Birds of Britain 



It is a scarce and local species but widely distributed, 

 and doubtless from its retiring habits and resemblance to 

 the House-Sparrow it is often overlooked. 



THE CHAFFINCH 



Fringilla coelebs, Linnaeus 



" Pink, pink ! " Who among us does not know the Chaf- 

 finch with his bright " pink, pink," and perky walk, as he 

 goes down the garden path in front of us, or flies into the 

 nearest shelter showing off the white bars on his wings as he 

 does so. No matter how severe the winter or how hot the 

 summer, he is always with us, a constant visitor to our 

 wardens, and when. we go into the woods and fields we shall 

 still find him equally at home. Early in February he begins 

 his song, which consists merely of a short run down the 

 scale ending up in the syllables " de-wi." Pairing takes place 

 early in the season, but some weeks elapse before he thinks 

 of nesting, well knowing that the insects so necessary for his 

 young are not yet born. At the end of April his mate will 

 begin to build the nest, while her lord and master sits 

 quietly by, encouraging her with his song but not deigning 

 to soil his beak or feet with honest toil. The site chosen is 

 very variable ; the fork of some giant tree or against the 

 trunk of a hedgerow elm supported by a lateral shoot are the 

 places most frequently used, but it is often situated in a hedge, 

 and sometimes in the ivy against a wall. The nest itself 

 is a beautiful mass of moss, grass, and wool carefully felted 



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