THE HAWFINCH. 45 



branch of a fir, oak, or beech-tree, some fifteen to thirty feet from the ground ; 

 but in an orchard, an old lichen-covered apple or pear-tree is chosen. 



The nest of this bird most nearly resembles that of a Bullfinch, being very 

 shallow, and always formed in a foundation of twigs ; one which I found in course 

 of formation, had the whole of this external structure formed of strongly spined 

 interlaced twigs of hawthorn, from which all the leaves had been stripped, and 

 presented a most formidable appearance ; sometimes, however, the twigs are inter- 

 mixed with coarse roots and dead plants, and ornamented with lichens ; the nest 

 itself is built of dead grasses and bents, and the lining consists of rootlets and 

 hair : altogether it is so large that the Wood- Pigeon has been known to add a 

 few twigs to it, and thus adapt it to its own purposes.* The eggs number from 

 four to six, though five is the usual complement ; they are pale bluish or buffish 

 green in colour, and vary in pattern between that of the Common- and Reed- 

 Buntings ; the surface spots, blotches, and streaks being deep pitch brown, with 

 underlying spots of lilacine grey : in size and form they correspond pretty closely 

 with eggs of the Common Bunting. 



The flight of the Hawfinch is rapid and powerful, somewhat undulating when 

 the bird is passing from tree to tree, but more direct when long distances are 

 covered. On the wing it often utters a peculiar clicking sound, a kind of tic, 

 which may also sometimes be heard when the bird is caged. 



The food consists largely of seeds, those of the hornbeam being much relished ; 

 but when feeding its young it devours insects, especially caterpillars, and probably 

 buds ; later in the year peas, cherry-kernels, beech-mast, yew-berries, and haws are 

 eaten. In confinement sunflower-seeds, hemp, oats, beech-nuts, canary, and millet 

 may be given. 



Personally I have had but little experience of the Hawfinch as a cage-bird. 

 On September i4th, 1893, a birdcatcher brought me a specimen which had flown 

 into his nets : he was evidently afraid to handle it, and cautioned me against 

 attempting to touch it without gloves, saying that its bite was frightful and drew 

 blood ; however I soon had the bird in my hand and caged it ; but, although I 

 placed the cage on a high shelf, the Hawfinch never became tame, but so wore 

 the feathers of its wings and tail by its efforts to escape, that when after a few 

 weeks of captivity it died, the skin was not worth preserving. I am therefore 

 convinced that the Hawfinch should either be turned into a large aviary, or be 

 hand-reared. 



Speaking of a pair taken from the nest and brought to him in 1880, Lord 



When I wrote my "Handbook of British Oology" I had not found one finished nest of the Hawfinch; 

 one or two seen subsequently in Hertfordshire had already been deserted. 



