94 A PRACTICAL HANDBOOK OF BRITISH BIRDS. 



Soft parts. — Bill lead-blue, dark tip and whitish under lower 

 mandible (^ summer), whitish-brown with dark tip (^ winter), 

 bro'WTi, paler under ($ and juvenile) ; legs and feet pale brown ; 

 iris brown. 



Characters and allied forms. — Males of F. c. spodiogenys 

 (Tunis), F. c. africana (Algeria, southern Maroeco), and F. c. 

 koenigi (north Maroeco) differ from typical form in having green 

 mantles, while males of the forms in Canaries, Madeira, and Azores 

 have slate-blue mantles, but females of all these forms much 

 resemble those of typical form. Wliite tail-feathers and white 

 double wing-bars are distinctive specific characters. 



Field-characters. — Its lively yet confiding disposition renders 

 it easy to appreciate distinctive characters of plumage at short 

 range. In flight, which is markedly undulating, both sexes, but 

 male especially, appear to have white shoulders, and white patches 

 on outer tail-feathers are conspicuous. Usual call -note " pink, 

 pink," but in spring male has another cry, a clear, loud " whit " ; 

 and during breeding - season both sexes utter a Sparrow-like 

 " chissick." In winter Chaffinches flock, often with Bramblings, 

 Greenfinches, Sparrows, and Yellowhammers. At this season they 

 utter a soft " tsup, tsup " when taking flight. Rattling song is 

 happily rendered : " In another month will come a Wheatear." 



Breeding-habits. — Breeds in hedge-rows, gardens, and small 

 trees, as a rule, generally at no great height. Nest. — Grasses, 

 roots, wool, moss, etc., decorated externally with lichens, some- 

 times fragments of birch-bark or paper, neatly lined hair and 

 sometimes a feather or two. Well and compactly built ; lichens 

 fastened together by spiders' webs. Eggs. — ^Usually 4-5, occa- 

 sionally 6, 7 also recorded. Ground-colour generally greenish to 

 brownish stone-colour, exceptionally ranging into clear blue or 

 light olive, with spots and streaks of very dark purplish-brown, 

 spots usually with a " penumbra." Some have only light brown 

 cloudings, others are immarked or have a few black streaks and 

 spots. Average of 100 eggs, 19.3 X 14.6 mm. Breeding-season. — 

 Begins mid -April (exceptionally earlier), most eggs laid May ; 

 usually second brood late in May or June. Incubation. — Lasts 

 usually 12 days, but said to vary from II to 14 days. Chiefly 

 performed by hen; male said also to take part. 



Food. — Insects (lepidoptera and larvae, larvae of hymenoptera, 

 aphides, orthoptera, and small coleoptera) : fruit-buds, fruit, com, 

 and weeds of many species as well as garden-seeds and seedlings. 



Distribution. — British Isles. — Resident. Abundant and widely 

 distributed, nesting in Orkneys but not Shetlands, nor probably 

 0. Hebrides, where only a visitor. 



Migrations. — British Isles. — Our residents flock in winter and 



