12 
INTRODUCTION. 
and to wash in, taking care to have the floor 
pretty thickly sprinkled with coarse sand. 
Thus completed, my little warblers were set 
at liberty. At first, they seemed very wild, 
flying about in great confusion ; but, by de- 
grees, they appeared as if reconnoitring the 
place. Their cages I had hung up round the 
room, well stored with the various seeds for 
each, and I was much amused by observing, 
that every bird knew his own cage, and when 
hungry always flew to it to feed ; they also 
mostly roosted in them ; and, if I might judge 
from appearances, they seemed perfectly 
happy. One linnet alone refused to quit his 
little prison ; he was a bird of two years old, 
and had for a companion a female canary ; 
he was very lively, sung exquisitely, but 
would not leave his cage, and seemed very 
jealous when any other birds were noticed by 
me, and if they came near him he would 
peck at them, and even exhibited a degree of 
