foo OUTDOOR LIFE IN ENGLAND 



The siskins and redpoles were more easily 

 trained than other birds, and these, as soon as 

 they had got over their first shyness, were braced 

 and fastened by a light chain to a cane hoop, which 

 was fixed into a peculiar arrangement formed of 

 two pieces of wood nailed together at right angles, 

 resembling the back and bottom of a box, the 

 back part being fixed against a wall on a nail, 

 a hole being cut in the w r ood for the purpose of 

 hanging it up. At the upper part of this was a 

 small box with a lid, in which the seeds were 

 placed, and immediately below it another smaller 

 cane hoop was fixed. These two hoops served 

 as perches for the bird. At the edge of the 

 bottom board farthest away from the back was 

 a small hole about an inch in diameter, across 

 which was a light wire bar ; beneath this hole a 

 broken wineglass was suspended by three strings 

 about ten inches in length, and from the wire bar a 

 small light bone thimble was hung by a single 

 thread run through a hole bored on each side of the 

 thimble. This thread was of such a length as to 

 allow the thimble to rest on the bottom of the 

 wineglass. At first the thimble was fastened 

 close up to the wire, like a small bucket, and filled 

 with water, and the box containing the seeds was 

 propped open, the bucket being filled with water. 

 By degrees the lid of the box was lowered, a little 

 each day, and the thread of the bucket was also 

 gradually lengthened. By these means the bird 

 learned to open the box with its beak, and to 



