224 OUR FA VOURITE SONG BIRDS 



and the ground seems to furnish it with most of its 

 food. Early in the spring the Twites resort to 

 the moors once more to breed, the flocks break up 

 into pairs and disperse themselves over the brown 

 wastes for the summer. 



It is now that the pretty song of this Finch may 

 be said to be heard at its best. As with the Linnet, 

 we think the voice of the Twite sounds best in 

 chorus — when several males are singing in concert, 

 inspired by each other's rivalry ; or perhaps better 

 still when the cocks in an entire flock warble together, 

 as they often do in March, whilst sitting on the 

 tree-tops. The song bears a very striking re- 

 semblance to that of the Linnet ; not perhaps quite 

 so loud, but equally sweet, especially when uttered 

 as a part-song in chorus. The Twite sings much 

 during the early part of the breeding season ; and 

 in the wild haunts it frequents, where bird music 

 is by no means a strong feature, its lively little 

 strain sounds particularly grateful and pleasing. 

 The Ring Ouzel and the Dipper, the Meadow 

 Pipit and the Cuckoo are the other singers of these 

 brown breezy uplands — none of them great musicians, 

 yet their voices gladden, and are in full harmony 

 with the surrounding scene. The call-note of the 

 Twite is a shrill and oft-repeated twitter ; but the 

 note between the sexes in summer is a very cha- 

 racteristic one, a long-drawn tiva-ite, hence the 

 bird's trivial name. 



Although the flocks of Twites begin to disappear 



