THE RING SPARROW. 153 



caught some at my window in a cage strewed with hemp and poppy-seed, 

 by letting the door falUby means of a- string, when the birds had entered, 

 one of the decoy birds in my room serving to attract them. "When the 

 place where they drink at noon is discovered amongst the alders, numbers 

 may be caught by merely laying across the stream some branches covered 

 with bird-lime. 



ATTRACTIVE QUALITIES. Their plumage and song are both attractive, 

 though with the latter several tones are mingled, that somewhat resemble 

 the noise made by a stocking-loom. This makes them great favourites 

 with stocking-weavers. They imitate tolerably the song of other birds, 

 such as that of the tit, the chaffinch, and the lark ; but they cannot give a 

 musical air. Their carolling is only interrupted during moulting, and very 

 much tends to excite their companions to warble in their turn. The loss 

 of their liberty affects them so little, that they will eat as soon as let out of 

 the hand, after being caught, and on the second day will allow any one to 

 approach their cage without alarm. They are soon taught to draw up little 

 buckets, and many other little manoeuvres that they execute gaily ; there is 

 no difficulty in accustoming them to go and return if the winter is chosen ; 

 the cage should be kept open at the window, and hemp and poppy-seed 

 scattered at the entrance ; they will return there in general, and bring 

 several companions with them. This plan will not succeed so well in 

 March, September, and October, the time when these birds roam through 

 the country in search of food, though I have seen some tamed in this 

 manner return after a long absence. 



THE RING SPARROW. 



Fringilla petronia, LINNAEUS ; La Soulci, BUFFON ; Der Graufink, BECHSTEJN. 



INDEPENDENTLY of the beak, this bird may be taken for a 

 female yellowhammer, as it resembles it so much in its shape 

 and plumage. Its length is five inches three-quarters, of 

 which the tail measures two. The beak, five lines long, is 

 thick at the base, grey brown above, and white below. The 

 feet, ten lines high, are grey brown ; the whole head is of a 

 reddish ash-colour, but a dirty white ring surrounds it from one 

 eye to the other. 



The female is greyer on the upper part of the body, and the 

 front of the neck is only pale yellow. 



OBSERVATIONS. Ring sparrows are found in most European forests, or 

 woods ; they are common enough in several parts of Germany *, those that 

 inhabit the northern parts removing in winter ; but the others are stationary. 



* They are not natives of Britain. TRANSLATOR. 



