112 BRITISH BIRDS. 
very nearly allied species, F. brevirostris, a bird of much more southern 
distribution, breeding from the Caucasus through Turkestan to Northern 
Thibet. This species is slightly less than our bird and decidedly paler, and 
is probably fairly entitled to specific distinction on the ground that, as the 
areas of distribution of the two birds are discontinuous, they have no 
opportunity of interbreeding. A single example of a female bird allied to 
the Twite was shot in Massachusetts, and named Aigiothus flavirostris by 
Ridgway, which may possibly prove to be an American representative of 
this species, but is more probably the young of some known species. 
The Twite is essentially a bird of the moors; he makes his home amongst 
the heath and the ling in company with the Grouse and the Ring-Ouzel. 
From his geographical distribution it might be inferred that he is a maritime 
bird; but this is not the case. He loves wild open rocky country wherever 
it is, and breeds as freely on the Derbyshire moors inland as on the 
Hebrides and the Loffodens. The reason that he does not go inland in Nor- 
way is easy to find in the fact that it is only on the islands and near the 
coast that the bleak nor’-westerly gales and the violent sou’-westers have 
prevented the pine-forests from seizing upon all the rocky country, leaving 
none open enough in the interior to suit the taste of the Twite. In its 
mode of flight and other habits this bird differs very little from the Linnet. 
In Norway it is a migratory bird, collecting together in flocks in autumn, 
which wander south in winter, like other gipsy migrants, appearing 
irregularly in considerable numbers in various parts of Europe, delaying 
their departure to dally amongst the stubbles of the lowlands to the last 
possible moment and then hurrying across. Sometimes they choose the 
route across England, vid Heligoland, the favourite “ fly-line,” as the 
Americans call it, of so many species ; but more often they probably pass 
direct into Germany, or take the coast-line through Holland and Belgium. 
In the British Islands the Twite is a resident; but even with us a partial 
migration takes place, the moors are deserted, and in winter this bird is 
principally seen in small flocks on the stubble-fields and in the farm- 
yards. In the former its services in eating the seeds of all sorts of 
weeds are of great value, and in the latter its food is similar. It can 
scarcely be doubted that in summer it also eats insects. It is probable 
that many flocks, principally consisting of birds of the year, leave our 
islands in late autumn and join their Norwegian brethren on the 
continent. The Twite is a very industrious singer, but its vocal powers 
are not of a very high order. The song is very much like that of a 
Linnet, but scarcely so loud and much less varied, and may even be heard 
on a sunshiny day in winter. The ordinary call-note, which is almost 
constantly heard whilst the flocks are either flying from place to place, 
feeding on the ground, or resting on the heather, is a twitter very similar 
to that of the Linnet or the Redpole, but scarcely so harsh as that of 
