250 THE COMMON LINNET. 



In these summer retreats, as Macgillivray tells us, 



The male, perched on a twig or stone, pours forth his sweet notes, 

 while his mate is brooding over her precious charge. But the song 

 of the Linnet, pleasant as it may be when heard in a room, has little 

 effect on the hill side, compared with that of the Mavis or Merle ; 

 although to the shepherd swain, reclining on the soft moss on a 

 sloping bank overgrown with ' the lang yellow broom,' or the weary 

 traveller resting awhile by the wayside, it may seem gentle as the 

 melody of the primeval groves of lost Paradise, filling the soul with 

 pleasing thoughts. The nest of the Linnet is generally placed on a 

 bush of furze or heath, or among brushwood, and is neatly con- 

 structed, being formed externally of blades and stalks of grass inter- 

 mingled with moss and wool, and lined with hair of various animals. 

 The eggs are from four to six, of a regular oval form, about nine- 

 twelfths of an inch long, colour blueish white, distinctly spotted thinly 

 with purplish grey and reddish brown. The young are usually 

 abroad by the end of May, and there are commonly two broods. 



Close by the levelled rock, with twisted stem, 

 The lowly hawthorn blooms with simple grace, 

 Where oft the Linnet builds her curious nest, 

 And from the topmost twig in freedom sings, 

 To lull her downy young ones to repose. 



Grahame's poetical address to the Linnet is extremely 

 good : 



When whinny braes are garlanded with gold, 



And blithe the lamb pursues in merry chase 



His twin around the birch ; the Linnet then 



Within the prickly fortress builds her bower, 



And warmly lines it round with hair and wool 



Inwove. Sweet minstrel, mayst thou long delight 



The whinny knowe, and broomy brae, and bank 



Of fragrant birch ! May never fowler's snare 



Tangle thy struggling foot ! Or if thou 'rt doomed 



Within thy narrow cage thy dreary days 



To pine, may ne'er the glowing wire (oh, crime accurst!) 



Quench with fell agony the shrivelling eye ! 



Deprived of air and freedom, shall the light 



Of day, the only pleasure, be denied ? 



But thy own song will still be left ; with it, 



Darkling, thou 'It soothe the lingering hours away ; 



And thou wilt learn to find thy triple perch, 



Thy seed box, and thy beverage saffron tinged. 



Allusion is here made to the cruel practice of depriving 

 song birds of sight, with a red-hot iron, under the irnpres- 



