FOR CAGES AND A VI ARIES. 69 



two of dry roots to make their nest with. Mules with 

 the Goldfinch are pretty common, and are the progeny 

 of a male of the latter and a female Bullfinch; a cross 

 with the Canary and other Finches is also to be had occa- 

 sionally, but in any case the eggs are incubated and the 

 young reared by Canaries. 



There is a large variety, it can scarcely be called a 

 species, of the Bullfinch that is pretty frequently imported, 

 and is known by the names of Russian, or Siberian Bullfinch. 

 It is not, of course, a British bird, because it is not found 

 wild in this country, and should not, by right, be mentioned 

 here, but seeing the numbers that are brought over and 

 how many people there are who do not know the difference 

 between it and our English birds, it may just be mentioned 

 that it is almost as large again as the latter, and its 

 colours are, as a rule, much more brilliant. It should be 

 fed and treated in every respect like our own Bullfinch, 

 but is even more impatient of artificial heat, which soon 

 weakens and quickly kills it; it should therefore never 

 be kept in a room with a fire, but at the same time it 

 cannot stand a draught any better than any other bird. 

 These large Bullfinches, as a rule, are not such clever 

 performers as the ordinary sort. 



The Chaffinch. 



This not being a true Finch, is dealt with under its 

 own heading. 



The Citril Finch. See Serin Finch. 



The Goldfinch. 



This Finch runs the Chaffinch very closely for the award 

 for personal beauty and general attractiveness, and were 

 the prize given for song alone would carry it off, without 

 doubt or fear of rivalry. It is a thousand pities that the 

 Goldfinch should be getting so scarce, but it is in great 

 request for the cage, and trappers follow it in season and 

 out of season, with the inevitable result that in many 



