FRINGILLIDJE. 201 



these assertions are thoroughly borne out by my own 

 experience, as although I have often kept Linnets in 

 confinement, and that in a good-sized aviary, I have 

 never found them either attempt making a nest or 

 assume the red breast. If taken in the spring, after 

 they have assumed the scarlet breast, they do not 

 lose it till the autumn moult. 



The beak of the Linnet is a bluish lead-colour ; 

 irides hazel ; there is a patch of bright scarlet on the 

 forehead, the rest of the head and neck are brown- 

 ish grey; back, scapulars and wing-coverts rich 

 reddish brown ; rump yellowish brown and white ; 

 the tail- co verts are very pointed, black, margined 

 with white; primary quills dark dusky, almost 

 black, a few of them are margined on the outer 

 web with pure white, which makes a conspic- 

 uous patch of that colour on the wing; second- 

 aries dusky, margined on the outer web with dull 

 brown and tipped slightly with dull white ; tertials 

 not so dark and more broadly margined, especially 

 on the outer web, with brownish ; tail-feathers dark 

 dusky, almost black, edged rather more broadly on 

 the outer web with white, the four centre feathers 

 are very pointed and edged all round with white, but 

 not so pure as the white on the other tail-feathers ; 

 throat dullish white, streaked with dusky. The 

 breast, in the spring and summer, is a beautiful 

 bright scarlet, so bright that in painting the bird it 

 is scarcely possible to make it too bright : the bird 



