10 Sony Birds. 



think it might be allowable to have a nest of young 

 Robins brought up in a cage by the old birds, the 

 tamest of which might be kept for the greenhouse or 

 for hopping about in a poultryhouse, where Hobby, 

 being pugnacious, agrees better with cocks and hens 

 than with birds of his own size : a pair of Robins will 

 feed with the chickens, take all sorts of liberties, 

 from a ride on the cock's back downwards and at 

 the earliest glimpse of spring will build in the same 

 -enclosure ; and this plan is much better than bring- 

 ing Redbreasts into real confinement. The poultry- 

 woman is sure to complain that " the Robins eat all 

 the fowls' meat; " but that I think will be the gravest 

 difficulty that will be met with here. 



9. Robins are much the hardiest of their class. 

 The soft -billed birds more generally require keeping 

 in winter in a well-warmed room ; and even then 

 there are difficulties arising from smoke or dust. 



10. To proceed to the hard-billed class. In my 

 own opinion no birds equal Goldfinches and Canaries 

 for varieties of song, affectionate ways and prettiness. 

 Linnets are such frightful gluttons that if they are 

 kept in an aviary well supplied with a variety of 

 food, either they will become perfect balls of fat 



and die of over-eating, or else the other birds must 

 be almost deprived of hemp seed. They are, however, 

 very amusing birds ; and I always maintain that there 

 is a great deal of character in their faces. They are 



