THE BROWN LINNET. 
343 
New England it is called Yellow-bird. It is a rich lemon-yellow, with wings of black. The 
great resemblance of this bird to the canary induces people to keep them. They often pair 
with the canary, as they are easily domesticated. The song of the Yellow-bird resembles that 
of the Goldfinch of Europe. 
Several other species of Goldfinch are found in the Southern and Western States. 
The Siskin, or Aberdevine, is one of the European birds which performs an annual 
migration either partial or complete, a question about which there has been some controversy, 
and one which may fully receive a solution from the supposition that some birds remain in the 
countries of that part of the world throughout the year, retiring no farther to the north than 
Scotland, while others pass to Norway and Sweden for the purpose of nidification, and do not 
return to a warmer climate until the autumn. 
They are lively little birds, assembling in small flocks of eight or ten in number, and 
haunting the edges of brooks and streams for the purpose of seeking the seeds of the elder and 
other trees, on which they chiefly feed. Along the banks they are quick and active, fluttering 
from one bough to another, and clinging in every imaginable attitude, with a strength of limb 
and briskness of gesture much resembling the movements of the titmice. While thus engaged, 
they constantly utter their sweet and gentle call note, which is so soft that bird-dealers are in 
the habit of pairing the Siskin with the canary, in order to obtain a song-bird whose voice 
is not so ear-piercing as that of the pure canary. 
The coloring of this bird is remarkable for the very peculiar green with which most of its 
plumage is tinged, and which is spread over the whole of its back and the upper portions 
of its body. The centre of each feather of its back is dark olive-green. 
The Greenfinch is one of the commonest birds, being a resident in European countries 
throughout the year, and not even requiring a partial migration. 
It is mostly found in hedges, bushes, and copses, and as it is a bold and familiar bird, 
is in the habit of frequenting the habitations of men, and even building its nest within close 
proximity to houses or gardens. During the mild weather, the Greenfinch remains in the 
open country, but in the severe winter months it crowds to the farm-houses, and boldly 
disputes with the sparrows the chance grains of food that it may find. When young, the bird 
is fed almost wholly upon caterpillars and various insects, and not until it has attained its full 
growth does it try upon the hard seeds the large bill which has obtained for it the title of 
Green Grosbeak. 
The voice of the Greenfinch is very ordinary, being possessed neither of strength nor 
melody, so that the bird is in very little demand as an inhabitant of the aviary. 
The nest of this bird is generally built rather later than is usual with the Finches, and is 
seldom completed until May has fairly set in. Its substance is not unlike that of the chaffinch, 
being composed of roots, wool, moss, and feathers. ' It is not, however, so neatly made, nor so 
finely woven together, as the nest of that bird. The eggs are from three to five in number, and 
the color is bluish- white covered at the larger end with spots of brown and gray. 
In the adult male bird, the head, neck, and all the upper parts of the body are yellow with 
a green wash, and the wings are partly edged with bright yellow. The primary feathers 
of the wings are gray-black, edged for a considerable portion of their length with brilliant 
yellow. The greater wing-coverts, together with the tertiaries, are gray ; the chin, throat, 
breast, and under parts of the body are yellow, falling into gray on the flanks. With the 
exception of the two short middle feathers, which are gray-brown throughout, the tail-feathers 
are yellow for the first half of their length, and gray-brown for the remainder. The female 
is of much more sober colors, being greenish brown on the back and under surface, and the 
yellow of the wings being very dull. The total length of the bird is about six inches, the 
female being little less than her mate. 
The common Linnet is sometimes called the Brown Linnet, in contradistinction to the 
preceding species, or the Greater Redfinch, in allusion to the vermilion-tipped feathers 
the crown. 
