^56 BRITAIN'S BIRDS AND THEIR NESTS. 



it is almost unknown. In Ireland it has nested in 

 County Dublin for half a century, but is otherwise 

 unknown. 



THE CHAFFINCH 



(Fringilla coelebs). 

 Plate 83. 



A list of the few commonest everyday birds in 

 almost any spot in the British Isles, other than an 

 isolated skeny or a bleak and elevated mountainside, 

 could not fail to include the Chaffinch. It is found in 

 practically every corner of our area, and is a resident 

 breeding species in every district but the Shetland Isles. 

 In autumn its numbei-s in Great Britain are increased 

 by continental immigrants. In Ireland it is considered 

 to be the commonest of all land-birds. 



The scientific name ' ccelebs ' (' bachelor "') refers to a 

 habit common in this family. The sexes form more or 

 less separate flocks in autumn. In summer the birds 

 are non-gregarious, each pair keeping apart. Early in 

 spring the cock's plumage gains an added brilliance, and 

 towards the nesting season his exuberant vitality is ex- 

 pressed in song. The song has been syllabled in words 

 which convey little, but are useful mnemonics for the 

 novice : ' In another month will come a Wheatear.'* In 

 other words, it consists of a series of quick, jumbled 

 notes, terminating in a long and distinct 'Wheatear,' the 

 emphasis on the penultimate. 



In its nesting habits the Chaffinch resembles its allies, 

 and is one of those Finches notable for the extreme 

 neatness of its nest. Lichens, moss, and wool are the 

 chief materials used. The shape is a beautifully rounded 



