86 A LONG DAY WiLL, THE, Bip Ss: 
quite white without any spots whatever. 
The linnet is a familiar bird to most people. 
I have one, a cock, which I bought for eight- 
pence twelve years ago, and it sings as well 
to-day as it did when I first bought it a newly- 
caught youngster. Its song is always enjoy- 
able, not so noisy aS a canary’s and more 
varied. I mentioned just now that the aver- 
age life of a small weld bird is three years— 
I have had my linnet twelve years and it 
shows no signs of decay or old age, and I 
could not say how long it may continue to 
live and thrive. Now this is a great argu- 
ment in favour of keeping a bird in captiv- 
ity. If at least nine extra years of life can 
be given a bird by catching and caging it, 
caging it is not cruel. It gets its food and 
drink and bath regularly and without any 
difficulty summer and winter alike, and has 
not ito go tar to*-find them; asi Eaeiore 
mentioned most wild birds have to do. It is 
not nearly frozen to death in the winter. It 
is not threatened by bird-catchers, hawks, 
cats, and other enemies, and suffers no 
