THE BRAMBLING. 143 



regular, winter visitant, and sometimes appears in 

 large flocks. The Rev. George Robinson, of 

 Tandragee, informed Thompson that one 25th 

 March he saw a flock of some thousands, unmixed, 

 so far as he observed, with any other species, in a 

 beech wood at Elm Park, County Armagh, where 

 they remained about a week. 



In the neighbourhood of London we have often 

 seen the Brambling in autumn along the banks of 

 Kingsbury Reservoir, where they appeared to be 

 attracted by the seeds of the bur mangold (Bidens 

 tripartite^, the knot-grass (Polygonum aviculare), 

 and the ^^^-^^^(Polygonumhydropiper), which 

 last-named is very common there, and is much liked 

 by small birds. Such numbers of these resort to 

 the banks of this reservoir in autumn, that we have 

 frequently seen half a dozen London birdcatchers 

 busily employed there with their nets all day long 

 in the month of October. The birds generally 

 caught are Larks, Greenfinches, Chaffinches, Gold- 

 finches, Linnets, and Redpolls, and, occasionally, 

 Twites, Bramblings, and Tree Sparrows. 



One of the most difficult birds to catch, when in 

 small parties, is the Brambling ; for this bird is so 



