482 The Zoologist — NovEMBi:n, 18C6, 



huskless, no triturating process appearing to have been pprformed on 

 it by the parent. One feed seems to last a long time in tlie lliroat. 

 The parent birds are rarely seen near the nest. Al night the yoimg, 

 from their earliest youth, sleep uncovered by the parent. I decidedly 

 think it wrong to class the greenfinch among the true Fringillidse, from 

 which it differs in many things so widely. 1 have had nesls of the 

 chaffinch and greenfinch within a few yards of each other, and when 

 approached by me the chaffinch would be very loud in his " chink 

 chink," while the mild " poohey " of the greenfinch only might be 

 heard. On looking into the nest the young chaffinches would always 

 gape and seem hungry ; not so the greenfinches. The throats of the 

 chaffinches always appeared empty, and they are invariably fed on 

 insects; the throats of the greenfinches were always well packed with 

 food, and consisting invariably, I may say, of seeds. At night I 

 would always start the chaffinch from the nest: not so with the green- 

 finch. In the habits of the adult there are many things dissimilar to 

 the true Fringillidic. 



Bulljinch. — In orchards the bullfinch, notwithstanding all the good 

 that is said to be done by him in killing insects in buds, &c., does 

 considerable mischief, if so it can be called, in devouring the embryo- 

 buds and flowers that are quite untainted by any disease, and not 

 touching those in which an insect is deposited, for food. I believe 

 that, did every bud come to perfection that a tree produces, many of 

 the flowers woidd have to fall before coming to maturity, or the fruit 

 be dwindled for a want of nourishment ; so I do not believe that bull- 

 finches are anywhere plentiful enough to do more mischief than 

 Nature herself would have to do, to give man even a hundredfold. But 

 that is not enough for "Grasp-all;" he is, in his own eyes, wiser than 

 the Great Ruler; he votes the bird " vermin," and destroys it as such. 

 I cannot bear to read "old woman's stuff" and nonsense," and such 

 it is to say that the bullfinch does not break and eat buds and young 

 fruit, for any one who has killed them among fruit trees will find their 

 crops packed with buds, and invariably the youngest and best. In 

 summer the chief food is fruit, and seeds in winter — the seeds of 

 the various fir-trees ; in spring, buds, &c. 



Black Tern. — I procured a yearling bird of this species in Dublin 

 Bay, this autumn. 



Widgeon. — A Mr. Hely Hutchinson (' Field,' No. 710, page 103) 

 has shot a widgeon in this county, in the month of July. Tiie bird 

 was a female, and the Editor of the ' Field ' thinks that it may have 



