182 BRITISH BIRDS' NESTS. 



HAWK, SPARROW. See SPARROW-HAWK. 



HAWFINCH. 



(Coccothraitstes vtilgaris.) 

 Order PASSERES ; Family FRINGILLID^ (FINCHES). 



Description of Parent Birds. Length about 

 seven inches. Bill of medium length, nearly conical, 

 very thick at the base, and of a dusky-blue colour. 

 Irides grey. Crown and sides of head dull yellow- 

 ish- or orange-brown ; back and sides of neck ash 

 colour. Back, smaller wing-coverts, and scapulars 

 chestnut-brown. Some of the middle wing-coverts 

 are white ; wing- quills black, glossed with blue ; 

 some of them are of curious appearance, suggesting 

 that they have been clipped at the tips so as to 

 form battleaxes or billhooks. Rump and upper 

 tail-coverts light orange-brown; tail-quills black, 

 the outer ones being tipped and to some extent 

 edged with white ; middle greyish-brown, tipped 

 with white. The feathers round the base of the 

 beak, eyes, and on the throat are black ; breast 

 and belly pale rust colour ; vent and under tail- 

 coverts dull white. Legs, toes, and claws pale 

 brown. 



The female is less brilliant, and her colours are 

 more mixed. 



Situation and Locality. In old lichen-covered 

 hawthorn bushes ; on the horizontal branches of 

 oaks, heads of pollards ; in holly bushes, firs, fruit 

 and other trees, at varying heights, in gardens, 

 orchards, timbered commons, and plantations, 

 pretty generally, though not commonly, in all 

 the counties of England. I have met with it 



