49



THE FRINGILLIN/E.


V.—THE BLACK-HEADED SISKIN.


Chrysomitris icterica, Licht.


By V. Castellan.


This charming little bird belongs to a group of small true

finches which is distributed over a large portion of both the Old

and New Worlds: being represented in Abyssinia, the Himalayas,

Siberia, the United States, and especially South America. To

the latter continent belongs the subjedt of my article, being an

inhabitant of Brazil and the Argentine Republic as far as Pata¬

gonia. This species seems to be partially migratory in some

distridts. The colouring of this Siskin is yellow and black and

almost the same as that of our English Siskin, except that the

whole head is black instead of only having a black cap, like the

latter. The female, which I have never seen alive, but only

know from a plate, seems to be much lighter in colour and with

a great deal of grey about her, and the head is not black.


They build their nests in the hollows formed by the small

branches and the trunks of trees, and always prefer a poplar

to build in. The nest is well made of several materials, lined

with horsehair, down, or feathers. The eggs are delicate, small,

and pure white : which is very curious in the case of a bird that

builds an open nest. This species lives in small flocks, even in

the breeding season, roving about in small communities with a

rapid undulating flight. They feed chiefly on the ground, where

seeds of various wild plants are consumed.


This lively and graceful little bird has not much of a

song ; it consists of a variety of short twittering notes, uttered

very rapidly and continuously. The specimen I possess is only

a moderate songster, but is very lively, being almost always on

the move. He is inclined to be somewhat quarrelsome with his

cage-mate, a hen Canary, with whom he has lived now for over

a year, without, however, showing any signs of pairing. I still

hope to be able to breed mules with him, as I believe such a

thing has already taken place. He has been in my possession

for nearly two years, I having bought him after the Crystal

Palace Show, 1895, where he was shown by a dealer, newly im¬

ported and in poor condition. Having successfully got through

his moult, and being in perfect condition, he easily won first

prize at the last Palace Show.


I think this Siskin is quite hardy (as are most of his kind)

and that he would do very well in an aviary. So far I have not



