ITS GENTLENESS AND ATTACHMENT. 259 



of its keeper's hand, and refused its liberty when it had numerous 

 opportunities of escaping. The person who possessed it, wrote to me 

 in July 1835, to say that it had reared a flourishing brood, which 

 were all as tame and fearless as the parent, although but little pains 

 had been taken to render them so. When about six weeks old, the 

 cage containing the whole family was placed in the garden, with full 

 liberty to escape. The old male first hopped out, and no sooner did 

 he find himself free, than he flew away and was never seen afterwards. 

 But even this example was not followed by the rest of the family. 

 The female then led forth her progeny, and they flew to some tall trees 

 in the garden. The cage was now withdrawn, and the windows of the 

 house were shut, in order to observe how the birds would act. For 

 several hours they continued gaily hopping about amongst the trees, 

 but a little before dusk they betrayed great eagerness to obtain ad- 

 mittance into the house. Finding this impracticable, they settled 

 on the head and shoulders of their keeper, but would not suffer them- 

 selves to be captured, though they fed readily from the hand. Soon 

 afterwards the cage being brought, the whole family entered and were 

 shut in. These birds are still in good health, though in the end they 

 will probably go the way of all pet birds, and fall into the jaws of 

 Grimalkin. 



Selby describes the nest of the Redpole as built in a 

 bush, or low tree (such as willow, alder, or hazel), of moss 

 and the stalks of dry grass, intermixed with down from the 

 catkin of the willow, which also forms the lining, and 

 renders it a particularly soft and warm receptacle for the 

 eggs and young. From this substance being a constant 

 material of the nest, it follows that the young are produced 

 late in the season, and are seldom able to fly before the end 

 of June, or the beginning of July. The eggs are four or 

 five in number ; their colour pale blueish green, spotted with 

 orange-brown, principally towards the larger end. Mac- 

 gillivray describes the flight of the bird as peculiarly 

 bounding and buoyant, and its voice remarkably clear and 

 loud. 



"When starting it emits a hurried clatter of short notes, and as it 

 proceeds on its flight utters a single note at intervals less prolonged 

 than those of our other Linnets. Its cry is so different from that of 

 the Brown Linnet and Twite, being clearer and sharper, that one who 

 has attended to it can readily distinguish the species on wing. Al- 

 though not abundant in any part of the country, it forms large flocks 

 in winter, and betakes itself to the birch and alder woods, in procur- 

 ing the seeds of which the birds hang in all kinds of attitudes, like 

 many other species that find their subsistence in trees, such as Tit- 



