12 BIRDS IN LONDON 



our ignorance, or, at all events, to make it 

 appear that he is admired because, being 

 numerous and familiar with man, he has been 

 closely and well looked at, while the wilder and 

 less common species have only been seen at a 

 distance, and therefore indistinctly. 



A distinguished American writer on birds 

 once visited England in order to make the 

 acquaintance of our most noted feathered people, 

 and in his haste pronounced the chaffinch the 

 ' prettiest British songster.' Doubtless he had 

 seen it oftenest, and closely, and at its best ; but 

 he would never have expressed such an opinion 

 if he had properly seen many other British 

 singing birds ; if, for instance (confining our- 

 selves to the fringilline family), he had seen his 

 4 shilfa's ' nearest relation, the brambling, in his 

 black dress beautifully variegated with buff 

 and brown ; or the many-coloured cirl-bunting ; 

 or that golden image of a bird, the yellow- 

 hammer ; or the green siskin, ' that lovely little 

 oddity,' seeking his food, tit-like, among the 

 pine needles, or clinging to pendulous twigs ; 

 or the linnet in his spring plumage pale grey 

 and richest brown and carmine singing among 

 the flowery gorse ; or the goldfinch, flitting 



