HAWFINCH GROSBEAK. 



237 



some of the secondaries brownish : tail black; the 

 inner webs of all but the two middle feathers half 

 white from the points : coverts very long, reach- 

 ing nearly the whole length of the tail : legs pale 

 brown : female is said to want the black spot on 

 the chin ; but that is not to be depended on, as 

 both sexes have been found with that mark ; 

 however, the female is generally dullest in colour. 

 According to Dr. Latham, this species varies very 

 much : he says, that the top of the head in some 

 is whitish, surrounded with rufous, in others wholly 

 black : that the band on the wings in some is al- 

 most white, in others grey, and sometimes wholly 

 wanting, and that specimens have been seen en- 

 tirely black. 



This bird is common . in Italy, Germany, Swe- 

 den, and the southern parts of Russia : it is like- 

 wise found in France and England, but does not 

 breed in the latter place : it is said to build its 

 nest about twelve feet from the ground : it is 

 composed of small dry fibres, intermixed with 

 liverwort, and lined with finer materials : the eggs 

 are of a blueish green, spotted with olive-brown, 

 with a few irregular black markings. 



From the great strength of the beak of this 

 bird, it is enabled to crack the stones of haws, 

 and other fruits, with the same facility that smaller 

 birds do hemp seed : it usually appears in this 

 country in the autumn, and continues with us till 

 April, but is very scarce, as rarely more than four 

 or five are seen together : it is said to sing very 

 pleasantly in low plaintive notes, even in the win- 



