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 452 — -V ^f rfa/>-or£> WOMAN'S PETS This section of Every Woman's Encyclopedia will prove to be of great interest to women, and will contain practical and authoritative articles on : Prize Dogs Cats : Good and Bad Points Parrots Lap Dogs Cat Fanciers Children's Pets Doi^s' Points Small Cage Birds Uncommon Pets Dogs' Clothes Pigeons Food for Pets Sporting Dogs The Diseases of Pets How to Teach Tricks How to Exhibit Dogs Aviaries Gold Fish, etc., etc. BIRDS AS PETS Written and Illustrated by F. J. S. CHATTERTON Specialirt Breeder and yudire of Poultry, Pifieons and Cage Birds ; yud^e at the " Grand Inlernational Shoiu, Crystal Palace," Menibre Soci'ett des Avi'ittteiirs Fiancais; Vice-President Poultry Club ; Hon. Sec. Yokohama Club; on the Committee of Middlesex Colittnbarian Society; Indian Gavie Club, etc., etc. Finches as Pets— The Various Members of the Family — Habits and Characteristics UvERYONE is better for a hobby of some ^ kind, and the busiest folk often are the most successful, for hobbies help to refresh the brain for the sterner duties of life. Of all .hobbies, moreover, none is more in- teresting than the care of some kind of pet. English Singing Birds as Pets To the lover of Nature the subject soon will become fascinating, and "the fever," as we breeders and fanciers term it, once it has been caught, never can be checked. The first subjects to be dealt with will be the English singing birds, and. first, I propose to discuss the family of birds known to ornithologists as the FringillidcB. Of these, finches claim first at- tention on account of their popularity, beauty, and the fact that they can be kept in confinement with success. There are several different varieties of finches in this country, all of which are _. . „^. . . ^ . members of the family Thebullf.nch .s '^^s^^f^t favoume Fringillidoe. They are the goldfinch, bullfinch, chaffinch, bramble-finch, hawfinch, and greenfinch, the other members of the family being the siskin, linnet, twite, redpoll, crossbill, tree sparrow, and the house sparrow. They are very active and lively birds, and nearly all of them are gregarious, and are often met with in large flocks. As nest builders they are careful and painstaking, the most slovenly being the house sparrow. Goldfinch (Carduelis elegans) is the most popular, by far the best songster, and one of the most beautiful of the finches. It is very hardy and does well in confinement. At one time it seemed likely that the bird would become extinct in this country, but it is now protected by the Wild Birds Act. In some counties, more- over, they are not al- lowed to be caught at any time of the year. In the northern counties of England the bird is,. ., J very scarce, and it is among bird lovers, and can , ■/ • o „.i-i„^^ into a P-' seldom seen m Scotland.