ORDER PASSERES. ^55 



the goldfinches are intended to be coupled with canaries. 

 With this diet these birds enjoy better health, and live 

 longer. 



Olina tells us, that the young goldfinches which are 

 placed near linnets and canaries, will appropriate their notes. 

 Others say, that they show a greater disposition to copy 

 those of the wren. 



Some fowlers pretend, that among the goldfinches taken in 

 nets, the best are those which have the six intermediate quills 

 of the tail terminated with white. Some of them have eight 

 quills, so terminated, and some four. These last, say the 

 fowlers, sing badly ; but all these distinctions are without 

 foundation, and only turn to the account of the dealers in 

 birds, because they sell the first at double the price of the 

 others. But they also take care to mention that these spots 

 vary in the same individual during the summer, so that 

 one of one kind may be easily transformed into another. 

 On the wild birds all these spots disappear, in a great mea- 

 sure, from the month of June to September ; then all the 

 quills, with the exception of the lateral ones, are black. It 

 is the same with the spots which are on the quills of the wings : 

 often in September, no further trace of them appears ; but 

 they come again with the new feathers. This progressive 

 change does not take place so completely with birds educated 

 in the cage ; there always remain some white spots on the 

 quills of the wings and tail. 



The goldfinch is very easily reconciled to captivity, and 

 even becomes quite familiar. From its activity and docility it 

 may be taught a wonderful degree of precision in its move- 

 ments ; it will counterfeit death, and perform a great variety 

 of other movements with the greatest dexterity ; it can 

 be taught to fire a cracker, and draw up small cups, contain- 

 ing its food and drink. 



The mode in which it is made to perform the last operation 



