THE FINCHES— FAMILY FRINGILLIDyE 



401 



Gold-crested Wren, with a liberal supply of live 

 insects or grubs. It is, if steady and in good 

 plumage, a successful exhibition bird, and may 

 be shown cither in the show cage reconnucnded 

 for Warblers or Gold-crests. 



The Spotted Flycatcher, Muscicapa grisola 

 (Linn.), is an abundant summer migrant to Eng- 

 land, but rarer and more local 

 The Spotted -^^ Scotland and Ireland. It 

 Flycatcher. „ „ ^ i • 



generally reaches our shores m 



INIay, and is one of the most familiar of British 

 birds, often choosing some briar, vine, or other 

 tree that may be trained against a house or wall, 

 in wliich to build its nest. It is also known as 



the Beam-bird, from a habit of sometimes build- 

 ing on the end of a projecting beam. The 

 general colour is brown, shading to lighter and 

 darker tints, with dull white on cheeks and 

 underl)ody. It is a little larger than the Pied 

 species. Tlie song, as with the Pied, is very 

 limited. From the nature of their food and 

 habits, the Flycatchers are very difTieult to 

 keep in confinement, and young birds are, there- 

 fore, best. These can be successfully hand- 

 reared, as recommended for the Warblers, and 

 when able to feed themselves, weaned on to the 

 food given for the Pied Flycatcher, using 

 similar cages. 



CHAPTER XXXIX 



THE FINCHES— FAMILY FRINGILLID^ 



The 

 Greenfinch 



The Finch family is large and widely and 

 plentifully distributed, and many of its members 

 are special favourites as pets and exhiliition 

 birds. 



Sub-Family Coccothr,\ustin.e. — The Green- 

 finch, Liyiirinns chloris (Dresser), is resident 

 and common throughout our 

 cultivated districts, nesting in 

 lu'dges, forks of trees, and other 

 situations. In winter this species congregates 

 in large flocks, searching the stubbles and 

 fields for small seeds. The Greenfinch is a 

 short -bodied bird, 6 inches in length, some- 

 what heavily built, with a thick, powerful 

 bill. Its plumage is rather handsome, tlie 

 general colour being olive-yellow shaded to 

 an ashen tint on the ear-coverts and sides of 

 neck, the forehead, and running over tlie 

 eyebrows bright yellow ; the outer wet) of 

 the wing and tail primary feathers arc bril- 

 liant yellow ; the breast and underl)ody 

 bright yellow, shading to white on the abdo- 

 men. The shades of colour are much richer 

 on some specimens, and these are classified 

 "yellow" by British bird keepers; the 

 others with a general colour of a more asliy 

 hue are termed " buffs." The female dill'ers 

 from the male in being much duller in colour 

 • — browner above and paler below — and the 

 primaries have simply a bare margin of 

 pale yellow on the outer web. Greenfinches 

 have a slight but incessant song, the notes 

 sounding like cher-cher-cHEn, the last note 

 swelling in volume as drawled out. The 

 Greenfinch is hardy, and becomes very tame in 

 captivity ; and there is no need to resort to 

 hand-feeding for nestlings. Of late years it has 



51 



become very popular for exhibition purposes 

 and for hybrid breeding. It docs well on a diet 

 of canary seed with half part German rape, 

 linseed, and white sunflower, with a very little 

 hemp twice a week. If hemp is given more often 

 the bird has a tendency to get too fat. A supply 

 of wild seeds should also be given in their dry 

 state in winter, and fresh gathered during the 

 spring and summer. A mealworm, gentle, 

 small smooth green caterpillar, or spray with 

 green-fly blight, given in moderation, assists the 



SHOW CAGE FOR FINCHES. 



bird's condition and improves the bloom on the 

 plumage. A cage, similar to that illustrated on 

 page 48, 18 inches long, 13 inches high, and 10 

 inches deep, answers well. A suitable show cage 

 is illustrated on this page ; size, 12 inches long, 

 10 inches high, and 5 inches deep ; colour 

 inside hedge-sparrow-egg blue and black out- 



