Finches. 143 



be taught various amusing tricks, such as firing off' 

 cannon, dragging a little waggon up an inclined plane 

 into his cage, opening a box for his seed, ringing a 

 bell for it, and hauling up water from a little well 

 underneath the cage ; and all these he will learn very 

 readily, and without any coercion. Some of the tricks 

 which professional exhibitors of birds make a trade 

 by, I fear, cause their Canaries and Goldfinches a good 

 deal of suffering, and much cruelty is practised to 

 make them proficient in them ; but I have taught 

 Goldfinches all the accomplishments named, except- 

 ing firing off cannon, without difficulty, and they have 

 appeared delighted to exhibit their cleverness. 



One of my birds lived in a cage made with a seed- 

 box attached to the wooden back, and he always lifted 

 up the lid when he wanted a seed, and soon grew so 

 crafty as to take out two or three seeds at a time, and 

 put them by his side between the wires. I taught him 

 this in a couple of days, by fastening a piece of silk 

 round the lid, and gradually lowering it till it was quite 

 closed ; and he learnt nearly as soon to draw up a little 

 silver bucket with water, from the glass which formed 

 a well, suspended by wires from the bow window 

 attached to his cage. In the floor of this was a hole, 

 across which went a narrow bridge of wood, to which 

 a little ring was fastened, attached to a tiny -silver 

 chain holding the bucket, which was about the size of 

 a thimble. I drew the bucket up to the bridge at first, 



