HAWFINCH, OR GROSBEAK . — Coccothraustes vulgaris. 
The Grosbeaks derive their name from their large and thick hills. 
The common Grosbeak, or Hawfinch, is plentiful in England ; but as it is a 
shy bird, is not often seem So extremely wary is the Hawfinch, that to 
approach within gunshot is a very difficult matter, and can seldom be accom- 
plished without the assistance of a call-bird, or by imitating the call-note, which 
bears some resemblance to that of a robin. It feeds chiefly on the various wild 
berries, not rejecting even the hard stones of plums and the laurel-berries. In 
the spring it is apt to make inroads in the early dawn upon the cultivated 
grounds, and has an especial liking for peas, among which it often works dire 
havoc. 
It associates in flocks varying in number from ten to two hundred, and always 
being greatest after the breeding season. It remains in England throughout the 
year, Epping Forest being one of its chief strongholds, as it abounds in berries 
of various kinds, is within a reasonable distance of cultivated grounds, and 
affords an excellent retreat. 
When in the forest, the bird generally perches upon the extreme top of some 
lofty tree, from whence it keeps so complete a watch that hardly a weasel could 
steal upon it without being perceived and its presence reported by an alarm note. 
The nest of the Hawfinch is not remarkable either for elegance or peculiarity 
of form. 
