192 TREATISE ON 



ish-brown. The white on the wings and tail at 

 once distinguishes the cock from the hen, — the 

 white on her wing and tail being more dingy and 

 less broad ; by this mark also the cock linnet may 

 be easily known from the males of the redpole 

 and twite, — their wings being even more dingy 

 than those of the hen linnet's. 



Song, 



The warble of the linnet is sweet, sprightly, and 

 varied, and conveys to the mind a feeling of cheer- 

 ful gaiety. It has none of the twittering, chat- 

 tering quick notes of the goldfinch, but is al- 

 together more plaintive; yet the tones are not 

 sad, like the mellow, plaintive notes of the nigh tin 

 gale, the redbreast, and the blackcap ; the cadence, 

 from beginning to end, is a sweet and varied me- 

 lodious strain. In a cage, in fine weather, they, 

 like the canary, are constantly singing, and thej 

 will continue to sing for nine months in the year/ 

 The arrangement of the notes of their warble is 

 different, and their song is altogether perhaps 

 sweeter than those of the redpole, redbreasted 

 linnet, or twite ; and the notes of these three last 

 mentioned birds differ from each other, but more 

 in the arrangement of the notes than in the supe- 

 riority of their songs. 



