BRITISH BIRDS' NESTS. 93 



GOLDFINCH. 



Description of Parent Birds. Length about five 

 inches. Bill rather short, nearly conical, whitish 

 at the base, and black at the tip. Forehead 

 and chin rich scarlet, divided by a line of black, 

 which passes from the base of the beak to the eyes. 

 Cheeks white. Crown and back of head black, 

 which descends on either side of the neck in a 

 narrowing band. Back and rump pale tawny-brown, 

 lightest on the back of the neck. Wing-coverts 

 black ; quills black, barred across with yellow, and 

 tipped with white. Upper tail-coverts grey, mixed 

 with tawny-brown ; quills black, marked with white 

 and buffy- white spots near their tips. Throat and 

 under parts white, tinged on the breast, sides, and 

 flanks with pale tawny-brown. Legs and toes pale 

 pinkish-white ; claws brown. 



The female is somewhat similar, but is said to 

 have a more slender beak, the red on her head to 

 be less in area, and often speckled with black, and 

 the smaller coverts of the wings to be dusky-brown 

 instead of black. 



Situation and Locality. In the fork of an apple, 

 pear, or other fruit-tree in gardens and orchards ; 

 on the boughs of chestnut and sycamore trees, 

 evergreens, and sometimes in thick hedgerows. 

 Sparingly throughout England, in some parts of 

 Scotland, and widely, though not numerously, in 

 Ireland. 



Materials. Moss, fine roots, dry grass straws, 

 bits of wool, lichens, and spiders' webs, lined with 

 feathers, willow down, and hairs. It is a neat 

 little cup-shaped structure, the materials of which 

 depend to some extent upon what the bird may 

 find lying around. 



