312 THE ZOOLOGIST. 



bold spots of blackish red-brown. They showed no evidence of incubation. 

 On the 23rd May my coachman saw a brood of five Siskins on tall trees, 

 where Siskins had been noticed for weeks past, near the stable-yard, and 

 two other pairs frequented other groups of tall silver and spruce firs near the 

 garden. Altogether I know of seven or eight spots where I believe Siskins 

 to have bred here this spring. On the 21st May, when in the plantation 

 at the Giant's Rock, I saw a brood of young full-grown Crossbills accom- 

 panying their parents, and following them from tree to tree, crying " chit-oo, 

 chit-oo, chit, chit," as they importuned them for food. Several other 

 persons here have also observed the broods of Crossbills recently on the 

 move in the plantations. On the 15th May a second Siskin's nest was 

 discovered here, not far from a part of the plantation where I had repeatedly 

 observed a male Siskin singing since the end of March. It was at the 

 extremity of an upper branch of a Scotch fir, more than thirty feet from the 

 ground, and was shaded overhead by the thick tufts of green needles. This 

 tree stood right opposite, and not many yards from, the bay window of the 

 sitting-room of a house on the top of the hill among the plantations, the 

 same house in the vicinity of which three Crossbill's nests were discovered 

 last year. The female Siskin was seen to be sitting, and could with difficulty 

 be got to leave the nest. When this was done, to get a sight of her, she 

 would quietly flit to an adjoining tree, and return in a few moments to the 

 nest. Having ascertained that there were eggs, I proceeded to cut the 

 branch, first having it supported by my man from the top of the tree with 

 a long crooked rod. Having cut the branch, we carefully pulled it in until 

 the nest was reached, the Siskin continuing to sit while we were drawing in 

 the branch. After it was cut, I thus had a full view of her at close 

 quarters. The nest has a number of small dead twigs of Scotch fir in- 

 corporated with its foundation and sides, and is composed of green moss, 

 with a few tufts of fine silver-coloured lichens and a little fine dried grass, , 

 which latter forms the principal lining, there being no feathers in the nest, . 

 but a quantity of strong black horse-hair forms the rim, both internally and 

 externally. It measures about three and half inches in external diameter, 

 and less than two inches inside. The five eggs, which had not been 

 long incubated, have the same greenish blue ground colour as the three 

 other Irish clutches of Siskin's eggs I have seen, not quite so blue as Lesser 

 Redpolls' eggs, but of a more decided shade than two continental clutches 

 of Siskin's eggs, which are very pallid. Each egg is zoned round the 

 larger end with pale red spots, and there is an occasional spot and streak, 

 irregularly placed, of blackish red-brown. In an adjoining tree, also a 

 Scotch fir, and in a similar position at the end of an upper branch, is the 

 nest of a Goldfinch which contained, on the 10th May, young several days 

 old. Thus the Goldfinch and Siskin were next-door neighbours. This 

 is the earliest brood of Goldfinch I have met with. On the 7th May, 



