149 



*' flitting from tree to tree, or gathering together on 

 *' the rocky ground, picking up stray seeds of various 

 " plants. 



•'In January and February, some of the Canaries 

 "have already paired off on the lower ground of the 

 " Island, whilst hundreds of others are still in large or 

 ■*' small flocks ; and a very pretty sight and sound it is 

 " to see perhaps hundreds of these little greenish-grey 

 ^' birds sitting on the still bare stems of a large fig tree 

 "amongst the wild desert-like ground, bestrewn with 

 " tufa and lava, and to hear probably twenty male 

 "birds all twittering and singing together, whilst 

 "" others give vent to many a ' tweet,' bringing back 

 "nursery days and one's first cage pet. 



" Turned towards the sun, the males are easily 

 " recognisable by the bright touches of yellow on their 

 " breasts. And whilst this wintry scene of gathered 

 " birds is going on, many pairs have stolen away from 

 " that tuneful concourse (which makes one think one 

 " is in close proximity to a vast aviary or Canary 

 "breeding establishment), and already in January are 

 ■"building a compact nest of moss and interwoven 

 "grass and lining of feathers, perhaps amongst the 

 "top branches of an orange tree in some garden. 



" The scene is wintry only because of that flock- 

 " ing together and assembled concourse of fluttering 

 " wings, and in no other way, for the usual January 

 " temperature is somewhere about 60"." 



He also tells us in the same article, and in a letter 

 in Vol. VIII. of the same Magazine, that the female is 

 used in the Islands for muling with what the natives 

 call a "Cardenal," but which is really the Hooded 

 Siskin {CJirysomitris aiadlatd) of Venezuela and Cara- 

 cas, a startling looking little bird with a body of 

 brilliant deep orange red colour, relieved with dark 

 wings and tail and a jet black head. The resulting 

 product, in native parlance a " mista Canaria," i.e. a 



