6 
A LINNET FOR SIXPENCE. 
country bird do? No, it was better to keep him a day 
longer,andthen take him out(to Richmond Parkorsomesuch 
open place) and release him where he would be able to find 
food and water, and recover his strength. Meanwhile, to 
save him from possible accident it was necessary to place 
him in confinement, and as there was no cage in the house 
I got an old wire screen which, set on a big tea-tray, made 
an airy commodious house for him. I put in a fern in a 
pot, the rim of which he subsequently used as a perch, 
and supplied him with food and water and left him by 
the open window. He was not wholly miserable there; 
on each of my numerous visits during that day and on 
the following day his terror appeared to diminish, and 
on my drawing back a little he would pick up the crumbs 
and other food I brought him, and he also appeared greatly 
interested in watching the sparrows that came for bread 
to the window ledge outside. I concluded that this linnet 
was one of the few that escape death during the first few 
days of captivity, and it seemed best not to set him free near 
London as I had resolved to do, but to keep him a couple 
of days longer, and take him to Worthing where I had 
arranged to spend the week end. There, close by, were 
the South Downs, which were perhaps his own home, and 
in any case it was the most suitable spot in which to 
restore him to freedom in the pure open world. 
Having settled it in that way, I paid him my good¬ 
night visit about eleven o’clock and found him at rest on 
