Mr. W. Thompson on the Birds of Ireland. 281 



been built against the stem of the common pine, and resting 

 on one of the branches, to which it was bound with a piece 

 of fine whip-cord, both ends of which were firmly interwoven 

 in the material of the nest : the cord was taken but once 

 round the branch. 



Chaffinches feed chiefly on seeds and grain through the 

 winter, as testified by my opening many specimens. Early 

 in the month of May, when a choice of food was before them, 

 I have on different occasions remarked these birds suddenly 

 dart from the branches of trees after flies in the manner of 

 the spotted flycatcher. During the winter and early spring, 

 a flock consisting of both sexes was observed by a young 

 friend regularly to frequent a merchant's yard situated on 

 one of the quays of Belfast for the purpose of feeding on 

 flaxseed, of which there was always some scattered about the 

 place. Chaffinches sometimes congregate in large flocks be- 

 fore winter actually sets in : at the end of October I have 

 thus remarked them, and occasionally in company with 

 green-linnets. There has been much written from actual 

 observation both on the Continent and in Great Britain, and 

 from Linnaeus to the present time, on the subject of the se- 

 paration of the sexes of chaffinches in the winter. Montagu, 

 writing from Devonshire, says, the sexes do not separate with 

 us, and Mr. Knapp makes a similar remark with reference 

 to Gloucestershire. In Hampshire, White frequently ob- 

 served large flocks of females about Selborne. In Northum- 

 berland, Mr. Selby has noticed the females as keeping apart 

 from the males, and Sir Wm. Jardine remarks respecting 

 the south of Scotland, that young males are intermixed with 

 the females. In the north of Ireland I have seen very large 

 flocks in which there were no males, and once during frost 

 in the month of December, killed nine out of a flock, all of 

 which proved to be females. Again, I have observed flocks 

 of moderate size consisting of a fair proportion of both sexes, 

 and which I have always believed to be our indigenous 

 birds. The others, from never having met with flocks of male 

 birds, I am disposed to believe have migrated to this island 

 from more northern latitudes and there left their mates be- 

 hind them : — in the north of Europe, associations consisting 

 of males only have been observed during winter. 



In July 1840, Mr. R. Davis, jun., of Clonmel, forwarded 

 to Belfast, for my inspection, a bird shot in that neighbour- 

 hood, which he remarked had been sent him as a white 

 chaffinch. It had frequently been seen in company with 

 this species, along with some of which it had been shot in 

 the preceding month of May. This individual was singu- 



