ORDER PASSERES. 257 



country the wonderful performances of his birds. These 

 were goldfinches, linnets, and canary birds. One appeared 

 dead, and was held up by the tail, or claw, without exhibit- 

 ing any signs of life. A second stood on its head, with its 

 claws in the air. A third imitated a Dutch milkmaid going 

 to market, with pails on its shoulders. A fourth mimicked a 

 Venetian girl, looking out at a window. A fifth appeared 

 as a soldier, and mounted guard as a sentinel. The sixth 

 was a cannoneer, with a cap on its head, a firelock on its 

 shoulder, and a firelock in its claw, and discharged a small 

 cannon. The same bird also acted as if it had been wounded ; 

 it was wheeled in a little barrow, to convey it (as it were) to 

 the hospital, after which it flew away, before the company. 

 The seventh turned a kind of windmill ; and the last bird 

 stood in the midst of some fire-works, which were discharged 

 all round it, and this without exhibiting the least sign of 

 fear."* 



The goldfinch, naturally active and laborious, is fond of 

 occupation in its prison, and if it has not some poppy-heads, 

 hemp-stalks, and those of lettuce, to pick, for the purpose of 

 keeping it in action, it will remove every thing that it finds. 

 A single goldfinch, in an aviary where canaries are hatching, 

 if he be without a female, is sufficient to make all the broods 

 fail ; he will fight with the males, disturb the females, 

 destroy the nests, and break the eggs. These birds, how- 

 ever, though so lively and petulant, live in peace with each 

 other, excepting a few quarrels about the perch and their 

 food ; all of them try to get possession of the highest perch 

 in the aviary, for the purpose of sleeping, and the first who 

 obtains it will not suffer the others to approach. It is neces- 

 sary to place all the perches at a similar height, to isolate 

 each from the other, and make every one only of length 

 sufficient for a single bird. 



* Bigland's Animal Biography. 

 VOL. VII. S 



