364 Passekks.- BIRDS. FitiNGiLLio.*;. 
inches in length ; it is of a grayish-brown colour above, 
and black beneath. It has a rather short, stout, and 
conical bill, and the hind claw is shorter than in the 
typical Laiks. 
SMITH’S FINCH-LARK {Pijrrliulauda mcstralis) is 
an abundant species in the plains of Southern Africa, 
especially about the Orange River, where it flies in 
large bands. It has the head and all the lower surface 
black ; the back reddish-brown, streaked with dark- 
brown ; the wing-feathers bordered with red ; the tail 
black, except the two middle feathers, which are brown; 
and the bill white. It is six inches in length. 
THE CAPE SAND-LARK {Cevthilauda africana) is 
an abundant bird upon the sandy districts bordering 
some of the bays of the Cape of Good Hope, where it 
perches u})on the summit of a sand-hill, and emits a cry 
resembling the syllables sfr/f— the lirst much prolonged, 
which may be heard at a great distance. In its general 
habits this bird resembles our common lark, passing 
most of its time upon the ground, running about and 
1 licking up small seeds and insects. The female de- 
posits her eggs upon the ground in a small hollow 
which she scratches at the foot of a shrub, and lines 
with a little dried herbage and a few feathers. This 
species is about eight inches in length, and is of a 
brown colour above, variegated .with rusty-red and 
white; the lower surface is wdiite, spotted with brown. 
THE BULLFINCH {Pi/rrhvla vulgaris).— Our Com- 
mon Bullfinch is the type of a group of Finches charac- 
terized by the short, stout, aiid somewhat compressed 
form of their bills, of which the ridge of the ujiper 
mandible is convex. It is an abundant sjiecies in 
most parts of this country, frequenting wooded and culti- 
vated districts, and often exhibiting a great partiality 
for gardens and orchards. The Bnlllinch is also a 
well-known bird all over Europe, and is included 
in the list of the birds of Japan. The male has the 
bill, the head and chin, and the quill-feathers black ; 
the greater wing-coverts black, with their tips white, 
forming a band across the wing ; the whole of the 
back bluish-gray, and the rump white. The lower part 
of the body is of a fine rich red colour. In the female 
the gray of the back is tinged with brown, and the red 
of the lower surface has a brownish-jiurple tint. The 
length of the bird is about six inches. 
The food of the Bullfinch consists principally of 
vegetable substances, and dining the early sjiring it 
is especially destructive to the buds of fruit-trees, 
exhibiting a decided and very provoking preference for 
the flower-buds. Hence, whenever it occurs in any 
abundance, it is regarded as an enemy by the gardener, 
and if left unmolested would often destroy all chance 
of fruit for the year. In the winter it feeds on the 
fruits of the wild rose and hawthorn, and on other 
fruits and seeds. The nestis not built until the begin- 
ning of May ; it is usually placed in a thick bush or on 
the branch of a fir-tree in a secluded situation, and is 
composed of small twigs, lined with fine root-fibres. 
The female lays four or five eggs of a pale-blue colour, 
spotted and streaked with gray and purple. The 
ordinary notes of the Bullfinch are not musical, but the 
birds possess a remarkable talent for imitation, and 
when taken young may be taught to whistle many 
tunes with considerable accuracy. Their musical 
instruction is generally communicated by means of a 
bird-organ, and requires considerable time and care, as 
the birds must be in the habit of hearing the tunes 
that they are to learn constantly repeated for many 
months, in order that they may acquire them perfectly ; 
and at the same time, when they begin to exerf 
their own musical powers, they must be kept from 
hearing other birds, and assisted in their recollection, 
lest the)' should mix two airs together, or transpose the 
passages in any way. Hence a good piping Bullfinch 
necessarily fetches a high price. Great numbers of them 
are trained in Germany and imported into London 
every year. 
THE PURPLE BULLFINCH {Carpodams 'purjgureus) 
is of a deep- crimson colour, with the wings and tail 
black, and the belly white. The female is of a brown- 
ish-olive, streaked with black above, and with white on 
the head, and whitish below'. The length of the bird 
is about six inches. This Finch is a native of the 
most northern parts of America, whence it migrates 
southwards into the more genial climate of the United 
States in the autumn. It feeds upon the buds of trees 
and berries. 
THE FINE GROSBEAK {Pinicola enucleator) — Plate 
14, fig. 47 — anotber northern species, is found in both 
hemispheres dwelling amongst the pine forests, and 
feeding, like the preceding species, upon fruits, seeds, 
and the buds of trees. It is a very rare occasional 
visitor to Britain. The length of this bird is about 
eight inches, and the plumage of its upper surface 
exhibits a mixture of grayish-black and red — the dark 
colour occujiying the middle of each feather, and the red 
the border. The w'ing-coverts are edged and tipped 
with white ; the throat and breast are bright-red, and 
the abdomen gray. The Pine Grosbeak builds its nest 
on a low branch of a tree, composing it of small sticks 
and twigs, and lining it w'ith feathers. The male has 
a jileasant song, and, when kept in confinement, has 
been known to recommence singing in the evening on 
the room being lighted up. 
THE GREENISH GROSBEAK {Spermogdiila falci- 
rostru) is an example of a genus, including a great 
number of South American species nearly allied to the 
bullfinch, and characterized by the great height of the 
bill, w'hich has its upper ridge much curved. The 
present species has the plumage greenish, darkest on 
the back ; the wings are brown, and the lower tail- 
coverts yellow. It is an inhabitant of Brazil, and 
dwells usually in the vicinity of human habitations, 
building a somewhat rude nest in the thickets, and 
feeding principally upon fruits. 
THE CROSSBILL [Loxia curvirosird) — Plate 14, fig. 
48. — This curious bird, which is an inhabitant of the 
pine forests of the northern parts of both Iiemispheres, 
and visits this country at irregular intervals in the 
autumn and winter, is remarkable for the structiH-e of 
its bill, which, instead of being a simple cone like that 
of the finches in general, has both its mandibles curved 
in such a manner that they actually cross each other 
near the apex, and the w'hole bill has a peculiarly 
twisted appearance. This somewhat anomalous form 
of the bill, so difierent from anything we ordinarily 
