1,84 CHAFFIN'CH. 



distributed during the breeding-season throughout the temperate 

 regions of Europe down to the Mediterranean. Colonel Irby found 

 it breeding near Gibraltar, but in the south of Spain it must be very 

 local in summer, though common in winter. At that season it visits 

 Egypt as well as the coast of Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia, but 

 inland, the representative species is F. spodiogenys, the male of which 

 has a bluish-grey head and nape, greenish back, and under parts of 

 a vinaceous white, while the female is much greyer than our bird. 

 Dr. Sharpe distinguishes the IMadeiran Chaffinch as F. niaderensis, 

 and considers F. morekti of the Azores and F. tintillon of the 

 Canaries as subspecies ; the dark grey F. teydea, found on the Peak 

 of Teneriffe, being distinct. Our Chaffinch breeds on Hermon, 

 Lebanon, and in the forest region of Persia ; and has been found as 

 far east as Omsk in Siberia. 



About the middle of April, the nest, almost too well known to 

 need description, may be found at a moderate height from the 

 ground, in a fork of the lower branches of a tree or in a bush, and 

 is artfully composed of wool, green moss, lichens and other 

 substances felted together, with a lining of hair and feathers. The 

 eggs, 4-6 in number, are usually of a pale greenish-blue, clouded 

 with reddish- and spotted with purplish-brown, but occasionally they 

 are unspotted blue: measurements '8 by "57 in. Two broods are 

 generally reared in the- season. The call-note is chissick. The alarm- 

 note or challenge is the familiar spink, spink, spiuk, to which the bird 

 owes one of its many local names ; the song varies much in different 

 localities, one of the commonest renderings being toll-toll, pretty- 

 little de-dr. Both young and old feed largely on insects and the 

 seeds of weeds, so that in spite of pilfering of fruit, vegetables 

 and newly-sown seeds, the Chaffinch may be considered as one of 

 the gardener's best friends. 



Adult male in spring : forehead black ; crown and nape bluish- 

 grey ; back reddish-brown ; rump yellowish-green ; upper wing- 

 coverts white, greater coverts black, tipped with yellowish-white, 

 forming two conspicuous bars ; quills dull brown, slightly fringed 

 with greenish-white ; central tail-feathers dark grey, the rest black, 

 with broad white patches on the two exterior pairs ; cheeks, throat 

 and under parts rich reddish-brown, paler on the belly : bill bluish- 

 lead ; legs dull brown. Length 6 in. ; wing 3 '4 in. Li autumn the 

 bill is brownish, and the head is tinged with rufous. Female : head 

 and back light yellowish-brown : breast pale yellowish-grey. Young : 

 similar to the female, but with paler tints at first ; the males, how- 

 ever, begin to show brighter colours within a fortnight. 



