light bluifh green, thickly fprinkled with reddilh fpots, moftly 
at the larger end/' Pennant obferves, he has found the neft 
on the ftump of an alder, and fays, the bird was fo tenacious- 
of her neft, as to fuffer us to take her off with our hand, and 
we found after we had releafed her fhe would not forfake it." 
It feeds chiefly on the feeds of alder during autumn. 
We received the following curious circumftance from Mr, 
T. Fofter, Jun. of Clapton ; A fmall bird, I believe the 
Fringilla linaria, was brought to me by a man who obferved 
it to die in the following extraordinary manner. While fitting 
upon its perch and finging as ufual, it fuddenly began to bleed 
very profufely from the mouth, and in a few moments after- 
wards dropped down dead upon the floor of its cage. Upon 
examination, I found the heart converted into an ofTeous fub- 
iiance, of fo hard a texture, that it could fcarcely be cut in 
pieces with a very iharp knife ; it was perfedly white and 
appeared at a diflance like an ill-fhaped egg. 
" The principal of olTification extended fome way along 
the great arteries, I did not difcover from the rupture of what 
veiTel the haemorrhage caufing the bird's death had proceeded, 
as the neck had been very confiderably contufed fince its death ,^ 
The bird had conflantly fed upon hemp-feed." 
The note of this bird in its wild ilate is funple, but when 
confined it is improved, and being kept with the common 
linnet or goldfinch it will learn their notes ; when in fearch of 
infeds, the Redpole runs up and down the branches of tree§ 
in the manner of the blue titmoufe. 
' Our figures are reduced from the firft plate of thofe executed 
for the late William Curtis. 
