376 LINARIA CANNABINA. 



Brown, Grey, and Rose Linnet, is generally distributed in 

 Britain, being found at all seasons in most parts of England 

 and Scotland. Towards the end of autumn individuals collect 

 into flocks, which unite as the winter advances, and betake 

 themselves to the lower districts, where, in the neighbourhood 

 of towns and farm-steadings, they search the fields, and in 

 severe weather frequent the corn-yards, to procure seeds of oats, 

 and various plants, on w^hich they subsist entirely from the 

 middle of autumn until the beginning of summer. These 

 flocks sometimes mingle w^ith those of the Mountain Linnet, 

 and occasionally the Green Linnet, as well as for a time with 

 other birds ; but for the most part they keep distinct, perform- 

 ing their various evolutions by themselves. They appear over 

 a field, attracting notice by their soft and mellow notes, and 

 either fly over it in curving sweeps for some time, or alight 

 abruptly, when the bystander can easily distinguish them by 

 the white which appears on their wings and tail, as they spread 

 them out while settling on the ground. They generally move 

 in a rather close flock, advance in one direction, by short leaps, 

 crouching as they go on, and searching for food with great 

 assiduity, the stragglers every now and then flying up to the 

 main body. They are easily approached when thus engaged, 

 unless they have been previously chased ; but when a person 

 drawls near them, they either all stand still for a short while, 

 and fly off nearly simultaneously, or the nearer individuals ad- 

 vance to the front of the party successively, so that frequently 

 they thus traverse a considerable space before they consider it 

 necessary to extend their flight. In the latter case, they betake 

 themselves to a distant part, or perch on trees or bushes in the 

 neighbourhood. 



The flight of this species is rapid and undulated, being per- 

 formed by alternate flaps and cessations, in a curved line, in 

 the manner of the Green Linnet, but with still more activity. 

 The flocks glide and wheel, the individuals crossing the direc- 

 tion of each other, in a very beautiful manner. On the ground, 

 it is equally active. Its voice is soft and mellovr, and its song 

 varied, and remarkably sweet ; on which account it is fre- 

 quently kept in cages. It is easily reared from the nest, and 



