THE PHILOSOPHY OF BIRDS NESTS. 221 
song, but adhered stedfastly to that of the titlark.” 
He then goes on to say that birds taken from the nest 
at two or three weeks old have already learnt the call- 
note of their species. To prevent this the birds must 
be taken from the nest when a day or two old, and he 
gives an account of a goldfinch which he saw at 
Knighton in Radnorshire, and which sang exactly like 
a wren, without any portion of the proper note of its 
species. This bird had been taken from the nest at 
two or three days old, and had been hung at a window 
opposite a small garden, where it had undoubtedly 
acquired the notes of the wren without having any 
opportunity of learning even the call of the goldfinch. 
He also saw a linnet, which had been taken from 
the nest when only two or three days old, and which, 
not having any other sounds to imitate, had learnt 
almost to articulate, and could repeat the words 
“ Pretty Boy,” and some other short sentences. 
Another linnet was educated by himself under a 
vengolina (a small African finch, which he says sings 
better than any foreign bird but the American mock- 
ing bird), and it imitated its African master so exactly 
that it was impossible to distinguish the one from the 
other. 
Still more extraordinary was the case of a common 
house sparrow, which only chirps in a wild state, but 
which learnt the song of the linnet and goldfinch by 
being brought up near those birds. 
The Rev. W. H. Herbert made similar observations, 
and states that the young whinchat and wheatear, 
