404 THE BIRDS OF HELIGOLAND 



of these birds appeared in my garden, their numbers thereafter 

 increasing, until on the 20th they had reached to about eighty or 

 a hundred. The whole band, however, departed on the 22nd, the 

 weather on that day being fine, calm, and warm, with a very light 

 easterly wind. The birds in question could not, however, have been 

 detained owing to the weather being unfavourable for their jour- 

 ney, because arrivals of fresh individuals were taking place daily 

 during their stay. 



That this species shows a tendency for establishing itself per- 

 manently in new localities is proved by the following instance 

 which occurred more than ten years ago in the Faroes: a few 

 pairs of these birds until then unknown on the islands made 

 their appearance in the spring, remained, nested, and in the course 

 of several years increased to such an extent that they annihilated 

 all the seeds in the small gardens; and, further, did so much 

 damage to the fields of the island, humble as these already were, 

 that it became necessary to proceed against the marauders in 

 every possible manner. 



The home of this species extends south of the Arctic Circle, 

 through the whole of Europe and Asia. In autumn it passes here 

 without alighting. 



Bullfinch Pyrrhula. This genus, all the male birds in which 

 are distinguished by their beautiful red plumage, comprises some 

 thirty species, most of which are distributed over the northern 

 parts of the Old and New World. Four of these belong to Europe 

 as breeding species, and a fifth from eastern Asia, P. rosea, has 

 occurred as a casual visitant in very rare instances ; all these 

 birds also visit Heligoland, but invariably only solitary individuals 

 are met with, and these only at intervals of many years. 



205. Northern Bullfinch [GROSSER DOMPFAFF] 

 PYRRHULA MAJOR, Brehm. 



Heligolandish : Doompoap = Bullfinch (literally = Canon). 



Pyrrhula major. C. L. Brehm, Vogel Deutschlands, 252. 

 Northern Bullfinch. Dresser, iv. 97. 



The Bullfinches resident in Europe have been separated into 

 two species : the eastern form, P. major, and the western, P. euro- 

 paea. This geographical separation is very clearly illustrated 



