116 YELLOW-BREASTED BIRDS. 



purplish-gray, chiefly at the larger end, and often 

 in the form of a zone ; '83 x "55 inch (plate 126). 



Nest. — Of root-fibres, moss, and wool, lined with 

 fine grass, hair, and feathers, and placed in hedges, 

 bushes, or low trees. 



Distribution. — General throughout the wooded and 

 the cultivated parts of Great Britain and Ireland. 



The Greenfinch in its build is a thick-set, full- 

 billed bird, leaning rather to the coarser structure 

 of the Hawfinch than to the slighter and more elegant 

 make of the Linnet. Its chief distinction is its 

 coloration ; and the greenish-yellow of the upper and 

 the bright yellow of the under parts, with the conspicu- 

 ous patches of bright yellow on the dark wings and 

 tail, make it easy to identify. It nests as a rule in the 

 higher hedgerows or some compact bush or low tree, 

 often in association with others of its kind, and, being 

 a seed and insect eater, is, to be seen searching both 

 the ground and the trees for its food. Throughout 

 spring and summer its various notes are continually 

 in the ear. The most distinctive of these is a long- 

 drawn 'scream,' uttered as the bird sits in a tree. 

 Further, it has a short, twittering strain, and a 

 similar but fuller song, resembling that of a 

 Canary. It also utters a soft, caressing ' Po-i ! ' 

 resembling, although coarser and longer drawn out, 

 the 'TuH' of tlie Willow -Wren. In autumn the 

 birds- wander in scattered, high-flying flocks, twitter- 

 ing incessantly as they go. At this time they asso- 

 ciate with the Sparrows in the stubble and the 

 root-crops, and throughout the winter frequent farm- 



