The Habit of the American 



Goldfinch {Spinus tnstis) 

 By Gerard Alan Abbott 



The names Goldfinch and Wild Canary are applied indiscriminately by 

 the casual observer to a score of different birds. Some time ago I overheard the 

 following conversation : 



"Oh, what a pretty bird. Did you see it?" 



"No, what was it?" 



"Why, I don't know. It had some yellow on it, and was rather small," con- 

 tinued the observer. 



"Must be a Wild Canary," responded the second party. 



Similar conclusions are not infrequently arrived at, when some warbler, 

 sparrow, or flycatcher chances in the path of an inexperienced but enthusiastic 

 bird admirer. 



In the United States our true Goldfinch, or Wild Canary, remains with us 

 the whole year, and is known in various phases of plumage according to the 

 seasons of the year. The charming ways of a devoted pair of these hardy 

 creatures should render them easy of identification at all times. 



Few farm orchards or thistle patches are without a pair of these little birds. 

 The male, with a voice equal in tone and quality to his beautiful plumage of 

 black and yellow, finds a warm place in the heart of every bird-lover, naturalist, 

 and agriculturist. These are not the only virtues possessed by the Goldfinch. 

 He is of great economic value, and the number of seeds of the thistle, the 

 dandelion and other noxious plants which these birds destroy, is astounding. 



The female is less vivacious than her mate, but she has that same sweet 

 call note, so full of expression. Their voices have always impressed me as 

 having something human about them. Goldfinches are fond of each other's 

 society, and on many a summer day have I whiled away the hours witnessing 

 the movements of these birds. Their flight is conducted in a peculiar, undulatory 

 manner, as both sexes dart back and forth above the tree tops, whose dense 

 foliage shelters many a nest of treasures. Twittering incessantly while on the 

 wing, their life appears one perpetual volume of happiness. 



. Spring passes and occasionally the summer months elapse before the Gold- 

 finch enters into domestic duties. The female is a skilled architect and her nest, 

 after one year's exposure in this climate, appears more substantial than some 

 other bird structures just completed. 



During July and August, when thistle down is floating in the air, the female 

 selects for a nesting site the crotch of a fruit or shade tree, often in close prox- 

 imity to dwellings. Indian hemp, vegetable down and ])lant fibers are securely 

 woven and matted together, forming a broad brimmed, deeply hollowed nest 

 into which a bountiful supply of thistle down is placed. The nest is usually 

 situated within twenty feet of the ground. Three to six faint bluish white eggs 



820 



