298 OUE NATIVE SONGSTERS. 



some of its gay tints, yet the common linnet is in 

 as great request, as a cage bird, as the gayer gold- 

 finch, or beautiful bullfinch; and many birdcatchers 

 are engaged in taking the linnets. This is a sweet 

 and gentle bird, of a very loving character, and 

 perfectly distinguishing from all others the person 

 who tends it. It will perch on the finger and 

 caress it, and even seem by its looks to express 

 affection. Like many of our small singing birds, 

 it can well imitate the strains of others, and can 

 even sing a song so like tliat of the nightingale, 

 that many would believe it to be sung by the bird 

 of night itself. In doing this, our linnet quite 

 loses its own natural song, thus evincing an ex- 

 cellent memory, since those only in whom this 

 faculty is retentive, will entirely abandon their 

 own natui'al song for that of another bii'd. The 

 Hon. Daines Barrington, who has recorded many 

 experiments which he made with singing birds, 

 mentions a linnet which was taken from the nest 

 when only two or three days old, which even 

 learned to talk. " It belonged," he says, " to Mr. 

 Matthews, an apothecary at Kensington, and from 

 a want of other sounds to imitate, almost articulated 

 the words 'pretty boy,' as well as some other short 



