THROUGH THE YEAR 211 



irregular, but it is at once gay and tender. It has 

 a sort of friendly strain. In singing to his mate 

 and the linnet, unlike many birds, does seem to lay 

 himself out to sing simply to her it is as if the linnet 

 were half talking to her. 



In spring the two are always together, and if the 

 male bird does not help to build the nests there are 

 several nests in the season he is always on the spot 

 during the building, and later will help to brood over 

 the delicate tinted eggs. The male linnets are full 

 of chivalry and high spirit, though not quite that 

 rage appears in them that inspires the fiery chases of 

 the chaffinches in spring. They are always on guard 

 whilst their mates are gathering nest material, and 

 they have a beautiful carriage no finch is so up- 

 standing as the male red linnet in spring and summer. 



He makes a lovely picture with his crimson crown 

 as he sits on the top twig of the clematis or the 

 whitethorn roadside hedge. 



A wonderful small bird scene in a great linnet 

 neighbourhood is when a flock of many hundreds 

 gathered in a hedge in late summer or early autumn 

 suddenly breaks into song the linnet " charm." 

 But perhaps the choicest linnet sight is on a very 

 small scale when a pair comes down in the hot 

 summer morning to the garden and sip from the 

 natural well of pure moisture in a cabbage leaf. 

 A pair or two of linnets is a dainty addition to a 

 garden. 



