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ORD. III. G E N. VI. FINCH. 



S P E. X. TWITE. 



PL 80. 



Fringilla Montana. 



La Linotte de Montagne. BriJ. Orn. III. p. 145. 



The bill of this fpecies is dull yellow, tip black : eyes brown : top of the 

 head, back, and moulders, yellow brown, each feather edged with dull yellow, 

 and having dark brown dafhes in the middle: lower part of the back, and 

 rump, of a pale crimfon colour : the breaft is pale brown, with a few dark 

 dafhes : throat and belly pale brownifh white : lefs wing coverts black, edged 

 with dull white ; greater coverts black, the firft four feathers edged with yel- 

 low, the reft with white : quills black : tail a little forked, and of a brown black 

 colour, with light buff coloured edges to each feather: legs coal black. 



The female has not the red colour on the rump, and is of a dull brown co- 

 loured plumage. 



Mr. Willughby informs us the twites breed in the hilly parts of this country. 

 I have met with prodigious large flights of them in winter, feeding on the va- 

 rious kind of weeds that remain and ripen their feed on the fea walls and 

 marfhes, particularly the cole feed. Thefe great flights moftly come from 

 France, and on our coaft they are called French linnets. Their fong is very 

 Ihort and trifling. They have an inceflant jabber, like twite repeated, from 

 which they are called twites. They are very hardy birds, and live long in 

 cages, on any kind of feeds. For the egg, fee PL XVIII. Fig. 4. 



