176 CHAFFINCH. 



local; for I neither obtained its nest, nor had its well-known eggs 

 brought tome, although in winter the bird is very common. Captain 

 S. G. Reid obtained it on the coast of Morocco ; but in that country 

 and in Algeria the representative inland species is F. spodiogenys, the 

 male of which has a bluish-grey head and nape, greenish back, and 

 under parts of a vinaceous white, while the female is much greyer than 

 our bird. JSIr. R. B. Sharpe distinguishes the Madeiran Chaffinch as 

 F. maderensis, and those of the Azores {F. viorddi) and the Canaries 

 {F. tintillon) as merely subspecies ; but the dark grey F. teydea, 

 found on the Peak of Teneriffe, is perfectly distinct. In winter our 

 Chaffinch occurs in Egypt ; it breeds on Hermon and Lebanon, and 

 in the forest region of Persia ; while it has been found as far east as 

 Omsk in Sibejia. 



The nest, almost too well known to need description, is generally 

 placed at a moderate height from the ground, in a fork of the lower 

 branches of a tree or in a bush, and is artfully composed of wool, 

 green moss, lichens and other substances felted together, with a 

 lining of hair and feathers. The eggs, 4-6 in number, are usually 

 of a pale greenish-blue, clouded with reddish- and spotted with 

 purplish-brown, but occasionally they are unspotted blue : average 

 measurements '8 by '6 in. Two broods are generally reared in the 

 season. The call-note is the familiar spink, spink, spink, to which 

 the bird owes one of its many local names, but the song varies much 

 in different localities, one of the commonest renderings being toll-toll, 

 pretty-little, dc-dr. Both young and old feed largely on insects and 

 on the seeds of weeds, so that in spite of a little pilfering of fruit, 

 vegetables and newly-sown seeds, the Chaffinch may be considered 

 as one of the gardener's best friends. 



Adult male in spring : forehead black ; crown and nape bluish- 

 grey; back reddish-brown ; rump yellowish-green ; upper wing-coverts 

 white, greater coverts black, tipped with yellowish-white, forming two 

 conspicuous bars ; quills dull brown, slightly fringed with greenish- 

 white ; central tail-feathers dark grey, the rest black, with broad 

 white patches on the two exterior pairs ; cheeks, throat and under 

 parts rich reddish-brown, paler on the belly ; bill bluish-lead ; legs 

 dull brown. Length 6 in. ; wing 3-4 in. In autumn the bill is 

 brownish, and the head is tinged with rufous. Female : head and 

 back light yellowish-brown ; breast pale yellowish -grey. Young : 

 similar to the female, but with paler tints at first ; the males, how- 

 ever, begin to show brighter colours within a fortnight. 



