The CHAFFINCH (_Fringilla coelebs_), or as the Germans call it the
NOBLE FINCH (_Edelfink_), is by this very name at once placed first
amongst its brotherhood, and is so common amongst us that it can rarely
be mistaken for any other bird. Its length is six inches, its breadth
across the wings seven inches, the female being somewhat smaller and
longer than her mate. The plumage is strikingly coloured, and beautifully
marked. The male is deep black upon the forehead, the head and neck
ash-grey, the back brown, the lower part of the body (except the belly,
which is white) of a rich red, and the wings striped in two places with
white. The female and young birds are often of an olive-greyish brown,
grey below, and the wings marked as in the male bird. The beak in the
young is of a dusky light blue, in autumn reddish white, and always black
at the tip; the foot is of a reddish grey, or dirty flesh colour, the eye
brown.
The Chaffinch is found over the whole of Europe, if we except its most
northern and southern countries; it appears in Spain only during the
winter, and in the north is replaced by a species called the Mountain
Finch. In Siberia it is as common as it is in Germany, and in Northern
Africa a very similar bird is to be met with. The Chaffinch inhabits all
kind of woods, frequenting the larger forests as readily as clumps of
trees, plantations, and gardens, only avoiding marshy or boggy ground.
One little couple lives close to another, but each bird defends its own
chosen spot with great fury, and wages constant war against intrusion.
After the breeding season is over these separate couples assemble,
and form large flocks--which often include several other species of
birds--and then start upon their exploring travels through the length and
breadth of the land. At these times they do not appear more peaceably
disposed than before, and quarrels and strife go on unremittingly. In
Germany the Chaffinch is a summer bird, and though some few males may
winter there, the mass of these lovers of sunshine leave for a warmer
climate.
As they begin to assemble at the commencement of September, in October
the flocks are ready for flight, and before the end of that month have
entirely disappeared, to take up their winter quarters in Southern
Europe, or North-western Africa, and some few in Egypt: spreading
over mountains, valleys, fields, and gardens, everywhere numerous,
and everywhere living, not in pairs, but socially; thus showing that
these regions are not regarded as their home, but merely as a temporary
abiding-place. When the spring commences they return to their old haunts,
generally performing the journey in much smaller parties than when they
took their departure--the males first, followed in about a fortnight by
the females. It is very rarely indeed that both sexes return together.
In fine weather the males generally make their appearance about the
beginning of February, the principal parties arriving about March, the
stragglers often not till April. Then may be heard their fresh cheerful
voices, as they seek their old breeding places and choose their mates; as
soon as this is done the building of the nest commences, and the little
cradles for the young are generally ready before the trees are covered
with leaves.
[Illustration: THE CHAFFINCH (_Fringilla Coelebs_).]
The process of making a nest is commenced by a search amongst the
branches; a proceeding in which both birds take an active part, the
female, perhaps, looking for what is required with the greatest
earnestness, her mate, on the contrary, thinking more of his attachment
to her, and his determination to keep off all rivals; for in their case,
as sometimes happens with their betters, love and jealousy go hand in
hand. At length a suitable spot for building is found upon a forked or
gnarled branch, or sometimes even in the thatch of a house. The nest
itself is most beautifully made, being as round as a ball, and open at
the top. The thick outer wall is formed of green moss, delicate roots and
blades of grass, and these materials are covered externally with bits
selected from the tree itself, woven together by means of the webs of
various insects, so that the nest might easily be mistaken for a part of
the branch on which it is placed; indeed, even a naturalist would have
the greatest difficulty in finding it, and the uninitiated could only
discover it by chance. The interior is round, deep, and snugly lined with
a bed of hair, feathers, and fibres of wool or cotton. Whilst the nest
is being built, and during the time the female broods, her mate pours
out an uninterrupted flow of song, and every other male responds to his
notes with great zeal, for these little creatures are not only actuated
by jealousy, but by ambition. Chaffinches, like other singing birds,
strive to vie with each other in their performance; but the rivals soon
become so excited in their efforts that their voices fail, and they are
compelled to give vent to their rage by chasing each other through the
branches, until at last, literally seizing each other by the throat,
and thus powerless to fly, they whirl round and fall upon the ground.
In these battles the combatants seem blind and deaf to every danger,
and risk their lives in their endeavours to vent their fury. As soon
as the battle with the beak and claws is concluded, the musical strife
is renewed, to be again terminated by a fresh onslaught of the furious
and implacable little rivals. The breeding time of these birds may be
described as one uninterrupted series of contests, for every male in the
neighbourhood thinks it his duty to worry and rival his neighbour.
The eggs, five or six in number, have very fragile shells of a delicate
blueish-green colour, varied with pale reddish-brown markings, and
blackish-brown spots of various sizes and shapes. The female sits for
about a fortnight, and is relieved by her mate during such time as she
requires to go in search of food. The nestlings are fed by both parents
exclusively upon insects, and require to be supplied with nourishment for
some time after leaving the nest; when first hatched they have a peculiar
kind of cry, but soon employ the same call as the old birds. These latter
have scarcely parted from one brood than they commence preparations for
a second, seeking another place for a nest, and building again, but with
less care than before, the female laying only from three to four eggs.
With the rearing of this second brood the duties of incubation are for
the year at an end.
Chaffinches are much attached to their young, and utter loud cries at
the approach of an enemy, accompanying their screams by most significant
actions. Naumann tells us that the male bird concerns himself more
about the eggs, while the female gives her affection principally to the
nestlings. We ourselves have not observed this difference. With respect
to the tenderness shown to their offspring, this species differs much
from other Finches, for if young Linnets, for instance, are taken out
of the nest and placed in a cage, one may rest assured that the parents
will continue to feed them, whilst Chaffinches, on the contrary, would
allow their young to starve, as many of their admirers have learned by
bitter experience. Exceptions to this rule are sometimes found, but among
the last-mentioned birds care for their own safety is generally stronger
than parental love. The Chaffinch is a cheerful little creature, and
passes the greater part of the day in action, only reposing from its
fatigues during the noontide heat. Its movements are much more agile
than those of the Bullfinch, and of an entirely different character. On
the branches it sits perched bolt upright, and seems to balance its body
as it moves upon the ground, with a kind of step that is half hopping,
half running. When on the twigs it prefers progressing in a sidelong
direction, and flies very rapidly with an undulating sort of course,
spreading its wings slightly before perching. The call-note of "pink"
or "finch" is uttered with great diversity of sound and expression, and
its song possesses a variety and beauty that has earned the admiration
of all who have heard it. To the uninitiated the changes in these sounds
are scarcely noticeable, but those who rear and study these birds have
arrived at so great perfection in their observations that they can give
the proper interpretation to their various notes. Lenz even tells us of
nineteen (so-called) different expressions, but to enumerate them would
be to weary our readers. In former times the passion for these birds was
so strong that men have been known to exchange a cow for a Chaffinch,
and though, at the present day, this mania has diminished in force, it
has by no means died out. In Belgium we hear of bets being laid about
the singing of pet birds. On the occasion of such trials of skill, the
competitors in their cages are placed in rows upon the table, and the
conflict continues for an hour. Certain men undertake to mark down how
often each individual utters its notes, and the one that "trills" the
oftenest is considered to have gained the prize. Instances have been
known of Finches uttering the required sound 700 times within the hour.
Chaffinches are well fitted for life in a cage; but there is a strange
idea afloat that they must be blinded before they will sing well, and
in many parts of Belgium this horrible practice is constantly carried
out; many are captured, particularly in the breeding season, at which
time they often recklessly expose their lives and liberty; all that is
needful is to place a decoy in a snare, and its brethren will hasten
in numbers to the trap, their angry little passions hurrying them to
their destruction, for when the decoy is properly posted, the wild birds
come down for the express purpose of engaging it in a fight, and thus
rendering themselves an easy prey, are caught by means of limed twigs.
Chaffinches are never injurious, and often very useful to man, as they
destroy a great quantity of seeds--chiefly those of various weeds--whilst
the numbers of insects consumed by their little bills render them real
benefactors to the woods and gardens.