THE LESSEE RED-POLE FINCH. 51 



place in May, and the second in July ; but if any casualty 

 occurs, the female will continue breeding till August. 



Linnets are birds of very gentle dispositions, easily tamed, 

 and capable of very considerable attachment to those who 

 feed and attend them ; if taken young, the males can be 

 taught to sing ; but the females have no song, and the old 

 males do not utter their note. The young, however, may be 

 made to imitate the songs of several other birds ; and there 

 have been instances in which they have been brought to 

 articulate a few words. 



THE LESSER RED-POLE FINCH (FrmgiTla linaria). 



This species is known in the south of England as a winter 

 migrant only, though at that season considerable flocks make 

 their appearance, and are called stone red-poles, or storm 

 red-poles, by the bird-catchers. 



They are small birds, not exceeding four inches and a half 

 in length, and weighing about one-third of an ounce. The 

 bill is much longer in proportion, and more finely pointed 

 than that of the last species, with the upper part dusky 

 brown, and the cutting edges and under mandible yellow. 

 The prominent tints of both sexes are blackish brown, edged 

 with yellowish brown on the upper part ; the lower part 

 white, less or more marked with a yellowish or reddish tinge ; 

 the male with a trace of red on the crown, and a paler one 

 on the rump, the latter appearing, though still more slightly, 

 in the female. 



In the breeding season, the male becomes more richly 

 tinted. The forehead, immediately at the base of the bill, 

 a streak from the bill to the eye, a patch on the ear-covert, 

 and the chin, are then deep brown. The crown of the head 

 is tinged with pure red, but not very deep in the shade ; 

 and the same colour, gradually becoming lighter in tint, 

 tinges all the light parts of the sides of the neck and breast, 



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