ix LETTERS TO MARCO 53 



favour me with his tricks, so that whenever 

 I wanted to show him off I had to send for 

 my housekeeper's little girl Rhoda, in whose 

 dark eyes the bullfinch delighted. We have 

 visits from these birds occasionally in autumn 

 and winter, and it is easy to recognise their 

 rather melancholy pipe or toot, but they 

 never build with us. 



When I had a cottage at Henley I saw 

 them at all times in the little garden ; no 

 doubt they came across from the thick plant- 

 ations of Park Place. Holly-berries appeared 

 to be much esteemed by them. My friend 

 Miss Stapleton, who lived next door, encour- 

 aged them, and I do not think her garden 

 suffered in consequence, as she always had 

 very abundant crops of everything. Our 

 friend Wells, who lives at Holmbury in 

 Surrey, complains bitterly of the devastations 

 of the bullfinch, and he has them shot ; he 

 told me he found their crops filled with buds. 

 His place, as you know, is surrounded by 

 woods and thick cover, and no doubt the 



