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that it is, as a rule, a rare winter visitant in Westmoreland and Cumberland, but that in 
November 1872 a cottager at Kendal brought one to him which he had knocked down with a 
sod out of a flock which were feeding on the groundsel in his garden. Referring to the instances 
of its having been found breeding in England, Mr. A. G. More writes (Ibis, 1865, p. 128) as 
follows:—“ The Rey. O. Pickard-Cambridge tells me that he once found a Siskin’s nest in a 
furze-bush close to a fir-plantation, near to Bloxworth, Dorset. Meyer mentions a nest taken in 
Combe Wood. ‘The bird is considered to have bred near Oxford (Rev. A. Mathews), and has 
been seen near Gloucester in the month of May. The nest has been found in Lancashire 
(Yarrell), near Walton Hall (Mr. Charles Waterton), in Durham (Mr. J. Hancock and Rev. H. B. 
Tristram), and in Westmoreland, according to Bolton, as quoted by Montagu.” In Scotland it 
appears to be more common than in England, especially during the breeding-season. Mr. R. 
Gray writes (B. of W. of Scotl. p. 146) as follows :—‘“ Thirty years ago this pretty little bird was 
a well-known winter visitant in some parts of Lanarkshire; but from all I can learn it is now 
much less common, or at least not so steady in its times of appearance. In certain seasons it 
may still be said to be plentiful in the neighbourhood of Glasgow, where, however, the flocks 
are very soon thinned by the professional bird-catchers. ‘The same may be said of its visits to 
other counties in the west of Scotland, with the exception, perhaps, of Argyleshire and Suther- 
landshire ; in some parts of the last-named county it appears to be resident all the year. But it 
is doubtful if the Siskin has yet been recognized on the western side of Sutherland, although 
Mr. St. John states in his ‘Tour’ that it is in almost every wood during spring and summer. 
Mr. Brown has informed me that it is certainly not known in the district of Assynt, but that it 
breeds plentifully in the woods at Dunrobin Castle. He has likewise found it breeding on the 
banks of the Dee, in Aberdeenshire. As a rule the nesting localities for the Siskin are situated 
in the eastern counties of Scotland. Its nest has been taken near Glasgow, in Kirkcudbrightshire, 
in Perthshire, and in Dumfriesshire—all of which districts are, no doubt, exceptions to that rule ; 
but as the main flocks assemble on the north-eastern counties previous to quitting our shores, it 
is more natural to find stray parties remaining there, especially should the general outset be 
delayed by adverse weather. From Berwickshire to Caithness therefore the migratory flocks are 
extremely numerous in some seasons, appearing in the autumn before the foliage has been blown 
off the trees, and again in March and April just before leaving. I saw a number of Siskins, 
evidently mated, in the woods of Altyre, near Forres, in the beginning of May 1870. In East 
Lothian I have met with pairs in June at Dunbar and elsewhere; and I have records of its 
having bred in that county, and in Fifeshire, Forfarshire, and Kincardineshire. Generally 
speaking, the flocks are largest in severe winters.” 
Mr. J. A. Harvie-Brown says that it breeds in the east of Sutherlandshire, where, though 
not plentiful, it is not an uncommon species. I do not find it recorded from Orkney; but 
Mr. Saxby says that it is a scarce winter visitant to Shetland, making its appearance sometimes 
in small flocks, but more frequently in twos and threes. In Ireland, Thompson says, it can only 
be noted positively as an occasional winter visitant. 
It does not appear to have been met with in Iceland or the Feroes, but is common in Scan- 
dinavia. In Norway, Mr. Collett says, it is chiefly found in the conifer-woods in the southern 
and eastern stifts, and breeds commonly up as high as the Trondhjemsfiord, and has been met 
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