have my curiosity gratified by your living much 

 more to the north. 



For many years past I have observed that 

 towards Christmas vast flocks of chaffinches have 

 appeared in the fields ; many more, I used to think, 

 than could be hatched in any one neighbourhood. 

 But, when I came to observe them more narrowly, I 

 was amazed to find that they seemed to me to be 

 almost all hens. I communicated my suspicions to 

 some intelligent neighbours, who, after taking pains 

 about the matter, declared that they also thought 

 them mostly all females ; at least fifty to one. This 

 extraordinary occurrence brought to my mind the 

 remark of Linnasus, that " before winter all their hen 

 chaffinches migrate through Holland into Italy." 

 Now I want to know, from some curious person in 

 the north, whether there are any large flocks of these 

 finches with them in the winter, and of which sex 

 they mostly consist? For, from such intelligence, 

 one might be able to judge whether our female 

 flocks migrate from the other end of the island, or 

 whether they come over to us from the Continent. 



We have, in the winter, vast flocks of the com- 

 mon linnets ; more, I think, than can be bred in any 

 one district. These, I observe, when the spring ad- 

 vances, assemble on some tree in the sunshine, and 

 join all in a gentle sort of chirping, as if they were 

 about to break up their winter quarters and betake 

 themselves to their proper summer homes. It is 



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