THE SPARROW KIND. 153 



I second brood before the first are able to quit the nest. On these 

 occasions, she leaves the nest and the young to provide herself with 

 another to lay her new brood in. In the mean time the male, more 

 faithful to the duties of his trust, breeds up the young left behind, 

 and fits them for a state of independence. 



When the young ones are excluded, the old ones should be suppli- 

 ed with a sufficiency of soft food every day, with likewise fresh greens, 

 such as cabbage, lettuce, and chick-weed ; in June, shepherd's purse; 

 and in July and August, plantain. They are never to have ground 

 sel after the young are excluded. With these different delicacies, the 

 old ones will take particular care to feed and bring up their young ; 

 but it is usual when they can feed themselves, to be taken from the 

 aest and put into cages. Their meat then is the yolk of an egg boil- 

 ed hard, with an equal quantity of fine bread, and a little scalded rape- 

 seed : this must be bruised till it becomes fine, and then it may be 

 mixed with a little maw-seed ; after which blend all together ; which 

 Is to be supplied them fresh every day. 



The Canary-bird, by being kept in company with the linnet or the 

 goldfinch, pairs and produces a mixed breed, more like the Canary- 

 bird, and resembling it chiefly in its song. Indeed all this tribe with 

 strong bills and piercing notes, and feeding upon grain, have the most 

 strong similitude to each other, and may justly be supposed, as Mr. 

 Buffon imagines, to come from the same original. They all breed 

 about the same time ; they frequent the same vegetables ; they build 

 in the same hedges and trees ; and are brought up for the cage with 

 the same food and precautions. The linnet, the bullfinch, and the 

 goldfinch, when we know the history of the Canary-bird, have scarce 

 any peculiarities that can attract our curiosity, or require our care. 

 The only art necessary with all those that have no very fine note, 

 is to breed them up under some more pleasing harmonist. The gold- 

 finch learns a fine song from the nightingale ; and the linnet and bull- 

 finch may be taught, forgetting the wild notes of Nature, to whistle 

 long and regular tune. 



CHAPTER V. 



OF THE SWALLOW AND ITS AFFINITIES. 



AN idea of any one bird in the former classes will give us som 

 tolerable conception of the rest. By knowing the linnet or the Cana 

 ry-bird, we have some notion of the manners of the goldfinch ; by ex 

 tiibiting the history of the nightingale, we see also that of the black 

 cap or the titmouse. But the swallow tribe seems to be entiiely dif 

 "erent from all the former: different in their form, different in thev 

 habits, and unlike in all the particulars of their history. 



