BIRDS 51. Greenfinch. Ligurinus ch/oris (L n.). A common resident, building in shrubs, hedges and bushes, about the middle of April, usually raising two broods, and sometimes three. Rather tiresome in gardens. 52. Hawfinch. Coccothraustes vulgaris, Pallas. A resident, not uncommon, but little noticed owing to its shyness. The young birds, however, do not seem shy when they have found out the green peas. Breeds in May, building its nest at some height in an old apple or other tree, and only raising one brood. 53. Goldfinch. Carduelis elegcim, Stephens. A resident, not uncommon, but much per- secuted by bird-catchers. Fortunately for it- self, its habit is to build its nest in tall trees, often apple trees ; the eggs are laid about the middle of May, and a second brood is often reared in September. Large flocks cross the Channel. 54. Siskin. Carduelis spinus (Linn.). Breeds not uncommonly in northern Britain, but with us is a winter visitor in small num- bers, most commonly seen by stream sides where alders are plentiful. Crosses the North Sea in some numbers on migration. 55. House-Sparrow. Passer domcsticus [h'mn.). A common and tiresome resident, having now attached itself to man as a parasite, like the rat and mouse. Its food has been ascer- tained, by Mr. J. H. Gurney and his friends, by careful dissections on a large scale, to consist largely of corn (75 per cent, for the year), and its supposed usefulness in destroy- ing insects has been at the same time shown to have little foundation in fact. 56. Tree-Sparrow. Passer montanus (Linn.). A resident, fairly common, breeding in holes of trees and hovel roofs in early April, often raising a second or third brood. Crosses the North Sea on migration. 57. Chaffinch. Fringilla coelebs, Linn. A common resident, its numbers being augmented during the winter by migration. Builds an exquisitely beautiful nest in April, and usually raises a second brood. A very useful bird, on the whole, in gardens, owing to its fondness for chickweed, groundsel and plantain seeds. 58. Brambling. Fringilla montifringilla, Linn. A winter visitor of irregular occurrence, breeding in the northern parts of Europe. Owing to its partiality for beech mast, it is seldom seen (possibly it comes, but does not remain) when beech masts are barren, and is chiefly noticed in beech woods. Sometimes very abundant. 59. Linnet. Linota cannahina {hinn.). A common resident, breeding in April, building its nest in hedges, bushes, and ever- greens, and often rearing two broods ; enor- mous flocks may be seen on stubble fields and commons during the winter, their numbers being augmented, no doubt, by immigration. 60. Mealy Redpoll. Linota linaria (Linn.). A rare winter visitor of irregular occurrence. Breeds in Iceland and arctic Europe. It has been four times obtained in Northamptonshire, but has, no doubt, occurred much more fre- quently. 61. Lesser Redpoll. Linota rufescens [VieiWot). A resident in small numbers, breeding in most parts of the county, building its nest in high hedges. I have seen four or five sets of eggs taken in Northamptonshire. In the winter it is much more abundant, by im- migration from the northern counties, and may sometimes be met with in comparatively large flocks, but generally amongst alders and willows by stream sides. 62. Twite. Linota fiavirostris (Linn.). An irregular winter visitor from Scotland and the north of England, where it nests on the ground amongst heather. Usually found with us in flocks in the more open country. 63. Bullfinch. Pyrrhula europeea, Vieillot. A fairly common resident, haunting thickets and shrubberies, where it breeds, nesting in the end of April, and often raising two broods. Often very injurious to plum, gooseberry and currant buds (but the sparrow is just as bad in this way, and does not always get the blame it deserves) ; it may easily be kept away by a miniature windmill. Otherwise the bullfinch does good in gardens, as it is a great eater of such seeds as those of the dock, plantain and groundsel. A jet-black bullfinch was caught at Old Duston in 1894. 64. Crossbill. Loxia curvirostra, Linn. An irregular winter visitor in small numbers from Scandinavia. A good many instances of its occurrence in Northants may be found in Lilford (i. 203-206), and since the publication of that work several further occurrences (in 1898) are to be found reported in the North- amptonshire Nat. Hist. Soc. Journ. for 1899. 65. Corn-Bunting. Emberiza miliaria, Linn. Resident all over the county, but nowhere, as far as I have seen, plentiful enough to be 117
