower from the cold, instead of hanging singing in a warm pleasant room. Most people forget to reckon on the birds' social habits; nor do they give them credit for half their loving ways. Canaries are often wild and show fear whenever approached by those who have never shown them kindness. This arises from a natural, and a very proper suspicion, of mankind. Their instinct tells them that the human race are inherently savage; and till they have some convincing proof to the contrary, they never change this, their very correct opinion. To be teased, frightened, slighted, or neglected, is their too frequent fate. But we may add with a deep feeling of pleasure, there are "exceptions" to all rules, and we know that there are many, many gentle hearts -who do love" their birds - aye, and hold converse with them too.

I have known little pets fly all in a flutter to meet and greet me, when really I thought they would have quite forgotten that they had ever known me; and only let any one nurse a wounded bird, and see if it forgets the benefit received.

Besides, they are very clever. I am sure if as many people lived sociably with birds as with dogs and cats, we should have soon a thousand proofs of their sagacious ways. Speaking for myself, I know quite well by their tones what my birds are wanting - sometimes it may be only a kindly recognition of a passing friend; but a few days ago when two were fighting and we took no notice, there was little doubt what the conquered wanted - she called us to her assistance as plainly as if she had spoken.

The editor desires to acknowledge her indebtedness to the following named works from which this book has mostly been compiled - the quotations are, as near as possible, in the exact words of the originals: "Beckstein's Cage Birds," "Kidd on Aviaries," "Adams's Favorite Song Birds," "Maling'a Song Birds," "Beeton's Book of Home Pets," and others.