142 CASSELLS BOOK OF BIRDS. 



were successful, as the use of our gun appeared to be quite understood by the intended victim. These 

 birds are fond of beech-nuts and cherries, preferring the latter solely on account of the kernels; in 

 order to obtain which, the cherry is bitten off and its stone separated from the fleshy part, the latter 

 being rejected. The fruit stones are cracked with such force and noise that the process may be 

 heard at thirty paces from the tree, and the kernel is then extracted and swallowed. When fruit is 

 scarce the Hawfinch is compelled to seek its food upon the ground, occasionally doing great damage 

 amongst our seeds. In winter it subsists almost entirely upon the fruit of the hawthorn and other 

 stone fruits and berries, from the latter of which it extracts the seeds as its favourite portion j it also 

 consumes various kinds of insects, such as beetles and their larvae, in great numbers, and will even 

 catch Cockchafers {Mcloloiitlia) when upon the wing, and devour them after throwing away the legs and 

 elytra. One or two broods are produced during "the year, from about May to July, each pair taking 

 possession of a little district which no other bird is permitted to approach, the male keeping constant 

 watch for intruders from the top of his tree, or detecting them by short flights in the vicinity of his 

 nest. His song is a disagreeable, sharp, whirring noise, which we may hope affords greater pleasure to 

 his mate than it does to us, for her little partner is most indefatigable in his efforts to entertain her 

 with his voice, often singing for hours together, accompanying his notes with rapid and varied gesticu- 

 lations. The nest, which is easily recognised from its unusual width, is built of twigs and straws, 

 lined with softer materials, firmly bound together with hair, and though by no means elaborately 

 constructed, may be classed amongst the number of well-built nests ; it is usually placed upon a thin 

 branch, extreme care being taken to ensure its concealment. The eggs, three or five in number, are 

 an inch long, of a dirty greenish or yellowish colour, marked with various shades of brown or grey. 

 The female sits during the greatest part of the day, but is relieved for a short time about noon, when 

 her mate takes his place upon the eggs. The young are tended by both parents for many weeks after 

 they are hatched, as it is long before their beaks are capable of cracking the cherry-stones from which 

 they derive the principal part of their food. The serious injury done by this species in orchards 

 explains the extreme aversion in which it is held ; one family alone will completely clear a tree of its 

 fruit in an incredibly short time, and as long as a single cherry is left the destroyers will return, in 

 despite of all the noises made in the hope of driving them from the spot. The gun affords the only 

 means of scaring them, and even to its sound they soon become accustomed. Few birds are so 

 pertinaciously and constantly pursued, and yet, thanks to their cunning, they are more than a match 

 for their numerous enemies. 



Attempts to domesticate the Cherry Hawfinch usually prove unsuccessful, as its formidable beak 

 and quarrelsome habits render it dangerous to its companions ; it has even been known to eat its own 

 young when in captivity. 



THE EVENING CHERRY HAWFINCH. 

 The Evening Cherry Hawfinch, or Sugar-Bird (Hesperiphona vespertind), (so called on the 

 authority of Cooper, who tells us that its song is only heard in the evening twilight), is the most 

 beautiful species belonging to this family. It inhabits the almost unexplored northern parts of North 

 America. The Sugar-Bird, as it is called by the Indians, is from eight to eight and a half 

 inches long, three inches of which belong to the tail ; the wing measures four and two-third inches 

 from the shoulder to the tip. In the male bird the top of the head, wings, and tail are deep black, 

 the line over the eyes, the middle of the back, lower part of the body, and under wing and tail covers, 

 being of a bright yellow. The nape of the neck, sides of head, throat, and back of the neck, together 

 with a portion of the back and breast, are dark olive brown, the sides of the shoulders yellow, with a 

 greenish gloss, the quills of a dazzling whiteness at the tip — all these various colours being so blended 



