BULLFIXCH. Pyrrhula rubicilla. 



completely disbudded, and yet borne a heavy crop of fruit. The reason of this curious 

 phenomenon may probably be, that some of the buds were attacked by insects, and that 

 the kind of pruning process achieved by the Bullfinch was beneficial rather than hurtful 

 to the plant. 



The Bullfinch affords a curious instance of the change \vrought by domestication. 



In its natural state its notes are by no means remarkable, but its memory is so good, 

 and its powers of imitation so singular, that it can be taught to pipe tunes with a sweet 

 and flute-like intonation, having some of that peculiar " woody" quality that is observable 

 in the clarionet. It is always captured very young for this purpose, and from the 

 moment of its capture its instruction begins. The teacher keeps his birds separate, and 

 always plays the tune to be learned upon some instrument, such as a bird-organ or a 

 flageolet, as soon as he has given them their food. The latter instrument always turns 

 out the best birds, as those which are taught with the bird-organ acquire that mechanical 

 precision of note and total absence of feeling which renders the notes of a grinding organ 

 so obnoxious to musical ears. 



The birds are always apt to forget their lesson during the moulting season, and if they 

 are permitted at that time to hear other birds, they pick up notes that are entirely foreign 

 to the air which they are meant to perform, and so make a sad jumble. I once 

 knew a piping Bullfinch, a very amusing bird, who had forgotten the first two or three 

 bars of " Cherry-ripe," and always used to commence in a most absurd manner in the very 

 middle of a phrase. He always finished with a long whistle, as of surprise, and then 

 began to chuckle and hop about the table as if greatly charmed with his own performance. 

 He had a great wish to teach me to pipe, and ^sed to give me lessons every time I saw 

 him. Sometimes I would purposely go wrong in the tune, when he would break off his 

 piping, scold harshly, and begin afresh. 



The Bullfinch is a remarkably tameable and loving bird, and is easily affected by 

 predilection or dislike for different persons, generally holding fast by its first impulse. 

 The bird which I have just mentioned was most absurd in the violence of his feelings. 

 He was fond of scudding about on a bare mahogany table, and liked to lift up knitting- 



