480 FRINGILLID.E. 



arched ; lower mandible nearly as large as the upper, its cutting edges inflected, 

 and shutting witiiin those of the upper. Nostrils basal, lateral, oblique, oval, 

 nearly hidden by the short feathers at the base of the beak. Wings long, rather 

 powerful, the second and third quill-feathers of nearly equal length, and rather 

 longer than the first. Legs with the tarsi short, not exceeding the length of the 

 middle toe ; the outer toe longer than the inner one ; claws sharp and curved, 

 the hind toe and claw broad and strong. Tail short, and more or less forked. 



The Greenfinch, or Green Grosbeak, as it is very com- 

 monly called from the great size of its beak, is one of our 

 most common birds, and remains in this country throughout 

 the year, changing its ground occasionally only to obtain 

 a sheltered situation in severe weather. It frequents gardens, 

 orchards, shrubberies, small woods, and cultivated lands, 

 where these birds may be seen actively employed, sometimes 

 on the ground, at other times in tall hedges, or among the 

 branches of trees, searching for grain, seeds, or insects, to 

 satisfy their appetite. The notes of this bird are harsh 

 and monotonous, but it occasionally utters a few that may be 

 called melodious ; and, like many others of the Finches, when 

 kept in confinement, it endeavours to imitate the song of any 

 birds kept in the same room, and without many qualities to 

 recommend it as a cage bird, it soon becomes tame and re- 

 conciled to its prison. 



It is said to be rather a late breeder ; but its nest may 

 frequently be found towards the end of April in low bushes 

 or hedges, and sometimes in trees. The nest is composed 

 on the outside of coarse fibrous roots, with bits of wool and 

 green moss interwoven, lined with finer roots, horse-hair, and 

 feathers. The eggs are from four to six in number, white, 

 tinged with blue, the larger end spotted and speckled with 

 purplish grey and dark brown ; the length nine lines and a 

 half, by six lines and a half in breadth. 



The young birds are fed for a time with insects and soft 

 vegetable substances, and as the season advances these little 

 families unite, and, flocking with Buntings and Finches, 



