I04 The Bull-finch. 



or feeder goes his regular rounds, scolding or rewarding the 

 little feathered scholars by signs and modes of making them 

 understand, till they have learned their lessons so perfectly, 

 and the tune is so impressed on their memories, that they will 

 pipe it to the end of their days ; and let us hope, as I believe 

 is the fact, that they find in it a never-ending delight. 



" Just as in human schools and colleges, it is only the few 

 out of the great number who take the highest honours or de- 

 grees, or become senior wranglers, so it is not above five birds 

 in every hundred who can attain to the highest perfection in 

 their art ! but all such are valued at a very high price." 



It is allowable to hope that the poor bull-finch, which has 

 thus industriously applied himself to learn, and has thus be- 

 come artificially gifted with the power of pleasing, takes great 

 satisfaction in his accomplishment. Perhaps also the associa- 

 tion with his human teacher calls forth his affection as well as 

 his power of song, for it is a fact that the piping bull-finch is, 

 of all birds, given to attach itself to some one individual of the 

 family where it is kept, expressing, at their approach, the most 

 vehement delight, greeting them with its piping melody, hop- 

 ping towards them, and practising all its little winning ways 

 to show its love, and to court a return of caresses. 



" An interesting story," says the bishop, " was told by Sir 

 William Parsons, who was himself a great musician, and who, 

 when a young man, possessed a piping bull-finch, which he had 

 taught to sing, ' God save the king.' On his once going 

 abroad, he gave his favourite In charge to his sister, with a 

 strict injunction to take the greatest care of it. On his return, 

 one of his first visits was to her, when she told him that the 



