211 



"The eggs are white, sometimes tinged -with 

 blue or green; they are spotted, chiefly about the 

 larger end, with violet and deep claret-red or 

 brown." * 



This is the last of the Somersetshire Finches : 

 there are, as I before observed, several more species 

 included, on more or less good authority, as British, 

 but I have not been able at present to find any 

 authority for mentioning them in this list. As a 

 whole the family is a most interesting one, and per- 

 haps, both on account of the great numbers of some 

 of the species and the variety of food which they all 

 consume, the Finches are of more importance to the 

 gardener and the agriculturist than any other family, 

 the Corvidse not even excepted; and for this reason 

 I hope the attention of my readers and of ornitho- 

 logists generally will be more particularly directed 

 to the subject of food, and that we may be able to 

 settle the much-vexed question, whether they are to 

 any great degree our enemies or friends, or (which 

 is more probable) a mixture of both : as far as I 

 have been able to form an opinion, I certainly 

 believe them to be our friends, the good they do 

 predominating over the evil, and that, generally, most 

 in those species which are most numerous. 



* Meyer's ' British Birds,' vol. iii., p. 141. 



