THROUGH THE YEAR 191 



between deep wood and damp lane he is in his 

 element. 



It is in winter that the bullfinch is so effective ; 

 and one of the best bird sights of the season in 

 woody districts is half a dozen bullfinches bounding 

 in and out of the great hedgerow in front of us as we 

 walk along the lane. There is a glimpse then of 

 lovely rose breasts, and the blue-black and white 

 of wings. 



The white on the back of the bullfinch is exactly 

 like that of the house martin, and it reminded me, 

 too, of the green sandpiper, " martin-snipe/' as I 

 have heard village people call that strange wanderer. 

 What service do these very striking white patches 

 on certain birds render ? I think they must have 

 some definite meaning. 



Another favourite haunt of the bullfinch in 

 January is the larches. Larch twigs hold plenty 

 of food for titmice and goldcrests. The needle- 

 pointed beak of a goldcrest should be the very 

 instrument to pierce and draw minute insect food 

 from these stems. The blunt broad beak of the 

 bullfinch does not seem well fitted to the same search. 

 Yet the bullfinch clearly finds food in the larch. His 

 way of gathering it is utterly unlike the goldcrest 's 

 way. He never hovers, nor darts and flips in and 

 out among the twigs. Nor could he swing about 

 like the long-tailed titmouse or the redpoll. He 

 reaches upwards and outwards from a steady perch, 

 and with slow and lazy-looking action takes his food, 

 whatever it be, off the stems. There is little of the 



