The Bullfinch. 
165 
districts of almost ever\' coniit,v of dear old England, every field 
naturalist knows ; as I pen these notes, memories of encounters 
with this, one of the most brilliant of our native avifauna, rise 
before me in rapid succession, till in imagination I see again the 
breeze stirred foliage light up again and again, with the brilliant 
salmon-red of Mr. Bullfinch ; more particularly do I remember 
one August ramble, about four years ago, between Worthing and 
Littlehamptou, when every fifty yards or so the dark green 
foliage was enlivened with groups of this lovely species ; far 
more lovely aiuid such a setting than when seen in captivity. 
I am not a fruit grower, but I know something of the 
damage Mr. Bullfinch can do in a fruit-growing district ; but, 
providing he is not too numerous, is he not entitled to levy 
reasonable toll for benefit conferred in the consumption of in- 
numerable larvae and insects, whose presence unchecked would 
have meant far greater havoc than Mr. Bullfinch is respon.sible 
for? Too well I know this in my Loudon-back-gardeu, where the 
absence of bird life when needed has cost me several fine trees, 
and in one case the entire destruction of a fine Victoria plum, 
whose previous annual yield of fine fruit is now much missed. 
However, space is too precious to linger on this subject, especially 
as it has already been worn threadbare in other journals. 
Food: This consists of buds, maggots of various kinds, 
for which many buds are destroyed and only the parasite eaten ; 
seeds, such as fir, ash, pine, beech, linseed, rape, nettle, grass, 
dock, plaintain, shepherd's purse, etc. The young are reared 
partly on insects and their larvae and also on seeds first softened 
in the crop of the parent bird. In the autumn they may be seen 
feeding on various berries, such as privet, rowan, dog-rose, 
hawthorn, etc. 
Breeding : They have two and sometimes three nests each 
season, which are found according to locality in orchard trees, 
fir, beech, white- and black-thorn, etc. The nest is composed of 
twigs, fine root fibres and is lined with wool, feathers, moss, 
hor.se hair, etc.; no description is needed, as our esteemed mem- 
ber has taken several photos this season, one of which illustrates 
these notes. The clutches varies, four or five being the usual 
number, the eggs are clear greenish-blue, streaked and speckled 
