THE BULLFINCH. 151 



these were built at a height of two or three feet from the ground, 

 in red currant bushes, and contained in two instances four eggs, 

 and in the other five. Mr Brown also took in the same island, a 

 few days later, several other nests, which were placed amongst 

 heather, on the sloping banks fringing the sea-shores and loch- 

 sides, these being favourite situations with the bird. The nests 

 were formed of dry grass, lined with sheep's-wool, slightly edged 

 with cow's hair. In one instance he found a mixture of cow's- 

 hair, sheep's-wool, and crows' feathers. Another contained a con- 

 siderable quantity of a small, thin, reddish-coloured root, which 

 was interwoven with the structure outside. In any case the 

 number of eggs did not exceed five, many of them being sat upon 

 about the 20th May. 



THE BULLFINCH. 



PYRRHULA VULGARIS. 



Corcan coille. Deargan fraoich. 



A BULLFINCH away from woods or thick hedges is as much out 

 of his element as a puifin would be in a flower plot; hence when 

 we hear of this beautiful bird being captured in the treeless districts 

 of the north, we naturally think of the perils he has encountered 

 in being driven across the sea against his own instincts. It is, how- 

 ever, but seldom such instances occur; one mentioned by Dr Saxby as 

 having been found in Shetland in October, 1863, and another so far 

 back as 1809 in Orkney, being the only examples recorded of Bull- 

 finches being blown away from their leafy haunts. On the west- 

 ern mainland this species is common from Inverness -shire to the 

 south of Wigtownshire. Mr Sinclair has seen numbers at Loch 

 Sunart, old and young, frequenting birch trees and tangled hedges. 

 In Ayrshire, Dumbartonshire, and Renfrewshire, it breeds in con- 

 siderable numbers ; and Mr Alston informs me that it appears 

 to be on the increase in Lanarkshire as the county becomes better 

 wooded and enclosed. 



When in the town of Banff in May, 1869, Mr Thomas Edward 

 showed me a very interesting variety of this bird; it was pure 

 white, with the exception of the neck and breast, which were 

 suffused with a delicate pink hue, like the blush of a half-blown 



