1J2 
BRITISH BIRDS. 
feathers, which have reddifh margins ; it is fome- 
what forked ; the legs are brown : The female 
wants the red on the break, inftead of which it is 
marked with ftreaks of brown ; Ihe has lefs white 
on her wings, and her colours in general are lefs 
bright. 
This bird is very well known, being common in 
every part of Europe : it builds its neft in low 
bulhes; the outfide is made up of dried grafs, 
roots, and mofs ; within it is lined with hair and 
wool : The female lays four or five eggs, of a pale 
blue colour, fpotted with brown at the larger end. 
She breeds generally twice in the year. The fong 
of the Linnet is beautiful and fweetly varied ; its 
manners are gentle, and its difpofition docile ; it 
eafily adopts the fongs of other birds, when con- 
fined with them, and in fome inftances has been 
faid to pronounce words with great diftin&nefs. 
This we confider as a perverfion of its talents, and 
fubftituting imperfect and forced accents, which 
have neither charms nor beauty, in the room of 
the free and varied modulations of uninftru&ed na- 
ture. Linnets are frequently found in flocks ; du- 
ring winter, they feed on various forts of feeds, and 
are faid to be particularly fond of lintfeed, from 
whence they derive their name. 
