45 



9 



breeding-season, usually whilst flying high over the tops of the trees from one part of the forest 

 to the other. The song, which is only heard at this season of the year, consists of a prolonged 

 trill and a soft twitter uttered several times in succession. In some seasons it is much more 

 numerous than in others at its breeding-haunts in Norway. In 1872 it was very common every- 

 where in the vicinity of Tromso and in Lapland, and the song of the males was heard everywhere ; 

 but in 1874 and 1876 it was comparatively scarce in the same localities. The same can be said 

 of the Brambling, which was also unusually common in 1872. The nests Mr. Collett found in 

 Finmark contained eggs about the middle of June, the usual number being five. Both the male 

 and the female incubated in turn, the male keeping watch for hours together by the side of his 

 mate. The nests, he writes, "were almost invariably placed in the fork of a birch tree, between 

 the stem and one of the main branches, and at some distance from the ground, often upwards of 

 ten feet, and seldom lower down when on trees; but in brushwood it is frequently placed less 

 than a foot from the ground. The nest is constructed externally of lichens and the stalks of a 

 Poa, the base being frequently a layer of fine dry birch twigs ; and the inside is well lined with 

 feathers of the Ptarmigan and the down of Salioc lanata and Eriqphorum. Nestling birds, 

 scarcely three days old, were invariably found to have sand in their stomachs, which were 

 crammed full of insects, or the green-coloured larvge of a Geometra very numerous on birch- 

 leaves." 



The specimens figured are both adult males, one in full summer dress and the other in 

 winter plumage, both being from Sweden, and belonging to my own collection. 



In the preparation of the above article I have examined the following specimens : — 



E Mus. H. E. Dresser. 



a,$. Stockholm, April 14th, 1872. b,tf. Stockholm, October 19th. c, s. Stockholm, June 16th. d,6,e,$. 

 Stockholm. /, $ . Wermland, January 1st. g, <5 . West Gothland, December 24th. h, <3 . Wermland 

 (Meves). i. Norway, June 27th, 1871 (Alston). j,<5. Quickjock, July 1867 (T. E. Buckley), k, 6 . 

 Archangel, April 21st. I, <3 , m, $. Petchora, N. Russia (H. Seebohm). n. Philadelphia (Krider). o, 6 ■ 

 Bitterroot valley, U. S. (E. Coues). p, d . Musquash, New Brunswick, April 5th. q, d 1 , r, ? . Musquash, 

 April 4th (A. R. Dresser), s. Labrador, 13th August, 1871 (Dodge). 



E Mus. Salvin and Godman. 



a, <$, b, c, 2, d. Cambridge, March 1856 (0. Salvin). e, $ . Cambridge, November 10th, 1866 (0. S.). f. j , 

 g, $. Borregaard, Norway, April 12th, 1859 (F. D. Godman). h, <3 , i, $ , k. Bodo, Norway, June 1857 

 (Godman). I. Greenland (Holboll). 



E Mus. Cantdbr. 

 a, b, c. N.W. America (Hepburn). 



E Mus. P. L. Sclater. 



a. N.America, b. Simiahmoo, N. America (Kennerley) . c. Bed River (Gunn). d. Bear Lake (B. H.Ross), 

 e. Fort George (Drexler). f. New Brunswick (Osburn). 



