1903 Our Common Wild Birds 219 



with an orange-red breast that we shall sec in our town 

 gardens. His perky familiarity, habit of ducking his head, 

 and singing a steady sentimental sort of song in garden 

 trees at all times of the year, will also help to make his 

 identity certain. His red breast is the only striking feature 

 in plumage, for his other parts are greyish brown. 



The Chaffinch {Fringilla caiebs), another bird of sparrow 

 size, will soon be noticed in garden trees and paths, and his 

 ringing call-note, " chink, chink," soon heard. A handsome 

 bird is the cock, and although he has a reddish-brown breast, 

 we shall not confound him with the robin, whose breast is 

 bright orange-red. The conspicuous zuhite bar across the 

 chaffinch's black wings also enable us readily to distinguish 

 the bird, whose head is bluish grey and back reddish brown. 

 The soft beauty of these blended colours is sure to attract 

 us. The female chaffinch being yellowish brown above and 

 yellowish grey below, it is only the zvhite band across the 

 wings which will serve to distinguish her. 



The Bullfinch (Pyrrhula europcea\ another bird of 

 robin's size, also with a red breast, we may often see when 

 we get a little way out into the country, in sheltered and 

 secluded places. Occasionally we may see it in gardens 

 and shrubberies near town. The striking contrasts of its 

 general colour enable us to identify it at once. The breast 

 of the cock bird is a bright brick red, the head, wings, and 

 tail deep blue-black, and when it flits away along the 

 hedgerow or through the copse the pure white rump is very 

 conspicuous. The hen bird differs in having a brown 

 breast, but the patch of pure white generally betrays her 

 identity. 



The Greenfinch {Ligurinus chloris) is a shade larger than 

 a sparrow, and may often be seen about gardens and hedge- 

 rows near town. Its general colour is yellowish green, more 

 or less bright according to sex and condition. But it is the 

 only common small bird that is green, and this is the 

 distinguishing characteristic. 



The Common Linnet (Acanthis cannabind) is that little 

 brown bird, less than a sparrow, which we so often see con- 

 fined in the tiniest of cages and hung against a house wall. 

 Generally speaking, this little bird is all brown, but we 



