PASSERINE BIRDS. II9 



THE SNOW FINCH. 



The Snow Finch or Stone Finch (Montifringilla nivalis) is nearly allied to the Finches before 

 described, but differs from the preceding species in the shape of the long, curved, and spur-like nail 

 upon the hinder toe, its long wings, and the fact that both male and female have the same coloured 

 plumage. We shall therefore consider it as the type of a distinct group. The length of this species 

 is eight and three-quarter inches, and its breadth across the wings fourteen inches. The plumage 

 is simple but very beautifully marked. In the old birds the head and neck are of a blueish ash-grey, 

 the mantle brown, the upper wing-covers half black, half white ; the under part of the body of a 

 whitish shade ; the throat black or blackish. After moulting, the original colours of the plumage 

 are concealed by the light borders of the feathers. The tail is white, with the exception of the upper 

 cover and its two middle feathers, these being white tipped with black. The beak is black in 

 summer and yellow in winter ; the feet are black, and the eyes brown. The young birds are grey ; 

 the throat is of a dirty white ; and the feathers that form the white markings on the wings, are streaked 

 with black, and have black shafts. Among European birds are two distinct species of Stone Finches, 

 the first of which belongs to the more northern countries, the other is found in great numbers in most 

 of the Tyrolean and Swiss Alps. Both pass the summer months in mountain ranges, preferring 

 such wild and barren places as lie close to the boundaries of eternal snow and ice in these deserted 

 regions, always mounting higher and higher, as the warm rays of the sun remove the snowy mantle 

 from the naked rocks. In cold seasons they remain lower down, but never leave the vicinity of the 

 glaciers, where they may be seen generally in pairs or small parties, perching upon such bare and 

 rugged peaks as rear their crests nearest to the sky, and over which they fly in joyous confusion, or 

 hop about the ground like the Chaffinches. During especially severe winters they may be met in the 

 valleys, searching for the various seeds of which their food consists, and even there always seem to 

 prefer the highest ground. Tschudi tells us that upon one occasion, a whole cloud of Snow Finches, 

 numbering upwards of a thousand, was seen by a hunter in the open country near Kleven, of which 

 he succeeded in killing some hundreds ; the poor birds appearing to be so hungry and stupefied, that 

 when he fired, such as had not been reached by his shot fell to the ground in company with their 

 wounded fellows. Most observers tell us that they are harmless and confiding, and may often be 

 found flying in and out of the huts of the mountaineers, who take great pleasure in watching and 

 feeding them ; they are, however, very timid, and will take every precaution to prevent the discovery 

 of their nests. 



The song of the Snow Finch is a short, disjointed, piping note, or a call resembling that of the 

 Cross-bill ; when frightened it utters a kind of chirp : its voice is principally heard during the period 

 of incubation. The breeding season commences in April or the beginning of Ma)-. This bird builds 

 by preference in deep clefts of perpendicular rocks, though occasionally it will occupy holes in 

 walls or the roofs of houses, whether the latter are inhabited or not. The nest is capacious and 

 substantially constructed of fine grasses lined with wool, horse-hair, or feathers. The young are tended 

 by both parents with great affection, and fed principally upon the larva? of insects, spiders, and little 

 worms. When the nest is situated in a deep cleft, the young are assisted in climbing out of it by the 

 old birds, in order that they also may revel in the beds of snow. These Finches are constant guests 

 at various Alpine hospices for travellers, and meet with every attention from the monks who inhabit 

 them. 



THE WINTER FINCH. 

 The Winter Finch \Nyphcea hyemalis) has been described as a species of Bunting, with the 

 beak of a finch and very indistinct markings on its plumage. Its body is powerful, its neck short, the 



