68 The Cn'Rii. Fixch 



and egg ; one of these birds lived fox- three years, and would even permit me to 

 raise my hand until my nose touched her beak, when she would fl}' off to a twig, 

 aud return directl}' I held my hand out to her again ; there were two hens and 

 a cock in this trio, and the male outlived both of his wives ; finall}- he appeared 

 to have acquired a growth in his throat, which obstructed his breathing; there- 

 fore as my experience of doctoring birds is, that in nineteen out of twenty cases 

 it kills them within ten minutes, I thought I would give my Siskin the oppor- 

 tunity of doctoring himself; so I turned him loose in my garden, where he 

 remained for about an hour, and then flew straight awa_v. I have had man^- 

 other Siskins at various times, sometimes three or four pairs together ; they 

 have alwaj'S become very tame in a snrprisingh' short period, and have been 

 altogether delightful pets ; but most of them have died within a few months. 

 Siskins do not seem to have anything like the constitution of most Goldfinches. 

 One tame little hen bird, however, lived to a good age ; and, when she had lost 

 three husbands in succession, I caged her and made a regular pet of her. After 

 six months I wearied of the extra labour (every separate cage adding to the time 

 occupied in providing for m}' large family) ; I, therefore, turned Cissie, as I called 

 her, into one of my bird-room aviaries ; but she had forgotten all about libert}^ 

 flew wildly against the wires in the greatest terror, and presentl}' settled down in 

 a corner with her face to the wall ; having evidently decided thas life was no 

 longer worth having : I, therefore, picked her up and restored her to her cage, 

 where she sat looking stupid for half-an-hour before she recovered. I subsequently 

 gave this bird to a 3'oung lady, who christened her Priscilla, and made much of 

 her to the day of her death about a year later. 



Family— FRINGILLIDyE. Subfamily— FKINGILLIN.F. 



The Citril Finch. 



CJuysoinilt is ciirinclla, LiNN. 

 N example was caught by a Yarmoutli bird-catcher on January 29th, 1904. 



A 



