50 BIRDS OF THE BRITISH EMPIRE. 



which it would require a whole army of bullfinches to 

 knock off, and that the trees would have received no 

 harm. 



A bullfinch, from observations made, will eat about 120 

 buds a day, that is, 43,800 in twelve months, and if that 

 number is nudtiplied by 100 bullfinches (scarcely so many 

 exist in a county), we arrive at a total of 4,380,0()0 buds, an 

 insignificant number compared wnth that of the buds de- 

 liberatel^' destroyed by the horticulturist himself for the 

 benefit of his trees. 



If the birds were left alone, he would be spared the 

 labour of pruning, and have far healthier trees, for the 

 proper way to prune a tree is to rub off superfiuous buds, 

 not to lop ort' an entire bough, a most mistaken policy, 

 w Inch Nature resents by growing three or four branches 

 from the stop, and so weakening the tree to a correspond- 

 ing extent; but she takes no notice of the removal of buds, if, 

 indeed, she docs not actually approve of it by producing a 

 finer crop of fruit on every branch or tree thus treated. 



Moral. — Do not shoot the bullfinches, for they do good, 

 not harm, and a discharge of lead among the brandies does 

 a great deal of mischief. 



If the bullfinches, from one cause or another, should be- 

 come too numerous (which is extremely unlikely), their 

 numbers can be easily kept within due bounds by taking 

 and hand-iearing the young, which, when well trained to 

 pipe a tune, .sell for various sums from 10s. to £20 each. 



The nest of the bullfinch is usually built of roots, and is 

 lined with hair. There are two broods in the season, the 

 young of the first being mostlj' males, and those of the 

 second mostlv females ; but the latter sinof almost as well 

 as their brothers, if they do n^t fetch c)uite so much 

 money. 



The young are easily reared on bread and milk, and 



