r »1 most elenant of the many beautiful structures 9 — ■ — 81 MS built by our native birds arranged, and its little freckled light-greenish-blue eggs
- i t s lining of foathe S ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ composed appear t0 vary considerably.
equally charming to^look poo.^ ^ co„str„ction, and formed of the stalks of
cd and a few specks of dark brown near the larger end. The time of mentation i about the middle
t „ .„a the vnnnfi1 are able to fly at the end of the month or the beginning of July.
UMacgillivray describes the flight of the Lesser Redpolc as •• peculiarly bounding and buoyant, and its
• i l l lonr -md loud When starting, it emits a hurried chatter of short notes, and as it pro-
V°'A' B M M W M M l l g l l i prolonged than those of our other Linnets. Its cry is
so different from that of the Brown Linnet and Twite, being clearer and sharper, that one who has attended
to it can readily distinguish the species on the wing. Although not abundant in any part of the country, .
forms large flocks in winter, and betakes itself to the birch- and alder-woods I have also seen them in
H scattered over a tract overgrown with thistles, the seeds of which they p i c k - F -
same manner as the Goldfinch does. On such occasions, unless they have previously been at or
■pursued, they take little heed of approaching danger; so that one uiay easily approach them, and even go
near as to snare them with a noose on a long stick or fishing-rod.” , , . ,
The summer and winter liveries of these little birds are very different. In the spring and during
season of reproduction the crown and breast of the male are beantifully tinted with red which tint, pan rary
to the law which obtains with regard to most other birds, increases at the end of the season or after
duty of reproduction has been completed. The richness of this red colour appears to be due o he brown
tips of the feathers becoming worn away or stripped off by the bird, and admitting the more br.ll.ant part
to become conspicuous; but it is very evanescent, soon fading on exposure to light In an - the bird
moults, after which the males, females, and the young birds of the year are very similar ; hut the old males
may he readily distinguished by the dull blood-red colouring of the crown.
The male has the lores, a band across the forehead, and the throat black, with a tinge of yellowish grey
at the tip of each feather; crown of the head dull red; remainder of the upper surface yellowish brown,
streaked with blackish brown; wing-coverts dark brown, tipped with pale yellowish brown, forming two
bands when the wing is closed; the remainder of the wings and the tail dark brown margined with light
brown; under surface pale brown, streaked with a dark tin t; abdomen and under tad-coverts whitish
The female is very similar, but has a smaller amount of red on the head, and no indication of that
colour elsewhere. I , ~ ,
In summer the bill of the male becomes greyish brown above and yellow beneath; the crown of the head
crimson; the sides and front of the neck, the breast, and flanks carmine red ; the centre of the breast, the
abdomen, and the under tail-coverts white tinged with rose-colour.
The dress of thii female at this season is very similar to that of winter, but is perhaps somewhat lighter
in its general hue. . . .
The Plate represents a male, a female, and a nest and eggs, on a branch of the whitethorn (Cratxgus
Oxyacantha), all of the natural size..