508 Birds. 



every winter and spring (March 11, 1842), about the Mannoch-hill 

 and other upland districts. It does not invariably, even in milder 

 weather, continue on such elevated ground, but at times descends to 

 the lowest flats it can find. 



Common bunting, E. Miliaria. Albino varieties have been seen. 



Reed-bunting, " Ring-fowl," E. Schcenicidus. 



Yellow bunting, " Yellow yarling," E. citrinella. These three are 

 resident, the first and third in great abundance. While the robin and 

 lark have ever been looked upon as special favorites, and protected 

 and cherished with more than usual care, the poor yellow yarling, sur- 

 passing them in beauty, and neither behind them in usefulness nor 

 before them in destructiveness, has been branded with the title of "the 

 devil's bird," and invariably persecuted by the rising generation with 

 all the zeal of an inveterate superstition, not sufficiently to be con- 

 demned, but whose origin and history it would be curious to trace. 



Chaffinch, " Tree-lintie," Fringilla Ccelebs. One of the most abun- 

 dant of the feathered tribe in Scotland. At the approach of winter 

 there is a large accession of chaffinches in this part of the country ; 

 and the vast flocks which, during that season, are seen around the 

 homestead of almost every farm, show in most cases a preponderance 

 of males. 



Mountain finch, F. Montifringilla. Met with sparingly, and that 

 only during severe winters, among the flocks of chaffinches &c. that 

 frequent the farm -yard. 



House-sparrow, F. domestica. Albino varieties have been seen, but 

 rarely. An instance of their known propensity to attack the nests of 

 other birds, has been observed in their seizing and turning out the 

 young of a chaffinch, which had built in a pear-tree trained on the 

 front of a house in Elgin. After destroying the helpless inmates, the 

 sparrows teased and tore up the nest, which they did not appropriate 

 to themselves. 



Tree-sparrow, F. montana. " Main-wood, near Elgin," Mr. Fol- 

 jambe, February, 1838. It has hitherto been considered as confined 

 to the middle districts of England. Seen also near Walkmill, Janu- 



ary 



1844. 



Green grosbeak, finch or " lintie," F. Chloris. The same remarks 

 apply to this species as to the chaffinch, only that in the winter sea- 

 son there is not the same disproportion in the number of the sexes. 



Goldfinch, " Goldie," F. Carduelis. Not very common. 



Siskin, F. Spinus. Has repeatedly been met with in small flocks 

 in autumn and winter, both in Elgin and Nairnshires. There is a 



