BIRDS 



51. Greenfinch. Ligurinus ch/oris (L\nn.). 



A common resident, building in shrubs, 

 hedges and bushes, about the middle of April, 

 usually raising two broods, and sometimes 

 three. Rather tiresome in gardens. 



52. Hawfinch. Coccothraustes vulgaris, Pallas. 

 A resident, not uncommon, but little 



noticed owing to its shyness. The young 

 birds, however, do not seem shy when they 

 have found out the green peas. Breeds in 

 May, building its nest at some height in an 

 old apple or other tree, and only raising one 

 brood. 



53. Goldfinch. Carduelis elegcim, Stephens. 

 A resident, not uncommon, but much per- 

 secuted by bird-catchers. Fortunately for it- 

 self, its habit is to build its nest in tall trees, 

 often apple trees ; the eggs are laid about the 

 middle of May, and a second brood is often 

 reared in September. Large flocks cross the 

 Channel. 



54. Siskin. Carduelis spinus (Linn.). 

 Breeds not uncommonly in northern Britain, 



but with us is a winter visitor in small num- 

 bers, most commonly seen by stream sides 

 where alders are plentiful. Crosses the North 

 Sea in some numbers on migration. 



55. House-Sparrow. Passer domcsticus [h'mn.). 

 A common and tiresome resident, having 



now attached itself to man as a parasite, like 

 the rat and mouse. Its food has been ascer- 

 tained, by Mr. J. H. Gurney and his friends, 

 by careful dissections on a large scale, to 

 consist largely of corn (75 per cent, for the 

 year), and its supposed usefulness in destroy- 

 ing insects has been at the same time shown 

 to have little foundation in fact. 



56. Tree-Sparrow. Passer montanus (Linn.). 

 A resident, fairly common, breeding in 



holes of trees and hovel roofs in early April, 

 often raising a second or third brood. Crosses 

 the North Sea on migration. 



57. Chaffinch. Fringilla coelebs, Linn. 



A common resident, its numbers being 

 augmented during the winter by migration. 

 Builds an exquisitely beautiful nest in April, 

 and usually raises a second brood. A very 

 useful bird, on the whole, in gardens, owing 

 to its fondness for chickweed, groundsel and 

 plantain seeds. 



58. Brambling. Fringilla montifringilla, Linn. 

 A winter visitor of irregular occurrence, 



breeding in the northern parts of Europe. 

 Owing to its partiality for beech mast, it is 

 seldom seen (possibly it comes, but does not 



remain) when beech masts are barren, and is 

 chiefly noticed in beech woods. Sometimes 

 very abundant. 



59. Linnet. Linota cannahina {hinn.). 



A common resident, breeding in April, 

 building its nest in hedges, bushes, and ever- 

 greens, and often rearing two broods ; enor- 

 mous flocks may be seen on stubble fields and 

 commons during the winter, their numbers 

 being augmented, no doubt, by immigration. 



60. Mealy Redpoll. Linota linaria (Linn.). 

 A rare winter visitor of irregular occurrence. 



Breeds in Iceland and arctic Europe. It has 

 been four times obtained in Northamptonshire, 

 but has, no doubt, occurred much more fre- 

 quently. 



61. Lesser Redpoll. Linota rufescens [VieiWot). 

 A resident in small numbers, breeding in 



most parts of the county, building its nest in 

 high hedges. I have seen four or five sets of 

 eggs taken in Northamptonshire. In the 

 winter it is much more abundant, by im- 

 migration from the northern counties, and 

 may sometimes be met with in comparatively 

 large flocks, but generally amongst alders and 

 willows by stream sides. 



62. Twite. Linota fiavirostris (Linn.). 



An irregular winter visitor from Scotland 

 and the north of England, where it nests on 

 the ground amongst heather. Usually found 

 with us in flocks in the more open country. 



63. Bullfinch. Pyrrhula europeea, Vieillot. 

 A fairly common resident, haunting thickets 



and shrubberies, where it breeds, nesting in 

 the end of April, and often raising two broods. 

 Often very injurious to plum, gooseberry and 

 currant buds (but the sparrow is just as bad in 

 this way, and does not always get the blame 

 it deserves) ; it may easily be kept away by a 

 miniature windmill. Otherwise the bullfinch 

 does good in gardens, as it is a great eater of 

 such seeds as those of the dock, plantain and 

 groundsel. A jet-black bullfinch was caught 

 at Old Duston in 1894. 



64. Crossbill. Loxia curvirostra, Linn. 



An irregular winter visitor in small numbers 

 from Scandinavia. A good many instances of 

 its occurrence in Northants may be found in 

 Lilford (i. 203-206), and since the publication 

 of that work several further occurrences (in 

 1898) are to be found reported in the North- 

 amptonshire Nat. Hist. Soc. Journ. for 1899. 



65. Corn-Bunting. Emberiza miliaria, Linn. 

 Resident all over the county, but nowhere, 



as far as I have seen, plentiful enough to be 



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