74 Order 1 



it be in a wall, railway cutting, pollard willow or what- 

 not, and is btdlt with much less straw and feathers, 

 while the eggs are decidedly smaller and more delicate 

 than those of its congener, and generally marked with 

 deep brown instead of black and grey. In fact, just 

 as the House Sparrow's eggs are rather like those of the 

 Pied Wagtail, those of the Tree Sparrow are generally 

 like those of the- Meadow Pipit. The chirping and 

 chattering notes of the two species are also easily 

 distinguished by those well acquainted with them. 



The Chaffinch (Fringilla ccelehs) is resident with us, 

 though its numbers are greatly augmented in autumn 

 by flocks which come from the north, for the bird 

 ranges over Europe from the Arctic Circle southward 

 and also across west Siberia. It is too well known to 

 need description, but in north Africa and the Atlantic 

 Islands the allied species are most interesting and 

 practically to be considered distinct. After the breeding 

 season the males keep by themselves to a consider- 

 able extent tfll spring, and thus the Chaffinch gains the 

 name of " coelebs," or bachelor. It is only too tame 

 and famihar in most places, and is very fond of scratch- 

 ing up and eating newly sown seeds of cabbage, turnip 

 or radish ; yet both cock and hen are general favourites, 

 and their call-note of " spink-spink " is always pleasant 

 to the ear. The song varies considerably, but is always 

 of the same stamp ; the nest of moss and wool, studded 

 outside with Hchens, is one of our prettiest pieces of 

 bird-architecture ; and the eggs, which are spotted 

 with red-brown, have a curious dull greenish ground- 

 colour, or are rarely quite blue. 



The Brambling or Mountain-Finch {F. montifringilla) 

 arrives on our eastern coasts about October, and only 



