216 FKINGILLID^. 



become reconciled to caj)tivity, and are valued for their 

 readiness to pair with the Canary-bird, the note of which 

 the joint offspring is thought to improve. A few instances 

 are on record of the Siskin remaining in this country to 

 breed. The nest, which in some respects resembles those 

 of the Greenfinch and Chaffinch, is concealed with great 

 care in the fork formed by two branches of a fir, with 

 which it is so skilfully made to assimilate, that it is 

 almost impossible to discern it from below. In France, 

 Siskins are most numerous from the middle of October to 

 the beginning of December. They are then supposed to 

 travel southwards, and appear again, but in greatly dimi- 

 nished numbers, in spring, at which period they are 

 considered to be travelling towards their summer quarters 

 in Eussia and Scandinavia. 



THE COMMON LINNET. 



LINOTA CANNABINA. 



Winter— hesid ash-brown, the feathers dusky in the middle, those of the 

 forehead more or less tinged with crimson ; back chestnut-bro^vn, becoming 

 brighter towards the scapulars and duller towards the tail ; tail-feathers black, 

 edged towards the tip with reddish grey, the outer. ones bordered with white ; 

 primaries black, the first five with very narrow, the next five with broad, 

 white edges, the rest of the wing-feathers tinged with red, all tipped with ash- 

 grey ; imder parts— breast-feathers dull crimson or brown, edged with yellow- 

 ish red ; abdomen dull white ; flanks reddish yellow ; beak brownish horn 

 colour; feet and toes brown; tail moderate. In summer the beak is of a 

 bluish lead colour ; feathers of the forehead and crown grejish brown, tipped 

 with crimson ; upper plumage uniform rich chestnut-brown ; breast crimson, 

 with a few pale brown feathers intermixed. Length five inches. Eggs pale 

 bluish grey, speckled with deep red. 



It is not unusual in the country to hear mention made Ol 

 the Brown, the Grey, and the Eose or Eed Linnet, the 

 Greater Eedpole and the Common Linnet, as if these were 

 all different birds. Such, however, is not the case. The 

 Linnet is a bird which varies its plumage considerably at 

 difterent seasons of the year, in consequence of which, at a 

 period when little attention was paid to Ornithology, the 

 same individual was known by whichever of these names 

 best described its characteristic colouring. Even by the 



