EUROPEAN FINCHES. 47 



soft, sweet, and musical; it is, therefore, a gen- 

 eral favorite, especially with the ladies. Those 

 that are taught are called Piping Bullfinches, and 

 are imported from England and Germany ; they 

 are commonly taught with a bird organ ; but the 

 voice, and whistling or a flageolet, are recommend- 

 ed as superior. The Bullfinch will pair with a 

 Canary, a tame hen Bullfinch with a spirited 

 male Canary. The produce is a soft and very 

 musical singing mule. 



FOOD. I have kept these birds in good health 

 upon Canary and rape seed, and occasionally a 

 little hemp seed ; but the last must be given to 

 them very sparingly, as these birds take but 

 little exercise in a cage, and like some old gen- 

 tlemen, they are naturally inclined to get cor- 

 pulent. Some feed them on rape alone, but the 

 Canary makes a little more variety for them, and 

 even a very little hempseed at intervals I do not 

 think is hurtful. It is said, that this bird's plum- 

 age may be altogether changed to black by being 

 fed upon hempseed alone ; this I rather doubt. 

 I once saw a Sky Lark, which hung in its cage 

 from the roof of a large apothecary's store ; it was 

 a favorite bird, and a fine singer ; it had grown 

 quite black. As the person that owned the bird 



