124 LESSER REDPOLE. 



adopts very similar antics to those which amuse us so 

 in the Tits ; it feeds, when it can get them, on the 

 seeds of the alder and birch, at other times on the 

 seeds of the thistle, dandelion, turnip and other plants. 

 It is said also, like the Bullfinch, to destroy many 

 young buds, but this is probably in its search for 

 insects within them. 



As a caged bird the Redpole is a great favourite, 

 and may be taught many tricks ; his song too is pleas- 

 ing, clear, and not unmusical. He will soon become 

 exceedingly tame in confinement. The distinctive 

 feature in the breeding plumage of the Lesser Redpole 

 is the crimson patch on the top of the head ; for the 

 rest, the general colour of the upper parts is yellowish 

 brown, each feather having a dark centre to it, the 

 under parts are buffish white, mingled with crimson on 

 the breast. 



The nest is usually placed in a low bush, sometimes 

 also in a birch or alder at a greater distance from the 

 ground. It is made of dry grass and moss, and lined 

 with willow down, or with feathers. Hewitson speaks 

 of it as " very small, and of the most elegant construc- 

 tion, thickly and most beautifully lined". It is a late 

 breeder for a resident bird, its eggs being seldom 

 found before June ; but in the south of England it has 

 been found earlier. 



The eggs, four or five, are pale bluish green, spotted 

 and blotched with orange brown and dark reddish 

 brown, mostly at the larger end. They resemble very 

 much some of the eggs of the Linnet. 



