228 NATURE SKETCHES IN TEMPERATE AMERICA 



some ten minutes, and when I had gone about a hundred feet 

 the mother bird came back, bringing her golden mate with 

 her. They both ahghted in the small tree containing the nest, 

 as I have endeavored to portray in the initial illustration, and 

 after considerable conversation between them they quieted 

 down and took up the duties of housekeeping again. 



In the course of twelve days I again visited the goldfinch's 

 nest. A hot, withering September wind from the southwest 

 was blowing at the time, following upon a cool period. This 

 brought back to activity the life in the meadows, which were 

 richly covered with the flowers of aster and goldenrod. At 

 this time I again found the female goldfinch on her nest. Her 

 greenish coloring harmonized with the surroundings so well 

 that I could hardly .see her, but she eyed me with suspicion. 

 Her head was partly in shadow above, adding to the deception, 

 and the recess in which she was enclosed by leaves afforded an 

 ideal home. After a few moments of tolerance she flew off 

 the nest from the opposite side, and alighting on another low 

 tree she chirped in a distressed way as she watched me. 



On this second inspection the nest contained three very 

 small pinkish red young, which evidently had been hatched but 

 a short time. One of the eggs still remained unhatched. The 

 young lay flat on their sides, apj)earing motionless at first, but 

 in a moment or two they stretched out their little ungainly 

 heads, lifting them up with unsteady effort, as if desiring 

 food. I then left them, realizing the possible distress occa- 

 sioned the mother by my presence. She must have sat very 

 closely on her eggs, for during the long interval since I had 

 last visited the nest there were a number of cold and rainy 

 days, the temperature one night having fallen so low as to 

 produce slight frost. On the afternoon of the twenty-third, 

 while in this meadow in the vicinity of the nest, the wind 

 suddenly changed around to the north, blowing very strongly, 

 and (luring this gale I visited the goldfinch's nest. I found the 

 mother bird faithfully sitting, while the small tree bearing 

 her home was rudely shaken by the blasts of the winds. At 

 times it seemed as though the nest would be destroyed, but 

 she stuck to her task of covering and protecting her little ones. 

 Here, indeed, the compact nest with its downy lining proved 



