The Bullfinch. 



15 



with moss, wool, feathers, or horsehair; it is only a mean- 

 looking fabric, and badly constructed. The hen lays from 

 three to five eggs, of a palish blue colour, speckled, spotted, 

 and striped with pale reddish brown and violet spots at the 

 largest end. She incubates from fourteen to fifteen days. 

 Bullfinches are most affectionate birds ; the male is most 

 assiduous in his attentions, both to his mate and her 

 broodlings, and seldom goes far away, or leaves them for any 

 lengthened period. 



Bullfinches will breed with Goldfinches, brown Linnets, 

 Greenfinches, and Ohafiinches. The produce of the latter 

 cross are pretty birds, but not nearly so handsome as those 

 bred between the Goldfinch and Bullfinch. Those bred between 

 the Bullfinch and the Linnet are very commonplace-looking 

 birds indeed. 



Methods of Capture. — Bullfinches are readily attracted by 

 a decoy bird. A stake should be driven in the ground, 

 beside a bush or hedge, with a decoy bird braced and 

 attached to it, and limed twigs distributed about the bush 

 or hedge in close proximity. They can likewise be taken by 

 the trap-cage, but not so easily as the Goldfinch and Linnet. 

 In winter time they can be caught by the " geldert," an 

 instrument made with a small iron hoop taken from a cask 

 or tub. Some thin, strong twine should be attached to this, 

 placed crosswise to form squares of l^in. or 2in. in size, 

 and secured to the sides ; horsehair nooses should be made 

 and fastened to the string, and arranged so as to cover the 

 squares. This instrument should be placed on the snow, 

 and baited with a few berries of any kind, or with hemp 

 seed. The young birds may easily be taken in the nests 

 by watching the old birds closely, as they seldom make any 

 attempt at concealing where their nests are, for, unlike 

 most other wild birds, they are in no degree suspicious or 

 distrustful. 



Food and Treatment. — In a wild state. Bullfinches feed on 

 a variety of seeds, such as those of the fir, ash, pine, and 

 beech ; on most kinds of berries, and also on a variety of 

 buds, such as those of the oak, red beech, pear, apple, plum, 

 cherry, and currant. They likewise eat linseed, rape, nettle, 

 grass, dock, and plantain seed. In confinement, they may be 

 fed on canary, millet, rape, inga, and linseed, mixed. They 



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