. Birds of other lands, reptiles, fishes, jointed animals and lower forms;. Zoology; Birds; Reptiles; Fishes. 126 THE LIVING ANIMALS OF THE WORLD. BULLFINCH Black I'arieliti are occasionally taken in a ivilj stale. Caged specimens fed on hemp-seed frcjuently turn black varies, a favourite place being an old apple- or pear- tree in an orchard ; but the woods and fir plantations are not seldom resorted to. The GREENFINCH is an equall)' common British bird. Of a more confiding disposition than the hawfinch, it makes an excellent cage-bird, becoming with judicious treatment exceed- ingl)' tame. It
. Birds of other lands, reptiles, fishes, jointed animals and lower forms;. Zoology; Birds; Reptiles; Fishes. 126 THE LIVING ANIMALS OF THE WORLD. BULLFINCH Black I'arieliti are occasionally taken in a ivilj stale. Caged specimens fed on hemp-seed frcjuently turn black varies, a favourite place being an old apple- or pear- tree in an orchard ; but the woods and fir plantations are not seldom resorted to. The GREENFINCH is an equall)' common British bird. Of a more confiding disposition than the hawfinch, it makes an excellent cage-bird, becoming with judicious treatment exceed- ingl)' tame. It is a useful bird, travelling during the autumn and winter in large flocks, and feeding on the seeds of wild mustard and other weeds. Its nest diff"ers conspicuously from that of the hawfinch, being a somewhat untidy structure, composed of fibrous roots, moss, and wool, lined with finer roots, horse- hair, and feathers. Among the True Finches, distinguished from the Grosbeaks b)' their less powerful bills, are several other well-known British birds. Of these, none are better known than the CHAFFINCH. Gay in appear- ance and .sprightly in habit, this is a general favourite everywhere, and much in demand as a cage-bird. His short though delightful song possesses a peculiar charm, coming as it does with the earliest signs of returning spring. The fascination of this song has never been better expressed than in Browning's lines: — O to be in England Now that April 's there ; And whoever wakes in England Sees, some morning, unaware, That the lowest boughs of the brushwood sheaf Round the elm-tree bole are in tiny leaf, While the Chaffinch sings on the orchard bough In England now ! The nest, which is an exceptionally beautiful structure, takes about a fortnight to build. Closely woven, it appears to consist mainly of wool, into which moss and lichens of various colours are deftly woven. The outside is cunningly decorated with bits of lichen and the inner bark of trees, such a
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecad, booksubjectfishes, booksubjectzoology
