116 THE BIRDS OF SHERWOOD FOREST. 
interrupted by this natural note, while at others it would 
sing for a long time without giving vent to it. 
Variations of the sparrow’s plumage are not uncom- 
mon, being chiefly interminglings of white. In Decem- 
ber, 1859, one was shot at Ollerton which had the whole 
of the plumage white, the head and back merely having 
a slight tinge of brown, giving the white on those parts 
a dirty appearance. 
I have seen a singular place selected for the nest of the 
sparrow—viz., the ornamental iron brackets supporting 
the roof over the platforms of several of the stations on 
the Liverpool and Manchester Railway, and where they 
seemed quite unconcerned by the passage of the trains. 
The Greenfinch (Fringilla chloris) is a common bird 
with us in the summer, chiefly frequenting the cultivated 
districts, but in winter it is less abundant, or at least ap- 
parently so, and I have seldom seen it congregating in 
large flocks as the linnet does. 
The vocal powers of the green linnet, as it is locally 
called, are very limited ; its ordinary note, uttered chiefly 
when perching on the topmost spray of a hedge, is 
rather a melancholy one, and Meyer very correctly repre- 
sents it by the word “tway.” It is a shy bird, and at 
once flies off on your approach, or betakes itself to the 
tops of the trees, from whence they soon descend when 
the danger is past. It builds a neat nest, which is 
generally well concealed in a bush or hedge. 
I have had the pleasure of meeting with the Hawfinch 
(F’. coccothraustes) several times, but chiefly in the 
winter. The last occasion was in the winter of 1859-60, 
when a small party of four made their appearance in the 
shrubberies of Rufford Abbey. They arrived at the 
beginning of November, and remained for several 
