66 



BRITISH BIRDS 



The children take after her, but the young males, even 

 in the nest, have a ruddy tinge upon the breast, and a 

 deeper and more velvety shade of black upon the head. 

 The natural note of the Bullfinch is not much to boast 

 about, for it is almost as harsh and unmusical as that of 

 the Greenfinch, while his call is long-drawn-out and most 

 melancholy, if unmelodious; but he has the most wonderful 

 imitative faculty and will acquire and pipe an air or the 

 song of another bird, improving upon his original until 

 every ear that hears him is ravished by the harmony he 



pours forth in such 

 delicious floods from 

 his tiny throat, and 

 when it is added that he 

 can imitate the sound of 

 human speech, enough 

 will surely have been 

 said to endear him to 

 every one. 



Strange to say, and 

 sad too, the Bullfinch 

 has his enemies ; not 

 cats. Hawks and Owls 

 only — that is no more 

 than is to be expected 

 and was arranged for 

 by the Great Father 

 The Bullfinch. to keep his numbers 



within bounds — but 

 rational human beings, or at least beings supposed to be 

 superior to prejudice and malice; yet the amount of the 

 latter that we have seen infused into the heel of a farmer 

 who had just shot one of these charming birds as he 

 trampled the yet palpitating carcase under foot, could 

 scarcely have been surpassed had the poor little bird been 

 the arch enemy of mankind himself. 

 "Why this rancour, friend.''"' we asked. 

 *' Why ! " was the reply, " the vermin !" — (fancy calling a 

 rosy-breasted Bullfinch vermin!) — "Look at the buds he 

 eats, curse him ! " and a":ain the heavv iron-shod heel was 



