TEMPTATIONS TO FEED. 291 



glass, two or three lively meal-worms, whose wriggling 

 motions soon attract the attention of the hungry bird, 

 which, in pecking at the glass to get at them, thrusts its 

 bill into the food, and swallowing a portion of it likes it, 

 and returns for more. Not unfrequently, however, poor 

 Philomel, deprived of the sweets of liberty, and the plea- 

 sures of connubial bliss, obstinately refuses to partake of 

 any other sweets, but pines and dies of starvation, and if 

 he does not at first do so, often at the season when the mi- 

 gratory instinct is strong upon him, he kills himself in his 

 mad endeavours to escape. 



FOOD FOR THE SMALLER SOFT-BILLED SONG BIRDS, SUCH 

 AS LARKS, THE EOBIN, &c. For the keeping of this class 

 of birds in a healthy condition, in fine plumage and song, 

 from experience we can recommend the following mixture 

 as the best that can be used : Quarter pound bullock's 

 liver, boiled and finely grated ; three-quarters pound pea- 

 meal ; half-pound stale bread crumbs, finely rubbed ; the 

 raw yolk of two fresh eggs. Mix these well together. 

 Then put in a clean frying-pan, gently heated, two 

 ounces fresh butter. Add the above mixture. Place the 

 frying-pan on a very slow fire ; stir till a little brown. 

 When taken off the fire, and still warm, mix quarter 

 pound coarse sugar. Let the whole stand in the pan till 

 quite cold ; then add a pound and a half hemp-seed, well 

 bruised (as many of the shells as possible being blown off), 

 and two ounces maw- seed not bruised. Mix the whole 

 well, and leave the compound in grains about the size of 

 canary-seed. Then put in pots, well covered up. If 

 these simple directions are followed, the food will keep 

 a sufficient time ; but everything depends on care being 

 taken while on the fire : the embers of a fire answer best. 

 If burned, the nourishment is destroyed ; if not equally 

 and gently done it is apt to mould. A uniform rich brown 

 is the proper colour. 



If with the above is given occasionally a meal-worm or 

 maggot, and in summer a few of the smaller grubs which 

 are to be found in abundance curled up in the leaves of 

 fruit trees and currant bushes, nothing more is to be de- 

 sired ; and your interesting prisoners, so far at least as 



