500 FRINGILLIDE. 



— Loudon"'s Magazine, vol. viii. This gentleman has suc- 

 ceeded in breeding and rearing Siskins in confinement, and 

 states that incubation lasts fourteen days ; the young were 

 fledged in fifteen days, and left the nest at the end of the 

 third week. 



This species inhabits Scandinavia, and the southern pro- 

 vinces of Russia ; is said to breed occasionally in Germany, 

 but is a visiter for the winter, appearing in autumn in Hol- 

 land, France, Provence, and Italy. M. Temminck states 

 that specimens received from Japan resemble our Siskin in 

 every particular. 



The adult male in summer has the beak orange brown ; 

 the top of the head velvet black ; the lore, or space between 

 the beak and the eye, is also black ; the irides dusky brown ; 

 the cheeks and ear-coverts yellowish green ; back and scapu- 

 lars greenish olive, streaked longitudinally with dusky black ; 

 small wing-coverts black, tipped with yellow ; greater wing- 

 coverts yellow at the base, tipped with black ; quill-feathers 

 dusky black, edged with yellow ; rump and upper tail-coverts 

 yellow ; tail-feathers yellow at the base, dusky black at the 

 end, with narrow light-coloured edges; the tail slightly 

 forked. Chin black ; throat, breast, and belly, yellowish 

 green, streaked longitudinally with dusky black on the sides, 

 flanks, and belly ; under tail-coverts greyish white ; legs, 

 toes, and claws, brown. 



The whole length of the bird four inches and five-eighths. 

 From the carpal joint to the end of the wing, two inches and 

 seven eighths : the first three quill-feathers nearly equal in 

 length, and the longest in the wing, the first being rather the 

 longest of the three ; the fourth one-eighth shorter than the 

 third. 



At the moult which follows the breeding season, the yel- 

 low colour is much less brilliant, and the feathers of the head 

 are brownish at the end, hiding the black at the base. The 



