"Girls' Own Pets," from Girls' Own Paper - 1881-1882
This delightful series by Gordon Stables (who is also GOP's health contributor under the pseudonym of "Medicus") examines a variety of wild birds that were (at least in Victorian times) thought to make good pets. Stables apparently has a fair amount of experience in this regard, as he writes about several of his own avian pets in the series.

Part 1: The starling, and all about it; jays, jackdaws, rooks and ravens; my loving and affectionate magpie, Maggie [who speaks for herself in this piece].

Part 2: Characters and anecdotes of rook, raven and jackdaw; my raven "John"; the nightingale; the skylark; a word about cages.

Part 3: The mavis or thrush; the blackbird.

Part 4: The linnet or lintie; the robin.

Part 5: The redstart; a few words about "German paste"; Jenny Wren; the golden-headed wren; a golden eagle; the stone-chat and whin-chat; the goldfinch.

Part 6: A bird-haunted kirkyard; a few words about husk and about moulting.

Part 7: The nightingale's song; a pet bat; the domestic swallow; the blackcap; garden warbler; white throats; wheatear, chiff-chaff, etc.

Part 8: A country lawn in June; turtle-doves; zebra or peaceful doves; the cushat or ring-dove; pigeons.

Part 9: The siskin and canary.

"Girls' Own Pets," from Girls' Own Paper - 1882-1883

The second part of the series examines "Foreign Birds."

Part 1: Foreign birds, their beauty and colours; bird life in an aviary; parlour pets.

Part 2: Pet crows; foreign starlings; weaver birds; waxbills.

Part 3: Soft food and seeds for the aviary; some pretty aviary pets; a few words about budgerigars.

Part 4: Conclusion

"Bird Life," from Girls' Own Paper - 1888-1889

This series is authored by "A Naturalist," but based on the style, I'd be willing to be it's also by Gordon Stables.

• Bird Life in January
• Bird Life in February
• Bird Life in March
• Bird Life in April
• Bird Life in May
• Bird Life in June
• Bird Life in July
• Bird Life in August
• Bird Life in September
• Bird Life in October
• Bird Life in November
• Bird Life in December