The Bachelor Bird a Friend to Fruit Growers. 71 



oftener confined in cages. Luckily for them they are not 

 of such rare occurrence. The male Chaffinch, the "Bache- 

 lor/' is in reality a beautiful bird, his plumage of the very 

 brightest and gayest in our indigenous aviary. And the 

 female, too, though of hues more sombre, when closely 

 examined, shows shades and markings becomingly pretty. 

 To speak of any bird as uninteresting is to give utterance 

 to the language of a Goth; above all, as regards the 

 Fringilla coelebs, which in the drear winter day cheers 

 us by its ever-presence, coming close up to window-sill 

 and doorstep ! As well might one say wicked things of 

 another red-breasted bird — the Robin; and none will 

 dare do that. 



THE BACHELOR BIRD A FRIEND TO ERUIT 

 GROWERS. 



Many an anathema is hurled at the head of the Chaf- 

 finch, alike by farmers and gardeners; and too often a shot 

 from the ten-shilling licensed gun. Nor can it be denied 

 that Fringilla coelebs does damage to the young sprouting 

 wheat, and the seedlings of the kitchen garden. But let 

 justice be done to the bird, and account taken of the 

 compensation given by it in the destruction of noxious 

 larvae, feeders both upon fruit-tree leaves and those of 

 garden vegetables. Just now, it so happens that apple 

 trees are infested by a "blight,'^ of quite unusual severity, 

 causing great anxiety to fruit growers, these hideous 

 grubs doing great injury to "the trees. Often the hopes 

 of a whole orchard, about declaring themselves in full 



