379 



LINARIA FLAVIROSTRIS. THE MOUNTAIN 

 LINNET, OR TWITE. 



MOUNTAIN LINNET. TWITE. HEATHER LINTIE. BICIAN. 



Fringilla flavirostris. Linn. Fauna Suec. 87. 



Fringilla montium. Lath. lud. Orn. I. 459. 



Twite. Mont. Orn. Diet. 



Gros-bec a gorge rousse ou de Montagne. Fringilla montium. Temm. 



Man. d'Orn. I. 368. IL 262. 

 Mountain Linnet, or Twite. Linaria montana. Selb. Illustr. I. 318. 

 Fringilla montium. Mountain Linnet. Jen. Brit. Yert. An. 140. 



Male in winter^ icith the hill greyish-yellow, the upper parts 

 light yellowish-brown, streaked with hrownish-hlacJc, the feathers 

 of the rump red in the middle, the lower parts light brownish-yel- 

 low, of which are two bands across the u'ing ; the throat unspot- 

 ted ; the feet black. Fernale in winter, itith the hill tipped idth 

 dusky, the colours of the plumage similar, but lighter, the rump 

 destitute of red. 



Male in summer, with the hill whitish, the rump rose-red, in 

 other respects as in winter, hut paler. Female as in winter. 



Male. — The Yellow-billed Linnet, or Twite, also named 

 by authors the Mountain Linnet, is inferior in size to the Com- 

 mon or Brown Linnet, and superior to the Redpoll. In form 

 and proportions it resembles the preceding species, from which 

 it is easily distinguished by attending to the specific characters 

 given above. The bill is short, stout, and tapers to a fine 

 point, its upper outline almost straight, and its base, although 

 pentagonal, has the two lateral angles so rounded, that, as ^I. 

 Temminck has described it, one might call it triangular in its 

 transverse section, although certainly not " formant un triangle 

 parfait,'' whether viewed directly or transversely. The tarsi are 



