60 A PRACTICAI. HANDBOOK OF BRITISH BIRDS. 



birch or heather as foundation, on which are roots, bents, bark- 

 fibre, etc. ; thickly hned down and feathers, or sometimes hair. 

 Eggs. — Usually 5-6, occasionally only 4 or 7. Ground-colour 

 rather deep blue and surface dull and glossless, spotted and streaked 

 light brown. Average of 100 eggs, 16.98 X 12.65 mm. Breeding- 

 season. — Latter part May till August, but generally June, and 

 varying according to latitude. Apparently sometimes two broods. 

 Incubation-period. — ^Not precisely known. 



Food. — ^Mainly seeds, especially birch and alder, but also of 

 many plants. Also insects (small caterpillars, larvse of hymen- 

 optera, etc.). 



Distribution. — British Isles. — Irregular autumn-winter visitor 

 along whole east coast Great Britain, but more common northern 

 isles and east Scotland and north-east England. Arriving mid-Oct. 

 to end of Nov. , occasionally as early as mid-Aug. Departure 

 mid-March to end May. Occasionally arrives great numbers, as in 

 1829, 1847, 1855, 1861, 1863, 1873, 1885, 1897, 1910. More rarely 

 recorded spring. Elsewhere in Great Britain rare autumn or 

 winter straggler, as it is in Ireland, where it appears chiefly in 

 western islands. 



Distribution. — Abroad. — Northern portions of Northern Hemi- 

 sphere, the northern limit of its breeding-range overlapping the 

 southern range of C. hornemanni exilipes ; in Europe as far south 

 as Baltic and coast of East Prussia. In winter and on migration 

 over greater part of Europe, parts of central Asia, and United 

 States. 



[Carduelis linaria holboellii (Brehm)— HOLBOLL'S REDPOLL."^ 



LiNARiA Holboellii Brehm, Handb. Naturg. Vog. Deutschl., p. 280 

 (1831 — Described from migrants obtained in Germany). 

 L. holboelli Saunders, p. 189 (in text). 



Description. — ^Differs from C. I. linaria only in having a larger 

 bill measuring, in adult males, from skull to tip 10.5-12 mm. 



Distribution. — British Isles. — Vagrant. One, Aston Clinton 

 (Bucks.), Dec. 14, 1895 {Vog. pal. Fauna, i, p. 80). One said 

 Achill Island, Mayo {Bull. B.O.C., xii, p. 15). Possibly some of a 

 flock in Yorks., 1881 {Birds Yorks., i, p. 187). A number Fair Isle 

 autumn 1910. Two Shetlands, Oct. 28, 1910. One Isle of May 

 (Forth), Oct. 23, 1910. A number Lothians, Oct., 1910. One 

 Cambridge, Dec. 12, 1910. {Brit. B., iv, pp. 291, 369, v, p. 60). 



* As this form appears to breed within the same area as C. I. linaria 

 it may represent only an individual variation, and until this question is finally 

 decided we cannot admit it fully to the list. Occurrences of specimens 

 possessing the characters assigned to this form should, meanwhile, be carefully 

 recorded. 



