SISKIN.
V DDRBINIOG, (>K THE ANCIENT BRITISH.
ABERDEVINE.
Carduriis spinus, MACGILLIVRAY.
Fringilla spinus, LINNAEUS. LATHAM.
CardueHs—A bird that Reds on thistles. Catduus—A thistle.
Spinus—A bird so called by the Creeks, whence our 'Spink,'—(used in
Aristophanes.)
THOUGH inferior to the Goldfinch in beauty of plumage, the Siskin
is its equal in pleasing neatness—the one, as it were, embodying the
striking beauty of I be fruit of the orange tree, and the other the
more chastened and sober hue of the lemon, in the general tone of
its colour.
It inhabits Russia, Xorway, and Sweden, Austria, France, Holland,
and Italy, and has been once met with in Corfu; it is found also in
Asia, in Japan, according to M. Temminck.
In this country it is but locally distributed, and therefore an uncommon
bird, though found in tolerable plenty where, or rather when, it occurs.
In Yorkshire it is tolerably common in some winters near Sheffield,
Halifax, where it was very plentiful in the winter of 18:35-(3; Doneasier,
a Large flock was seen in Sandal Beat, in April, 1887; Barnslcy,
Ilebden-Bridge, and York, as also in the neighbourhood of Bridlington;
one was found dead at Beverley, by my sister, Miss Joanna H.
Morris, in the very severe snow-storm of March, 1853. It has also
been met with near Barusley by Mr. J. Lister. When at school, at
Bromsgrove, in Worcestershire, I and my schoolfellows used to shoot
several of these birds out of pretty considerable flocks, which
occasionally frequented the gardens near that town, and more generally
the alder trees by the side of Charford brook. I just missed seeing