PERCHING BIRDS. 121 



wool, and thickly lined with the snowy downjof^tbe 

 willow catkins ; this forms a beautiful bed for the eggs, 

 which are of a bluish green, speckled with orange-brown 

 chiefly at the larger end, and are both smaller in size 

 and deeper in the ground colour than any of the other 

 species. Like the former species, they feed on the seeds 

 of the thistle, dandelion, &c. 



The Mountain Linnet or Twite (F. montium, Gmel.) 

 is the last of the family I have met with, for I am not 

 aware that the mealy redpoll has occurred with us. The 

 twite is abundant on our heathy grounds, where it regu- 

 larly breeds. The nest is generally^placeorTirra tuTt_ of 

 heaTLer, but I have taken one^out ^ a^furze-bush. It 

 is composed of small roots and sprigs of heather, with 

 here and there a dry bent, the whole being interwoven 

 with moss, and lined with hair mingled with a few 

 feathers. The eggs are numerous, sometimes as many 

 as seven, the ground-colour being pale greenish white, 

 with small dashes of light yellow-brown, and spots of 

 purplish-brown, chiefly at the larger end. 



When perching on the tall heather, or gorse, it keeps 



A ^- __i. L _Vi ' , - -~ t *"'"----~~,-^^_ ^ .,,_ 



uttering a single note resembling its name, " twite," but 

 when it flies off this is rapidly repeated in a twittering 

 manner. 



Our well-wooded district is a favourite one with the 

 Bullfinch (Pyrrhulcb vulgaris), and its conspicuously 

 coloured and portly form is consequently very common. 

 Its provincial name with us is " Pick-a-bud ; " and 

 assuredly it is not undeserved, for it makes sad havoc in 

 the gardens amongst the fruit trees in spring time. I 

 am not inclined to agree with those who consider that 

 the bullfinch and titmice destroy only those buds which 

 contain a grub, for I have seen branches of gooseberry, 



