F R I N G I L L A. 
liaunt indifcriminately vinciiltivated lands, and ploughed 
fields. 
The fong of the linnet is announced by a fort of pre- 
hide. In Italy the linnets of Abnizzo and of the Marche 
of Ancona are preferred. It is generally fuppofed in 
France tliat tlie warble of the red linnet is fuperior to 
that of the grey. Tlie females are naturally delHtute of 
fong, nor can they ever acquire it. The adult males 
caught in the net profit as little by. inflruftion ; and the 
young males taken out of the neft are alone fufceptible 
of education. They are fed with oatmeal-gruel, and 
rape-feed ground with milk or fugared water; and.in the 
evening they are whiftled to in tlie weak light of a candle, 
care being taken to articulate dil’tinftly the words or notes 
w hich they are to repeat. Sometimes, to begin them, 
th.ey are held on the finger before a mirror, in which they 
view their image, and believe they fee another bird ot 
their own fpecies; they (bon fancy that tliey liear the 
notes of a companion, and this illufion produces a fort of 
emulation which animates their fong, and quickens their 
progrefs. It is luppofed that they (ing more in a final 1 
cage than in a large one. 
'I'he name of thefe birds points out their proper food. 
They are called linnets (linarite) becaufe they preler lin- 
feed to all other food, though tliey feed on the feeds of 
panic, rape, liemp, millet, canary-grafs, raddifh, cabbage, 
poppy, plantain, beet, and fonietinies on thofe of the me¬ 
lon. Gefner fays, that if poppy-feeds alone be given tor 
food either to linnets or goldfinches, th.ey will become 
blind. Some give them fweet cake, prickly-forrel, chick, 
weed, ears of wheat, oats pounded, and even a little (alt; 
but all thefe muft be properly varied. They break the 
fmall grains in their bill, and rejedt the fliell : they ought 
to have very little hemp-feed, for it fattens tltem too 
much ; and excellive fat occafions their death, or at lea(t 
renders them unfit for fmging. In thus feeding and raif- 
ing them, we m.ay not only teach them what airs.we chufe 
with a canary-whiftle, a flageolet. See. but we alfo tame 
them. They readily diflinguifh thofe who are kind to 
them, become fond of them, alight on them in preference, 
and behold them with an affectionate air. They have 
been known to live upwards of feventeen years. 
The linnet is a pulverulent bird, and it w'ould be pro¬ 
per to ftrew in the bottom of the cage a layer of fine fand, 
and renew it occafionally ; there ought alfo to be a (mall 
bath.—The total length of the bird is five inches and a 
few lines ; its alar extent nearly nine inches; its bill five 
lines ; its tail two inches, fomewhat forked, and ftretch- 
ing an inch beyond the wings. In the male the top of 
the head and the breaft are red ; the throat, and the un¬ 
der part of the body, rufly white; the upper, chefnut; 
almoft all the feathers of the tail and of the wings are 
black, edged w ith w hite ; and hence when the wings are 
clofed there is a white ray parallel to the feathers. The 
female has commonly none of the red that we liave men- 
tfoned; and the plumage is more varied than in the male. 
There are two varieties mentioned of this bird. The 
one white; the quills and tail black, edged with white, 
as in the common. The other, with a greenifh bill ; the 
legs black, and a very forked tail ; otherwife like the 
common linnet. One, wholly white, was alfo (hewn in the 
Leverian Mufeum. 
6o. Fringilla linaria, the fmaller redpole : this is about 
half the fize of the greater redpole; bill dufky; irides 
hazel ; on the forehead is a rich fpot of purplifh red ; 
breaft of the fame colour, but lefs bright ; back dufky, 
edged with reddifti-brown ; fides yellowilh or afti-coloiir, 
marked with narrow dufky lines; quills and tail dufky, 
edged with dirty white; on the wing-coverts are two 
whitifh bars; legs dufky. The female is lefs lively in 
colour ; has no red on the breaft, and the fpot on the 
forehead is of a faftVon-colour. Tliis fpecies is alfo com¬ 
mon in England, and makes its neft chiefly in the moun¬ 
tains of Wales; and is now and then found in other parts 
of this ifland. They are feen upon the coaft of Kent in 
great numbers in November, about which time they mi¬ 
grate into England in large flocks. A neft of this fpe¬ 
cies was found on an aider flump, near a brook, about 
I wo or three feet from the ground ; the outfide compofed 
of dry ftalks, and other plants, intermixed with wool, 
and lined witli hair and feathers. The eggs are four in 
number, of a pale bluifh-green, thickly (prinkled near 
the blunt end with fmall reddifli fpots. The bird was fo 
tenacious of her neft, as to fuifer herfelf to be taken off 
by the hand, and when releafed would not ibrlake it. 
This bird is known about London by the name of Jlone 
redpole. Linnaeus,- Kramer, and others, mention its being 
very fond of the feeds of alder. I’his we have feen fre¬ 
quently ; for whole fioCks of thefe birds, mixed v%itii tlie 
fifkin, frequent many places wiiere alders grow, for tlie 
(ake of picking tlie catkins ; they generally hang iike tlie 
titmoufe, witli ilie back downwards, and in tliis ftate are 
fo intent on their work, that they may be entangled one 
after another by dozens, by means of a twig fmeared with 
birdlime, faftened to the end of a fifhing-rod, or other 
long pole. This fpecies feenis to be in plenty throughout 
Europe, from the extreme parts of Ruflia on the one 
hand, to Italy on the other. Is very common in Green¬ 
land, and was alfo met with by our late voyagers at Oona- 
lallika. In America it is likewife well-known. Hence 
it ieems to be a bird common to tlie whole of the north¬ 
ern part of the globe without exception. 
61. Fringilla montiiim, the mountain linnet: length 
(ix inclies iind a half; bill pale; irides hazel; the fea¬ 
thers on till,’ upper part of the body dulky ; thofe on tlie 
head edged with a(h colour, tlie others with brownifli-red ; 
tlie rump pidecrimfon ; the under partsof the body pale; 
tliofe of the throat and breaft blackifli, with pale edges; 
wings and tail dulky ; tips of the greater coverts and fe- 
condaries whitifti ; legs brown. The female wants the 
red mark on the rump. 
The twite Linnet is a variety of tlie above : length only 
four inches and a half : bill yellowifli, with a brown tip ; 
the top of the head and rump are both red ; over tlie 
eyes a rufous band; the upper parts black, edged with 
rufous; the under rufous, (potted with black on the 
throat ; belly white ; legs brown ; between the bill and 
eye a dark brown fpot, and on the chin another. The 
female wants the red fpot on tlie rump. Twites are taken 
in the flight feafon near London, along with other linnets. 
It is probable that the name has been taken from their 
twittering note, having no mufic in it; and indeed the 
bird-catchers can tell at fome diftance whether there be 
any twites mixed among linnets, merely from thiscirciun- 
fiance. The twite is fuppofed to breed in the more north¬ 
ern parts of our ifland. 
62. Fringilla caudacuta, the (harp-tailed finch : varied 
with rufous and brown ; eyebrows, chin, and neck above, 
rufous; tail entire, the feathers all pointed at the tips; 
length four inches and a half; bill and legs pale; irides 
brown; feathers of the body brown, edged with pale ru- 
fous ; chin and ftreak above the eyes pale rufous. Inha¬ 
bits Georgia. 
63. Fringilla Georgians, the Georgian finch: brown, 
beneath whitifli;■ lefler wing-coverts wholly, quill and 
tail-feathers on the outer webs rufous ; chin and throat 
moufe-colour; under the arm-pits a black ftreak: length 
fix incites; bill dulky; irides brown; head brown, a 
little tumid ; middle of the back blackifh ; legs brown. 
Inhabits Georgia. 
64. Fringilla argentoratenfis, the Straftturgh linnet ; 
fize of the common linnet; head and upper parts, as far 
as the rump, brown ; beneath, as far as the upper part of 
the belly, and fides, rufous fpotted with brown; the 
belly and vent whitifti ; quills and tail brown ; legs red- 
difti. Inhabits the environs of Straftturgh, where it is 
called gyntel-, and is faid to lay four eggs. 
65. Fringilla Angolenfis, the Angola linnet: fize of 
the chaffinch ; bill brown; the feathers round the bafe 
black ; upper parts of the head, neck, and body, brown- 
i-fl} 
