THE BULLFINCH. 185 



agreeable, resembling the creaking of a door or wheel-bar- 

 row, they may be trained, as in Hesse, Fulda, England, and 

 Holland, to whistle many airs and songs in a soft, pure, flute- 

 like tone, which is highly prized by amateurs. The bird is 

 generally capable of retaining in its memory three different 

 tunes. It is found that they are best instructed by means of 

 a flute, or by the whistling of the teacher. They are usually 

 very tame, sing at command, make many very elegant ges- 

 tures, moving now the body, and now the tail, to the right 

 and left, and spreading out the latter like a fan. To obtain 

 the perfection of whistling, a bird should only be taught one 

 air, together with the usual short flourish or prelude. The 

 Bullfinch will also imitate the song of other birds, though the 

 amateur generally endeavours to prevent its having the oppor- 

 tunity of so doing. 



The education of the Bullfinch affords another proof that 

 animals are endowed with various measures of capability ; one 

 bird learns soon and easily, another with great difficulty ; one 

 acquires several tunes in succession, another occupies nine 

 months in learning one. It has been remarked, however, that 

 the slow learners do not, in the moulting season, so quickly 

 lose what they have acquired. 



Bullfinches which have been caught when old, are prized 

 not only for their beauty, but for their extraordinary tameness. 

 Like the Siskin and Kedpole, they perch upon and eat from 

 their owner's hand, will take saliva from his mouth, and allow 

 themselves to be handled as if they had never knowq. liberty. 

 The usual mode of effecting this is as follows: A fresh- 

 caught Bullfinch is allowed to feed himself in his cage for one 

 day, as experience shows that these birds are willing to eat as 

 soon as ever they are freed from the limed twigs. A band is 

 then prepared, such as fowlers put round the wings of a decoy 

 bird, with which, and a thread one foot in length, the Bull- 

 finch is so fastened, that he can neither fall down, nor beat 

 himself to death. His food is then put into a little bag, to 

 which is attached a small bell, and his water poured into a 

 similar vessel. At first, when these are offered him, the 

 chained bird will neither eat nor drink. It is then as well to 

 leave the vessels with him for a day or two, and allow him to 

 help himself, yet approaching whenever he is seen to eat. On 

 the third day he will be seen to spring to his food whenever 



