393 



CARDUELIS ELEGANS. THE RED-FRONTED 

 THISTLEFINCH, OR GOLDFINCH. 



GOLDFINCH. GOLDSPINK. GOUDSPINK. GOLDIE. LASAIR-CHOILLE. 



Fig. 65. Male. Fjo. 66. Female 



Fringilla Carduelis. Linn. Syst. Nat. I. 118. 



Fringilla Carduelis. Lath. Ind. Orn. I. 449. 



Goldfinch. Mont. Orn. Diet. 



Gros-bec Chardonneret. Fringilla Carduelis. Temm. Man. d'Orn. I. 376. 



Goldfinch. Carduelis elegans. Selb. Illustr. I. 312. 



Fringilla Carduelis. Goldfinch. Jen. Brit. Vert. An. T. 137. 



Forehead and throat crimson ; loral space., top of the head., and 

 occipital band hlach. 



Male. — The Goldfinch is one of the most elegant as well as 

 gavly attired of our native birds, and being held in great esti- 

 mation on accomit of its docility and the sweetness of its song, 

 is a special favourite with those who find pleasure in imprison- 

 ing birds. Its form is compact and rather slender, and as its 

 bill is more attenuated than that of most other birds of the 

 Passerine family, and its head proportionally small, it has not 

 the heavy aspect of the Green Linnet or Sparrow. As all the 

 characters given in detail in the generic character apply to it, 

 we may dispense with a particular description of the parts. 



The oesophagus, which dilates into a small crop, is two inches 

 in length ; the gizzard eight twelfths ; the intestine ten inches ; 

 the coeca nearly two twelfths. The plumage is blended, very 



