WILD LIFE OF ORCHARD AND FIELD 



One of the earliest and handsomest migrants 

 from the frozen North is the httle red-poll linnet, 

 which is about the size of a stout canary. He is 

 a dandy, changing his gay suit of black, brown, 

 white, saffron, pink, red, and crimson several 

 times a year, and— at least until he is three or four 

 years old — never dressing twice alike. He is an 

 exceedingly melodious if not a very versatile singer ; 

 in England is often kept in cages and mated with 

 the canary, and might be here. There would be 

 no difficulty in catching him. 



Two other of the familiar friends who make our 

 spring meadows vocal with an incessant concert, 

 the song-sparrow and grass-finch, remain with 

 us through the winter also; but more than half 

 the song-sparrows are frightened southward by 

 the first snow-storm, A few, however, are always 

 to be met with in the swamps and edges of the 

 woods during January, living under cover of the 

 briers and brush-heaps, and upon the seeds of 

 various grasses and herbs, scratching up the 

 leaves to get at dormant insects or their eggs, 

 here picking up a checker-berry which the snow 

 has not drifted over, there nibbling at the dried 

 remains of blackberries, raspberries, and wrinkled 

 crab-apples, squeezing the gum from a swelling 



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