2430 Birds. 



resident : it is common enough in the winter, but we have only once 

 met with it during the breeding-season. On that occasion we found 

 a family of full-fledged young with the parent birds. The summer 

 plumage of an adult male is very beautiful. 



Bullfinch (Pyrrhula vulgaris). The natural song of the bullfinch, 

 however thrown into the shade by the deserved celebrity of the piping 

 birds, is yet in itself possessed of no mean charms. In confinement 

 they are very sociable, and soon become attached to any one who is 

 in the habit of feeding them. They delight much in being noticed, 

 and express their pleasure by strutting about the cage, throwing them- 

 selves into many grotesque attitudes, and singing at the same time a 

 short simple air, in the low sweet tone of their better-educated 

 brethren : this is their natural song ; for we have often heard a wild 

 bird, ignorant of our proximity, chanting the same air for his own 

 amusement, or to exhilarate his mate during incubation. 



Starling {Sturnus vulgaris). The power of imitation possessed by 

 the starling is equalled by no other British bird. It is hardly possi- 

 ble to conceive any sound, however difficult, which his voice is inca- 

 pable of attaining. A male, who for some years built his nest in the 

 roof of our stable, possessed this talent in an eminent degree. Among 

 others, we have often heard him imitate, with great clearness, the fol- 

 lowing heterogeneous sounds, viz., the notes of the peewit, wryneck, 

 blackbird, jackdaw, kestrel, thrush, moorhen, coot, and partridge: his 

 imitation of this last, perhaps the most difficult of all, was so perfect, 

 that, when we first heard it, we looked around for some time expecting 

 to see the covey close at hand. It appears rather odd that we have 

 never met with a pied starling, although perfectly white specimens 

 are not very unusual. To the agriculturist no bird is more service- 

 able than the starling in the destruction of his dreaded pest, the 

 wireworm. 



Rook (Corvus frugilegus). In deep snows, when these birds are 

 much pressed for food, they will often assume a character greatly at 

 variance with their usual inoffensive habits. At such seasons we have 

 sometimes seen them endeavour, with much pertinacity, to capture 

 the smaller birds. One day, whilst snipe-shooting, we observed a pair 

 of rooks making a fierce attack on a missel thrush : so intently were 

 they engaged in the pursuit, that they either did not perceive or else 

 disregarded our approach. At length, after several stoops, they suc- 

 ceeded in striking their quarry, which fell on the snow : we were then 

 so close to the scene of action that they deemed it prudent to with- 

 draw : the thrush lay stunned and motionless for some time, but after- 



