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THE CHAFFINCH. 

 (Fringilla ccelebs.) 



THE Chaffinch is a useful bird, and is also an 

 ornament to the woods and gardens, not only by its 

 lovely plumage, its friendliness, and its movements, but 

 especially by its clear voice which rings like a silver bell. 

 Its call-note is " fink-fink," and it has a short, cheery 

 little song. Through the whole laying and brooding 

 season it is busy with the destructive grubs and insects, 

 especially the little caterpillars and tiny beetles which 

 destroy the buds on the trees. When the seeds are ripe 

 it lives entirely on them, but almost exclusively on those 

 which it is able to pick up from the ground.' It is true 

 that when a considerable number of these birds visit a 

 vegetable garden they do a great deal of harm, but this 

 is outweighed by the good they do. 



In very severe winters, it comes either in flocks or 

 small parties with other starving companions Yellow- 

 Hammers, Siskins, Crested Larks, and Sparrows into 

 the villages, and even towns, and picks over the heaps 

 of street refuse and gutter sweepings. 



It is still common with us in Hungary. 



This Chaffinch is one of our common British species 

 in winter, although in some seasons their numbers are 

 unaccountably smaller than in others. It was called 

 ccelebs, or bachelor, because of a partial separation of 

 the sexes which takes place during the winter. Large 

 flocks arrive from the Continent at that season on our 

 East coast, whilst others come from the North of our 

 islands to spread themselves inland. Unfortunately the 



