226 THE ZOOLOGIST. 



situation, as shelter from draughts. (3) Or it may be that the 

 perch suits the feet. 



Birds are always bad-tempered when sleepy. Canary A 

 would peck and fly at us fiercely if disturbed, though directly 

 fully awake was as amiable as ever. Eedpoll C could even be 

 provoked into fighting if another bird invaded his sleeping-place. 

 This species very seldom sleep with the head under the wing as 

 almost all birds do ; it was only in the coldest weather that I 

 have seen them do this. 



Birds are very fond of a variety in their food, and it is by 

 keeping back some special seed — as hemp, or millet, or thistle — 

 and offering that as an inducement, that we have tamed 

 them. Eedpoll F was fond of hemp, but was at first too 

 wild to take it from our hands ; watching another bird being 

 fed, he would take it out of his mouth, or chase him and make 

 him drop it. 



Eedpoll A had a habit of taking two seeds off the finger, and 

 putting one down while he ate the other; both Bedpolls F and C 

 knew this, and often stole the hoarded morsel. 



Canary B, Bedpolls A, C, E, and the Goldfinch all had and 

 used little trays for seed, or to break hemp on. Canary B took 

 everything given her to her tray, as crumbs of cake or pieces of 

 apple or green food. 



The birds were let out of the cage and given some thistle- 

 seed the first thing in the morning, and they all went to different 

 places and waited their turns to be fed, and were accustomed to 

 a particular rotation. 



There was generally a fight for the bath, except on the part 

 of the " General," who almost invariably bathed last, and waited 

 for fresh water. Eedpoll F turned round three times in the bath 

 before throwing the water over him. We never found out the 

 reason of the action. 



The cage was a large one with several doors. Some of the 

 birds were very particular as to which door they came out of 

 and went in. Bedpolls E, F, G all used the top one to fly out, and 

 entered at the lower. The cleverer birds were not so particular ; 

 but Eedpoll C invariably flew on to my right shoulder and not 

 my left. It took some time before our pets got used to perching 

 on the finger ; they seemed to experience some shock on both 



