BIRDS 



examined in the flesh by the late Lord Lilford, 

 and exhibited after it was mounted at meet- 

 ings of the Linnean and Norfolk Naturalists' 

 Societies. 



66. Chaffinch, Fringilla ceelebt, Linn. 

 This charming bird is a resident, but, as 



previously pointed out, very many come as 

 winter migrants with the bramblings. It is 

 often spoken of simply as the ' finch.' 



67. Brambling. Fringilla montiJringilla,Liinn. 

 A winter migrant, sometimes so numerous 



that the beech woods are literally alive with 

 them. When a flock of small birds feeding 

 on beech-mast is disturbed, the bramblings 

 are easily recognized as they fly up by their 

 white backs. It has no local name, but 

 allusion is often made to ' them little foreign 

 finches.' The brambling sometimes remains 

 till the middle of April, when the cock birds 

 begin to assume the black head and back of 

 the summer plumage, and occasionally a bird 

 is shot with more or less black on the throat. 

 It has never been known to nest in England 

 except in captivity, and is a handsome addition 

 to an aviary. 



68. Linnet. Linota cannabina (Linn.) 

 Locally, Grey Linnet, Red Linnet. 



A common resident, breeding abundantly 

 on furze commons, also in road-side hedges 

 and even in gardens. It breeds at least twice 

 in a year, and sometimes lays perfectly white 

 eggs. 



69. Mealy Redpoll. Linota linaria (Linn.) 

 A rather scarce winter migrant, larger and 



greyer than the lesser redpoll. 



70. Lesser Redpoll. Linota ra/^f«w (Vieillot) 

 A resident, though its numbers are in- 

 creased in winter, when it is often to be seen 

 on alders in company with siskins. It builds 

 an exquisite little nest lined with willow- 

 down, and its eggs are easily recognized by 

 their small size and blue ground-colour. 



71. Twite. Linota Jlavirostris (Linn.) 



A winter migrant, sometimes occurring 

 near the coast in large flocks. It is a smaller 

 bird than the linnet, with more yellow on the 

 bill, and no red on the head. 



72. Bullfinch. Pyrrhula europtea^ Vieillot. 

 Loealfy, Olf. 



The cock bullfinch, often called a ' blood- 

 olf ' from his bright red breast, is one of our 

 handsomest small birds. This resident species 

 is often seen in pairs during the winter, and 



in early spring is rather troublesome in 

 gardens, but a few explosions of powder in an 

 old muzzle-loader will often keep it away 

 altogether, while a charge of shot fired at a 

 bullfinch in a plum or apple tree will do fiu: 

 more damage than the bird itself. It is a 

 strong hardy bird, quite well able to bear severe 

 weather, as it can always find buds of some 

 sort and is one of the few birds which feed 

 on ' hips,' as the berries of the dog-rose and 

 sweet-briar are called. No bird is a greater 

 favourite as a cage-bird with cottagers, and a 

 brood of young ' olfs ' is reared with the 

 greatest care. There is a large northern 

 race or species of bullfinch (P. major), of 

 which the cock has a paler grey back and a 

 still brighter red breast than our bird. It has 

 once been shot in Norfolk, and once plainly 

 seen in Suflfolk, but ' Russian bullfinches ' are 

 now imported in such numbers that there is 

 at least a likelihood of both these being 

 escaped birds. 



Dr. Babington records for what they are 

 worth a few occurrences of the pine grosbeak 

 (P. enucleator), but adds that ' the above 

 quoted instances appear to be doubtftil' and 

 his remark seems to be much to the point. 



73. Crossbill. Loxia curvirostra, Linn. 

 Locally, Robin-Hawk. 



A well known species whose migrations are 

 almost as irregular and uncertain as those of 

 the waxwing. In some years, as in 1867-8, 

 and again in 1888-9, .the bird-stuffers' 

 shops have been full of crossbills in every 

 variety of plumage, but a man who brought 

 some into Bury in 1888 remarked that he 

 had seen none for twenty years. In 1889 

 several nests were found containing eggs, of 

 which full details are given in the Birds 

 of Norfolk (iii. 390, 391). There was a 

 smaller migration in 1898 in the late sum- 

 mer, and some were shot in Norfolk as early 

 as August, the birds being so tame that in 

 one place they were killed with a catapult. 

 The crossbill is a very early breeder, having 

 eggs in March even in Scotland, where it 

 breeds regularly. The Marge, stout-billed 

 race, formerly distinguished as the parrot- 

 crossbill [Loxia pityopsittacus),' mentioned in- 

 cidentally by Mr. Saunders [Manual, p. 202), 

 has occurred in Suffolk more than once. A 

 very fine red male of this form shot near 

 Bury in December, 1888, measured nearly 

 ^\ inches in length in the flesh, and is in the 

 Tostock rectory collection. 



74. Two-barred Crossbill. Loxia bifasciata 



(C. L. Brehm) 

 A very rare visitant from the north-east. 



187 



