98 THE FINCHES 



ance which is natural to him, he will hop (or several may thus hop) 

 about the hen, at whose hands or, rather, at whose beak, he often, for 

 his pains, receives the most cruel and, apparently, inappreciative treat- 

 ment ; for she will dart upon him and peck him, not merely for a peck 

 or two, but continuously and for minutes at a time so, at least, it 

 has seemed to me, whilst to the bird itself it may well have appeared 

 longer. Still he is able to recommend himself, and he does so by 

 methods essentially the same, if not so developed and elaborate, as 

 those which the goldfinch, the linnet, or the bullfinch employ. For 

 instance, he wears, and is justly proud of, a black cravat. It is his 

 one striking point, and he would be mad to neglect it. Nor does he, 

 but, standing before her, and throwing his head upwards, so that she 

 cannot escape it, he seems often, like Beau Brummel, whom at such 

 times he greatly resembles, to bid her " look and die ! " 



To some it may seem that, in our last-named example, the bull- 

 finch, that correspondence which has been postulated between the 

 degree of beauty and of vocal excellence is not quite so close ; that, 

 on the one hand, he is more showy than his song, whilst, on the other, 

 those sweet flute-notes, so soft, so low, and yet so woodland-wild, 

 issue from a form a little too full, too rounded too fat, if one 

 must say so for perfect poetic appropriateness. But, in the first 

 place, this has been so, and still is, with many of our most cele- 

 brated singers tenors especially so that, by mere association of 

 ideas, it should seem to us correct ; and then too, even if which I 

 deny the form jar slightly no, not that, it cannot do that ! but if 

 it seem, to some, not quite absolutely in consonance, is there not the 

 colour also to be considered ? and that -! There is something 

 so it seems to me in that exquisite, soft, blood-peach bloom of one 

 whole half of the bird, that exactly tallies with those soul-drawing 

 notes. These, by the way, are not the song, technically so-called, but 

 only the call or talking notes, those sweet and low so low that one 

 must be near to hear them "dee-ew, dee-ews," followed by their 

 still softer and lower "dee-it, dee-its"; but if a bird be musical, 



