32 THE GOLDFINCH. 



too old. Their food should be composed 

 of white bread, soaked in water, and then 

 strained and boiled with a little milk, till it 

 be as thick as hasty pudding, adding to it 

 a little flour of canary seed : with this 

 paste they must be fed every two hours, or 

 oftener, from sun rising to sun setting, 

 giving them two or three small pieces, about 

 the size of a pea, at a time, and taking care 

 that their food be fresh every day. When 

 you have fed them about a month on this 

 kind of food, begin to give a little ca- 

 nary seed with it, increasing it by degrees, 

 till you have entirely weaned them from 

 the soft meat; they will also eat hemp 

 seed, though I never found it to agree so 

 well with them as the canary seed. 



The cock goldfinch, when brought up 

 from the nest, will couple with the heu 

 canary, producing mule birds, as has been 

 already mentioned. 



Goldfinches will readily take the song 

 of any bird that they are brought up under, 

 and may also be taught to speak, and to 

 whistle tunes. 



For the treatment of their disorders, 



