Democratic Sentinel, Volume 6, Number 24, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 14 July 1882 — A Boarding House for Birds. [ARTICLE]

A Boarding House for Birds.

A card in a window, bearing the words, “Birds TSkeu to Board,” attracts the attention of the passer-by at a certain point on Broadway. A reportor saw the card and stepped inside. A hundred canary birds were singing in different keys. Gorgeous parrots were chattering and swearing. The owner of the place was induced to talk of his business. In the warm weather, when the owners of valuable birds go to the country and Europe, they find it unsafe to leave their pets to the care of servants. It would not do lo leave them shut- up in a house alone. For these reasons, the man went on, the birds were brought to him and he saw that "they had all the comforts and luxuries that the most exacting canary could' desire. The charges are moderate, only 20 cents a week for canaries. This allows a small profit of 75 per cent. “ What isi your price for boarding parrots ?” “ Forty cents a week. ” “ What do you feed them on ?” “ Well, they will eat anything from carpet tacks to boot heels, but I am very careful and keep such food away from them.” ' “ Who bears the loss if the birds die? ” “ Why, the owners, of course. I take the best of care of them, but if they don’t live it ain’t my fault.” He Baid that it was a common thing for tb9 board-

ing birds to die, especially parrots. He related a sad case. A beautiful girl left her parrot for the summer, and when she returned in the fall the bird hsd died, having choked himself with a piece of hard tack. The young girl woull not be comforted, and went into a content. There were tears in the dealer’s eyes as he told this story. “Is that monkey a boarder?” asked the reporter. “Yes,” was the answer. “He belongs to an actress, who insists that her pet shall have marbles to play with. I get $2 a week for boarding him, which includes the price of his toys.” —New York Mail .