TIIE NATURAL HISTORY 
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la confinement when young, they are fed with 
a compofition of fheep’s heart, crumb of bread, 
hempfeed, and parfley, perfectly mixed together, 
and chopped very fmall ; it mult be made frelh 
every day ; afterwards egg boiled hard, and mixed 
with crumb of bread, and parfiey, the whole 
minced fmall. 
Another compofition which fhould be their ge¬ 
neral food, when they are full grown, is made cf 
two pounds of lean beef, half a pound of grey 
peas, half a pound of yellow or purled millet,, 
feme white poppy feed, and fvveet almonds; a 
pound of honey, two ounces of flower, twelve 
yolks of eggs, two or three ounces of butter, and 
a dram and a half of faffron, the whole dried by 
a fire, reduced into a fine powder, and palled 
through a fieve ; this will keep a long time. 
With, thefe compofitions, a Nightingale has 
been kept feventeen yearsdn a cage ; at feven years 
of age he began to grow, grey, at fifteen, his wing, 
and tail feathers were white ; his knees were much 
enlarged ; he had knots on his toes like gouty 
perfons, and it was necefl'ary occafionally to fiia 
the point of his upper mandible ; but he feemed, 
to feel no other inconveniences from old age; he 
was always cheerful, and carefling. 
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