196 BIRDS OF SOMERSETSHIRE. 
brown; tail-coverts lighter, nearly white; lesser 
wing-coverts black; greater wing-coverts bright 
yellow; the primaries have the outer edge of the 
basal part bright yellow, the rest black, as are the 
other quill-feathers, the tertials, however, and some 
of the secondaries being tipped with white; tail 
black, the centre-feathers tipped with white, the rest 
have a broad white patch on the inner web; throat 
nearly white; breast and flanks yellowish brown, 
but lighter than the back; belly and under tail- 
coverts nearly white ; legs and toes pale flesh-colour ; 
claws brown. The female has rather less of the 
crimson round the beak, and that is occasionally 
speckled with black; the lesser wing-coverts are 
brownish ; the rest like the male. The young birds 
of the year have none of the red or black, the whole 
of the head being brownish. 
The egg of the Goldfinch is a dull greenish white 
ground, slightly spotted—mostly at the larger end— 
with dull reddish brown; there are also a few spots 
of a darker brown. 
Siskin, Carduelis spinus. The Siskin, or “ Aber- 
devine,” is a rather irregular, but occasionally nume- 
rous, winter visitant : it makes its appearance at any 
time from November to March, generally in hard 
weather: its stay is also somewhat regulated by the 
crop of alder-seeds which are to be found and which 
form its principal food during the winter, and in 
search of which it may be seen climbing the slen- 
