222 FRINGILLID^. 



with, the fragments of the young plants. In winter, 

 Mountain Linnets assemble in very large flocks, and in 

 their habits resemble Common Linnets, from which they 

 are best distinguished (at a distance) by their longer tails. 

 • During severe weather I have observed them in Norfolk, 

 flocking to the salt marshes, and feeding on the seeds 

 of saline plants, especially those of the shrubby sea-blite. 

 At this season their note resembles the twitter of the 

 Common Linnet, but is less mellow. The nest is placed 

 among heath, grass, or young corn, and invariably on the 

 ground — in this respect differing from all other birds of 

 the same family. It is constructed of dry grass, moss, 

 and roots, and lined with various soft substances. The 

 Mountain Linnet is often called the Twite, a syllable 

 which its simple note is thought to resemble. 



THE BULLFINCH. 



PYRRHULA VULGARIS. 



Crown, throat, plumage round the bill, wings and tail lustrous purple-black ; 

 upper part of the back bluish ash ; cheeks, neck, breast and flanks red (in the 

 female reddish brown) ; rump and abdomen pure white ; a broad buff and 

 grey band across the wings. Length six and a quarter inches. Eggs light 

 greenish blue, speclded and streaked with light red and dark purple. 



Though I have not proposed to myself the ungracious task 

 of directing the reader's attention to errors existing in other 

 works, yet I cannot pass over one committed by the accu- 

 rate observer, Macgillivray. "The Bullfinch," he says, 

 " is generally distributed in Britain, occurring in most of 

 our wooded and cultivated districts, but avoiding bare 

 maritime tracts, as well as the northern islands, which are 

 destitute of wood." So far, I have not a word to say ; but 

 he proceeds : "It is not, however, very common any- 

 where." From this last remark I infer that the author 

 in question w^as never either proprietor or occupant of 

 a fruit-garden in a wooded district, or he would have 



