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102 



OUR RARER BIRDS 



fluttering rapidly as they poise before a twig, on which per- 

 chance some insect is lurking. From tree to tree they move 

 in drooping flight, uttering their low Tit-like call-note a rapid 

 ti-ti-ti-ti as they go. Now you may see them clinging with 

 one leg, swinging backwards and forwards like a pendulum ; 

 or perched on the stouter branches, they pause a moment to 

 clean their sharp little bill of the bits of seed that cling to 

 it. They are by no means shy, and allow you to follow them 

 the whole range of the trees without displaying the least 

 alarm. The Siskin rarely visits the ground. I have some- 

 times seen it on the rough clover stubbles, in company with 

 Lesser Eedpoles, feeding on the small seeds. As soon as the 

 autumn moult is over the little Siskin regains his song, 

 and may be heard to warble at intervals right through 

 the winter ; but it is in springtime that he sings most in- 

 dustriously, and at all hours of the day his voice sounds 

 faintly from the firs. The song is a simple one, merely a few 

 rapidly uttered notes, which perhaps sound to best advantage 

 when the bird is hovering in the air, which he often does at 

 pairing time. In autumn and winter the Siskin lives princi- 

 pally on seeds of various kinds and farinaceous buds. Alder 

 seeds are the Siskin's favourite food, and whenever these trees 

 may chance to bear an unusual crop, which is by no means 

 every season, these birds are sure to be common. 



As soon as the first signs of spring creep over the northern 

 larch and fir forests, the Siskins desert their southern quarters. 

 The alder swamps have now lost their charm, and the southern 

 plantations no longer form a fitting home for these little 

 Finches. They are impelled northwards by resistless impulse 

 to fly ; dim recollections of the distant pine forests seem to 

 enter their little minds, and before the rude winds of March 

 are finally hushed our merry restless Siskins are safe back 

 at home. The nest of the Siskin is very difficult to find, and 

 no wonder, for such a tiny home requires the sharpest eyes 



