THE BIRDS OF HELIGOLAND 405 



by the more or less frequent occurrence of these birds on Heligo- 

 land, the western species being almost entirely absent: i.e. if a 

 Bullfinch occurs at all, one may with safety reckon on its belong- 

 ing to the larger, purer and more handsomely coloured eastern 

 species. Moreover, this bird only makes its appearance here in 

 autumn during a strong migration of eastern species as, for 

 instance, during the powerful mass-migration hi 1847 in the 

 course of which the Bullfinch was seen daily, to the number of 

 from three to six individuals, on the 26th October, and on the 1st, 

 4th, 5th, 14th and 17th November. It has never occurred so 

 numerously since that date, one to two of these birds at most 

 having been seen at intervals of five years or more. 



During the above-mentioned year the Waxwing also occurred in 

 larger numbers than has ever been the case since. Another distin- 

 guishing feature of this year was the first appearance en masse of the 

 Shore Lark. Pyrrhula major inhabits Scandinavia, Russia, Poland, 

 and within the same parallels of latitude, the whole of northern Asia. 



206. Common Bullfinch [DOMPFAFF]. 

 PYRRHULA VULGARIS, Brisson. 1 



Pyrrhula vulgaris. Naumaun, iv. 283. 



Common Bullfinch. Dresser, iv. 101. 



Bouvreuil commun. Temminck, Manuel, i. 383, iii. 248. 



If the beautiful red shade of the last-mentioned larger species is 

 attained by a mixture of good vermilion with a little white, the red 

 colour of the present species can only be compared to a rather 

 more than usually pure brick-red. In a similar way, the beautiful 

 pure blue-grey of the back of the former species is distinguished 

 from the dull grey of the smaller form ; the latter I have met with 

 here only once. Aeuckens, some years ago, possessed a male 

 which, at that time, I considered a young specimen of P. major in 

 poor condition, and consequently I did not trouble to acquire it. 



The measurements of a male specimen obtained from England 

 are as follows : Total length, 5'90 ins. (150 mm.) ; wings, 3 "07 ins. 

 (78 mm.) ; tail, 2*52 ins. (64 mm.). The measurements of a fine old 

 male of P. major in my collection, in which the grey of the scapulars 

 and feathers of the back is mixed with red, are : Total length, 6'61 

 his. (168 mm.); wings, 3'58 ins. (91 mm.); tail, 2'76 ins. (70 mm.). 



P. vulgaris is a resident breeding bird in Germany, England, 

 France, Spain and Portugal. 



1 Pyrrhula europcea, Vieillot. 



