on some Species of British Quadrupeds, Birds, and Fishes. 279 



allowing them a certain portion of egg boiled hard, and boiled 

 rice: of this variety the egg, rice, and groats, were only eaten. 



It was now thought proper to try the smaller seeds, such as 

 hemp, turnip, rape, plantain, grass, and such like; for which 

 they soon discovered a taste, but always preferred the white 

 oats, when the groats and softer food were removed ; and which 

 consequently became their principal diet: the adroitness with 

 which they husked, or deprived that grain of its outer coat, 

 in order to swallow the more nutritious part, was remarkable : 

 and it was observable, that wheat and barley were at all times re- 

 jected. 



"With a view to produce a hybrid between a male Cirl Bunting 

 and a female Canary-bird, such were put together; but unfortu- 

 nate accidents put a stop to our curiosity : we learned however 

 by this attempt that canary seed, which had never before been 

 offered, was preferred by the Bunting to all others, even its favou- 

 rite oat. 



One of the males and the female lived long enough to throw 

 out their full plumage, which was effected about the latter end 

 of November, but the plumage of the male was never so bright as 

 in its native wild state : the only indication of the sexes, in their 

 first or nestling feathers, was the light-coloured mark over the eyq, 

 which in the male was much more conspicuous, and more incli- 

 ning to yellow. 



The male survived the female some months ; was always suffi- 

 ciently tame to take insects from the hand, showing great par- 

 tiality to such a repast, and when let out of the cage would catch 

 flies in the windows ; but it was excessively timid and shy of 

 strangers, and greatly alarmed at any moving object the eye had 

 not been accustomed to: it particularly showed more than usual 

 abhorrence to any thing black, not suffering even those out of 

 whose hand it would otherwise feed to approach its cage with a 



hat 



