486 FRINGILLIDE. 



ing on the hornbeam seeds -which have fallen to the ground, 

 the newly-cracked shells of which are to be seen in abundance 

 at their haunts ; the birds only separate at the approach of 

 the breeding season. I believe the male has no song Avorth 

 notice ; in warm days in March I have heard them, when a 

 number have been sitting together on a tree, uttering a few 

 notes in a soft tone, bearing some resemblance to those of 

 the Bullfinch;' 



A female in the possession of Mr. Bartlett sung the notes 

 of the Linnet ; but being afterwards hung out of doors, it 

 learned to imitate the song of a Blackbird, though but in- 

 differently ; on the occurrence of the autumn moult this sea- 

 son she discontinued her imitations of the Blackbird's song, 

 and seemed afterwards to have forgotten it. 



Mr. Doubleday remarks, "that although so common in his 

 neighbourhood, the Hawfinch is but little known, which is to 

 be attributed to its shy and retired habits." These birds 

 generally perch on the highest branches of a tree, or upon a 

 dead or naked bough, from whence they keep so good a look 

 out that it is very difficult to get near them. 



I have known a Hawfinch to be shot as near London as 

 Notting Hill, and two others were caught in that neighbour- 

 hood by a bat-fowling net. Mr. Jesse, in his instructive 

 Gleanings, says that this bird breeds about Roehampton, and 

 refers to one nest that was found in the grounds of Lord 

 Clifden, at the extremity of a branch of a horse-chestnut tree 

 near the lodge, and it has been known to build in other loca- 

 lities in Surrey but a few miles from London. Mr. H. L. 

 Meyer, the author of Coloured Illustrations of British Birds, 

 now in course of publication, gave me a specimen which was 

 shot near Esher. In Kent this species is observed to exist 

 in considerable numbers at Dartford, and about Maidstone. 

 Mr. Gould says that it is abundant on the estate of W. 

 Wells, Esq. at Rcdleaf, near Penshurst, that gentleman 



