82 The Oologisfs' Record, December i, 1921. 



no trace of green ; surface markings are large and pale rufous and 

 chestnut, the shell spots being a very pale maroon and reddish- 

 purple. 



One frequently comes across eggs with green rings near the 

 smaller end, due to some abnormality in the pigmentation, and if 

 one egg in a set is so marked one usually finds that two or three 

 eggs in that set are all similarly affected. To conclude a very 

 lengthy article, this bird is one of the commonest residents in the 

 Coastal Plain, besides which it is strongly reinforced in winter by 

 large migratory flocks. In the summer I have noted them feeding 

 freely on the seeds of borage, thistles, hawkweeds, dandelions 

 and various kinds of large daisies. 



Palestine Goldfinch — Carduelis carduelis niedecki. 



This exceedingly handsome little bird and rich songster breeds 

 freely throughout Palestine, though it is far more common in the 

 Coastal Plain than in the Judean and other hills. It is a resident^ 

 but large migratory flocks also winter in the country. In the hills 

 I have found nests up to 2,500 feet, and the trees selected have 

 been fig, olive and pomegranate ; whereas in the plains, the almond 

 groves are the chief favourites, while nests are not uncommon in 

 the smaller eucalyptus and in the lemon trees and are iound more 

 rarely in the bushy orange trees. The following table of a few 

 recorded breeding sites is interesting : — 



Coastal Plain. 



1918. 1920. 



Almond 12 ... 24 



Leafy bush ... ... ... i ... — 



Bramble cover ... ... i ... — 



Orange tree ... ... ... i ...' 8 



Eucalyptus ... ... ... — ... 8 



Lemon ... ... ... • — ... 5 



The usual height for nests is from 8 to 12 feet above the ground, 

 though some in almond, olive and lemon trees have been higher, 

 and one in an olive tree in the foothills was at least 20 feet. A 

 few nests also have been found very low, and one placed in the 

 foliage of the stump of an orange tree was barely a foot above the 

 ground. 



Many nests may be found in a single almond grove, and the 

 birds seem to have no preference as to whether they build at the 



