LINNET. 107 



they utter as they fly the syllables liddit ! or linnet ! from 

 whence we think their common name is more likely to have 

 originated, than from any more learned source. 



The Linnet is a very common and widely-dispersed spe- 

 cies throughout the whole continent of Europe, from the 

 Mediterranean and its islands on the south, to Norway and 

 Sweden in the north. This species does not appear to fol- 

 low the great law of migration to any extent, being spoken 

 of as a permanent resident in Sweden, Norway, Denmark, 

 and the more temperate portions of Russia. In Scotland 

 it is also found throughout the year, but is mentioned by 

 T. Edmonston, Esq., in his Fauna of Shetland, as only 

 known in that island as a winter straggler. In Holland 

 and Germany, the Linnet is abundant and a constant resi- 

 dent, and the same in Corfu, Crete, and other islands in 

 the Mediterranean. It is found also in Persia, Japan, and 

 Asia Minor. 



When caged, the Linnet is a cheerful and pleasing bird, 

 its voice is sweet and flute-like, and according to Bechstein, 

 its powers of learning are considerable, as it readily acquires 

 the songs of other birds, even of the nightingale ; and its 

 voice is so flexible, as to be able to utter words. Of the 

 power of the finch tribe to articulate distinct sounds, such as 

 syllables and words, an instance has lately occurred in Lon- 

 don, in a canary, of which we can ourselves bear testimony, 

 having heard it utter, most distinctly, several short sentences. 



The entire length of the Linnet is seldom more than five 

 inches and a half. The wing measures, from the carpus to 

 the tip, three inches and a quarter ; and the first quill-feather 

 is rather longer than the second. The tail, of which the 

 longest feathers measure three inches, passes about eleven 

 lines beyond the tips of the closed wings. The tarsi are 

 very short, measuring little more than half an inch ; the 

 claws arc long, slender, and sharp. The beak measures five 



