60 CHARACTER IN FEATHERS. 



fortable roosting place, tucked his head under 

 his wing, and went to sleep, and slept on un- 

 disturbed while carried from one room to an- 

 other. Probably the chickadee's nature is not 

 of the deepest. I have never seen him when 

 his joy rose to ecstasy. Still his feelings are not 

 shallow, and the faithfulness of the pair to each 

 other and to their offspring is of the highest 

 order. The female has sometimes to be taken 

 off the nest, and even to be held in the hand, 

 before the eggs can be examined. 



Our American goldfinch is one of the loveliest 

 of birds. With his elegant plumage, his rhyth- 

 mical, undulatory flight, his beautiful song, and 

 his more beautiful soul, he ought to be one of 

 the best beloved, if not one of the most famous ; 

 but he has never yet had half his deserts. He 

 is like the chickadee, and yet different. He is 

 not so extremely confiding, nor should I call him 

 merry. But he is always cheerful, in spite of 

 his so-called plaintive note, from which he gets 

 one of his names, and always amiable. So far 

 as I know, he never utters a harsh sound ; even 

 the young ones, asking for food, use only smooth, 

 musical tones. During the pairing season his 

 delight often becomes rapturous. To see him 

 then, hovering and singing, — or, better still, to 

 see the devoted pair hovering together, billing 

 and singing, — is enough to do even a cynic good. 



