102 CASSELLS BOOK OF BIRDS. 



of the shell within a fortnight of their being placed under her. The nestlings were by no means so 

 unsightly as those of singing birds usually are, and were covered with a thick, fine, white down, which 

 formed a sort of crest upon the head ; the bare places on the neck, &c, were of a flesh colour. In 

 spite of the care taken of these young birds they died when but a week old, and that without having 

 grown much larger. Our Desert Trumpeters soon proceeded to lay a second supply of eggs, and 

 from the third to the fifth of May were employed in the construction of another nest, which, how- 

 ever, was not completed, as the little couple preferred returning to their old home, after having put it 

 thoroughly into repair. On the ninth of May the first of three eggs was laid, but the female became 

 sickly, and, though we left her in quiet possession of her stock, would not brood, but flew about the 

 room with streaming plumage, as though in search of some remedy that was suggested by her instinct, 

 but unattainable in captivity. During this time the male bird kept faithfully by the side of his 

 little mate, and after her death was inconsolable for many days. The eggs are somewhat large 

 considering the size of the parent bird, and of a light sea-green, or even paler shade, sprinkled over 

 with a few reddish-brown spots or streaks, which sometimes form a kind of wreath round the broadest 

 end. This marking is occasionally varied by delicate streaks, zig-zag lines, or large spots arranged in 

 a somewhat undulating manner, and placed principally over the most uniformly tinted portion of the 

 egg. It is much to be regretted that the excellent capabilities of the Moro have not yet attained for 

 it the place it merits among our domestic pets, and that no European traveller has as yet given 

 particular attention to supplying us with living birds. 



The Bullfinches we are next about to describe differ from those already mentioned in the inferior 

 richness of their plumage, which is neither so varied nor so bright in its hues, although beautifully 

 marked. Amongst them we number 



THE BULLFINCH. 

 The Bullfinch (Pyrrhula vulgaris) is called also by the names of Blood, Red, Gold, Flame, 

 and Leaf-finch, Red-fighter, Red-bird, and others too numerous to mention, for its titles would really 

 occupy more space than we could afford for their enumeration, many being descriptive of its habits, 

 others derived from the markings and colours of its plumage. This species is from six to seven inches 

 long, and from ten and a half to eleven inches across. The length of the wing is three and a half 

 inches, and the tail measures two and a half inches. The old male is of a rich deep black upon 

 the throat, wings, and tail, and ash-grey upon the back; the rump is white, and the rest of the 

 lower part of the body a bright red. The female differs from the male in the greyish colour .of the 

 lower part of the body, and the smaller proportion in which bright tints are found among her feathers. 

 The young ones are without the black mark upon the head. The wing is at all ages striped with 

 two greyish-white bands that run in the direction of the carpal joint Some varieties are white, black, 

 or speckled. Bullfinches are found throughout all the countries of Europe, though during the winter 

 they usually frequent the most southern parts of the continent, preferring such places as abound 

 in woodlands, and never visiting the more - open districts except during their passage to another 

 locality — indeed, these birds never quit the woods except compelled to do so in search of food, and it 

 is only when the snow appears that they leave their shelter to visit the orchards, fields, or gardens of 

 the surrounding villages, and seek such berries and seeds as have escaped the observation of the rest of 

 their feathered relations. For the greater part of the year, these little songsters live in pairs, but during 

 their short excursions they congregate in small flocks, which fly about the neighbourhood on the most 

 amicable terms. At the commencement of their raids upon the country none but male birds are 

 of the party, but these are afterwards joined by the female portion of the community. It is only 



