The Indus Civilization c10.4

c10.4

Little toy birds, a few of which are crudely coloured and most provided with stick legs, are quite well known, while a small model of a bird with its beak open—evidently singing —in conjunction with some miniature cages which have been found, seems to show that song-birds were kept as pets. These cages occur in both cities and one of them has an obviously tame bird, perhaps a bulbul, coming out of the door, while other examples may have been intended to house a cricket or other chirping insect. A whistle shaped like a bird, by means of which various call-notes may have been imitated, was evidently very popular, while another favourite toy was a small animal climbing up a pole; up to the present the animal is still unidentified, but it was probably a common pet.