8 Popular SBicttonari? of gfotmatrlr $aturc. 87 



in several countries of Europe before that 

 time. Its blood-sucking properties, and the 

 offensive smell it emits when touched, are 

 too well known to require comment. The 

 female Bug deposits her eggs in the beginning 

 of summer; they are very small, white, and of 

 an oval shape ; each is fixed to a small hair- 

 like stalk, which is glutinous, and readily 

 adheres to any thing it touches. The places 

 in which the eggs are generally deposited 

 are the crevices of bedsteads or other furni- 

 ture, or the walls of a room. During the 

 winter months these odious insects secrete 

 themselves behind walls, old wainscoting, or 

 any neglected places, where they are capa- 

 ble of bearing the most intense frost without 

 injury, and on the return of warm weather 

 again emerge from their concealment. A 

 Bug always avoids the light, if possible ; and 

 takes advantage of every chink and cranny 

 to make a secure lodgment ; its motion is 

 slow and unwieldy ; but its sight is so ex- 

 quisite, that although it persecutes its victim 

 with unceasing assiduity in the dark, the 

 moment it perceives the light, it generally 

 makes good its retreat. The Rev. Leonard 

 Jenyns has described two or three other spe- 

 cies found in this country. [See CIMBX.] 



BULIMUS. The name of a very exten- 

 sive genus of terrestrial molluscs, very much 

 resembling the Helix. Some attain to great 

 size. [See HELIX.] 



BULL-DOG. {Canis [damesticus] moJos- 

 su8\ A variety of the Dog, remarkable for its 

 short, broad muzzle, and the projection of 

 its lower jaw. The head is massive and 

 large, and the frontal sinuses large ; the lips 

 are thick and pendulous ; the ears pendant 

 at the extremity ; the neck robust and short ; 

 and the legs short and thick. Though inof- 

 fensive and harmless when properly domesti- 

 cated, the Bull-dog presents to the eye a 

 most terrific appearance : the doubtful and 

 designing leer, the tiger-like shortness of the 

 head, the under-hung jaw, the width of the 

 skull, the distension of the nostrils, and the 

 almost constant sight of the teeth, hold forth 

 a very formidable proof of the power he can 

 exert, when that power is angrily brought 

 into action. The breed is by no means so 

 numerous as formerly, inconsequence of the 

 abolition of the barbarous sport of bull-bait- 

 ing ; the butchers, however, use Bull-dogs 

 in catching and throwing down cattle ; and 

 it is surprising to see the apparent ease with 

 which the dog will seize an ox by the nose, 

 and hold him perfectly still, or throw him on 

 his side, at his master's command. They be- 

 come very vicious, and sometimes extremely 

 dangerous, as they advance In years, inflict- 

 ing dreadful bites for the slightest provoca- 

 tion; in their unrestrained state, indeed, they 

 are a real nuisance, and therefore ought 

 never to be allowed their full liberty. [See 

 Doo.] 



BULLA. A genus of Molluscous animals 

 with univalve shells ; whose general charac- 

 ters are, that the shell is sub-oval, that the 

 aperture is oblong and smooth, and that one 

 end is a little convoluted. The animal 

 breathes by gills, but has no respiratory tube, 



and consequently the 

 margin of the aperture 

 * of tin- shell is entire, or 

 without a fissure or 

 canal. There are nu- 

 merous species, widely 

 diffused ; generally a- 

 bout the size of a bean, 

 tho' sometimes much 

 larger. Most of this 

 genus, especially of the 

 larger sizes,are furnish- 

 ed with an organ ex- 

 actly resembling the 

 gizzard of a fowl, and which they appear to 

 use for the purpose of masticating their food. 



BULLFINCH. (Loxia pyrrhtila of Lin- 

 naeus.) A well-known and pretty bird, about 

 the size of a sparrow. Its wild note is a soft 

 low twitter : but, when tamed, it becomes re- 

 markably docile, and learns with great faci- 

 lity to whistle musical airs, wliich, if pro- 

 perly taught, it seldom wholly forgets. The 

 bill is strong, short, black, and thick ; the 

 upper part of the head, the ring round the 

 bill, and the origin of the neck, fine glossy 

 black ; the back ash grey ; breast and belly 

 red ; wings and tail black; the upper tail 

 coverts and vent ore white ; legs dark brown. 

 The female is very like the male, but the 

 colours are less bright, and the under parts 

 of a reddish brown. These birds are coimnon 

 in every part of our island, as well as in 

 most parts of Europe ; their usual haunts 

 during summer are woods and thickets ; they 

 also frequent our orchards and gardens in 

 the spring, seeking not only the insects which 

 are lodged in the tender buds of fruit-trees, 

 but feeding on the buds ; on which account 

 they are regarded by gardeners as among 

 the most pernicious of the feathered race. 



BTTMFINOH. ( FTRKH 



The Bullfinch is a native of England, and 

 also of most parts of the European conti- 

 nent. It general! v constructs its nest, which 

 is composed of small dry twigs, in the thickest 

 parts of a white or black thorn hedge. The 

 female lays about four or five bluish-white 

 eggs, marked with dark spots at the larger 

 end ; and breeds about the latter end of 

 May. The bird is very common in the 

 mountainous parts of Germany ; from which 



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