394 BRITISH BIRDS. 



small, great numbers of species being found. The food con- 

 sists largely of seeds, grain, and fruits ; but some are large insect- 

 eaters, and all more or less feed their young on insect life. 



The Buntings have both mandibles incurved at the edges, 

 the upper one being slightly smaller and with a hard bony 

 knob. 



The following are the more important British Fringillinae : 

 the Bullfinch {Pyi-rhula), Linnets {Acanthis), Chaffinch (Fring- 

 illa), Sparrows (Passer), the Goldfinch (Garduelis), and the 

 Greenfinch and Hawfinch {Ligurinus and Coccoihraustes). 



The genus Pyrrhula, which contains our common bullfinch, 

 is characterised by the hard short bill, which bulges at the 

 sides, the upper mandible being longer than the lower and thus 

 overhanging its point. 



The Bullfinch (Pyrrhula europcea) is one of our most de- 

 structive birds. Handsome as it is, we cannot say a word 

 against its destruction, for the damage caused by Pyrrhula 

 europcea in orchards and gardens is often tremendous. In 

 the spring they commence to attack the blossom- buds of the 

 fruit-trees — cherries, gooseberries, plums, and apple being par- 

 ticularly chosen. The ground beneath the trees is often found 

 covered with the scales of the blossom-buds, showing the havoc 

 they have wrought. We have frequently examined the buds 

 of fruit-trees being attacked by these birds, but have never 

 been able to find any sign of insect or mite within, so they do 

 not pick them off for the same reason as the tits. They nest in 

 thick copses and hedges, forming the nest of fine twigs and dry 

 grasses, and lining it with fine fibrous rootlets, in which they 

 lay five light greenish-blue eggs, streaked and speckled with 

 reddish-brown and purple. 



The female alone takes part in the incubation. The young 

 are fed partly on insects and their larvae, and seeds softened, it 

 is said, by the female. Various seeds also form the food of the 

 adult, such as those of the chickweed, thistle, plantain, and 

 groundsel. It is needless to give a description of the bird, as 



