THE LANGUAGE OF BIRDS. 
269 
bers of people visited it from motives of curiosity ; 
and I took every precaution to preserve it, if pos- 
sible, through the winter. Unfortunately, however, 
by some means it got at large, and, flying about the 
room, so injured itself, that it soon after died. 
" This little bird is extremely susceptible of cold, 
and, if long deprived of the animating influence of 
the sun-beams, droops, and soon dies. A very 
beautiful male bird w^as brought me this season 
(1809), which I put into a wire cage, and placed in 
a retired shaded part of the room. After fluttering 
about for some time, the weather being uncommonly 
cool, it clung by the wires, and hung in a seemingly 
torpid state for a whole forenoon. No motion what- 
ever of the lungs could be perceived on the closest 
inspection, though at other times this is remarkably 
observable ; the eyes were shut, and when touched 
by the finger, it gave no signs of life or motion. I 
carried it out to the open air, and placed it directly 
in the rays of the sun, in a sheltered situation. In 
a few seconds, respiration became very apparent, 
the bird breathed faster and faster, opened its eyes, 
and began to look about, with as much seeming vi- 
vacity as ever. After it had completely recovered ^ 
A A 2 
