FOR CAGES AND A VI ARIES. 133 



tree, may be given, as they have no unwholesome property. 

 These birds, however, will do very well without any 

 addition of insects to their diet, eating canary-seed, spray 

 millet, and summer-rape seed, which by the way is a 

 small round reddish-brown seed, only about half the size 

 of the black, acrid winter-rape that is sometimes sold 

 for it by unscrupulous traders, or, possibly, ignorant ones. 

 Green food is desirable, particularly if the little birds 

 are breeding, and then groundsel, plantain, chenopodium 

 and polygonum may be given, as well as grass seed of 

 all kinds and a little middling coarse oatmeal. Needless 

 to say grit is indispensable. 



It is curious that there should be any difference of 

 opinion respecting the orthography of the bird's name, which 

 is evidently derived from the colour of the head (old 

 English, poll), but one or two writers spell it as if it had 

 something to do with hops, or perhaps a barber's pole, 

 which is very absurd. 



The Redpoll is a late breeder, as the nest has been 

 found towards the end of July with recently-hatched 

 young in it, and in confinement it does not begin to build 

 before the middle of May. Mules have been produced 

 between it and the Linnet, the Canary, Goldfinch and 

 other Finches, but an assertion somewhat recently made, 

 that hybrids had been obtained between it and a Bunting, 

 scarcely needs contradicting, so opposed is the statement 

 to well-ascertained facts. 



The nest is not as frequently met with in England as 

 it is in the north of Scotland and in Ireland, but the birds 

 breed here in suitable localities, and would doubtless do 

 so more frequently were they not so often disturbed by 

 the birdcatchers. 



It is a miniature Linnet, and like that bird, loses its 

 bright colours in the house, the red cap persisting longer 

 than the rosy vest. 



The Greater Redpoll. See Linnet (Common). 

 The Green Linnet, See Greenfinch (under Finches), 



