GREENFINCH.— SERIN. 129 



flying up, and describing a small semicircle, almost hovering 

 in the air, and with wings stretched out and tail wide spread, 

 descends to the place whence it came, or to the top of another 

 tree close by. 



SERIN. 



Serinus hortulanus. 



Of this, one of the smallest of our British Fringillidce, but 

 few specimens have occurred. As almost all which have yet 

 been taken in this county have been caught near Brighton, 

 and as it is not a very uncommon cage bird, it is not im- 

 possible that all may be escaped birds : it is, however, re- 

 marked in YarrelFs ' British Birds,^ vol. ii., that most of the 

 specimens have been captured in the spring, the most likely 

 season for this species to reach England. Those I have seen 

 have certainly borne no marks of having been in confinement. 

 In my own collection I have a female caught near Brighton 

 on April 1st, 1873. It has never bred in this country. 



According to the editor of Yarrell's ' British Birds ' (vol. ii. 

 p. 114) its song is poor, and generally uttered from the top 

 of some tree, and sometimes on the wing while flying up, 

 in the manner of the Tree-Pipit. 



Its nest is very neat and compact, built of fine roots and 

 grass bents, neatly lined with feathers and horsehair, the 

 outer portion interwoven with spiders' webs with a few bits 

 of lichen and grey moss. On the Continent, it inhabits 

 gardens and orchards, or the high poplars bordering many of 



the roads. 



Mr. Bond (Zoologist, p. 7105) mentions that he was shown 

 a specimen of this bird, which was caught in a clap-net near 



K 



