44 
allen’s naturalists library. 
Linota cannabina, Newt. ed. Yarr., ii., p. 153 (1877)- B O U 
(1888)" B ” P ' 53 (l883) ; Lilf ° rd ’ C0L Fig ‘ 
Acan this cannabina, Sharpe, Cat. B. Brit. Mus., xii., p. 240 
(1888); Saunders, Man., p. 179 (1889). 
Adult Hale. — Reddish brown above, streaked with black • fore- 
head crimson ; no black on chin ; breast crimson • Ving- 
coverts not tipped with white, so as to form a wing-bar - upper 
tail-coverts and tail-feathers black, edged with white, increasing 
on the outer feathers ; breast and abdomen dull buffy white' • 
bill lead-colour ; feet and toes brown ; iris hazel-brown. Total 
length, 5-5 inches ; culmen, 0-4; wing, 3-05 ; tail, 2-25 ; tarsus, 
Female.— Browner than the male, and wants the crimson 
on the crown and breast ; the latter sandy buff, like the sides of 
body and flanks, all streaked with dark brown. Total length 
5'3 inches; culmen, 0-4; wing, 3-0 ; tail, 2'i ; tarsus, 0-5. 
Young.— Resembles the old female, but is more reddish brown • 
wings and tail as in the adults, but the white edgings washed 
with rufous brown ; below white, washed with sandy buff on the 
breast and sides of the body ; the throat spotted with duskv 
brown, the fore-neck and breast with dusky brown streaks and 
the lower breast spotted with brown. 
In winter plumage the colours are much duller than m 
summer, the crimson of the head and breast being hidden by 
broad edgings to the feathers. These margins gradually wear 
off as spring approaches, till the crimson colour alone remains • 
there is no spring moult. 
Range in Great Britain. — Generally distributed, but rarer in 
some parts of Scotland and not known in the Shetlands. 
Range outside the British Islands. — Found over the whole of 
Europe, as high as lat. 64° in Scandinavia, and in Eastern 
Russia to lat. 6o°. It extends to the Caucasus, but here and 
in Asia Minor the prevailing form is Cannabina fringillirostris 
a paler race with the primary-coverts white-edged, which takes 
the place of the common Linnet throughout Central Asia. Our 
Linnet is also found in North-western Africa, the Canaries and 
Madeira. In spring and autumn a considerable migration of 
