28 BRITISH BIRDS' NESTS. 



Eggs. Four to six, generally five. Pale green- 

 ish-blue, generally suffused with faint reddish- 

 brown and spotted and streaked with dirty reddish- 

 brown of various shades. Occasionally specimens 

 are met with suffused with purplish-buff all over, 

 or of a uniform pale greenish-blue without mark- 

 ings of any kind. Size about .75 by .58 in. (See 

 Plate II.) 



Time. April, May, June, and July. 



Remarks. Resident, and partially migratory. 

 I have noticed that the cocks, almost without 

 exception, leave the Yorkshire dales in winter. 

 Notes : spink-spink, yack-yack, treef-treef. Its song 

 is a joyous, ringing trill. Local and other names : 

 Bullspink, Scobby, Skelly, Spink, Twink, Pink, 

 Shellapple, Shelly, Sniffer, Wet Bird, Buckfinch, 

 Beechfinch, Whitefinch, Copperfinch, Horsefmch. 

 A very close sitter. I have seen the bird's tail 

 pulled out by a lad attempting to catch the hen 

 on her nest ; yet, quite undaunted, she returned, 

 hatched out her five eggs, and reared her young. 

 The male bird helps the female to feed the 

 chicks both in the nest and after they are fledged. 



YOUNG CHAFFINCH. 



