300 MOUNTAIN FINCH. 



the rump. They feed on the ground upon vari- 

 ous grains and seeds, and where beech trees 

 abound, seem to prefer the mast, as the season 

 advances, to any other food. In such parts we 

 have known them frequent a few fruitful trees for 

 many weeks, until the supply most probably 

 began to fail. In winter they are frequently 

 caught in the common bird traps, and gins baited 

 with oats or grain ; and when the weather was 

 somewhat severe, we have seen them busily 

 engaged among the ricks in the farm yard, in 

 company with all the host of our small birds 

 which usually congregate there under similar 

 circumstances. The nidification of the Mountain 

 Finch is unknown to the British ornithologist, 

 but those of the Continent describe its nest aa 

 placed on fir trees, formed outwardly of moss, 

 and lined on the inside with wool and feathers. 

 The eggs resemble those of the Chaffinch or 

 Greenfinch. In distribution, the Mountain Finch 

 ranges chiefly in Northern Europe, extending 

 partially to the south, and there as ^a winter 

 visiter. By Temminck it is placed among the 

 birds of Japan. 



In summer, during the breeding season, the 

 head and back of this handsome bird are of a 

 deep bluish black, with the tints of the rest of 

 the plumage possessing great clearness. The bill 

 also becomes of a deeper blue. In the winter, 

 when the plumage has been again completed, 

 and it is in this state that it will be seen in 

 Britain, the head, cheeks, and back, are black, 



