THE MOUNTAIN FINCH. 249 



twins, but placed lower down on the body, were presented to the 

 Belfast Museum by John Legge, Esq., of Glynn Park, Carrick- 

 fergus. They were taken in that gentleman's garden after they 

 had just left the nest. 



When at Aberarder, Inverness-shire, and Ballochmorrie, Ayr- 

 shire, at the end of autumn, I have remarked that chaffinches are 

 not only very numerous, but take the place of sparrows about the 

 dwelling-house. In Holland, France, Switzerland, and Italy, we 

 commonly meet with this species. 



The description of the chaffinch and its propensities, in the 

 Journal of a Naturalist, is admirable. Sir Wm. Jardine reports 

 on both the good, and the evil that it does.* Brit. Birds, 

 vol. ii. p. 302. 



THE MOUNTAIN FINCH. 



Brambling. 



Fringilla montifringitta, Linn. 



Is a frequent, if not a regular winter visitant. 



The Eev. G. M. Black remarked a few of these birds in mid- 

 winter for several years successively on the mountains about 

 Newtown-Crommelin, county of Antrim ; occasionally they were in 

 company with chaffinches. Almost every winter for many years 

 past, I have been aware of their occurrence in the north in very 

 limited numbers, and have learned from correspondents in all 

 quarters of the island that they are of occasional, but generally 

 unfrequent occurrence, in their respective neighbourhoods. They 

 have been met with in the most southern parts, but seem rather to 

 decrease from north to south. On the 18th of October, I once 

 received a mountain finch, which was shot in the vicinity of 

 Belfast, and in November, the species has been seen here, asso- 

 ciating with green-linnets and chaffinches, when for some time 

 before and after its appearance, the weather was mild. Such 

 birds had evidently come hither in the ordinary course of migra- 



* A friend living near Belfast observed this bird to feed its young on the green 

 caterpillars which destroy the leaves of the gooseberry. 



