XL. BULLFINCH. 



(Pyrrhula europcea.} 



BULLFINCHES are very common here, and do a good deal of damage 

 in the garden, coming in flocks and eating the buds off the fruit- 

 trees and gooseberry bushes. They look very pretty when picking 

 among the apple-blossom. In general they inhabit the birch- 

 woods summer and winter, and their soft voices may be heard at 

 all seasons, " sole or responsive each to other's note." They have 

 rather a poor song of their own, but can be taught to whistle 

 tunes very sweetly in confinement. They are very nice cage- 

 birds, easily tamed, even when caught old; very affectionate to 

 those they love, and sometimes showing a marked dislike to 

 strangers. They are not generally long-lived in captivity, being 

 very apt to die of apoplexy. They ought not to get much 

 hempseed. I have seen them eat common primroses, and also 

 seed on weeds, as groundsel, plantain, &c. Some cage- birds 

 are very fond of mignonette. We discovered it accidentally to 

 be a good bird food when some canaries escaped from their cage 

 and lived in the garden for some days before they could be 

 caught again, although the weather was very bad. They lived 

 mostly on mignonette. 



I have known a nest of Bullfinches to be taken when the 

 young were fledged, but not able to fly, and put in a cage hung 

 as near as possible to where the nest was built, and the parent 

 birds came and fed them through the bars of the cage. The cage 

 should have the top and sides of wood to protect the young birds 

 from the weather. This arrangement facilitates the rearing if it 

 is properly carried out, but care must be taken that the old birds 

 are not frightened away, lest the young get starved. 



I have never seen Bullfinches come to the window to be fed 

 here ; I do not know if they do so elsewhere. 



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