THE BULLFINCH. 133 



each one having a bird placed under his charge, who 

 plays away as many times as the bird can attend, during 

 which their first teacher, or feeder, goes his regular 

 rounds, scolding or rewarding his feathered scholars by 

 signs and modes he has taught them to understand, until 

 the tune becomes so familiar, that they will pipe it to the 

 end of their lives. The writer is, however, free to con- 

 fess, that he prefers " the wood-note wild " to any of 

 the strains which are thus acquired. 



