THE GOLDFINCH. 
“ In the spring of 1827,” says Bishop Stanley, “ a goldfinch 
had been lost from a cage that had been left hanging up, and the 
door open, in the passage-entrance to a back court of a house 
in a country town in the west of England, when a gol dfin ch 
was found one morning feeding in it, and the door was closed 
upon the prisoner ; but as it appeared to be a female, it was 
shortly after let out again. In the course, however, of about 
two hours, it returned and re-entered the cage, when it was 
again shut in, and once more, after a short time, released ; and 
these visits were continued daily for a considerable time. She 
was then missing for a few days, but returned again, accom- 
panied by a male bird, when she entered the cage, and fed as 
usual, leaving her companion, who appeared rather more shy, 
sitting on the outside wires of the cage, from whence he shortly 
flew to a neighbouring tree till she rejoined him. They then 
went away, and were absent so long that nobody thought any- 
thing more about them ; at the end of seven or eight weeks, 
however, she again made her appearance, accompanied, not only 
by her former companion, but by four full-grown young ones, 
when she entered the cage, and fed as usual ; but as she could 
not persuade her brood to follow her example, she finally went 
off, and from that time was never seen again.” 
The same authority relates a story of a gentleman who had 
a goldfinch which was chained to a perch instead of being 
confined in a cage. Its food was put in a box resembling a 
water-fountain used for cages, and the little opening at which 
the bird was fed had a cover, loaded with lead to make it fall 
down. The bird raised this by pushing down a lever or handle 
with its bill, which raised the lid of the box ; after which, by 
putting its foot on the lever, it could feed at leisure. He had 
also a redpole chained on a nearly similar perch ; this bird fed 
from an open box, without the trouble of having recourse to 
the lifting power, like his neighbour, the goldfinch. But though 
the redpole could have known nothing of the use of the handle 
from his own experience, as his food was to be got at without 
such trouble, yet it seems he must have taken notice of it, and 
seen that, by touching this handle, he could get at the gold- 
finch’s food, were it within reach ; and this he kept in mind for 
the day of need; for one morning, when loose, and his own 
seed-box empty, he flew at once to the perch of his friend, 
raised the lid of the seed-box with his bill, and then, laying 
hold of it with one foot, kept it open till he had made a good 
breakfast. 
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