210 TREATISE ON 



several curious tricks. Wlien its mistress is at 

 work, it flies away with her needle ; or, if she is 

 writing, it tries to carry off her quill. Sometimes 

 the lady puts a seed or two into a small ivory box, 

 and laying the top lightly on, the bullfinch darts 

 towards it, and dexterously turning the lid upside 

 down on the table, hovers over the open box, from 

 which he picks out the seed, and flies off without 

 alighting. 



Another bullfinch (we know not if still in ex- 

 istence,) was purchased some years ago by a lady 

 from a French prisoner. The poor exile had 

 painted the cage of his little captive like a prison, 

 and the bird drew up two little buckets suspended 

 by a gilt-chain, one containing seed, and the other 

 water. This bullfinch was extremely tame, and, 

 though bred in the woods of Greenlaw, (near Edin- 

 burgh,) it whistled a variety of troubadour songs. 



Bullfinches are affectionate, and get much attach* | 

 ed to those who feed them ; also to persons they are 

 accustomed to see, if they pay them any attention. 

 We had one which we kept dm-ing five or six 

 years. It was mild, gentle, and quiet. A strong 

 attachment took place between it and a green 

 linnet, and this mutual friendship was only broken 

 by death. In a wild state, they frequent woods 



