distance of sixteen German (that is, about eighty) miles for
has even been known that a cow has been given in exc
a proverb which says that a ‘Chaffinch is worth a ¢

proverbial expression in reference to this bird, ‘as gay as a Chaffinch,’

   

croached upon his domain. The Chaffinches of the fine hanging woods ra a a He lesa
to the newly-sown radish-beds of the underlying garden of Formosa, nor do those of the primitive forests of
1 d SA aaa ‘istiania and Bergen; but Formosa and all other gardens have Chaffinches
Norway resort to the gardens of Christiania anc gen ; ; ae ;
of their own, as well as the neighbouring woods, and these certainly do call forth the ie 0 : 3 ae
for the pertinacity with which they will pick out his spring seeds, Caer the pre oe ot. early
peas, and the like depredations. Chaffinches are, indeed, me) Ge to garc Bhs in the Spe
few birds more so; but immediately they have young, their good mee gots into play by the daly
destruction of vast numbers of grubs, caterpillars, and perfect insects, which, u unmolested, would commit
incaleulably greater mischief, especially among our fruit and a trees. The farmer’s newly-sown fields of
oats and turnips, too, are unsparingly plundered; he has therefore good ce complain ; and hence the
bird has, with some degree of truth, acquired a bad name. At this season he is, in fact, both troublesome
and annoying ; still, were it possible to protect the products of the garden and the held, which are not
the natural food of the bird, I would do so rather than destroy a creature at once so beautiful and so useful
as it reallyis. I would then, I say, spare the Chaffinch, and endeavour to find some means by which he may
be scared from the newly-sown beds and fields: a string of dangling feathers from the wing of the next pullet
your cook may kill will serve to effect this parpose in a garden. .

In mentioning the note of this bird, I asserted with truth that it is wanting in variety ; oa the Continent,
however, particularly in Germany, it is “ one of the most highly prized of caged songsters, being exceedingly
docile and teachable, and having great aptitude for acquiring musical proficiency :” much is it esteemed ; and
great are the sums given for those which have acquired a more than ordinary excellence in this respect.
Bechstein says “that it would not be difficult for bim to fil several sheets with observations on the
song of this bird, mentions as many as twelve different strains into which it has been divided by his bird-
loving countrymen. They distinguish each of these by the term Schdag, or trill: thus there is the double trill
of the Hartz, the rider’s trill, the wine trill, the bridegroom’s trill, good-year trill, &e.; and some of these are
again divided into several (what shall we call them ?) trillettes. In fact, not a note of this bird seems to have
escaped the nice ears of the Thuringian foresters, who, in their little villages, amid the dark pine-woods and
rugged mountains of their old ‘ fatherland,’ spend much of their leisure time in cultivating the musical powers

of the little Chaflinch. One of these knife-smiths (for such is their chief calling) has been known to go toa

the mere chance of catching a good bird; and it
hange for an accomplished singer. Hence, they have
ow,’ which reminds us that the French also have a
alluding to its prettily varied plumage,
‘Tt is remarkable,” says the same author, “ that

t they inhabit, so that different songs are sung in the forest from
aste of amateurs is regulated.

cheerful song, or sprightly manners,—perhaps to all three.”
the song of these birds varies with the distric
those sung in the Hartz; and by this the t

By this it would seem that these
different strains or trills are the natural sor

igs of the birds, capable, however, of beir
culture. The double trill of the Hartz is the most rare

Thiringian into an ecstacy of delight.
5D J 5

1g greatly improved by
and difficult, and the hearing of this always throws a
To gain such a bird, he will part with a ]
ings, although he live on bread and water for a week after.”

Are the Chaffinches of the Continent identic
me that I observed a slight diversity betw
how much larger,

arge sum of his hard earn-

al with ours, or different birds ?
een those of that country
finer, and more richly coloured they were ;
larger than our own; but these differences are too slight, in
Continental and British birds as more than

My Norwegian notes remind
and of Great Britain ; and I well remember
the flight-birds seen at Malta also appeared
my opinion, to induce any one to regard the
races of one and the same bird. Local variations of limited

here they are stationary, as the Chaffinch is in this country.
ationary ; for although it

leave us again in spring, the er

extent occur in most species, particularly W

I have said that the Chaffinch is st is stated that we have accessions from the
north in the autumn which eater number are with us at all seasons. Not so,
however, on the Continent; for the cold blasts of Lapland and the lifeless forests of Norway and Sweden
cause them to seek countries furt]

ner south; and probably those I saw

at Malta were en route to northern
countries.

After its autumnal moult, the Chaffinch h
season: the blue-coloured bill, ¢
is suffused with brown, the tips

as some very beautiful tints which

haracteristic of summer, is now changed to flesh-white, the grey of the head
of the secondaries are yellow instead of white, and yellow also fringes the
yellow tints, however, soon f;

| ade, and those parts are then white like the
But little change takes place in the females.

lo append a lengthened description of its colouring is unnecessary, as the
represents the two sexes in spring, the season of the Flowering Cr

are not found at any other

edges of the primaries; these
shoulders.

accompanying Plate correctly
ab, on which they are drawn.