GREENFINCH. 221 



mottled than in the same bird in winter, with the shaft 

 of each feather very dark. Wing-coverts dull chesnut. 

 Primary quills nearly black, the outer margins, which 

 in the linnet are white, being in this bird yellow as in 

 the greenfinch. Secondaries blackish brown, broadly 

 edged with rufous. Upper tail-coverts sulphur yellow. 

 Tail feathers very dark brown, the two middle ones, 

 slightly tinged with yellow on the outer edge, the re- 

 mainder considerably forked, and having their narrow 

 outer edges bright yellow, and the inner webs broadly 

 margined with white as in the common linnet ; the 

 yellow occupying the same proportion as in the green- 

 finch. Throat, chin, and breast brownish white, strongly 

 tinged with yellow, becoming nearly pure white on the 

 lower parts of the body and vent. Legs and toes 

 brownish pink, claws black. 



Our Norwich fanciers occasionally cross this species 

 with the canary, of which I saw a young brood in the 

 autumn of 1864, very odd looking birds, but retaining the 

 distinguishing characteristics of the greenfinch, in the 

 beak and general stoutness of figure. Being of no repute, 

 however, as songsters, this breed is but seldom attempted. 

 Varieties are but rarely met with. A curious speci- 

 men, in my own collection, netted at Hellesdon, in 

 February, 1862, has the ground colour of the plumage 

 light grey, changing to brown on the quill feathers of 

 the tail and wings. The back, wing-coverts, sides of 

 the head and breast, in this bird (a male) are also more 

 or less tinged with yellow, the outer edges of the 

 primaries and tail-feathers, with the upper tail-coverts, 

 being bright yellow. " Green Olf," as given by Forby, is 

 the more common name for this bird in Norfolk, and it 

 is also called the green linnet, to distinguish it from 

 the common grey or brown linnet. 



