670 A P P E N D I X. 



and educated him under a linnet : the bird, how- 

 ever, by accident, heard a goldfinch alfo, and his 

 fong was, therefore, a mixture of the linnet and 

 goldfinch. 



I have tried feveral experiments, in order to ob- 

 ferve, from what circumftances birds fix upon any 

 particular note when taken from the parents ; but 

 cannot fettle this with any fort of precifion, any 

 more than at what period of their recording they 

 determine upon the fong to which they will adhere. 



I educated a young robin under a very fine night- 

 ingale ; which, however, began already to be out 

 of fong, and was perfectly mute in lefs than a fort- 

 night. 



This robin afterwards fung three parts in four 

 nightingale ; and the reft of his fong was what the 

 bird-catchers call rubbijh, or no particular note 

 whatsoever. 



I hung this robin nearer to the nightingale than 

 to any other bird ; from which firft experiment I 

 conceived, that the fcholar would imitate the ma- 

 iler which was at the lead diftance from him. 



From feveral other experiments, however, which 

 I have fince tried, I find it to be very uncertain 

 what notes the neftlings will mod attend to, and 

 often their fong is a mixture •, as in the inftance 

 which I before dated of the fparrow. 



I muft own alfo, that I conceived, from the ex- 

 periment of educating the robin under a nightin- 

 gale, that the fcholar would fix upon the note 



which 



