20 
buds of various trees ; the birds of this genus render 
us much service in devouring those insects, that 
would, otherwise, destroy a great part of the fruit. 
The Lesser Pettichaps is readily taken in a trap, 
in the same manner as the last species, with which 
they are often in company in the Summer. They 
soon get familiar in confinement ; when first caught, 
they should, if possible, be put with other birds ; and 
they will readily take to feed on bruised hemp-seed 
and bread, and on bread and milk, which must, at 
first, be stuck full of small insects, or a quantity of 
Aphides may be shook off a branch upon it ; when 
they have once tasted it, they will be very fond of 
it. One that I caught, took to eat it directly, and be- 
came so familiar, that, in three or four days, it would 
take a fly out of the hand ; it also learnt to drink 
milk out of a tea-spoon, of which it was so fond, 
that it would fly after it all round the room, and 
perch on the hand that held it, without showing the 
least symptoms of fear ; it would also fly up to the 
ceiling, and bring down a fly in its mouth every 
time ; at last, it got so very tame, that it would sit 
on my knee by the fire, and sleep ; and when the 
windows were open, it would never attempt, nor 
seemed to have the least inclination to fly out ; so 
that I at last ventured to entice it out in the gar- 
den, to see whether it would return ; I with diffi- 
culty enticed it out at the door with a spoon of 
milk ; it returned twice to the room ; the third time, 
it ventured into a little tree ; it then fled and perched 
on my hand, and drank milk out of the spoon ; from 
thence it flew to the ground on some damp chick- 
weed, in which it washed itself, and got into a holly- 
bush to dry ; after getting among the leaves, I could 
see no more of it, but heard it call several times. I 
suppose, after it got quite dry, that it left the coun- 
try directly, as I could never see or hear it after- 
wards ; and it was then the end of November, when 
all the others had left for some time. 
