FiiiNGiLLiD^E. BIRDS. The Chaffinch. 
are confined ; here it seeks for seeds, worms, and insects 
amongst the excrements of the cattle. It is never known 
to build a nest, but, as above mentioned, drops its eggs 
singly in the nests of numerous species of small birds, 
amongst which the yellow-throat and the red-eyed fly- 
catcher appear to he its greatest favourites; and in this 
selection it is justified by the great care which these 
birds take of their nurslings. The young Cow-bird, 
like the young of the European cuckoo, is always found 
alone in the nest of its foster parents, and probably 
resoi'ts to the same means of getting rid of the rightful 
tenants of the nest that is adopted by the cuckoo, as it 
is found, that when the egg of the parasite is deposited 
in the nest before those of the owner, the latter deserts 
its nest, and thus the object of the intruder is defeated. 
It is a singular fact that the young of this bird, like that 
of the cuckoo, seems to possess some power of attract- 
ing to itself the affections of almost all other small birds, 
as these cannot see it in a helpless state, and wanting 
food, without immediately administering to its necessi- 
ties. Wilson placed a young bird of this species in the 
same cage with a cardinal grosbeak ; and fhe latter, as 
soon as his companion began to be clamorous for food, 
set to work to satisfy its appetite, and tended it like an 
affectionate nurse. When he found that a grasshopper, 
which he brought to his nursling, was too large for it 
to swallow; he broke it into small pieces which he 
passed through his bill to soften them, and then placed 
in the expectant mouth of the little Cow-bird with the 
greatest gentleness. The length of the Cow-pen Bird 
is about seven inches. Its plumage is black, with a 
greenish gloss ; the head and neck are of a deep silky 
drab colour, and the breast violet. The female is of 
a brown colour, paler below. 
Family IV.— FRINGILLID^. ' 
The Finches, which form this family, present the 
most decidedly conical form of bill occurring amongst 
the Passeres. The bill is generally short and stout, 
but tapering to a fine point, and the edges of the upper 
mandible are destitute of the notches which occur near 
its tip in many of the birds of the preceding families of 
Conirostres. The tongue is rather fleshy, but horny 
and usually slit at the tip. The feet are slender ; the 
tarsi are generally covered in front with seven horny 
plates, which, however, are sometimes amalgamated 
into a single long shield ; and the toes are moderately 
developed, and terminated with rather slender curved 
claws. Amongst the vast number of birds belonging to 
this group there is some difference in the development 
of the wings, but these members are usually rather short. 
The tail is composed of twelve feathers. The Finches 
are all small birds, and exhibit much agility both in 
hopping upon the ground or amongst the branches of 
trees, and in flight. Their movement through the air 
is generally performed in a series of undulations, the 
bird rising by the action of its wings through a certain 
space, then closing its wings and descending for some 
distance. The food of the Finches consists principally 
of seeds, for the consumption of which the form of the 
bill is peculiarly adapted; they also pick up insects 
and worms, especially during the breeding season. 
857 
Their adaptation to a diet of hard vegetable matters 
is further shown by the structure of their digestive 
organs, the oesophagus being dilated into a small crop, 
in which the seeds are stored and partially softened, 
and the stomach forming a powerful muscular gizzard 
fitted for the comminution of the food. 
THE CHAFFINCH {Fringilla cffifefe)— Plate 13, fig. 
44. — -We commence with -this well-known and hand- 
some bird, as he is the type of the restricted genus 
Fringilla, which, with Linnaeus, included all the species 
of the family known to him. The Chaffinch is generally 
distributed and abundant in all parts of Britain, where 
he is a permanent resident ; in the colder regions of 
the north he is a migratory bird, passing southward at 
the approach of winter to seek a more genial climate 
for his residence during the cold season. At this time 
a considerable number of Chaffinches visit our island. 
Linnseus states that in Sweden the female Chaffinches 
migrate, but the males do not, and the specific name 
{ccelebs, or the bachelor) given by him to this bird, is 
an allusion to the lonely condition of these deserted 
males ; it appears, however, that all the females do 
not migrate southwards, although those that remain 
seem to collect into distinct bands, and keep aloof from 
the males ; this is the case also in the more northern 
parts of our own country, and female Chaffinches aie 
more numerous in the south of England during the 
winter than at other times. 
The_Chaftinch resides in orchards, plantations, and 
hedgerows, and in the neighbourhood of these his 
note may be heard at a very early period of the year. 
It usually consists of a sharp repetition of a sound 
resembling the syllable Fink or Pink ; from the former 
of these words the word finch is derived. Notwith- 
standing the imperfection of his musical powers, the 
note of the Chaffinch is generally a welcome sound 
from its association with the early spring, and the 
gaiety and sprightliness of the bird render him an 
almost universal favourite, except, perhaps, with some 
gardeners, for whose early radish seed, sowed at a 
period when food is probably rather scarce, he has so 
strong a predilection, that he will be down upon the 
bed almost as soon as the seed is covered in. 
The nest is built in the fork of some bush or tree, 
and is a neat structure, composed of moss, adorned 
externally with fragments of lichens, and lined with 
wool, hair, and feathers. The eggs are usually four or 
five in number ; their colour is pale buff, streaked and 
spotted with dark reddish-brown. 
THE MOUNTAIN FINCH {Fringilla monii fringilla) 
is a winter vflsitor to Britain, coming over in considerable 
numbers from Sweden and Norway. It is an abundant 
bird in the north of Europe in summer, and descends 
in the autumn as far south as the Mediterranean in 
quest of winter quarters ; it has also been met with 
in Japan, and is probably an inhabitant of northern 
Asia. 
It is nearly an inch longer than the Chaffinch, and 
is a handsome bird, having its plumage above mottled 
with black, brown, and fawn colour, and its lower 
surface white, with the exception of the throat and 
upper part of the breast, which are fawn colour. In 
this country the Mountain Finch frequents thick hedges, 
