PRINGILLID^E. 95 



THE TREE on MOUNTAIN SPARROW. Pyrgita montana. 

 The Tree Sparrow greatly resembles the last species in 

 habits and appearance, but prefers as the places for its nidi- 

 fication, holes in trees situated not immediately in the 

 vicinity of human habitations. The eggs, four or five in 

 number, are less than those of the House Sparrow, and 

 more closely mottled or marked with shades of brown. In 

 Britain this bird is believed to be peculiar to England, and 

 is not considered to be so equally distributed as the last 

 upon the continent of Europe. (PL VII. fig. 37.) 



THE MOUNTAIN FINCH. T?rmgilla montifringilla. 

 This pretty bird is a winter visitor to our island, frequent- 

 ing at other times chiefly the more northern parts of Europe. 

 It does not breed in a wild state in Britain, but its eggs, 

 obtained from aviaries and in other ways, closely resemble 

 those of the Chaffinch. The nest, built on fir and other 

 trees, is described as formed externally of moss, and lined 

 with wool and feathers. The eggs are four or five in num- 

 ber. Where the beech is most plentiful in Thuringia, Bech- 

 stein says that these birds assemble during autumn in im- 

 mense numbers, exceeding 100,000 individuals. They 

 come from the north. (PI. VII. fig. 36.) 



THE CHAFFINCH. Fringilla ccele&t. There are few of 



