t64 hawfinch. 



Minor, it is a more abundant resident species. In North-western 

 India we find Mr. Sharpe's new and paler species, C. hwnii, while a 

 slightly different subspecies, C. japoniciis, inhabits Eastern Siberia, 

 North China and Japan. In Morocco the Hawfinch is rare ; but 

 it breeds sparingly in Algeria, and has wandered to Egypt and 

 Palestine. 



The nest, built early in May, is generally placed in trees over- 

 grown with grey lichens, such as old hawthorns, apple- and pear- 

 trees ; the horizontal branches of oaks, beeches and spruce firs, the 

 heads of pollarded hornbeams, and holly bushes are also selected. 

 It is a rather flat structure, built of twigs mixed with more or less 

 grey lichen, and lined with fine roots and a little hair. The eggs, 

 4-6 in num-ber, are pale olive- or bluish-green, spotted and streaked 

 irregularly with dark olive- and greyish-brown : average measure- 

 ments -98 in. by 72 in. Only one brood is reared in the season, but 

 if the first nest is interfered with, another is built. The young are 

 fed largely on caterpillars, but afterwards the food of this species 

 consists of peas, the kernels of cherry-stones (which are crushed by 

 the powerful bill), and especially of the seeds of the hornbeam and 

 other trees, beechmast, haws and similar berries. In winter small 

 parties and even flocks are formed, and a certain amount of 

 movement — hardly to be called migration — takes place. The 

 song is short and poor ; the call-note is a prolonged whistle 

 repeated four times. 



Adult male in summer : lores and a narrow frontal line connect- 

 ing them, and also the throat, deep black ; head orange-brown ; 

 nape grey ; back dull brown, paler on the rump and tail-coverts ; 

 upper wing-coverts blackish, followed by a line of white which turns 

 to brown on the secondaries; quills black, with white patches on the 

 inner webs and with steel-blue tips, which, from the fifth inwards, 

 are jagged; tail-coverts orange-brown, .and very long; tail-feathers 

 black at the bases and dark on the outer webs, ends white ; under 

 parts vinous-brown ; bill dull black at tip, leaden-blue at base ; legs 

 and feel flesh-colour. Length 7 in. ; wing nearly 4 in. Female : less 

 orange-brown on the head and duller in colour. In winter the bill 

 in both sexes is pale horn-colour. The young bird has the head 

 and cheeks yellowish-brown ; mantle mottled-brown ; under parts 

 dirty white, spotted and barred with dark brown ; throat white, 

 tinged with yellow ; bill olive. By August black feathers appear on 

 the throat. 



