53 
F R I N G I L L A. 
a longitudinal black flreak down it; in other things not 
greatly different. It is found with us in the neighbour¬ 
hood of Severn river, in winter only, appearing firft about 
November, and is commonly found near juniper trees. 
Some of the males have more ferruginous about'the head. 
It is alfo met with in Lapland, and the interiorof Siberia, 
being often found near the Uralian chain. It breeds in the 
northern parts, and unites into flocks: when it changes 
place, it runs like a lark on the ground; fings like a lin¬ 
net, frequently while vibrating in the air, like the lark. 
It likewife inhabits, though lefs frequent, the fields of 
the inner bays of Greenland, and makes the neft in June, 
of mofs and grals, lined with feathers; lays five or fix 
eggs, of a brownifh flate, mixed with a duller colour; is 
fuppofed to migrate into America in autumn. 
2. Fringilla Surinama, the Surinam finch : bill fltarp, 
and of a yellow-colour; body grey ; the belly whittifh ; 
quills black, the prime ones near the bafe white, the fe- 
condaries white both at the bafe and tips; tail blackifh ; 
the firft and fecond feathers have a white fpot on the in- 
fide ; the third, fourth, and fixth, white at the tips. In- 
habits Surinam. . 
3. Fringilla longiroftris, the long-billed finch : a fize 
bigger than the chaffinch; bill grey brown; head and 
throat black; ro'und the neck a collar of chefnut ; back, 
wing-coverts, fcapulars, and rump, browji and yellow 
mixed; all the under parts orange yellow ; quills brown, 
edged with olive without, .and within fringed with yel¬ 
low ; the outer edges of the fecondaries are alfo fringed 
with yellow ; tail olive ; legs grey brown. Inhabits Se¬ 
negal. 
4. Fringilla caelebs, the chaffinch this bird, fo well 
known in England, is called by the Greeks, ; the 
Italian names are, franguello, Jrangueglio, and frengudlo \ 
in German, roth finck, zuincke •, \n Jlozuick •, 
in Svi,-Jinke, bojincke \ in Bohemian, penheway, in 
French, pinion, the pincher, on account of its fierce bite ; 
or from pinch, its cbirp. Thefe are migratory birds, 
though with us they remain during the winter. They re¬ 
fort to our dwellings, and vifit our farm-yards to obtain 
an eafier fubfiftence ; they are little parafites who feek to 
live at our expence, without contributing to cnir plea- 
fures ; for in that feafon they never fing. During the reft 
of the time they lodge in clofe hedges, in ever-grcens, and 
in holes, where they are fometimes found dead when the 
weather is exceffively fevere. Thofe which migrate into 
ether climates affemble often in prodigious flocks. A very 
remarkable circumftance in the migration of the chaffinch¬ 
es, “is what Gefner mentions of thofe of Swifferland, and 
Linnaeus of thofe of Sweden : that only the females re¬ 
move to other climates, aad the males refide in the coun¬ 
try during the winter. This fingular remark is corrobo¬ 
rated by the late Mr. White, of Selbourn, in Hampfliire, 
who found that the vaft flocks of chaffinches which gene¬ 
rally appeared in his neighbourhood about Chriftmas, 
were almoft entirely hens. Yet,- as he feems not to have 
difle< 5 led any, he miglit have been deceived by the change 
©f plumage, which is extremely probable. The migra¬ 
tions vary in different countries. Aldrovandus affures us, 
that the chaffinches feldcm breed near Bologna, but al¬ 
moft all depart about the' end of winter, and return the 
fucceeding autumn. They are fpread through the whole 
®f Europe, from the fhores of the Baltic and Sweden, 
where they are frequent, and neftle, to the Straits of 
Gibraltar, on the coafts of Africa, and at the Cape of 
Good Hope. 
The chaffinch is a fprightly bird, and perpetually in 
motion. If begins to chant very early in the fpring, and 
feveral days before the nightingale, and gives over about 
the fummer folftice. Some connoifleurs in finging birds 
very much effeem the notes of the chaffinch ; and Latham 
fays, that thofe bred in EfTcx have the fineft fong. If a 
young chaffinch taken from the neft be educated under a 
pnary, a nightingale, &c, it will have the fong of its 
iaftruftors. This facility iii learning the fongs of other 
. y®t. Vm, N0.483. 
birds accounts for the diverfity obferved in the warble of 
the chaffinches. In the Netherlands, five or fix kinds of 
chaffinches are dlftinguifhedby the various length of their 
airs. 
Thefe birds conftruCl their neft very round and compaiT, 
and place it in the clofeft trees or bufhes; fometimes they 
build in our gardens upon Ihe fruit-trees, and conceal the 
neft fo artfully that we can hardly perceive it. It is com- 
pofed of white mofs and fmall roots on the outfide, and 
lined with wool, hairs, fpiders’ webs, ar.d feathers'. The 
female lays five or fix eggs, which are reddifh grey, fprink- 
led with blackifh fpots, more frequent near tlie large end. 
The male never defeits his mate in the time of hatching; 
he fits at night always at hand ; and if during the day he 
remove to a fiiort diftance, it is only to procure food. 
Jealoufy lias perhaps feme fliare in this exceffive atlidui- 
ty ; for thefe birds are of an amorous complexion ; when 
two males meet in the fpring, they fight obftinately, till 
one of them is vanqniftied and expelled ; and the combat 
is ftill more fierce, if they be lodged with only a fingle 
female. 
The parents feed their brood with caterpillars and 
infedls : they alfo eat thefe themfelves, but their or¬ 
dinary fubfiftence is fmall feeds, thofe of the white thorn, 
poppy, burdock, rofe-tree, and efpecially beech-maft, 
rape and hemp.feed. They feed alfo upon wheat and 
oats, and are expert in flielling the grain to obtain the 
mealy fubftance. Though rather obftinate, they can in 
time be inftrudted, like goldfinches, to perform feverai 
little feats; they learn to employ their wings and feet to 
draw up the cup when they want to eat or drink. 
This bird is foraewhat fmaller than our fparrow, and 
is too well known to require a minute defeription. The 
fides of the head, the fore-part of the neck, the breaft, 
and the loins, are of a wine colour; the upper part of the 
head and of the body chefnut; the rump olive; and a 
white fpot on the wing. In the female the bill is more 
flender, and the colours lefs bright than in the male ; 
but in both fexes the plumage is very fubjedt to vary. Of 
the males, fome Jiave the upper part of the head and neck 
cinereous, and others of a brown chefnut ; in fome the 
quills of the tail neareft the two middle ones are edged 
with white, and in others they are entirely black age 
probably occafions thefe flight differences. One nven- 
tioned by Latham was Ihot near London, with coal-black, 
legs. In the north of England they are fometimes called 
white-linnets, and flax-finches ; by ox\vtx%fpink from their 
cry. 
Several varieties of the chaffinch are mentioned by au¬ 
thors, the principal of which are as follow : i. The va¬ 
riegated chajinch. In this the head and neck are afh- 
coloured ; cheeks brownifh ; rump greenifh ; the under 
phrts brownifh flefli.colour ; the leffer and greater wing- 
coverts white ; the middle ones, quills, and tail, black ; 
the two outer ones half-way white on the outer margins. 
2. The white chaffinch, which is wholly white. 3. The 
collared chaffinch, being of tlfe common colour, except the 
crown of the head,, and a collar round the neck, both of 
which are white. Added to thefe, are two others, viz. 
one with the fore-parts white, the hinder ferruginous; 
another with the back yellowifh, the under parts very 
pale, and more white than ufual in the wings. 
5. Fringilla montifringilla, the bramble finch : larger 
than the chaffinch; length fix inches; bill yellowifh; 
tip black; the head, hind part of the neck, and back, 
are black, margined with rufous brown; rump white; 
throat, fore-part of the neck, and breaft, pale rufous 
orange ; lower part of the breaft and belly white ; fmaller 
wing-coverts pale rufous; the middle ones rufous white ; 
the great ones black, tipped with white, and thofe neareft 
the body with pale rufous; quills brown, with yellowifh 
edges; tail forked ; legs grey. The female is plainer in 
colour, and is brown where the male is black, and rufous 
grey where he is rufous. 
This fpecies migrates into England at certain feafens, 
P "but 
