THE WESTERN GOLDFINCH. 89 



No. 31. 



WESTERN GOLDFINCH. 



A. O. U. No. 529a. Astragalinus tristis pallidas (Mearns). 



Synonyms. — Pale Goldfinch. "Wild Canary." "Summer Yellow- 

 bird." TinSTLE-BIRD. 



Description. — Adult male in siiiiiiiicr: General plumage clear lemon or 

 canary yellow; crown patch, including forehead and lores, black; wings black, 

 varied by white of middle and lesser coverts, tips of greater coverts and edges 

 of secondaries; tail black, each feather with white spot on inner web; tail coverts 

 broadly tipped with white ; bill-orange, tipped with black ; feet and legs light brown ; 

 irides brown. Adult female in summer: Above grayish brown or olivaceous ; wings 

 and tail dusky rather than black, with white markings rather broader than in 

 male; below whitish with huffy or yellow suffusion brightest on throat and 

 sides. Adult male in ivintcr: Like adult female but brighter by virtue of con- 

 trasting black of wing and tail ; white markings more extended than in summer. 

 Female in zvinter: not so yellow as in stnnmer, grayer and browner with more 

 extensive white. Young: Like winter adults but browner, no clear white any- 

 where, cinnamomeus instead. Length of adult male: (skins) 4.71 (120); wing 

 2-95 (75) ; tail 1.97 (50) ; bill .41 ( 10.4) ; tarsus .55 (14.1). 



Recoj>nition Marks. — Warbler size ; black and yellow contrasting, with 

 conical bill, distinctive ; undulating flight ; canary-like notes. Feeds on thistle 

 seed as does also Spinus pinus, a closely related but much less handsome species. 



Nesting. — Nest: A beautiful compact structure of vegetable hbers, "hemp," 

 grasses, etc., lined with vegetable cotton or thistle-down, and placed at varying 

 heights in trees or bushes, usually in upright crotches. Eggs: 3-6, pale bluish 

 white, unspotted. Av. size, .65 x .52 (16.5x13.2). Season: July and August; 

 one brood. 



General Range. — Western United States, except the Pacific coast district, 

 north to British Columbia and Manitoba, south to northern and eastern Mexico. 



Range in Washington. — East-side, not common resident in half-open situa- 

 tions and along streams ; resident but roving in winter. 



Authorities. — Clirvsomitris tristis, Brewster, B. N. O. C. \ II. Oct. 1882, 

 p. 227. (T). D'. D-'. Ss'. Ss-'. I. 

 Specimens. — P. Prov. C. 



"HANDSOME is that handsome does," we are told, but the Goldfinch 

 fulfils both conditioiis in the proper sense, and does not require the doubtful 

 apology of the proverb, which was evidently devised for plain folk. One 

 is at a loss to decide whether Nature awarded the Goldfinch his suit of fine 

 clothes in recognition of his dauntless cheer or whether he is only happy 

 because of his panoply oif jet and gold. At any rate he is the bird of sun- 

 shine the year around, happy, careless, free. Rollicking companies of them 

 rove the country-side, now searching the heads of the last vear's mullein 



