One fascinating sidelight into Victorian pastimes is this volume – a wealth of detail about the keeping of British songbirds. Canaries and other songbirds were not just kept domestically though they were widely kept at home and there was an explosion of interest in the breeding, care and nutrition of various species of birds.
A newspaper advertisement of 1886 appealed to the enthusiastic bird keeper’s fears of the loss of voice and plumage…
‘All Birds require a Variety of Seed which must be thoroughly cleaned and free from mice taint. OLIVER’S MIXED BIRD SEED is the only Seed mixed on Scientific Principles, and is approved by the first English and Continental authorities.’
In many poorer areas, including parts of the East End, there was also a thriving world of keeping birds for the world of birdsong competition with betting on the singing progress of various birds. Matches were scored by tallying each piece of song from each bird over a fixed time.
The Solitary Reader 