THE HAWFINCH. By Guy Montfort. New Naturalist Special Volume No. 15.

1957 1st edition. 8vo (141 x 206mm). Ppxii,176,iv[ads]. B/w photographs and illustrations, maps. Green buckram.

This is an authoritative and detailed examination of the natural history of the Britain's largest finch. Chapters include: Introducing the hawfinch; The bird and its environment; The winter flock; Aggressive behaviour in the flock; Courtship behaviour; Mating and territorial behaviour; Song and call notes; The nest, nest site and eggs; Behaviour at the nest; The hawfinch's diet; Local movements and migration; Origin, subspecies and classification distribution in the British Isles; Distribution abroad; The flight of the hawfinch; The hawfinch's parasites; Food eaten by the hawfinch in Britain. This copy has a plain green, sugar-paper dust-wrapper - in this form amongst the rarest of New Naturalist volumes". I once saw a copy in a plain green, sugar-paper jacket. Did they run out of Ellis jackets and wrap the last few in plain ones? Rating: ****". (Peter Marren, The New Naturalists, p339).