In tEe cageTin which, during later 

 years, they have arrived to be great fa- 

 vourites, they become at once the liveliest, 

 most agreeable and sociable of compa- 

 nions, constantly delighting the ears with 

 their rich and ever varying profusion of 

 song, which is given from daylight until 

 sunset with scarcely any intermission. 

 Here they have another excellent quality, 

 in which they differ from most other song- 

 birds, which is that they sing well in com- 

 pany, exciting each other to rivalry and 

 emulation for hours and hours together. 



Some of the various notes, though it is 



difficult to describe them from the rapidity 



with which they are delivered, strongly 



resemble the pronunciation of words and 



17 



