part in the advance on Peking and the relief of the Legations. In 1901 he
became a major-general in the regular army, and in 1901-1902 commanded
the Division of the Philippines. In 1902-1903 he commanded the Department
of the East, and from 1904 to 1906 was chief of the general staff of the
army. In 1904 he received the rank of lieutenant-general in the United
States army, being the first enlisted man of the regular army to attain
this, the highest rank in the service. He was retired at his own request
on the 1st of February 1906, after more than forty years' service.

CHAFFINCH (_Fringilla coelebs_), the common English name of a bird
belonging to the family _Fringillidae_ (see FINCH), and distinguished,
in the male sex, by the deep greyish blue of its crown feathers, the
yellowish green of its rump, the white of the wing coverts, so disposed
as to form two conspicuous bars, and the reddish brown passing into
vinous red of the throat and breast. The female is drab, but shows the
same white markings as the male, and the young males resemble the
females until after the first autumn moult, when they gradually assume
the plumage of their sex. The chaffinch breeds early in the season, and
its song may often be heard in February. Its nest, which is a model of
neatness and symmetry, it builds on trees and bushes, preferring such as
are overgrown with moss and lichens. It is chiefly composed of moss and
wool, lined internally with grass, wool, feathers, and whatever soft
material the locality affords. The outside consists of moss and lichens,
and according to Selby, "is always accordant with the particular colour
of its situation." When built in the neighbourhood of towns the nest is
somewhat slovenly and untidy, being often composed of bits of dirty
straw, pieces of paper and blackened moss; in one instance, near
Glasgow, the author of the _Birds of the West of Scotland_ found several
postage-stamps thus employed. It lays four or five eggs of a pale
purplish buff, streaked and spotted with purplish red. In spring the
chaffinch is destructive to early flowers, and to young radishes and
turnips just as they appear above the surface; in summer, however, it
feeds principally on insects and their larvae, while in autumn and
winter its food consists of grain and other seeds. On the continent of
Europe the chaffinch is a favourite song-bird, especially in Germany,
where great attention is paid to its training.

CHAFING-