The Hawfinch. BIRDS. The Cakdinal Grosbeak. 367 
brown, and the lower surface pale nutmeg-brown ; 
adorned with a large pointed crest, which he can ele- 
round the base of the bill there is a black line, from 
vate at pleasure, and his veiy strong bill is of a bright 
which a patch extends on each side to the eye ; the 
coral-red colour. The whole length of the male bird 
throat also presents a black patch ; the wings are 
is eight inches. The female is a little smaller than 
black, with the larger wing-coverts white, and the 
her partner, and has the upper part brownish-olive. 
fifth and four following primaries exhibit a very pecu- 
with the tail, wings, and tip of the crest red ; the lower 
liar form, being notched at the tip on the inside, and 
surface in this sex is reddish-drab. 
terminated on the outside with elongated and curved 
The male Cardinal Grosbeak is a beautiful songster. 
barbs, which form a sort of hook. The tail feathers 
and is often kept in cages in the United States, where 
are black at the base and white at the tip, except the 
his notes are so much admired that he is often called 
two middle ones, which are grayish-brown with white 
the Virginia Nightingale. The female is also said to 
apices. 
possess a song but little inferior to that of her mate. 
The Hawfinch is found all over Europe, abundantly 
The males, when confined together, fight violently, and 
in the southern and central parts of that continent, but 
Wilson says that the male will often destroy the female 
more rarely towards the north. In this country it is 
when both are kept in the same cage. This bird feeds 
pretty generally distributed, and remains with us 
on grain and seeds of various kinds, and exhibits a 
throughout the year ; but, from its extreme shyness, 
great partiality for maize. Its nest is usually placed 
it is but seldom seen, and lienee was long regarded 
in a bush, and composed of small twigs, dried herbage, 
only as an occasional visitor to Britain. Its favourite 
and strips of bark, lined with fine grass. 
places of abode are the secluded parts of our woods 
THE THICK-BILLED GROUND-FINCH {Geospiza 
and forests, where it feeds on seeds and berries, occa- 
magnirostris). — Several peculiar species of birds, most 
sionally during the summer making a descent upon 
nearly allied to the preceding, are found in the Gala- 
the gardens in the vicinity, to devour green peas, of 
pagos islands, forming four genera, which have no 
w'hich it appears to be very fond. In Epping Forest, 
representatives in other parts of the world. Of these 
according to Mr. H. Doubleday, the i)rincipal food of 
the most remarkable are the Ground-finches, stoutly 
the Hawfinch is the seeds of the hornbeam. The nest 
Iniilt birds with very powerful bills, of which the base 
of this bird is built sometimes in a bush, and some- 
of the upper mandible advances considerably upon the 
times amongst the branches of a tree ; it is composed 
forehead. These birds feed in flocks upon the ground. 
of twigs,’ intermixed with a larger or smaller quantity of 
usually in the dry and rocky districts near the coast. 
fragments of gray lichen; the latter is never w’anting. 
where, by scratching in the cindery soil with their 
and sometimes constitutes the greater part of the nest. 
powerful bills and claws, they obtain the seeds of grasses 
The materials are loosely put together, and the cavity 
and other plants, which form an evanescent vegetation 
is lined with fine roots and hair. The eggs are from 
upon those desert shores during the rainy season. 
four to six in number, of a pale olive colour, spotted 
There are eight known species of this genus. 
w’ith black, and streaked with gray. The only other 
THE CLIMBING CACTUS BIRD {Cactornis scandens). 
known species of the genus Coccothraustes is the 
— This bird resembles the preceding in its general 
Japanese Grosbeak {C. japonicus). 
structure, but possesses a much longer bill, very like 
THE BLUE GROSBEAK [Guiraca ccerulea), a native 
that of the North American crow blackbirds in its 
of the southern United States of North America, resem- 
form. It measures about five inches in length, and 
bles our British species in its shy and retiring habits. 
the male is of a sooly black colour, whilst the female 
It is of a rich purplish-blue colour above, with the 
is brown and spotted with white, especially on the 
wings and tail black. Its length is about six inches. 
lower surface. This bird is found principally about 
THE AZURE GROSBEAK ( brwfraca cyanea), an inhab- 
a peculiar species of cactus {Opiintia Galapagem), 
itant of Guiana, Brazil, and Paraguay, is of a sky-blue 
which grows abundantly upon the islands of the Gala- 
colour, with the cheeks black, and the wings blackish ; 
pagos group. Upon these plants the birds climb in 
the tail feathers are black, with the margins blue. The 
every possible position, feeding both upon the fruit and 
length of this bird is also about six inches. 
flowers. Th^ also not unfrequently descend to the 
THE ROSE-BREASTED GROSBEAK {^Guiraca ludo- 
ground in search of seeds, which they obtain in the 
viciana), a native of the United States, measures 
same way as the ground-finches. Two other species 
upwards of eight inches in length, and is of a black 
of this genus have been described. 
colour, with white spots on the wings, and w'hite tips 
The habits of the two nearly allied genera {Gama- 
to several of the tail feathers; the lower part of the 
rhynchus and Certhidea) are not known ; the former 
breast and the middle of the belly are rose colour. 
has a, short and thick bill, like Geospiza ; the latter 
This handsome bird appears to be rather rare in the 
has a slender bill, and presents a considerable resem- 
United States, Wilson states that it is observed in New 
blance to a Creeper {Certhia). 
York and New England, especially in the autumn, 
THE PHILIPPINE WEAVER-BIRD {Plocevs pldlip- 
when it feeds on the seeds of the ripe berries of the 
pinus).- — Several species of the Grosbeaks build a 
sour gum. Its song is said to be mellow and clear. 
curious pensile nest, composed of the stalks of grasses 
THE CARDINAL GROSBEAK {Cardinalis virginiana), 
very neatly and closely interwoven; but the most 
another North American species, receives his name 
elegant structures of this kind are the nests made by 
from the general red colour of his plumage. He is 
some nearly allied Finches, to which, on this account. 
dusky red above and bright vermilion beneath ; a 
the name of Weaver-bird has been applied. They 
black band surrounds the base of his bill, his head is 
/ 
inhabit the warmer parts of the Eastern hemisphere, 
