54 



A PRACTICAL HANDBOOK OF BRITISH BIRDS. 



XX, p. 178 ; xxn, p. 182 ; xxiv, p. 173), and there are occasional 

 records from south and west coast Lights, end Oct. and Nov., and 

 south coast Lights April, which may refer to this or the typical form. 



CARDUELIS SPINUS 



19. Carduelis spinus (L.)— THE SISKIN. 



Fringilla Spinus Linnasus, Syet. Nat., ed. x, i, p. 181 (1758 — Juniper 

 woods of Europe. Restricted typical locality : Sweden). 

 Carduelis spinus (Linnseus), Yarrell, 11, p. 126 ; Saunders, p. 175. 



Siskin (Carduelis spinus) c? adult. 



Description. — Adult male. Winter. — Top of head, chin, and 

 centre throat black, feathers tipped grey ; mantle and scapulars 

 yellowish-green, faintly streaked black and tinged grey ; upper 

 tail-coverts green, tipped grey ; rump greenish-yellow, unstreaked ; 

 lores greyish ; cheeks and ear-coverts yellow, washed greyish- 

 green ; stripe behind eye, sides of nape and tliroat, breast and 

 axillaries greenish-yeUow, tinged greyish; belly greyish-white 

 slightly tinged yellow ; flanks and under tail-coverts same but 

 broadly streaked black ; tail-feathers : central pair brown-black 

 fringed yellow, rest yellow with brown-black tips and shafts and 

 outer pair with brown-black outer webs ; wing-feathers black- 

 brown, fringed yellow, 5th to 10th primaries and all secondaries 

 with basal parts of outer webs bright, and inner webs pale, yellow, 

 innermost secondaries tipped greyish-white ; greater coverts same, 

 tipped yellowish-green ; median and lesser coverts yellowish-green 

 with brown bases. This plumage is acquired by complete moult 

 in Aug. -Sept. Summer. — 'No moult. Abrasion makes head 

 more uniform black, upper-parts and under-parts brighter, less 

 tinged grey. 



Adult female. Winter and summer. — ^Upper-parts greenish- 

 grey, streaked black-brown ; rump greenish-yellow boldly streaked ; 

 upper tail-coverts as male ; stripe behind eye, ear-coverts, and 

 sides of nape grey-brown, tinged yellow ; lores, chin, and belly 

 greyish-white ; sides of throat and breast same, but tinged yellow 

 (varying in amount) and streaked black-brown ; flanks and under 

 tail-coverts whiter and more heavily streaked ; wings and tail as 

 male, but yellow not so bright or extensive, tips of greater coverts 

 and inner secondaries often whitish. 



