106 BIRDS OF SOMERSETSHIRE. 



brown ; tail-coverts lighter, nearly white ; lesser 

 wing- co verts black ; greater wing-coverts bright 

 yellow ; the primaries have the outer edge of the 

 basal part bright yellow, the rest black, as are the 

 other quill-feathers, the tertials, however, and some 

 of the secondaries being tipped with white; tail 

 black, the centre-feathers tipped with white, the rest 

 have a broad white patch on the inner web ; throat 

 nearly white ; breast and flanks yellowish brown, 

 but lighter than the back ; belly and under tail- 

 coverts nearly white ; legs and toes pale flesh- colour ; 

 claws brown. The female has rather less of the 

 crimson round the beak, and that is occasionally 

 speckled with black; the lesser wing-coverts are 

 brownish ; the rest like the male. The young birds 

 of the year have none of the red or black, the whole 

 of the head being brownish. 



The egg of the Goldfinch is a dull greenish white 

 ground, slightly spotted mostly at the larger end 

 with dull reddish brown ; there are also a few spots 

 of a darker brown. 



SISKIN, Carduelis spinus. The Siskin, or "Aber- 

 devine," is a rather irregular, but occasionally nume- 

 rous, winter visitant : it makes its appearance at any 

 time from November to March, generally in hard 

 weather : its stay is also somewhat regulated by the 

 crop of alder-seeds which are to be found and which 

 form its principal food during the winter, and in 

 search of which it may be seen climbing the slen- 



