182 TREATISE ON 



and contented ; and its actions are sprightly, spor- 

 tive, and gi-aceful. The plumage of the goldfinch 

 is rich and varied, and, what is singular, its song 

 is sweet and cheerful ; — ^we say singular, for, where 

 Nature has given richness and brilliancy of plu- 

 mage, she seems almost invariably to have denied 

 sweetness of song. The goldfinch is easily tamed 

 and easily taught, and its capability of learning 

 the notes of other birds is well known ; but the 

 tricks it may be taught to perform are truly asto- 

 nishing. A few years ago, the Siem* Roman ex- 

 hibited his bii'ds, which were goldfinches, linnets, 

 and canaries : " One appeared dead, and was held 

 up by the tail or claw without exhibiting any signs 

 of life ; a second stood on its head with its claws 

 in the air ; a thii'd imitated a Dutch milk-maid 

 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 mount- 

 ed guard as a sentinel ; and the sixth acted as a 

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

 shoulder, and a match in its claw, and discharged 

 a small cannon. The same bii'd also acted as 

 if it had been wounded. — It was wheeled in a bar- 

 row, to convey it as it were to the hospital ; after 

 which, it flew away before the company: the 



