THE BULLFINCH. 187 



are aware of its presence even in those localities which it best 

 loves to frequent. 



With us the Bullfinch breeds late, the nest not being begun till 

 the end of April or beginning of June. " The male bird," says 

 MUDIE, " sings at the time ; but his song is so low, that it is not 

 heard but in the close vicinity ; and the bird is so apt to drop 

 into the bush and be silent on the least alarm, that to scramble 

 through the trees in order to hear the native note of the Bull- 

 finch, is almost the surest way of being disappointed." BOLTON, 

 in his Harmonia Ruralis, describes the female as " building her 

 nest in woods, particularly where sloe- bushes and crab-trees 

 abound. For the ground-work she makes use of a number of 

 small sticks, broken of proportionate lengths. These she places 

 crosswise on the divisions of a suitable branch, and upon these 

 the nest is built of woody roots, the largest near the bottom and 

 round the sides, the smaller within. The inside, or lining, is 

 made of very fine fibres of roots, without any other materials. 

 The diameter of the cavity is upwards of two inches and a half, 

 the depth an inch." 



This author recommends that "those who would bring up 

 Bullfinches from the nest, with a view to teach them to whistle, 

 or to imitate the song of other birds, should take them about 

 four days old ; for if they are left to the age of ten or twelve days 

 (as BECHSTEIN recommends), they acquire some of the harsh 

 notes of the parent, which they will never quit." 



A great number of piping Bullfinches are annually sent to this 

 country for sale by the German dealers, who cultivate to the high- 

 est degree the imitative powers which these birds possess ; the 

 facility with which they acquire the various tunes and tricks in- 

 cluded in their course of instruction, is, indeed, astonishing, and 

 the power of memory which enables them to retain and repeat 

 the latter through a course of years equally so. DR. STANLEY 

 gives the following account of the manner in which their training 

 is conducted : 



" No school can be more diligently attended by its master, and 

 no scholars more effectually trained to their own calling, than a 

 seminary of Bullfinches. As a general rule, they are formed 

 into classes of about six in each, and kept in a dark room, where 

 food and music are administered at the same time ; so that when 

 the meal is ended, if the birds feel disposed to tune up, they are 

 naturally inclined to copy the sounds which are so familiar to 

 them. As soon as they oegin to imitate a few notes, the light is 

 admitted into the room, which still further exhilarates their spi- 

 rits, and inclines them to sing. In some establishments the 

 starving system is adopted, and the birds are not allowed food or 



