12 



British Birds. 



The Siskin. 



different in colour, and is easil)- distinguished l)y 

 its white rump, black head, and orange breast. 

 This is as the bird appears in summer, for in 

 winter all the feathers have paler edges, whicli 

 obscure the bright plumage which lies under- 

 neath, and the female is always duller in colour 

 than the male. The Brambling is a winter visitor 

 to Britain, and it is sometimes seen in large 

 numbers, frequenting the beech woods during 

 the day, feeding on the beech-mast, and betak- 

 ing itself in the evening to the evergreen woods 

 to roost. It nests in Scandinavia and throughout 

 the northern part of the Old World, and is a 

 familiar feature of bird life in Norway in the 

 valle\'s. but still more so on the fjelds. There 

 nearly every hill has its pair of Bramblings, 

 which frequent the birch woods and build their 

 nest in one of the taller trees. The nest is not at 

 all eas}' to find, but its vicinity can generally h^ 



discovered by following up the note of the male, for the Brambling has a curious habit 



of sitting on the top of a tree and uttering a continuous note, more like that of 



a Bunting than a Finch. It is. in fact, something like the call of the Yellow Bunting, 



but has no inflection at the end, and is, of course, much more powerful. When 



giving vent to this note, the Brambling 



raises his crest and throws his head back, 



and is apparently engaged in uttering de- 

 fiance to the Brambling which occupies the 



ne.xt hill, for the bird appears to be oblivious 



of everything except his challenge, and 



allows a spectator to approach within a few 



yards. When thus engaged the bird looks 



ver}- handsome, his black head and orange 



breast being puffed out to their full extent. 

 The Hi^KiK (Chiysoniili'isspiinis). This 



pretty little P'inch is a great favourite with 



lovers of birds, on account of the facility 



with which it can be tamed. It nests in 



the pine-woods in parts of Scotland and 



Ireland, and is also found breeding over the 



whole of Northern Europe, and Northern 



Asia as far as Japan, so that its range 



The Goldfinch. 



