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THE GOLDFINCH. 



trouble, yet it seems he must have taken notice of it, and seen 

 that by touching this handle he could get at the Goldfinch's 

 food, were he within reach ; and this he kept in mind for the 

 day of need ; for one morning when loose, and his own seed- 

 box empty, he flew at once to the perch of his friend, raised 

 the lid of the seed-box with his bill, and then laying hold of 

 it with one foot, kept it open till he had made a good break- 

 fast. This apparently trifling circumstance clearly shows that 

 birds can and do take notice of some things, and collect infor- 

 mation which may be useful when needed. In this case it 

 required some time and attention to teach the Goldfinch the 

 use of the handle for holding up the lid of the box ; but the 

 Redpole had watched the operation, and learned by observation 

 how to do it as well as his friend.* 



The following is another instance of sagacity in a pair of 

 Goldfinches. These little birds had built their nest on a small 

 branch of an olive-tree ; after hatching their brood the parents 



perceived that the weight 

 of the growing family 

 would soon be too great for 

 the strength of the branch 

 which supported the nest ; 

 in fact, it was beginning to 

 give way. Something was 

 to be done, or the nest 

 would fall, — this was 

 evident to beholders, and 

 equally so to the Gold- 

 inches ; accordingly they 

 were observed to fasten by a small string they had picked up, 

 the bending twig to a stronger and higher branch of the tree, 

 and thus their nest was saved. 



Another pair happened to build in the garden of a naturalist, 

 who was fond of observing the manners and habits of birds. 

 They had formed the groundwork with moss and dried grass 

 as usual, but on his scattering small pieces of wool, they in 

 a great measure left off the use of the first materials, and 

 * Phren. Journal, No. 34, p. 72. 



The Goldfinch. 



