Wild Birds Useful and. Injurious. [83 
the depredations alluded to. There is no excuse for the present 
state of the law, and it is to be hoped that some change will be 
made in the right direction before it is too late. The fact that 
the decrease is equally noticed in districts which birdcatchers do 
not frequent is due to the migratory habits of the birds. They 
continually rove over the country in small parties to search for 
food, and in the autumn the majority journey across the sea to 
the Continent. Our North-country birds, therefore, may easily 
fall victims in the course of their wanderings to the wiles of 
birdcatchers on the South Coast. 
The favourite food of the goldfinch consists of the seeds of 
various weeds, including the thistle, hardhead or horseknop, 
dandelion, ragwort, groundsel, teasel, burdock, chickweed, and 
plantain. Like the chaffinch, it picks out the small seeds from 
fir cones. It also attacks the twigs of the lime and willow, 
stripping off the outer bark for the sake of the inner tissue. 
Caterpillars, beetles, and other insects are destroyed by it in 
summer, and it is probable that its young are partly fed on 
aphides. 
The nest is a beautifully neat structure, resembling that of 
the chaffinch, but rather smaller. It is frequently placed in 
orchard trees and in sycamores, sometimes in a furze-bush, 
hawthorn, ash, alder, horse-chestnut, or fir, and I once found 
one in a cedar. 
The Linnet (Linota cannabina ) has a variety of epithets pre- 
fixed to its name, and is called the Grey, Brown, Red, Rose, or 
Whin Linnet ; whilst the terms Redcap, Gorse-cock, Pay wee, 
Whinfinch, Whingrey, Hemplin, Lintie, amongst many others, 
are also applied to it. It measures about five inches and three- 
quarters in length. Comparatively few people are aware how 
handsome the male is when in full plumage, with his glossy red 
crown, rose-coloured breast, and chestnut back. The female is 
more soberly clad, and even the males are sometimes found 
breeding without having attained their full beauty. The 
plumage also varies with the season. The linnet is partial to 
furze-covered commons, and, especially in summer, is a 
characteristic feature of such localities. 
When very abundant, linnets do considerable damage to 
turnips, rape, and similar crops, by feeding on their seed, which 
they attack when newly sown, and also, where the crop is 
grown for seed, at harvest time. With this exception they are 
harmless, for the amount of corn taken by them is compara- 
tively trifling. The seeds of flax and hemp are eagerly sought 
by the linnet, and it devours quantities of weed-seeds, including 
those of the dock, sorrel, knotgrass, charlock, groundsel, ragwort, 
