WASTE GROUND AND SUBURBAN BIRD-LIFE. 1 23 



blossom) at Hangingshaw in foggy mornings in February when 

 everything was covered thick with rime. Of the house-sparrow 

 {Passe?- domesticus) it is only necessary to say that " other birds 

 come back again, he never goes away." The greenfinch (Coeco- 

 thraustes chloris) is common in the Queen's Park. On the second 

 Sunday of April, 1892, I was much pleased while seated on the 

 terrace in the park to see a greenfinch which, while en route from 

 one perch to another, suddenly came to a halt, and moving about 

 for some time with great apparent uncertainty, but singing all the 

 while, at length moved on to a tree near at hand where the song 

 was continued. This "graceful flight" seems to be chiefly 

 indulged in early in the year. The goldfinch (Cardue/is elegans) 

 is probably the greatest rarity that I am able to record from the 

 district and from my own observation. Early in January, 1891, 

 I was surprised one morning, in hard weather, to see a pair of 

 goldfinches at Polmadie in a brick-field in company with some 

 greenfinches and sparrows, one of the goldfinches being character- 

 istically perched on an old thistle-head. 1 watched them for some 

 time, and having my field-glass with me made no mistake about 

 them. Recently, in conversation with a bird-catcher in this 

 locality, I asked if he had ever seen the goldfinch hereabouts, and 

 was interested in the reply which he made, as it was not prompted 

 by any narrative on my part of my own experience. He indicated 

 a time which closely synchronised with the date just given, and 

 stated that he had seen five together on a free coup between 

 Rutherglen Road and Polmadie, and that one of the birds had 

 been "limed." The linnet {Linota cannabina) I am unable to 

 include in my list, although it doubtless strays within our limits in 

 winter at least. A few days before reading the second series of 

 notes on this subject to the Society I saw one just snared half a 

 mile south of our boundary. 



Sturnid/E. — When going out in the morning one of the first 

 sounds to greet the ears in suburban localities is that of the 

 " castanets " of the starling (Stunius vulgaris). Usually gregarious 

 and often breeding in colonies, he is essentially a bird of social 

 habits and finds community of interest with the sparrow and rook in 

 frequenting the vicinity of human dwellings. In the second week 

 in September, 1891, which was remarkable for the lovely Indian 

 summer weather prevailing, I was much interested in watching the 



