FRINGILLIN.t. 



169 



THE SERIN. 



SEKiNa's HORTULANUS, K. L. Koch. 



The occurrence of the Serin in England was first recorded from 

 the neighbourhood of Portsmouth (NaiuraHst, 1S53, p. 20), by Mr. 

 W. Hazel, of notorious good fortune in obtaining exotic Finches in 

 this country. Subsequently, about eight examples have been obtained 

 by bird-catchers in Sussex — most of them near Brighton ; one or two 

 near London, one in Norfolk, and one in Somersetshire. Almost 

 all of these were noticed either in spring or in autumn ; and although 

 the Serin is a very common cage-bird abroad and likely to be im- 

 ported, yet, considering that it breeds no further off than Luxem- 

 burg, it may possibly be a genuine visitor to our shores. 



The Serin has wandered to Sleswick, and at least a dozen exam- 

 ples have been obtained on Heligoland; its northern breeding- 

 range extending to Darmstadt and the upper portions of the Rhine 

 and Moselle valleys. Southward, it is found — generally at the foot 

 of mountains skirting the plains — throughout the greater part of 

 Europe, and on both sides of the Mediterranean; in Asia Minor, it 

 is resident and extremely abundant ; and eastward it can be traced 

 to Egypt and Sinai. It visits the coast of Palestine in winter, but in 

 the higher regions of that country the representative species is S. 

 canonicus, a larger, paler and much yellower bird ; while in the Leba- 

 non, Taurus and other mountain ranges, reaching to North-western 

 India, is found S. ficsilliis, the male of which has a red forehead 

 and black throat and cheeks. As an introduced species the Serin 

 has occurred in the United States. 



