6 BRITISH BIRDS' NESTS. 



greater coverts black, tipped with greyish- white, 

 which forms a bar across the wing-quills, dusky. 

 Rump white, upper tail-coverts and tail-quills black. 

 Cheeks, breast, and belly tile-red. Vent and under 

 tail-coverts white. Legs and toes flesh colour; 

 claws brown. 



The female has the black on the head, wings, 

 and tail not so intense ; her nape and back are 

 greyish-brown, and breast, belly, and under-parts 

 dirty brown. 



Situation and Locality. In the lower branches 

 of trees, the tops of high bushes, in thick, quick- 

 set hedges and thickets in suitable localities through- 

 out the British Isles ; rarer towards the extreme 

 north of Scotland and in Ireland. The one repre- 

 sented in our illustration was situated in a thick 

 Surrey wood. 



Materials. Small twigs and fibrous roots, inter- 

 laced so as to form, as a rule, a broad and flat 

 platform, in the centre of which is the cup-shaped 

 recess lined with fine fibrous roots and sometimes 

 a little wool, hair, or a few feathers. 



Eggs. Four to six. Pale greenish-blue, spotted, 

 speckled, and sometimes streaked with dark purplish- 

 brown, and with underlying blotches of brownish- 

 pink. The markings generally form a zone round 

 the large end of the egg. Size about '17 by 

 57 in. 



Time. April, May, June, and July. 



Remarks. Resident. Notes : call, soft, plaintive, 

 and frequently-uttered ; song, feeble and low. Male 

 ceases to sing as soon as eggs have been laid. 

 Local and other names : Beechfinch, Horsefinch, 

 Pink, Twink, Olph, Nope, Red Hoop, Alp, Hoop. 

 Sits very closely indeed. 



