358 



PASSERES. BIRDS. FRINGILLIDJE. 



from which habit it has probably obtained its name 

 of Brambling and Bramble Finch ; it is seen feeding 

 in stubble-fields in company with the Chaffinches, 

 Yellow Hammers, and other finches. 



THE GOLDFINCH (Carduelis elegans), the most 

 beautiful of the British finches, and one of the most 

 elegant of British birds, is so well known as a cage- 

 favourite that any description of him is unnecessary. 

 He is found abundantly in most parts of Europe, dwell- 

 ing during the spring and summer principally in orchards 

 and gardens, but, during the autumn and winter, fre- 

 quenting the fields in large flocks to feed upon the ripe 

 seeds of thistles, dandelions, plantains, and other wild 

 plants. When thus engaged, the flock of bright-plum- 

 aged little birds presents a most pleasing spectacle ; 

 they may be seen clinging in every possible position to 

 the stems of the thistles, picking the feathered seeds 

 from their heads, or every now and then flitting from 

 one patch to another, with an elegant undulating flight, 

 accompanied by a continual twitter. The song of this 

 bird is very agreeable and often well sustained, fully 

 justifying the high estimation in which, notwithstand- 

 ing his abundance, he is held as a cage-bird. He is 

 also of a very familiar and docile disposition, soon 

 becoming attached to those who feed and take notice 

 of him, and readily learning to perform many little 

 tricks. 



The nest of the Goldfinch is a very pretty cup- 

 shaped structure of moss, grass, fine roots, and twigs, 

 often intermixed with other suitable materials, and lined 

 with down, feathers, and hair. The female lays four 

 or five pale bluish eggs, marked with a few purple and 

 brown spots and lines. 



THE SISKIN (Carduelis sjpinus), also called the 

 Aberdevine, is a winter visitor to this country, arriving 

 in considerable flocks from the high northern latitudes 

 of Europe in the autumn. It is more abundant in 

 the northern parts of Great Britain than in the south, 

 but a few specimens appear to remain occasionally 

 through the summer, and to breed even in the vicinity 

 of London. In the highlands of Scotland a few pairs 

 generally remain and breed. The male is rather more 

 than four inches and a half in length ; the top of his 

 head is black, his back is greenish-olive, with a few 

 longitudinal black streaks; the wing feathers are black, 

 tipped and bordered with yellow ; the tail is slightly 

 forked, yellow at the base, and black at the tip ; and 

 the whole lower surface is yellowish-green with numer- 

 ous black streaks, and the chin and throat black. 

 The female is rather smaller than the male, grayish- 

 olive above, and grayish-white beneath, streaked as in 

 the male with black. The Siskin feeds upon seeds of 

 different kinds, and has only a twittering note. It is, 

 however, often paired with the canary by bird-fanciers, 

 as the mules have a song which, unlike that of the 

 canary, is not too loud to be borne in a room. 



THE YELLOW BIBD (Carduelis tristis), an inhabitant 

 of the United States, where it is also called the Gold- 

 finch, is a small species, measuring only four inches 

 and a half in length. The general colour of its plumage 

 is a rich brown-yellow, becoming white towards the 

 rump and vent ; its wings and tail and the fore part of 

 the head are black. This is the summer dress of the 



male ; in the autumn his colour changes to a brownish- 

 olive, in which costume he closely resembles his partner. 

 The song of this bird resembles that of the European 

 Goldfinch, but is much weaker. Its food consists of 

 seeds, and like its European namesake, it is very 

 partial to those of the composite plants, which it picks 

 out of the heads whilst clinging to the plant in almost 

 any position. The nest is a neat structure, usually 

 placed amongst the twigs of an apple tree ; the female 

 lays five nearly white eggs, and usually rears two broods 

 in the season. 



THE CANARY BIBD (Carduelis canaria). This 

 well-known bird, a native of the Canary Islands and 

 of Madeira, has long been introduced into Europe, 

 where it is now bred in captivity in great numbers, 

 on account of its great power of song. Our caged 

 canaries vary greatly in colour, some of them being of 

 a nearly pure bright yellow, with only a whitish tinge 

 on some parts of their plumage ; whilst others have 

 the wings and tail, or even the whole upper surface, 

 more or less tinted with olive-brown. In the wild birds 

 the brown colour predominates. In Madeira the 

 Canary, according to Dr. Heineken, builds in thick 

 bushes and trees, forming its nest of roots, moss, 

 feathers, and hair; it lays from four to six pale-blue 

 eggs, and breeds five or six times in the season. Even 

 in the wild state it is a delightful songster; having, 

 says Dr. Heineken, "much of the nightingale's and 

 skylark's, but none of the woodlark's song." 



It is not our intention to describe the different 

 varieties of this admirable songster which have been 

 produced in the course of a domestication extending 

 now over more than three centuries. These will be 

 found fully treated of, with a full discussion of all their 

 qualities, in the works of the bird-fanciers, amongst 

 which Bechstein's " Chamber birds " holds a leading 

 place. The business of breeding canaries and mules, 

 or hybrids between the Canary and other Finches 

 (especially the Linnet and Goldfinch) is carried on to 

 a considerable extent, even in this country; but it is 

 in Germany that it attains to its highest development. 

 Here the birds are kept in large aviaries, and tended 

 with great care, and it is from Germany that by far 

 the greater portion of our best birds is derived. 



THE LINNET (Linota cannaUna), another well- 

 known British Finch, is of a chestnut-brown colour 

 above, pale-brown beneath, with the quill feathers of 

 the wings and tail nearly black and edged with white ; 

 the male, during the spring and summer has the 

 crown of the head and the breast bright red. Its 

 total length is about five inches aud three quarters. 

 The female is a little smaller than the male, and has 

 the upper surface rather paler, but variegated with 

 patches of dark brown. 



The Linnet is an abundant bird in the British 

 islands, and is found very commonly in all parts of 

 Europe, extending thence to the eastward as far as 

 Japan. It does not appear to migrate, but collects in 

 large flocks during the autumn and winter seasons. 

 During the breeding season, the Linnets frequent furze- 

 covered commons, and their nests are usually built in 

 the thickest part of a furze bush. It is composed of 

 small twigs and grass, and lined with wool, sometimes 



