THE FINCHES 155 



The greenfinch mingles with the sparrow, and the sparrow with 

 the chaffinch, either in flocking or roosting, or, with the goldfinch 

 and brambling, all may descend upon the straw-stack, but not 

 Coccothraustes one does not see him in such company. 



To say truth, Coccothraustes, though the largest of our finches, is 

 a bird that I have found it difficult to see at all. He is indeed a shy 

 and quiet haunter of wood and plantation, and 'tis but seldom that 

 his masterly method of dealing with cherry-stones, which he almost 

 romantically loves whereby, as by magic, and with scarce an effort, 

 the two halves fall, one on each side of his bill * can be observed to 

 full edification. For myself, I am inclined to think that such 

 economic harm as he may do 2 is done abroad for which who, born 

 a Briton, shall blame him ? and that, in a country so public and 

 bustling as this, his shyness keeps him mostly to the woodlands, 

 where, upon beech-nuts, berries, and the like, he innocently feeds. 3 

 And let the cherry-cultivator remember this, that he does not, strictly 

 speaking, eat cherries he cares only for their stones. Nay, it is not 

 even these that he really wants, but only the kernels inside them. 

 Upon the fruit which surrounds both he has no designs. To him it is 

 mere pulp, and he rejects it, however luscious, as scrupulously as does 

 the greenfinch or goldfinch the tasteless husk of a wheat- or barley- 



1 Naumanu, Naturgeschichte der Vogel Mitteleur&pas, iii. The curious horny plates or 

 "crushing-pads," situated inside the bill of the hawfinch, have been described, figured, and 

 designated by Mr. Pycraft, their discoverer, in British Birds. They would appear to be for 

 the express purpose of crushing the hard shells of seeds, so that one might doubt the accuracy 

 of Nauinanii's description of the bird's apparent bisection of cherry-stones, were it not obviously 

 from frequent personal observation. Assuming the use of the "pads," then whilst in the 

 crossbill there is a special apparatus for obtaining such seeds of plants, in their entirety, as are 

 soft but not easy to extract, the hawfinch has another for getting at the kernel of hard ones, 

 the procural of which presents no difficulty. In neither case does the shape of the bill appear 

 to me to be the main feature. 



1 In an important editorial note to the Vogel, Dr. Carl Hennicke points out that "not only 

 does the hawfinch feed its young entirely on insects," but that "these are the exclusive food of 

 the parents also, during the spring and early summer." "Marry, well bethought!" and the 

 good thus done must be largely in excess of such toll as the poor bird sometimes takes of peas 

 or cherries, thrust ostentatiously in its way, and for which none would wish to barter its life 

 except such as to whom the loss of the whole bird world, unless in respect of the pleasures of 

 blood and the table, would be no loss at all. 



3 Complaints may from time to time be heard, but they are always interested, proceeding, 

 as they do, from a class of beings market-gardeners and the like who are the natural enemies 

 of all bird life. 



