60 FAMILIAR WILD BIRDS. 



appear almost as if these little winter visitants were 

 unknown around that district. 



The plumage of the Sisjdn, together with its _other 

 natural advantages, gives it a very high position in the 

 list of Finches. Its beauty is indeed beyond gainsaying, 

 a brilliant lemon-yellow pervading its plumage throughout ; 

 and this colour is thrown into especial contrast by the 

 deepness of the black of the head and rest of the plumage. 

 The female is of a duller colour, and has no black on its 

 head. 



Several instances have been recorded of Siskins breed- 

 ing in contiuement ; and it may be that the patience and 

 l>ersevcrance of breeders may in the dim future make the 

 Siskin a rival progenitor to the original Green Canary. 

 The Siskin even at the present day mat€s freely with the 

 Canary ; and the mules produced are handsome birds, and 

 especially sweet songsters. 



This interesting little bird is probably a nature of 

 Norway and Sweden, although found breeding in certain 

 districts of Germany. "What more concerns our present 

 readers is the fact that the Siskin has been found breeding 

 near London, although it is extremely possible that these 

 instances — as remarked of the Redpoll — were merely 

 escaped birds. Yet it has beeujiroved from the time of 

 Yarrell that many nests existed in the pine-trees of Scot- 

 land ; and an enthusiastic ornithologist of the present day, 

 Mr. Booth, of the Dyke lload Museum, Brigliton, was 

 fortmiate enough to find an unmistakoaljly wildjicst whilst 

 he was sojourning in Sc()tland. 



The nest is thus described by Morris. "It is placed 

 in tregs, at only a sliort or moderate height from the 

 grojjijd, and is composed of stalks of grtiss and small j'oot 



