66 THE FINCHES 



[178 mm.]. (PI. 18.) The female is paler, and easily distinguished even in the 

 fledgling stage from the male by the ash-grey on the outer webs of the secondaries, 

 and the distal half of the primaries. The fledgling differs in 

 having the crown and nape sepia-brown, no black on the throat, 

 underparts yellowish white spotted with dark brown, rump tawny. 

 Later the throat becomes bright sulphur yellow with a dusky 

 border, then black, beginning in the centre ; crown and nape 

 Fig. 4. yellowish brown, the back as in the adult but paler, breast pale 

 tawny brown, remaining in some specimens dusky white with 

 black tips, giving the appearance of bars. [w. P. P.] 



2. Distribution. Palaearctic : the typical form is somewhat locally dis- 

 tributed in suitable localities throughout the greater part of Europe, but does 

 not reach high latitudes, and is replaced in North- West Africa by a local race. 

 The limits of its breeding range in northern Europe are the St. Petersburg district, 

 the southern part of Sweden, and England. In the last-named it has extended its 

 range to a remarkable extent of late years. ' Eighty years ago or thereabouts, 

 hawfinches were accounted scarce visitors to England, and it was only a few years 

 after that they were found to breed here ' (Newton, Irish Naturalist, 1906, p. 136). 

 In 1899 it had been ' steadily increasing in numbers during the last fifty years,' 

 and was common in the south-eastern parts of England, becoming scarcer towards 

 north and west, and had bred in every English county except Cornwall (H. Saunders, 

 Manual, 1899, p. 171). Since then the increase and extension have continued 

 (cf. " Summary of Records," British Birds, vol. i. p. 150). In Wales, it bred in Brecon- 

 shire in 1890, and has since increased and spread westwards (cf. H. E. Forrest, 

 Fauna N. Wales, 1907, pp. 139-142 ; and others), but is still absent from the western 

 seaboard. This rapid spread has taken place in northerly, westerly, and inter- 

 vening directions from the south-eastern corner of England, and it is now only in 

 the extreme northern and western districts of England and Wales that the hawfinch 

 is uncommon. To Scotland and Ireland, however, it is still for the most part an 

 uncommon winter visitor, although its occurrences are widespread, and it has bred 

 exceptionally in both countries (cf. Annals of Scottish Natural History, 1894, p. 195, 

 and 1904, p. 11 ; and Irish Naturalist, 1902, p. 250, and 1903, p. 111). The 

 extension of range is ascribed to the increase of market-gardens providing proper 

 food in abundance at the season when it is most needed (cf. H. E. Howard, Zool. 

 1901, p. 465). [A. L. T.] 



3. Migration. The not infrequent occurrence of the hawfinch in winter 



