70 A PRACTICAL HANDBOOK OF BRITISH BIRDS. 



Measurements and structure. — ^ wing 77-82 mm., tail 50-57, 

 tarsus 16-17, bill from skull 10-11 (12 measured). $ wing 75-79. 

 Primaries : 1st minute and hidden, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th about equal 

 and longest, 5th 4 mm. shorter ; 3rd, 4th, and 5th emarginated 

 outer webs. Longest secondary equal to 9th primary. Tail fairly 

 deeply forked. Bill thick and deep at base, tapering sharply to 

 point. Nostrils covered with short bristle-like feathers, and 

 similar ones at gape. 



Soft parts. — Bill dark brown with greyish base to lower 

 mandible ; legs and feet dark brownish-flesh ; iris black-brown. 



Characters and allied forms. — C. c. meadewaldoi (western 

 Canaries), C. c. harterti (eastern Canaries), C. c. mediterranea 

 (Mediterranean countries), C. c. nana (Madeira), and C. c. fringilli- 

 rostris (Asia Minor, Persia, Turkestan) differ in measurements and 

 in coloration, but are generally brighter and males more crimson 

 on breast. Twite is darker, rufous-bufif unstriped throat, less 

 white on tail, yellow bill ; males with crimson on rump, not head 

 or breast. Redpolls lack white on tail and primaries and have 

 black chins and yellowish bills. 



Field-characters. — ^Larger than Twite and Redpolls, dark 

 brown bill, white margins of tail and white wing-bars especially 

 noticeable in male ; in flight, head markedly grey in contrast 

 with warm brown of general plumage. Like aUies, gregarious from 

 winter to spring, but more exclusive than some other Finches. 

 Flocks, sometimes hundreds strong, roam country in search of 

 seeds, gathered mainly on ground on stubble and waste-places. 

 When alarmed and when changing ground flocks proceed with 

 rapid undulating flight, and maintain incessant twitter. On 

 sunny days they often babble in chorus from some tree-top. In 

 breeding-season gorse-covered commons much affected, and male 

 — then crimson on fore-head and breast — often sings — a warbling 

 elaboration of the twitter — from top of some bush, and at times 

 saUies into the air for a few feet, descending singing with flut- 

 tering wings and outspread tail. A soft " tew-ee " is uttered at 

 times. 



Breeding - habits. — Prefers commons and thickets of gorse, 

 bramble, and thorn-bushes, but also commonly in hedgerows 

 and young plantations. Also locally in marram-grass on sandy 

 coasts. Shows tendency to breed socially, but many nests 

 are isolated. Nest. — Generally low down, only few feet from 

 ground, and sometimes actually on it, built of stalks, bents, 

 moss, and sometimes twigs ; lined hair, wool, and sometimes 

 down or feathers. Eggs. — 4-6, occasionally 7, pale bluish or 

 bluish-white in ground-colour, with spots and occasional streaks 

 of purplish-red. White and blue varieties without markings also 

 occur. Size variable: average of 100 eggs, 18.12 x 13.10mm. 

 Breeding-season. — From mid -April onwards, and as two or three 



