536 
THE STORY OF THE BIRDS. 
red. of the throat, and the rest of the under-parts is white. Its two central 
tail feathers are very long and racket-like. 
Purple-Capped Lory—This member of the parrot family of the Molucca 
Islands is a gorgeous bird. Its general color is scarlet, the breast golden, 
wings green tipped with blue, tail red and a dark purple cap on the head. 
Like other lories it is a honey-sucker but sometimes eats soft fruits and figs. 
Its eggs, three to four, are laid on the bare wood. It is easily taught to 
speak and is a ventriloquist. 
Rose-Colored Starling—This bird is an inhabitant of Europe, with its win¬ 
ter home in India. In the plumage of the male, the head, crest, wings and tail 
are black, with a blue or violet gloss; the back and breast are a beautiful rose 
color, which, in winter, is suffused with brown. The rose-colored starling 
is one of the most sociable and cheerful of birds. The song of the male is a 
continual chatter, mixed with harsh and disagreeable sounds; both one and 
the other begin in the early morning, continuing for a length of time, and 
renewed at intervals after feeding. The males, always at strife, may be seen 
pursuing one another and exchanging blows with their bills, while in the 
most curious attitudes and with their long black crests elevated and ex¬ 
panded. They exhibit great affection for the hen birds which, never leaving 
the nest during the period of incubation, are protected and fed by them. 
Bullfinch—Bullfinches can be easily recognized by their large heads, short 
heavy beaks, white rumps, and deep black wings and tails. The plumage 
varies considerable from creamy-dun color to bluish gray. The male some¬ 
times has a rosy breast with upper parts of snowy whiteness. The female’s 
breast is chocolate-brown. The bullfinch inhabits the woods and thickets of 
northern Europe and Siberia. Its eggs are from four to six in number, 
greenish-blue in color, speckled and spotted with purplish-gray. The cock 
bullfinch is a fighter and is always ready to do battle with an intruder. Its 
natural song is feeble and contains little music. 
Ortolan—The home of the ortolan is in southern Europe. The head of 
the male is gray, tinged with greenish yellow; the upper-parts are reddish 
brown, with black streaks; the eyelids are white, the foreneck and chest 
olive, and the under-parts reddish cinnamon. It nests on the ground, and its 
eggs are bluish white to pale salmon color, spotted and blotched with rich 
purple-brown. It is among the tamest of wild birds. It sings a monotonous 
song all day, and in Sweden it sings much at night. Ortolans are much 
esteemed by epicures, to whom its flesh is a great delicacy. 
froldfinch—One of the common birds of England is the goldfinch. It is 
