388 THE BIRDS OF HELIGOLAND 



188. Brambling [BERGFINK]. 

 FRINGILLA MONTIFRINGILLA, Linn. 



Heligolandish : Quaker. Name formed after the call-note. 



Fringilla montifringilla. Naumann, v. 44. 



Brambling. Dresser, iv. 15. 



Gros-bec des Ardennes. Temminck, Manuel, i. 360, iii. 264. 



This bird, also, like the preceding species, is an extremely 

 unwelcome guest in the gardens of the island. Inasmuch as it 

 generally arrives somewhat later than the Chaffinch in spring, 

 the turnip and cabbage seeds have, by the time of its arrival, 

 sprouted their first germinal leaves, this handsome bird seems 

 to take a special delight in pulling the young plants out of the 

 soil, and leaving them untouched on the ground. Members of 

 bird-protection societies will probably say that, in doing this, it 

 is trying to get at some noxious insect at the root of the plant. 

 This seems, however, hardly likely to be the case ; for, in the first 

 place, it pulls out the plants indiscriminately, one by one, down to 

 the very last ; and secondly, seeds which have been protected by a 

 net from amiable attentions of this nature, are found to thrive 

 excellently. Hence we ought hardly to find fault with people who 

 make use of protective contrivances of this kind to the best of their 

 powers. We shall mention similar facts in regard to the Sparrow. 



A peculiar variety occurs sometimes, though extremely rarely, 

 among the males of this species. This consists in the steel-blue 

 glossy black of the head and neck extending also to the foreneck, 

 which in the normal plumage is of a brownish orange (rostorange), 

 and thus entirely surrounding the neck. During my long experience 

 I have obtained examples with this exceptional marking on two 

 occasions. Naumann makes no mention of it ; but, according to a 

 remark of Newton's in his edition of Yarrell's British Birds, it has 

 been frequently noticed by English observers. 



The spring migration of this species falls for the most part in 

 April, but solitary old males arrive sometimes as early as the 

 middle of March. The autumn migration commences about the 

 middle of September; frequently the numbers of migrant flocks 

 increase considerably in the course of October, but they never attain 

 to the enormous proportions of those of the Chaffinches. 



The breeding stations of this species extend from Norway to 

 the Sea of Ochotsk, from 60 N. latitude, as far as birch trees, 

 however stunted, afford the bird the opportunity for building its 

 nest. 



