THE BRAMBLING 4 97 
fanciers, without going so far as their German brethren, profess 
to distinguish three variations of song in the Chaffinch. 
The nest of the Chaffinch is an exquisite piece of workmanship, 
composed of moss, dry grass, fine roots felted together with wool, 
decorated externally with scraps of white lichens, and lined with 
hair and feathers. It is placed sometimes in the fork of a tree, 
sometimes against the bole, but more frequently than anywhere 
else it is built in among the twigs of an apple-tree ; but in every 
case it is attached to its support by wool interwoven with the other 
materials. The Chaffinch usually lays five eggs. 
THE BRAMBLING 
FRINGILLA MONTIFRING{LLA 
Head, cheeks, nape, and upper part of the back, black, the feathers (in winter) 
tipped with light brown or ash-grey; neck and scapulars pale 
orange-brown ; wings black, variegated with orange-brown and white ; 
rump and lower parts white, the flanks reddish, with a few dark spots. 
Female—crown reddish brown, the feathers tipped with grey, a black 
streak over the eyes; cheeks and neck ash-grey; all the other 
colours less bright. Length six inches andahalf. Eggs yellowish white, 
spotted and streaked with dark red. 
In winter this bird occurs over the whole continent of Europe, 
and not unfrequently in enormous flocks. Pennant mentions 
an instance in which eighteen were killed at one shot—a statement 
which I can well believe, having seen in the winter of 1853 by far 
the largest flock of small birds I ever beheld, and which was composed 
entirely of Bramblings. They were employed in searching for 
food on the ground in a beech wood, and, as I approached, flew 
up into the branches in thousands. The Brambling, called also 
the Bramble Finch and Mountain Finch, is a fairly regular autumn 
and winter visitor to many parts of Scotland. Its presence in our 
country in any numbers depends on the. severity of the weather 
on the Continent. Sometimes it is fairly numerous with us, 
especially where there are many beech woods. Few visit Ireland. 
It resembles the Chaffinch in‘habits, size, and general tone of colour ; 
and as it often feeds in company with it, is probably sometimes con- 
founded with it by an inexperienced eye. It arrives in this country 
in November, and takes its departure early in spring, never having 
been known to breed here. Its song is said to be something like 
that of the Chaffinch, and its nest, built in fir-trees, to be constructed 
with the same marvellous art. : 
B.B, b= 
