300 APPENDIX BY THE 



rook ; ihe dark, the noisy, and sometimes the nest-plun- 

 dering, or, in the early fields, the contribution-levying 

 rook ; but still, notwithstanding, the cheerful, the orderly, 

 the industrious, the discreet, the beneficent rook." Such 

 is Mr. Mudie's character of this species of crow, unknown 

 in America. It measures nineteen inches in length ; and 

 has a fine plumage of glossy black. Its partiality to 

 old groves and ruins, near country-houses, must be 

 well known to the reader ; the " rookeries " of England, 

 liowever, are said to be decidedly diminishing in their 

 numbers. Many tales are also told of the kindness of 

 rooks to the orphan broods and widowed birds of their 

 flocks ; but these have not been very clearly settled. 



The Linnet, fr. linota. The name of this common 

 European bird is derived from its fondness for linseed. 

 It is a charming singer, its song consisting of " many 

 irregular notes, tastefully put together, in a clear, sono- 

 rous tone." Its general plumage is brown, yaried with 

 gray and reddish black ; but in the spring, the forehead 

 and breast of the male bird are of a brilliant red color- 

 ing, whence one of its names as the greater red-poll. It is 

 said to resemble our purple finch, which is also called the 

 American linnet. Not found in the western hemisphere. 



The Bull-Jinch, loxia pyrrhula A short, thick bird, 

 whose general color is a dark, ashy gray, with carmine- 

 colored breast, and white rump. It is a fine singer, 

 readily catching airs and melodies by ear. Like the 

 linnet, it is a very favorite cage-bird in Europe. In its 

 native woods it is a shy creature, partial to shady groves, 

 and seen less frequently than many of its companions, 

 though one of the common birds of Europe. In America, 

 this species of bull-finch is unknown. 



The House-sparrow, pyrgita domestica. The sparrows 

 of Europe differ essentially from those of America. They 





