i88 RURAL BIRD LIFE. 



eat the haws, shelling out the stones with his peculiar 

 bill ; and he also eats the hips of the rose tree. While 

 the majority of Finches love to eat the smaller seeds 

 and grain, the Bullfinch loves those of a more fleshy 

 nature, hence he prefers certain pulpy buds and various 

 berries. In the month of January the Bullfinch pays 

 particular attention to the dock plants, on whose stems 

 he gracefully poises and ejects the seeds, the husks 

 strewing the ground beneath, his rich and varied plu- 

 mage contrasting richly with the deep browns of the 

 docks' withered stems and seed-pods. 



The Bullfinch is in high request for a cage bird, and 

 in confinement he is said to make a pretty pet, and with 

 careful training may be taught to pipe various airs. 

 The Bullfinch is probably more often seen in confine- 

 ment than in his native haunts ; but I would far rather 

 deny myself the pleasure of ever seeing his rich and 

 varied plumage than confine him in a cage. 



We often find that the more showy and handsome 

 the bird the more it loves retirement. The Kingfisher 

 elects to sit in moody silence far in the shade, and 

 delights in retirement ; the Bullfinch, though so showy 

 in appearance, still mopes away his time far from the 

 open. It may be that Nature has a purpose in sending 

 these her brightest gems into seclusion, for there they at 

 least find safety, which they would not were they of 

 more open habits, for their charming beauty would in- 

 evitably prove their destruction. 



