154 THE FINCHES 



his latent social proclivities, he would flock in a much more respect- 

 able manner. Obviously a few small family parties scattered over a 

 wide area would have far less opportunity of joining one another 

 than were they multiplied twenty or thirty fold. 



Possibly in the hawfinch we may have a further illustration of 

 this principle. In autumn and winter it is seen, sometimes in 

 family parties, sometimes in flocks, 1 and it seems probable that the 

 preponderance of the one or the other, as well as the numbers of the 

 latter, depend on its relative abundance in this or that district. The 

 largest gathering recorded, however 2 viz., two hundred was in 

 the days of Yarrell, 3 which, at first sight, does not seem in accord- 

 ance with the view that at that time the bird was much scarcer 

 amongst us than it now is. Such a fact, however, might be due to a 

 migratory irruption bearing no relation to the resident population. 

 In 1880 a flock of one hundred hawfinches was recorded, whilst the 

 smallest mentioned is fifteen. The conclusion, if one is justified in 

 drawing any from these somewhat scanty data, would seem to be 

 that where there are so many as one hundred, or two hundred, birds, 

 to flock together, they will so flock if it lies in their way to do so, that 

 is, if they be sufficiently thickly sown, as one may say, over the country, 

 but not otherwise. Should the reason here suggested, namely, the 

 lesser abundance of the species, be not sufficient to explain the more 

 restricted nature of their social gatherings, then we must look upon 

 both the hawfinch and bullfinch, but more especially the latter, as 

 being less gregarious than the other members of the family, or than 

 the generality of them. Yet surely numbers themselves should have 

 a strong influence in the making of a species either social or solitary. 



Whatever may be their numbers, these hawfinch gatherings would 

 seem to be homogeneous. Indeed of all finches excepting the bull- 

 finch, who is also very exclusive the hawfinch, perhaps, may most be 

 said to stand alone. He is sufficient unto himself, needing no other. 



1 Yarrell, Seebohm, Macgillivray, each in his respective History of British Birds. 



2 As far as I am aware. 3 See his History of British Birds. 



