50 BRITISH BIRDS. 



Genus PYRRHULA. 



The Bullfinches were included by Linnaeus in his genus Loocia-, where it 

 is a great pity that they were not allowed to remain ; but Brisson having 

 in 1760, in his ' Ornithologia/ iii. p. 308, already established the genus 

 Pyrrhula for their reception, it has been almost universally accepted by 

 ornithologists. The Common Bullfinch, the Pyrrhula pyrrhula of Brisson, 

 is the type. 



The chief characters by which the Bullfinches may be distinguished 

 from the rest of the Finches are the convex profile of the bill, the metallic 

 blue-black wings and tail, and the white rump. The latter character is 

 perhaps the most conspicuous ; but unfortunately in one species, P. auran- 

 tiaca from the Himalayas, the white is suffused with yellow, and in another, 

 P. murina froril the Azores, it is so much suffused with brown as to be 

 scarcely distinguishable from the back. The black wings and tail are also 

 more or less common to the genus Coccothraustes, though in most of the 

 species in this genus there is a considerable amount of white either on the 

 one or the other. These two genera are so closely connected, that it is 

 impossible to decide to which Pyrrhula nipalensis should be assigned. In 

 its general appearance it is undoubtedly a Bullfinch ; but the rump is 

 almost concolorous with the back, and it agrees with Coccothraustes 

 personatus and C. melanurus in the eccentric character of its tail. 



This genus has a more restricted range than any other in this subfamily, 

 being almost confined to the Palsearctic Region, extending as far north as 

 the Arctic circle, as far soiith as the southern slopes of the Himalayas, 

 and eastwards across Behring^s Straits into Alaska. About a dozen 

 species have been described, of which several are only worthy of subspecific 

 rank. Only one species is found in the British Islands, which is repre- 

 sented in Eastern Europe by a larger form. No other species occur in 

 the Western Palsearctic Region except the one already alluded to, which 

 inhabits the Azores. 



The Bullfinches inhabit weU-wooded districts, and frequent shrubberies, 

 gardens, forests, hedges, and groves. In their habits, local distribution, 

 and food they resemble very closely the Rose-Finches, but are not so 

 gregarious in winter and are more retiring, especially in the breeding- 

 season. Their nests are open and do not differ materially from those of 

 the Crossbills and Grosbeaks, nor is it known that there is any charac- 

 teristic difference in the colour or number of their eggs. 



