116 THE BIRDS OF SHERWOOD FOREST. 



interrupted by this natural note, while at others it would 

 sing for a long time without giving vent to it. 



Variations of the sparrow's plumage are not uncom- 

 mon, being chiefly interminglings of white. In Decem- 

 ber, 1859, one was shot at Ollerton which had the whole 

 of the plumage white, the head and back merely having 

 a slight tinge of brown, giving the white on those parts 

 a dirty appearance. 



I have seen a singular place selected for the nest of the 

 sparrow viz., the ornamental iron brackets supporting 

 the roof over the platforms of several of the stations on 

 the Liverpool and Manchester Railway, and where they 

 seemed quite unconcerned by the passage of the trains. 



The Greenfinch (Fringilla chloris) is a common bird 

 with us in the summer, chiefly frequenting the cultivated 

 districts, but in winter it is less abundant, or at least ap- 

 parently so, and I have seldom seen it congregating in 

 large flocks as the linnet does. 



The vocal powers of the green linnet, as it is locally 

 called, are very limited ; its ordinary note, uttered chiefly 

 when perching on the topmost spray of a heuge, is 

 rather a melancholy one, and Meyer very correctly repre- 

 sents it by the word "tway." It is a shy bird, and at 

 once flies off on your approach, or betakes itself to the 

 tops of the trees, from whence they soon descend when 

 the danger is past. It builds a neat nest, which is 

 generally well concealed in a bush or hedge. 



I have had the pleasure of meeting with the Hawfinch 

 (F. coccothraustes) several times, but chiefly in the 

 winter. The last occasion was in the winter of 1859-60, 

 when a small party of four made their appearance in the 

 shrubberies of Rufford Abbey. They arrived at the 

 beginning of November, and remained for several 



