FINBACK. 619 FINCK. mon whale on the coast of the Eastern United States is a finback or razorback (Balcenoptera musculus), which reaches a length of about sev- enty feet. FINCH (AS. fine, Ger. l-'ml, ; connected with Welsh pine, chaffinch, Russ. pienka, hedge-spar- row). The popular name of a. great number "I species of small birds of tin- family Fringillidss (q.v.). Many of them have great powers of song, and are called by bird fanciers 'hard-billed song-birds,' in contradistinction to the warblers (Sylviidse), or "soft-billed song birds.' The name is sometimes used as equivalent to Fringillidse ; but the limits of its popular use arc ill defined, and some birds are known as finches and also as linnets, or as grosbeaks, etc. The word finch often forms part of the popular name of birds of this family, as bullfinch, chaffinch, hawfinch, etc., and is almost always used with some prefix or qualifying adjective. When used as a gen- eral term applicable to the whole family, it in- cludes those nine-primaried oscines (q.v.), with more or less conirostral bill, which have the cor- ners of the mouth more or less sharply drawn down. The shape of the bill varies greatly ; some- times it is short and thick, sometimes compara- tively slender and elongated, but it is almost al- ways adapted to crushing seeds. Finches feed mostly on seeds and buds, but some species are more or less insectivorous. The family is a very large one, including some 550 species, which are found in all parts of the world except Australia. They are most abundant in the Northern Hemi- sphere, and especially in America; 135 species and subspecies occur in the United States and Canada. Finches are nearly allied to the tanagers, weav- er birds, and American starlings and blackbirds, and it is difficult to draw any hard and fast lines between these families. The birds called buntings, sparrows, grosbeaks, linnets, redpolls, longspurs, and snowbirds are all finches, but will be treated of under these separate heads. In the United Statc> the name finch is not in very common use, though there are some species with which it is constantly associated. The purple finch (Car- podacus purpureas) is a good songster, and is often called the 'linnet.' The female is plain brown, streaked with black, but the male is suffused with rich rose-red, especially deep on the head, so that he is a handsome bird. This finch and veTy closely allied species occur over the whole of the United States. The rosy finches, of which there are some half-dozen species, con- stituting the genus Leucostiete, are characteristic of the Rocky Mountain region, extending north and westward. They are seven inches or less in length, brownish or grayish in color, the males suffused with rosy red posteriorly. The grass- finch (Poocetes gramineus) is more properly a sparrow, and is sometimes called vesper-spar- row or bay-winged bunting. Other well-known finches of the United States are the summer finches (Peuecea), of which half a dozen species are found in the Southern and Western States; the painted finches (Passerina), of which the indigo-bird (q.v.) is a good example: the pine- finches or siskins (q.v.); ami finally the gold- finches (q.v.). See Plates of Cage-Birds and Eggs of Song-Bibds. Consult Ridgway, ninls <>f North and Middle meriea, Part i. (Washington, loon. Vou. VII. — 40. FINCH, Daniel (1647 1730 i Earl of Nottingham and sixth Earl of Wii An Kneli h tat< man. He was educated at West- minster School Christ Church i ord, a 1 1 • i i he i nner 'I emple ; ent ered Pari iami at in 1678 ; beci ■ a I'm;. Counciloi in 16 in i Lord "i t lie . . 1 1 1 . 1 1 - . 1 1 ■ from i 880 to 1684. in 1682 lie sva called bj hi fathi deaf ii to i lie I ton e ol Lord -. Ml er thi i:> t ion he i em. i ined, in thei luii i : d 1 be well I now n disl inci ion t ween i lie King de facto and and gave in hia adherence to the nev regime. He ■ if f he Sea i to 1693, ami again from 1702 to 1704. Both in and out of Parliament he came to be i as the leader of the Church party, and it he who introduced the Toleration Ac! of 1689 in the House of Lords, lie was a favorite of Queen Mary, and for a time enjoyed to tent the confidence of Queen Anne, but incurred the latter's displeasure bi urging thai the Electress Sophia be invited to live in England. Fr 171 I to 1716 lie was president of George t.'a council. In 1721 he wrote An Answer to Mr. Whistc Letter Concerning the Eternity 0/ thi Son of God. He is the subject of Dean Swift's famous ballad, "An Orator Dismal of Nottinghamshire." FINCH, Francis Miles (1827—). An American | t and jurist. He was born at Ith- aca. X. Y., and graduated at Yale in 1849. He studied law and began to practice at Ithaca, He was a collector of internal revenue dui (.rani's first administration, and in May, 1880, was appointed a judge of the New York Court of Appeals, to fill a vacancy. In the fall of 1881 he was elected to the same bench for a full term of fourteen years. He took a prominent part in the organization of Cornell University, was a member and secretary of the board of trus- tees for man; years, and in 1892 became dean of the law school. His literary work, which is ex- tensive and of unusual merit, consists largely of poems, among the best known of which are "The 'Blue and the Gray" (1867) and "Nathan Hale" (1853). FINCH, Heneage. See Nottingham. FINCH'LEY. A municipality of Mid England, and a northern suburb of London, four miies south of Chipping Unmet I Map: London, C 6). Population, in 1891, 16,600; in 11 23,600. FINCK, fink. Friedricii August von (1718- 66). A Prussian general, born at Strelitz. He suecessivelj served in the Australian. Russian, and Prussian armies, and was appointed adju- tant-major to Frederick the Great. In 1750 he was promoted to be lieutenant-general, in which capacitj he displayed great ability. Detailed by Frederick the Great to assist Prince Henry in the defense of Saxony, he compelled Field-Mar- shal Daun to retreat, but expostulated with the King when told to pursue the Austrian general. He followed Daun as far as Maxen. where he attacked by an overwhelming body of the enemy and compelled, after a brave defense, to surrender. with his entire force. Although personally blame- less, he was nevertheless condemned by the mili- tary tribunal to be expelled from the army and to be imprisoned in a fortress for two years. In i he entered the service of the King of' Den- mark. He lied ii I openhagen.
