THE SPARROW KIND. 279 



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 supplied with a sufficiency of soft 

 food every day, with likewise fresh greens, such 

 as cabbage, lettuce, and chick-weedin June 

 shepherd's purse, and in July and August plan- 

 tain. They are never to have groundsil after the 

 young are excluded. With these different deli- 

 cacies the old ones will take particular care to 

 feed and bring up their young j but it is usual, 

 when they can feed themselves, to be taken from 

 the nest and put into cages. Their meat then is 

 the yolk of an egg boiled 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 pro- 

 duces 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, 

 ajid feeding upon grain, have the most strong si- 

 militude to each other, and may justly be suppos- 

 ed, as M. 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 j and are brought 

 up for the cage with the same food and precau- 

 tions. The linnet, the bullfinch, and the gold- 



