THE BULL FINCH. 
113 
they will pass hours in the enjoyment of the warmth, 
chattering with each other in a low and gentle note ; 
and they will thus regularly assemble during any oc- 
casional bright gleam throughout all the winter sea- 
son,* — 
“ and still their voice is song,” 
which, heard at some little distance, forms a very pleas- 
ing concert, innocent and joyous. The linnet is the 
cleanliest of birds, delighting to dabble in the water 
and dress its plumage in every little rill that runs by. 
The extent of voice in a single bird is not remarkable, 
being more pleasing than powerful ; yet a large field 
of furze, in a mild sunny April morning, animated with 
the actions and cheering music of these harmless little 
creatures, united with the bright glow and odor of this 
early blossom, is not visited without gratification and 
pleasure. 
The bull-finch (loxia pyrrhula) has no claims to our 
regard. It is gifted with no voice to charm us ; it com- 
municates no harmony to the grove : all we hear from 
it is a low r and plaintive call to its fellows in the hedge. 
It has no familiarity or association with us, but lives 
in retirement in some lonely thicket ten months in the 
year. At length, as spring approaches, it will visit our 
gardens, an insidious plunderer. Its delight is in the 
embryo blossoms wrapped up_at this season in the bud 
of a tree ; and it is very dainty and curious in its choice 
of this food, seldom feeding upon two kinds at the same 
time. It generally commences with the germs of our 
larger and most early gooseberry ; and the bright red 
breasts of four or five cock-birds, quietly feeding on 
the leafless bush, are a very pretty sight, but the conse- 
quences are ruinous to the crop. When the cherry 
buds begin to come forward, they quit the gooseberry, 
and make tremendous havoc with these. I have an 
early wall cherry, a mayduke by reputation, that has for 
years been a great favorite with the bull-finch family, 
and its celebrity seems to be communicated to each 
successive generation. It buds profusely, but is annu- 
ally so stripped of its promise by these feathered rogues, 
K 2 
