262 COMMON GRAY, OR BROWN LINNET. 



toe somewhat lengthened. Types, L. cana- 

 bina, mo?itium, fyc. 

 Europe, Asia, America. 



COMMON GRAY, OR BROWN LINNET, LINARIA 

 C A N A B i N A , Swain. Linaria, Will. Fringilla 

 canabina. Linn. F. linota, GmeL Linaria 

 canabina, Swain. Selby. Linota canabina, Yarr. 

 Common or Brown, Gray, or Rose Linnet. 

 Greater Redpole of British authors. This species 

 is a common and generally distributed bird over 

 the British islands, frequenting commons, furze 

 covers, and the borders of muirland districts in 

 summer, and then migrating to the coasts, the 

 stubble lands, or fallows, in large flocks. To- 

 wards the north of Scotland it becomes less 

 frequent, its place being there taken up by another 

 species, at least this is the case in the breeding 

 time, and then a hundred pairs of the Mountain 

 Linnet or Twite may be seen for one pair of the 

 common species. Furze covers are a favourite 

 breeding station for this bird, and many pairs 

 may be seen where these abound, the male sit- 

 ting perched on some elevated twig, singing a 

 low but agreeable song. The nest is placed in 

 a cleft of the whin or bush,* and is a rather 



* Mr Yarrell states, that he possesses a note of the 

 nest of this bird being placed in a fir tree, ten or eleven 

 feet from the ground, and has seen one built high in a 

 white thorn bush.t 



t History of British Birds, i. p. 504. 



