gr?:enfinch. 
lUl 
Of a pair which occupied a nest in a cottage wall forsevei*al 
years, the female was very lightly coloured. The young were 
always marked in the usual manner, but no change occurred 
in the mother’s appearance. 
thp: gkeenfinch. 
Coccothraustes cliloris. 
The Greenfinch has within the last few years become a 
regular visitant in winter, though until very recently it was 
exceedingly rare even at that season. The first time that I 
observed it was on the 28th of October 1864, when a gale from 
the north-east brought a small flock, other flights arriving at 
intervals shortly afterwards. During the early part of Novem- 
ber immense flocks continued to arrive, consisting chiefly of 
females and young birds, although many fine old males were 
among them. Very large numbers roosted in the garden every 
night, and many were captured as they flew against the windows 
after dark, or entered the house, attracted no doubt by the 
light within. None of the inhabitants to whom I spoke had 
seen the bird before, except one of the Baliasta sages ; but as 
he once solemnly assured me that he had seen a flock of 
canaries (bramblings ?) in his cornyard, I may be excused for 
doubting the accuracy of his statement. Those which flew into 
the houses, and were considered worth keeping, soon became 
quite tame ; but the old males at first showed great unwilling- 
ness to submit to restraint. They were chiefly fed with oats 
soaked in milk, of which diet they soon became excessively 
fond. 
Soon after the publication of the late Thomas Edmondston’s 
list of Shetland birds in the “Zoologist” for 1844, many notes 
were added in his own handwriting, one of them especially 
expressing his doubts as to the finches. The present species 
being crossed out of the list, I can trace no instance of its oc- 
currence in Shetland prior to the day on which Mr Edmondston 
