122 HANDBOOK OF BRITISH INLAND BIRDS 
much softer and more mossy build distinguishes it 
from even the smallest and neatest Linnet's nest. 
The eggs, four to six in number, much resemble 
the Linnet's, being bluish-white, dashed and 
speckled with reddish-brown, but are smaller and 
more delicate. 
TWITE. 
(Linota flavirostris,') 
Mountain Linnet, Heather Lintie. — This dusky 
little Linnet is a bird of the hills and moorlands, 
nesting in larger or smaller numbers in most of 
the hilly and heathery regions of Northern 
England and Scotland, as well as on the Irish 
mountains. In winter it forms flocks, which 
wander more widely over the lower districts and 
the sea-shore, but even in winter it is seldom seen 
in the southern parts of England. In size it is 
larger than the Redpolls, but smaller than the 
Common Linnet, and is distinguishable by its 
slender shape and the greater length of its tail, as 
well as by its dusky colouring. It begins to build 
about the middle of May, placing its nest among 
the heather, or in long grass on broken ground, as 
well as in low bushes. The chief materials are 
roots and heathery stems, thickly lined with wool 
