THE BIRDS OF COEI^WALL. 195 



Hawfinch ; a scarce but regular winter visitor, evidently 

 increasing in numbers, at least in the middle of the county, but 

 is the shyest and most retiring of British birds ; has nested at 

 least once near Launceston ; a casual visitor at Scilly ; breeds 

 throughout the south-eastern counties and on the continent 

 throughout central and southern Europe. 



Goldfinch ; resident, but seemingly nowhere abundant, 

 except on thistle land in the autumn, when its numbers appear 

 to be re-inforced from the continent ; a winter visitor to Scilly ; 

 numbers killed during the severe winter of 1894-5 ; breeds 

 thi'oughout the continent though rare in the north. 



Siskin ; a rare but regular winter visitor in the west of the 

 county, including Scilly, where small flocks have been observed ; 

 not unfrequently seen at Ludgvan ; nests freely in Scotland 

 from Perthshire northwards and on the continent fi-om the 

 Pyrenees and Alps northward as far as fir trees grow. 



House Sparrow ; resident, extremely abundant and gener- 

 ally distributed wherever human habitations are to be found ; 

 somewhat scarce on the Bodmin Moors ; found everywhere in 

 Europe where grain will grow. 



Tree Sparrow ; a casual winter visitor, very rarely recorded ; 

 probably confused with the house-sparrow, but easily distin- 

 guished by its chestnut -brown head and two white transverse 

 bars across each wing ; breeds sparingly in several English 

 counties, and abundantly in many places in central and south 

 central Europe. 



Chaffinch ; resident, very abundant and generally distribu- 

 ted ; a winter visitor to Scilly ; large immigrant flocks have been 

 observed in winter ; breeding-range extends from the Arctic 

 Circle to the Mediterranean. 



Brambling ; a winter visitor, usually rare, but during the 

 past few years met with annually in the east of the countj' ; 

 occasionally seen at Scilly ; several thousands visited the west 

 of the county in the winter of 1890-91 ; breeds throughout the 

 sub-arctic forests of pine and birch, migrates in severe winters 

 across the Mediterranean. 



Linnet ; resident, common and generally distributed ; a 

 winter visitor at Scilly ; large flocks occasionally seen in autumn 



