402 



THE CHAFFINCH. 



in itself. In winter the males fly in flocks ; the females keep 

 by themselves in groups. Linnaeus says — " All their hen 

 chaffinches migrate through Holland into Italy before winter," 

 so, as many of our migratory birds fly in sexes, I think our 

 native chaffinches are augmented from the north of Europe in 

 winter. I have heard it sing in February, along with the 

 blackbird, mavis, and lark, and have got their eggs in March, 

 but the usual time is April. The first brood flies in May, the 

 second in July. Its nest is the most compact and closely 

 woven of all our birds' nests, and comparatively the smallest ; 

 found on every kind of tree or shrub, or amongst ivy, even on 

 the top of a stake. Cowper wrote a poem a hundred years ago 

 on one found in a block on a "gabert's mast" in May 1793. 

 The hen sat on her eggs, while the vessel sailed from Greenock 

 to Glasgow, the cock following. They prefer old moss-grown 

 apple or pear trees when in gardens. The outside is stuck over 

 with bits of lichens or moss to resemble the place where the 

 compact cup is woven — for it is not built. I have got them 

 only 3 inches in diameter by 2J deep outside, and only If by 

 If deep inside. On April 10th, 1858, I measured one in a 

 garden here — 3| by 2J outside, and 2J by If deep inside ; 

 another on April 27th, 1861, on an old white birch tree at 

 Tentsmuir— 3£ by 2|, and 2J by If deep inside. But I got 

 one on a branch of a withered spruce, composed of twigs and 

 dry grass, like the branch, and so like a green linnet's that I 

 was surprised to find five chaffinch's eggs, and saw the bird. 

 I shall describe some typical ones I took to pieces. One amongst 

 ivy at the Priory had the outside and first layer composed of 

 lichens and moss sewn and cemented with spiders' webs and 

 hairs — some from ladies' tresses were 17 inches long. The whole 

 framework was interwoven with feathers, thistledown, hair, 

 thread, wool, bits of worsted, paper ; and lined inside with 

 feathers, hair, and thistledown. Another I got in a thorn at 

 Kinglassie had a thicker layer of moss, lichens, and down, but 

 less hair — yet surprising the number of human hairs, considering 

 the nearest house was one and a half miles away. There was 

 rabbits' fur in this one, besides hair, wool, thistledown, and 

 feathers — there being plenty of rabbits there, but none at the 

 Priory. Another at Tentsmuir, April 27th, 1861, was composed 

 of moss and lichens, interwoven with wool — the wool through 

 the whole frame, with a few fine roots and twigs — proof of a 

 sheep walk. It was close and compact, the outside stuck over 

 with light-blue lichen — chips (from the birch trees) which 



