THE BIRDS OF THE GREEN LANES. 133 



times (at least in the opinion of gardeners and fruit 

 rearers) a too familiar species. But you see it to 

 advantage only in the month of May, in the most 

 secluded and lovely of our green lanes, with the 

 chiff-chaff, chaffinch, willow wren, and torn-tit for 

 its neighbours, and where the wild flowers and ferns 

 are growing most thickly. There you may expect to 

 find its nest, loosely but symmetrically made, but so 

 cleverly woven together and lined with fine material, 

 that its apparent lightness is thus more than atoned 

 for. In this you see the five or six eggs, of a pale- 

 blue ground colour, ornamented at the larger end 

 with spots and blotches of purplish brown. Should 

 you find the nest after the young have been hatched, 

 you cannot fail to be amused by the clamour of the 

 young fledglings for food, and the concern manifested 

 by the parents at your too near approach to the 

 family circle. Equally common with the bullfinch, 

 and quite as pretty a bird, is the Siskin (Frwgilla 

 spinas), which you may see, perhaps, in company with 

 its acquaintance the Lesser Eedpole. November, how- 

 ever, is the month when this bird may be seen most 

 commonly, and if you are still, you will see it cling- 

 ing gracefully to the withered stems of hawkweed, 

 or quickly hopping over the twigs of clover or alder, 

 in hopes of finding unscattered seeds. The siskin 

 is, however, only a winter visitor among us, coming 

 from northerly regions, but coming at very irregular 

 times and seasons, evidently according to the cold. 

 In many of its ways, the manner with which it 



