The BULLFINCH (_Pyrrhula vulgaris_) is called also by the names of Blood,
Red, Gold, Flame, and Leaf-finch, Red-fighter, Red-bird, and others too
numerous to mention, for its titles would really occupy more space than
we could afford for their enumeration, many being descriptive of its
habits, others derived from the markings and colours of its plumage. This
species is from six to seven inches long, and from ten and a half to
eleven inches across. The length of the wing is three and a half inches,
and the tail measures two and a half inches. The old male is of a rich
deep black upon the throat, wings, and tail, and ash-grey upon the back;
the rump is white, and the rest of the lower part of the body a bright
red. The female differs from the male in the greyish colour of the lower
part of the body, and the smaller proportion in which bright tints are
found among her feathers. The young ones are without the black mark
upon the head. The wing is at all ages striped with two greyish-white
bands that run in the direction of the carpal joint. Some varieties are
white, black, or speckled. Bullfinches are found throughout all the
countries of Europe, though during the winter they usually frequent the
most southern parts of the continent, preferring such places as abound
in woodlands, and never visiting the more open districts except during
their passage to another locality--indeed, these birds never quit the
woods except compelled to do so in search of food, and it is only when
the snow appears that they leave their shelter to visit the orchards,
fields, or gardens of the surrounding villages, and seek such berries
and seeds as have escaped the observation of the rest of their feathered
relations. For the greater part of the year, these little songsters live
in pairs, but during their short excursions they congregate in small
flocks, which fly about the neighbourhood on the most amicable terms.
At the commencement of their raids upon the country none but male birds
are of the party, but these are afterwards joined by the female portion
of the community. It is only under peculiar circumstances that they
travel beyond their native land, and are therefore but rarely seen in
the south of Spain or Greece. They pass their time in flying from one
tree to another, only alighting upon the ground when driven to do so by
dire necessity. Their habits are very cheerful, and calculated to render
them favourites with all who observe them attentively. One of the most
distinguishing characteristics of these creatures is their attachment
to each other. Should one of them be killed they cannot endure to leave
their companion on the ground, and make every effort to take the body
with them. This habit is the more striking when the party consists of
only a few birds, and has frequently quite touched our heart. On one
occasion in particular, we had shot one of two males that were perched
upon a hedge; the other immediately flew away to a considerable distance,
but very shortly afterwards we saw it return to the spot upon which its
little associate had fallen.
The Bullfinch hops over the ground in a somewhat ungainly manner, but
is most adroit in its movements upon trees. Sometimes it will rest upon
a branch with its body in a horizontal position and its feet stretched
out, and at others will perch bolt upright, or hang head downwards from
the twigs. Its long and fleecy feathers are but rarely laid close down
upon its sides, thus causing it to seem much larger than it really is.
Whilst eating or flying it presents a somewhat more compact appearance,
but when in a cage always allows its plumage to droop about its body.
A tree full of these birds is a very pretty sight, the red colour on
their breasts being seen to great advantage among the green foliage, and
in winter their bright plumage contrasts prettily with the snow. The
Bullfinch does not exhibit much sensibility to cold, and is lively and
cheerful even during our most severe winters, always of course supposing
that it can find sufficient food; such powers of endurance are easily
explained if we consider the thickness of its feathers, and this density
of plumage has considerable influence upon its flight, which is slow and
undulating, much resembling that of the Chaffinch, owing to its habit of
alternately extending and shutting its wings; it will sometimes hover in
the air, and then plunge suddenly with closed pinions upon the selected
spot. The call-note is a plaintive cry, employed by both sexes, generally
uttered when flying, or about to perch or quit their resting-place,
and is capable of a considerable variety of expressions--another proof
of the delicate organisation possessed by these interesting birds; for
sounds which to our grosser ears appear almost identical, have to them
innumerable significations. The song of the male is in no way peculiar,
and somewhat harsh; it may be heard almost throughout the entire year.
Seeds of trees and grasses constitute the principal food of this species,
and it will also devour the kernels of fruit. The seeds of fir and
pine trees are obtained by picking them from the ground, as the little
creature is unable to rob the cone of its contents, though it can extract
the stones from fruit with great dexterity, throwing away the outer part
as unfit for food. Its presence upon a tree is often indicated during
the winter by the quantities of refuse thus disposed of. Grains of sand
are always necessary to this bird, in order to assist digestion; the
young are fed principally upon insects. In Europe the Bullfinch makes
its nest by preference in such retired spots as are well covered with
trees, though it will occasionally settle in parks or large gardens, and
we have heard of an instance in which a little pair built in the ivy
that surrounded the lodge of a gentleman's seat. The nest is usually
placed at no great distance from the earth, either in the forked branch
of a low bush, or on the ground, snugly supported against the trunk of a
tree; indeed, so invariably do they choose these situations, that their
nests have never been found at any considerable height. In its general
construction the little dwelling resembles that of the Greenfinch, being
formed externally of small portions of fir, birch, or pine twigs, upon
which a second layer, composed of fibres from various roots, is placed,
and this again is lined with the hair of the deer or horse; sometimes
a little wool is mixed with the horsehair. In May, from three to four
small, round, smooth eggs are deposited in the nest; they are of a
light green, or greenish-blue colour, covered with pale violet or black
spots, and reddish-brown dottings that form streaks or lines. The female
sits upon her brood for about a fortnight, and is tended by her mate
during that time; both parents combine in the care of their offspring.
The nestlings are fed at first upon insects, then with seeds that have
been softened in the crop, and afterwards with the same in their natural
state. Should there not be a second brood, the young remain for a long
time under parental tuition.
[Illustration: FEMALE BULLFINCH AND NEST.]
Those who wish to rear these birds should take them from the nest while
still unfledged, and the sooner their education commences the more
profitable it is likely to be. In the woods around Thüringen hundreds
of young Bullfinches are caught annually, and sent, when properly
educated, to the principal capitals of Europe, and even to America. The
course of instruction begins from the first day of their capture, and
the principal thing that is necessary is that their instructor should
be able to whistle the air he is teaching them with great clearness and
precision. Persons have tried to teach these little birds to sing with a
hand-organ, but with little success, for even the flute cannot produce
a sound so delicate as that uttered by the lips of a good whistler.
Some Bullfinches can learn to sing two or three tunes without any great
difficulty, whilst others never acquire precision. Some will retain a
tune during their whole life, and others again forget it entirely during
the moulting season. The voice of the female is much inferior to that
of her mate. We have often heard the Redpoll and the Blackbird pipe
extremely well, but these do not approach the Bullfinch in the purity,
flexibility, and fulness of its notes. It whistles in such flute-like
tones that the listener's ear is never weary. A friend of ours possessed
a bird of this species, which he had reared and trained himself. The
cage was hung quite low, so that visitors could approach. When its owner
wished it to sing a tune that it had learnt with great exactness, he went
to the cage, called his favourite by name, bowed three times, and each
time was answered by the bird with great liveliness and joy. After the
third salute the little creature commenced its exquisite song, singing it
perfectly, and then pausing to receive its master's bow of satisfaction,
exhibiting at the same time signs of much delight if praised for its
efforts. One circumstance in this performance was remarkable: it would
respond to and perform, after receiving the necessary salutes from any
_man_, but utterly refused to obey the signs or commands of a lady. A
female relation of its owner tried to entrap the bird, by putting on its
master's hat before approaching the cage; but this device was useless,
the ungallant little songster proved as obstinate as ever. To such a
point of cultivation as this the Bullfinch seldom attains, except taken
very early from the nest, and placed where no other sounds are heard
until the desired air is acquired, as it can imitate many noises with
facility. We ourselves have heard one whose song was compounded of a
portion of a tune, the chirp of a sparrow, and the crowing of a cock.
[Illustration: THE GIRLITZ (_Serinus hortulanus_).]
Few birds are to be found so suitable for our drawing-rooms as the
Bullfinch; it shows great attachment to those whom it likes, and is
evidently conscious of either reproof or praise. Leury mentions a
Bullfinch of his own, that testified great pleasure whenever a poor man
out of the neighbouring village where it had lived entered the room,
and was quite uneasy if it heard a voice at the door which it knew and
recognised; indeed, we have known instances where these birds have died
in consequence of too much excitement. A lady friend of ours had a
Bullfinch so tame that she allowed it to fly about the room, and was in
the habit of lavishing caresses upon it. One afternoon, being somewhat
busy, her little companion did not receive the customary attention, for
which he clamoured so loudly that his mistress at length hastily caught
him, replaced him in the cage, and covered it with a cloth; the poor
little creature was no sooner treated in this manner than he uttered a
few plaintive notes, as though imploring for notice and freedom, and
then, hanging his head, fell dead from his perch upon the floor of
the cage. An exactly opposite case was related by a gentleman of our
acquaintance. The narrator took a journey, and, during his absence,
his Bullfinch appeared very mournfully silent; on the master's return,
however, the bird was overwhelmed with delight, flapped its wings, and
fluttered up and down, bowed its tiny head repeatedly, as it had been
taught to do, at the same time pouring forth a song of welcome; suddenly
all was silent--the little favourite lay at the bottom of its cage dead
with joy. If trained while young, the Bullfinch may be allowed to fly in
and out at will, and Leury gives us an interesting example of this fact.
During the spring he let a female Bullfinch, that he had had for a year
under his care, out into his garden, and for many days afterwards the
bird would fly about, returning occasionally to the house, but at last
disappeared entirely until the following autumn; when lo! one morning
she flew into the sitting-room, as tame as ever. The following year she
was again set at liberty, and returned in the month of June with four of
her young ones, apparently as confiding as before, and most desirous to
persuade the little brood to consider her late master as a friend; but
these endeavours proving fruitless, she again left, and in September once
more made her appearance with three of her second family. She remained
for a short time, and then departed; but positively came back late in
the autumn without her little flock to pass the winter in her old home.
The following spring she was set at liberty for a third time, and was
observed not long after to enter her cage, peck up some of the food it
contained, whilst her mate lingered upon a neighbouring tree, and then
flew away and was seen no more.
These various little anecdotes will, we think, justify our assertion
that the Bullfinch is well worthy of our regard and attention. As to the
care it requires, give it a nicely-kept, roomy cage, water to bathe in,
and a little rapeseed, and all its wants are satisfied. A small quantity
of green-stuff may also be added, and on this fare a little couple of
Bullfinches may even be persuaded to undertake the cares of a family.
The capture of this species is attended with no difficulty, as its social
habits render it an easy prey. Naumann tells us that any one who can
tolerably imitate its call-note may entice it to the spot upon which a
snare is awaiting it; indeed, a live decoy-bird is scarcely needed, as a
stuffed specimen placed near the traps or limed twigs will answer every
purpose, attracting the unsuspecting creatures in great numbers. In our
opinion, to shoot a Bullfinch would be a crime; although it is true that
it occasionally becomes somewhat troublesome by picking off the buds
from the trees, yet, in spite of this, we hope that our readers will
allow that its many pleasing qualities make ample amends for any of its
troublesome propensities. Besides, in pleading for mercy, we must not
forget that its enemies are already sufficiently numerous; martens and
weasels, squirrels and dormice, hawks, sparrow-hawks, and falcons, crows
and jackdaws, destroy both old and young, and materially limit their
increase; many likewise perish during severe winters.