THE BULLFINCH. 57 



found in confinement, as the white, the black, the variegated, 

 the bastard, and others. 



BREEDING. 



They are a very affectionate bird, whether confined or at 

 large. The female frequently drops her eggs in the room. 

 They breed like Canary birds, when furnished with a similar 

 cage, or with a box provided with a fir-tree and moss, but 

 they rarely rear their young. The nest is badly built. The 

 female lays from two to six bluish-white eggs. The young 

 are hatched in two weeks. The male is recognized by the 

 breast being tinged with red. A good, well-educated bullfinch 

 is usually an expensive bird. The bullfinch will pair with a 

 Canary ; a tame hen bullfinch with a spirited male canary. 

 The produce is a soft and very musical singing mule. 



FOOD. 



Bullfinches have been kept in good health upon canary and 

 rape seed, and occasionally a little hemp seed ; but the last 

 must be given very sparingly, as these birds are naturally 

 inclined to get corpulent. In a state of nature, their food con- 

 sists of the seeds of the fir and pine, the kernels of almost all 

 kinds of berries, the fruit of the ash, maple, etc. ; buds of the 

 red beech, oak, and pear trees ; also millet, nettle, and grass 

 seeds. They require occasionally some green food, cuch as 

 water-cresses, a bit of apple, berries, or salad. 



DISEASES. 



Wild bullfinches, which have been caged, ought to live for 

 eight years. Reared ones rarely attain to the age of six years, 

 because they have all kinds of delicacies given to them. Sugar 

 or pastry should not be given them, and their cages should 

 contain sand and water. They are liable to constipation, 

 dysentery, epilepsy, melancholy, and dejection, in which state 

 they sit apart, without being absolutely sick, but do not sing. 

 At such times they should be fed exclusively upon steeped 

 rape seed. The remedy for moulting is a rusty nail placed in 

 the drinking vessel, good food, and ants' eggs. 



