THE CHAFFINCH. 233 



in very old birds dark blue, with a very few feathers standing 



up like a crest. The upper part of the back is chestnut brown, 



^ed with olive green ; the lower part of the back, and the 



amp, are Siskin green. The cheeks, throat, breast, and belly, 



je a reddish chestnut brown, tinged with white towards the 



vent. The shanks are grey ; the pen feathers bordered on the 



outer plume with green, on the inner with white, and white 



also at the root. The smaller coverts are white ; the larger 



black, tipped with white, from which arise two white stripes 



across the upper part of the wing. The tail feathers are 



black ; the two in the centre being tinged with ashen grey, 



and the two on the outside having each a large wedge-shaped 



white spot. All have a hardly perceptible border of green. 



After the moulting season, and at the beginning of winter, 

 almost all these colours grow lighter; the forehead is dark 

 brown ; the top of the head, and nape of the neck, inclining to 

 greyish and olive brown ; and the reddish brown on the breast 

 not so dark. Young Chaffinches of the second year called 

 by the bird-sellers " grey heads" have much the same ap- 

 pearance, especially if of the last brood. The bird-catchers 

 can, however, in the spring, distinguish the old from the 

 young males without much difficulty ; the latter of which are 

 much more prized by them, as being more docile, and capable 

 of learning an artificial song, from some bird which has been 

 long an inmate of the aviary. 



The female, which is easily distinguished from the male, is 

 smaller ; on the head, neck, and upper part of the back, grey- 

 ish brown ; on the lower part, dirty white ; on the breast, 

 reddish grey. The beak is greyish brown in summer, and in 

 winter whitish grey. 



There are also varieties of this bird ; White Finches, Eing 

 Finches, so called from a white collar round the neck, and 

 Spotted Finches. I possess one, in which the general colour 

 of the plumage is dirty white ; but blackish upon the head, and 

 Siskin green upon the back. The distinction between Wood 

 and Garden Finches, is founded only upon the places which 

 they frequent. 



Habitat. The Chaffinch is found all over Europe, and is 

 exceedingly common in Germany. It may be seen wherever 

 there are trees of any kind. It is a true bird of passage, 

 although some occasionally pass the winter with us. Their 



