ceful shape, the most delicate yellow color,
and the most clear and joyful voice that ever were seen or heard. He
lived in a large cage of bright brass wire, which had a circular top
and three perches. One perch was just level with his long seed-box,
and, in fact, led up to it; the second perch was in the middle of the
cage, and the third was in the circular top, which arched over him in
the shape of a bell. He often had groundsel and chickweed hung in the
wires over head, to look like a bower; and opposite this top perch was
a small looking-glass, in which he could see himself. He had a
drinking-glass hung outside his cage at the bottom, and up in one
corner a round bath-glass to wash in. Every morning he had his bath;
then he took his breakfast; then he hopped up to the top perch under
his bell-shaped bower, and set his feathers all to rights at his
looking-glass; then he bowed to himself once or twice (fancying all
the while he saw another canary in the glass); then he polished his
bill upon the perch to complete his toilet; and then he sang himself a
delightful song. His name was Dicky. He was quite a gentleman.

[Illustration]

When the weather was fine, this very gentleman-like canary bird was
always hung in a mulberry-tree. Whenever he found himself among all
these beautiful green leaves he sang louder and more joyfully than
ever. Fanny and Charles, therefore, thought it was a pity to leave the
poor little Foundling so lonely in his pear-tree by the stable, and
accordingly they brought his funny old lantern and hung it upon the
next bough to the one that held the cage of the canary. And there all
day the poor little ragged lame sparrow sat looking with earnest eyes
of admiration at the beautiful canary, and listening with the greatest
wonder and pleasure to his singing. He only now and then ventured,
when the canary stopped to utter his "_chirp! chirp!_" as much as to
say, "more! more!" They were hung up close together in this manner
almost every day for a week or two. They looked at one another very
much; the nestling sparrow evidently regarding the canary with great
admiration, and the canary seeming to pity and be sorry for the poor
little lame Foundling.

One day Fanny said to her brother, "Do you see, Charley, how these
birds look at each other? I should so much like to put Chirp into
Dicky's cage."

"I have been thinking of the very same thing," said Charles. "Let us
run and ask mamma if we may do it."