66 THE YELLOW-BIRD. 



finches is the Yellow-bird (Chrysomitris tristis, 

 Bon). This tiny finch robed in golden -yellow, 

 delicately shaded and streaked with rich brown, 

 a velvet black cap on its head, and just enough 

 white as a fringe to light up the dark tail and 

 wing-feathers may be ranked as the most 

 exquisitely-plumaged of North-western birds. 

 One could almost imagine, as it silently climbs 

 amidst the green foliage of the pines, that it was 

 an orchid-blossom blown from the tropics into 

 colder regions, rather than a bird. 



As a singer the 'yellow-bird' has little to boast 

 of as an architect it is deserving the highest 

 credit. The nest is a perfect work of art, most 

 delicately woven, in shape symmetrically round, 

 and skilfully lashed with real ropes of fibre to 

 the forked branches chosen as the building-site. 



Fine linty materials gathered from different 

 plants, thistledown, spiders' webs, and silk pil- 

 laged from insect cocoons, make up the walls ; 

 the inside, lined with feathers, hair, and soft 

 fibres, is a bed fit for a fairy-queen to sleep in. 

 Five eggs are usually laid in June or early in 

 July, soon after the birds make their appearance. 

 They are distributed plentifully throughout Bri- 

 tish Columbia, and are sometimes seen on Van- 

 couver Island, but were more abundant east 

 than west of the Cascades. 



