194 THE SERIN FINCH. 



gether on a tree, uttering a few notes in a soft tone, bearing some 

 resemblance to those of the Bullfinch." 



"A female in the possession of Mr. Bartlett," says YARRELL, 

 " sung the notes of the Linnet ; but being afterwards hung out 

 of doors, it learned to imitate the song of a Blackbird, though 

 but indifferently ; on the occurrence of the autumn moult this 

 season she discontinued her imitations of the Blackbird's song, 

 and seemed afterwards to have forgotten it." 



JESSE states that the bird not only stays with us all the year, 

 but breeds in this country, and cites an instance of a nest with 

 four young ones, which was taken in the summer of 1842, in the 

 grounds of Lord Clifford, at Roehampton. It was built at the 

 extremity of a horse-chestnut, near the lodge, and composed 

 chiefly of twigs of the privet and birch, and lined with hair and 

 tine grass. LATHAM also describes the nest of this bird, which 

 he says is composed of the dead twigs of oak and honeysuckle, 

 intermixed with pieces of grey lichen, which -material, he says, 

 is never absent, although the quantity used varies greatly. 



" The Latin ornithologists," says WHITE, " call this bird cocco- 

 tkraustes, i.e. berry -breaker, because with its horny beak it cracks 

 and breaks the shells of stone fruit, for the sake of the seed or 

 kernel. Mr. B. shot a cock Grosbeak, which he had observed to 

 haunt his garden for more than a fortnight. I began to accuse 

 this bird of making sad havoc among the buds of the cherries, 

 gooseberries, and wall fruit of all the neighbouring orchards. 

 TJpon opening the crop, or craw, no buds were to be seen, but a 

 mass of the kernels of the stones of fruit." 



70. THE SERIN FINCH. 



Loxia Serinus, or Fringitta Serinus, LIN. Le Serin, BUF. Der Girlitz, 

 BECK. 



Description. The Serin Finch seems to occupy an interme- 

 diate position between the Grosbeaks and the Finches ; as its 

 beak appears too thick to qualify it for a place in the latter, 

 and too thin for one in the former genus. 



It is somewhat larger than a Siskin, being four inches and 

 three quarters in length, of which the tail measures one inch 

 and three quarters. The beak is very short and thick, brown 

 on the upper, white on the under side ; the iris is dark chest- 

 nut brown ; the shanks six lines in height, and, as well as the 

 claws, flesh-colour. The plumage of the male bears a close 

 resemblance to that of the Grey or Green Canary. The top 

 of the head, the circle of the eyes, a stripe which passes above 

 the eye to the nape of the neck, the breast, and the rump, are 



