62 BIRDS OF FIELD, FOREST AND PARK 



seem quite dark, others almost white, so much 

 does their appearance change in the varying 

 conditions of Hght. When in flight they are 

 almost invisible against the sunlit sky. They 

 are the lightest colored of the Sparrow family. 

 The summer plumage, which we do not see, is 

 even lighter than the winter suits. Then they 

 are mostly white except for the black wings, 

 tail and a band across the back. The winter 

 plumage show^s considerable brown. The bill and 

 feet are black. 



Their notes, heard often in flight, are soft, 

 rippling, and quite pleasant to hear when bird 

 song is so rare. They appear in late fall, always 

 in flocks, journeying sometimes as far south as 

 New York City. 



Pine Siskin. Another winter visitor so er- 

 ratic in its wanderings that you are never sure 

 of finding him tw^o seasons in the same locality, 

 is the Pine Siskin, or Pine Finch. I often see 

 them in flocks in Prospect Park during the late 

 fall. In notes, size, color and manner, they 

 closely resemble their cousins the Goldfinches. 

 When I first made their acquaintance in the 

 wilderness of northern Maine several years ago, 

 I was quite puzzled for some time. But by 

 careful investigation I found that while their 

 general coloring is much like the winter dress 

 of the Goldfinch, on the wings and tail there is a 

 dash of yellow; and while their call notes are 

 similar, the Siskin has an interrogative wee, and 

 several harsh notes that the Goldfinch does not 

 have. They build in evergreen trees in the 

 woods, a nest of moss and fine twigs far above 



