92 BRITISH BIRDS, WITH THEIR NESTS AND EGGS 
one vicious Tree-Sparrow, associated with birds weaker than itself, might do much 
mischief in a very short space of time: its powerful beak would enable it to kill 
or maim any smaller or weaker bird without the least trouble. 
Family—FRINGILLIDA:. Subfamily—FRINGILLINA:. 
THE CHAFFINCH. 
Fringilla celebs, LINN. 
LTHOUGH the type of the family Frzngillide and therefore the Finch of 
Finches, this species and the Brambling differ much in their habits from 
the other British species of typical Finches (F7ringilling/) and one is surprised that 
any man, having the knowledge of living birds which Seebohm undoubtedly had, 
should have been content to place forms with Tit-like habits (Siskin, Goldfinch, 
Redpolls) in the same genus with the true species of /vingz//a—birds which have 
the habits of Buntings. If distinctive structural characters were wholly absent, one 
could understand it. 
The Chaffinch is distributed as a breeding species throughout Europe almost 
up to the North Cape, but in the south of Europe it chiefly haunts the mountains 
during the breeding season, wintering in the plains. It occurs locally in Morocco 
and Algeria, and winters in Egypt. In Asia it is said to breed in Palestine, Asia 
Minor, and Western Persia, and to winter in Turkestan. 
In Great Britain the Chaffinch is generally distributed; breeding freely in all 
wooded or cultivated districts, and in solitary bushes on the more barren portions 
of our islands. 
The fully adult male Chaffinch in breeding plumage has the forehead velvety 
black, the crown and nape steel blue, the former sometimes tinged with green, the 
latter somewhat ashy; the mantle bright chestnut; lower back bluish ash-grey at 
