THE COMMON LINNET. 143 



much stronger crop and stomach, they can digest much better. It is not 

 necessary always to give them hemp seed with it, and they must not be 

 fed abundantly, for taking little exercise, they easily become fat, and some- 

 times die from this cause ; but a liftle salt mixed with their food is useful, 

 as it preserves them from many diseases, and they like it. When linnets 

 are allowed to run about, they will feed with the other birds on the com- 

 mon universal paste ; but they must be given green vegetables, water, and 

 sand, as they are very fond of bathing and dusting themselves. 



BREEDING Linnets have two broods in the year. They lay from four 



to six eggs for each, of a bluish white, speckled with reddish brown, espe- 

 cially at the large end. Their nest placed in a hedge, a white or black- 

 thorn, or, if in a country where they are common, on a vine, or a furze 

 bush, is composed of small twigs, dried grass and moss, and lined with 

 wool, the hair of horses, and other animals. The parent birds feed their 

 young ones, from their beaks, and do not discontinue it if prisoners in the 

 same cage. If the young ones are to be taught a new song, they must be 

 taken from the nest when the shafts of the feathers are just appearing, that 

 they may have no idea of their parents' song. The males may be easily 

 distinguished by their white collar, and from having the most white about 

 the wings and tail. 



DISEASES. The most common disorders of this species are constipation, 

 atrophy, and epilepsy. A linnet, however, will, in general, live from ten 

 to twelve years in the house. 



MODE OF TAKING. These birds are distrustful and suspicious, and, 

 notwithstanding decoys and perching birds, it is very difficult to entice 

 them within the decoy or area, and never many together. In the spring, 

 by means of a good decoy-bird, a few may be taken on a decoy-bush. In 

 the autumn, by fastening snares or lime twigs to the stalks of lettuces, of 

 the seeds of which the linnets are very fond, several may be taken. Our 

 shepherds turn and support the cribs, used to feed the sheep from, in such 

 a manner, that the linnets, coming to gather the grains of salt, easily over- 

 turn them on themselves. The call of the linnet is " g acker." 



ATTRACTIVE QUALITIES. The agreeable, brilliant, and flute-like song of 

 the linnet, consists of several strains, succeeding each other very harmoni- 

 ously. Our amateurs consider its beauty to depend on there being often 

 mingled with it some acute and sonorous tones, that a little resemble the 

 crowing of a cock, and have made people say that this bird crows. Its 

 song is only interrupted during the year by moulting. A young one taken 

 from the nest, which may be easily brought up on a mixture of the wetted 

 crumb of white bread, soaked rape seed, and eggs boiled hard, not only 

 learns the songs of different birds that it hears in the room, such as nightin- 

 gales, larks, and chaffinches, but if kept by itself, airs and melodies that 

 are whistled to it, and will even learn to repeat some words. Of all house 

 birds, this, from the softness and flute-like sound of its voice, gives the airs 

 that it is taught in the neatest and most agreeable manner. It is also one 

 of those that pay best ; some here cost from three to five rix-dollars when 

 they can warble an air preceded and followed by a grand flourish as of 

 trumpets. The weavers and shoemakers often bring up many of these 



