THE GOLDFINCH. 79 



I have already said that many of our conirostral 

 or hard-billed birds, as well as others of the den- 

 tirostral or insectivorous division of the Insessores 

 hitherto supposed to be constantly resident, at 

 least in the south of England, leave this coun- 

 try in considerable flocks about the beginning of 

 autumn, and return to it in diminished numbers 

 during the ensuing spring. It would be taxing 

 your patience too much if I were to transcribe 

 from my journal all the notes and records com- 

 mitted to paper within the last few years which 

 bear upon this particular subject ; such an inflic- 

 tion might test even your ornithological zeal too 

 severely, and would necessarily exceed the limits 

 of many letters ; but feeling, as I do, that the sub- 

 ject is one of more than common interest, I pro- 

 pose to select two well-known examples, which have 

 heretofore been supposed to be constant residents 

 in our island, the goldfinch and the pied wagtail ; 

 the one a hard-billed bird, the other soft-billed: 

 and an account of their migrations will be suffi- 

 cient to illustrate my theory, and perhaps compre- 

 hend as much as would prove interesting to you 

 on this subject. 



Of the departure of large flocks of goldfinches 

 in the autumn I have already spoken, a few, how- 

 ever, remain in different parts of the county 

 throughout the entire year, and in winter are 



