THE BIRDS OF THE AVIARY 



279 



care must be given to the quantity of food that 

 is provided for them when placed in captivity. 

 The linnet called "Little Pope" {Fringilla 

 linaria) is distinguishable from the one called 

 " Little Brother" (F. viontium) by a black patch 

 on the chin and a red skull, both birds being of 

 a fine reddish brown. Though they do not sing, 

 they have their place in the aviary, where their 

 colors give infinite pleasure. In Germany it was 

 formerly the fashion, as it still is elsewhere, to 

 have competitions of singing birds, for which 

 breeders were in the habit of putting out the 



of violet-brown specks. The bird can be taught 

 all sorts of tunes, provided respect is paid to his 

 caprices ; that is to say, the same gestures, the 

 same flatteries, the same little coaxing words, 

 must be used, and even the same coat should 

 be worn when the lessons are given ! Well- 

 taught bullfinches are worth their weight in 

 gold. A great trade in them is carried on by 

 the poorer classes of Thuringia. 



From the zoological point of view thejc/Zow- 

 liannncr or biniting (Embcriza citrinclld) is a 

 link between the finch and the lark. In its wild 



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The String W.act.ail 



eyes of the shyest species with the false and 

 cruel idea that blindness improved their song. 

 The bullfinch is a queer fellow in an aviary, 

 and full of self-importance in a cage. Still it is 

 easy to keep him in captivity and to raise his 

 young. He is very nervous, it is true, and he 

 flutters about continually ; but if we once 

 know his peculiar tastes (all finches differ 

 materially in their choice of food), these birds 

 with their beautiful colors are easy to raise and 

 well worth their price. They rival many of 

 the tropical birds in color. The bullfinch of 

 the north of Europe (Pyirhitla vulgaris) is 

 much larger than the bullfinch of this country. 

 The eggs are greenish blue, with a little circle 



state it lives among reeds, and is more or less 

 squat in figure. Thanks to its beautiful yellow 

 color and its \ery soft, melodious whistle, it is 

 very acceptable in the aviary, though in captiv- 

 it\- it is apt to lose one or both of its gifts. The 

 yellow^-hammcr {Colaptcs auratits) is not often 

 caged, and belongs to the woodpecker family. 



The species called the %vagtails (Motacilla) 

 are the agriculturists among smaller birds, 

 especially across the water. They follow the 

 plowman along the furrows, and will even 

 jump between the legs of the horses. And 

 yet, though very eager, they are shy and alert. 

 They are constantly wagging their heads and 

 tails ; hence their name. Though the \ellow 



