40 SISKIN OE ABERDEVINE. 



Language. Although a favourite cage-bird, the song is 

 neither brilliant nor extensive. It is really a repetition of the 

 call-note with variations : thus, " whee-e-ur, whee-e-ur, too-oo- 

 ee, ti-weer-ti-weer, whit-wea, chi -whit -chi -wit, chi-whit, wheec- 

 wheec-wheec." Call-note, " twit it-it." 



Habits. Very sociable in winter. Fond of perching on 

 thistle plants, tearing the down out and scattering it upon the 

 breeze, in its endeavours to get at the seeds. Flight undulating 

 and fairly rapid ; it twitters whilst flying. 



Food. Aphides, caterpillars, and many kinds of seeds. 



Nest. May onwards. Two broods. 



Site. In apple and other fruit trees; sometimes in ever- 

 greens and hawthorn hedges. 



Materials. Small twigs, rootlets, bents, moss, wool, and 

 lichens, lined with thistle-down, hair, and feathers. 



Eggs. Four to five. Greenish or bluish white spotted and 

 streaked with reddish or purplish brown and lilac-grey shell 

 markings. Much like Linnet's but rather smaller. 



SISKIN OB ABEKDEVINE (Chrysomitris spinus). 



An irregular migrant. Chiefly confined to the fir-woods of 

 the North, but it has bred sparingly in some of the southern 

 counties. In winter more generally distributed. 



Plumage. Crown, chin, and lores black. Yellow stripe at 

 back of eye. Upper parts olive-green, with darker shaft mar- 

 gins. Wings black with greenish yellow bar. Bump yellow. 

 Tail black towards tip, yellower towards base. Two central 

 feathers dusky. Throat and breast yellow. Belly white. Bill 

 light brown. Legs brown. Length 4 in. Female, a little 

 smaller, duller, and no black on head ; under parts more 

 streaked. Young, still duller. 



Language. Song, a rapid and irregular twitter, finishing 

 with a harsh " chair." Call-note, " hoote-lee." 



Habits. Very active, and almost Tit-like in some ways. 

 Sociable. In the love-season the male soars up from his perch 

 and then descends to it with fluttering wings and outspread 

 tail. 



Food. Seeds of weeds, aphides, and caterpillars. 



Nest. April onwards. Two broods. 



Site. At the top of some fir-tree, or at end of lateral branch ; 

 less frequently in bushes. 



Materials Small fir-twigs, bents, heather, rootlets, and 

 moss, lined with fine grass, vegetable down, hair, and some- 

 times feathers. 



Eggs. Four to six. Pale bluish green, spotted and dotted 

 with dark reddish brown. Much like Goldfinch's, but rather 

 smaller and bluer. 



