, r 

 ON THE SINGING OF BIRDS. 533 



linnet's song, but adhered stedfastly to that of 

 the titlark. 



I had some curiosity to find out whether an 

 European nestling would equally learn the note 

 of an African bird : I therefore educated a 

 young linnet under a xiengolina* which imitated 

 its African master so exactly, without any mix- 

 ture of the linnet song, that it was impossible to 

 distinguish the one from the other. 



This "oengolina-linnet was absolutely perfect, 

 without ever uttering a single note by which it 

 could have been known to be a linnet. In some ' 



of my other experiments, however, the nestling 

 linnet retained the call of its own species, or 

 what the bird-catchers term the linnet's chuckle^ 

 from some resemblance to that word when pro- 

 nounced. 



I have before stated, that all my nestling lin- 

 nets were three weeks old, when taken from the 

 nest; and by that time they frequently learn . 



their ow7i call from the parent birds, which I 



* This bird seems not to have been described by any of the 

 ornithologists J it is of the finch tribe, and about the same size 

 with our aberdavine (or siskin). The colors are grey and white, 

 and the coclc hath a bright yellow spot upon the rump. It is 

 a very familiar bird, and sings better than any of those which 

 are not 'European, except the American mocking bird. An in- 

 stance hath lately happened, in an aviary at Hampsleady of a 

 ee72^o/i«a's breeding with a CaKffr^ bird. \ ' ~ 



