198 BIRDS OF SOMERSETSHIRE. 
to be formed of much the same materials as that of 
the Chaffinch. 
The Siskin is a very pretty and gaily-marked bird. 
The beak is orange-brown, darker at the tip; irides 
dark-brown ; top of the head, and higher part of the 
nape, glossy black, mixed on the nape with olive- 
green; there is a light yellow streak over and at 
the back of the eye and down the sides of the neck ; 
ear-coverts olive-green; back and scapulars olive- 
green, with very narrow dark streaks down the 
centre of each feather; rump much more yellow, but 
still tinged with olive-green ; tail-coverts olive-green, 
tinged with dusky; lesser wing coverts olive-green, 
the bases of the feathers dusky; the greater wing- 
coverts black at the base and olive-green at the tips; 
primary quills dusky, narrowly edged with yellow; 
secondaries and tertials yellow at the base, the rest 
of the feather black, with a narrow margin of yellow 
towards the tips; tertials the same, but with broader 
margins: basal half of the tail-feathers bright light 
yellow, the tips of all the feathers and outer web of 
the outside feather on each side black, the shafts of 
the feathers also are black. The throat in the adult 
male is black; under part of the neck, breast and 
flanks greenish yellow, lighter, almost white, on the 
flanks and streaked with dark dusky; belly and 
under tail-coverts white, streaked with dusky ; legs, 
toes and claws brown. The female has no black on 
the head or throat, the head being like the back, and 
