on the Nesting of the Hawfinch.



3 1



unfortunate small bird come within reach of its ugly beak, it

will assuredly depart with a broken wing or leg and, even when

Hawfinches aie kept apait from other birds, it is extremely

difficult to induce a pair to live together peaceably. The first

pair which I kept under these conditions had not been more than

a week or two in their aviary before the male killed the female

and, when I obtained another female, the latter promptly polished

off the male. I released this female and obtained two young

birds in the autumn of 1909 which settled down comfortably

together but did not breed in the following year, either because

they were immature or because they had not yet overcome the

constitutional nervousness of their race.


The division in which I have kept my Hawfinches for the

past few years is not part of the aviary ; it used to be a path

surrounding the aviary and in the early days I used to sit and

watch the birds from this path but, as I never have time for such

luxuries now, I wired it in. It is about 35ft. long, 8ft. wide and

12ft. high. Being just under my bedroom window I am always

able to have an early peep at the Hawfinches when desired,

which is fortunate because this and the late evening are the only

periods of the day when this species shows any activity ; with its

dipping flight, large size and handsome colouring it is far too

conspicuous a bird to go abroad at mid-day.


I11 mid-March I heard the male singing and this— I may

remark—is not a song that is heard every day. It is distinctive

though impossible to describe; its shrill whistling call-note is

also unlike that of any other bird. An old gardener, of whom I

once made enquiries concerning this species, asked me if I meant

the bird “ which squeaked like a mouse.” After hearing the song

of the male I kept a close eye on the Hawfinches, for I said to

myself that an amorous Hawfinch would be a thing worth seeing

—indeed it seemed hard to imagine that this, the most sullen,

taciturn and unsociable of all British finches, ever could flirt. On

the nth April my patience was rewarded. The advances came

from the lady who, standing facing the male with drooping wings,

commenced to swing her body from side to side uttering a low

crooning note and then ventured to gently nibble the tip of the

male’s beak. The male stolidly stared at his partner and appeared



