TItE CHArFlNCir. 231 



fouiiil tliroug-liout tlio province As soon as one arrives from a neighbouring country, 

 whoso notes appear good, all tlie bird-catchers seek it, and do not give up the pursuit until 

 they have taken it. This is the reason why the chafRnches in this province are sucli 

 indifferent songsters : the young ones ha\'e only bad masters in the old ones, and they, 

 in their turn, cannot prove better. 



This bird is six inches and one-third in lengtli, of winch the tail measures two and 

 threo-cpiarters. The beak is conical, pointed, and white in winter ; but as soon as 

 spring, the season of pairing and song, arrives, and till the time of moulting, it is of a 

 deep blue ; and one may know by this whether it has sung or not. The iris is chesnut- 

 bro\ni ; the legs, nine lines high, are dusky ; the claws ai'c very .sharp, and grow so fast 

 in a cage, that it is necessary to cut them every six weeks, if it is not wished to see the 

 poor bird some day caught by them, and perish miserably unless rescued. The forehead 

 is black, the top of the head and nape of the neck are grayish-blue ; in very old males 

 deep blue, and then thick downy hairs are perceived ; the back and rump are a linnet- 

 green, the upper part chesuut with an olive tint ; the cheeks, throat, breast, and all the 

 under part of the body, in fact, arc of a reddish chesnut-brown, which becomes white 

 towards the extremity ; the thighs gray ; the quiU-feathers black-edged, with white on 

 the outer side ; the lesser v\'ing-coverts white, the greater black, with the tips white, 

 which form two Avhite lines on the top of the wings ; the tail-feathers black, with a gray 

 tint on the two middle ones, and a large wedge-shaped white spot on the two outer ; the 

 third is sometimes marked with a small spot ; all are slightly green on the edges. After 

 moidting, at the beginning of winte;!', the colours become lighter ; the fi'ont of the head 

 is only deej) brown ; the top and the nape of the neck a changeable grayish and olive- 

 brown ; the red-brown of the breast is brighter : this is also the plumage of the yomig 

 ones in the second year, particularly if of the last brood ; they arc called gray-heads by 

 bii'd-catchers, who can easily distinguish, in the spring, tlie young from the old males, 

 and very much prefer them, because, if properly caught, they may be taught to improve 

 their song when confined in the house ; whilst the others never learn, or change very 

 little, at least rarely, the song they have acquired in their wild state. 



The female is very different, being smaller, while the head, neck, and upper part of 

 the back are grayish-bro\vn, and all the under part of the body is a dusky white, rather 

 reddish-gray on the breast ; and the beak, grayish-bi'own in spring, becomes grayish- 

 white in winter. 



There are some remarkable varieties of this species ; one quite white ; another with a 

 white collar ; a third streaked, or spotted. There is no distinction between the wood 

 chafRnches and those of the gardens and orchards, as has been alleged. 



The nest of the chaffinch is one of the most beautiful of birds' nests, and formed in the 

 most skilfid manner. It is the shape of a half globe flattened on the iqjper part, and so 

 perfectly rounded that it has the appearance of having been turned on a lathe. Cobwebs 

 and wool fasten it to the branch, bits of moss with small twigs entwined form the 

 ground-work ; the lining is composed of feathers, thistle-down, the hair of horses and 

 other animals, whilst the outer covering is formed of the different lichens that grow on 

 the tree in which it is placed, the whole firmly united and well cemented. This outer 

 finish is no doubt intended to deceive an enemy's eye ; in fact, it is very difficidt, even 

 MT-th great attention, to distingiush the nest from the bark of the branch on which 

 it is fixed. 



Wild chaffinches, on their retm'n in spring, do not delay to record ; those in the 

 house soon learn, but they are obliged to exercise themselves for nearly two months 

 before they can execute their song to perfection. The singing season docs not generally 

 extend beyond June, but yoimg chaffinches, brought iqj in a room, prolong it to October, 

 and sometimes later. 



