Some British 
Finches. 
(151) THE BIRD WORLD. 
A Popular Exhibiticn Bird. 
Like the Goldfinch the Chaffinch 
makes a good cage bird, but, of course, 
not in such a marked degree as the 
former bird; but he will, like the Gold¬ 
finch, be found at the many bird shows 
throughout the country, heated competi¬ 
tion often taking place between competi¬ 
tors for the production of the best birds. 
A point has come up lately in regard to 
the Chaffinch, and this is, whether this 
bird walks or hops when on the ground. 
My experience is that the Chaffinch does 
both to a certain extent. I have 
noticed while the Chaffinch is feeding 
in fields that it hops, but when on the 
bare ground it will often assume the 
tripping gait of the Wagtail; but it 
would be interesting to hear from other 
naturalists what their opinion is. We 
now pass on to the:— 
Greenfinch (Ligurinus Chloris). 
Called also—Green Linnet, Greenulf, 
Green Grosbeak, Green Bird, etc. 
This bird is familiar to all, being well 
distributed and very plentiful, and, 
though common, is by no means an un¬ 
sightly Finch. If he is not so gaudily 
coloured and as pretty as the Finches 
already dealt with, still he is handsome 
and has a pretty song, and is a bird to 
my mind in his right place. 
Very Active, and Robust. 
We could not very well do without the 
Greenfinch, although the gardener often 
thinks otherwise, being no friend of that 
worthy, and almost as much disliked as 
the much-harassed Sparrow. The Green¬ 
finch is an active and robust bird, 
plump, and of a hardy constitution. 
He is very wary and not easily ap¬ 
proached, as whenever danger threatens 
he is off to a safe' distance with his 
strange, Starling-like flight reminding 
one as if he had made up his mind 
where to go, and is determined to get 
there with all speed. He is about 6 in, 
in length, and of a greenish-yellow 
colour, variegated with ashy-grey and 
yellow. The hen bird lacks the yellow 
tinge prominent in the cock, being more 
of a greenish-grey in colour. The 
young are dark grey on the upper parts, 
with the throat and breast similarly 
marked, the back being brown, but the 
young Greenfinches soon take on the 
normal colour of their parents. 
What FLe Feeds On. 
The Greenfinch feeds on weeds and 
seeds, such as the charlock, thistle, wild 
mustard, corn, and the buds of trees. 
He also feeds on insects, such as crane 
flies, beetles, cockchafers, caterpillars, 
blight etc. As I have already stated, 
there is not much love lost between the 
Greenfinch and the gardener, and, of 
course, it cannot be denied he does con¬ 
siderable damage in the garden; but, 
like the Bullfinch, I would plead for 
him on the ground of his being an insect 
destroyer, and I am of opinion he does 
more good than harm. In winter the 
Greenfinch feeds on hips and haws and 
such seeds as are found round the farms 
and stockyards, and while in search of 
food he is by no means shy, and is 
caught in company with the Linnet, etc., 
in great numbers every year. 
Not Gifted Architecturally. 
Unlike the Chaffinch the Greenfinch 
is a very untidy nest-builder. The nest, 
which is generally built about April, is 
constructed of twigs and grasses, with a 
large proportion of moss, and is lined 
with horsehair wool and feathers. The 
One of the most interesting of the smaller 
Finches, and a sweet songster. 
