motto were composed, we must resume the thread which we dropped, and present, according to promise, the finches and true warblers. The Fringillida or finches being hard-billed, and consequently seed-eating birds, arrive in autumn and winter mostly. The mountain-finch or brambling, descending from the north, is spread over the whole European continent in winter, and there is a solitary instance of a bird having been shot so late as the 6th of May, near York; but no evidence of their breeding in these islands, either in a state of nature or captivity exists. They have been observed to feed greedily on the seeds of the knot-grass (Polygonum aviculare), and have been considered useful in arresting the dissemination of that noxious weed. The bill of the male in winter is yellowish-white, tipped with bluish black. The iris of the eye is brown, and the crown of the head, the cheeks, the ear-coverts, the nape, and the back, are dappled with brown and black. The feathers of the smaller wing-coverts are tipped with white, and as well as the scapulars, are of a rich fawn colour. The greater wing-coverts are deep black, tipped with fawn, and the quills are black. The rump and upper tailcoverts are white, slightly mottled with black, arising from the presence of a few feathers of the latter colour. The forked tail is black, edged with white, inclining to buff colour. The chin, the throat, and the upper part of the breast and sides are of the same rich fawn colour as the scapulars, smaller wing-coverts, and the broad edges of the tertials. The lower parts are white. The spring or nuptial dress varies from the winter plumage. In the season of hope and joy, the rusty brown tips of the head and neck feathers vanish, leaving the head and neck gear of a rich velvety black, and the bill becomes of a lead-blue hue throughout. In this state the bird remains till the autumnal moult again clothes it in its winter covering. M. Temminck describes the bird under the name of Gros-bec d'Ardennes, and it is probably the Pinson d'Ardenne of Belon, and the old French authors. The ancient quatrain gives it a firm and uncompromising character— "Pinson montain cest oyseau on appelle, And the brambling is remarkable for its boldness and hardihood in confinement. Of the song, if it be gifted with any, nothing appears to be known: its call is a monotonous chirp. As soon as the northern chills warn the siskin or aberdevine (Fringilla spinus), that it is time to quit the inhospitable regions where winter has already begun its reign, the bird moves southward, and arrives in these islands in the autumn, abiding with us from September to April, often in small flocks, but generally in the company of linnets and redpoles, to feed on the seeds of the alder, the birch, and the larch. The siskin has but rarely been known to tarry in this country; but its nest has been noticed twice in furze, some three feet from the ground, near Coombe Wood, by Mr. Meyer, who informed Mr. Yarrell of the fact, of which there could be no doubt, for the eggs were taken in both cases, and placed under canaries which hatched them, and some of the young siskins were reared. Nor are these the only instances of the stay of the siskin during the breeding season. Sir William Jardine, Mr. Drew of Paisley, a correspondent in the sixth volume of "Loudon's Magazine of Natural History," and Mr. Gardiner, junior, of Dundee,* all record evidence of its producing young in this country, and the last-named gentleman bred and reared the species in confinement. He ascertained that the incubation lasted fourteen days; the young were fledged in fifteen days, and quitted the nest at the end of the third week. The plumage of this pretty species is so well known, that it would be needless to describe it here. If any one is not acquainted with it, he will find admirable descriptions and figures in " Yarrell's British Birds," and "Gould's Birds of Europe." The song is very sweet, though not loud; and the Saxon stocking-weavers fancy that they detect in it the noise made by the loom, which makes the siskin a great favourite with them. Siskins are not bad bird-mimics, and will give imitations of the tits, the chaffinch, and the lark; but their talents are unequal to repeating a musical air. They are indefatigable singers and feeders, caring so little for the loss of their liberty that they will eat as soon as they are let out of the hand of the captor. Like the goldfinches, they are taught to draw up tiny buckets, and perform other tricks, and are always gay. When they are not eating, drinking or singing, they are generally arranging their plumage, of which they take great care. Though it may be 66 'Wrong for the greenfinch to flirt with the siskin," A liaison with a canary does not seem objectionable: for breeders pair the siskin with that bird, and thus obtain spotted mules, highly valued for their song, which is not too loud for a room. The mealy redpole (Linota canescens), which is distinct from the lesser or common redpole (Linota linaria), is an arctic bird, * Loudon's Magazine, vol. vIII. with a very wide range over the North of America, Asia, and Europe, and is found in Japan. It is only an occasional visiter to this country, principally in winter, though it has been shot as late as May. Much cannot be said for its song; but the male mealy redpole in his spring dress, when his forehead and crown are bloodred, his throat and lore black, and the front of his neck, breast, and rump rosy, setting off the pure white of his underdress, is a very pretty bird. The seeds of forest-trees form the food of this species. The mountain-linnet (Linota montium), though only a winter visiter in the south of England, breeds in the north of England and Scotland, as well as in the northern and western Scotch islands, annually. It is the Heather lintee of Orkney and Shetland, and may be known from the common linnet and the redpoles by its longer tail, its reddish tawny throat, and the absence of red on the head or breast at any season, though the rump has a tinge of red in summer. The song is described by Mr. Selby as pleasing, though scarcely equal in compass to that of the common linnet. The pine grosbeak (Corythus enucleator), can only be considered as an occasional visiter to any part of these islands. The species is especially abundant in the north of Europe and America, and occurs in Lapland, Norway, Russia, Siberia, Sweden, and the north of Germany. The pine forests are its favourite haunts, though it will eat the buds and seeds of most trees, and occasionally take an insect. The male, when in full plumage, is a very handsome bird. The bill is dark brown, tinged on the lower mandible with dark red. The base of the upper mandible and the eyes are surrounded by a narrow dusky black band. The iris is hazel, and the whole of the head, the cheeks, the ear-coverts, and the hinder part of the neck, are of a fine vermillion. The greyishblack feathers of the back and scapulars are edged with red, and those of the rump and upper tail-coverts still more broadly, so that the colour of the head and neck is apparently continued. The wing-coverts and quills are greyish-black, and both greater and lesser wing-coverts have broad outer edges, and the tips white with a red tinge. All the quills have a narrow outer edging of white, the first six of the primaries being partially tinged with red. The slightly formed tail is uniform greyish-black. When in their proper position, the feathers of the chin, throat, breast, and sides make those parts appear of a fine vermillion red; but if they are lifted, they will be seen to be only edged with that colour and grey at the base like the feathers of the upper parts. The belly and under-tail coverts (the latter with a white edging), are French-grey, and the wings and tail be neath slate-grey. The legs and toes are blackish brown, and the claws are black. The total length of this fine species is eight inches. The nest, built of small sticks and lined with feathers, is generally placed on a low branch of a tree not far from the ground, and contains four or five white eggs when the laying is complete. The song of the pine grosbeak is very melodious. Mr. Audubon states that he once knew one of these sweet songsters, which in the evening, as soon as the lamp was lighted in the room where its cage was hung, would instantly tune its voice anew." fascinating author states that they are caught under snow-shoes, put up with a figure of four around the wood-cutters' camps in the State of Maine, and that their flesh is said to be good eating. A friend of his gives the following account of one in a state of domestication: The same "I received," said his friend, 66 a male in splendid plumage, but so emaciated, that he seemed little else than a mass of feathers. By cautious feeding, however, he soon regained his flesh, and became so tame as to eat from my hand without the least appearance of fear. To reconcile him gradually to confinement, he was permitted to fly about my bed-room; and, upon rising in the morning, the first thing I did was to give him a small quantity of seed. But three mornings in succession I happened to lie rather later than usual, and each morning I was aroused by the bird fluttering upon my shoulder, and calling for his usual allowance. The third morning I allowed him to flutter about me some time before showing any symptom of being awake: he no sooner observed that his object was effected, than he retired to the window, and waited patiently until I arose." Surely there is more than instinct in such conduct: in such actions have we not evidence of memory, association, and inference? Mr. Audubon's friend goes on to say that, as the spring approached, the bird used to whistle occasionally in the morning, and that his notes were exceedingly rich and full. The migratory instinct seems, however, to have prevailed in full force; for the narrator adds, that when the pine grosbeaks began to move to the north, the former familiarity of the bird entirely disappeared. The instance of the night singing here recorded, does not appear to stand alone; for Bechstein observes, that these birds (which are liked both on account of the ease with which they are tamed, and of their agreeable song), will sometimes sing in the night; and he adds that, in captivity, they keep their song throughout the year, whereas the wild birds only sing in the spring. Though there was circumstantial evidence to show that the common crossbill (Loxia curvirostra,) had bred in this country; and though it had been seen in some places throughout the year, Mr. Yarrell, whose industry in collecting facts is well known, was not able, when he published his interesting account of the bird, to find any instance in which the eggs or nestlings had been taken. Notwithstanding the case of their being observed during twelve months, the species, in the present state of our knowledge, can only be regarded in the light of an occasional visiter. It inhabits Lapland, Norway, Denmark, Sweden, Siberia, Russia, Poland, Germany, Switzerland, the Alps, and the Pyrenees in the Old World, and visits Spain and Genoa. These countries may be considered as its southern limit, generally speaking; but the Prince of Canino notices it as very rare and accidental near Rome; and adds, that it only appears in the hardest winters. In North America-for there now seems to be no doubt that the crossbill of that country is identical with the European bird,—Mr. Audubon found it more abundant in Maine, and the British provinces of New Brunswick and Nova Scotia, than anywhere else, and he met with it in the month of August in the great pine-forest of Pennsylvania. In the Old World its haunts are in such forests. To this country they have generally come in large flocks. Mr. Yarrell observes, that there are some curious records of their appearance in the years 1254 and 1593. Of their visit in the last-named year, he gives the following account from an old MS., with a copy of which he was favoured by the Rev. L. B. Larking, of Ryarsh Vicarage, near Maidstone. The year 1593 was a greate and exceeding yeere of apples; and there were greate plenty of strang birds that shewed themselves at the tyme the apples were full rype, who fedde upon the kernels only of those apples, and haveinge a bill with one beake wrythinge over the other, which would presently bore a greate hole in the apple, and make way to the kernells; they were of the bignesse of a bullfinch, the henne right like the henne of the bullfinch in colour: the cocke a very glorious bird, in a manner al redde or yellowe on the brest, backe, and head. The oldest man living never heard or reade of any such like bird; and the thinge most to bee noted was, that it seemed they came out of some country not inhabited; for that they at the first would abide shooting at them, either with pellet, bowe, or other engine, and not remove till they were stricken downe; moreover, they would abide the throweing at them, in so much as diverse were stricken downe and killed with often throwing at them with apples. They came when the apples were rype, and went away when the apples were cleane fallen. They were very good meate' -as they are considered to this day, especially at Vienna, where Mr. Gould saw |