A HISTORY OF HERTFORDSHIRE 



57. Greenfinch. Ligurinus chloris (Linn.). 

 This is a common resident throughout the 



county. Varieties of this bird have been 

 obtained. One shot at Chapmore End near 

 Hertford in September, 1882, was of a 

 creamy white colour ; its wings were mostly 

 yellow, and its eyes were pink. Another, 

 which was caught near St. Albans in 

 December, 1884, was of a creamy colour, 

 nearly approaching white. 



58. Hawfinch. Coccotbraustes vulgaris, Pallas. 

 This is a bird which some few years back 



was looked upon as a rarity. Whether it was 

 really rare or whether it was not well known 

 then I do not know, but I can safely put it 

 down as plentiful, at any rate in West Herts, 

 at the present time. Seldom do I go out in 

 the neighbourhood of Berkhamsted without 

 seeing or hearing some of these birds ; while 

 in the spring of 1895 I had the pleasure of 

 seeing a flock of fifty or more of them. From 

 other parts of the county also I have reports 

 of its occurrence. 



59. Goldfinch. Carduelis eltgans, Stephens. 



About this bird opinion seems to differ as to 

 whether it is on the decrease or otherwise 

 in Hertfordshire. No doubt a great many of 

 them are taken by birdcatchers, but in spite 

 of that the goldfinch is by no means un- 

 common in many districts. 



60. Siskin. Carduelis spinus (Linn.). 



The siskin is an irregular winter visitor 

 to many parts of the county, but nowhere 

 does it appear in any great numbers. It is 

 frequently accompanied by the lesser redpoll 

 (L. rufescens). 



6 1. House-Sparrow. Passer domesticus (Linn.). 



This species is to be found everywhere 

 throughout the county. Several albino 

 varieties have been obtained. 



62. Tree-Sparrow. Passer montanus (Linn.). 



The tree-sparrow is far from common in 

 many parts of Hertfordshire, though in others 

 it is more plentiful. Its numbers, however, 

 cannot of course compare with the last- 

 mentioned species. 



63. Chaffinch. Fr'mgilla ccelebs, Linn. 



This is a common resident. In 1893 the 

 late William Norman received for preserva- 

 tion a hen chaffinch with a mixture of white 

 and grey and sparrow-like markings. Mr. 

 Thrale also had a chaffinch in his possession 

 which had a white head. In 1884 a 

 chaffinches' nest was found with eggs, on 

 which the bird was sitting, on January 3Oth ; 



the nest was built in a piece of cottager's 

 kale in the garden of Mr. Ricardo Palmer at 

 Bushey. 



64. Brambling. Fr'mgilla montifringilla, Linn. 

 In some years this bird has visited the 



county in immense flocks, while in others 

 few, if any, bramblings appear. In March, 

 1895, I saw countless numbers feeding on 

 the beech-nuts under the trees in Ashridge 

 Park. Many of these had nearly assumed 

 breeding plumage. Amongst them I saw one 

 with a white head. In December, 1897, I 

 again saw thousands of these birds passing in 

 a southerly direction over Berkhamsted. The 

 latest date on which I have seen this species 

 was on April 6th, 1895, near Pendley Manor, 

 Tring. 



65. Linnet. Linota cannabina (Linn.). 

 This is a common resident in most parts of 



Hertfordshire, though Mr. Joseph Nunn in- 

 forms me that during the last few years it has 

 become much scarcer in the Royston district 

 than it was formerly. Mr. E. S. Fordham in 

 1883 found two or three linnets' nests placed 

 in brussels sprouts that had run to seed, a 

 rather unusual nesting-place for this bird to 

 choose. 



66. Mealy Redpoll. Linota linaria (Linn.). 

 Mr. Sainsbury Verey caught a pair of these 



birds near St. Albans in 1861, while in 

 1866 a pair were obtained near Elstree. The 

 only other record I can find of this species in 

 Hertfordshire is of one which was taken by 

 Mr. Banfield on the borders of the county 

 towards Ivinghoe in September, 1883. 



67. Lesser Redpoll. Linota rufescens (Vieillot). 

 This species is a frequent visitor to the 



county during the winter, often appearing in 

 some numbers. There are however few 

 recorded instances of its nesting with us, al- 

 though probably it does so oftener than is 

 known. I can only mention four places 

 where its nest has been found St. Albans, 

 Newsells Park (Barkway) and Sawbridgeworth, 

 and I have seen an egg of this species which 

 was taken on Berkhamsted Common within 

 the last three years. 



68. Twite. Linota fla virostris (Linn.). 



In December, 1883,3 pair, and in February, 

 1884, two pairs of twites were caught in the 

 neighbourhood of Aldbury by birdcatchers ; 

 while on May 4th in the latter year a male 

 was taken in the neighbourhood of Hitchin. 



69. Bullfinch. Pyrrhula europtea, Vieillot. 

 This bird is plentiful in most parts of the 



county, although it is rather shot down in 



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