8O BRITISH BIRDS. 



mountainous districts, placing its nest in heather or in a 

 grass-tuft on rocky ledges. Eggs : 4 to 6 ; light bluish- 

 green, spotted with reddish-brown and streaked with paler 

 red ; size "70 by '50. The call-note is imitated in the 

 trivial name ; male has also a slight song. 



Sub-Family Loxiinae 



GENUS XLIII. PYRRHULA, Brisson (1760). 



Bill short, stout, very strong, wide at base, bulging at 

 sides, upper mandible longer than lower and slightly 

 decurved at tip. Nostrils concealed by small feathers. 

 Wings moderate, ist primary obsolete. Tail moderate. 



98. Pyrrhula europsea, Vieill. BULLFINCH. 



Hab. Western and Central Europe, northward to Baltic 

 and British Isles. 



Male : cap and chin bluish -black ; nape and mantle 

 pale ash-grey ; greater wing-coverts black, broadly tipped 

 with greyish-white ; quills and tail black ; rump white ; 

 below bright salmon-red ; under tail-coverts white ; bill 

 black ; tarsi dark brown. Length 6*00. Female : cap 

 duller ; mantle greyish-brown ; under parts dirty brown 

 with a slight reddish tinge. Young : like female but black 

 of head is absent. 



Common and generally distributed. ^Frequents woods, 

 copses and thicket-covered commons. Nest : in tall thorn 

 bushes or hedges ; cup-shaped but shallow ; composed of 

 fine twigs, neatly lined with fine fibrous roots and hair. 

 Eggs : 4 to 6 ; light greenish-blue, spotted and streaked 

 around larger end with dark purplish-brown and lilac-grey ; 

 pure white eggs, usually with normal markings, are rather 



