112 BRITISH BIRDS. 



very nearly allied species, F. brevirostris, a bird of much more southern 

 distribution, breeding from the Caucasus through Turkestan to Northern 

 Thibet. This species is slightly less than our bird and decidedly paler, and 

 is probably fairly entitled to specific distinction on the ground that, as the 

 areas of distribution of the two birds are discontinuous, they have no 

 opportunity of interbreeding. A single example of a female bird allied to 

 the Twite was shot in Massachusetts, and named JEgiothus flavirostris by 

 Ridgway, which may possibly prove to be an American representative of 

 this species, but is more probably the young of some known species. 



The Twite is essentially a bird of the moors ; he makes his home amongst 

 the heath and the ling in company with the Grouse and the Ring-Ouzel. 

 From his geographical distribution it might be inferred that he is a maritime 

 bird ; but this is not the case. He loves wild open rocky country wherever 

 it is, and breeds as freely on the Derbyshire moors inland as on the 

 Hebrides and the Loffodens. The reason that he does not go inland in Nor- 

 way is easy to find in the fact that it is only on the islands and near the 

 coast that the bleak nor'-westerly gales and the violent sou'-westers have 

 prevented the pine-forests from seizing upon all the rocky country, leaving 

 none open enough in the interior to suit the taste of the Twite. In its 

 mode of flight and other habits this bird differs very little from the Linnet. 

 In Norway it is a migratory bird, collecting together in flocks in autumn, 

 which wander south in winter, like other gipsy migrants, appearing 

 irregularly in considerable numbers in various parts of Europe, delaying 

 their departure to dally amongst the stubbles of the lowlands to the last 

 possible moment and then hurrying across. Sometimes they choose the 

 route across England, vid Heligoland, the favourite "fly-line," as the 

 Americans call it, of so many species ; but more often they probably pass 

 direct into Germany, or take the coast-line through Holland and Belgium. 

 In the British Islands the Twite is a resident ; but even with us a partial 

 migration takes place, the moors are deserted, and in winter this bird is 

 principally seen in small flocks on the stubble-fields and in the farm- 

 yards. In the former its services in eating the seeds of all sorts of 

 weeds are of great value, and in the latter its food is similar. It can 

 scarcely be doubted that in summer it also eats insects. It is probable 

 that many flocks, principally consisting of birds of the year, leave our 

 islands in late autumn and join their Norwegian brethren on the 

 continent. The Twite is a very industrious singer, but its vocal powers 

 are not of a very high order. The song is very much like that of a 

 Linnet, but scarcely so loud and much less varied, and may even be heard 

 on a sunshiny day in winter. The ordinary call-note, which is almost 

 constantly heard whilst the flocks are either flying from place to place, 

 feeding on the ground, or resting on the heather, is a twitter very similar 

 to that of the Linnet or the Redpole, but scarcely so harsh as that of 



