HISTORY or 



upon while breeding. In the body of the house 

 they put all sorts of stuff for building the nest, 

 and brooms, one under the other, in all the cor- 

 ners, for the birds to build in. These they sepa- 

 rate by partitions from each other, to prevent 

 those above flying down upon, or otherwise in- 

 commoding such as breed below. The light also 

 is excluded, for no bird is fond of having light 

 come to its nest. 



With us the apparatus for breeding is less ex- 

 pensive ; a little breeding-cage sometimes suffices, 

 but seldom any thing more extensive than a small 

 room. While the birds are pairing it is usual to 

 feed them with soft meat ; that is, bread, maw- 

 seed, a little scalded rape-seed, and near a third 

 part of an egg. The room should be furnished 

 with stuff for making their nests, such as fine 

 hay, wool, cotton, and hair. These materials 

 should be thoroughly dry, and then mixed and 

 tied together, in such a manner that the birds 

 may readily pull out what they want. This 

 should be hung in a proper part of the room, and 

 the male will take his turn in building the nest, 

 sitting upon the eggs, and feeding the young. 

 They are generally two or three days in building 

 their nests ; the hen commonly lays five eggs ; 

 and in the space of fourteen days the young will 

 be excluded. So prolific are these birds some- 

 times, that the female will be ready to hatch a 

 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, 



