804 



EECEEATIA^E SCIENCE. 



begs to be previousl}' cracked, to aid ber 

 somewbat feeble beak, and will peck my 

 fingers for more wben tbe ration is done. 

 Sbe would instantly drive away any fresb 

 favourite wbo dared to take tbe same fami- 

 liarities ; sbe is tberefore obliged to be caged 

 wbile I carry about tbe room, percbed on an 

 ear of millet, a male siskin caugbt in Janu- 

 ary, and now rewarding me witb a song wbUe 

 I record bis tameness. 



Siskins may be taugbt tbeir tricks M'i lb- 

 out tbe employment of privation or cruelty. 



and thumb ; after some besitation and dally- 

 ing, it will be taken ; repeat tbe lesson till 

 tbe pupil is perfect. Lesson 2 : Substitute 

 your lips for your finger and tbumb. Lesson 

 3 : Eepeat tbe two previous lessons, but in 

 botb cases bold tbe seed so tigbt tbat tbe 

 bird has to tug and pull, and exert all its 

 strength before it can obtain possession of 

 tbe morsel. Lesson 4 : Open tbe cage-door, 

 and let tbe bird step out of tbe cage upon 

 your fingers, to eat crushed hempseed upon 

 your open palm. If a well-behaved bird, it 





The Siskin. 



The whole secret lies in their being very 

 greedy birds, epicures also, above all things 

 fond of hempseed, and nearly as much so of 

 the seeds of the alder-tree, likewise enter- 

 taining a great relish for tbe seeds of the 

 poppy (the mawseed of the shops), which is 

 grown on tbe Continent to extract salad-oil 

 from. Siskins eat more than many of their 

 larger feathered friends. 



To train them to personal intimacy with 

 yourself, you have only to let your birds 

 become just a little hungry. Lesson 1 : In 

 the morning, before they have breakfasted, 

 offer a single hempseed between your finger 



ought to step back into its cage again ; but 

 if it flies into the open room, by no means 

 catch it to restore it to its home, but let it 

 find its way back by itself. People gene- 

 rally suppose it to be a punishment to a bird 

 to cage it, and it may be so in many cases ; 

 but you may punish a siskin that has not 

 been properly obedient by shutting it out of 

 its cage — by closing its own wiry door against 

 it, just as an ill-behaved boy is turned out 

 into the back -yard to meditate. When hun- 

 ger and thirst begin to be felt, tbe penitent 

 siskin will make very amusing efforts to get 

 in, will try to force a passage, or to discover 



