656 
BIRD-LIFE. 
thou hear ? wilt thou not play the bridegroom ?”). The 
“Winesong” runs thus: “Fritz, Fritz, Fritz, willst du 
mit zum Weine gehen?” (Ang.: “ Fritz, Fritz, Fritz, 
wilt thou to wine with me ?”). The “ Doppelschlag,” or 
double-song, is, however, the most perfect, and may be 
expressed by the following syllables: “ Finkferlinkfinkfink, 
zischesia, harvelalalalaziskutchia.” The remaining varia¬ 
tions of this bird’s song may be interpreted in a similar 
manner. 
The Chaffinch is a stormy swain, who, in matters 
connected with the tender passion, is averse to anything 
in the way of a joke. Jealousy renders him perfectly 
.blind to every danger but the approach of the hated 
rival, and this renders his capture an easy one: if a tame 
bird, with a lime-twig tied across its shoulders, is allowed 
to run about near where a wild one is singing, the latter 
in a few minutes dashes at the intruder and is speedily 
caught by the birdlime. Every male Chaffinch has to 
engage in many a hard-fought battle before he wins his 
fair one, for rivals are plenty, and the female surrenders 
her favours to the strongest. When a disengaged spinster 
is to be met with, duels, of the sort, are innumerable, and 
while two gallants are having a bout two others may be 
heard singing their challenges for the combat, and not 
until the battle has been fought and gained, does the 
conqueror obtain the prize! The female, when won, 
attaches herself most trustingly to her champion, and is 
treated by him with marked tenderness. After a honey¬ 
moon of a few days the happy pair think about building 
their new home: now, pear-trees, apple-trees, limes, 
oaks, and all other moss-covered trees, are thoroughly 
inspected, until a suitable fork in some large branch is 
found where the nest may with safety be placed. The 
