BRITISH SONG-BIRDS. 211 



and shrubberies, near orchards and gardens, where 

 they build ; sometimes in a beach, or holly hedge, 

 but oftener in apple or pear trees. These birds 

 are not migratory, nor are they ever seen in flocks 

 of more than the parents and their brood. It is 

 said they are very destructive to gardens, by de- 

 stroying the young fruit blossoms. This they 

 probably do in common with many of the hard- 

 billed birds ; but, if we are not misinformed, gar- 

 deners blame some of the soft-billed species also 

 for this mal-practice, — in which allegation we think 

 gardenersare mistaken. The soft-billed species only 

 touch those buds that have witliin them the larvae 

 or eggs of insects, and, for this good turn, instead 

 of being protected, they are often molested and shot. 

 Bullfinches build their nests early in May, and 

 have sometimes two broods in the yeai*. 



Of the Nest and Eggs. 



The nest is composed of dry twigs and a little 

 wool and moss, lined with the finest fibrous parts 

 of roots of trees and shrubs, and a few horse hairs. 

 The eggs, four or fi^^e in number, are of a greyish- 

 white colour, passing iiito purplish-white, spotted 

 and streaked with pale blackish-purple and hair- 

 brown marks. 



