DOCILITY OF THE GOLDFINCH. 157 



swing of the door, that closed after him without any 

 effort to make it do so.* 



It came next to the turn of a young lady to enter- 

 tain the company on the same subject ; who said she 

 was not surprised at the adroitness of the horse in 

 opening the latch, because she had heard of an instance 

 of ingenuity in a cat very similar. " Some years 

 ago/' continued she, " a family in Waterford were 

 alarmed by an outer door belonging to their house 

 being frequently opened without any visible cause. 

 At last, after many surmises, a cat was observed ap- 

 proaching the door, and striving to push it open ; but, 

 on finding it shut, she leaped up, put one paw on the 

 handle of the latch, and with the other bent down 

 the trigger till the latch was raised ; then she let her- 

 self down, and pushed with her head against the door 

 till it was sufficiently open to admit her. The family 

 to whom this cat belonged saw her repeat the same 

 feat several times."t — " Hunger, I suppose," said a 

 gentleman, " was the stimulus to her contrivance. 

 Goldfinches we often see obliged to obtain their drink 

 by drawing up a little bucket, and their seed by Hft- 



* This anecdote was related to Dr. M'Donnel of Belfast, by 

 a friend on whose veracity he could rely. 



t Mr. Boswell, of Belfast, can vouch for the truth of this 

 anecdote. 



