The Linnet pairs in March, and most of the flocks break up at once, 

 each pair retiring to its particular breeding -ground. At this season the 

 song of the males is heard most frequently. At times the air will be 

 filled with melody, as the males of some flock sing in chorus from the tree- 

 tops ; but the best time to hear the song of the Linnet is when each pair is 

 engaged in nest-building. Perched on some whin-bush bright with golden 

 blossom, the male serenades his mate. The song is not very loud, and some 

 of it is rather harsh, but it is interspersed with low melodious notes which 

 possess a peculiar charm. The call-note is a musical ' yik-yik ' or ' twit-twit j 

 rather rapidly repeated, and the note uttered by either bird to its mate is a 

 loud ' tyew-yee! 



The favourite breeding-places of the Linnet are on the uncultivated 

 ground which lies between the moors and the arable lands. It shows a 

 decided preference for whins, and is very fond of nesting in the young firs 

 in some plantation at the edge of the moors or heaths. In low-lying districts 

 it will build in a blackthorn bush or hawthorn hedge, and in the wilds of 

 Scotland its nest is sometimes placed in a tuft of tall heather. A fork is 

 usually chosen, where the nest is well supported by the surrounding twigs. 



The nest is usually well put together, and is made externally of moss, 

 dry grass, and wool, strengthened with a few twigs, often those of the whin 

 or fir. The cup which contains the eggs is beautifully rounded, and is lined 

 with wool, horse-hair, and vegetable down ; a few feathers are also generally 

 used. The nest is usually not far from the ground, only a few feet, as a rule, 

 but occasionally it is built high up on some branch. From four to six eggs 

 are laid. They are greenish white in ground-colour, spotted, blotched, and 

 streaked with rich purplish brown and reddish brown. Some specimens are 

 much more richly marked than others, and on some eggs the spots are very 

 pale and indistinct, being entirely absent in a few cases. The spots are 

 usually most numerous on the larger end of the egg, and frequently form an 

 irregular zone. Underlying markings are sometimes pale red, and sometimes 

 pale lilac, and are not very numerous, as a rule ; on some specimens there 

 are a few streaks of rich dark brown, and on most eggs there are both light 

 and dark surface-markings. They vary in length from '80 to '68 inch, and in 

 breadth from '55 to '49 inch. Careful identification is necessary, as many 

 specimens are almost indistinguishable from those of the Goldfinch and Green- 

 finch. Two broods are often reared in the year. 



