[ 2 54 3 
I have educated nettling linnets under the three 
beft finging larks, the Jkylark , 'woodlark , and tit- 
lark, every one of which, inftead of the linnet’s 
fong, adhered entirely to that of their refpective in- 
ftru&ors. 
When the note of the titlark-linnet * was 
thoroughly fixed, 1 hung the bird in a room with 
two common linnets, for a quarter of a year, which 
were full in fong ; the titlark-linnet , however, did 
not borrow any palfages from the linnet’s fong, but 
adhered ttedfaftly to that of the titlark. 
I had fome curiofity to find out whether an 
European nefiling would equally learn the note of an 
African bird: I- therefore educated a young linnet 
under a vengoUna +, which imitated its African 
matter fo exadl'ly, without any mixture of the linnet 
fong, that it- was impottible to dittinguifh the one 
from the other. 
This vengolina -linnet w-as abfolutely pcrfedt, with- 
out ever uttering a fingle note by which it could 
have been known to be a linnet. In. fome of my 
other experiments, however, the nettling linnet re- 
tained the call of its. own fpecies, or what the bird- 
* I thus call a bird which lings notes he would not h&Ve 
learned in a wild Hate; thus by a Jkylark-linnet, I mean a linnet 
with the fkylark fong; a nightingale robin, , a robin, with the 
nightingale fong, &c. 
-J- This bird feems not to have been. deferibed by. any of the 
ornithcrlogifts ; itt is of the finch tribe, and about the fame fize 
with our aberdavine (or fifkin )» The colours are grey and 
white, and the cock hath a bright yellow fpot upon the rump. 
It is a very familiar bird, and lings better than any of thofe 
which are not European, except the American mocking bird. 
catchers 
