GREENFINCH 
103 
bright yellow patches (which are particularly con- 
spicuous as he flies) on his browner tail and wings. 
The hen has comparatively little green, and even 
less yellow, to enliven her general tints of brown, 
but she can fairly easily be identified by her strong, 
short bill, and general sturdiness of build. In 
spite of its generally hardy habits the Greenfinch 
is not a particularly early nester, no doubt because, 
like most of its relatives, even the Sparrow, its 
nestling young are fed on small caterpillars, and 
it needs to time the arrival of its family for the 
appearance in plentiful numbers of their food. 
It begins to build about the middle of April, and 
the first eggs are usually laid before the end of the 
month. Its nests are often to be found in abund- 
ance in thick garden shrubberies, as well as in 
hedgerows or copses which skirt arable fields ; 
the reason being that it chiefly feeds on cultivated 
ground, and likes to nest accordingly as near to the 
scene of operations as possible. In such districts 
as the open, arable country which is common in 
Berkshire and Oxfordshire, the tall, thick hedges 
which occur at very wide intervals are often 
packed with Greenfinches' nests in May and June, 
as well as with those of the Thrush, Turtle Dove, 
and other less abundant birds which get their food 
on the same wide cultivated expanses. The nest 
is often built ten or twelve feet from the ground. 
