48 
THE LANGUAGE OF BIRDS. 
bird,) I beg leave to introduce him first, and to 
solicit for him a favourable reception. He ^is uni- 
versally esteemed for the melody of his song, the 
beauty of his plumage, and for his being easily 
tamed ; he is of a mild and social nature, and 
capable of learning numerous amusing tricks. A 
friend of mine has one of those beautiful little song- 
sters, which turns a wooden key in a box that con- 
tains his seeds, lifts up the lid to feed, and, after 
having satisfied himself, shuts down the lid again, 
and turns the key. I remember, several years ago, 
seeing some goldfinches that were exhibited for their 
wonderful performances ; one of them would lay in 
any person's hand, without motion, apparently quite 
dead, allowing itself to be held up by the wing or 
leg without shewing any signs of life. Another 
perfbrmed the part of a cannonier, and, with a match 
in its claw, discharged a small cannon, while another 
fell down, as if wounded, and was carried away by 
the assistance of others. To many persons, the won- 
derful performances of these little creatures afford 
much amusement ; but, for my own part, I cannot 
derive any pleasure from such unnatural exploits ; 
it never was designed by the Almighty that those 
