16 



BRITISH BIRDS 



Instances are on record of its having bred not only in a, 

 large aviary out of doors but in a cage ; the birds that 

 did so, however, had been brought up by hand from the 

 nest, a feat that is by no means difficult of accomplish- 

 ment on bread and milk and ants' eggs. 



The Blackcap is apt to suffer from sore feet unless the 

 perches are well and frequently attended to ; but if the pre- 

 caution of washing and scraping them every two or three days 

 is taken, there will be nothing to fear in this respect. 

 In addition to its own song, which is a very charming 



one, and would 

 no doubt be 

 thought more of 

 than it is if it 

 were uttered in 

 the stillness of 

 the night, in- 

 stead of in broad 

 daylight and 

 amid a babel 

 of sounds, the 

 Blackcap will 

 pick up a tune 

 that is whistled 

 or played to it 

 on a flute and 

 render the same 

 with amazing 

 correctness. It 

 and will live from ten 



TiiK Blackcap Warbler. 



will also learn to say a few words 

 to fourteen years in the house. 



The concluding remarks relating to the Nightingale are 

 equally applicable in the present instance, and it may be 

 added that hand-reared specimens of this species will breed 

 in a cage or aviary as freely as Canaries, making their 

 compact, but not heavy, nest of hay in a bush if there is 

 one at their disposal, or lacking that, in an ordinary nest- 

 basket similar to those made of wicker for the use of 

 Canaries on the Continent. The lining of the nest merely 

 consists of the finer portions of the hay, but the different 



