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maw seed are much appreciated in addition) the aviarist 

 need not begrudge the little chap his living, especially 

 when we are al)le to record the fact that, when 

 not eating, it is either singing its quaint little song, or 

 attending to its toilet. 



It. as frequently as not. prefers to roost, if it can be 

 called "roosting," on the wires, whether of cage or 

 aviary, and sometimes head downwards. In its acrobatic 

 performances it has something in common with the 

 Titmice, and there is some resemblance in their 

 respective bills. 



I have never been able to understand why we see 

 so few Siskin hybrids, because, in my experience, it is 

 almost as ready to pair with other finches as the Green- 

 finch, which is saying a great deal. It is a matter of 

 ancient history, however, for Mudie, writing fifty years 

 ago, tells us that the hybrid produced between the 

 Siskin and the Canary Finch is very handsome, and 

 fertile ! Certainly the vSiskin-Canary mule (I suppose I 

 must refer to a bird with a Canary for one of its parents, 

 as a " mule," and not as a " hybrid ") is. to my mind, far 

 prettier than some of the crosses which are produced in 

 greater numbers. 



In common with the other members of the finch 

 family, the Siskin offers us some interesting varieties : 

 some beitig much brighter in colour and markings than 

 others, the differences in the cap especially Ijeing 

 very noticeable. Some have the cap black and unbroken, 

 while others have it laced, i.e., the margins of the head 

 feathers are tinged with grey, giving the cap a spangled 

 appearance, which, in a good specimen, has a very 

 pleasing effect. A little patch of black feathers under 

 the chin is, on some, very conspicuous, Init oti others 

 hardly noticeable. 



Writing in this connexion, it is curious to record how 

 superior in colourings the genuine English-caught 

 Siskin is, as a rule, to that of the vSiskins sent to us by 

 continental dealers ; all of which seem to bear a more or 



