THE PINE SISKIN. 



{Spinus fiinus.) 



Dr. C. Hart Merriam has said of the 

 Pine Siskin : "Few birds are more er- 

 ratic in their habits than the Siskin or 

 Pine Linnet. Occurring today, perhaps, 

 in such numbers that one may soon tire 

 of shooting them, they are gone on the 

 morrow, and years may elapse before one 

 sees them again." This seems to be the 

 experience of nearly all observers. Its 

 appearance in a given locality is always 

 irregular and uncertain. 



The Pine Siskin is graced with a num- 

 ber of appropriate common names. Some 

 of these are the American Siskin, Pine 

 Finch and Pine Goldfinch. The last 

 name is especially significant, for the 

 Pine Siskin resembles its sister species 

 — the American goldfinch — in many of 

 its characteristics. Its distribution is ex- 

 tensive, as its range covers North Amer- 

 ica in general, breeding chiefly in the 

 British provinces, but also in the Rocky 

 Mountain and Sierra Nevada ranges of 

 the United States. It is also said to 

 nest in the mountains of Arizona and 

 Mexico. Though not a common oc- 

 currence, its nests are also found along 

 the northern border of the United States. 

 At the approach of winter, the Pine Sis- 

 kin migrates southward, in a leisurely 

 manner, seemingly only as far as it is 

 obliged to go to obtain food and to es- 

 cape the severest weather. It is the vari- 

 ation in the abundance of food that 

 causes the erratic movements of this 

 species .and its sudden appearance in 

 localities where it was before unknown. 



In the eastern United States the ob- 

 server is seldom rewarded with the pleas- 

 ing love-song of this amiable little bird, 

 for it is not until it has retired to the con- 

 iferous woods of the far north, or in the 

 high mountains, that its voice is tuned 

 by love. In Washington and Oregon, 

 "as soon as the first dandelions are blown 



and the green grass is flecked with the 

 winged seeds, you will see flocks of little 

 grayish-brown birds not unlike sparrows 

 in their color, but with touches of light 

 yellow on wings, backs and tail, eagerly 

 devouring these fugitive morsels. They 

 may be seen, too, upon the evergreen 

 trees, singing in chorus the softest, sweet- 

 est song imaginable." There some of 

 the Siskins have learned that man may be 

 trusted and build their nests in trees in 

 his vicinity. Its song resembles that of 

 the wild canary. In its flights and meth- 

 ods of feeding it resembles the American 

 goldfinch. "As it flies downward from 

 the top of the spruce tree to feed upon 

 the brown seeds still clinging to the pig- 

 weed and goldenrod stalks sticking out 

 above the snow by the roadside, it dips 

 and floats through the air like its charm- 

 ing little cousin." In the spring, large 

 flocks of Pine Siskins may frequently be 

 seen, in certain localities, feeding upon 

 the tender buds of trees and they will 

 also visit the trees and bushes of our 

 lawns, for they are by no means shy. 

 The sitting bird is not easily flushed from 

 the nest ; sticks and stones thrown at 

 her will not drive her from it, and onlv 

 the very near approach of the intruder 

 will cause her to fly away. The nests 

 are usually placed quite a distance from 

 the ground, and quite well out on the 

 branches of coniferous trees. Here thev 

 are protected by the dense foliage and 

 are reached only with difficulty. It mav 

 be said that in general the nest is a frail 

 structure and is built of those materials 

 most easily obtainable. Mr. Charles W. 

 Bowles says that they are composed "ex- 

 ternallyof twigs, cedar bark.several kinds 

 of moss, dead grass, fur and hair ; plant 

 down and sometimes fine roots ; inter- 

 nally of fine moss and hair or fur from 

 cats, rabbits, cows and horses." The lin- 



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