The rules for keeping cage birds well and happy are few. Cleanliness is the first requisite; then temperance in feeding, fresh air, and exercise, in the order mentioned. But these rules should be followed with care and intelligence if you would keep your birds in good condition.

Some people have an idea that all that you have to do is to get a bird, put it into a cage, and give it food and water as directed. This is very far from being enough. The habits of your bird must be studied; the climate of the room in which it lives, the amount of daylight which it should enjoy, the atmosphere which it breathes, its freedom from sudden alarms, all have to be considered if you wish your bird to be happy, and without happiness there is little chance of its being a pleasant companion.

Canaries are not included in this article, because they are bred in captivity, and have inherited the capacity for living in cages.

In a state of nature small birds flit about and sing only during daylight, and they always retire to rest at sundown. You must look out for this if you keep your birds in cages. They do not understand that they had better keep silent after the lamps are lighted. They instinctively keep on singing, as if it were still daylight. The immediate effect of this is that the birds become over-fatigued; they are apt to moult, grow thin, suffer from exhaustion, and quickly perish. The cage should be removed to a darkened room at nightfall; or, if this is not convenient, cover up the cage with a dark cloth before lighting the lamps. In covering the cage care should be taken so to arrange the cloth that the bird can have plenty of air. In removing birds from one room to another it is important to see that there is no change in temperature. If removed to a different temperature there is a strong chance that they will begin to moult, which generally leads to something serious. Remember that Nature supplies a coat to suit heat or cold in which her creatures are placed, and that sudden and frequent changes in temperature are a severe tax upon a bird's vitality.

The object in the construction of a bird's cage should be to furnish plenty of light and air, and the cage should always be kept perfectly clean. It is well to have a night covering of dark cloth, which should cover the top of the cage and extend half-way down the sides, as many birds are likely to take cold.

It is almost impossible to rear woodpeckers and fly-catchers, for they live on a special kind of food, such as grubs and other insects, seldom touching seeds and fruit; and there are some birds that it is exceedingly difficult to keep in a small confined space.

Birds of the thrush variety—and this of course includes robins and blackbirds—are hardy and docile pets, and will live in a cage with varied food from seven to ten years. The principal disease to which they are subject is consumption, and this should be guarded against with care. Of the thrushes, the robin finds it most difficult to accustom himself to cage life, and in the spring, at pairing-time, he usually pines for freedom. I cannot bear to see robins caged, although many people have succeeded in keeping them happy and contented.

All of the finches, birds of the mocking-bird type, which includes the cat-bird, will thrive well in cages.

Birds should not be taken when too young, as they are likely to sicken and die; but if caught about the time the pin-feathers begin to show they will generally live. At this time it is necessary to feed them almost constantly, and they will devour more than their own weight in food every day.

The mocking-bird is by all odds the best American cage bird. The best food for a young mocking-bird is thickened meal and water, or meal and milk, mixed occasionally with tender fresh meat, minced fine. Young and old birds require berries of various kinds, such as cherries, strawberries, etc. Any kind of wild fruit of which they are fond is good for them, but this should not be given too freely. A few grasshoppers, beetles, and other insects, which may easily be obtained, as well as gravel, are also necessary.

The mocking-bird can easily be taught a tune, as can the cat-bird, which, despite his cat-call—generally a cry of warning or distress—is one of the sweetest singers among our common birds.

Finches are very bright and animated, and make very desirable pets. They may be taught many amusing tricks. They will learn to fire small cannons and imitate death. They may be taught to draw up their food and water in a little bucket by means of a fine chain.

Of the finches, the bullfinch is probably the best cage bird. It can be taught to whistle a tune. This is done by keeping it in a dark room, and admitting light only at intervals. Every time the light is let into the room you should whistle one air to it, over and over again. Soon it will pick up a few notes, and often will be able to whistle the whole tune in a very short time. The bullfinch is not indigenous to America, although we have many varieties of finches, and some that closely approach those native to England; but bullfinches can be purchased at any bird-store.

Finches should be fed chiefly on poppy and hemp seed—the first to be given as its usual food. Now and then some unflavored biscuit may be given them, but they should never be fed on sweetened cake.

Game-birds and birds that build their nests on the ground almost never breed in captivity. Birds that are enemies when in their natural state will live together contentedly in a cage.

In regard to the feeding of birds, it may be stated in a general way that birds with short triangular bills, like the finches, live on seeds or some form of vegetable food entirely, and never require any meat. Birds with long slender bills, like the thrushes, mocking-birds, crows, etc., require animal as well as vegetable food, while birds with long hooked bills, like hawks or gulls, live on a diet entirely of meat. The reason that the birds in the bird-stores are always in such good health is because the bird-fancier understands how to feed them, and varies their diet as their condition demands.

The importance of giving a bird plenty of water, both to drink and in which to bathe, cannot be overestimated. Birds suffer frightfully from thirst when neglected, and as they have no power to express their wants, they often go for hours unheeded, when a little thoughtful attention would give them relief. Care should always be taken to see to it that their water-cup is filled, and that it does not become twisted to one side or the other so that the bird cannot reach it.