SISKIN. 95 



conspicuous near the large end. They vary in length from *7 to -62 inch, 

 and in breadth from '53 to '5 inch. They appear to go through the same 

 variations both in size and colour as the eggs of the Goldfinch, from which 

 they are absolutely indistinguishable. The female alone is said to make 

 the nest and hatch the eggs. 



In winter the Siskins unite into flocks of greater or less extent, and 

 lead a nomad kind of life, wandering about the country in search of food. 

 They very often join a party of Tits or Goldcrests, and are especially fond 

 of congregating with Lesser Redpoles. These flocks of Siskins usually 

 appear in the south of England about September, and leave again for 

 their breeding-grounds early in the spring. The Siskin in winter is often 

 seen in the alder-plantations, picking out the seeds of those trees as deftly 

 as the Tits, and, in doing so, poising and twisting in every conceivable 

 attitude. They are not at all shy, and will often allow the observer 

 to watch them quite closely as they flit about the branches over his head. 

 These flocks of Siskins are very irregular in their appearance. Sometimes 

 several years will pass by without a single bird being seen in haunts where 

 they formerly occurred in abundance ; and this is probably because the 

 seeds of the trees on which they feed were not plentiful. In this respect 

 it resembles many of its congeners, the Goldfinch and the Brambling 

 especially. The Siskin is a favourite cage-bird, and few birds are so 

 soon reconciled to their captivity or so soon become tame and intimate 

 with their keepers. 



The Siskin is intermediate in the colour of its plumage between the 

 Greenfinch and the Serin, but differs from both in having the crown, 

 nape, and chin black. With these exceptions, the upper parts, including 

 the wings and tail, very nearly resemble those of the Greenfinch, the dark 

 parts being slightly blacker and the feathers of the back having dark 

 central streaks, whilst the underparts are like those of the Serin. 

 Bill brown, paler at the base ; legs, feet, and claws pale brown ; irides 

 dark brown. In the female the colours are duller; there is very little 

 yellow in the plumage, and there is no black on the head or throat. 

 After the autumn moult the dark feathers of both sexes have pale margins. 



