GOLDFIXCJ/. 87 



" little l)lack ca]) ti])pc(l down cncr the eyes." • They 

 are also known by their bounding flight " as if sailing 

 over imaginary billow^s." They sing as they go, /Vr- 

 chk-o-rce or 0-zvdit-for-mc, in the sweetest of voices. 

 Thev are often called " Wild Canaries," and both their 

 call and warbling love-song resemble those of the 

 common Canary, but the notes have a more plaintive 

 tenderness. 



Goldfinches are always in small flocks except when 

 nesting, and they are the latest of all our birds to 

 build. Indeed, the happy-go-lucky little creatures 

 put of¥ their housekeeping so long it is a wonder that 

 some Goldfinch babies are not frost-bitten before they 

 get their feathers. Although supposed to build in 

 July, w^e found a nest near Washington in which the 

 last ^^% hatched the first day of September and have 

 heard of others still later. The little home is ex- 

 quisite, composed largely of thistle-down, or other 

 plant down, interlaced and bound together with fine 

 strips like grape-vine bark. It is often built in a 

 fruit-tree, resting on a horizontal branch and woven 

 about some upright twigs. The eggs, 3 to 6, match 

 well the dainty nest, being clear wdiite, tinged with 

 green or blue. 



If you want a flow^er garden gay wath Goldfinches 

 plant in one corner small sun-flowers and fancy 

 grasses, and when their seeds are ripe the birds will 

 surely come. In autumn the male Goldfinch changes 

 his yellow coat for a brown one, like that of his 

 mate. 



