172 HAWFINCH. 



localities, it appears to be generally distributed, although nowhere 

 very common ; but in the south, from Spain to Turkey, as well as in 

 Asia Minor, it is a more abundant resident species. In North-western 

 India we find Dr. R. B. Sharpe's paler species, C. /uiinii, while a 

 slightly different subspecies, C. japonicus, inhabits Eastern Siberia, 

 North China and J^iP'^in- In Morocco the Hawfinch is rare ; but it 

 breeds sparingly in Algeria, occurs in Tunisia, and has wandered to 

 Egypt and Palestine. 



The nest, built at the end of April or early in May, is generally 

 placed in trees overgrown with grey lichens, such as old hawthorns, 

 apple- and pear-trees ; the horizontal branches of oaks, beeches 

 and spruce firs, the heads of pollarded hornbeams, and holly 

 bushes are also selected. It is a rather flat structure, built of twigs 

 mixed with grey lichen, and lined with fine roots and a little hair. 

 The eggs, 4-5 in number, are pale olive- or bluish-green, spotted 

 and streaked irregularly with dark olive- and greyish-brown : 

 measurements "98 in. by 72 in. Only one brood is reared in the 

 season, but if the first nest is interfered with, another is built. 

 The young are fed largely on caterpillars, but otherwise the food of 

 this species consists largely of peas, the kernels of cherry-stones 

 (which are crushed by the powerful bill), and of the seeds of the 

 hornbeam and other trees, beechmast, haws and similar berries. In 

 winter small parties and even flocks are formed, and a certain 

 amount of movement — hardly to be called migration — takes place 

 in England. The song is short and poor ; the call-note is a prolonged 

 whistle repeated four times. 



The adult male in spring has the lores, a narrow frontal line con- 

 necting them, and also the throat, deep black ; head orange-brown ; 

 nape grey ; back dull brown, paler on the rump and tail-coverts ; 

 upper wing-coverts blackish, followed by a line of white which turns 

 to brown on the secondaries; quills black, with white patches on the 

 inner webs, and with steel-blue tips, which, from the fifth inwards, 

 are jagged ; tail-coverts orange-brown, and very long ; tail-feathers 

 black at the bases and dark on the outer webs, their ends white; under 

 parts vinous-brown ; bill dull black at tip, leaden-blue at the base ; 

 legs and feet flesh-colour. Length 7 in. ; wing nearly 4 in. Female : 

 less orange-brown on the head and duller in colour. In winter the 

 bill in both sexes is pale horn-colour. The young bird has the head 

 and cheeks yellowish-brown ; mantle mottled brown ; under parts 

 dirty white, spotted and barred with dark brown ; throat white, 

 tinged with yellow ; bill olive. By August black feathers begin to 

 appear on the throat. 



