THE 



Oregon i^A Naturalist, 



Vol. III. Palestine, Oregon, Ndvembe:^,, 1896. No. 11 



THE IMPORTED AND ACCLIMATED the upper tail coverts are black, edged with 



GERMAN SONG BIRDS IN OREGON. retldish white, sparingly spotted with reddish 



■ ■ gi'iy- I'he feathers on the sides of the lireast 



By C. F. Pfliiger, Sec'y of the Society of the are blood red, edged with reddish wliite; the 



Introduction of song-birds into Oregon, at side of the belly light rust color; the rest of the 



Portland. lower part of the body leddish white. The 



THE GRAY L\l<iNET {Frin^i//a caftnaimti, first row of coverts are black edged with led- 



Der Haevfling). dish white; the rest are rusty brown, with 



Of these beautiful song-birds 35 pairs were margin of a lighter hue. The pen feathers are 



introduced by the Society into Oregon in 1889 blnck, tipped with dirty while, the first row 



and 1892. being edged with white almost uji to the jioints. 



The Linnet is a well-known bird all over The white margin of the narrow plume forms 



Europe. During the summer it frequents a stripe parallel with the pen feathers. The 



woods, groves, etc., and in autumn betakes tail is forked and black, the four external 



itself to the open fields. It is a migratory bird, feathers having on each a deep margin of white, 



]ia?sing in winter from one place to another in w hich in the two center feathers is narrower, 



search of food. In March, by which time it and tinged with red. After the autumnal 



has usually paired, it may be noticed in its moulting, the red on the forehead disappears. 



usual haunts. It is more than 5 inches in Males of one year have no red feathers on the 



length, of which the tail measures 2J4' inches, head. 



The beak is 6 lines long, dirty blue in summer. The female, which is somewhat smaller than 



and in winter whitish gray, tipped with brown, the male, is without the reddish tints, and the 



The iris is dark brown; the feet are black, and other plumage, though the same as the male, 



8 lines in height. The plumage of the male is i^aler. 



Linnet varies exceedingly at different ages and The Linnet feeds on all kinds of seeds, 



seasons of the year, and has produced great which it shells and softens in its crop, before 



confusion in works on ornithology. digesting them. It is especially fond of rape, 



A male of 3 years old answer in spring to cabbage, hemp, poppy and linseed. It breeds 



the following description: The forehead is twice a year, the female laying each time five 



biood-red; the rest of the head reddish ashen to six bluish white eggs, thickly marked with 



gray, spotted on the poll with black, and on flesh colored and reddish brown specks and 



the cheeks, the sides of the neck, and round stripes. The nest, which is most frequently 



the eyes, with reddish white. The feathers of found in pine and fir trees, or in thick bushes 



the upper part of the back are rusty brown, and hedges, is well built of fine roots, grass 



bordered with a lighter shade of the same color; stalks, and moss, lined with wool and hair, 



the lower part is r-ott!ed with gray and white; The old birds feed their young from the crops. 



