FRIXGILLID.E. BIRHS. THE 



357 



are confined ; here it seeks for seeds, worms, and insects 

 amongst the excrements of the cattle. It is never known 

 to build a nest, but, as above mentioned, drops its eggs 

 singly in the nests of numerous species of small birds, 

 amongst which the yellow-throat and the red-eyed fly- 

 catcher appear to be its greatest favourites ; and in this 

 selection it is justified by the great care which these 

 birds take of their nurslings. The young Cow-bird, 

 like the young of the European cuckoo, is always found 

 alone in the nest of its foster parents, and probably 

 resorts to the same means of getting rid of the rightful 

 tenants of the nest that is adopted by the cuckoo, as it 

 is found, that when the egg of the parasite is deposited 

 in the nest before those of the owner, the latter deserts 

 its nest, and thus the object of the intruder is defeated. 

 It is a singular fact that the young of this bird, like that 

 of the cuckoo, seems to possess some power of attract- 

 ing to itself the affections of almost all other small birds, 

 as these cannot see it in a helpless state, and wanting 

 food, without immediately administering to its necessi- 

 ties. Wilson placed a young bird of this species in the 

 same cage with a cardinal grosbeak ; and the latter, as 

 soon as his companion began to be clamorous for food, 

 set to work to satisfy its appetite, and tended it like an 

 affectionate nurse. When he found that a grasshopper, 

 which he brought to his nursling, was too large for it 

 to swallow; he broke it into small pieces which he 

 passed through his bill to soften them, and then placed 

 in the expectant mouth of the little Cow-bird with the 

 greatest gentleness. The length of the Cow-pen Bird 

 is about seven inches. Its plumage is black, with a 

 greenish gloss ; the head and neck are of a deep silky 

 drab colour, and the breast violet. The female is of 

 a brown colour, paler below. 



FAMILY IV. FRINGILLID^. 



The Finches, which form this family, present the 

 most decidedly conical form of bill occurring amongst 

 the Passeres. The bill is generally short and stout, 

 but tapering to a fine point, and the edges of the upper 

 mandible are destitute of the notches which occur near 

 its tip in many of the birds of the preceding families of 

 Conirostres. The tongue is rather fleshy, but horny 

 and usually slit at the tip. The feet are slender ; the 

 tarsi are generally covered in front with seven horny 

 plates, which, however, are sometimes amalgamated 

 into a single long shield ; and the toes are moderately 

 developed, and terminated with rather slender curved 

 claws. Amongst the vast number of birds belonging to 

 this group there is some difference in the development 

 of the wings, but these members are usually rather short. 

 The tail is composed of twelve feathers. The Finches 

 are all small birds, and exhibit much agility both in 

 hopping upon the ground or amongst the branches of 

 trees, and in flight. Their movement through the air 

 is generally performed in a series of undulations, the 

 bird rising by the action of its wings through a certain 

 space, then closing its wings and descending for some 

 distance. The food of the Finches consists principally 

 of seeds, for the consumption of which the form of the 

 bill is peculiarly adapted; they also pick up insects 

 and worms, especially during the breeding season. 



Their adaptation to a diet of hard vegetable matters 

 is further shown by the structure of their digestive 

 organs, the oesophagus being dilated into a small crop, 

 in which the seeds are stored and partially softened, 

 and the stomach forming a powerful muscular gizzard 

 fitted for the comminution of the food. 



THE CHAFFINCH (Fnngilla ccelebs} Plate 13, fig. 

 44. We commence with this well-known and hand- 

 some bird, as he is the type of the restricted genus 

 Fringilla, which, with Linna3us, included all the species 

 of the family known to him. The Chaffinch is generally 

 distributed and abundant in all parts of Britain, where 

 he is a permanent resident ; in the colder regions of 

 the north he is a migratory bird, passing southward at 

 the approach of winter to seek a more genial climate 

 for his residence during the cold season. At this time 

 a considerable number of Chaffinches visit our island. 

 Linnaeus states that in Sweden the female Chaffinches 

 migrate, but the males do not, and the specific name 

 (ccelebs, or the bachelor) given by him to this bird, is 

 an allusion to the lonely condition of these deserted 

 males ; it appears, however, that all the females do 

 not migrate southwards, although those that remain 

 seem to collect into distinct bands, and keep aloof from 

 the males ; this is the case also in the more northern 

 parts of our own country, and female Chaffinches are 

 more numerous in the south of England during the 

 winter than at other times. 



The Chaffinch resides in orchards, plantations, and 

 hedgerows, and in the neighbourhood of these his 

 note may be heard at a very early period of the year. 

 It usually consists of a sharp repetition of a sound 

 resembling the syllable FinJ: or Pink ; from the former 

 of these words the word finch is derived. Notwith- 

 standing the imperfection of his musical powers, the 

 note of the Chaffinch is generally a welcome sound 

 from its association with the early spring, and the 

 gaiety and sprightliness of the bird render him an 

 almost universal favourite, except, perhaps, with some 

 gardeners, for whose early radish seed, sowed at a 

 period when food is probably rather scarce, he has so 

 strong a predilection, that he will be down upon the 

 bed almost as soon as the seed is covered in. 



The nest is built in the fork of some bush or tree, 

 and is a neat structure, composed of moss, adorned 

 externally with fragments of lichens, and lined with 

 wool, hair, and feathers. The eggs are usually four or 

 five in number ; their colour is pale buff, streaked and 

 spotted with dark reddish-brown. 



THE MOUNTAIN FINCH (Fringilla montifnngilla) 

 is a winter visitor to Britain, coming over in considerable 

 numbers from Sweden and Norway. It is an abundant 

 bird in the north of Europe in summer, and descends 

 in the autumn as far south as the Mediterranean in 

 quest of winter quarters ; it has also been met with 

 in Japan, and is probably an inhabitant of northern 

 Asia. 



It is nearly an inch longer than the Chaffinch, and 

 is a handsome bird, having its plumage above mottled 

 with black, brown, and fawn colour, and its lower 

 surface white, with the exception of the throat and 

 upper part of the breast, which are fawn colour. In 

 this country the Mountain Finch frequents thick hedges, 



