102 



KIDD'S LONDON JOUKNAL. 



that it was altogether a mistake. ■From personal 

 observation, and from the testimony of men who 

 have made birds their trade and study for yeai*s, 

 I can state, as a positive fact, that the Siskin 

 breeds here in considerable numbers; and that 

 the peculiar locality of the nest is, also, well 

 known. 



For a great many years, indeed as far back as 

 the memory of the oldest bird-catcher (a peculiar 

 character by the way) can carry us, this has been 

 observed in the north of Scotland ; and it is so 

 notorious, that it can be at once authenticated; 

 and one of the fraternity, to whom I denied the 

 fact for a bit of a lark, flatly told me I knew 

 nothing about Siskins, or I would never make 

 such a gross mistake. 



In the autumn season, the bird-catchers in 

 Aberdeen buckle up the call-birds, take their 

 bird-lime and sticks, and go out into the country; 

 six, ten, and even twenty miles up Deeside being 

 favorite spots to catch the young Siskins ; and so 

 plentiful is the harvest at times, that I have seen 

 scores of them at the market. Many of them 

 are so young that I have seen the old birds feed- 

 ing them in the cage, when exposed for sale in 

 the open market-place — with people passing close 

 beside the cage, through the course of the day. 

 This has also been told me by the dealers, over 

 and over again. 



My avocations take me up into the Deeside 

 district daily for upwards of eight miles from the 

 city, and I have therefore frequent opportunities 

 for observing the haunts and habits of the Siskin, 

 which is very common there at all times. In this 

 district, during the summer season, the scenery 

 is really beautiful and romantic ; the wood, the 

 rock, and stream, abound in almost every direc- 

 tion. It is indeed the— 



" Land of brown heath and shaggy wood, 

 Land of the mountain and the flood." 



It is, moreover the favorite haunt of the Siskins, 

 and, until of late, before the depredations of 

 the bird-catchers had, Malthus-like, thinned 

 the population, they abounded there in vast 

 numbers. Of late years, however, they have 

 become more scarce, though not by any means 

 rare, as they may still be seen there at all 

 seasons. I have often seen the old birds, fol- 

 lowed by their young ones, flying in search of 

 food along the side of the turnpike road ; and 

 where the sourdock abounded in full seed, I have 

 seen them feeding their young with great 

 patience and perseverance, over and over again ; 

 and so tame are they, that I have often almost 

 put my hand on them before they took to their 

 wings to fly off, and even then it was only to 

 alight again at a short distance on the road. 



I have known bird-catchers discover the nest 

 of the Siskin many times ; indeed, it is quite 

 a common occurrence. I have observed them, 

 on discovering a nest with the young birds ready 

 for removal (that is to say, just before they could 

 fly), trap the old birds, and put them all into one 

 cage together; and the old birds would feed and 

 rear up the young till they could take seed like 

 themselves. They are so easily tamed, that soon 

 after they are caught they come to take food 

 from the hand, and thus show that they know 

 those who give them their supply of seed. 



As to the particular locality of the nest, in 

 which Continental ornithologists are not alto- 

 gether agreed, it is well known to the bird- 

 catchers in the north. In the hope that it will 

 be both amusing and instructive, I will relate the 

 way in which I first became acquainted with 

 the local habitation of the Siskin last season. 



I have occasion to pass along the avenue 

 leading to a gentleman's seat, about four miles 

 from the Granite City, in the district to which I 

 have already referred ; and for some time I heard 

 the peculiar call of the Siskin, and invariably at 

 or near the same situation. The avenue being- 

 surrounded with trees in every direction — the 

 fir, the ash, the elm, and the beech tree towering 

 up in verdant beauty all around, I suspected that 

 there was a nest somewhere in the locality, which 

 seemed admirably adapted for the haunt of birds. 

 But how to find it out was the question ; and a 

 puzzling question it was, too, for some time to 

 come. The old birds kept at a provoking dis- 

 tance from any neat-looking tree, and so I had 

 no resource but to watch in the hope that I should 

 discover the old birds visiting the tree in which 

 the nest was concealed. How I watched and 

 how I searched can be known only to those who 

 have been engaged in a similar operation. I was 

 often disappointed, even when I thought myself 

 on the eve of making the grand discovery; yet 

 patience and perseverance were at length crowned 

 with success. At last, one of the old birds 

 descended into a very likely tree, and I at once com- 

 menced the attack. But here again I was doomed 

 to disappointment, for as I did not know where 

 to look among the branches, I searched for some 

 time in vain. As I had only a very limited time 

 to spend on each day, I was, on this occasion, 

 compelled to go home unrewarded for my pains. 



The following day I renewed my search in the 

 most determined manner ; and in the hope that 

 the young ones might be just ready to fly, I gave 

 the tree a very rough shaking, and will not deny 

 even having thrown up a stone or two, to assist the 

 youngsters in their flight ; but, as I imagined, 

 it was all in vain— the young birds would not 

 stir. However, as the old birds continued to fly 

 round the tree quite close at hand, I was confident 

 that the nest was there, and I determined to mount 

 and search again. 



This I did, and at last discovered the nest. It 

 was built on an off-shooting branch of the tree, 

 about the middle of the branch, away from the 

 stem of the tree, and at a height of about 

 twelve feet from the ground. But my rough 

 handling had unhoused the nestlings. One of 

 them was lying outside the nest, and another 

 was sprawling on the branch beneath, and the 

 third I discovered lying on the ground at the foot 

 of the tree. 



As they were not above half feathered, I 

 resolved to put them back into the nest ; and I 

 felt considerable solicitude as to how the old 

 birds would behave, and as to whether the young 

 had been injured with the rough handling they 

 had got. Next day, I was much pleased to see 

 that they were alive and hearty, and for five r 

 six clays after that the old birds continued to feed 

 and rear them up, as if nothing whatever had 

 happened to disturb the usual tranquillity of the 

 household. 



