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ORD. III. GEN. VI. FINCH. 



SPE. VIII. RED BREASTED LINNET. 



PI. 78. 



Fringilla cannabina. Lin. Syft. I. p. 322. 



La grande Linotte de Vignes. Brif. Orn. III. p. 135. 



The bill of this bird is bluifti horn colour : eyes dark brown : crown of the 

 head of a rich crimfon red: hind part of the head, cheeks, and throat, afli co- 

 loured brown : the breaft is of a beautiful red : belly and underparts pale 

 brown : back and wings chefnut brown : greater wing coverts darkifh brown, 

 edged with white : quills dull black, outer webs white : two middle feathers of 

 the tail dark brown ; the outer ones edged with white j under part of the tail 

 whitifh : legs brown. 



The female has not the red on the head or breaft, and is of a dingy brown 

 coloured plumage all over. The male does not attain the red colouring on 

 the head and breaft until the fpring of the fecond year. 



This fpecies builds its neft in general near the bottom of a white-thorn bufh, 

 and lays four eggs. The neftlings are fometimes brought up under the wood- 

 lark, and acquire its delightful fong to perfection. It feeds on feeds fimilar to 

 the other linnets, and like them collefts together in flights in queft of food at 

 Michaelmas, returning again to its breeding haunts in March and April. For 

 the egg, fee PI. XVIII. Fig. 2. 



