THE LINNET. 169 



of the Leader seem at one time to have been a favourite 

 haunt of this bird, for it is introduced in the beautiful 

 Scottish song of " Leader Haughs and Yarrow " ^ — 



A mile below, wha lists to ride, 



They '11 hear the Mavis singing, 

 Into St. Leonard's banks she '11 bide. 



Sweet birks her head o'er-hinging ; 

 The Lintwhite loud and Progne jproud, 



With tuneful throats and narrow, 

 Into St. Leonard's banks they sing 



As sweetly as in Yarrow. 



It is a great favourite with bird-fanciers in the county 

 as a cage-bird, on account of its pleasing song; and has 

 been known to live with one of the fraternity, in Ay ton, for 

 ten years. It is usually taken with bird-lime or girns 

 made of horse's hair, but it is often reared from the nest. 

 Boys have been known to " pudge " the young ones by 

 placing a kind of framework of small sticks round and over 

 the nest to keep them from flying out, the old birds con- 

 tinuing to attend to them until they can feed themselves, 

 when they are removed from the nest and put into a cage. 



Mr. Hardy writes to me that, owing to the lively dis- 

 position of this bird, it is usual for the country people of 

 Berwickshire, when alluding to a cheerful person, to remark 

 that he, or she, is as " canty as a lintie " ; likewise that when 

 many young Linnets congregate and sing together towards 

 the end of the year, it is augured that bad weather is at 

 hand. 



Towards autumn the Linnet assembles in flocks and 

 frequents the stubble, pasture, and fallow fields, in search of 

 seeds of various kinds, especially those of the wild mustard 



1 This song, written by Nicol Burne, is given with the music in Ritson's 

 Scottish Songs, second edition, vol. ii. p. 458. 



