12 



NEST AND EGGS OF THE BULLFINCH. 



PLATE XII. 



The hen Bullfinch differs from the cock, in that her 

 breast is not crimson, but of a dusky red brown. The 

 back is of a dirty ash colour, and the black of the head, 

 tail, and wings, less bright and glossy. 



She builds 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 off a 

 proportionable length. These she places cross-wise 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. 



In the nest before me, the diameter of the cavity is 

 upwards of two inches and an half, the depth an inch. 



This nest contained five eggs of a pale blue green, 

 with dark purple blotches, and small red spots. 



Those who would bring up Bullfinches from the 

 nest, with a view of teaching them to whistle, or to im- 

 itate 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, they acquire some of the harsh notes of 

 the parent, which they will never quit. 



