THE PEECHING BIBDS. 133 



The oriole is very shy, so that it is seldom seen. It hides in the 

 dense foliage of the largest trees, whence it pours out its liquid, dulcet 

 notes in a short, but indescribably sweet song. Unfortunately it 

 does not thrive in captivity, for it would make a most handsome addition 

 to the aviary. 



Our next family is the Fringillidae , the finches, whdch is a large one, 

 including a great many sub-families. 



Not counting the sparrow, fohe commonest of these is the redpole 

 two species of which occur. These are Linota linaria and L. canescens. ( 

 They make good pets. 



Often found associating with the little flocks of redpoles are the 

 rose-finches, two species of which are common in North China. These 

 are Carpodacus roseus and C. erythrinus. These beautiful birds, have 

 the- plumage on the body of a brown colour, washed with rose, which 

 gets more and more intense with age. The feathers of the head are 

 like the petals 1 of some small pink flower, hence the Chinese name 

 "Mei-hua-tou" (Kose flower head). C. pulcherrimus is another! species 

 of rose-finch, which is very rare. 



Three species of hawfinch are common in the northern provinces, 

 two others occuring further south. The common hawfinch (Coccoth- 

 raustes japonicus) closely resembles the British species. 



The other two, which belong to a different genus, are larger than 

 the common species, with longer tails and even heavier bills. These 

 are the large-billed hawfinch (Eophona magnirostra) and the black- 

 headed hawfinch (E. migratoria). The Chinese value all these birds 

 as trick-birds, and may frequently be seen in the streets with their 

 pets tied to perches. Indeed the large-billed hawfinch shows a remark- 

 able degree of intelligence. 



The greenfinch is represented in China by the Chinese 

 greenfinch, or golden wing (Chloris sinica), which as its 

 name suggests is remarkable chiefly for the large amount of bright 

 golden yellow on the wings. It is a little greyish -green bird, the 

 maturer specimens being washed with golden-brown on the breast and 

 lower back. This bird has a pretty little song, and makes a good pet. 

 Another nearly related species is the siskin (Chrysomitris spinus), a 

 little green bird, which is less common in North China than the fore- 

 going species. It may be distinguished by it's narrow bill and greener 

 colour. 



A common bird in the more mountainous regions is the brambling 

 (Fringilla montifringilla) . This is a bright, perky little fellow, not 

 unlike the chaffinch. It has a red-brown breast, with head and back 



