92 CANARIES AND CAGE-BIRDS. 



in which the red on the breast and forehead is replaced by a bright orange : this is 

 merely the effect of old age, or sickness during moulting. Such birds are often 

 the finest songsters ; but they are, as a rule, remarkably shy and wild, and usually 

 die of grief, from which it must be inferred that the birds are very old. As a 

 general rule, the older the bird, the redder the color on the head. 



Those birds which have been deprived of their liberty when young never acquire 

 the beautiful red color on the head and breast, but always resemble the one-year 

 old, or Gray Linnet. 



No variation of color is observed in the female Linnet ; she is somewhat smaller 

 than the male ; and the colors on the breast and back are of a much duller cast, and 

 more gray than brown. 



The Linnet, in a wild state, breeds twice a year ; the female laying each time 

 five or six eggs. The old birds feed the young from the crop, and, when the whole 

 brood is taken, will continue to do so in the cage. 



The devotion which the parent birds show their young long after they are able 

 to provide for themselves is remarkable, and it is related that a pair of these birds 

 continued the care of their captured nestlings for a long time while the cruel bars 

 of the cage separated them. 



The Linnet is chiefly prized on account of his beautiful song. In the interior of 

 England, where the perfect song of the trained Canary has not penetrated, the 

 Linnet is the highest prized of all song-birds : and singing-matches are regularly 

 held among various owners of the best song Linnets, one contesting bird only sing- 

 ing at a time ; the requirements of song generally being for variety and number of 

 notes, length of rolls or runs on the same notes, and length of time without breaks 

 within the time fixed upon, which is decided by appointed judges. 



The Linnet's song ranks very high. His tone is mellow, his notes very 

 sprightly, artfully varying into the plaintive strain, and returning again to the 

 sprightly, with the greatest address and most masterly execution. During the con- 

 tinuance of the song, certain clear or sonorous notes recur, which is called the 

 Linnet's crow ; and the song is esteemed in proportion to the frequency with which 

 these notes are sung. 



The Linnet's song greatly varies ; while in some cases the notes are sung 

 in a masterly manner, in others the song falls greatly below the most commonplace 

 song-bird. The difference is accounted for in the training: the Linnet is as 

 susceptible of a thorough training as the Canary ; and if taken from the nest when 

 young, and placed within hearing of a first-class songster of his own variety, he will 

 become one of the same kind. He will also copy the notes of the Nightingale, 

 Lark, or any other highly prized song-bird, with remarkable precision, and rivals 

 the trained Canary in that respect. It is also claimed, that Linnets have been 

 trained to pipe airs in the same manner as the trained Bullfinch. 



Another claim which the Linnet has, as a superior cage-bird, is the ease with 

 which he may be trained to perform numerous tricks at the word of command ; and 

 his intelligence in this respect ranks as high as that of the Goldfinch or Siskin. 

 If his plumage were as beautiful as that of the Goldfinch, he would fairly outrank 

 that little favorite in popular estimation. 



The Linnet's many attractive qualities are not so well known to the bird-fanciers 



