The Chakkixch 99 



gling desperately. No sooner, however, is the heu Chaffinch once snbdued than 

 she is treated with gentleness and affection ; pairing frequently takes place on the 

 earth, but sometimes on a branch. 



In the autumn there is a considerable immigration of Chaffinches, chiefly on 

 the eastern and south-eastern coasts of England, and it would seem that there is 

 a return migration earl}' in the year, as this species passes over Heligoland both 

 in September and March. 



Early in February the Chaffinch begins to practise his song ; at first this 

 bears no resemblance to the full powerful melody which is eventually developed ; 

 but merely sounds like tsip, tsip, tsip, tioyi-nl, ioi)yi'rI, a sort of liquid bubbling; 

 a little later there is an effort to get in the terminal notes, then by twos and 

 threes the other notes come out weakly; until, by March, the full song is remembered 

 and rings out from the trees and hedgerows ; when perfect it is a full rattling 

 scale, ending variousl}- in different individuals, although the same bird at times 

 varies his terminal phrase : sometimes it is cliuclia c/turr, sometimes fiisi-iar, and 

 frequentl}' ivhcatcar ; the bird-catchers call the birds which use the first phrase 

 " c/iucktvados,'" and those that use the two last " kiss-me dears." In Kent, and I 

 believe in some other counties, the Chaffinch is said to sing — "If we wait another 

 month, we shall have the Wheatear." 



The call-note of the Chaffinch is, I believe, that described by my late friend 

 Mr. Charles Witchell as "a loud short whistle very rapidly slurred upwards in 

 the interval of about a fifth or sixth. It may be pronounced hvi/." * The call 

 of the }'Oung for food is chizzif, cltizzit, cliizzit ; Mr. Witchell (who, however, 

 renders it cliizzic/c), sa3'S that he has heard the old birds utter the same note. The 

 war-cry undoubtedly is a shrill cliick, chick, with a slight metallic n sound before 

 the k : this cry has been variously written tzviiik, spiiik, pink, bink, and fink ; it 

 is usually uttered twice only by our Chaffinch, but the Madeiran Chaffinch repeats 

 it rapidly four times ; so that it almost leads up to his rather monotonous and 

 poor song, the terminal phrase of which was never uttered by my male example. 

 As the song of the Chaffinch is itself sung in rivalry and as a challenge, there 

 is every reason for believing that it has been gradually evolved from the single 

 note of defiance and not from the call-note. 



The nest of this species varies exceedingh- ; not, as has been stated, with the 

 deliberate design of the bird to conceal it; for, if such were the case, this pretty' 

 little structure would never be so glaringl}' conspicuous as it sometimes is; but 

 simply from the fact that, like most birds, the Chaffinch uses those materials 

 which are most hand}^ provided that they are capable of being woven into a soft 



* To 1113- (perhaps less musical) ear, it sounds more like phwit. 



