(» SCARLET BULLFINCH. 



state. The male came to within fifteen paces, into a 

 thorn bush, and sang. It allowed itself to be observed 

 freely, without any marks of fear. The female was 

 not to be seen, nor the young, which had already 

 (June 7th.,) left the nest. The old decoy man, who 

 chiefly dwelt there, knew of the nest, and took me to 

 it, assuring me that these birds had for many years 

 bred there, and that they were not rare in the island. 

 That they also bred in the elder and meadow thorn 

 bushes near the house, and were pleasant-singing 

 cage-birds. After much seeking we found no more, 

 but we discovered the Common Linnet, for which they 

 may probably have been mistaken by the decoy man." 



"The Scarlet Bullfinch is very confiding towards man, 

 being not at all shy. The singing male remains in 

 the open, like the Linnet, upon the points or tips 

 of bushes, and fiys away like a shot when disturbed. 

 Its call is a clear, piping, high tone, similar to f ticke, 

 ticke, talk,' twice repeated in a clear and perceptible 

 manner. When a part of the song has been uttered, 

 as far as my observation 'extends, the whole tone is 

 varied into a lonq-ish cadence." 



"When with my friends Von Woldicke and Boie 

 I last approached this celebrated decoy, at Sylt, I 

 heard the song at a considerable distance, and I drew 

 their attention to it, that there might be no mistake. 

 The resemblance of the song to some of the notes of 

 the Reed Bunting, as well as those of the Linnet, is 

 a remarkable fact. Both these latter birds live in its 

 neighbourhood. It is a very agreeable, loud, long, 

 and, with many slight pauses, unbroken song; and it 

 is so characteristic, that an ear like mine, which from 

 earliest youth has been accustomed to observe the song 

 of birds, can distinguish it in the far distance. In a 



