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O R D. III. G E N. VI. FINCH. 



SPE. VII. COMMON LINNET. 

 PI. 77. 



Fringilla Vulgaris. 



La Linotte. Brif. Orn. III. p. 131. 



The beak of this fpecies is bluifti : top of the head, hind part, and cheek, 

 grey : forehead next the bafe of the bill darker, with a few dark reddifh fpots : 

 throat pale brownilh grey, with brown oblong dafties : eyes dark brown : back 

 and wings reddifh brown, with dull black middles to moft of the feathers: 

 bread pale brown : belly yellowifh. white : quills black, with the outer webs 

 white: middle tail feathers brown black, with white edges ; the outer ones, 

 white, with black near the ends : legs dark brown. 



This fpecies is larger than the redbreafted linnet, and has no red on the top 

 of the head or breaft. The adult bird, in the higheft of its colouring in the 

 fpring, has no more than a few dark reddifh brown feathers on the head and 

 breaft. The young male of the redbreafted linnet is confounded with this, the 

 head being grey until the fecond year, when, and not before, it attains the fine 

 crimfon red if at liberty, but if confined in a cage the colouring is very faint. 

 However, the fize and dark brown plumage will always diftinguifh this fpecies 

 from the redbreafted. Its fong is fuperior to that of any other of the linnet 

 tribe j the bird fanciers, who are well acquainted with the value of it for Ting- 

 ing, call it the brown linnet. It feeds on rape, canary, and linfeeds, and is a 

 very hardy bird, finging three parts of the year when domefticated. The neft 

 is moftly concealed in a furze bulh near the ground. It lays four eggs ; for 

 the reprefentation of which fee PI. XVIII. Fig. 1. 



