She and I, Volume 1: A Love Story. A Life History.Hutcheson, John C. (John Conroy)
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She and I, Volume 1: A Love Story. A Life History.
Hutcheson, John C. (John Conroy)
Love stories
Do I mean the gentleman who wheels about a costermonger's table-cart,
whereon he makes a number of unfortunate canaries pull about tiny
carriages, with yokes, shaped like those of the Roman chariots, and fire
cannons, and appear as if they liked it; while a decrepit white mouse
runs up a cane flag-staff, supporting himself finally, and very
uncomfortably, on the top?
No; I do not mean anything of the sort. The person I refer to is quite
a different character.
He is generally to be seen driving in a large, full-bodied gipsy waggon,
or covered-in break, with open sides and a tarpaulin roof, in which he
has, carefully stowed away, tiers upon tiers of cages, that contain
almost every description of English and foreign birds; not excluding,
also, sundry small pet animals--monkeys, squirrels, and toy dogs, to
wit.
He invariably accommodates two horribly-ugly, black-faced pugs,
underneath the driving seat of his vehicle; and you may generally hear
his approach, when distant more than a mile, through the chirping, and
squeaking, and squalling, of his motley cargo.
Canaries are there by the hundred, packed up separately in those square
little wooden boxes, each fitted with a small, red, goblet-shaped
pitcher and seed-rack, in which they are imported from Germany; parrots,
macaws, cockatoos, and lories; larks, thrushes, blackbirds; starlings,
magpies, and such like--down to the common hedge-sparrow and poor little
Jenny wren.
There, now! I have pointed out the distinguishing characteristics of
the itinerant bird-fancier; and, should you never have seen him before,
you will be able at once to recognise him in case of your possibly
encountering him in the future.
Well, one day, meeting this gentleman "drumming around" our suburb, I
had the curiosity to stop and inspect his live freight. In doing so I
lighted upon Dicky Chips, as I subsequently christened him: a sturdy
little bullfinch, who looked somewhat out of place, and lonesome,
amongst his screaming companions from foreign lands. I purchased him
for a trifle, and have never since regretted the bargain, for, he was a
dear, bright little fellow; so tractable, too, and intelligent, that I
was able to educate him to a pitch of excellence, which, I believe, no
bullfinch in England ever reached, before or since.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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