RARE CAGE BIRDS.
Lovers of cage birds have hitherto confined their attention chiefly tothe canary, the parrot, and the mocking bird. Now, however, there is atendency to acquire rare varieties and dealers are preparing to meetthis novel demand.
The bulbul is among the feathered pets now in demand in this country."A few bulbuls have been hitherto brought from India," said a birddealer. "These have not included, however, the bulbul of Persia, theOriental counterpart of the European nightingale, but gifted with aricher, sweeter, and more plaintive song."
The hill minas of India sometimes eclipse parrots in their lingualabilities, yet very few have been imported into the United States.They now retail at $17 apiece. Japanese robins, sometimes called Pekinnightingales by English aviculturists, are peculiarly colored--darkand greenish, with distinctive yellow and orange on breast, bill, andwings. They are easy to keep, possess a sweet and musical song, andhave a song period lasting ten months.
The skill of Japanese breeders is also shown in several varieties ofcage birds that are coming into notice in this country. A pure whitevariety and a buff-and-white variety of one species--the Japanese nun,also known as bengelee or mannikin--bear testimony to the assiduity ofthe Japanese fanciers. Nuns are small birds of different species, suchas the black-headed and tri-colored nuns, the spice bird or chestnutfinch, and others. Most of them have more or less dark brown in thecoloring.
Cage birds from Africa are notable for beauty of plumage rather thansong. The African weaver, in addition to attractive coloring, offersa striking exhibition of his skill in the art that has given him hisname. At nesting time, if furnished with worsted or other suitablematerial, the birds will weave this in and out of the wires of theircage, making neat and compact examples of their handiwork. Bishops andMadagascar weavers are brilliant red and black in coloring, cutthroatshave a band of red across the throat from which is derived the name,and whidah birds (sometimes but incorrectly called widow birds) haveextremely long tails.
Waxbills form a family of African cage birds which are just beginningto attract fashionable notice. These include the dainty little cordonbleu, or crimson-eared waxbill, various species of silverbills, andseveral other kinds. The violet-eared waxbill, a bird of radiantprismatic beauty, though for some years past popular in Europe, hasjust been brought to this country. Edelsingers, or African graysingers, are an African species with a pleasing song.
Lady goldfinches from Australia have hitherto been extremely rarein this country, although they are said to reach the highest pointof beauty and elegance attained by any of the smaller cage birds ofthe world. These birds tame readily, are not pugnacious with cagemates, and exhibit many individualities of disposition. Among theiraccomplishments is an interesting and graceful little dance.
LATEST ISSUES
BUFFALO BILL STORIES
The most original stories of Western adventure. The only weeklycontaining the adventures of the famous Buffalo Bill. =High art coloredcovers. Thirty-two big pages. Price, 5 cents.=
415--Buffalo Bill's Cumbres Scouts; or, The Wild Pigs Corralled.
416--Buffalo Bill and the Man-wolf; or, The Mystery of the Adobe Castle.
417--Buffalo Bill and His Winged Pard; or, Indian Against Indian.
418--Buffalo Bill at Babylon Bar; or, The Mountain Pirates.
419--Buffalo Bill's Long Arm; or, The Game-cock of Shasta.
420--Buffalo Bill and Old Weasel-top; or, The Man From Nowhar.
421--Buffalo Bill's Steel Arm Pard; or, Old Weasel-top's Mission.
422--Buffalo Bill's Aztec Guide; or, The White Indian.
423--Buffalo Bill and Little Firefly; or, Playing with Death.
424--Buffalo Bill in the Aztec City; or, Little Firefly's Friendship.
425--Buffalo Bill's Balloon Escape; or, Out of the Grip of the Great Swamp.
426--Buffalo Bill and the Guerrillas; or, The Flower Girl of San Felipe.
BRAVE AND BOLD WEEKLY
All kinds of stories that boys like. The biggest and best nickel'sworth ever offered. =High art colored covers. Thirty-two big pages.Price, 5 cents.=
331--Two Chums Afloat; or, The Cruise of the "Arrow." By Cornelius Shea.
332--In the Path of Duty; or, The Fortunes of Officer Dan Deering. By Harrie Irving Hancock.
333--A Bid for Fortune; or, True as Steel. By Fred Thorpe.
334--A Battle with Fate; or, The Baseball Mascot. By Weldon J. Cobb.
335--Three Brave Boys; or, Adventures in the Balloon World. By Frank Sheridan.
336--Archie Atwood, Champion; or, An All-around Athlete's Career. By Cornelius Shea.
337--Dick Stanhope Afloat; or, The Eventful Cruise of the _Elsinore_. By Harrie Irving Hancock.
338--Working His Way Upward; or, From Footlights to Riches. By Fred Thorpe.
339--The Fourteenth Boy; or, How Vin Lovell Won Out. By Weldon J. Cobb.
340--Among the Nomads; or, Life in the Open. By the author of "Through Air to Fame."
341--Bob, the Acrobat; or, Hustle and Win Out. By Harrie Irving Hancock.
342--Through the Earth; or, Jack Nelson's Invention. By Fred Thorpe.
343--The Boy Chief; or, Comrades of Camp and Trail. By John De Morgan.
MOTOR STORIES
The latest and best five-cent weekly. We won't say how interesting itis. See for yourself. =High art colored covers. Thirty-two big pages.Price, 5 cents.=
6--Motor Matt's Red Flier; or, On The High Gear.
7--Motor Matt's Clue; or, The Phantom Auto.
8--Motor Matt's Triumph; or, Three Speeds Forward.
9--Motor Matt's Air-Ship; or, The Rival Inventors.
10--Motor Matt's Hard Luck; or, The Balloon House Plot.
11--Motor Matt's Daring Rescue; or, The Strange Case of Helen Brady.
12--Motor Matt's Peril; or, Castaway in the Bahamas.
13--Motor Matt's Queer Find; or, The Secret of the Iron Chest.
14--Motor Matt's Promise; or, The Wreck of the _Hawk_.
15--Motor Matt's Submarine; or, The Strange Cruise of the _Grampus_.
16--Motor Matt's Quest; or, Three Chums in Strange Waters.
17--Motor Matt's Close Call; or, The Snare of Don Carlos.
18--Motor Matt in Brazil; or, Under the Amazon.
19--Motor Matt's Defiance; or, Around the Horn.
20--Motor Matt Makes Good; or, Another Victory for the Motor Boys.
_For sale by all newsdealers, or will be sent to any address on receiptof price, 5 cents per copy, in money or postage stamps, by_
STREET & SMITH, Publishers, 79-89 Seventh Avenue, New York
=IF YOU WANT ANY BACK NUMBERS= of our Weeklies and cannot procure themfrom your newsdealer, they can be obtained from this office direct.Fill out the following Order Blank and send it to us with the priceof the Weeklies you want and we will send them to you by return mail.=POSTAGE STAMPS TAKEN THE SAME AS MONEY.=
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_STREET & SMITH, 79-89 Seventh Avenue, New York City._
_Dear Sirs: Enclosed please find_ ___________________________ _cents for which send me_:
TIP TOP WEEKLY, Nos. ________________________________
NICK CARTER WEEKLY, " ________________________________
DIAMOND DICK WEEKLY, " ________________________________
BUFFALO BILL STORIES, " ________________________________
BRAVE AND BOLD WEEKLY, " ________________________________
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A GREAT SUCCESS!!
MOTOR STORIES
Every boy who reads one of the splendid adventures of Motor Matt, whichare making their appearance in this weekly, is at once surprise
d anddelighted. Surprised at the generous quantity of reading matter that weare giving for five cents; delighted with the fascinating interest ofthe stories, second only to those published in the Tip Top Weekly.
Matt has positive mechanical genius, and while his adventures areunusual, they are, however, drawn so true to life that the reader canclearly see how it is possible for the ordinary boy to experience them.
_HERE ARE THE TITLES NOW READY AND THOSE TO BE PUBLISHED_:
1--Motor Matt; or, The King of the Wheel.
2--Motor Matt's Daring; or, True to His Friends.
3--Motor Matt's Century Run; or, The Governor's Courier.
4--Motor Matt's Race; or, The Last Flight of the "Comet."
5--Motor Matt's Mystery; or, Foiling a Secret Plot.
6--Motor Matt's Red Flier; or, On the High Gear.
7--Motor Matt's Clue; or, The Phantom Auto.
8--Motor Matt's Triumph; or, Three Speeds Forward.
9--Motor Matt's Air Ship; or, The Rival Inventors.
10--Motor Matt's Hard Luck; or, The Balloon House Plot.
11--Motor Matt's Daring Rescue; or, The Strange Case of Helen Brady.
12--Motor Matt's Peril; or, Cast Away in the Bahamas.
13--Motor Matt's Queer Find; or, The Secret of the Iron Chest.
14--Motor Matt's Promise; or, The Wreck of the "Hawk."
15--Motor Matt's Submarine; or, The Strange Cruise of the "Grampus."
16--Motor Matt's Quest; or, Three Chums in Strange Waters.
To be Published on June 14th.
17--Motor Matt's Close Call; or, The Snare of Don Carlos.
To be Published on June 21st.
18--Motor Matt in Brazil; or, Under the Amazon.
To be Published on June 28th.
19--Motor Matt's Defiance; or, Around the Horn.
To be Published on July 5th.
20--Motor Matt Makes Good; or, Another Victory for the Motor Boys.
PRICE, FIVE CENTS
At all newsdealers, or sent, postpaid, by the publishers upon receiptof the price.
STREET & SMITH, _Publishers_, NEW YORK
Transcriber's Notes:
Added table of contents.
Italics are represented with _underscores_, bold with =equal signs=.
This text edition expands oe ligatures to "oe"; the HTML editionretains the ligatures.
Retained inconsistent spelling of Gallego vs. Gallegos.
Page 12, corrected typo "atempt" in "Any further attempt to chase."
Page 15, corrected typo "glitering" in "stern face and glitteringeyes." Changed "Hs" to "He" in "He iss arrest."
Page 17, corrected typo "arested" in "Why had Matt been arrested?"
Page 23, changed "secondhand" to "second-hand" for consistency ("oursecond-hand machine").
Page 31, corrected "volet-eared" to "violet-eared."
Motor Matt's Defiance; or, Around the Horn Page 20