refembling the foal, but fmaller and fliorter, and 
alfo much inferior in flavour. It is common in 
the Mediterranean; and generally known by the 
appellation of the CynoglofTus, and Citharus fla- 
vus, or Citharus afper. 
LINGULACA. A name by which feveral 
ichthyologifts have expreffed the common foal- 
fifh. 
LINNET. A genus of birds, whofe diftin- 
guifhing charafters are: that they are fmaller than 
chaffinches ; that their general colour is a greyifh 
brown; that their tails are flightly forked, the outer 
feathers having white extremities; and that their 
notes are mufical. 
Linnet, Common. This bird meafures five 
inches and a half, including the bill and the tail; 
the former is about half an inch, and the latter two 
inches and a quarter. The bill is dufky, but in 
fpring it affumes a blueifh caft; and is peculiarly 
thick and ftrong. The head is variegated with 
afh-colour and black; the back is a blackifli red; 
the bottom of the breaft is a lively red; and the 
lower part of the belly is yellowifh. The lower 
part of the throat is a beautiful red, the edges of 
the feathers being yellowifh; and the tail, which is 
a little forked, is of a brown colour edged with 
white, except the two middle feathers, which are 
bordered with a dull red. 
Thefe birds, which are much efteemed for their 
finging, feed on feeds of various kinds, w^hich they 
peel before they eat; but they fhew a particular 
predile(5tion for the feed of the linum or flax, from 
whence they derive their name. 
The Linnet ufually builds in fome thick bufh 
or hedge, particularly among white-thorn or furze. 
The outfide of it's neft is compofed of mofs, bents, 
and dry weeds; and the infide of fine foft wool, 
mixed with a kind of down gathered from dried 
plants, and a few horfe-hairs. It lays four or 
five whitifh eggs, fpotted like thofe of the gold- 
finch. The young are hatched towards the latter 
end of April or beginning of May, and may be 
taken from the neft when about ten days old; 
They muft be kept very warm, and regularly fed 
every two hours: but when they are intended to 
be taught to whiftle tunes, or to imitate the notes 
of any other bird, they fhould be removed from 
the neft when four days old ; for at this time they 
have no idea of the notes of their kind, and will 
readily be taught to modulate their voice, like any 
founds moft familiar to their ears, and within the 
compafs of their throats. 
The Hon. Mr. Barrington obfei'ves that, in 
order to be certain that neftlings will not have 
the call of their fpecies, they fhould be taken 
from the neft when only a day or two old; though 
birds of this age require great trouble in breeding, 
and the chance is greatly againft their being reared. 
Their food, at this early age, fliould behalf bread 
and half rape-feed, boiled and bruifed; and this 
Ihould be given them feveral times in a day. It 
fhould be daily made frefli, and adminiftered fuffi- 
ciently moift, but not in the extreme : if in the 
leaft four, it never fails to prove fatal ; and, if too 
^tifi^, it renders them coftivCj and proves equally 
injurious. 
Young Linnets fhould be hung up, as foon as 
taken from the neft, under the bird whofe note they 
are intended to learn ; or, if they are to be taught 
to whiftle tunes, they fliould have their leflbns at 
the times of feeding; for they will make greater 
progrefs in a few days while young, than in a con- 
L I N 
fiderable fpace of time afterwards; and will take 
in the whole method of their notes before they are 
able to crack their feeds. Some fanciful people 
have alfo attempted to teach them the ufe of 
fpeech, but they have never been known to make 
any great progrefs in this art without long and un- 
intermitted pains. After all, the native note of 
the Linnet is fo very delightful, that little pleafurc 
can be derived from fuperinducing ftrains foreign 
to it's nature. 
The cock may be diftingulflied from the hen 
by the plumage on his back, which is much more 
brown than that of the hen ; and iikewife by the 
white of his wing: to examine which, when the 
wing-feathers are grown, one of the wings muft be 
ftretched out with the one hand, while the body 
of the birci is held faft with the other; and then 
the white v/ill be obferved on three or four fea- 
thers : if it appears bright and clear, and extends 
to the wings, the bird is undoubtedly a cock; the 
white in the wing of the hen being much lefs, as 
well as fainter. 
Linnets may be caught in clap-nets during the 
months of June, July, and Auguft ; but flight-birds 
are moft plentiful about the b-^ginning of Odlober : 
thefe nets fliould be placed near fuch fpots where 
they are accuftomed to eat and drink. 
Linnet, Red-Headed, Greater ; the Frin- 
gilla Cannabina of Linnseus. This bird is fome- 
what fmaller than the common Linnet : the head ia 
afti-coloured, except that the forehead is marked 
with a blood-coloured fpot; the breaft is tinged 
with a fine rofe -colour; the neck is cinereous; the 
back, fcapulars, and coverts of the wings, are a 
bright reddifh brown; the fides are yellow; the 
middle of the belly is white; and the tail, which is 
forked, is of a dufi^y hue, edged on both fides with 
white. The head of the female is afli-coloured, 
fpotted with black; the back and fcapulars are a 
dull brownifli red ; and the breaft and fides are a 
dirty yellow, ftreaked with dufky lines. 
This bird, which is extremely docile and fami- 
liar, appears reconciled to captivity in a very few 
minutes after being caught. It has a lively, chat- 
tering kind of fong; is often caged; and requires 
the fame fort of food, in a domeftic ftate, as the 
common Linnet and the chaffinch. This fpecies 
is frequently feen on the Britifli coafts; and, in 
flight-time, often vifits the neighbourhood of 
London. 
Linnet, Red-Headed, Lesser; the Fringilla 
Linaria of Linnseus. This is the leaft of the 
Linnet tribe; and fcarcely exceeds half the fize of 
the greater red-headed Linnet : it alfo differs from 
that fpecies in having a ftnaller, (harper bill ; by 
both fexes having the fpot on their heads ; by the 
legs and feet being duflcy ; and by their afTembling 
in flocks, a quality not peculiar to the former. 
Pennant informs us, that he difcovered a neft or 
this fpecies in an aider ftump near a brook, be- 
tween two and three feet from the ground : the ex- 
ternal fabric was compofed of dried ftalks of grafs 
and other plants, and here and there a little wool ; 
and the lining confifted of hair, and a few feathers. 
The female was fitting on four eggs, of a pale 
blueifh green colour, thickly fprinkled near the 
blunt ends with fmall reddifh fpots. She was fo 
tenacious of her neft, that fhe fufFered him to take 
her off with his hand; and he found that, after he 
had reieafed her, fhe would not forfake it. 
Linnet, Mountain, or Twite; the Linaria 
Montana. This bird is rather inferior in fize to 
the 
