38 ALLEN'S NATURALIST'S LIBRARY. 



Eastern Siberia to lat. 50. Visits Southern Europe and the 

 Mediterranean countries in winter, and eastwards it is found in 

 Turkestan and the North-western Himalayas, Japan, Eastern 

 Siberia, and China. 



Habits. When the Brambling arrives in late autumn it betakes 

 itself generally to the beech-woods, roosting in evergreen 

 shrubs in the neighbouring woods and sometimes traversing 

 a considerable distance to reach its roosting-place. It feeds on 

 beech-mast and seeds of the aider, and occasionally visits farm- 

 yards in company with Chaffinches, with which it consorts 

 largely in the woods during the day. 



The Brambling has been said to breed in the British Islands, 

 but these records are mostly untrustworthy, though one instance 

 of a nest being found in Scotland by Mr. E. T. Booth 

 seems to be authentic. 



Nest. Of the same type as that of the Chaffinch, but rather 

 larger and not so neatly finished off. " Its principal beauty," 

 says Mr. Seebohm, "is derived from the mixture of green 

 moss, lavender-coloured lichens, and white birch-bark, inter- 

 woven with cobwebs, thistle-down, and buff inner birch-bark ; 

 it is lined with fine grass and feathers." The nest is built in a 

 birch or spruce fir-tree, often at a considerable height from the 

 ground. 



Eggs. Resemble those of the Chaffinch, but the ground- 

 colour is darker and rather more olive or stone-colour. Markings 

 similar to those of the Chaffinch. Axis, 07-0-8 inch ; diam., 

 o-SS-0'6. (Plate XXXI., Fig i.) 



THE GOLDFINCHES. GENUS CARDUELIS. 



Carduelis, Briss., Orn., iii., p. 53 (1760). 



Type, C. carduelis (Linn.). 



It is difficult to define the exact differences of form be- 

 tween the Chaffinches and the Goldfinches, but the latter are 

 much more slender birds and have a longer and more pointed 

 bill. By their style of plumage, however, the Goldfinches 

 are easily recognisable, the crimson face and the golden patch 

 on the wing making them very conspicuous. Two species of 

 Goldfinch are known, our British bird occurring throughout 



