19 



I have never myself met with this species 

 while crossing the North Sea during the autumnal 

 migration, but several fishermen (who knew the 

 bird well) have assured me that scores have oc- 

 casionally settled on their boats to rest ; one man 

 in particular stating that they would roost all night 

 in any shelter they could find, some creeping into 

 the blocks, where, he remarked, they would remain 

 "weeping all night," and in the morning would fly 

 down and pick about on the corks and other 

 portions of the nets that were out of water. As I 

 discovered that they were known to the men by 

 the name of Herring Spink, I was particular in 

 inquiring whether they referred to the Chaffinch, 

 but I found that they were all well acquainted with 

 that bird also. I have, when cruising with the 

 herring fleet in the North Sea during the autumn, 

 generally noticed the Chaffinch as one of the most 

 frequent visitors to the boats. Some of them 

 appear much distressed by the journey, and after 

 pecking about the deck for some time often go to 

 sleep in an old fish-basket or any quiet corner they 

 can find. 



The masters of most of the lightships off the 

 Norfolk and Lincolnshire coasts have for some 

 time past very kindly been in the habit of keeping 

 for me the right wing of all the birds that strike the 

 lamps ; but, although I have examined thousands 

 of these wings from time to time, I never saw but 

 one belonging to the present species. 



During the autumn of 1863, I found early one 

 morning a fir plantation, on the coast of East 

 Lothian, almost covered with these birds ; there 

 must have been scores on every tree for several 

 acres. How such a gathering can be accounted 

 for I am at a loss to judge, unless they had just 

 crossed the sea from the north of Europe. I 

 visited the same place the next day, provided with 

 a good supply of dust shot, being determined to try 

 and discover if any Fire Crests were among their 



