SERIN. 113 



borne in mind that the Serin is a very popular cage-bird 

 on the continent, and has doubtless often been imported to 

 this country, where if one escaped it might easily subsist 

 for a longer or shorter time. On the other hand, must it 

 be remarked that the majority of examples recorded have 

 occurred in spring — the very season when a species like this 

 would in all probability reach England — and the dates 

 accordingly point to its appearances as voluntary acts. The 

 steady progress, mostly in a northward direction, which on 

 the continent this bird has of late years been making is 

 attested by so many trustworthy naturalists that it must be 

 taken as fully established, and since this fact has been 

 especially observed in Germany — a country wherein orni- 

 thology has for so long a time been carefully studied — the 

 less hesitation should be felt at its acceptance. The evi- 

 dence is too long for a summary of it even to be inserted 

 here.* Enough to say that there are many districts in 

 which the species is now common, though within but a 

 few years it was rare, if not entirely unknown in them. 



Of English ornithologists few have enjoyed better oppor- 

 tunities of becoming acquainted with this bird than Mr. 

 Dresser, who has studied its habits in Western Germany, in 

 Styria, and in Spain. The following is the account which 

 he gives of them in his admirable ' Birds of Europe.' 



" The Serin Finch inhabits the foot of the mountains 

 skirting the plains, but does not appear to affect the plains 

 themselves ; nor is it found in the mountains, being there 

 replaced by the Citril Finch f. It is usually to be met with 

 in the orchards and gardens and in the vineyards, frequently 

 in gardens which are surrounded by houses, in which last 

 locality it is tolerably tame — though, so far as my own 



* The chief recent authorities for this and several other points of interest are 

 Herr Julius Hoffmann (Naumannia, 1852, iii. pp. 58-64), Capt. von Homeyer 

 (Journ. fiir Orn. 1862, pp. 97-106 ; 1867, p. 287 ; Zool. Gart. 1868, pp. 199- 

 202), Dr. Rohnhert (Journ. fiir Orn. 1864, pp. 396-398), Pastor Jiickel (Zool. 

 Gart. 1868, pp. 405-408), Dr. Liebe (Journ. fiir Orn. 1875, p. 206) and M. 

 Neree Quepat's ' Monographie du Cini ' (Paris : 1S75). 



f This species al.so is said to have occurred in England, but through a mistake 

 (Zool. s.s. pp. 1984, 2022). 



VOL. II. Q 



