THE SISKIN. 135 



and yellow wings. The tail is forked, and with 

 a brownish -black tip. The female, more sombre 

 in appearance, yet sufficiently like her mate to be 

 recognised, is of a general greenish -gray above, 

 suffused with longitudinal streaks of brownish-black, 

 and the dark streaks, which are conspicuous on 

 the flanks of the male, extend further in the female, 

 to the sides, and the whole of the breast. She 

 has no black on the head or chin, but shows the 

 greenish - yellow rump which characterises the 

 other sex. We have remarked that in young 

 males the black colour is confined to the head, 

 and does not appear on the chin until they are 

 fully mature. 



The variety of attitudes which the Siskin 

 assumes in his busy search for seeds is very strik- 

 ing, and reminds us a good deal of the Tit family. 

 We have often seen the Siskin and the Marsh Tit 

 on the same branch vying with each other in their 

 acrobatic feats, and have been struck with the 

 similarity of their movements ; now clinging to a 

 catkin which sways with the weight ; now hanging 

 head downwards, the more easily to extract a seed 

 or lurking insect ; anon, swinging by one foot upon 



