HAWFINCH. 59 



Lambessa. Here it was by no means common^ and we only saw several 

 scattered pairs. Tbe Hawfineb is sby enougb in England, as is well 

 known, and one would almost be led to tbink tbat tbe cause of tbis sby- 

 ness was tbe incessant manner in wbicb it is bunted botb by gardeners 

 and collectors, if we did not find it just as wild and wary in tbese forest 

 sobtudes of Algeria, wbere man is so rare an animal as to cause it no 

 alarm. Tbe birds were evidently mated, altbougb incubation bad not 

 commenced, for eacb male was accompanied by a female. We first met 

 witb tbem in a small natural clearing in tbe forest, wbere tbe trees were 

 scattered in clumps far apart. It was, as. a rule, only wben tbey were fly- 

 ing from tree to tree tbat we could see tbem ; but sometimes we observed 

 tbem sitting quietly amongst tbe brancbes, turning tbeir large beads from 

 side to side, and peering about in all directions, as if in searcb of tbe cause 

 of alarm. Tbe flight of tbis bird is undulating, but sometimes straight- 

 forward, and is tben very rapid. As tbey flew from tree to tree, I 

 noticed tbat tbey usually dropped down into tbe brancbes, far less 

 frequently flying up into tbem. We did not bear tbem utter any call- 

 notes ; but wben at rest tbe male birds occasionally twittered a little, 

 something like Greenfinches.''^ 



The Hawfinch is not much of a songster. It has a few notes, wbicb can 

 scarcely be called more than a low chatter. There is nothing very striking 

 in its performance ; but wben several are twittering away together the 

 general effect is very pleasant. Its call-note is said to resemble the well- 

 known zh of the Greenfinch. 



The Hawfinch pairs about tbe middle of April, and its nest is rarely built 

 before the trees are in full foliage. The site for the nest differs consider- 

 ably. A favourite place is in tbe apple- or pear-trees in an orchard, or in 

 an old whitethorn, often in quite an exposed situation ; and when it breeds 

 in woods it often selects a hornbeam, or less frequently a holly. The Haw- 

 finch does not often breed in shrubberies, and its nest is somewhat rarely 

 placed in evergreen trees ; but it has been found amongst ivy. It will 

 also build in tall oak trees ; and Doubleday says that it occasionally nests 

 in fir trees in plantations. Sometimes tbe nest is only a few feet from the 

 ground, at others it is as much as forty feet. The nest is usually com- 

 menced by the latter end of April or early in May, and sometimes several 

 will be found in tbe same plantation. Mr. Thomasson informs me that be 

 once found three nests in one orchard. Tbe nest is a very beautiful piece 

 of handiwork, and is similar to tbat of tbe Bullfinch, but on an enlarged 

 scale. Tbe outside is invariably made of twigs, frequently intermixed with 

 lichens and sometimes witb dry plants; and the cup of tbe nest is formed 

 of dry grasses, lined with fine roots and often a Uttle hair. The nest, as a 

 whole, is very flat and somewhat bulky ; but the cup is not unusually 

 shallow, and is neatly finished. The eggs of the Hawfinch vary from four 



