JR) H I S T O R'.T OlFf )?n X ' '« - rra^iu^.VinS'T- vyr;'////^/ y K, ( r / , / / v ) ZZs / // / / 1 A / f. * If / f / f //// /■/ f/rj/. /zzzzz /zzz?yj /-/ <* A/ / A // /v///Ay / / ' 7 r . / / , / ,s / J£ ZZ V, < ZTs/ // sy / >,-/'// / ✓ f. // s s/s TY'zs ///’■> V A the preparat ion and choice of their \ N^^.0^6‘c ’ ^ r ^ //Co z/ss f /s.j/'/r/s v.j ^ZZ/s.y // /-/■ ^//Zys sZ /,. ^ dth the inttdeoftrt'alnieiil , j) ) '.j/s/S 7 / Z >// // // f 7 /// ;,/ / /// 7 of 5 / /j X" ( - Z/'s/ //■>///// // //■//;// ZZs S > //■/ /TrZs />/ Zzfs OUltt dc^ulfbii.^ ' • V? ^ 1 ^ ' > y n - j .> — - ■ — the whole ornamented with Copper Plates ( » Cz > — ' f v / s oy/ Y ;■////'/// yj ssyZss ^ r E :D I 1ST B HT R G. H:i 1 /# . C ' / v / / /r zz /f ’z ( z / / Czz ■ t ' 7 /j / z< / ' * Sf.'/ s '/■/// / _Z / ys/ f // />y,s / ( ■ sr/'/ s ' s / sss ’ 7 '/' ' ' X? • ZZ warn ADVERTISEMENT. .Among the various embellifhments which adorn and ' enliven the face of Nature, the numerous tribe of Singing Birds is not one of the lead interefting j we need not therefore wonder, that mankind fhould annex a proportionable value to this beautiful part of the creation, which contributes fo largely to al- leviate and footh his labours in the field, or to ex- hilarate his hours of tedioufnefs and of laffitude in the clofet ; nay, it is not improbable, that to the melodious notes of thofe natural muficians, he was indebted for his firfl ideas of mafic. We find, ac- cordingly, that the estimation they are held in is equally ancient and univerfal, and that In all coun- tries where civilization had made any advances. Singing Birds became no inconfiderable article of luxury. Tropical climates produce a race remark- able for brilliancy and variety of feather; they are, however, furpafled in fong by the natives of colder regions ; but our own country perhaps exceeds every other, in producing birds unrivalled for the flrength, fweetnefs, and modulation of their notes. As there- fore the fuperlntendanee of thefe in a domeftic Ifcate forms fo -delightful and innocent a recreation, the Editor of the following, little work thinks any apology unneceflary for offering it to the pubi c. A concife, accu r ate, and well-digefled account of the hilTory and management of Singing B’rds feemed tD: be much wanted; that deficiency is now at- a. ADVERTISEMENT; tempted to be fuppli cd> by the prefent U nd ^■h.ch, befides a variety of information jeft, not to be found in any fimilar Trca i ^ duaes feveral valuable articles, from the £uffon, and other celebrated Natural!^ * ° f -But fince no defcription, however juft or li Te l v convey fo true an idea as a reprefentation £ 7 eye, care has been taken to illuftrate this Work , I engravings of the cock and hen of each individual Finally, as the Editor has been fparing neither 0 r pains not expence to render this little book as co m ’ plete as the plan would admit, fo he flatters himf e 4 that it will be found not unworthy of public alter* CONTENTS. Cxeneral Obfervations on the Singing of Birds, Experiments and Obfervations on the Singing of Birds j by the Hon. Daines Barrington, Directions for making Pafte for foft-biiled birds, Of the Biack-Bird, Thrufh, or Mavis, Starling, Sky-Lark, Wood-Lark, - Tit-Lark, Nightingale, Red-Breaft, . Wren, - _ Crefled-Wren, Red-Start, - Hedge-Sparrow, Yellow-Hammer, _ Reed-Sparrow, Canary Bird, - _ Buffon’s Natural Hiftory of the Canary-Bird, - of the Sifkin or .Aberduvine, Of the Gold-Finch, Chaffinch, » Greenfinch, Linnet, 164 73 1 1 16 23 27 sr 44 47 5 * 58 62 6 4 67 70 72 75 90 127 *33 140 *43 1 46 contents Of the Red-Pole, Twite, - Bull-Finch, Virginia-Nightingale, or Red- Bird, DIRECTION to the BINDER, Place the Plates oppofite the pages dire&ing different Bitds.- *5 6 % i6j __ GENE R A 1 OBSERVATIONS 0 N BIRDS. O Uadrupeds have feme diftant re-fern- b'iance, in their internal ftrudfure, with n wn, but that of Birds is entirely dif- fimilar j thefe animals feem wholly formed to in- habit the empty regions of air, in order that no part of nature may be left un tenanted. Their wings, which are their principal inftruments of hignt, are formed, for this purpofe, with the greateft exachnefs, and placed at that part. of tae;r body winch bed ferves to poize the whole, and fupport it m a fluid that at firft feems fo muen lighter than itlelf. The quills are at once Am and hollow, which gives them the advan- A tage of ftrength and lightnefs ; the webs ar c broad on one tide, and more narrow on the other; both which contribute to the progrefiive motion of the bird, and the clofenefs of the wing. Thus each feather takes up a large fur- face, but with inconfiderable gravity, fo that when the wing is expanded, the animal becomes fpecifically lighter than air. The linaller fea- thers with which it is cloathed are dffpofed one over another in the exa&eft order, lb as to lie clofer in proportion to the rapidity of the flight. That part of them which is next the fkin is furnifhed with a foft and warm down, and that next the air with a web on each fide of the fhaft, each tingle beard of which is itfclf a feather. But as this lightnefs of the feathers might frequently be impeded by a fhower of rain, or any other accidental moiliure, by which means the bird might become an eafy prey to every in- vader, Nature has provided an expedient where- by their feathers are as impenetrable to the wa- ter, as by their ftruclure they are to the air. Ail birds in general have a receptacle re plenilh- ed with oil, fomething in the fhape of a teat, and fituated at the extremity of their bodies. This teat has feveral orifices, and when the bird perceives its feathers to be dry, or expects the approach of rain, it fqueezes this teat with •the bill, and ftrains from thence a part of the SINGING BIRDS. 3 contained oil, after which, having drawn its bill fucceflively over the greateft part of its feathers, tney thus acquire a new luftre, and become im- p netrable to the heavieft rains, for the water rolls off in large drops; Every part of their median ifm, as was before obferved, feeavs adapted for the improvement of their flight; their bones are extremely light and •thin, and. their muffles feeble, except .the large pe floral mufcle, by means of which they move their wings with Inch eafe and rapidity. This very itrong mufcle fills up all that ipace on. each fide of the breaft bone-, which, though fmah in quadrupeds, is, in thefe, large, broad, and exter- nally of a very great fur face : by means of this, a bird, can move its wings with a degree of Arength, which, when compared to the ani- mal’s Aze, is almoA incredible. The tail of birds ferves to counterbalance the head and ii ck, guides their flight infteadof a rudder, a d greatly affifts them either in their afeent, or when defcendi ig. Granivorous birds, or fuch as live upon fruits, corn, and other vegetables, have their mtefi; os differently formed from thofe of the rapat .is kind. Their gullet dilates juft above the bn t- bone, and forms itfelf into a pouch or bag, L- ed the crop. This is replete with falivary glands, which ferve to moiften and feften the ain and other food which it contains. Thefe glands are A 2 4 history op? ve T numerous, with longitudinal opening which fend forth a whitifh and vifcous fuh hance. After the dry food of the bird has bee<' macerated in the crop for a convenient time, then pa lies into the abdomen, where, inftead of a loft moift ftomach, as in the rapacious kinds the food is ground between two pair of mufcles’ commonly called the glzard, covered on the in, hv.e w th a ftony ridgy coat, and altnoft cartila- ginous. Thefe, rubbing againft each other, are capable of bruiting and comminuting the hard- en tub Trances, their ah': on being often compared to them of the grinding teeth in man and other animals. Thus Tie organs of digeftion in qua- •feds are in a manner reverfed in birds. EemT nrft grind theirs with their teeth, and it pi lies into the ftomach, where it is macerated and fortened ; on the contrary, birds of this : fir ft macerate it in the crop, and then it :• ground and comminuted in the ftomach. o hey are alfo careful to pick up fand and gra- vel, and other hard fubftance-s, not in order to grind the food, as is commonly imagined in the ftomach, but to prevent the too violent aftion of the oppoiite mufcles againft each other. The variety of methods which nature has ta- ken to furnifh the globe with creatures perfect- ly formed to indulge al! their peculiar appetites, defer ves our wonder ; but wondering is not the way to grow wife. "W e fliall find the general^ SINGING BIRDS. 5 ty of birds, though fo well fitted for changing place with rapidity and eafe, for the molt part contented with the places where they were bred, and by no. means exerting their defire in pro- portion to their endowments. The rook, if un~ difturbed, would never leave its native wood; the blackbird ftill frequents its accuftomed hedge, and if ever they change, it is only from motives of famine or of fear. There are forne forts, however, called Birds ofPnfiage, which re- move to warmer or colder climates, as the air or their peculiar nourishment invites them. In general, every bird rcforts to thofe climates where its food is found in plenty, and always takes care to hatch its young at thofe places, and in thofe feafons, where provisions arepn the greatelt abundance. The large birds,- and thofe of the aquatic kind, chufe places as remote as pofShle from man, as their food is different from that which is cultivated by human incluf- try. Some birds, which have only the ferpenc to fear, build their nefts in fuch a manner as to have them depending at the end of a imall bough, and the entrance from below : but the little birds, which live upon fruits and corn, are found In the greateft plenty*' in the moll popu- lous countries, and are too often unwelcome in- truders upon the fruits oi human labours, in making their nefts, therefore, the little b’rdsufe everv art to conceal them from man, .vmie the A 3 6 HISTORY OF great birds ufe every precaution to render theirs kncceiiible to wild oeads or vermin. The un erring initinft which guides every fpecies i Q contriving the moft proper habitation for hatch- ing their young, demands our obfervation. J n hot tropical climates, neibs of the fame kind are made with lets art, and of lefs warm materials, than m the temperate zone, tor the fun in fonae men fare ailifts the buhnel's of incubation. 1 q general, however, they build them with great art, and line them with fuch fubfbances, as keep or communicate warmth to their eggs. No- thing can exceed their patience while hatching, neither the calls of hunger, nor the near ap- proach of danger could drive them from the r.eft j^jnd though they have. been found fat up- on beginning to lit, yet before the incubation is over, the female is- ufually wafted to a £ke- leton. Of all birds the Oftrich is the greatefb, and the American Humming-Bird the leait. In thefe the gradations of nature are ftrongly marked, for the Oltrich in fome refpe&s approaches the nature of that clafs of animals immediately placed above him, namely quadrupeds, being covered with hair, and incapable of hying.*, while the Humming-Bird, on the other hand, approaches that of inlefts. Thefe extremities of the fpecies, however, are rather objects o-. human cunohty than life. It is the middle, or- SINGING BIRDS. r der of birds which mao has Jtaken care to pro- pagate and maintain •, thefe largely adminider to his neceffities and pleafure, and fome birds are even capable of attachment to. the perfon that feeds them. How far they may be inftruc- ted by long affiduity, is obvious from a late in* fiance of a Canary Bird which was fhewn in Lon- don, and which had been taught to pick up the letters of the alphabet, at the word of com*- nrand. Of all the various fpecies of fingiag birds commonly bred in Britain, none feem fo hardy, or fo well adapted to the climate, as thofe that are the genuine and native produce of the coun- try. Many very fine foreign birds when im- ported here, or when hatched from a brood ori- ginally imported, often degenerate and lofe their fpirits, and feldom arrive at that perfec- tion of ringing with which their native air in- fpires them. The Nightingale and Wood-Lark, two of the mod melodious of the mudcal tribe, rarely, if ever, thrive in this country. It is true they are naturally delicate and tender, and extremely fubjed to colds and cramps, and thefe, . the final! r exercife they have in a cage contri- butes not a little to foder ; beddes, our igno- rance of thofe natural medicines which they pick up in the fields or woods, often prevents our capacity of curing them: but it is not to be doubted, that a. change of air has the fame e£- s history of reft on thefe as on other animals ; more ef oally, as their habit of body is fo v nJ P ^ tnat they are not able to bear the leaf! n .eo le S ot management. For this reafon, the Skv-Larh the Linnet, and Gold-Finch, as being natives’ and hardy birds, feem the fitted for our train’ mg and amufement. All of them are extreme" ly ei ^ertaining and furprifmgly agreeable in their different ways : the Sky-Lark, for a vaft compafs of natural notes ; the Linnet, for his do- cility in imitating regular mufic ; and the Gold: lunch, betides his agreeable notes, for his facul- ty of learning to draw water, and fuch other conceits. Thefe may always be bred with face els, and continue to divert us for mam irs. Of all foreigners, the Canary-Bird bids the faireft for recompensing our care and pains, u. is naturally a healthy bird, and, if under pro- per management, may be preferred a long time. The cuftom fome have of coupling Gold-Finches, contributes to the hardinefs of the offspring, though they degenerate both in colour and fong. As they are ahnoft the only birds which we take the trouble to hatch and bring from the egg, the fatisfaftion we have in fupplying them with neceffaries, both for food and building, in obferving their little eourtfhips when pairing, their dexterity in rearing their neds, the readi- nefs of the male to take his turn in all the du- SINGING BI&GS. 9 ties of building, hatching, and feeding, toge- ther with the continual melody wherewith they charm us, affords a pleafure as ferene and ex- quisite as any we can feel befide, and fids our minds with gratitude and love to that Supreme Being, who has formed fucb a variety of beau- tiful harmonious creatures for our admiration and amufement. Of the larger kind of birds, which we often train up for our diverfion, fuch asthe Black-Bird, theStarling, and Song-Tnrufh, none of them feem fo agreeable companions as the above ; though all of them are fine fingers : the two former coff us much pains in teaching, as their natural notes arc fo me what wild and unharmonious ; and the latter, though remark- aide for his vaft variety of mufic, is fo loud and clamorous in his fong, as almoft to deafen the ears of the hearer, and therefore the woods feem a fitter habitation for him than the cage. Some of the other fmall birds are endowed with very fine natural notes, but have neither that variety of harmony, nor that facility of being taught, as thefe above mentioned have ; befides that many of them are fallen, and extremely ffubborn in their manner : I would therefore advife fuch of my countrymen as are lovers of birds, chiefly to cultivate and train up the mofl melodious of the fpecies, and fuch as are na- tives of the climate, viz. the Sky-Lark, the Lin- net, and Gold-Finch ; and if they can afford 10 history, &c. ‘ bt me amI attentl0n requifite, they may h al , C .naries, and raife an aviary in ^ which, by an almoft uninterrupted center, ’ natural mafic, will fufficiently compenfate thjt* colt and trouble. HISTORY SINGING BIRDS, BLACK-BIRD. The Defcription and Char after . HIS is a well-known bird, being common in moil, if not all the counties in Eng- land ; therefore needs not a particular defcrip- tion. He is the largeft fo g-bird that l know of, found in this kingdom ; and like wile one of the fir ft that proclaim the welcome Spring, by his fhrill harmonious voice, as if he were die harbinger of Nature, to awaken the reft of the feathered tribe to prepare for the approaching feafon ; and by the fweet modulation of his tuneful accents, endeavours to delight the hen, and allure her to fubmit to his embraces, even before there are leaves on the trees, and BLAC'K'BlR®* t n , , , c„i,k • building their " hilft th£ bird • having young ones neft the fooneft oi any and f omc . 1 Uu the 2'tth Oi IVia. u‘, co.nmonly by ^ ^ month . times by the i*-- whittles and The cock, when kept m a cage, fi „„s veiy delighl fully all the Spring anu , urn- 1 g • y 1 in it four or five months m the 5 eal ’ , . Up taught to whittle, pleafant natural note, may bu taug or play a tune. The Black-Bird, w promifeuoufly upon folitary bird, that, iingly. hen wild in the fields, feeds berries and infe&s : his a for the mol! part, flies hi he dijhngutjhwg Ivl&vks of too uoex chid lit ft. They are not eafilv known by their colour while young, but the blacked bird generally proves a cock : the hides, or circle, that cir- cumvefts the eye in the young cock-bird, is yel- low : his bill is black, and turns not perfectly yellow tilt he is near a year old : the bill of ail old cock-bird is of a deep yellow ; in the hen the tip and upper part is black ; the month, in both, is yellow within : the hen, and young cock- birds are rather brown, or of a dark rufkt, than black, and their bellies of an abb-colour ; but after the cock lias mewed his chicken fea- thers, he becomes coal-black. black-bird. I T/je Time and Manner of the Black-Bird’s build* ing her Nejl, c. This bird, as I obferved before, breeds very foon in the year, and has young ones by the end •of March, or fooner : fhe builds her neft very artificially ; the outfide of mofis, Bender twigs, bents, and fibres of roots, all very ftrongly ce- mented and joined together with clay; plaster- ing the infide alfo, and lining it with a covering of final! draws, bents, hair, or other foft mat- ter ; upon which fhe lays four or five eggs, fel- dom more, of a bluiili green colour, full of duiky fpots. She builds pretty open, generally in a hedge, near the ground, and before there are many leaves upon the bullies ; which fo ex- poles her neft, confidering the iargenefs of it, that it may be ealily difeovered. The cavity of a complete neft I meafured was two inches and an half deep ; diameter at the top, four inches one way, and five the other, being of an oblong figure : it weighed thirteen ounces : the bird itfelf is in length, from the tip of the bill to the end of the tail, eleven inches, of which the bill is one inch, and the tail four inches loirs'. o H black-bird. • Of the young Birds , and how to order them , The Black-Bird has either four or five young enes at a breeding, hardly ever more or lefs : you may take them at twelve days old, or foon- er’: they may be raifed with little trouble, ta- king care to keep them clean, and feeding them with fheep’s heart, or other lean meat, that is ' not falted, cut very fmall, and mixed with a little bread *, and, while young, give them their meat moift, and feed them every two hours, or thereabouts ; when they are grown up, feed them with any fort of flefh meat, raw or d ref- fed, provided it be not fait ; it will be rather better food for them, if you mix a little bread with it. When their neft grows foul, take them out, and put them into a cage or bafket, upon clean ftraw ; and when they can feed them- felves, feparate them. He is a ftout healthful bird, not very fubjeft to diforders ; but if you find him fick, or droop at any time, an houfe-fpider or two will help him ; and let him have a little cochineal in his water, which is very chearful and good. They love to wafh and prune their feathers ; there- fore when they are fully grown up, fet water in their cages for that purpofe. BLACK-BIRD, 5 J It is to be remembered as a general rule, to give nil your birds wholefome good food, ne- ver letting it grow Hale or four, and to be ever mindful of keeping their cages clean : tnefe are the lure ft means to make all kinds of birds thrive, and to prevent many difeafes they are fubject to from naftinefs and unwliolefome food and water. Black-Birds are always brought up from the Heft*, the old ones not being, to be tamed. E 1<5 * 1 SONG-THRUSH, or MAVIS, Description and Character. Hp HE common Song-Thru lli is fomewhat 1'Ts than the hlacK-Bird : the upper fur- tacw Ci tne body is or an olive colour, with a mixture of yellow in the wings ; the breaft yel- 3 o with, Spotted with dufky fpots, and the belly wliit'e. There are three or four other forts ofThrufhea found in England ; as, fir ft, the Great Thrulh, caned the lirTel-Bird, Meafie-Taw or Shrite, which in the colour of the breaft and belly a- grees with the Song-Thru fti, but is a bigger bird : he is very beautiful to look at, but not valued for finging, therefore feldoin kept in a cage. i tie fecond fort, called the Red -Wing, Swine- Pipe, or Wind-Thrufii, is in ill ape and co- lour fo like the Song-Thruih, that they are hard to be diftinguiihed, only the latter hath more and greater fpots on the breaft and belly, and is fomewhat bigger : this kind is in no elleera for ilnging. It is a bird of paffage, that fhifts places according to the feafon of the year j but whether it goes, is not to us perfectly known. S o N G T n R XT S H ' Cock SONG-THRUSH, OR MAVIS.’ If The third fort is called the fin all Heath- Thru 111, from its building upon heaths and commons ; he is of a darker colour than any other of the Thrufh kind, and bv fome valued for fmging ; but as none of the forts are com- parable to the common Song-Thrufh, nor fo well known, I fhall treat of the Song-Thrulli only ; which is a curious bird, as well for the great variety of his notes, as his long continu- ance in fong, which is, at leaf:, nine months in the year. In the beginning of the Spring, he fits on high trees, and fings mod tweedy, and . is as delightful a bird as a perfon can de- tire to keep in a cage ; fome of them, when they have been brought up from the neft, have learnt the Wood-Lark’s, Nightingale’s, and-' other curious birds fangs. DijTinguijJjing Marks of the Cock and Hen, The cock and hen of this kind are fo much alike in the colour of their feathers, and fhape of their bodies, that, notwithftanding I have carefully examined them divers times, I could not difcover any certain marks whereby to know the one from the other : yet thus mucii I have difcovered, which will appear to a nice obferver : — in a full -feathered bird, the dufky, or olive colour on his back, See. is ioincwhw B 3 1 8 S014G-THKUSH, l 5 OR MAVIS, hafa" tl ‘ an ,^ b3Cfc ’ and hT r r 8 I the ^reafi * ' , " yfeem darker > and brighter iikewife, an " ra,aer more white appears on his belly A is obJervable, that in the cocks and hens Ot all kinds of birds, where the colours are the a “ e ln bot ; 1 > yet the cock-bird confiantlv ex- cels the hen in the refplenjdency of his feathers ■ the Song-Thrufh, in an old bird, this dif- rerence is apparent ; but then we are not put ,0 ^ uck difficulties to know the cock, he fuffi- ciently difeovers himfelf by his fine fong. -In young Ihrufh.es, I would always chufie the fiieekeft and brighteft bird when they begin to feed themfelves, both cocks and hens will re- cord t, the cock will get upon his perch, and fing his notes low, for fome time ; the hen will attempt to fing, but do it only by jerks, and fo difappoint your expectation. At the latter end of the Summer, when their moulting is over,, the cocks will break out ftrong in fong, and fing in Winter as well as Summer. J ime and Manner of building her Nef . This bird breeds very early in the Spring, nearly as foon as the Black-Bird ; fhe com- monly has young ones by the end of March, or beginning of April, I faw a lie ft of young about SONG-THRUSH, OR MAVIS. jg the 5 th or 6th of April, notwithftanding it had been a cold Spring, which were well feathered and at lea ft twelve days old. i he 1 nrufh builds in woods or orchards fo me times in a thick hedge, near the ground! Ihe outfideof her neft confifts of line foft green roofs, interwoven with dead grafs, hay, &c. The made very curioufly plaiftered with cow-dung; not daubed, as fome have {hid, but with beiter flcdi than many of our plaifterers could do the fame work. Note, The Black- Bird always plaifters with clay or mud, this bird always with cow-dung ; the other lays a cover- ing Inft fluff in the infide to lay her etws upon ; the Thrufli lavs her’s upon the bare infide or plaiftering, but not till it is thoroughly dry; five or fix in number, of a bluifh green colour, fpeckled with a few final! black fpots, chiefly at the biggeft end. h lie hollow of a complete neft I meafurcd was two inches and a half deep; the dia- meter of the infide at the top four inches ; it was exa&ly round, and the whole neft weighed one ounce and three quarters. — I examined two more at the fame time, which were nearly of the fame dimenfions with this, but in weight, one three ounces, the other three and an half. The length of a full-grown bird, from the point of the bill to the end of the tail, is nine inches j of which the bill is one ? and the tail three and £o SON'J- THRUSH, OR MAVIS, n half; therefore, allowing for tail, bill, and head, which always lie out when Ihe fits in her neft, the cavity is juft fitted to receive her bo- dy. The lame I have obferved of the nefts of feme other birds ; efpecially fuch as build wit It fides, and make deep cavities. The bird hands within fide when fire is at work, and makes her own body the model of her dimensions in building;. v-> Of the Young , hew to order them , feV. The Song-Thrufh has five or fix young ones at a breeding ; they may be taken at twelve or fourteen days old, or fooner, if it be mild wea- ther ; they mu ft be kept warm and clean, and fed with raw meat, bread, and hemp-feed brui- fed ; the meat cut final 1, and the bread a little wet, and then mixed together : feed them once in about two hours. You muff be-fure to keep them very neat and clean; take their dung away every time you feed them : when their neft grows very foul, take them out, and put them in clean ftraw ; and when they are pretty well feather- ed, put them in a large cage with two or three perches in it, and dry mofs and firaw at the bot- tom. When they are grown up, you may feed >thein with fiefh meat, boiled, raw, or roafted, SONG-THRUSH, OR MAVIS * X provided it be not fait ; or you may by dewe-s entirely wean them from flcth, and give “hem only bread and. hemp-feed ; but I approve of ILbi, mixed witn bread, as the beft food. Give them freflt water twice a-weefc to wadi them felves; otherwifc they will not thrive : ifthev are kept dirty, it will give them the cramp, to which they are very fubjedt. Good viftuals water, and clean lodging, are the beft means to prevent it. The Thrufit, when in the fields, feeds on in- feeds and Snails, as all'o berries of white thorn and mifletoe. There is another kind of the Thrufh, calk ecl the MISSEL^IRD, from its feeding on the berries of the mifletoe. Inis bird, in the colour and fpots of the. bread and belly, agrees with the Song-Thrulh; but is a larger bird, and very rare to be feen. '1 hey build their neft in a thicket, near where plenty of mifletoe is ; or in iome pit, it being a very folitary fort of bird : They make as large a nefl as a Jay, and lay as big an egg j they build commonly with rotten twigs the cutiide of their nefl, and the infide is dead grafs, or rnofs that they pull froiil- trees. This bird delights migh* 22 SONG-THRUSH, OR MAVIS, % °ld orchards. The hen breeds twice a- year, and hath three young ones at a breeding', never above four, hie feeds ail her young with the berries of milletoe, and nothing elfe that ever could be perceived. Inis bird is very beautiful to look at, but Slot, valued for -fi-nging. L 23 1 STARLING. Defer ip t ion and Character, ^THHE Starling is nearly as big as the Black- JL Bird > and in fhape very muck like that bird. It does not Ting naturally, but has a wild, fereaming, uncouth note ; yet, for his aptnefs in imitating man’s voice, and fpeaking articu- dateiy, and his learning to whiffle divers tunes, is highly valued as a very pleafant bird; and, when well, taught, will fell for five guineas or more. They are gregarious birds, living and flying together in great flocks : they company alfo with Red-Wings and Field-Fares ; yet they do not fly away with them, but abide with us all the year. Jll arks of the Cock and Hen. i here is a mark peculiar to the cock of this kind, whereby he may be known from the hen, whilft young. Under his tongue he has a black ftroke, very plain to befeen if you open his mouth, which the hen hath not, or, at lead fo faint, that it is hardly vifible ; but the flrll time the cock moults his feathers, he loies that black ftroke : lie may then be known from the hen STARLING. by h; S colours, in the beauty of which he much CXCC b iei * ^' s ^ rea ^ ^ ias a changeable caft of green, red, purple, &c. elfethe feathers all over ins body are black, with a blue and purple giofs varying, as it is varioufly expofed to the lioht • oniy the tips of the feathers on his head, neck’ " n \ ai ^ e ycdowifli ; and on the belly, &c. '^ n ' t:e ' ^ liS ipots and colours are brighter than thofe of the hen. The bill of the cock is of a pale yellow, inclining to white ; in the hen, !o r w the Cock from the Hen, To diflinguHh one from the other in this kind is no caiy matter,, and about which there are various opinions, but hardly one that can be depended upon : they fay the bird that fets up his feathers on his crown is certainly a cock, and that the longefl heel-bird is another fure iign j and fome fay, by two white feathers in tee tail : this is all but guefs work, that fome- times proves right, and fometimes wrong. I am told, the biggefl and longefl bodied bird never fails of proving a cock ; I can’t fay that 1 ever made the obfervation myfelf, nor do I pretend eo know a cock-bird of this kind till he is about a month old, when he will begin to record his notes very diflinfdy, like an old bird, but low and inwardly ; if you hear him do that, you can’t well be deceived. When they are grown up, and fully feathered, that general remark, in fome meafure, will Jxolti good, that the high- SKY-LARK. 29 eft-coloured bird is the cock; for whoever ob- ferves them together may perceive the Cock- Jjark to be Something browner upon the back’: of a more yellowifti caft on the throat and breath unc. the feathers whiter upon the belly. Tune and Manner of Building their Ncf , The Sky-Lark has young ones by the end of April, or beginning of May. She builds her nett, fuch as it is, for tire ufes but very little fluff about it, only with a few bents, or fuch like materials, always upon the ground, or in a hole made by the root 01 a horfe, the wheel of a cat t, &c. either in corn-fields of any fort, or in pa ft are of any kind, and lays four or five brown egg<, almoft the colour of a clod of earth, thickly fpeckeu, as- the figure reprefents, with browiiith fpecks. Of the 2 oungj how to order them , LrV. These birds muft be taken when about ten days old ; if you let them alone longer, you run a great hazard of lofing them. I have known them quit their neft in f even or eight days, when they have been diflurbed, efpecial- ly if the old ones fee you look at their young, they will then entice them away of a hidden ; and in rainy weather, it is furpriftng to lee how 3 ° SKY-LARK. young they will leave their ncft ; I have been ‘ ‘ ' iP ;’°' med at fuch •' time > when I thought it ulmoft impoErble for them to get away : 0 ne would naturally think the neft to be the bed and fafefl place for them in fuch weather , but J ° 11 1S ’ 1 have remarked it often, that the young of moil, if not all kinds of birds, are nourilhed more, their feathers grow falter, and they fooner fly, or quit their nefts, in wet, than in dry weather. i When you have taken a neft of young, put them into a baiket with fome fhort clean hay at me Dottom, cover and tie them down cLofe and warm, and feed them with white bread and milk boiled thick, mixed with about a third part of rape feed, foakecl, boiled, and bruifed : aome bring them up with fheep’s heart minced very fine, or other flefh meat. I cannot too often repeat the care that is necefiary, in bring- ing up young birds, in keeping them clean, and feeding them regularly once in about two hours, from morning till night, with frefih and whole- fome food, as the principal means of preferving them : in a week’s time you may cage them in a large cage, putting fome hay cut pretty Ihcrt, or coarfe bran, at the bottom, turning or {Lifting it every day. Order them after this manner till l-hey can feed themfelves with dry meat, viz. bread, egg, and hemp-feed, which they will do in about three weeks, or a month. Remem- \ SKY-LARK. 3 1 ber to boil your egg very hard, grate it fine, and mix it with an equal quantity of hemp-feed, bruifed while the birds are young, but when they are able to crack the feed, give it them whole, and a little bread grated among it. You may then let them have a freih turf of grafs once or twice a-week, and fi'ft fome fine dry gravel at the bottom of the cage, fhifting it of- ten, that it may not clog their feet : for change of diet, you may fometimes give them a little or the flefh meat. After they have done moult- ing, you may give them bread, egg, and whole hemp feed every other day, and a freih turf ©nee a-week. As the birds are of an hardy na- ture, this careful management will prefer ve them many years. This bird at full growth is fix inches and a quarter long ; of which the tail is three inches, and the bill three quarters of an inch. When in flefh it weighs about an ounce and a half. The Sky-Lark, as mentioned before, feldom ails any thing ; but if you perceive him at any time to fcour, or dung loofe, grate a ftnall matter of old theefe amonghis victuals, or give him three or four wood-lice in a day, or a fpider or two, and in his water a little faffron, or liquorice ; thefe are the beft things I can recommend, and what will relieve him, though lie won’t often ftand in need of any thing more than good meat and drink, clean gravel, aitel a freih iurfl SKY-LARK, Several TV ays of catching Sky-Larks. To take Pufhers. ^ They are birds which have left their neft tnree or four days : to take them, you muft watch in feme convenient place, as much out of the old ones fight as poffible; either hand clofe in a hedge, or lie down in the field, &c. and you will prefently fee them bring meat to feed Teh young ; which, as foon as you perceive, and obferve them to hover juft over the grafs’ & c. and dropdown on a hidden, run in upon them as faft as you can, where you will gene- rally find the young birds ; if you mifs them, fearch narrowly about, for they will creep into home hole and lie clofe, or in a large turf of grafs, &c. : fometimes they will runaway among the grafs or corn, exceeding faft ; when they do that, you can very feldom catch any : you muft wait for the old ones bringing them meat again ; but don’t run in the firft time ; fee if they come t\Vo or three times with meat, and fettle at the fame place ; if at different places, and at little diftances from each other, then you may be fare the young ones have ftraggled in the fright, and are at thofe different places ; you may then run in where you judge they are saY-LARK, 33 l> 7 the content coming in of the old birds, who 7 fmd thcm out > “ d f°on get them ther again. ® . Vdhen 5 ’°" tak . e any of thcfe birds - pot them in a Inge cage with hay or coarfe bran at the bottom, and feed and order them as you do the nefllmg. If you hoc them fallen that they won’t eat, you muft for a little while cram them with deep’s heart, &c they will foon come to. lhe.e birds generally prove as good, or better, tlian thole railed from the nelL t? talt; B ranchers. ^ £ call all thofe young birds by that name that were bred, and flew that year, about two or thre'e months old, before they have moulted their nettling feathers ; what are taken at that age, before they begin to moult, are very good, little inferior to the neftliags ; but after they have moulted, or in moult when taken, feldom prove good birds. The time for taking Branchers is in June or July, with a hawk, and a net of about eleven or twelve yards long, and three or four broad, with a line run through the middle of it. There muft be two perfons, one to carry the hawk, the other to take hold of one end of the line; and when you find where Larks lie, get as near to them as you can, then hold your Hawk up SKY-LARK. 34 upon your hand, making him hover his wings, which, when they perceive, they will lie very clofe to the ground : then let one take hold at one end of the line,, and another hold of the other end, till you come at the place where they are, holding your Hawk up as you go ; at the fight of which, they will lie fo clofe that you may very eafily draw your net over them. When- you have taken them, give them bread, e Sg> an '- bruifed hemp-feed ; put in the bot- tom of the cage red fand, and drew them a lit- tle meat in the cage for two or three days, and they will prefently become tame. Sky-Larks are taken in flight with clap-nets in great numbers. In fome places they take them with a glafs, called a Larking-glafs j this they ufe of a fun-fhiny day, which makes great havock amonoft thefe birds : but the mofi; de- O flruclive way is in the dark nights with a net called a Trammel ; it is a very murdering net, taking all forts of birds that it comes near, as Partridges, Quails, &c. Larks are enfnared like- wife with a noofe made with two horfe-hairs twilled together, which catches them by their neck or legs. This way is pradifed when the ground is covered with a deep fnow. w o O D ■ - WOOD-LARK, 35 WOOD-LARK, Defcription and Char after. T HIS bird is univerfally admired for his great variety of foft and delightful notes, that, in the opinion of moft people, he is the bell fong-bird found in this kingdom : he is not on'y, as fome have faid, comparable to the N.gatingale for linging, but, in my judgment, deferving to be preferred before that excellent bird fttand if he be hung in the fame room, will ftrive with him for the malfery ; as likewife it fometimes happens in the woods, where there is a ftrong contention between thefe two cho- rifters to excel and outdo each other. If brought up from the nelf, and caged in the fame room with a Nightingale, he will learn his notes, and as it were incorporate them with his own. He is of great beauty, both in fhape and plume : his bread: and belly are of a pale yel- lowifh hair-colour, faintly fpotted with black ; the back and head are party-coloured, of black and reddifh yellow, a white line encompaffing the head from eye to eye, like a crown or wreath. It is fomething lcfier, and fhorter bodied than 3® WOO'JJ-'LA-RR. *e common Sky-Lark, and fits „ p0 „ tree, " hlch that bird feklom or never does In addition to Mr Albin’s account, the edi- tor of tins book takes the liberty of adding^n account fent by a gentleman that has made ma- ny accurate obfervations on birds The cock Wood-Lark is flat-headed, and full behind the ears, W )th a white ftroke from each nodrd, forming a curve-line over the eye, and almoft meeting behind the neck ; the whitenefs of this hne, and its exteniion behind the neck, are'die beft figns to diftinguifh the male : they are full chefted, long from the neck to the fhoulder of the wing, narrow on tire vent and rump ; the rump part a dark brown, with a long' '^ht- jfh tail, and the two corner feathers touched with white j long in body, and carries himfeif upright ; fome of the feathers under the throat have fin all ftripes , they have three fmall white feathers on the top of the fhoulder, and a long heel. The hen is narrow-headed, and brown over the eyes, flattifh from the bread; to the belly, and round at the rump, fhort-heeled, and only two whitilh, dull, or cream-coloured feathers on the fhoulder, and the curve-line of the head reaches but a little beyond the eye. WOOD-LARK, 57 Marks of the Cod. Hf is known by his fize, the biggeft and longeft-bodied bird generally proving a cock and by the largenefs and length of his call ; the tall walking cf the bird about the cage, and at evenings the doubling of his note, which we call cuddling, as if he were going to rood. Other marks are by the length of his heel, the large- nefs of his wing, and by his fetting up the crown upon his head : fome will tell you, that thefe are certain figns of its being a cock* yet they tlo not always prove true : but if you hear him flng ftrong, you cannot be deceived, for the hen bird will ling but little. The ufe of this is chiefly to know thofe birds that are taken at flight-time ; becaufe thofe taken at other fea- fons, fing foon after they are taken, or not at all. I cannot give any certain notes to know the cock from the hen, whilft neftlings ; unlefs it be by that general remark, that the higheft-co- loured bird always proves a cock, and that the biggeft, and longeft bodied, and other marks before mentioned, will hold good in fuch young birds, as well as thofe that are full-feathered. This particular, indeed, is not very material, be- caufe fo few are brought up from the neft *, it being very difficult, with the utmoft care that D 3^ WOOD'LARlv. can be taken, to raife them ; either the cramp or fcouring kills them, or they die in moult- ing. Tune and Manner of their building , -Ofc. It is a very tender bird, and yet breeds ear- ly in the Spring, as Toon as the Black Bird, or any other ; the young birds being ready to fly by the middle of March. They build at the foot of a bufli or a hedge, or in lays where the grabs is wet or dry, under feme turf to fhelter them from the weather. Their n eft is made of withered grabs, fibrous roots, and other finch like matter, with a few laorbe-hairs within- fide at the bottom, being a-bmall, and very in- different fabric \ it has hardly any hollow or fides, the bottom was almoft upon a level with the top : the whole compofition did not weigh a quarter of an ounce : the weight of the bird a little above an ounce ; its length fix inches, of which the bill is fomething above half an inch, and the tail two inches. She lays four eggs, of a pale bloom colour, beautifully mot- tled, and clouded with red, yellow, &c. Of the Youngs how to order them , T c. The Wood-Lark, as I faid before, breeds very early in the Spring; her young ones arc WOOD- LARK, tender birds, and generally four in number : if you are minded to bring them up from the neft, which you will find exceeding difficult to do, don’t take them too foon, not before they are well feathered ; becaufe, when they ere too young, they are more fubjedt to the cramp and lcouring, which commonly kills them: put them into a baflcet with a little hay at the bottom, or fome ftich thing, where they may lie clean and warm, tying them dole down : feed them with fheep’s heart, or other lean flefh meat, raw, mixed with a hard boiled egg, a little bread, and hemp-feed bruited or ground, 2 II chopped together as fine as it is poitible to do it, and raj. ip a ]iti ]g- -Tial *1 w’.iL dean vater ■ sv?rv two hours, or oftener, give them five or fix final 1 bits, taking great care never to overload their tender ftomaehs. Let not their meat be too ft ale, dry, mouldy, or four ; for your birds fo fed, whether old or young, will never thrive. The wild ones feed upon beetles, caterpillars, and other infects ; likewife upon feeds. The Wood- Lark, as if fenfihle of his own melodious fong, will take from no other, unlefs brought up from the neft j then he may be taught the fong o: r another bird. D 2. WOOD-LARK. T ' X Sea f°™f°r catching Wood-Larks with Neta, and hoiu to order them. First, Branchers, which are birds that were .hatched that Spring, are taken in June and J u - *?' Wlth 3 net and a Hawk, after the fame man- her as I told yon they took Sky Larks. You may find thefe birds harbouring about gravel- fiits, upon heath and common land, and in pa.» fture fields. For fear of the Hawk, they will he fo clofe, that fometimes they buffer them- idves to be taken up with the hand. Thefe birds boon grow tame. Jt lie FCAi IC'ditjii 15 P*Xicll2,clTXIClS which are taken with clap-nets in great num- bers in September, and are counted better birds than what are catched at any other time of the year, becaufe keeping them all the winter makes them more tame than birds catched in January or February, and will fing longer, eight or nine months in the year. Wood-Larks at this time commonly fly very high, therefore the higheft ground is ufually chofe to lay the nets upon, likewife in a cart-way, or where a fpot of earth is frelh turned up, or fometime& you may turn it up on purpofe. A third feafon for taking Wood- Larks is in January ; what are caught at that time are very front, good birds, and will fing in a few days WOOD-LARK. 41 ' after they are taken, both ft outer and louder than one taken in September, but not fmg fo many months : thefe are catched with the clan- net like wife, as they are at Michaelmas, and are found at that time of the year lying near a wood-fi.de in pafture ground, where the fun riles, W ood-Larks are fometimes taken when they are matched with their hen, which I think is wrong: they flrould by no means be difturbed in breeding-time, or when they are preparing for it : the end of January ought to be the late ft time for taking tbefe birds, becaufe they are early breeding birds, that, if the weather be mild, couple at that time, or foon after; be- ftdes, the bird taken then is worth very little; his true, he will ling almoft as foon as you have him, by re.afon of his ranknefs in accompany- ing with the lien, but will foon fall oft from his fong, and you hear but little more from him all that Sum eiv All the Wood-Larks, taken at different fea- fons, niuft be fed alike witn hemp feed bluffed, very fine, and mixed with bread and egg hard boiled and grated, or chopped as lrnall as pofi* fible. When he is fir it taken, he will be fir/ for a little time ; you hiuft lift fine red gravel in the bottom of his cage, and fatter fame ot his meat upon it, which will entice him to eat n 3 . 42 WOOD-LARK. ^ rf u, trough freely y ° U ^ ““ ° Ut ° f the la,tet ' r *2* gl ; eat , meafl ' re ordCT his diet as the Sky- red J'’ T' r n ° ° f grafi - bllt oft » Ami g ate in his cage; and when not well, in- ftead of that, put mould full of ants, which is n e moft a S ree abIe live food you can give him. Or give him meal-worms, or hog-lice, not more than two or three a-day: and let him have a little laffron or liquorice fometimes in his water If he fhould fcour, grate chalk or cheefe among Ills meat, and amongfi- his gravel likewife. He will eat any kind of flelh meat minced fine, and ordered as before for forne other birds j which you may now and then let him have for change of diet, always leaving fome of his conftant meat in the cage at the fame time, that lie may eat which he will. A gen* tleman who is very fond of Wood -Larks, keeps feveral, and among them one he has preferved for fix years, feeds them conftantly with a compofition of peafe-meal, honey, and butter, mixed, rubbed into fmall granules, and dried in a difh before a fire. Of this meat lie makes enough at one time to ferve fix or eight birds for fix weeks or two months ; which, if' judicioufly mixed and dried; will not fpoil, even ix kept longer. WOOD-LARK. An uncommon care fiaould be taken of pre- serving this fine bird, becaufe he is fo very tender, in often fhifting his gravel, victuals, water, & c. and fome think it neceflary to wrap, a piece of cloth round their perches in very cold weather. £ 44 ]' TIT-LARK; Defcriptipn and Chara&cr. F- E Tit-Lark is lefs by one half than the . JL , common Lark, being only fix inches in iengtn, and ten inches and a quarter in breadth: it is of a more greenith colour than a common .i-iaiic, but not io beautiful; the head is final I, and the body pretty long and {lender ; the iris of the eyes is hazel, and the top of the head, and upper part of the body are of a yellowifih green, with a mixture of black and afh-colour; the ficies of the wings are of a dufky brown, with the edges and tops of the feathers fome- what greenith, fome of a pale yellow, and others white ; the bread; is of a pale dufky co- lour, fpotted with black, but the belly is whiter, and free from fpots ; the tail is above two inches long, and fome of the upper parts of the out- moil feathers are white, and others brown, with pale green edges ; the feet are yellow, and the claws are very long, and of a pale dufky co- lour; they feed upon infedls and feeds, like other Larks, but they build their nefis with mofs in low bufhes, not far from the ground, covering them on the infide with horle-hair 3 tit-lark. *ey generally lay five or fix eggs, of a dark brown colour, and the young are commonly hatched about the beginning of June, Marh of the Cock and Hen. In this kind the cock is all over more yellow than the hen, but efpecially under the throat, on the break, legs, and foals of the feet. In neft lings, they can’t well be diftinguifhed by their colours, therefore muft wait till you hear them begin to record their fong, which is the Hrit fur eft ftgn of a cock- bird. Of their Nef, Q5V-. The hen Tit- Lark builds amongft grafs ; or in corn fields -, her nek is fmall, pretty much like the Wood-Lark’s : fhe lays five or fix eggs of a dark brown colour, and has young ones fit to take towards the end of May. They may be brought up with the fame meat and management as young Wood-Larks or Nightingales : but I think it hardly worth the trouble, becaufe fo many are taken, when they fir ft come to vifit our part of the woild, both with clap-nets and lime twigs, as they catch Linnets, Gold-Finches, &c. When you firii take them, tie the ends of their wings vuth thread, to prevent their fluttering and beating 40 'FIT-LARK, ;'?'«'’ “***"*<** cr SL-v T i 1 ‘ Jem “ yOU do tUe Wood • -n>-..ar:c : at fidt give them hemp-fred and b-j«ad made very fine and mixed together -:ew,(c ant s mould it, their cage, meal-™™/ ^ ! “, rew their vitos about their cage, to ; ‘ Ure ‘ t0 ?nd in three or foA davs ••'f} vnl take tt freely enough; and will imp- 1.1 aoout a week’s tune. Cage then, Angle,. i„ a cage io me thing ciofer Wood- Lark’s, than the common C 47 3 NIGHTINGALE. Description and Character. T H r E Tfr sale is the principal of a11 the t r- Lngluh lin gmg'birds, and is about the bignefs of a Gold -Finch, but has a long body ; “ U ' eighs about an ° l:nce ? and is in length, from t-e tip or the bill to the end of the tail, feven inches, but its breadth, when the wings are ex- tended, is ten inches and a half; the bill re- fe rubles that of a Thrufih, or Black-Bird, but there is no great variety of colours on the body, nor is this bird remarkable for its beauty; the upper parts are of a faint tuwney colour, with a greeni/h cad, but the tail is more deep ; the belly is all over white, and the feathers on the bi^UiL ana tiiioat, as well as tinder the wings, are darker, in Ned with green ; the bill is blackith, and the feet of a fiefh colour, but the iniide of the mouth is yellow. It breeds in the month of 'day, and lays four or five eggs, and it chief- ly lings in the night time, but not dole to the no fit, for fear of difeovering it. It haunts /ha dy places, quick-fet hedges, bufibes, and finall groves. Tnerc are no particular marks to cliitin- guifh the cock from the hen, only the colours NIGHTINGALE. are more lively in the former. A Nightingale’- neft may be found by obfervingthe place where the cock lings, for the hen is never far off- or you may Hick two [or three meal-worms on the thorns near the place mod frequented by the cock, and then obferve, when he comes to take them, which way he carries them, and by liftening you will hear the young, while the old ones are about feeding them. When you have found the neft, if the young ones are not fledged enough to be taken, you mufl not touch them, for then the old ones will entice them away : They ihould not be ta- ken till they are ?lmoft as full of feathers as the old ones ; they will refufe their meat, but you may open their bills, and give them two or three fmall bits at a time, and they will foon grow tame and feed themfelves ; they fliould be put, with the neft, into a little bafket, which fhould be covered up warm, and they fliould be fed every two hours. Their food fhould be ftieep’s hearts, or other raw flefli-meat, chop- ped very fine, and all the firings, fkins, and fat taken away ; but it fliould, always be mixed with hard hen’s eggs ; they fliould be put in cages like the Nightingale’s back-cage, with a little ftraw or dry mofs at the bottom; but when they are grown large they fliould have ant’s mould ; they fliould be kept very clean, like other Ting- ing birds, for otherwile they will have the NIGHTINGALE. 49 cramp, anj perhaps the claws will drop off T Autumn they will fometimes abftam f rom i h ‘" food -or a fortnight, unlefs two or three m~L worms be given them two or three times a- W< * fc > 0rtwo or thr « fbiders in a dir • tew muff likew.fe have a little faffro-, in their wat'e-- logs Chopped fmall among their meat will hdo them to recover their fldh. When their lev, are gouty, they (hot, Id be afcinted with A butter, or Capon’s fat tliree or four days tooc'- Jher. 1, they grow melancholy, pur white fimir- candy into their water, anu feed them with fteep’s heart, giving them three cr four m-al- worms in a day, and a few ants, wah their eggs ; they fnottld alio have faffron in their water. Thofe birds that are taken before the 23d ef April are accounted the bdl, becaufe after" that they pair with the hens, They ufoally haunt w ods, coppices, and quickfet hedges, where they may be taken with trap-cages, baited with meal worms ; the* fhould be placed as near the fpot where the bird lings as you can, and before you fix the trap turn up the earth twice the breadth of the cage, becaufe they will there look for food. They are aifo taken with lime twigs, placing them upon the hedge wnere c hey iifuaily ling ; and there ihould be meal-worms ftuck at places to draw them into the in, ire. Af- ter they are taken, their wings fhould be gently * NIGHTTNGAL e* t.ed with thread .to prevent their’ beating them, leaves againft the cage. It fhould he firft buna m a P rivate P lace > that he may not be difturY cd, and he fhould be fed every two hours at far the ft, with (beep’s heart and egg minced very fine, mixing it with meal-worms: however, his firft food mufl be worms, ants, caterpillars, or mes : You muft take the bird in your hand, and open his bill with a flick made thick at one end, giving him the infects, or four or five bits of food as big as peas ; to entice him to eat, his common food fhould be mixed with ants, f 0 that when he goes to pick the ants, he may pick up feme of that with it. Jr*V * .' -3 ">% L 51 1 ROBIN-REDBREAST, / Description and Character, F*lpHIS bird, denominated from its red bread, JL is fo well known all over this kingdom, tbat a minute defeription of him is not necef- fa'ry. Eke eyes arid upper part of the bill are en- comp tiled with a fine deep red, or orange-co- lour, like that upon the bread ; the upper parts ef the body are. of a dufky brown, fhaded with a greenifh ohve colour, with a pale bluifli line upon the neck ; the belly whitilh, the legs and feet of a dufky black. This bird in fome places is efteemed a very fine fong-bird, and little inferior to the Nightin- gale *, but in many other places very little notice is taken of him. The cock lias a fweet melo- dious voice, fo free and thrill, that very few birds can equal it. liis own natural tong, m- caufe it is an exceeding good one, is preferable to any that can be taught him. In the Winter time, when there is fearcity of meat in the fields, to feek his food he will en- ter into Louies with much confidence, being a E 2 ROBIN-REDBREAST. 5 2 very bold bird, fociable and familiar with man, but not with any bird befides his own mate. In the Summer, when there is plenty of food in the fields, and he is not pinched with cold, he will withdraw himfelf into the moft defart places, where he generally builds his neft, being a folitary kind of bird, that loves to feed fingly, and lives upon worms, ants, their eggs, and o- iher infedts, See. Notwithfianding, thefe birds are faid to withdraw from houfes into the woods in the Summer-time, as indeed mo ft of them do ; yet there are a great many that breed and harbour about farm-yards and out houfes all the year through. DiJUnguifhittg Murks of the Cock. The cock may be known by his bread, being of a deeper red than the hen’s, and the red go- ing up farther upon the head, and fome fay by the colour of his legs, which are darker, and by certain hairs which grow os each fide of his bill : the bright red breaft is a mark that may be depended upon, the others do not always hold. The cocm is likewife of a darker olive upon the upper furface of his whole body. ROBIN- REDBREAST. 53 Time and Manner af building their Nef. The Robin breeds in the Spring, and com- monly three times a-year, viz. April, May, and. June. The hen builds her neft on the fide .-of a ditch or bank, amongft thorns and briars, or hedges ; likewife in the woods, which they haunt in Summer. Thofe that flay about f irm- yards build in out-houies, and broken walls of" old buildings; her neft is made of coarfe mate- rials, the oudide of dry green mofs, intermixed with coarfe wool, fmall dry’d flicks, flraws, leaves, peelings from young trees and other dry’d fluff, lined with a few horfe -hairs, on which flie lays five or fix eggs, but fometimes no more t’nan four, of a cream colour, fprinkled all over with line redifh yellow fpots at the blunt end, f'o thick that they appear almoft in one. Of the Toting, hew to order them , 5 jfc . You may take them at ten or twelve days old : if you let them lie too long, they are apt to be fallen, and confequently much more ire li- bido me to bring up : put them in a little be 1 ket with foft hay at the bottom, and be lure l lie warm, efpeeiuMy in the night. ROBIN- REDBREAST . 54 ' Feed them with fheep’s heart and egg, or other lean flefh made into a foft pafte, as older- ed for young Nightingales , let their meat be minced very fmall, well cleanfed from fkin, fi- ll ews, fat, or firings, giving them but little at a time, for if you overload their tender ftomachs' it will diforder the birds. When you find them begin to be ftrong, put them in a cage like the Nightingale or Wood- Lark, which 111 ou Id be clofer wired, and let' them have dry rnois or fine gravel at the bot- tom, and in all refpecls keep and order them like the Nightingale. When they feed them-- felves, you may try them with W ood-Lark 's meat, becaufe fome of thefe birds like it better than -the Nightingale’s. 1 think both together aeree bed: with them ; for they love variety of food : they are alfo great lovers of mould full of ants or other infects at the bottom of their: 'Their Difenfes and Cures . The want of keeping thefe birds clean and neat often occalions die marry difeafes they are fubject to and makes them never thrive nor de- light ; n themfelves. This bi'-d is very fubjeft to the cramp, and a giddinefs of the head, which makes him of- ten fall off from his perch upon his back, and it ROBIN REDBREAST. 55 is prefenc' death, unlefs he has fome help fpeedU- ly given him. The bell methods to prevent it are, to keep him warm and clean in his cage; that his feet' be not clogged, whereby the joints are fre- quently taken off, and the dung is fo fall bound on, that it makes his nails and feet rot off,-, which takes away the very life and fpirit of the bird. If you perceive him drooping and fickly, give him three or four meal-worms, or worms taken out of pidgeon-houfes, and a few fpiders, which will purge and cleanfe him well, and it will mi htily refrefh him. Lut, for the giddinefs of the head, give him' f-x or feven ear-wigs in a week, and he will ne- ver be troubled with it. If you find he has little appetite to eat, give him, now and then, ilx or feven hog-lice, which may be found in any piece of old rotten wood, and let him never want water that is frefh, two or three times a-week. There are many kinds cf in feels that b'rds will eat greadily, and very probably would re- lieve them under fuch maladies, could they be conveniently procured at all times, fuch as young- finooth caterpillars, (a Robin will not touch a ha ; rv one) fome forts of fpiders, ants, See. but there is no infedl that is more innocent, or a=~ grees better with birds in general, than the ROBIN-REDBREAST. 5 s meal-worm, which may be had with little trou- ble at the meal- (hops almoft at any time. Above all, to prevent thefe difeafes, be fare to keep them very clean and warm, always put- ting foft dry gravel in the bottom of their cages, taking care never to let them want frefh water and wholefome food. And to make your Robin chearful, give him once a-wcek in his water a blade or two of faf- fron, and a dice of liquorice, which will make him long-winded, and help him very much in his fong. Notwitiiftanding the above directions for bringing up this fine bird, confidering they are very tender, and not eafily raifed, I would ra- ther advife you to catch one with the trap cage ; and if you fall upon a young Cock-bird, he will ling in a few days, and be as good, if not bet- ter, than thofe brought up from the nefb Of this I have the experience jufi: now in one ta- ken with a trap, that fung his whole notes very freely within eight days after he was caught, and was as familiar as any bird brought up from the neft. You are to feed and order them in. every re- fpeft as before directed. This bird, when taken old, if you find him fallen at firft, and not to eat his meat fo free- ly, then give him a few worms cut finall amongft ROBIN 'REDBREAST. 57 a little t re 111 earth, crumbs of bread, &c. in the bottom of his cage, and in two or three days lie will tak" his meat freely enough. As to the extent of this bird’s life, he feldom lives above feven years, by reafon he is fo fub- jeft to the falling iicknefs, cramp, and oppref- fion of the ftomach. I 5 S 1 COMMON WREN. Defcripiion and Character . F Xrepting the Golden-crowned Wren, this ! is the fmalleft bird found in this king- dom : it weighs about three drachms ; its length, from the point of the bill to the end of the tail, is about four inches. It commonly creeps about hedges and holes, making but fhort flights, and, if it be driven from the hedges, may cafily be tired and run down. It will fit upon a barn or tree, &c. about farm-yards, where it moftly frequents, and fing exceeding fine : when kept in a cage, it wilt fing very fweetly, and with a higher and louder voice than can be imagined for its flrength and bignefs, being a very pleafant bird, that will fing a great many months in the year. Some perfons have kept thefe birds a lonp- time in a cage, and have had them to fing as flout as if they were in the fields. n e. COMMON WREN. 59 Difingmjhing Marls of the Cock and Hen. The cock is of a dark colour; the head, neck, and upper parts of the body, are of a mix’d brown ; the throat of paleifh yellow ; the bread more inclined to white, t.ie belly of a duflcy coloured red ; the tips of the wings, and covert feathers of the tail, are beautifully va- riegated with a few yellowifh and blackifh fpots upon them, and are brighter than thofe on the hen. The hen-bird is all over of a reddifh brown colour, excepting the lines a-crofs her tail and wings, which are black and reddifh. The bird with the largeil eye is generally thought to be a cock. The difference in thofe birds., while young, can hardly be known, till the cock begins to record and ling. Time and Manner of building their Nef , c. The Wren has young ones in May ; fhe builds her neft fometimes in the holes of old Walls, and frequently in the eaves of thatched houfes, fuch as ftables, or other out-houfes, but more commonly in woods and hedges, in a. very artificial manner t it is of a fort of oval 6o COMMON WREN. form refembling an egg, covered over at top, and hath m the middle of the tide a fmall round hole to go in and out at. The outfide is of green mofs and fog, the in fide of hair, wool, and feathers, on which the hen lays fome- tunes to the number of fifteen or tixteen eggs j but many times hatches not half that number ; they are very fmall white eggs, fprinkied all over with fmall red fpots. Of the 2 bung , hoiv to order and hr mg them zip. Let them be very well feathered before you take them ; they are to be fed, and reared like the young Nightingales and Robins, giving them but little at a time, one or two very fmall bits. When they are grown ft for a cage, let them have a large one, made with very clofe wire, with three tides wood, and one fide wire; it requires to he lined with a cloth or bays for keeping them warm : though it is a very fmall biid, yet a linall cage does not agree with it, nor with any bird whatfoever, though it is of- ten pra&ifed. In the Winter time efpecially, you muft take care to keep them very- warm and clean, giving them often dry gravel in their cage. COMMON WREN. oi Keep them conftantly to the Nightingale’s food, and there is no queftion but they will anfwer your expectation. If at any time they are fick, give them two or three flies, or a frnall fpider or two, but not too many infeCts, I 62 ] CRESTED, or GOLDEN WREN. Defcriptmi and Character, iff c. HE Crefted, or Golden Wren, 5s faid to be the fmallefr bird found in this king- dom, not weighing more than three drams, and has a {lender ftraight black bill ; it lias an ex- ceeding beautiful Email row of feathers on the top of the head, of a fine gold or orange co- lour ; which it has a power of drawing together in fuch a manner, as entirely to conceal the lit- tle crelt, by laying the feathers all fiat upon the head, and likewife to raife them at pleasure; the form of them is long, as they take their rife from the bafe of the bill, and extend them- lelves to the back of the head, on each fide of which there runs a black line : the eyes are en- circled with white, the fides of the neck of a fine fhining yellowifh green, the breath of a dutky white •, the back is of a green ifh colour, with a mixture of yellow. The quill-feathers ot the wings are of a dutky brown, with fome of their edges yellow, others white, the tips of tome of thofe next to the covert feathers are al- io white, the tips of ferae of the coverts being — - ft CRESTED, Or GOLDEN WREN. 63 of the fame colour, form a white line crofs the wing. The tail is of a dufkv colour, about an inch and half long, with fome of the edges of the feathers of a yellowifh green, the feet and claws are pretty near of the fame colour. They lay fix or feven very fmall eggs, not larger than peafe, and feed upon fmall infects. They are found in fome of the woods about Oxford, alfo in Warwickshire, about Middle- ton Park, and in feveral places in Wales. It is a beautiful, but not very common bird. It has feme times been found in Scotland, r’ [ 64 } RED-S T'A R T. Defcriptlon and CharaEler. T HIS bird is fo named from its red tail*. and is in lize fomething lefs than the Robin-Red bread:. It is faid to be of fo fullen a nature, that if taken old, and not brought up from the ned, it will not for feme days look at its meat, and it will be fo vexed, as is hardly credible : but, if brought up young, they become gentle and tame, being of a cbearful fpirit, and have a very pretty melodious kind of whittling fong. It is thought, they come with the Nightingale to England in the Summer, and go away again in the Winter. Dijtinguifhing Marks of /he Cod and Hen. T.HE cock is very fair, Deautifully coloured, and exceeding pleafant to the eye. Elis bread, rump, and tail, are of a fine red ; the back, neck, and hind-part of the head, of a lead co- tour ; the fore-part of his head, and throat, of a jst black, and he has a white mark upon his pole. B E D S T -A. K T RED-START. 65 The hen is a beautiful bird likewife ; but partakes more of the colour of the Nightin- gale, with a red tail, fomething fainter than the cock’s. The cock is known at all times from the hen, by his black head ; this mark being peculiar to the male only. ‘Time and Manner of Budding their Bhef , These birds breed in May, and have young- ones fit to be taken about the middle of that month. They commonly build their neft in holes of trees, or under houfe eaves, and make their neft with all forts of things, fuch as dry grafs, final! roots of herbs, leaves, liorfc-hair, wool, and fuch as the place affords them. Their eggs are like thefe of the Hedge-Sparrow’s, but of a paler blue, and not' fo big.- With regard to their neft, they are the fliyeft of ail birds ; for, if they perceive you to mind- thern when they are building, they will forfake their neft; and, if you touch any of their e ggs, they never come to the neft any more ; for you can fcarce go to it but the hen will im- mediately fpy you ; and if fhe fhould chance to have young ones, fhe will either ftarve, or throw them out of the neft, and break their necks, as lias been often found by experience. y a- . 66 . RED-STAR Of the Young, how io order and bring them up,. They mu ft be taken out of the neff at about ten days old ; for if left there too long, they are apt to learn fome of the old bird’s temper, and be very fullen. reed them with fheep’s heart. and egg, min- ced very fmall, as the Nightingale or Robin, gi- ving them but little at a time ; for if you clog their flcmachs, they’ll prefently caff their meat, and die in a ihort time. When you perceive them begin to eat their meat, cage them lingly, putting thereunto a pan ; and about the fides of the cage, ceafe not, tho’ they feed themfelves, to give them a bit or two-, three or four times a-day ; for they will hardly eat their fill for a long time, when they begin to feed alone : but when you have u fed. them to eat five or fix days without- feeding, give them fome pafle, and you will find them delight; much therein. They may he kept in what cage you pleafe ; only let them be kept-warm in the Winter, and they will ling in the night as well as the day $. and will learn to whiffle and imitate other birds. When wild, they feed upon infefts like the Robin, &c. 1 * / A L 6 T . 1 , IEDGE-SPARRO Yd, Defcription and Character. T HIS bird is con fiber ably I a Is than the common. Sparrow ; it has a pretty Ion a; {lender bill, of a dufky or bird th colour, and ho well known, that a long defcription or him is unneeeflary; there is hardly a boy that learches the hedges, but can give an account of its nefi, eggs, &c. This is not lo defpicable a bird as a great ma- ny imagine; for, if you mind its fong, you will find very delightful notes in it, and not a little variety ; they fing very early in the Spring, and are frequently kept in cages by curious perions, who value them much. The Cuckoo, who* builds no neft oi her own, generally drops her egg in the neil of this bird, where it is hatched by the Hedge-Sparrow to the certain defcrudtion of her own young. m HEDGE- S PARR 0 W. DJlingujfmg Marks of the Cock and hen. The cock’s head is of adulky-coloured brown, with a fort ofbluifli caft ; the upper part of his body is of a dark brown, with a very fmall mixture, or rather fhade of red ; the breaft of a bluifh or lead colour, with a few fmall fhady fipots upon it ; the belly more dufkifh. The hen is f known from the cock, being con- fidcrably paler upon the bread, and the colour upon her back more bright. Time and Manner of their building , Tdc. They have young ones generally about the- latter end of April or beginning of May, and,_ as mentioned before, build their neft aimed in every hedge, low and open, that it may be found with little difficulty. It condds chiefly of line green mofs, and the inflde lined with a little hair, on which the hen lays commonly five eggs, much different from other birds, being of a pale blue, cr fea-grecn colour. Of the Young , how to order them , cSV. These birds may be taken at nine or ten days old, and fed with bread and fie fh- meat, y EDGE-SPARROW. 09 chopped, very fine and minced together, mac . jHoift, as for other birds j or you may bring them no with the Wood-Lark’s victuals. They likewife feed upon fmali feeds. Old or young birds ox this kind become tame very quickly, and will hng in a fhort. tune after they are taken, if they have been taken at the latter end of January or beginning of Februa- ry: they will feed almoft on any thing you can give them. The Hedge - Sparrow is a very tractable bird, and will learn to pipe, whifde, 01 imuta.G, the fong of almoft any other bird, if brought up from the neih I s 70 1 YELLOW-HAMMER. 45 Dej 'crip lion and Character. "T’L is equal to the Chaffinch in bignefs : both JL cock and hen are beautiful birds ; and the cock will fing very prettily, when in the fields, but is not kept very commonly in a cage ; yet he is no contemptible bird ; befides his fong, his fne feathers are enough to recommend him : a lovely yellow adorns his head, throat, bread, and belly ; his back and wings are pretty much like the Linnet’s. The hen is of a paler co- lour ail over her body, and the parts that are of a fine yellow in the cock, in the hen arc cf a dirty green. Thefe birds build upon the ground, at the fide of a river, pond, or brook ; they make a large, flat, ordinary neft, with mofs, dried roots of grafs, weeds, &c. with horfe-hair intermixed ; more of the latter than. I ever obferved any other bird to make ufe of. She lays fix or feven white eggs, veined and fpotted with black. Her yourm ones are ufuaily fit to take by the beginning of Majpj you may let them be ten or twelve daws YELLOW-HAMMER. old before you take them. Feed them with, fie (la meat minced very fine, as you prepare it for other fmall birds j or you may bring, them up with the Tit or Wood -Lark’s meat ; they will eat likewife worms cut in fmail pieces, which food agrees very well with them. Thefe birds are common every where in England ; for the mod part, they abide on the ground, feeking their food there, of worms., feeds, and other things. t 72 ] REED-SPARROW. Defer ipiion and CharaEter . nPIIIS bird in bignefs is equal to the Chai> A finch : the cock has a black head and throat : a ring of white encompafTes the neck : his bread and belly are white, fpotted with reddifh brown fpots : the back of a dufky brown, with black fpots : the pinion of his wing is of a reddifh colour ; the reft of the wing and the tail are of a dark brown ; the tail is upwards of two inches long : the hen, as in moft birds, is not fo fair coloured: the ring about her neck is darker, and fcarce appearing, and her head is -not black like the cock’s. They frequent the reeds by the river Tides, where they breed, hanging their nefts between the reeds; they are chearful, merry birds, and Tng finely, efpecially in the night. When we walk in fummer time by the fides of the river, they generally afford an agreeable harmony, ihey are not kept very common in cages, therefore it is not neceftary to dwell any longer upon this bird. Her eggs in colour are like the Hedge-Sparrow’s. I C 73 3 Directions Mow to male a Pafte for mixing with ail Sorts of fojt-beak ' 1 d Birds Meat ; fuch as live on fojt Food } viz. the Black-Bird, Thrufh, Starling, Sky- Lark, Wood - Lark, Nightingale, Robin, Wren, &c. r_ TO make this Pafte, take half a peck of the finefthorfe-beans, being very dry, and ground fine j then boult it through a. fine boulter, fuch. as is ufed for wheating flour •, or, if your ftock of birds do not require fo great a quantity, take in the following proportion : Or the faiu meal, two pounds, with one pound of the bed: fweet almonds blanched ; beat thefe well in a mortar, as fine as poffible ; then put four ounces of frefh butter, that is entirely without any fait, into a fauce-pan well tin- ned ; mix all together, and let the pan ove-r a clear fire, that the pafte may not finell of fmoak, continually ftirring of it whilft it ltands Upon the fire ■, then take four yolks of eggs, and a little laflfon : when the butter is all melt- ed, having fomc virgin’s honey ready, drop in fome by degrees, continually barring it, to keen it from burning, and that all the ingredients may incorporate) then ftrain it through a drain- G 74 directions. er, or fieve, made with holes, fuch as will let the whole compofition pafs, which fhould be pretty thin ; and, for the keeping of it, put it up in a pot of lime-ware, with a little melted clarified honey upon the top; then cover it clofe up, and fo you have ftore of proviiions for many months. This Pafte may be mixed with any bird-meat whatfoever, being a very flrengthening clean- ing diet, and is ready at all times when once made, and will continue good for fix months. In the Winter time, take a pretty good quantity of faffron and mingle with the pafte, for it is hot and opening, and will maintain the bird more cheerful and lively. Many other forts of pafte may be made like this, of lefs charge ; as, inftead of almonds, to ufe walnuts, & c. - CANARY B I R D. r 75 '] CANARY-BIRD. Dsfiription and CharaBer. r"|pHIS bird has its name from thole iflands I of the Atlantic fea, called the Canaries, from whence it was firft brought into Europe. Canary-Birds are bred in large quantities, boiii for fale and amufenrent, in Germany, France, and England ; and in each of thole countries they have, by care, much improved the breed, beyond thofe now imported from the natur.d climate. They are of different colours, yellow, white, buti, gray, and green, with endicfs va- riety of combination arifmg from the different {hades of colour in the parent birds. Thofe brought from Germany are generally variegated or mottled, and are the lead valued, becaufe the fuffocating heat of the doves, generally riled to warm the houles in tnat country, ren- ders the birds bred there tender and fhort-lived : German birds feldom living above a year or two in this country. The cock of this kind is highly valued for its linging, having a very lweet note, which it G % / y6 CANARY-BIRB, continues for fome time in one breath, without intermiffion, and raifes it higher and higher by degrees, with great variety. The forepart of the head, she throat, the pinion or the wing, and rump of the cock, are of a brighter yellow than in the hen ; which marks will hold good let them be of what kind tiiey will ; the cock is alfo bigger than the hen, and his carriage is alfo more fprightly and zna- jefhc ; for he will often extend his neck and oead in a very brilk lively manner. The hens do not fing, or io indifferently, it does not de« hrve toe name of finging. Whenever the cock imgs, his throat may be obferved to fwell and pay all the while he is warbling, whereas there ls no fu-ch motion in the hen. Directions for chcofng a Canary-Bird, and U knew if he be in health. Ihere are two particular forts of Canary- Birds known and efteemed among breeders, be- iules fome varieties under each, which latter are ”?t material t0 enf er into. Thefe are thofe birds which are all yellow, and thofe which are mottled, with a yellow crown : the former m the breeding ftile, being called gay birds, and toe tatter fpangled or fancy birds. The fan- r, ' f,eemed the - ftr ™g^. and have bo - dcft fon S> l -et Sometimes the difference C ANAR if-SIRD. 77 of their voice is not very obferveable. Carelefs breeders will often match a gay bird with a fan- cy bird, and then the produce, partaking or both kinds, are called mules ; being foul irre- gular birds, of no value, for feather, though they may prove as good as any, mere*y foi ilng-» ing. The choice of birds for breeding will be confidered under the next article. For health, take a bird that appears with life and boldnefs, handing like a Sparrow-Hawk, not fubjeft to be feared at every thing that ftirs : therefore, when you obferve him, approach not: too near the cage, left by a motion of the hand, or otherwife, you cLifturb him ; it will make the bird, though not well, appear fpright- ly, and in health for a little time; but if you hand quiet, and at a proper diftance, you may foon difeover whether it is the effect of furprift or the natural fpirit of the bird : if he ftands up boldly, without crouching or fhrinking his feathers : if his eyes look chearful, and not drowfy, they are good ftgns of a healthful bird : but, on the contrary, i£ he be apt to clap his head under his wing, and ftand all of an heap, you may be fure he is not well. Obferve like wife his dung ; which, when he is in perfect health, will be round and hard, with a fine white on the outfide, and dark within, and will quickly be dry. If he bolts his tad like a Nightingale after he hath dunged ; G.3 CANARY-BIRD. 78 or if his clung be very thin, or of a finny white, with no blacknefs in it, you may conclude he is a lick birch The next thing we are to regard in choofing a Canary-Bird is the goodnefs of his fong. Some of thefe birds will open with the fweet of the Nightingale, and run through feveral of that bird’s fine notes, and end in the Tit-Lark’s long ; and fome will ting only the Tit-Lark’s. Others will begin almoft like a Sky-Lark, and by a foft melodious turn of the voice, fall into the Nightingale’s fweet and jug, whifking and chew- ing after a very delightful manner. The birds that have fuch a curious change of harmonious notes want no recommendations ; every body mull be fenfible that they are valuable. There are others of this kind that fing with fo much force, they even deafen the ears of the hearers rvith their fhrillnefs j many perfons are delighted with this kind of hinging ; others are offended at it. There- fore, before you purchafe the bird, hear him fing in a fingle cage j and as you have directions to know a cock-bird, and when he is in health, as to the colour and fong, pleafe your own fancy. To order them In Breeding , Cfcv If you propofe to breed gay birds, choofe yotu cock and hen of a clear uniform yellow CANARY-BIRD. 79 colour, without being lpotted with foul feathers; for thefe foulnefies indicate a mixture in their blood, and that the breed has fome time or other been eroded. Breeders of fancy birds are dill more curious as to feather there being feveral fubfeription focieties in London which raife annual pre- miums for the fined birds, and who have a pat- tern bird beautifully engraved and coloured v as the dandard of perfection, with his various characters explained in a technical dile under- neath. But as a perfon ought to be a connoif- feur before he undertakes to raife prize birds, it may be diffident to obferve, that no excellence in the feathers of fancy birds is any fecurity for breeding equally perfect young ones from them, as defeCts will often appear m fome reipeCt or other: while, on the contrary, two indifferent birds may fometimes produce a very fine one. The principal teft of a good fancy bird is the having a clean cap ; that is, the crown of his head, defined by a horizontal line at the level of his eyes and beak, is to be of a clean yellow or white, without being broke or fpotted with foul feathers ; and a Angle feather of this kind is a drawback from his perfection j though this degree of perfection is feldom found. Add to this, that his back, wings, and tail, ought to be as clear from yellow or white feathers. The finer he is mettled on the back, and clearer yel- So CANARY-BIRD 1 . low he is on the belly, the handfomer he will r be e deemed. Thefe general characters are equally requisite in the hen as in the cock ; betides which, the breeder is to be informed of a cafual variety in fancy birds, which are all diflinguithed either as mealies or junks : the meally birds being thofe whofe crown and bellies are of a clean white or pale yellow ; and the junks, whofe crown and bellies are of a deep yellow. It is a handing rule among good breeders never to match two meally or two junk birds together ; and fkillful bird-fanciers will decide at once upon a bird fo bred. The fine fpangled fort above-mentioned, com- monly called French Canary-Birds, and the meally ones, are the heft to breed with for thofe who are very curious ; becaufe a fpangled cock with a meally hen will produce a more regular fpangled feather than if cock and hen were both fpangled, for then they would breed too high upon the yellow. Pair fuch a fpangled cock with a meally hen' in a cage by themfelves, rather than a meally cock with a fpangled hen ; becaufe the young ones take mcftly after the cock-bird in their fear thers. Gray birds will breed full as well as any, for thofe who care not what coloured birds the* CANARY-BIRD. 8 1 breed, fo they have but young ones •, they being the heft nurfes. The white birds are quite the worth to breed with, being very rarely good nurfes ; and therefore, let the birds you breed with beEng- lifh-bred birds, and not from the Germans, their birds agreeing but indifferently with our climate to breed in. The Canary-Bird is a gentle familiar animal, and will breed very kindly under due manage- ment : that is, if they are provided with con- venient cages, proper neceffaries, are kept clean, and are not interrupted from time to time by the prying eyes of impertinent curiofity, or of- ficious care. The hazards of their own mis- management admitting of no companion with the dangers they are expoled to from over- nurfing. In fir or t, the beft general rule that can be given, is to fupply them with every ne- ceffary at due times, and then to interfere as little as poffible in their domeilic ceconomy 0 jl he hens geneially lit four times in a ieafon 3 but if a ben fits upon a due number of eggs three times, flic fhould not be permitted to build again, without fhe appears yet ftrong and hearty ; for they will fometimes die on the fourth neft during laying, or fall fo weak as not to complete the fitting. About the beginning of March, if the Spring be mild, or later, in proportion to its fe verity, 82 CANARY-BIRD* you may put your birds together in their breed- mg cage ; . and the larger it is, the more conve- nient it will be for the birds to exercife them- felves ; the common fized cages being too fmall for the purpofe. If you breed with feveral pairs flying loofe in a room, it will be neceftary to pair them in fmall cages for a fortnight or fo, that they may contract a familiarity and attach- ment before they are turned out promifcuoufly. Never attempt to breed with two hens in one ^ 01 their jealoufy of each other will dif~ appoint your expe&atiens from both. There fnould be two neft boxes in every cage ; for though the young ones generally leave the neft m fourteen days, the hen fometimes begins ano- ther neft before they are out; and if fhe has not a box provided, will build upon the young birds and fmother them. It may not be amifs alfo, as the hen is com- monly attached to that corner of the cage where lhefirilfits, to Aide the neft of young birds farther, in, whep fhe inclines to build again, and put the empty box upon the fpot from whence the neft is removed. . If y° u would have young ones from any par- ticular cock or hen, you muft put fuch a pair in a cage by themfelves twelve or fourteen days. The frit day or two, the hen being flay, they may perhaps fee m not to agree, but they will foon make it up and be better acquainted, which CANARY-BIRD. 83 VOU will know by their feeding one another ; which, when you fee they often do, you may turn them into your breeding place amongft the reft, and they will keep conftantly to each other, though amongft feven or eight pairs of other birds. In order to produce variety, or any particu- lar excellence of colour or form, the generality of breeders pair thus in cages by themfelves all the couples they intend to breed with, before they turn them into the breeding place ; but if any perfon does not care to be at that trouble, or is indifferent about the colour of the brood, they will match themfelves very well ; only in this cafe the chief pleafure of breeding is abandoned. What fort foever you breed with, be lure to choofe the largeft and longeft feathered birds of the fort you can get, and never to attempt breeding with a fickly bird, as it will turn out the certain lofs of a pair. If your cock or hen is but fmall, then match your fmall one with a larger; and obferve, that it is better the hen be the larger of the two, to cover well her eggs. A hen that has already bred is much better to breed with than , a hen of a year old ; be- caufe fuch old hen will fit clofer and furer, and feed her young much better (which is very CANARY-BIRD. S 4 valuable) than a young giddy hen ; but a cock ox a year old is as good for breeding as any. As loon as your birds are put together, you muft begin to feed them with hard egg, and bread grated and mixed together. This fhould be given frefh every day, in the proportion of half an egg, with about three or four times the fame quantity of bread, to every pair, through- out the feafon, befide their ordinary diet of rape and canary-feed. With this they fhould alio have a due fupply of chick-weed, ground- f-b plantain, or cos lettice leaves, as the feafon affords ; and a pan of clean water to wafh them- selves in at pleafure. The cage- makers fupply all the proper furniture for thefe occalions. I would recommend to fuch perfons as breed only a few birds for their diverflon to ufe large cages, it being much the befe way : but thefe cages muft always hand in one place ; far if they are fhifted about, the birds will never fettle to their bufinefs. Thofe who intend to breed a number lhould prepare a room for that pur- pofe. Let the fituation of it, if poffible, be fuch, that the birds may enjoy the benefit of the morning fun, which is both delightful and nou- rifhing ; and let the windows be covered with wire-work, that they may have the advantage of the air in good weather, which will make them thrive the better : keep the floor of the CANARY-BIRD. 8^ fbcitt clean, fometimes lifting fine-dry gravel or fand upon it, and often removing the dung and other foul fluff. You mult take care to fix neft-boxes and back-cages, in evsry convenient corner and place of the room, at lealt twice the number that you have birds, that they may have the more variety to chufe a lodging to their minds ; for fome love to build high, and fome very low, fome in a light place, and others will chufe a dark place. The belt way to give birds water that breed flying, is in a bottle turned with the mouth downwards into a kind of gallipot with holes in the Tides, made for this purpoie, and to be had at the earthen-ware fhops. You mult put their feed in a trough or bin, with their other food, upon a table or Itool, er hang it up by the wall. There ought to be two windows in the room, one at each end, and feveral perches at proper diftances for the birds to fettle upon, as they fly backwards and forwards. You may fet like- wife a tree in fome convenient place of the room, to divert the birds, and fome of them will like to build in it : you muff obferve that their neft is fecure from falling through, and if in danger, to tie the tree clofer to prevent it, and they will hatch there as well as in any other place. Remember not to put too many birds H 86 CANARY-BIRD. together, eight or ten pair are enough for a middling room. When your birds are hr ft paired, as I direct- ed before, turn them into this room ; where they will live, as it were, a conjugal life ; and norwithilanding there are feveral other birds in the fame room, one cock and one hen, as they firft coupled together, will keep conftant to each other, and both concur and affift in fitting and feeding their young : for the cock-bird takes his turn in building the neft, fitting upon the eggs, and feeding the young, as well as the hen, Oj- their Nejl, and how to order the Young. "i ou mu ft furnifh the birds with fluff for making their neft ; fucli as fine hay, elk’s hair, and niols: but give them no wool or cotton; for their feet are apt to tangle in it, fo that when they get off the neft, they are in danger of drag- ging it out. after them. Let all thefe materials be thoroughly dry ; then mix and tie them up together in a net, or put them in a rack,- fo that the birds may ealily pull it out as they want it ; and let it be hung in proper places in the room for that purpofe. They build a pretty neat neft, about which they will fometimes be fo induftrious, as to be- gin and finifh it in one day, though they are CANARY-BIRD. 07 generally two or tlv'^e days in making theii neft. The hen lays commonly four eggs, and fits thirteen days. When the young are hatched, leave them to the care of the old ones to nurfe and bring up, till they can fly and ifeed themfeives. The hen, as I faid before, will fometimes build again be- fore the former brood can fhift for themfeives ; the care of which fire transfers to the cock- bird, who will feed and nurfe them himfelt, fupplying the care of both parents, while f he brings on and attends her new progeny. When the young Canary-Birds can feed themfeives, take them from the old ones, and case them. If they are flying about the room, you may catch them with a fmall hoop-net at the end of a long handle, made for that par- pofe. They may foon be weaned from their loft meat to feed and greens. Of the Canary-Bird’s Dif-afes, and their Cures, Besides their moulting, which is common to all birds, they are fubjedt to the following diforders : The firft is a furfeit, occaiioned ei- ther by a violent cold, or from eating too gree- dily upon greens, dpecially a rank fort of chick- weed with broad-leaves, and without feeds, which is hurtful both to old and young birds, it being very apt to furfeit the latter. To dif- H. 2 CANARY-BIRD* S8 cover when the bird ha* this diftemper, blow the feathers on the belly, and you will perceive it fwelled, tranfparent, and full of little red veins (all its little bowels finking down to the extreme parts of its body) and if far gone, black, which generally brings death. The cure of this- difeafe, if taken in time, is to keep him warm, and give him whole oatmeal among ft his feed for three or four days, in order to cieanfe him; and pet liquorice in his water, but if he is too loofe, inlfead cf oatmeal, give him maw-feed and bruifed hemp-feed, being more binding ; and, at the fame time, let him have a little faf- fron in his water ; or you may boil milk and' bread, with a little maw-feed in it ; it is very good for the bird at fach a time. Another malady the Canary-Bird is troubled with, is a little pimple on his rump, called the pip ; it will generally go away of it-felf, but if at any time it is bad, and will not, when it is ripe, let out the fickly matter with the point of a fine needle, fqueezing it all out with as much gentlenefs as you can ; after-, take a bit of loaf- iugar, moifien it in your mouth, and put it on the lore, which will heal it. A third difeafe is a kind of yellow fcabs that come about their head and eyes, which fome- tunes fwell, and are full of matter ; anoint thefo places with frefh butter or lard, or the oil of ’wget almonds ; thofe things will cure it, up- CANARY-BIRD. 89 leis it fpread, then nothing but time and cool- ing food will carry it off. Canary-Birds are fometimes leized with fits, and drop from their perches to the grouno, where they tumble in convulfions. In this cafe, if they are diicovered in time, and plunged in a pan of cold water, they will generally recover. The laft thing that I fhall take notice of is his moulting. You may know when this comes on by the bird’s appearing rough, melancholy, and often deeping in the day with his head un- der his wings, and the cage being covered with down and fmall feathers; for the young ones, the fir ft year, caft only their down and fmall fea- thers, and the fecond their tail and wing- fea- thers. Careful nurfing is the principal means to pre-- ferve birds under this natural malady ; there- fore, be fure to keep him warm ; fet him fometimes in the fun, when it Urines powerful- ly, to bafic himfelf, it will comfort him very much, always taking care to keep him from cold or wind, which are very prejudicial to him at fuch a time ; let him have good nouridring food, bedde his common feed ; as fcaided bread with the water fqueezed out, and maw -feed : you may alfo put a little faffron in his water. If the weather is very hot when the birds are in their moult, give- them liquorice in their wa- ter inftead of faffron, and plantain or lettice- H 3 CANARY-BIRD. go feed ; but rot any of that meat if it be cold weather. In the Winter-time, when green meat is not to be had, or the feafon is too cold to allow it y a little fcalded bread, with the water fqueezed from it, will be an agreeable regale to your birds cnee a-week, and keep their bodies from being too much bound up by their -dry feed. A dice of a ripe apple or pear, now and then duck between the bars of their cage, is alfo a fead that their fongs will thank you for. Keep always a lump of chalk (too big for the birds to pull about) in your breeding place *, they will often peck at it, and it will abfcrb and dedroy many fharp humours, which caufe didempers in them ; and therefore chalk is as wholefome for them as it is for the heart-burn^ and fome other illneffes in the human body. Bufion’s Hiftory of the Canary-Bird. If the Nightingale is the chantrefs of the woods, the Canary-Bird is the mudcian of the chamber : the f rd owes all to nature ; the fe- cond derives fomething from our arts : with lefs drength of organ, lefs compafs of voice, and lefs variety of note, the Canary-Bird has a bet- ter ear, greater facility of imitation, more me- mory ; and as the difference of genius, efpecial- canary-bird. 91 ly among the lower animals, depends in a great meafure on the difference that exifts among them with regard to the perfection of dum fenfes, the Canary-Bird, whole organ of hear- ing is more attentive, more fufceptible of re- ceiving and retaining foreign impreffions, be- comes accordingly more focial, more tame, ano. more familiar : it is capable of gratitude anu even of attachment; its catches are endearing, its little humours are innocent, and its anger neither hurts nor offends. Its natural habits like wife attach it to us the more ; it eats feeds like our other domeftic birds ; it is more eaffiy bred than the Nightingale, which lives on deh- or on infects, and which' can be reared only with prepared food. Its education is more eafy and more fuccefsful ; we breed it with pleasure* becaufe we are able to inftrubt it : it leaves the melody of its natural note to hden to the harmony of our voices and inftruments ; it ap- plauds, it accompanies us, and repays the plea- fure it receives with intereft. The Nightingale, more proud of its talent, feems willing to pr>_- Ibrve it m all its purity; at lead, it appears \ery little to value ours ; and it is with the greatefc difficulty it can be taught to repeat any of our airs. The Canary can fpeak and whiffle; the Nightingale defpifes our words as well as our fong, and never fails to return to the warbling gf its own wood-notes wild. Its pipe is a ra-ader- CANARY-BIRD-. 9 *- piece of nature which human art can neither 'al- ter nor improve ; that of the Canary-Bird is a model of more pliant materials, which we can mould at pleafure. This lad, therefore, con- tributes in a much greater degree to the com- forts of fociety j it tings at all feafons ; it chears us in the dulled: weather, and even adds to our happinefs ; for it amufes the young and delights- the reclufe, it charms the tedioufnefs of the- cloifler, and exhilarates the foul of the innocent and the captive ; its little amours, which we can contemplate while we make it breed in our cages, have a thoufand times rekindled the dy- ing flame of love in hearts where it feemed to have been extin guifhdd. Is not this doing as- much good as our Vultures do harm ? The happy climate of the Canary idands ferns to be the native place of this charming bird, at lead it feems there to attain its hrigheft degree of perfeftion ; for we know that there is in Italy a Tpecies much fmaller than that of the Canaries, and in Provence another aimed: as large : both of thefe are wilder, and may be conddered as the docks of dome tamed race. Thefe three birds will breed in a date of capti- vity ; but in their- native regions they feem to propagate without intermixture. They there- fore form three permanent varieties, which it is proper to didinguifh by three different names, that they may. not be confounded.' The- largs . € ANARY-EIRD. 93 »ne was called Ginit or Cini in the days of Be- Ion, and in Provence it retains the name of Cini or Cigni to this day. The lead: one is called, Venturon in Italy, The Venturon is found not only in Italy, but in Greece, in Turkey, in Auftria, in Provence, in Languedoc, in Catalonia, and probably in all the climates of that temperature. There are, however, certain years in which it is very rare in our fouthern provinces, particularly at Mar- fellies. Its fong is agi'eeable and varied ; the female is inferior to the male both in fong and plumage. The form, colour, voice, and food, of the Venturon and Canary-Bird, are nearly the fame, only the Venturon is fmaller, and its notes are neither fo fine nor fo clear. The Cini of Provence is larger than the Ven~ turon, and has a louder note : it is remarkable for the brightnefs of its colours, and for the flrengtli and variety of its long. The female is- fomewhat larger than the male, has lels yellow in its plumage, does not ling fo well, or rather anfwers him as it were only by monofyllables. This bird feeds on the fmalleft feeds he can find in the fields ; he lives long in a cage, and feems to delight in being placed near the Gold- Finch: he liltens and borrows fome of the other’s notes, which he incorporates with his own long. It is found not only in Provence, but. in. Dauphiny, at Geneva, in Switzerland^ 94 CANARY-BIRD. Germany, Italy, and Spain. It is the bird known in Burgundy by the name of the Cana- ry. It builds upon the ofiers planted along the banks of the rivers ; and its neft is formed of hair within and mofs without. It is pretty com- mon in the environs of Marfeilles and in the fouthern provinces of France, but rare in the northern. M. Lottinger fays, that in Lorraine it is a bird of paffage. The prevailing colour of the Venturon , as of the Cini t is a yellowifh green on the upper part of the body, and greenifh yellow on the belly ; but the Cini, which is larger than the Ventu- rer!, likewife differs from it in having brown fpots, which are longitudinal on the upper part of the body, and waved on the under 5 while in our climates the ordinary colour of the Canary-Bird is a uniform citron yellow over the whole body even on the belly. This how- ever is to be underflood only of the extremi- ties of the feathers, all the other parts of them are white. i lie female is of a paler yellow than the male. But this citron colour, inclining more or lefs to white, which the Canary-Bird wears in our climates, is not its colour in its native place, and it varies according to the tempera- ture of the country it inhabits. “ 1 have ob- served,” fays one of the ableft Naturalifts *, ” that the Canary-Bird, which becomes white * M. Adanfon, Voyage au Senega], Page 13, CANARY-BIRD. 95 in France, is at Teneriffe almoft as gray as a Linnet ; a change proceeding 1 fuppofe from the coldnefs of the climate.” The colour may al- ter like wife from diverfty of food, from capti- vity, and efpecially from intermixture with other fpecies. At the beginning of this century, bird- fanciers reckoned, in the iingle fpecies of the Canary-Bird, no lefs than twenty-nine varieties, all fo diftinguifhable as to be eafily pointed out. The original hock of thele twenty-nine varie- ties, is the common grey Finch of the Canary blinds. All thofe that are of other uniform colours have received them from difference of climate : thofe with red eyes are generally more or lets inclined to abfolute whitenefs, and thofe with different colours are varieties rather fidti- tious than natural. Beftdes thefe differences, which appear to be the frft variations from the pure ftock of the Canary iilands when tranfported into other countries j and befides fome new races which nave appeared f nee, there are other varieties Bill more apparent, arifing from a mixture of the Canary-Bird with the Venturon and Cini ; for thele birds may not only be made to pair and breed, but their young, which are general- ly confidered as mules and fterile, are notwith- flanding mongrels that are capable of propaga- ting their race. It is the fame in the junction ot the Canary-Bird with the Silhin, the Gold- canary-birb. 56 Finch, the Linnet, the Yellow-Hammer, the Chaffinch; it is even faid that it will produce with the Sparrow. Thefe fpecies of birds, ah though very different, and to appearance very remote from that of the Canary-Bird, will, not- withftanding, unite with it and breed, if proper care and precaution be ufed in pairing them. The firft thing neceffary is to feparate the Ca- nary-Birds from all thofe of their own fpecies 5 and the fecond is, to employ the female rather than the male. I have been affured that the hen Canary-Bird will produce with all the a* bove-mentioned birds •, but it is not equally cer- tain that the cock will unite with the females of thofe birds. The Sifkin and the Gold-Finch are the only ones that feem to have their ferti- lity with the cock Canary-Bird authenticated. The following was written to me on the fubjeff by a friend of mine, a man of experience -and probity : “ I have thefe thirty years amufed myfelf in rearing a number of fmall birds, and I have particularly attended to the method of breeding them ; it is therefore from repeated experience and obfervation that I am enabled to affert the following fafts. When a perfon wifhes to pai*r the Canary-Bird with the Golcl-Finch, he muff take young Gold-Finches, of ten or twelve days old, from the neft, and put them in a neft with Canaries of the fame age. He muft feed them C A NARY-BIRD. 97 together, and leave them in the fame cage, ac- cuftoming the Gold-FiAch to the fame food with the Canary-Bird. It is ufaal to put a cock Gold-Finch to a hen Canary-Bird, as they pair much more eaiily, and prolper better than when a hen Gold-Finch and cock Canary-Bird are al- fociated. It muft however be obferved, that the brood in the lirlt cafe is later, becaufe the cock Gold-Finch does not pair fo quickly as the cock Canary. But when the female Gold- ' Finch is put to a male Canary-Bird, the pairing takes place much fooner. To fucceed, a male Canary-Bird is never to be put into a cage where there are females of its own fpecics, for then it will prefer thefe to female Gold- Finches, “ With regard to the union of the male Ca- nary with the female Silkin, I can vouch that it profpers exceedingly well. I have had in my aviary thefe nine years, a female Siikin which never failed to have three broods the firfl five years, and all thefe profpered ; for tire laid four years flue has hatl only two broods. I have other birds of the fame fpecies of Silkin, which, without having been bred up together, or placed apart, have paired with Canary-Birds. The male or female Silkin is merely put into a room with a good number of thole birds ; they will foon be coupling at the fame time with other Canaries; while the Gold-Finch only couples I CANARY-BIRD. '9 S with the Canary-Bird when in a cage, and then too only when there is no bird there of its own fpecies. The Sifkin lives as long as the Cana- ry-Bird, it accuftoms itfelf to the fame food with lefs repugnance than the Gold-Finch. I have alfo put Linnets and Canary-Birds to- gether ; but they will feldom breed except the cock Linnet be put with the hen Canary-Bird ; the female Linnet will not even make a neft, but drops a few eggs in the cage, which are generally addle. I know this by experience, as I have often made the hen Canary-Bird fit on them without effect. “ The Chaffinch and Yellow-Hammer are with great difficulty made to pair with the Ca- nary-Bird. 1 left a female Yellow-Hammer with a male Canary for three years, the hen laid only addle eggs : it is the fame with the female Chaffinch ; but the cock Chaffinch and Yellow-Hammer with the hen Canary-Bird have produced fome fertile eggs.” It follows from thefe facts, and fome others which 1 have collected, that among all thefe birds the Sifkin alone will breed with the Ca- nary-Bird equally well, whether male or fe- male : the hen Canary-Bird produces, likewife, eafily enough with the male Gold-Finch •, not quite fo eafily with the male Linnet : and, laft- ly, it will breed, though more difficultly, with the males of the Chaffinch, the Yellow-Ham- CAN AR.Y-3IR.TA- 99 mer and Sparrow, while the male Canary is in- capable of fecundating the females of any of thefe laft. Nature is therefore more ambiguous and lefs conftant, and the mould of the fpecies lefs firm in the female than in the male : the latter is the true model ; its ftructure is ftronger than that of the female, which is lub- jeft to various modifications and alterations by a mixture with other ipecies. The firft variety which feerns to conftitiue two diftinfc races in the fpecies of the Canary- Bird is formed of the variegated and the plain, (or the fpangled and gay birds, as they are called in London.) The white are never \a- riegated, neither are the citron coloured: but when thefe laft have attained the age of four or five years, the extremities of the wings and tail become white. The grey are not of an uni- form colour ; on the fame bird there aie lea- thers more orlefs grey and in many of taels birds the grey is lighter or darker, more in- clined to the brown or the black. Tire agates are of an uniform colour, but there are fome where the agate colour is lighter or darker. Thofe inclining to a cream colour are ftill more uniform ; the yellow is conftant both in the fame bird, and in the different individuals. In the variegated, or fpangled birds, thofe that are of a jonquil yellow are tinged witn biacK, and there is generally a foot of black on tnu I a 2 00 CANARY-BIRD. head. There are variegated individuals with ail the fimple colours we have mentioned, but tr.ofe of the jonquil colour only are variegated with black. \\ nen individuals of an uniform colour are paired together, their young are of the fame coiour : a cock and hen that are grey generally produce grey birds: but if a male grew is put to a female white, or a male white to a female grey, the brood will be more beautiful than the parents - and as the numbers that may be crcf- !cd by fuch combinations are. inexhauftible, we can at ail times produce varieties in fhadc and imt that have not before appeared. The mix- tures that may be made of the fpangled birds with thofe of an uniform colour increafe hill jnore the number of combinations that may be produced ; and thus varieties in the ipecies may be multiplied to infinity, ft likewife often hap- pens, mat without the a (lift a nee of the fancy- mrdq we have pretty little variegated birds winch owe their beauty to the mixture of the coherent colours in their parents or their pro- genitors, fome of which, either on their father < r mother’s fide, may have been variegated. "Vvith regard to the mixture of other fpecics with the Canary-Bird, 1 have colledled the fol- lowing obfervations : Of the whole fpecies, the Cmi or green Canary has the ftrongeft pipe ; it is is the moft vigorous and mod ardent for pro- CANARY-BIRD. IOX pagation : it may fuffice for three females ; it feeds them on the neft as it does the young. The Sifkin and the Gold-Finch are neither ib vigorous nor fo attentive, and are content with a tingle female Canary-Bird. The birds that come from the junction of the Cini, the Sifkin, and the Gold-Finch, with a hen Canary-Bird, are generally ftronger than thole from a cock and hen Canary-Bird. They fing longer, their voice is more fonorous and flrong, but they are taught with difficulty ; the greater part always whittle imperfectly, and one is feldom to be found which can repeat a tingle air without miffing. When we would with to procure birds from a mixture of the Gold-Finch with a hen Cana- ry-Bird, the former mutt be two years old, and the latter one ; becaufe the Canary-Bird comes fooner to maturity than the Gold-Finch, and in general they fucceed bed when they have been bred up together. This, however, is noc abfolutely neceffary, and the author of the Treatife on Canary-Birds # is miftaken when he cautions us againft ufng a hen that has former- ly hatched with a cock of its own fpecies, as if that would prevent her from receiving the male of another fpecies. “ I happened, fays Father Bougot, to put four males to eight female Ca- nary-Birds ; fome bad feed poilbned three of * Iraite des Serins des Canaries, p. 163. 1 3 102 CANARY-B-I-RBb the males, and all the females loft their frft eggs ; I refolved to fubftitute three male Gold- Finches taken in a trap in place of the three dead Canaries, and I put them into the cage about the beginning of May. Towards the end of July 1 had two nefts of mongrels which foc- ceeded to admiration ; and the following year I had three broods with each Gold - Finch, and hen Canary-Bird. Thefe laft in general do not breed with the Gold- Finch till they are from a year to four years old ; while with their own fpecies they continue to hatch for nine or ten years. The common variegated fe- male alone will breed with the Gold-Pinch be- yond her fourth year. A Gold-f’inch muft ne- ver be let loofe in an aviary, for he deftroys the nefts, and breaks the eggs of the other birds.” We fee then that hen Canary-Birds, though accuftomed to the males of their own fpecies, will yield to the careftes of the Gold-Finch, and will breed with thefe birds fuccefsfully. Their union with thefe is even as fruitful as with their own natural males, ftnce they lay three times in the year with the Gold-Finch : it is not fo in the union of the male Linnet with the hen Canary-Bird ; in this cafe there is only one brood, and very feldom two, in the year. The baftard birds which proceed from the Canary and the Silkin, Gold-Finch, 8c c. are by no means fterile 5 but mongrels that can pair CANARY-BIRD. IQgf* and propagate, not only with their races by father and mother, but with themfelves, and produce offspring that can alio pair and per- petuate their varieties. But it muft be owned, that the produce of thefe mongrels- is not fo certain nor fo numerous by any means as in the pure fpecies : they feldom hatch more than once in a year, and often lay eggs that are addle. The fuccefsful production depends on many little circumflances which cannot be difcovered, far lefs pointed out. It is laid, that among thefe mules there are always many more males than females. “ A female Canary-Bird and a Gold-Finch, fays Father Bougot, produced in the fame year, at three hatchings, nineteen eggs that were all fertile ; among the nineteen there were only three females, the other fixteen were males.” It is to be wilhed that this faCt could be afcertained by repeated obfervations. It remains therefore to determine by experiment, (and this will not be difficult) how many males and how many females are produced in the pure fpecies of the Canary-Bird, and then to obferve if the number of males is greater in the mongrels that proceed from a cock Gold- Finch and a female Canary-Bird. The reafon that inclines me to believe this is, that in gene- ral the male has more influence than the fe- male on the ftrength and quality of the differ- ent races. Befides, thofe mongrel birds which CANARY-BIRD. IO4 are ftronger, which have a more piercing note, and a longer breath than Canaries of the pure fpecies, likewife live longer. But there is one conftant obfervation which relates to both ; and that is, the oftener they hatch, the more they abridge the period of their lives. A cock Ca- nary-Bird reared alone, and deprived of any intercourfe with a hen, generally lives thirteen or fourteen years ; a mongrel proceeding from the Gold-Finch in the fame circum fiances, will live eighteen or even nineteen years. A mon- grel from the Sifkin will live fifteen or fixteen years ; while the cock Canary-Bird, that has been accuftomed to one or more females, lives only ten or eleven years, and the mongrel from the Gold-Finch fourteen or fifteen years. It is necefTary, moreover, to feparate them from the females immediately after the hatching feafon, that is, from the month of Auguft to March ; otherwife their paffion fo exhaufts them, that their lives are ltill fhorter by two or three vears. / In the lower animals, as well as in man, even in our fmall birds, the diverfity of character, or if you will, of moral qualities, often injures the confonance of phyfical qualities. If any thing could prove that the difpofition is a good or bad impreflion given by nature, which edu- cation cannot alter, it would be the inflance of our Canary-Birds. “ Aimoft every one of CANARY-BIRD. them, lays Mr Hervieux, differs from another in difpofition. There are fome cocks that are are always melancholy and even fallen, finging feldom, and then in a difrnal {train ; they are long in learning, and learn at laid but imperfectly what you teach them, and the little they know they very foon forget. Thefe are often fo un- cleanly, that their feet and tail are generally dirty ; they do not pleafe the female, whom they never regale with their fong, even when her young firft appear, though indeed thefe are feldom much better than their father. There are others fo wicked that they kill the hen they are put to, and there is no other way of taming them than by giving them two females, who join for their common defence ; and when they have once vanquifhed by force they conquer af- terwards by love *. There are others fo bar- * It fome times happens, that thefe ill-natured males have other qualities, which repair in fome me a fine their defects, fiuh as a moft melodious fong, a beautiful plumage, and gieut tamehefs. If, therefore, you would have a brood from them, you mull take two liens that are vigorous, and a year o.der than the cock; put thefe hens for a few months into the fame cage, that they may know each other well, and ►non they will not be jealous, or fight when put to the cock. A month before hatching time, put them both into the fame cage, and at the proper feafon introduce the male, who will mflandy endeavour to beat the two hens, efpecially for a few days at firfb ; but they, {landing- upon their defence, will foon gain the abfolute command of him; fo that, feeing he ‘“ ll1 2 a ‘*- -odiii.g by force, he will begin to grow tarn ■: and in,.- o 6 CANARY-BIRD. barous as to break and eat the eggs when the hen has laid them ; or if this unnatural father allows her to hatch, the young are. hardly ex- cluded from the fhell, than he feizes them with his bill, drags them from the neft and kills themf. Some are fo wild, lavage, and ungo- moured. Thefe forced marriages fqmetimes fucceed better than others from which much more has been expected, and which often produce nothing-. In order to preferve the brood, you mull take away the eggs as the hen lays them, and fubftitute others of ivory; and when they are all laid, the cock muft he removed, the eggs replaced, and the hen left to hatch them. The cock is to be kept in a cage, in the fame room, while the hen is fitting on her eggs, and feeding the young; hut as foon as you take away the young to feed them with a ftick, you muft relieve the cock, and reftore him to the female. Traite des Serins des Canaries. f There are fome cocks of a weakly habit, carelefs of love, and always fickly after pairing. Thefe Ihould never be ufcd for breeding ; for I have obferved, that their ifiue always rh~ fembles them. There are others fo petulant that they beat the hen off the neft and prevent her from fitting : thefe are the ftrongeft birds, the heft fingers, and often the moft beau- tiful and familiar ; others break the eggs and kill the young, that they may the longer enjoy the female. Others have a remarkable predilection and marked preference for certain females. A cock placed among twenty hens will fingle out one or two which he will conftantly attend and make love to without minding the reft. Thefe cocks are of a good natu- ral temper, which they communicate to their progeny. Others do not attach themfelves to any female, but remain fterile and inactive. The fame difference of temper and manners is found among the hens.. The jonquil-coloured hens art. CANARY-BIRD. IQ? ^rernable, that they will allow themfelves nei- ther to be touched nor carefied ; they mull be left at liberty, and cannot be treated like the others : if they are meddled with in the leaft they will not breed, their eggs muft not be touched or taken away ; and they will not hatch if they are not buffered to pair and build as they pleafe. Laftly, there are fome of an in- dolent dilpofition ; fuch, for example, are the grey ones ; thefe never build, and the perfon that attends them muft make a neft for them. All thefe tempers are very diftinct and very different from that of our favourite Canary- Birds, which are always gay, always linging, tame, agreeable, good mates, attentive fathers, and of fo gentle a difpofttion and fo happy a temper, that they are mfceptible of every good impreftion, and endowed with the beft inclina- tions : they charm inceffantly the hen with their fong ; they foothe her in the diftrefsful afildui- ty or hatching ; they invite her to quit her the gentleic ; the agates are capricious, and often quit their young to give themfelves to the male ; the hen fpangled birds are conflant to their eggs, and good to their young ; but the cock fpangled birds are the moft ardent of the fpecies, and muft be provided with two and even three hens, other- ' vif c the y n °t fuffer the hen to fit, and they will break the eggs. Thofe that are entirely jonquil-coloured are nearly of the fame difpofttion, and require two or three females. l h_ cock agates are the weakeft, and the hens often die when fitting. CANARY-BIRD, 108 place to them, and actually fit on the eggs fe- veral hours every day 5 they join with her in feeding the young ; and, laftly, they are docile, and learn whatever we chufe to teach them. It is by thefe alone that we mu ft form an opinion of the Species ; and I have only mentioned the others, to demonftrate that the temper and dif- pofition, even in animals, proceed from Na- ture and not from education. This bad difpofition, which makes them break their eggs and kill the neftlings, often proceeds from their temperament and from the impetuofity of their love ; it is to enjoy the fe- male that they drive her from the neft and de- flroy the tender objects of her affedlion. 'Ac- cordingly, the bell means of making thefe birds hatch is not to feparate them, or to put them in different cages. It is better to put them into a room well expofed to the fun, and to the eaft, in Winter, where there are many hens and a few cocks : here they enjoy them- selves more, and multiply better : when a hen fits, the cock finds him another mate, and does not difturb her. Befides, the cocks have many quarrels among themfelves from jealoufy ; and when they fee any one fo ardent as to torment the female, and attempting to break the eggs, they beat him Sufficiently to deaden his de~ fires. canary-bird. 109 When they are about to build, you mu ft furnifh them with lint, the hair of oxen or flags, "which has not been employed in other ufes, with mofs, and very final 1 and dry ftraw. Gold-Finches and Silkins, if put with hen Ca- nary-Birds when mule birds are wanted, prefer fmall ftraw and mofs, but the Canary-Birds like better to ufe the hair and lint : thefe muft be cut very fmall, for fear the threads fhould en- tangle the feet of the hen, and caufe her to pull the eggs from the neft as {lie rifes from it. In feeding them, you muft place in the room a hopper pierced all round, fo as to admit their head, filled with a portion of the following compofition : three quarts of rape-feed, two of oats, two of millet and of hemp-feed : every twelve or thirteen days the hopper is to be fill- ed, taking care that thefe feeds are clean and well winnowed. This food is proper as long a's they have only eggs 5 but the evening before the young are to he excluded, they muft have a dry cake kneaded without fait, which may be left till it is eaten up, and then you may eivc them eggs boiled hard ; a Angle hard egg if there are but two cocks and two hens, two ears if there are four cocks and eight hens, and fo in proportion. They muft have no green thiim vrn le they are breeding, which would weaken the young too much ; but in order to vary their foou a little, and cheer them with a new mefs, K no CANARY-BIRD.. give them every third day, on a plate, inftead of the dry cake, a bit of white bread dipped in water and preiTed with the hand ; this bread not being fo fubffantial a food as the cake, will pre- vent them from growing too fat when hatch- ing : it will likewife be proper to give them at the fame time fome poppy feed?, but only once in two days, for fear of heating them too much : fugared bifcuit generally produces this effect, which is followed with another ftill more hurtful ; for when they are fed on bilcuit, they often lay addle eggs, or bring weak and fick- Iv young. While they have young, boil their rape-feed to deprive it of its acrimony. “ Long experience, fays Father Bougot, has taught me that this food is that which bell agrees with them, notwithffanding what all authors have laid who have written exprefsly on the fub- jeft.” After the eggs are all laid, give them plan- tain and lettuce feed to purge them, taking away however the young, for this food would weaken them, and muff be given only for two days to the parent birds. When you with to rear Canary-Birds with the thick, you muff not, according to the directions of molt bird-breed- ers, leave them with the mother to the eleventh or twelfth day; it is better to take away the young after the eighth day ; take them away in the neft, and leave nothing but the calc. The CANARY-BIRD. I I I food of the neftlings rauft be previoufly prepa- red ; it is a pafte compofed of boiled rape-feed, a yolk of an egg, and crumb of the cake mix- ed and kneaded with a little water, which is to be given them every two hours. This pafte mud not be too liquid •, and for fear of its growing four, it rnuft be renewed every day till the young can feed themfelves. The brood of birds in a ftate of captivity is not fo conftant, but is perhaps more numerous than it would probably be in a ftate of native freedom ; for there are hens who will hatch four and even live times a-year, laying four, five, fix, and fometimes feven eggs at a time : in general, they have three broods, and the moulting prevents their having more. There are hens, however, that hatch while they moult, provided they begin to fit before that time, lords of the lame neft do not all begin to moult at the lame time, i he weakeft are the fir ft that undergo that change ; the ftrongeft are cf- t^n a month later. I he moulting of jonquil Canary-Birds is more tedious and generally more fatal than that of the others. The hens of thefe jonquil birds lay only three times with three eggs each time ; the light-coloured ones, both cock and hen, are too delicate, and their broody feldotn prolpers. j lie cream-coloured nave lome repugnance at pairing with one anc- tI1£T ’ 111 a ia r£ c aviary the male generally K 2 1 12 CANARY-BIRD. chufes one ox a different colour. In general;, the white go through the whole procefs with equal fuccefs ; they pair, build, and hatch as well, and better than any of the others, and the white fpangled birds are likewife the ftrong- eft of all. Notwithftanding thefe differences. in the dif- pofxtion, temperament, and fertility of thefe birds, the time of incubation in all is the fame ; all of them fit thirteen days, and when it happens a day lets or more, it is owing to fome accidental circumftance : cold retards the exclufion of the young, and heat accelerates it. Accordingly, it fornetimes happens that the firft fitting in A- pril lafis thirteen days and a half, or fourteen days, if the air is at that time cold ; on the contrary, the third hatching, which happens during the great heats of July or Anguft; lafis only twelve days or twelve days and a half. The bad eggs ought to be feparated from the good ; but in order to know them certainly, you fhould wait till they have been fat upon for eight or nine days; then take each egg by the two ends for fear of breaking them, and hold them again ft the fun or a lighted candle ; tliofe that are clear muft be rejected ; it would only fatigue the hen to leave them with her. In thus detaching the clear eggs, of three nefts we may make only two ; and the third lien being (?ANARY-BIRD. I £3 at liberty will proceed again to lay *. It is a practice much recommended by bird-fancyers to take away the eggs as the hen lays them, fub- Jdituting an ivory one in their place, that the whole may be hatched in one day. When the l-aft egg is laid, the ivory ones are removed and the others replaced. In general, the time of laying is in the morning, about fix or ieven o’clock : it is laid, that when this happens an hour later it is owing to the hen’s being lick ; the eggs being thus laid in regular fucceflion f, it is eafv to take them away the moment they are laid. However, this practice is more adap- ted to our own convenience than to that of the bird, and is contrary to the economy of nature; it makes the mother part with a great deal of heat unneceflarily, and burdens her at once with five or fix young, which incommode her * In giving the eggs of one hen to others, we muff be fure that they are all good ; the hen fpangled birds that get clear or bad eggs, will of themfelves throw them out of the nelt ; and when this is fo deep that they cannot effect it, they never leave finking them with their bill tdl they are broken, which fpoils the other eggs, injures the neft, and makes the whole become abortive : the females of the other varieties wifi fit upon clear eggs. Father Bugot. f The eggs arc all laid at the fame hour except the laft, which is fome hours, and at other times a day later. This laft egg is always finaller than the reft, and I have been af- fured that the bird it contains is always a cock. I wilh the were well afccrtcined. K 3 ii 4 CANARY-BIRD. more than they give her pleafure ; while, when fhe fees them come fucceilively one after the other, her pleafures are multiplied, and her fbrength an.d courage fupported : accordingly, very intelligent bird-fancyers have aiTured me, that the natural way has always fucceeded bet- ter with them than the above-mentioned prac- tice. Indeed I mu ft fay that, in general, too fub- tle practices, and the fcrupulous cares which our writers advife us to bellow on the rearing O of birds, are more hurtful than ufeful ; we mull as much as poflible imitate Nature in every thing. In their native fpot Canary-Birds haunt the breaks of little rivulets, or of moift ravines j we mu ft not therefore fuller them to want wa- ter, either to drink or to bathe in. As they are natives of a very mild climate, we muft de- fend them from the rigor of winter 5 but as they feem now long naturalifed with us they are ac- cuftomed to our cold weather, for we may keep them in a room without fire, and even with the window open, guarded however with a net- work- to prevent their efcape. I have known many bird-fancyers uho have allured me, that, by treating them thus hardily, they lofe fewer tlian when they are kept in warm rooms. It is the fame with regard to their food •, it may be rendered more Ample, and perhaps the birds CANARY-BIRD. * 1 l 5 will be the better for it * One circumftance it is particularly neceiiary to attend to, and that is, to beware of pairing them too loon in tin feafon : in general, it is the cuftom to permit their union towards the 20th or a 5th 01 March, whereas the 12th or X5tn of April is a more proper time ; for when they are put together while the weather is it ill cold, they grow indif- ferent for one another, and, if the hen happens to lay eggs, flie leaves them if the weather does not mow warm ; thus we lore a whole hatching, by feeicing to have it too early. The young birds are different from the old ones, not only in colour but in other qualities. A young Canary-Bird of the year, obferved on the 13th of September 177'/, had the head, the neck, the back, and the quill-feathers blackifh, except the four firft feathers of the right wing, which were whitiih ; the rump, the coverts of * I have learnt, from the fatal experience of fruiting to the directions of others, to connive my treatment to the fol- lowing : I have given them for food, rape-feed and millet ; water every other day in Winter, anci once or twice a-day in Summer ; groundfcl when it is to be had once a month ; chick-weed in moulting time ; 'ahead of iugar, bruifed oats and Turkey co. ; but particularly great cleannefs is necef- fary. Traite par M. Batteau. 1 niuft here remark a fmall error r It is generally agreed, that Canary-Birds mud by no me es have grov.ndfei while they are moulting ; for that food, is too cooling, and pro- longs the feafon of their indi . ..cion. The r directions given by Mr Eatteau appear co be well founded. CANARY-BIRD. I I 6 the wings, the tail, which was /till not quite formed, and the under part of the body, were alio of a whitifh colour, and there were not as yet any feathers on the belly from the Jlernum to the arms. This young bird had its lower mandible entering within the upper, which was pretty thick and a little hooked. As the bird advances in age, the difpo/ition and /hades of the colour change ; the old are di/tingui/hed from the young birds by ftrength, colour, and fong. The old ones have always the /Iron geld and mo ft vivid colours, their feet are rougher, inclining to black if they are of the grey race ; and the nails are thicker and longer than thofe of the young. The female fometimes fo much refembles the male, that it is not eafy to diftin- guifh the difference at fir ft fight : however, the colours of the male are always the bright eh, his head a little thicker and longer, the temples more of an orange colour, and under the bill a flame-coloured yellow, which defcends lower than in the female 5 his legs are alfo longer, and he begins to record almoft as foon' as he can feed hirnfelf. It is true, that there are hens which likewife begin thus early ; but taking all thefe marks together, we will be at no lofs to diftinguifh, even before the firft moulting, the cock from the hen. After that time there is no more uncertainty, for the cock declares him- felf by his fong. CANARY-BIRD, Ii; Every quick exertion of the voice is in ani- mals a hr eng indication of paili on •> and as love, of ail internal emotions, is that which agitates them qftenef, and tranfports them mod power- fully, they do not rail to expreis its ardour. Birds by their long, the bull by its lowing, the horfe by neighing, the bear by growling, all announce one and the lame on fire. 1 be ar- dour of this delire is by no means fo ftrong nor fo conlpicuous in the female as it is in tne male, and accordingly lire e store lies it but fel- dom by her voice j that cn tins hen Canary- Bird is nothing more than a gentle note of tender fatisfa&ion, a Sign of ccnlent which doqs not efcape her till (he has long It tened to and fbuered herfeli to be won by the ardent prayer of the male, who exerts hi in fell to infoire her with the fame pnlllon which he feels. But when her deiires are once excited, there is a necefiity for gratifying them, otherwife fie of- ten falls fck and dies. It is Seldom that Canary-Birds brought up in a chamber fall fck before hatching : fome- times a few cocks over eat themlelves and die : if the hen grows feek while fie is litting, her eggs muft be taken away and given to another; for though ihe Ihould get better loon, fie will not return to her neft. The Bril iymptom of fcknefs, efpecially in the cock, is melancholy ; whenever he is obferved to lofe his natural gaie- CANARY-BIRD. I I 8 ty, he muff be put in a feparate cage and placed in the fun in the fame room with the hen. If his feathers appear rough, you muft look if he has not a pimple above the tail ; when the fup- puration here is fit to be opened, the bird of- ten performs it himfelf with his bill ; but if it goes on too flowly, it muft be opened with a large needle, and the wound anointed with faliva, without mixing any fait with it, which would fmart it too much. The next day, you may let him loofe, and obferve, by his behaviour and eagernefs for the hen, whether he is cured or not. If not, you muft take him again, and with a fmall quill blow a little white wine un- der his wings, put him in the fun, and next day when you let him loofe judge as before of the ftate of his health ; if melancholy and dif- guft for the female continue after thefe reme- dies, all hope of cure is vain : he muft be put into a feparate cage, and another male given to the hen fimilar to the one fhe has loft, or if that cannot be, one of the fame variety with lierfelf : there is generally moft fympathy be- tween thofe which refemble each other, except in the cafe of cream-coloured varieties which prefer the females of any other colour. But care muft be taken that the new male be not a novice, but already acquainted with the duties of a parent. When the female falls fick fhe muft have the fame treatment with the male. CANARY-BIRD. I I 9 The raoft general caufe of ficknefs is too abundant or too rich food : when thefe birds are made to breed in a cage or clofet, they of- ten eat too much, or feledt the fucculent food clefigned for the young ; hence the confequen- ces are either repletion or inflammation. By keeping them in a room this inconvenience is in a great meafure prevented ; becaufe being among a great number, they hinder one ano- ther from eating to excefs. A cock who eats for a long time is fure to be beaten by the other males ; and the fame is the cafe with the hens : thefe quarrels give them exercife, temperance, and occupation from neceflity : it is chiefly on this account that they are feldom or never fick- ly in a chamber during the breeding time ; it is only after hatching that infirmities and difeafes attack them. The greater part have the pim- ple we mentioned above, and afterwards all of them are fubjeft to moulting. Some lupport pretty well this change of Bate, and do not fail to fing a fhort while every day ; but moil or them loie their voice, and iome even die. hen the hens have attained the age of fix or feven years many of them die in moulting ; the cocks lupport this lpecies of difeafe more eafily, and exifi three or four years longer. However, as moulting is a natural effedt rather than an accidental difeafe, thefe birds would have no need of remedies, or would find fuch CANARY-BIRD. 120 for themfelves had they been reared by their parents in a hate of nature and liberty. But being under reftraint, fed by us and made more delicate, moulting, which to birds at freedom is only an indifpoiition, a lefs perfect hate of health, becomes to thofe in captivity a ferious and often fatal malady, for which indeed there are but few remedies *. It remains only to fay that moulting is the lefs dangerous, if it hap- pens early, that is, in a good feafon of the year. Young Canary-Birds moult early in the year, about hx weeks after they are hatched : they become melancholy, appear rough, and put their head under the wing. Their down falls in this find moulting, and in the fecond the following year •, the large feathers, even thofe of the wings and tail, fall likewife. The young birds of the ia-fi: brood, which have not been hatched till September or later, fuffer accord- ingly much more in moulting than thofe which were hatched in the Spring. Cold weather is very unfriendly to this ftate, and they would all die were they not kept in a temperate, or ra- * At moulting time put a l it of fteel, not iron, into their water, changing it three time's a week : give them no other medicine, only put a little hi ore hemp-feed than ufual among their meat during this critical period. Note of F alley Baavot. Older ve that fceel is preferable to iron, only that you may he fure there is no ruil, which would do more harm than good. 6ANARV.-BIP.fc. 121 ther warm place. While this function is going on, that is, for fix weeks or two months. Na- ture labours to produce new feathers ; and the organic molecules which had been previoufly ■employed in forming the feminal fluid are now engaged in this new production ; accordingly, when moulting, birds neither breed nor pah ; for the fuperflux of life is wanting, which eve- ry being mull have before it can convey it to others. The mod fatal and mod common difeafe that the young Canary-Birds efpecially are fub- ject to, is that called the Surfeit, in which their bowels deem to defcend to the extremity of the body. The inteflines are feen through the fkin, in a ftate of inflammation, rednefs, and diftenflon ; the feathers on the part fall off j the bird grows emaciated, gives over eating, though he fits perpetually befide his meat, and dies in a few days. The caufe of this difeafe is the too great quantity, or too fucculent quality of the food. All medicines are fruitlefs ; diet alone can fave a few out of a number of birds thus affeCted. They rand be put into feparate cages, and nothing given to them but water and let** tuce-feed : this food is cooling and purgative, it tempers the ardor which confumes them, and fometimes caiifes evacuations that fave their lives. In fine, we may obferve, that this dif- eafe proceeds folely from our method of rearing L ( 12.2 CANARY -EIR3. thefe birds, for it is ieldom tliat thefe fed by the parent birds are ever attacked with it, We ought therefore to be particularly cautious of ever -feeding them when we bring them up with the hick : boiled rape-feed, a little groundfel without fugar or bifeuit, and in general rather too little than too much food, is the moft ap- proved method. When the Canary-Bird utters a faint and fre- quent cry, which feems to iflue from the bet- tom of his ftomach, he is fa id to be afthmatic: he is ado fubjedf to a fort of e-xtindfion of voice, especially after moulting : The aflhma is cured by adminiftring plantain feed and hard bifeuit leaked in white wine : and the extinction of voice, by good food, iuen as yolks of eggs mix- ed with the crumb of bread ; and for drink, aptTan of liquorice; that is, water in which li- .quorue root has been heeped and boiled. Canary Birds are frequently affected with ul- cers in the mouth ; thefe proceed likewife from too abundant or too fucculent food, which of- ten produces inflammation in the threat and re- late, and muff be cured by cooling diet, fj c h as lettuce feed with water, in which fome brui- fed melon- feeds have been put. Thefe birds are likewife infefled with a fort of lice and the fcab, owing to the fl evenly man- ner in which they are kept. Therefore care iheuid be taken to keep them alw ivs very clean, CANARY-BIRDi efaing them water to bathe in ; never putting theta into cages of old wood, never covering thefe but with new cloth where there have been no moths, and lifting and wailiing t!ie feeds and herbs given them for food. Thefe little cares muft be bellowed on them if we would have them neat and healthy : they would be fo if they were in a ftate of liberty ; but confined- and ill feen to, they are, like all pri- foners, fubject to the evils of captivity. Of all thofe we have mentioned, none feem to be natural except moulting. There are even feme of thofe birds which, in this wretched hate of captivity, are never lick, cuftom Teem- ing to have made it to them a fecond nature. In general, the fault of their temperament is excefs of heat, and therefore they conftantly need water. When wild, they are found near rivulets or wafts places: bathing is neceflary for them at all feafons ; for if a plateful of fnow is put into their cage, they will lie down in it and turn themfelves upon it with figns of pleafure, even in time of the greateft colds : this fade proves fufficiently, that it is more noxious than ufeful to keep them in very warm places. But there is another djfeafe to which the Ca- nary-Bird, as well as others, fuch as the Gold- finch, are fubjeft to, efpecially in confinement ; I mean the Epilepfy. The yellow Canary-Birds axe moll liable to this falling- fteknefs. which CANARY-B IRIS 1 . 124 feizes them in a moment, even when they are flaging tne loudeft. It is laid they ought not to be touched or taken up when they fail, but that we ought merely to obferve if they have voided a drop of blood at the bill, in which cafe iacy will come to themfelves and recover in a little fpace their fenfe and life ; that touching tnem before would make the drop fall too fbon, and would occahon their death. I with the truth of this account were well afcertained, for fome fads in it appear to me doubtful. This much is certain, that when they furvive the hrft fit, they often live as long after it as if they had never been attacked by it. I believe, how- ever, that they might all be cured, by giving tnem a flight wound in the feet, for in this way Parrots are often cured of the epilepfy. How many evils attend upon flaveyy ! In a flate of freedom would thofe birds be afthmatic, fcabbv, or epileptic ? Would they be liable to inflammations, to impofthumes, to ulcers ? and is not the moil direful of all difeafes, that ari- hng from ungratified love, common to every being in captivity ? females efpecially, being more deeply tender, more delicately fufceptible, are nacre fufcjed to it than males. It is re=- marsec;, that tne hen Canary-laird often grows fickiy at the beginning of Spring, before flie has got a mate ; fhe fades, pines, and dies in a few clays. The vain emotions and un gratified de- CANARY-BIRD. 125 fires which then feize her fuddenly, are the caufe of her languor, when {he hears fo many males finging around her whom the cannot ap- proach. The cock, though the caufe of the defire and the moft ardent in appearance, re- fills better than the female the evils of celiba- cy ; he feldom dies of privation, but often of excefs. Upon the whole, the phyfical temperament of the hen Canary-Bird is like that of the fe- males of other birds. She can lay eggs without any communication with the male, but they are addle, and the heat of incubation corrupts in- ftead of vivifying them. It has been obfervecl, that hens feldom lay eggs if they are totally fe- queltercd, and neither hear nor fee the male j but when they are excited by the fight of him, or by his fong, they lay much more frequently : fuch effect have objects, even at a diftance, on the powers of fentient beings ^ I cannot better conclude this lubjecl than by extracting the fol- lowing remarks of a letter from the Honourable Daines Barrington to M. Maty on the finging of birds : — ■ “ Moft people who keep Canary-Birds, do u n °t know they fing chielly either the Tit- “ Lark or the Nightingale’s notes. “ Nothing however can be more marked c than the note of a Nightingale, called its 6 vvhich moft of the Canarv-Birds brought L 3 I 2 6 CANARY-BIRD, iC from the Tyrol commonly have, as well as 4< feveral Nightingale flrokes, or particular paf- c ‘ fages in the fong of that bird. “ I have mentioned the fuperior knowledge in the inhabitants of London, becaufe 1 am “ convinced, that if others are confulted in re^ “ lation to the fmging of birds, they will only u miflead, inftead of giving any material or ufo ful information.” I [ 1 The ITjlcry of the SISKIN, or ABERBUV1NE A (Fringilla Spinus. Linn.) O F all granivorous birds the Gold-Finch is fuppofed to be the mod: nearly allied to the Sifkin ; both have the bill elongated and flender toward the point; the manners of both are gentle ; they are of a docile diSpodtiom, and their motions are bride and lively. Some Na- turalids, druck with thefe marks Gf refen> blance, and the great analogy which fubfifts between thefe birds in other refpedls, (for they pair and produce fertile offspring,) have confi- dered them as tw r o proximate fpecies of the fame genus. The Silkin is Smaller than the Goldfinch ; his bill is Shorter in proportion, and his plu- mage quite different *, he has black on his head, but no red ; his throat is brown ; the fore-part of the neck, the bread:, and outward feathers of the tail are yellow, the belly white, with a yellow tinge ; the upper part of the body of an olive green, Spotted with black, which becomes * Alfo from the Natural Hiller y of the Comte de JBuffon, 128 SISKIN, or ABERDUVINE. yellowifh at the rump, and hill more fo on the feathers above the tail. With regard to thcfe internal qualities that more immediately depend on organization or in ftin£t, the difference is fliil greater. The Sifkin has a fong peculiar to itfelf, inferior to that of the Gold-Finch ; it is fond of the feeds of the alder, which the ether will not touch, and it refigns to the Gold-Finch thcfe of the thillle ; it creeps along the branches, and fuf- pends itfelf at their extremities like the Tom- Tit, fo that it may be conhdered as an interme- diate fpecies between this latter and the Gold- Finch. Befides, it is a bird of paflage, and in its migrations flies very high ; it is heard be- fore it is feen : while the Gold-Finch continues flationary in our climates all the year round, and never flies very high. Laflly, thefe birds are never found to affociate together volun- tarily. The Sifkin learns to draw water like the Gold-Finch ; it hasnotlefs docility, and though lefs aflive, it has more livelinefs and gaiety ; in an aviary it is always the firfl awake, and is the firfl to record and fet the example to others j but as it has no wifh to hurt, it is itfelf unfufpi- cious, and falls eafily into fnares, gins, nets, &c. It is more eafily tamed than any other bird when taken old ; it is only neceffary for fhis purpofe, to prefent it in your hand with STSKIN, or ABERDUVINE. I 29 better food than it has at its trough, and it will foon become as tame as the moft familiar Ca- nary-Bird : it may even be made to come anct fit upon your hand at the found of a frnall bell} you have only to found it regularly at firft, eve- ry time you give it meat, for the mechanical effects of the axTociation of ideas take place even in animals. Although the Siikin feems nice in the choice of its food, yet it eats a- great deal, and the fenfations which depend on luxurious feeding have great influence on it. This how- ever is not its ruling paflion, or at leaflr it is fubordinate to a more noble one : in an aviary it always chufes a friend from among its own fpe- eies if it can find one; if not, from fome other: it takes upon itfelf the charge of feeding this friend like its young, putting the food into the other’s bill. It drinks as much as it eats, or at lead it drinks very often, but feldom bathes : it has been obferved, that it very feldom goes into the water, but hands on the rim of the wefiel, dipping its bill and bread, without much agitation, except perhaps in great heats. It is faid to build chiefly in mountain forefls ; its nefl is difficult to And ; fo difficult, as to be a received opinion with the vulgar, that it has the art of rendering its nefl inviiible, by means of a certain flone : accordingly nobody has giten any account of the nefl or manner of xaying of thefe birds ; though, if we would have IgO* SISKIN, or ABE R D U"V I N E . ■ an idea of their procedure in thofe operations which tend to the multiplication of the fpecies, we have only to make them breed in a room, which they would do, though indeed the expe- riment has been fever a 1 times tried unfuccefsful- ly : but it is more common and more eafy to crofs the breed of this race with the Canary- Bird : there is a fympathy fo marked between thefe two fpecies, that if a cock Siiikin is put into a place where there are many Canary- Birds, he goes direct !y towards them, keeps as near them as pofiible, and they alfo court him with as much eager nefs : if a cock and hen O Sifkin be let fly in the fame room with a num- ber of Canary-Birds, thefe laflr will pair indif- ferently with the former, or with thofe of their own fpecies ; but. the male Sifkin is fometimes left unprovided.. When a cock Sifkin has paired with a hen Canary-Bird, he partakes in all her labours with zeal 5 he afuduoufly helps her in bringing materials for the neft, and in uling them, and never fails to feed her while fhe is fitting ; but notwithfbmding this co-operation, it mull be confeffed that the greateft part of tire eggs are dear. A union of difpofitions is not fufncient to operate fecundation ; there needs likewife a certain conformity of temperament, in which refped the S Iki n is far below the female Ca- nary-Bird. The few .mule birds that are the .SISKIN, or ABER.RU VINIK 132 produce of this union, refemble both father and another. In Germany, the migration of tlae Silkies begins in Qcdober, or even earlier : at that time they feed on the feed of the hop, to the great injury of the proprietors : the place they have ftopt in is well known by the quantity o£ leaves with which the ground is f; rowed : tney difap- pear quite in the month of December, and re- turn in February. In France, they come at 'Vintage time, and return when the trees are in flower-, they are fondeft of the flower of the apple tree. In England they are feen on their paffage as in other places, fometimes in great numbers, at other- times in very fn rail 1 hocks. The great •flights happen every third or fourth year, and then, Inch is the multitude, that home have fuppofed they were brought by the wind. The long of the Sifkin is not difagreeable, but match inferior to that of the Gold Finch, which it acquires with eale. It would likewife appropriate that of the Canary-Bird, of the Linnet, &c. could it hear them at an early age. According to Olina, this bird lives to ten years ; though we mull remember, that among birds the females live longer than the males ; but Sri kins are little (abject to difeafes ; except to inllammation of the inteftines when they have been fed on hemp-feed. 5 3 2 SISKIN, or ABE R DU VINE. In the cock Sifldn the crown of the head ft black, tne upper part or the body of an olive colour, mottled with black ; the rump has a tinge of yellow, the fmall covert feathers above the tail are quite yellow, the larger ones olive., terminated with, afh colour : fornetimes the throat is dun, and even black ; the cheeks, the tOi e-part of the neck, bread, and inferior co« vert feathers of the tail, are a fine citron yel- low ; the belly yellowifh white, and fo are the fides, but mottled with black ; there are two tranfverfe olive-coloured or yellow ftreaks on the wings, the quill-feathers are blackifh, bor- dered exteriorly with olive ; the tail feathers are yellow, except the two middle ones, which are blackifh, bordered with greenifh olive j the edges of all are black : the bill is brown at the point, the reft is white and the feet grey. The head of the hen is not black, but greyifh, and her throat is white. The whole length four inches three fourths ; the bill five lines ; wings from tip to tip feven inches two thirds , the tail twenty-one line , fomewhat forked, and projecting feven or eight lines beyond the wings. &OLDF.TNCH * [ £33 J GOLD-FINCH; Defc ription and Character * I T is fomething larger than the Canary-Bird, and is a fixaight handfome /hap’d bird, -has a ftraight fliarp ath-coloured bill, and the eyes of a hazel colour. The length of a full grown bird, from the tip of the bill to the point of the tail, is five inches and a half, of which the lat- ter is two, and the former little more than, half an inch long ; when in flefh it weighs a- about an ounce. This bird is every where in this kingdom well known, and highly efteemed, both forfingisg, and the elegancy of its colours, being certainly the molt beautiful and fined feathered of all cage-birds*, a ring of- curious fcarlet- coloured featners encompafs the fore -part of his head, or balls of the bill, and from the eyes to the bill on each fide is drawn a black line, the jaws or cheeks white, the top of the head black, from which a broad black line is extended on both fines, almoft to the neck *, the hinder part of me tread is white; the neck, and fore-part of M GOLD-FINCH. *34 the back are of a redifh afh- colour ; the rump, bread, and fides of the fame, but a little paler; the belly whitifh, the wings and tail black ; only the tips of the principal feathers in both are white ; beJicles, the wings are adorned with a molt beautiful tranfverfe broke of yellow or gold colour. I lliould not have been fo particular in de- fcribing the colours of this bird, but I think the great variety that Nature has painted it with, wherein it excels all fmall birds, at leaft what are found in this part of the world, make it deferving of the beft character that can be gi- ven it ; yet, by reafon of age, fex, or other ac- cidents, they fometimes vary from thofe co- lours " They are of fo mild and gentle a nature, that, prefently after they are caught, without uling any art or care, they will fall to their meat and drink : nor are they fo affrighted at the pre- fence of a man as mofl other birds are wont to be, nor very much troubled at their imprifon- * The mofl lingular of thefe varieties is the white Gold- Finch, being wholly of that colour except the fore-head, which is pale red, and the outer edge of the quills, which is yellow. One of thefe is now (1791) in the pqffeflxon of her Grace the Dutchefs of Buccleugh, at Smeton houfe, and an- other in that of a Lady at Mufielburgh. They were taken from the fame nefl, along with two others which were ol the ordinary colour, and ;us now about eight years old. gold-finch. J 35 ment m a cage; for, if they have continued there a good while, they like it fo well, tnav though you let them loofe, they will not fly away; but, when icared, fly direftly to their caoe for fhelter. 'jt'hey are called in fome places 13) aw- aaiers, from their aptnefs to learn to draw their water when they want to drink, in a little ivory bucket, fattened to a fmall chain, made for that pur- pofe : it is a pretty light to fee with what dex- terity theie little creatures will pud up then bucket, drink, and throw it down again ; and. hft up the lid of a fmall box or bin, with their bill, to come at their meat, &c. Ihey are wonderfully delighted with viewing themfelves in a glafs, fixed to the back of their bucket- board, where they will fit upon their perch, pruning and drefling themfelves with the great- eft care imaginable, often looking in the glafs, and placing every feather in the niceft order : no lady can take greater pleafure, or be more nice in drefling herfelf, than this little beautiful bird is in rectifying all diforders in his plume, not fullering a feather to lay amifs. The Gold-Finch is a long-lived bird, that will fometimes reach to the age of twenty years; Mr Willoughby makes mention of one that- lived twenty-three years. They are birds that fly in flocks, or companies ; and when at liber- al 2. ©OLD- FINCHS X36 ty, delight to feed upon the feeds of thiftlej. teafel, hemp, dock, &c. Marks of the Cock arid Heir. The feathers on the ridge of the wing in the cock are coal-black, (pike up to the Ihoulder, whereas in the hen-bird , though they appear black, are of a. grey, cr dulky alb-colour, when compared to thofe of the cock 1 he is browner en the back and ikies of the bread: ; the red., yellow, and, in fliorr, ail his colour? are much brighter than thofe of the heir; thefe are con- £hnt, infallible marks, by which the cock may be known from the hen, either old or young : befkles, the hen hath a {"mailer note, and lings not fo much. Time and Manner of building their A TeJ}, H'c, The Gold-Finch begins to build in April, when the fruit-trees are in blolTom : as they ex- cel all our fmall birds in beauty of feathers, fo do they likewife in art : their nelb is not only very fmall, but exceeding pretty ; the outfide conlids of very fine mofs, curioully interwoven with other foft bedding ; the in-fid e lined with delicate fine down, wool, See. She lays fix or feven white eggs, {pecked and marked with a GOLD-FINCH. *37 re deli ill brown To find their neft is not very eafiy, for they generally build in fruit-trees, viz. apple, pe.tr, plumb* See. but mod commonly in the apple, pretty high upon the branches, where either the bio Tom or leaves intercept our fight ; and at fiuch a time when we cannot come at them without the hazard of damaging the bloom or young fir n't. I have known thefe birds very often to build in the elder-tree; and fometimes in thorns and hedges ; but not .near io common as in fruit-trees. Of the Young , how to order them, tYc. 1 HE Gold-Finch has fix- or feven youngs ones at a breeding ; they are tender birds, and therefore Ihouid not be taken too foon ; let them be pretty well feathered firif ; they will not be iuljen, like the young of many other birds, by haying too long in the nefi ; when you take them, prepare their meat after this manner : foak white bread in fair water, drain it, and tnen boil it with a little milk, till it is as thick as hafty-pudding, adding to it a littfe hour ot Canary- feed ; with this meat feed them every two hours, or oftener, giving them but little at a time, two or three fir, all bits only; begin to teed them about fun-rhing, and conti- nue after this manner till fun-fetting; let them G (JED- finch; 138 have frefh victuals every day, or every other day at farthefi: : when you have fed them a month, or thereabouts, begin to break them from this foft meat, by giving them a little Canary-feed, and foft meat betides ; when you find they feed pretty freely upon the feed, keep them con-ftantly to that diet ; but though they will eat hemp feed, and feme other kinds of feed, yet I never found it agree fo weh with them as the canary. If a young Gold-Finch be brought up under the Canary-Bird, the Wood-Lark, or any other fine tinging bird, he will take their long very readily. A cock-bircl, bred from the neft, will couple >vith a hen Canary-Bird, and produce a bird between both kinds, partaking of the fong and colours of both. This is a long-lived and very healthful bird, that is feldom out of order; but when t find him droop, I give him fefiron in his water : it he has a fcouring, crumble a little dry chalk in his cage, or among his feed, or flick a bit be- twixt the wires of his cage, and gravel at the bottom, and try him with a- little thiftle-feed,. or other feeds, which they delight to feed up- on when wild ; : the firft may be found in the great thiftje, at the bottom of a white down. Thefe birds are taken almoft at any time of the year, civkyr with lime-twigs, or the clap* GOLD-FINCH. l 39 net, in great numbers ; the young flight in June, July, or Augufl ; but the befl time for catching them is about Michaelmas : they fre- quent the flelcls where the thiftle, and thofe other feeds grow, as mentioned before; they are eafily caught, being of fo gentle and fami- liar a nature, and will both feed and flng pre- sently ; when you flrA take them, you may give them hemp-feed cracked, or home of the fame they love to feed upon in the fields; yon nvay foon bring them to feed on the canary, which i-s more wholefome, and agrees better with them than hemp- feed. I u° l CHAFFING II. Defcription and Character. T FIE Chaffinch is a front, hardy, well* known bird, being common almoit in every tree or hedge; of the bignefs of the Bull-Finch, very lavifh in his fong, and when brought up from the neft, or branchers, will ling fix or eight months in the year ; the wild, not above three months, and chiefly in breeding time ; fome of thefe birds, when brought up under other fweet-fong birds, prove good and valuable, but the greater part is not worth keeping. It is a cuflom among the bird-men, when they want to learn the Chaffinch, Linnet, &c. a fong, to blind them when they are about three or four months old ; which is done by putting out their eyes with a wire made alraoft red hot ; becaufe, as it is laid, they will be more attentive, and learn the better ; but it would be much better never to confine them in cages, than purchafe their harmony by fuch barbarous ufage. ■ CHAFFINCH. I4I Dijhnguijhing Marks of ihe Cock and Hen. The cock of this kind may be eafily diftin- guifhed from the hen, at ten or twelve days eld, the difference being very plain, if you view them together. The cock bird has a great deal more white in his wing than the hen, par- ticularly on his pinion ; his breaft is remarkably reder, and. the feathers of the whole bird of a higher and brighter colour than the hen’s. In an old bird, the head of the cock is bluifh ; the back of a redifh brown, with a mixture of afh- colour, or green j the breaft of a fine red, and the belly white : The colours. of the hen are not io bright and lively, her rump is green, the back not fo brown, and the belly inclines to a dirty kind of green ; the breaft Is alio of a duh ler colour, more upon the grey. Tunc and Manner of building their Nefl. The\ bleed in April, and have young ones about the beginning of May. She builds near the top or a high hedge, or in the branches on * ie hde of a tree : her neft is the prettieft of ail f mall birds, excepting the Gold-Finch’s, tvlnch excels it in beauty ; the outftde is green m °^ 5 fmall flicks, withered grafs, horfe and CHAFFINCH. 142 cow-hair, wool, feathers, &c. making an ex- ceeding foft bed for her young, on which fhe lays four or five eggs of a whitifh colour, fpot- ted with a few large rediili brown fpots, with a few final 1 fpecks and breaks at the larged end, of the fame colour. Of the Young, how to order and bring them up . You may take them at ten days old, and feed them as you do the Gold- Finch or Linnet ; they are hardy birds, that may be eafdy railed. And when they are fick *md out of order, apply the fame things as you do to thefe birds. Thefe birds are taken in great plenty with clap-nets in June and July, efpecially the young flight, called Branchers $ therefore it is hardly worth the trouble of bringing them up from the ned j tho’ forne that are bred under the fweet- fong Chaffinch, or any other fine fong-bird, fometimes prove very good birds. I M3 3 GREEN-FINCH, GREEN-LINNET, Defcription and Char after. I T is a little bigger than the Chaffinch, of &. ftrong, hardy nature : they are frequently kept in cages, but not much efteemed for Ting- ing ; they are more valued for their learning to ring the bells in a cage contrived for that pur- pofe : tho’ fome of them, if brought up from the neft, will learn to pipe, whiftle, and imitate the fong of mod other birds. At the beginning of Winter, and in hard weather, they gather in flocks, and may be ta- ken with the clap-nets in great numbers. Marks of the Cock and Hen. His head and back are green, the edges of the feathers greyiili ; and the middle of the back hath fomething of a chefnut-colour inter- mixed ; the fore part of his head, neck, and bread, quite down to his belly and rump, are of a deep yellowifh green ; the lower belly in- clining to whitifh : the borders of the outermoft quill-feathers of the wings are of an elegant yd- 144 green-finch, ov green-linnet. low ; and the feathers along the ridge of the wing are of a lovely yellow likewife. The co- lours of the hen are not fo bright and lively ; » and on the bread: and back hath oblong dufky fpots : where the cock is of a fine yellow, her colours are of a fordid green. The youm> cock-birds, as foon as they are feathered, may be known from hens, by the fame brightnefs , in their colours. Time and Manner of their Building. The Green-Bird has young ones about the middle of May. She builds in hedges, and > makes a large neft ; the outmefi part of which conlilts of hay, grafs, ftubble, &c. the middle of mofs, the inmoft, in which the esrgs lie, of feathers, wool, hair, &c. foft and pretty. She lays five or fix eggs, of a very faint green. » colour, fprinkled with fmall redilh fpots, efpe- cially at the blunt end. The infide was an inch and a quarter deep, and four wide : the whole compofition weighed eleven drams ; ano- ther neft I examined at the fame time, differed not in weight quite half a dram, and had dimenfions equal likewife. 1 he bird, from the end of his bill to the end of the tail, is fix inches -nd a half; the bill is half an inch ; and the tail two and a quarter. Its weight is about fifteen drams. GREEN-FINCH, or GREEN-LINNET. 14 4 Q/~ 1 ‘oung , Z> er ■, put them in a fmall balket prepared for that purpofe ; be fare to keep them warm, and feed them once in two hours, from fix in the morn- ing till about fix or feven at night : prepare rape- feed foaked in water ten or twelve hours, then pour off your water, and let it boil up in more dean water, fcurh and drain it ; then bruife it very fmall, cleaning as many of the hulls from it as you can ; then take a piece of the beft white bread, fir ft foak it in clean water, then Dofl it in a little milk, to a thick confidence j take one-third rape-feed, and mix them toge- tlier, till it become a loft pafle or crowdy, ma- iling but little at a time, that they may have it irelh every day ; becaufe four meat will throw tne birds into a fcouring, which often kills them : neither muft their meat be too dry ; for m fuch a cafe it will make them vent burn, and that is as bad as if they had been fcoured : when they begin to pick about their meat, and feed themfelves, let fc aided rape feed in their linnet. 149 cage to wean them from the bread and mu,c as foon as poffible s becanfe fometttnes feeding ,00 long upon foft food will make them rot- ten. It will be a month or fix weeks before they will be able to crack their ieeds, ana live entirely upon hard meat. There are other forts of food made ufe of in bringing up voting Linnets, but this has been proved to anlvver as well as any. When they are fully grown up, feed them with rap and Canary- feeds, three fourths rape, and one fourth Canary, it being the beft food you can feed them with •, you may give them a little hemp-feed at a time, but not too much, it being too fattening, and makes them dull and heavy; whereas a little now and then non* rilhes, and makes them chearful. If you intend to learn them to whiffle, let it be done when you feed them; for they will learn very much before they can crack hard feeds: or hang them under any bird you have a-mind they lhculd leant his fong; for thefe birds, when young, are exceeding apt for any fong or tune; or they maybe ever taught to f peak ; for there is nothing fo hard but labour and diligence will overcome. N 3 I 5'° LINNET, Their Difeafes and Cures . Ti-iis is a very healthful bird, and has been sept many years, without being fubjedt to any malady ; but foraetirnes he is troubled with melancholy, occafioned from a fuelling at the end oi- his rump, from which, if ripe, you may with a needle let out the corruption, and anomt tire part with the ointment of freih but- ter and capon’s greafe, or take a bit of loaf, in-gar moillened in your mouth, put it on the mrc, and it will heal k : feed him for two or tome days with the ieeds and leaves of lettice, beets, or the ieeds of melon c hop’d in pieces, which he will eat very greedily of ; when you imd him to mend, take the melon feeds, &c. away, and give him his old diet again ; you may put into his water a blade of fcfiron, and white ingar- candy, till you perceive the bird to be en- tir !y recovered. . dlfeafc this bird ^ mo ft troubled with 3 C l UE,n ^ occa fioned by bad feeds, and many ,! meS f ° r want of frefb water. There are three 0I ( * hls didera P er ; the frit very thin, and * VK X a bhck iuWbnce in the middle, which is jtot very dangerous: the fecond is between a I Ck akC “ ' but riot thin as the other, bUt ftinklng, this is worii- LINNET* 1 5 C t fe an the former. It is recovered by giving the bird feme melon-feed Aired, lettice and beet- feeds bruiied, and in his water put liquorice or faffron. The third and word fort cf icounng is the white clammy, which is dangerous and mortal, if not looked alter m tune . foi th.s give him hr ft flax-feeds, taking away all other feeds, then give him plantain ieecn, if § iv - vij i otherwile they will do him no good : for 'un£ of plantain- feeds, give him tome cf the leaves flared fmall, or a little bruifed hemp-feed, put- ting into his water, as before, lugarcandv, li- quorice, or a blade or two of faffron. You inay give the bird, move and then, a fmall quan- tity of feeded chick-weed, and a little chalk* You mult be diligent at the flrff to obferve him when he is fick ; for this- third and wo? A: fort of fcouring, if it be not taken at the flrff appearance, immediately caufeth him to droop, anJ, in two cr three days, his ftomach will be quite gone, and then all medicines are ufelefs. They are likewife fubiect to furfeits, occa- fioned either by cold, or from eating too a r ee- , 7 n P° n S reeS! * •» efpeciaBy a rank fort of clock weed, with broad leaves, am! without fff’ T 'l !cn » hu «r»l both to old and youne >rcs. this (Rftempcr may eailly be perceived faft YV t:rJ Pant> “ J '*«« his Belly -nd „t melancholy, with bis feathers ftand- S ' 8 * more P ufi cd up than ordinary : he will I 5 2 LINNET. now alfo fplit and caft his feed about the cage not caring to eat at all : to difcover it like wife’ blow the feathers on Ins belly, and you will perceive it fwelled, tranfparent, full of little red veins, all his little bowels Unking down to th~ extreme parts of his body, and, if f ar gone, black, which generally brings death. The cure of this difeafe, if taken in time, is to keep him warm, and give him oat- meal among ft his feeds, for three or four days, in order to cleanfe him, and put liquorice in his water ; but, if he is too loofe, inftead of oat-meal, give him mavv- ieed, and bruifed hemp-feed, being more bind- ing, and at the fame time a little faffron in his water ; then for his meat, give him beets, and lettice to feed on, or fome of the herb mercury which is very good againft this diftemper for any f ck-bird : you may likewife give him me- lon-ieed chopped fmall, and, at the bottom of the cage, lay fome gravel with a little powder’d sugar, and a little ground oat meal. I he laft thing I fluall take notice of is his momtmg : careful nurftng is the principal means O' ^ re ^ r ' in S brnds unoer this malady, by keep- mg them from the cold or wind, which are very prejucncial to them at Inch a time; therefore be fare to keep him warm that he may not catch co d, which g.ves him a hoarfenefs. If he weather ts very hot when the birds are in - w,r moult, g,ve them liquorice in their water I linnet 1 53 emedy is, to put feme liquor,. e and a few an- nife-fell, in Ms water, and then to fet hun m a warm place. C *54 3 RED-POLE; or, Red-Headed LINNET, HIS bird is about the fize of the common Linnet : it is not a very fine bird for finging, but has a pretty chattering fort of fong, though it cannot be called melodious. The top of the head and bread of the cock is adorned with a remarkable ihining red ; the upper part of the body like the common Lin- net ; the lower part of the belly inclining to a white ; the prime feathers of the wings and tail dufky ; the tail about two inches long, and fomething forked ; the utrnoft borders of the wing and tail feathers around are white; the legs and feet are dufky ; the claws black and long, for the bignefs of the bird ; but the legs very fhort. In this kind, the hen alfo hath a fpot of red upon her head ; but more faint than that of the cock, and of a faftron colour. Defcription and Character. i RED-POL 5, *55 i the manner of the They bmk ® ucl f d upon canary, com ” 0n ."fee" as the Linnet, Gold- hemp, and ra P e ' iee ’ ^ Thevtre lifcewife taken with clap-nets, and ^ as they do Linnets, Gold-Finches, ]ime-twigs, as ■ y and other fmall birds. [ ] TWIT E. Defc rip l ion and Character. T HIS bird is, in colour and make, fome- thing like the Linnet, but lefs : it is a bird vaftly brilk and merry, that is always a finging ; therefore they hang him among other birds, to provoke them to ling. The cock has a very fhort afh-coloured bill, the legs black, and has a curious red fpot upon bis rump, which the hen hath not. It is a bird not known to breed in this coun- try ; they vifu fome parts of England in the W' inter, and go away again in the Spring ; but what place they come from, or whether they g 0 (as they fay) to them is unknown : they are fa id to be very common in fome parts of France, and are called there by a name which with us fiani- nes the Teller Linnet; and they fay their eggs are like the eggs of that bird, but lefs. The bird-catchers take them as they do Lin- ■ es, cc. Ihey feed upon canary and rape- and I V° 3 Piett > 7famiIia ib gentle-natured bird, by f0me ^koned well worth keeping. [ 157 ] BULL-FINCH. Defcription and Character. F ^HE Bull -Finch at full growth, from the point of the bill to the tip of the tail, is hx inches, of which the tail is two inches long ; in weight, thirteen drachms : they have a black lhort bill, very ftrong and crooked, the upper part hanging over the under, like that of a hawk, the tongue lhort, and the eyes of a hazel colour ; the head and neck, in proportion, to the body, larger than in the generality of finall birds, from which they may have their name. In fome places they are called Nopes, in others Thick- Bills, and in fome Hoops : this laft name they have probably from their wild hooping fort of note. They are Very docile birds, and will nearlv Cj > o BULL-FINCH. ! 5 8 It is a bird much efteemed for beauty and. finging ; for in the former he equals moft, and in the latter, when well taught, excels all fmall birds ; they have been frequently fold from five to ten guineas a bird. They are in many parts very fcarce, which feems to be occafioned by a great many of them being fhot by gardeners, and others, in the Spring-time, on account of their deftroying the early buds of the fruit-trees ; fuch as the apple, pear, peach, and other garden trees, of which they are exceeding fond ; and, by that means, do great damage to the gardeners, who there- fore hate and deftroy them, as a great peft of their gardens. It is faid in fome parts of Eng- land, a reward is given by the church-wardens for every Bull-Finch that is killed ; if fo, that may be afligned as one reafon of their fcarcity, being lefs common than moft other finging birds that breed in that country. Dijhnguijhing Marks of ihe Cock and Hen. The cock is in bignefs equal to the hen, but hath a flatter crown, and excels her in the beauty of his colours ; a lovely fcarlet or crim- fon adorns his breaft, the feathers on the crown of the head, and tliofe that compafs the bill, are of a brighter black than thofe of the hen ; BUI-L-FINCH. 159 rart of the neck, fl.oulders, and back, are of a biudfh alh-colour, ihaded with red; the belly •a„d runrp white, feme of the qu> 11-feathers have their outward Drafts red, and the inner o. a fine glofiy black; others have their exterior edges white, which makes a fort of white hue or crols-bar upon each wing ; the tail is of a firming black, the legs of a duficy colour, and the claws black. If both are feen together, the one may very eafily be known from the other, the colours in. tide cock being much more refplendent than in the hen ; but whilft thefe birds are young, it i=> more difficult to diftingudh them : one oi the fureft ways is, to pull a few feathers from their break when they are about three weeks old ; and, in about ten or twelve days after, you will perceive the feathers, where you have pulled, to come of a curious red, if a cock ; if a hen, they will come off a paleiili brown. Time and Manner of building their Adyh The Bull-Finch breeds late in the Sprinm feldom has young ones before the end of May, or beginning of June 3 lhe builds in an orchard, wood, or park, where there are plenty of trees; her nefl is not very common to be found ; it is an ordinary mean fabric, made with feemingly BULL-FINCH.. I 6o little art ; on which Ihe lays four or five eggs of a blueifh colour, fpotted at -the biggeft end, with large dark brown, and faint reddifh fpots. Of the Youngs how to order and bring them up. These birds mu ft not be taken too young, let them be well feathered firft, at leaft twelve days old ; keep them warm and clean. Thefe birds, when young, are fed as the Linnet, Chaf- finch, &c. with bread, milk, and rape-feed, made into a pafte : feed them every two hours from morning till night, making but little at a time, that they may have frefli victuals every day. When they are grown up, feed them with rape and Canary -feed, three-fourths rape, and one-fourth Canary ; it is the beft food you can feed them with. - If at any time you perceive them out of or- der, put a blade of fafi'ron in their water; and you may try them with the Wood-Lark’s meat, or fine hemp-leed •, but keep moftly to rape and Canary-feed mixed together, the laft of which is molt acceptable to them. h ou mull remember frequently to pipe, whiftle, or talk to them, whilft they are young, what you intend they fliould learn, and you will find them foon take it. VIRGINIA NIGHTINGALE, CALI.EB THE RED-BIRD, or RED-GROSBEAK. rnp RE Virginia Nightingale in bignefs near* 1 ly refembles the Song-Thruih ; the bill is of a paleifh red or dulky colour, encompaf- fed with a border of black feathers extended below the chin; the head pretty large, upon which there grows a large pyramidical tuft, or towering creft, of a bright lcarlet, with which colour the neck, bread;, and belly are adorned % the back, and tips or points of the wings and tail, are more faint, and rather of a pale browniih colour. This bird has many ffcrange gefticuiations when it views its image in a gkfs, by railing and lowering its creft, fhaking i’s wings, and fetting up its tail after the manner of the kea- cock, making a hilling nolle, and itriking at the glals with its bill. o ° l6'2 VIRGINIA NIGHTINGALE. There is a furprifing ftrength in the bill of this little creature, as is Teen from its cracking the hones of fruit with the utmofteafe and ex- pedition, fuch as almonds, olives, & c. the ker- nels of which they are very fond of. Thefe birds are found chiefly in Virginia, New England, and feveral parts of North- Ame- rica, from whence they are frequently brought over into England, and very highly valued for their tinging, as well as for the elegancy of their colours, which makes them fometimes felf at a great price. They ling very agreeably, and fome of their notes are much like thofe of the Nightingale, from whence it is fuppoled to derive the name of the Virginia Nightingale. The hen, as in all other birds, is not fo beautiful in her colours as the cock, being more brown, with only a tinfture of red ; yet, when in cages^ fhe lings along with the cock* and is brought over with him. They catch them in the fame manner as we do all our other fmall birds, by removing the fhow, and baiting the places where they frequent, with fuch food as they ufually feed upon. The breeding of them has been attempted, but never could as yet be brought to any per- feflion. VIRGINIA NIGHTINGALE. 1% They feed upon hemp and Canary-feeds, and will eat alfo the Wood-Lark’s and N.ghtingale s. f ° When they are ftck, a fpider or meal-worm will relieve theme C 1«4 ] Experiments and Obfervations on the Singing of Birds : extracted from a curious Letter on that Subject) written by the Honourable Daines Barrington, to M. Maty, the Secretary of the Royal Society. S I R, # S the experiments ancl obfervations I mean to lay before the Royal Society relate to the finging of birds, which is a fub> jeft that hath never before been fcientifically treated of *, it may not be improper to prefix an explanation of fome uncommon terms, which I fhall be obliged to ufe, as well as others which I have been under a neceffity of coining. To chirp, is the firft lound which a young bird utters as a cry for food, and is different in all ne (flings, if accurately attended to ; fo that the hearer may diftinguifh of what fpecies the birds are, though the neft may hang out of his fight and reach. Kircher, indeed, in his Mufurgia, hath given us fome few paffages in the fong of the Nightingale, as well as the call of a Quail and Cuckow, which he hath engraved in muhcal chara&ers. Thefe inftances, however, only prove that fome buds have in their fong notes which correfpond with the intervals of our common fcale of the mufical odtave. OBSERVATIONS on 165 This cry is, as might be expected, very weak and querulous ; it is dropped entirely as the bkd grows flronger, nor is afterwards intermix- ed with its fong, the chirp of a Nightingale (for example) being hoarle and difagreeable. To this- definition of the chirp, I mud add, that it confifts of a fingle found, repeated at very fhort intervals, and that it is common to ne filings of both fexes. The call of a bird, is that found which it is *able to make when about a month old : it is, in mod inftances (which I happen to recollect), a repetition of one and the fame note \ is retain- ed by the bird as long as it lives \ and is com? mon generally to both the cock and hen. The next ftage in the notes of a bird is term- ed by the bird-catchers recording ; which word is probably derived from a muiical in fir u merit formerly ufed in England, called a recorder. This attempt in the neftling to ling, may be compared to the imperfect endeavour in a child to babble. I have known inftances of birds beginning to record when they were not a month old. This fir ft effay does not feem to have the lead rudiments of the future fong ; but as the bird grows older and drotiger, one mav begin to perceive what the neftling is aiming at. Vv hi Id the fcholar is thus endeavouring to ten lus fong, when he is once fure of a l66 the SINGING of BIRDS. pafiage, he commonly raifes his tone, which he drops again when he is not equal to what he is attempting ; juft as a finger raifes his voice, when he not oniy recollects certain parts of a tune with precifion, but knows that he can execute them. What the neftling is not thus thoroughly inafter of, he hurries over, lowering his tone, as if he did not with to be heard> and could not yet fatisfy himfelf. I have never happened to meet with a paf. fage in any writer which feems to relate to this fiage of finging in a bird, except, perhaps, m the following lines of Statius : Nunc vc I Lie rum novi ^uejius, inexpertumque carmen * Quod tacit 4 Jlatuere hr Lima. Stat. Sylv. L. iv. Eel. A young bird commonly continues to record for ten or eleven months, when he is able to execute every part of his long, which after- wards continues fixed, and is fcarcely ever al- tered. When the bird is thus become perfect in his lefibn, he is faid to fing his fong round, or in all its varieties of pafiages, which he conncfls together, and executes without a paufe. I would therefore define a bird’s fong to be a luccelhon of three or more different notes. OBSERVATIONS OU 1 6y which are continued without interruption du- ring the lame interval with a mulical bar of four crochets in an adagio movement, or whilft a pendulum fwings four feconds. By the firft requifite in this definition, I mean to exclude the call of a Cuckow or clucking of a hen * *, as they confift of only two notes ; while the fhort burfts of finging birds, contending with each other (called jerks by the bird-catch- ers), are equally difiinguifhed from what I term Jong , by their not continuing for four fe- conds. As the notes of a Cuckow and Hen, there- fore, though they exceed what I have defined the call of a bird to be, do not amount to its fong, I will, for this reafon, take the liberty of terming fuch a fuccelhon of two notes as we hear in thefe birds, the varied call. Having thus iettled the meaning of certain words, which I fhall be obliged to make ufe cf, I fhall now proceed to fiate fome general principles with regard to the finging of birds, which feem to relult from the experiments I have been making for feveral years, and under a gi eat variety of circumflance s. ^otes in birds are no more innate than lan- The common hen, when fhe lays, repeats the fame note > often, and concludes with the filth above, which fhe • olds lor a longer time. 1 68 the SINGING cf BIRDS. gunge is in man, and depend entirely upon the mailer under which they are bred, as far as their organs will enable them to imitate the founds which they have frequent opportunities of hearing* Mod: of the experiments I have made on this fiibject have been made with cock Linnets, which were fledged and nearly able to leave their neft, on account not only of this bird’s docility and great powers of imitation, but be- caufe the cock is ealily diftinguifhed from the hen at that early period, by the fuperior white- nefs in the winm O In many other forts of flinging birds, the male is not at the age of three weeks flo cer- tainly known from the female ; and if the pu- pil turns out to be a hen, ■— — lb l omnis Effufus labor. Xne Greek poets made a fongfler of the rect/s, whatever animal that maybe; and it is remark- able that they obflerved the female was incapa- ble of finging as well as hen birds : E*T i/mv 01 rtriiysg ivbuirxovic^ ELv rctig yvvc&ilzv * S’ ortvx ivJ ; Comicorum Gra corum Sententi p. 442. Ed. Steph. I have indeed known an inilance or two of a t the SINGIKG of BIRDS. 169 making out fo'metlnng like the fong of her fpe- cies , but thefe are as rare as the common lieu’s being heard to crow. J rather fufpeft alfo, that thofe Parrots, Magpies, 8cc. wliicli either do not fpeak at all, or very little, are hens of thofe fpecies. I have educated neftling Linnets under the three bell hinging Larks, the Sky-Lark, Wood- Tyark, and Tit Lark j everyone of which, in- stead of the Linnet’s fong, adhered entirely to that of their refpefXive inilructers. When the note of the Tit lark-Linnet * was thoroughly fixed, I hung the bird in a room, with two common Linnets for a quarter of a year, which were full in fong : the Titlark- Linnet, however, did not borrow any paifages from the Linnet’s fong, but adhered flcdfalfly to that of the Tit-Lark. I had iome curiolitv to find out whether an European nefiiing would equally learn the note of an African bird ; 1 therefore educated a ■young Linnet under a vengoiina f, which imi- * * bius call a bird which lings notes he would not have learned in a wild ftate : thus by a Skylark-Linnet, I mean .1 Linnet with the Sky-Lark long; a Nightingale-Robin, a Rohm with the Nightingale’s fong, See. t This bird feems riot to have been deferibed by any of ~ oin:t -li°lugifts. ; it is of the Finch tribe, and about the fame >-c with our Aberdivinc (or Siikin). The colours are grey P observations on I JG tated its African rnafter fo exactly, without any mixture of the Linnet fong, that it was impoft lible to diftinguifh the one from the other. This' Vengolina-Linnet was abfolutely per- fect, Without ever uttering a ftngle note by which it comd have been known to be a Linnet In fome of my other experiments, however, the neftiing Linnet retained the call of its own fpe= cies, or what the bird-catchers term the Lin- net’s chuckle, from fome refemblance to that word when pronounced, I have before hated, that all my neftl-in® Linnets were three weeks old when taken from tne neft ; and by that time they frequently learn their own call from the parent birds, which I have mentioned to confift of only a hngle note. do be certain, therefore, that a neftling will not have even the call of its fpecies, it Ihould be taken from the neft when only a day or two old; becaufe, though neftlings cannot fee till the feventh day, yet they can hear from the mftant they are hatched ; and probablv, from that circumftance, attend to founds more than they do afterwards, efpecially as the call and white, and the cock hath a bright yellow fpot upon the rump. It is-a very familiar bird, and hugs better than any ^ ^ EUr ° Ptan ’ ^ — the SINGING of BI RDS . iy T of the parents announces the arrival of their food. I mu ft own that i ana not equal myfelf, nor can I procure any perfon to take the trouble of breeding up a bird of this age, as the odds a- gainft its being reared are ahnoft infinite. The warmth indeed of incubation may be in fome Hieafure.fupplied by cotton and fires; but thefe delicate animals require in this (fate being fed aim oft perpetually, whilft the npurit lament then receive ftieuld not only be prepared with great attention, but given in very finall portions at a time. Though Tmufl admit, therefore, that I have never real ed myfelf a bird of io tender an age, yet I have happened to fee both a Linn.et and a Gold-Finch which were taken from their nefts- when only two or three days old, 1 he fir ft of thefe belonged to Mr Matthews, an apothecary at Kenfington, which, from a want of other founds to imitate, ahnoft articu- ■hied the words pretty hoy , as well as fome other Tort ientences. I heard the bird myfelf repeat toe words pretty boy ; and Mr Matthews affined , me that he had neither the note nor call of any oird whatfoever. ^ hi* taming Linnet died Iaft year, and many People Went from London to hear him fpeak. ^ fte Gold-Finch I have before mentioned w as reared in the town of Knighton in Rad- ii -> O B SB R V ATI O N S OU. 172 norfhire, which I happened to hear as I wac walking by the houfe where it was kept. I thought, indeed, that a Wren ‘was ringing-, and I went into the houfe to inquire after it,, as that little bird feldo'm lives long in a cage. The people of the hopfe, however, told me, that they had no bird but a Gold-Finch, which they conceived to ling its own natural note, as. they called it ; upon which 1 ftaid a confiderable time in the room, while its notes were merely thorn of a Wren, without the lealt mixture of the Gold-Finch. On further inquiries, I found that the bird had been taken from the nell when only two or three days old ; that it was hung in a win- dow which was opp elite to a fmall garden, whence the neftling had undoubtedly acquired the notes of the Wren, without having had anv opportunity of learning even the call of the Gold-Finch. Thefe faces which I have ftated feem to prove very decifively that birds have net any innate ideas of the notes which are fuppofed to be .peculiar to each fpecies. But it will po filbly be a Ike cl, why in a wild date they adhere fo fteadily to the fame tiling, mlomucli that it is well known, before the bird is heard, what notes you are to expeft from him, ? This however arifes entirely from the neft- ling’s attending only to the inltrudUon of the the SINGING cf BIRDS. 173 ' nare pt bird, whilft it clifregards the notes of oil Others, which may perhaps be finging round him. Young Canary-Birds are frequently reared in a room where there are many other forts ; and yet I have been informed that they only learn the fong of the parent cock. Every one knows that the common houfe Sparrow, when in a wild (late, never does any thing but chirp : this, however, does not arife from want of powers in this bird to imitate others, but becaufe he only attends to the pa- rental note. But, to prove this- decifvely, I took a com- mon Sparrow from the'neft when it was fled- ged, and educated him under a Linnet : the bird, however, by accident, heard a Gold- Finch alfo, and his fong was therefore a mix- ture of the Linnet and Gold-Finch. I have tried feveral experiments, in order to obferve from what ci ream fiances birds fix upon any particular note when taken from the pa- rents ; but cannot fettle this with any fort cf pre- cillon, any more than at what part of their recording they determine upon the fong to which they will adhere. 1 educated a young Robin under a very fine Nightingale ; which, however, began already to '' e out of fong, and was perfectly mute in lefs than a fortnight. U P 3 OBSERVATIONS Ofl 174 This Robin afterwards fung three parts in four Nightingale 5 and the reft of his fong was what the bird-catchers call rubbi/fj, or to no par- ticular note whatfoever. I hung this Robin nearer to the Nightingale- than to any other bird ; from which firft expe- riment I conceived that the fchclar would imi- tate the mafter which was at the leaft difiance from him. From feveral other experiments, however, which 1 have ftnce tried, I find it to be very uncertain what notes the nettling will mo ft at- tend to, and often their fong is a mixture ; as in the inftance which I before ftated of the Sparrow. I muft own alio, that I conceived, from the experiment of educating the Robin under a Nightingale, that the fcholar would fix upon the note which it firft heard when taken from the neft; I imagined likewife, that, if the Nightingale had been fully in fong, the inftruc- tion for a fortnight would have been fufRcient. I have, however, fines tried the following experiment ; which convinces me fo much de- pends upon circumftances, and perhaps caprice in the fcholar, that no general inference or rule can be laid down with regard to either or thefe fuppofitions, I euucated a nefthng Robin under a Wood- Lark Linnet which was full in fong, and hung ths SINGING of BIPvDS. 175 very near to him for a month, together ; after, which the Robin was removed to another houfe, where he could only hear a Skylark-Linnet* The confequeoce was, that the neftling did not -Gng a note of Wood-Lam (though I afterwards hung him again juft above the Woodlarlc-Lin* ne t) but adhered entirely to the fong of the. Skylark-Linnet. Having thus ftated the refult of feveral ex- periments, which were chiefly intended to de- termine whether birds had any innate ideas cf the notes, or cf fong, which is fuppofed to be peculiar to each fpecies, 1 (hall now make foms general obfervations on their fin gin g-, though perhaps the fubject may appear to many a very minute one. Every poet, indeed, fpeaks with, raptures of the harmony of the groves ; yet thofe even who have good mulical ears feem to pay little at- tention to it but as a pleating nolle. I am alfo convinced (though it may feem ra- ther paradoxical), that the inhabitants of Lon- don diftinguifli more accurately, and know more on this head, than of all the other parts of the iiland taken together. This feems to anfe from two caufes. The fir ft is, that we have not more nautical ideas which are innate than we have of lan- guage \ and therefore thofe even who have the happinefs to have organs which are capable of OBSERVATIONS OTi 3 *6 receiving a gratification from this fixth fenfe (as it hath been called by fome) require however the bell inftruflion. The orchelfra of the opera, which is confin- ed to the metropolis, hath diflufed a good fiyle of playing over the other bands of the capital, which is, by degrees, communicated to the fiddler and ballad-finger in the ftreets. The or- gans in every church, as well as thofe of the Savoyards, contribute likewife to this improve- ment of mufical faculties in the Londoners. If the finging of the ploughman in the coun- try is therefore compared with that of the London blackguard, the fiiperiority is infinite- ly on the fide of the latter ; and the fame may be obferved in comparing the voice of a coun- try girl and London houfe-maid, as it is very uncommon to hear the former ring tolerably in tune. I do not mean by this to aflert that the in- habitants of the country are not born with as good mufical organs ; but only, that they have not the fame opportunities of learning from others who play in tune themfelves. The other reafon for the inhabitants of Lon- don judging better in relation to the fong of birds, arifes from their hearing each bird fing diftinctly, either in their own or their neigh- bours fli ops ; as alfo from a bird continuing much longer in fong whilft in a cage than when the SINGING of BIRDS. 177 it liberty ; the caufe of which I fhall endeavour hereafter to explain. Thole who live in the country, on the other hand, do not hear birds fing in their woods for above two months in the year, when the con- funon of notes prevents their attending to the fong of any particular bird ; nor does he con- tinue long enough in a place for the hearer to recollect his notes with accuracy. Betides this, birds in the Spring fing very loud indeed ; but they only give Ihort jerks, and fcarcely ever the whole comp a is of their fong. For thefe reafons, I have never happened to meet with any perfcn who had not redded in London, whofe judgment or opinion on this xubiect I could the lead: rely upon ; and a Wrong- er proof of this cannot be given, than that mcft people who keep Canary-Birds do not know that they fing chiefly either the Tit-Lark or Nightingale’s notes L Nothing, however, can be more marked than the note of a Nightingale called its jug, which mofl of the Canary-birds brought from theTyroi com men' y. have, as well as lev era! Nightingale I once law two of theje birds which came from the Ca- nai y ID.nds ; neither of which had any fong at ail; and I ’ b iei1 informed, that a flap brought? a great -many of then;, not long intcc, , which fang as little. OBSERVATIONS OU 1/8 flrokes, or particular paffages in the fong of that bird. I mention this fuperior knowledge in the in- habitants of the capital, becaufe J'am convin- ced, that, if others are confuited in relation to the tinging' of birds, they will only miflead, in- fiend of giving any material or ufeful informa- tion *. Birds in a wild Hate do not commonly ling above ten weeks in the year ; which is then alfo confine 1 to the cocks of a few fpecies. I conceive that this laid circumftance ariles from the fupe- rior ftrength of the mufcles of the larynx. I procured a cock Nightingale, a cock and hen Black-Bird, a cock and hen Rook, a cdck Linnet, as alfo a cock and hen Chaffinch, which that very eminent anatomift, Mr Hunter, F.R.S. was fo obliging as to diffieR for me, and beg- ged that he would particularly attend to the Rate of the organs in the different birds, which might be fuppofed to contribute to finging. Mr Hunter found the mufcles of the larynx to be flronger in the Nightingale than in any other bird of the tame fize ; and in all thofe inffances (where he diifeed both cock and * As it will not anfwer to catch birds with clap-nets any where hut in the neighbourhood of London, mod of the biids v, hi.n may be heard in a country town are nettling?, and conlccjuently cannot fing the fuppol'cd natural fong La any perfection. th'e SINGING of BIRDS. 17^ hen), that the fame mufcles were Wronger in the cock. 1 fent the cock and hen Rook, in order to fee whether there would be the fame difference in the cock and hen of a fpecies which did not f ng at all. Mr Hunter, however, told me, that he had not attended fo much to their com- parative organs of voice as in the other kinds ; but that, to the beft of his recollection, there was no difference at all. Strength, however, in thefe mufcles, feems not to be the only requifite ; the birds muft have alfo great plenty of food, which feems to be proved fufficiently by birds in a cage tinging the greateff part of the year, when the wild ones do not (as I obferved before) continue in fong above ten weeks. The food of finging birds confifts of plants, infects, or feeds ; and, of the two firft of thefe, there is infinitely the greateft profufion in the Spring-. A O As for feeds, which are to be met with only m the Autumn, I think they cannot well find any great quantities of them in a country fo cultivated as England is ; for the feeds of mea- dows are deftroyed by mowing ; in paftures, by Uie bite in the cattle ; and in arable, by tire Plough, when mold of them are buried too eledp ^ or ^ ie bird to reach them. OBSERVATIONS Oil i So 1 know well that the Tinging of the cock bird in the Spring is attributed by many to the motive only of pleaftng its mate during incu- bation. Thofe, however, who Tuppofe this, fhould recollect, that much the greater part of birds do not fing at all : why fhould their mate, there- fore, be deprived of this folace and amufe- ment ? The bird in a cage, which, perhaps, lings nine or ten months in a year, cannot do fo from this inducement ; and, on the contrary, it arifes chiefly from contending with another bird, or, indeed, againft aim oil any fort of continued noife. Superiority in fong gives to birds a mo ft ama- Ting afcendency over each othe ; as is well known to the bird-catchers, by the fafcinating power of their call -birds, which they contrive fhould moult prematurely for the purpofe. But to fhow deciilvely that the Tinging of a bird in the Spring does not arife from any at- tention to its mate, a very experienced catcher of Nightingales hath informed me that fome of thefe birds have jerked the inftant they were caught. He hath alfo brought to me a O O Nightingale which had been but a few hours in a cage, and which burft forth in a roar of fong. the SINGING of BIRDS. l§£ At the fame time, this bird is fo fulky on his firft confinement, that he muft be crammed for feven or eight days, as he will otherwife not feed himfelf : it is alfo necefiary to tie his wings, to prevent his killing himfelf againft the top or iides of the cage.. I believe there is no infiance of any bird’s finging which exceeds our Black-Bird in fize ; and pofiibly this may arife from the difficulty of its concealing itfelf, if it called the attention of its enemies, not only by bulk, but by the proportionable loudnefs of its notes. I ihould rather conceive, it is for the fame reafon that no hen-bird tings, becaufe this talent would be (fill more dangerous during incubation ; which may pofiibly alfo account for the inferiority in point of plumage. I tried once an experiment, which might indeed have pofiibly made fome alteration in the tone or a bird, from what it might have been when the animal was at its full growth, by procuring an operator who caponifed a young Black-Bird of about fix weeks old ; as it died, however, foon afterwards, and I have never repeated the experiment, I can only conje rit ofithe Britifh finging birds may be examined the idea of which I have borrowed from Monf. de Piles, in Ids Coura de Peinture par Principes.- I fhaiP not be furprifed, how- ever, if, as he fuggefls, many may difagree with, me about particular birds, as he fuppofes they will do with him con- cerning the merits of painterSi As I have five columns, inftead of the four which M-. de Piles ufes, 1 make 20 the point of abfolute perfection, in- stead of 16, which, is his flandard. a,£ 0 | iv 3 • 0 vP a 2 tr ■<* Plaintive j notes, j Compafs. Execution. Nightingale, - r 9 14 19 19 icy Sky-Lark, 4 19 4 lb r8 Wood-Lark, - 1 3 4- -17 12 8T Tit-Lark, - 12 15 1 2 12 13 Linnet, - 12 l6 12 16 18 Gold-Finch, 4 ' - T 9 4 12 X3T Chaffinch, = - - 4 u 4 O O 8 Green-Finch, 4 4 4 4 6 Hedge-Sparrow, if 0 6 4 4- Aberdaviir (or Sifidn), X - 4- 0 4 . 4- Red-Pole, 0 4 0 4 4" Thruffi, - 4 4 4 4 4- Black-Bird, - 4 4 O 2 2 Robin, - -■ 6 16 12 12 15 Wren, - - 0 12- O 4 4 Reed-Sparrow, - 0 4 O 2 %' Black-Cap, or the Norfolk Mock- Nightingale, 14 13 12 14 54 bhave made no mention of the Bull-Fine h in this table, which commonly con-idered as a Dtfgirg bird ; bccaufc its- wiki the SINCING of BIRDS. 1 8 7 And here I muft again repeat, that what I defcribe is from a caged Nightingale •, becauft^ tlaofe which we hear in the Spring are fo rank* that they feldom ling any thing, but fhort and loud jerks, which confequenfly cannot be com- pared to the notes of a caged-bird, as the inftru- ment is over ft rained. I muft alfo here obferve, that my Nightin- gale was a very capital bird ; for fome of them are fo vaftly inferior, that the bird-fanciers will not keep them, branding them with the name of Frenchmen . But it is not only in tone and variety that the Nightingale excels ; the bird alfo tings, (it I may fo exprefs myfelf ) with fuperior judgment and tafte. I have therefore commonly obferved, that my Nightingale began foftly, like the ancient ora- tors •, referving its breath to lwell certain notes, note, wkhoutdnftni&ion, is a rucft jarring and diiagree&ble noife. 1 have likewife omitted the R'ed-Start (which is called 5y the French It Rojignol de Muraille ), a3 I am not fufficiendy acquainted with its Long, though it i3 admired by many. I fhould rather conceive, however, w ith Zinanni, that there is no very extraordinary merit in the notes. The London bird-catchers alfo fell ibmetimes -the Yellow- Hammer, Twite, and Bn. mb ling, as tinging birds; but none of thefc will come within my definition of what max be deemed fo, OBSERVATIONS Otl I' 8 8 which by this means had a mod: aftonifhing ef- fect, and which eludes all verbal defcription. I have indeed taken down certain paffjges which may be reduced to our mufical intervals; but though by thefe means one' may form an idea of fomc of the notes ufed, yet it is impof- fible to give their comparative durations in point ©f mufical tune, upon which the whole effect mud depend. I once procured a very capital player on the flute to execute the notes which Kircher hath engraved in his Mifurgia, as being ufed by the Nightingale ; when, from want of not being- able to fettle their comparative duration, it was impoflible to obferve any traces almoft of the Nightingale’s fong. It may not he improper here to confider, whether the Nightingale may not have a very- formidable competitor in the American Mock- ing-Bird ; though almoft all travellers agree, that the concert in the European woods is fti- perior to that of the other parts of the globe. As birds are now annually imported in great numbers from Afta, Africa, and America, I have frequently attended to their notes, both fingly and in concert, which certainly are not to be compared to thofe of Europe. Ihomfon, the poet, (whofe oblervations in natural hiftory are much to be depended upon) makes this fuperiority in the European birds to ihe SINGING of BIRDS. 1 be a fort of compenfation for their great infe- riority in point of gaudy plumage. Our Gold- Finch, however, joins to a very brilliant and pleafing fong, a moll beautiful variety of co- lours in its feathers. It muff be admitted, that foreign birds, when brought to Europe, are often heard to a great difadvantage *, as many of them, from their great tamenefs, have certainly been brought up by hand ; the confequence of which I have al- ready Hated from feveral experiments. The folt-billed birds alio cannot be well brought over, as the fuccedaneum for infecls (their com- mon food) is freih meat, and particularly the hearts of animals. I have happened, however, to hear the A- merican Mocking- Bird, in great perfection at Meffi's Vogle’s and Scott’s in Love- lane, Eaft- cheap. 1 his bird is believed to be ftill living *, and. hatn been in England thefe Ex years. During the fpace of a minute, he imitated the Wood- Lark, Chaffinch, Black-Bird, Thruih, and Spar- row. I was told alio, that he would bark like a dog ; io that the bird feenas to have no choice in his imitations, though his pipe comes nearelt to our Nightingale of any bird I have yet met with. * 773 - OBSERVATIONS Otl 3 9 ° With regard to the original notes, however, of this bird, we are ftill at a lofs ; as this can on- ly be known by thofe who are accurately ac- quainted with the fong of the other American birds. Kahn indeed informs us, that the natural fong is excellent*; but this traveller fee ms not to have been long enough in America to have diftinguifhed what were the genuine notes ; with us, mimics do not often fuc.ceed but in imitations. 1 have little doubt, however, but that this bird would be fully equal to the fong of the Nightingale in its whole compnfs ; but then, from the attention which the mocker pays to any fort of b i fa gree able noifes, thefe capital notes would be always clebafed by a bad mixture. We have one mocking-bird in England, which is the Sky-Lark; as, contrary to a gene- ral obfervation I have before made, this bird will catch the note of any other which hangs near it, even after the Sky-Lark note is fixed. For this reafon, the bird-fanciers often place the Sky-Lark next one which hath not been long caught, in order, as they term it, to keep the caged Sky-Lark hone]}. The queftion, indeed, may be afked, why the wild Sky-Lark, with thefe powers of imi- •j'. Vol. I. p, 219. the SINGING of BIRDS.' 1QI tation, ever adheres to the parental note ? but it mull be recollected, that a bird, when at li- berty, is for ever fhifting its place, and confe- quently, does not hear the fame notes eternally repeated as when it hangs in a cage near ano- ther. In a wild (late, therefore, the Sky-Lark adheres to the parental notes, as the parent cock attends the young ones, and is heard by them foi lo conffilerable a time. I am aware alfo, that it may be afked, how birds originally came by the notes which are peculiar to each fpecies ? My anfwer, however, to this is, that tire origin of the notes of birds, together with its gradual progrefs, is as difficult to be traced as that of the different languages in nations. Thelofsof the parent-cock, at the critical time for inftru&ion, hath undoubtedly produ- ced thole varieties, which I have before obfer- ved are in the fong of each fpecies ; becaufe then the neftling hath either attended to the fong of fome other birds ; or, perhaps, invent- ed iome new notes of its own, which are af- terwards perpetuated from generation to gene- ration, till fimilar accidents produce other al- terations. The organs of fome birds alfo are probably fo defective, that they cannot imitate properly the parental note, as fome men can never articulate as they Ihould do. Such de- feats in the parent bird muft again occaiion va« 192 OBSERVATIONS, &C. rieties, becaufe thefe defers will be continued to their defcendants, who (as 1 before have proved) will only attend to the parental long. Some of thefe defcendants alio may have im- perfect organs ; which will again multiply va- rieties in the fong. The truth is, as I before obferved, that fcarce* Iv any two birds of the fame fpecies have ex- actly the fame notes, if they are actually attend- ed to, though there is a general refemblance. Thus molt people fee no difference between one fheep and another, when a large flock is before them. The fhepherd, however, knows each of them, and can fwear to them if they are loft ; as can the Lincolnflvire golherd to each goofe. FINIS. -