300 
MOUNTAIN FINCH. 
the rump. They feed on the ground upon vari- 
ous grains and seeds, and where beech trees 
abound, seem to prefer the mast, as the season 
advances, to any other food. In such parts we 
have known them frequent a few fruitful trees for 
many weeks, until the supply most probably 
began to fail. In winter they are frequently 
caught in the common bird traps, and gins baited 
with oats or grain ; and when the weather was 
somewhat severe, we have seen them busily 
engaged among the ricks in the farm yard, in 
company with all the host of our small birds 
which usually congregate there under similar 
circumstances. The nidification of the Mountain 
Finch is unknown to the British ornithologist, 
but those of the Continent describe its nest as 
placed on fir trees, formed outwardly of moss, 
and lined on the inside with wool and feathers. 
The eggs resemble those of the Chaffinch or 
Greenfinch. In distribution, the Mountain Finch 
ranges chiefly in Northern Europe, extending 
partially to the south, and there as a winter 
visiter. By Temminck it is placed among the 
birds of Japan. 
In summer, during the breeding season, the 
head and back of this handsome bird are of a 
deep bluish black, with the tints of the rest of 
the plumage possessing great clearness. The bill 
also becomes of a deeper blue. In the winter, 
when the plumage has been again completed, 
and it is in this state that it will be seen in 
Britain, the head, cheeks, and back, are black, 
