BULLFINCH. 577 



or mules, as they are more commonly called, have been 

 produced between the Bullfinch and the Canary ; but such 

 a union is of rare occurrence, and requires particular 

 management. 



The notes of the Bullfinch, as heard in a wild state, 

 particularly the louder ones, have no remarkable quality 

 of tone to recommend them ; its call-note is, however, soft 

 and plaintive : it is principally for its power of imitation 

 and its memory that this bird is prized. 



" In Germany, 11 says Bechstein, " those young Bullfinches 

 that are to be taught to sing particular tunes, must be 

 taken from the nest when the feathers of the tail begin to 

 grow ; and must be fed only on rapeseed soaked in water, 

 and mixed with white bread. Although they do not 

 warble before they can feed themselves, it is not necessary 

 to wait for this to begin their instruction ; for it will suc- 

 ceed better, if we may say so, when infused with their 

 food ; since experience proves that they learn those airs 

 more quickly, and remember them better, which they have 

 been taught just after eating. It has been observed that 

 these birds, like the Parrots, are never more attentive 

 than during digestion. Nine months of regular and con- 

 tinued instruction are necessary before the bird acquires 

 what amateurs call firmness ; for if the instruction cease 

 before this is obtained, they would destroy the air, by 

 suppressing or displacing the different parts, and they often 

 forget it entirely at their first moulting. In general it is 

 a good plan to separate them from the other birds, even 

 after they are perfect ; because, owing to their great quick- 

 ness in learning, they would spoil the air entirely by in- 

 troducing wrong passages ; they must be helped to con- 

 tinue the song when they stop, and the lesson must always 

 be repeated while they are moulting, otherwise they will 



VOL. i. p p 



