THE BROWS 1.1\\RT. |4| 



New England it is called Yellow. bird. It is :i ri.-li lemon \,-l],. will! wimr ,,f black. Th* 

 great resemblance of this bird t,, i lie canary induce* j, k-.-pth.-m TI,.-\ ..fi. 



with tli- c:mar\. :i- thy are easily domesticated. The song of the Yellow Mi. I reaembl 



of tin- (Joldtinch of I-'.iu..|H 



-; < ..... ; ' ::'..: . ' - , . . . : \\ . '. 



i.-n 



Tin SI-KIN, or Am i:i>i \ INK, la one of tin- Kuropean birds which jM-rfonn* Ml 

 migration either partial or complete. a question about which there lias been Nome controversy, 

 and one which ma\ full} receixe a solution from the supj>oMtion that some birds remain in the 

 rountriea of that jmrt of tin- world tlmnmhout the year, retiring no farther to the north than 

 Scotland, while otln-i .rway and Sweden for the pur]Hwe of niditication, and do not 



return to a warmer climate until the autumn. 



The\ ai.- lively little birds, assembling In small flocks of eight or t.-n in mimlxT, and 

 haunting the edges of brooks and streams for the purpose of seeking the seeds of the elder and 

 othei ' -. . ' ' .'',: \: th' inks they are quick and active, tluttei in.- 

 from one bough to another, and clinging in every imaginable attitude, with a strength of limit 

 and briskness of gesture much resembling the movements of the titmice. While thus engaged, 

 they constantly m t.-r their .sweet and gentle call note, which is so soft that bird-dealers HP- in 

 the habit of pairing the Siskin with the canary, in order to obtain a song-bird whose voice 

 is not so ear- piercing as that of the pure caiiai \ . 



The coloring of this bin! is remarkable for the MTV ]-<MI liar green with which most of its 

 ]>lmnage is tinged, and which is spread over the whole of it* back and the upper portions 

 of ita Ixxty. The centre of each feather of its buck is dark olive-green. 



TIIK (luiKNUN. ii is one of the commonest birds. U-iiu: a resident in Kurojiean count i 

 throughout the year, and not even requiring a partial migration. 



It is mostly found in hedges, bushe-*. and copses, and as it is u U>ld and familiar bird. 

 is in the habit of frequenting the habitations of men, and even building its nest within rlos. 

 proximity to houses or gardens. During the mild weather, the Greenfinch remains in the 

 open country, but in the severe winter months it crowds to the farm-houses, and boldly 

 disputes with the sparrows the chance grains of food that it may lind. When young, the bird 

 is fed almost wholly upon caterpillars and various insects, and not until it has attained its full 

 growth does it try upon the hard seeds the large bill which has obtained for it the title of 

 Green Grosbeak. 



The voice of the Greenfinch is very ordinary. U-ing possessed neither of strength nor 

 melody, so that the bird is in \ery little demand as an inhabitant of the aviary. 



The nest of this bird is generally built rath, r later than is usual with the Finches, and is 

 seldom completed until May has fairly set in. Its substance is not unlike thatof the chaffinch, 

 U-inir - omposed of roots, wool, moss, and feather*. It is not, however, so neatly made, nor so 

 finely woven together, as the nest of that bird. The eggs are from three to five in nuinU-r, and 

 the color is bluish-white covered at the larger end with sjwte of brown and gray. 



In the adult male bin 1, the head, n.-ck. and all the upi-r iitt* of the body are yellow with 

 a green wash, and the wings are partly edged with bright yellow. The primary feat 

 of the wings are gray -black, edged for a considerable jM.rtion of their length with brilliant 

 yellow. The great.-r \ving-coverts, together with the tertiaries, are gray : the chin, throat, 

 breast, and under parts of the body are yellow, falling into gray on the flanks. With the 

 exception of the two short middle feathers, which are gray-brown throughout, the tail-feathers 

 are yellow for the first half of their length, and gray-brown for the remainder. The female 

 is of much more sober colors, being greenish brown on the back and under surface, and the 

 yellow of the wings being very dull. The total length of the bird is alnmt six inches th.- 

 female being little less than her mate. 



THE common I is sometimes called the BROWN LINNJ i. iu contradistinction to the 



preceding species, or the GRKATKB REDFIXCH, in allusion to the vermilion-tipped feathers 

 the crown. 



