The Scottish Naturalist. 247 



67. LiGURiNUS CHLORis, Koch. (Greenfinch.) 



This is another of our hardy birds, braving the severest win- 

 ters ; and it is numerous throughout the whole district, more espe- 

 cially in places where shrubberies and evergreens abound, to 

 which they are very partial for roosting purposes, where they 

 may be seen trooping in from every part of the neighbourhood 

 shortly before sunset. Resting first on some bare tree-top, they 

 suddenly dart down into the dense bushes, coming night after 

 night to the same spot. 



CoccoTHRAUSTES VULGARIS, Flcm. (Hawfinch.) 



Two of these birds were shot near Murray's Asylum, Perth, in 

 the severe winter of 1860-61, and came into the possession of 

 Dr M'Intosh, who kindly presented one of them to the Perth- 

 shire Society of Natural Science. I have not been able to 

 ascertain whether the Hawfinch has ever been, before or since, 

 noticed in the district, or in any part of Perthshire or adjoining 

 counties, comprising the basin of the Tay. Being more a denizen 

 of the south of England than of Scotland, these birds may 

 possibly have been foreigners driven over by the severity of that 

 winter. 



68. Pyrrhula vulgaris, Temminck. (Bullfinch.) 



The Bullfinch, though formerly pretty generally distributed 

 throughout, has of late years become much scarcer in the lower 

 parts than formerly. In the Carse of Gowrie and on the Braes, it 

 used to be pretty numerous : few now are ever seen, and in this 

 particular neighbourhood (the west end of the Carse), where they 

 used to be common, breeding every year, they are now nearly 

 extinct, partly owing to the Perth bird-catchers, and partly owing 

 to the raids made against them in every direction by gardeners 

 and others, supposing them to do much injury to the fruit-buds. 

 Against this theory I may repeat what I stated to Mr Horn, and 

 which he has transcribed in the paper before mentioned : " In its 

 defence, however, I may say that I have known an apple-tree, in 

 the neighbourhood of Pitlochrie, under which the whole ground 

 was positively strewed with buds; and yet, when the autumn came 

 round, this very tree, which in spring had all the appearance of 

 having been destroyed by Bullfinches, bore a heavier and finer 

 crop than any other tree in the garden. This may have been 

 from the fact of being partially disbudded, or the buds that were 



