FINCHES 



15 



si -lent a-- an\- jiareiit witli such a tliroat could 

 utlcr. 



In the fall the males turn olive, something like 

 the females and immature. They Ljather intn 

 flocks, a few dozen or a few hundreds ,nid h.aunt 

 the weedv fields and seedy marshland^ where 

 the lilt of the Canary-like note is apt to he heard 

 even into the middle of winter. Let the sun liul 

 shine a little warmer in the early spriniL,' .-md 

 maybe it will be a Goldfinch instead nf a lllue- 

 bird that will <;reet the promise <if spriiiL;'. Its 

 all hail will be src-scc-r many limes repeated. 



From ocean to ocean this bird is common. In 

 the Rockies it is lar.s^er and lii,diter with ])urer 

 tints in winter plumage, and is there distinijuished 

 by the varietal name of Pale Goldfinch i .Istra- 

 galiniis tristis pallidiis). On the Pacitic c(iasi 

 the ditTerences are not as great as in the moun- 

 tains, but great enough to make a separate variety 

 called the ^^'illow Goldfinch { .4stra(/aliiiiis tristis 

 salicauiaiis). Down through the luxuriance of 

 southern California they have been known as 

 "gentle-spirited birds" that "seem .as light- 

 hearted as butterflies." (Mrs. I-'lorence Merriam 

 Bailey. » 



In her Birds Throiif/Ii an Opera Class the 

 same author says of the Goldfinch in the east: 

 " Being a vegetarian, his store-house is al\v;i_\s 

 well filled, for if the snow covers the seeds be 

 would gather from the brown weed-tops, he goes 

 to the alders in the swamp; and if the\' fail him 

 he is sure to find plentv in the seeds of the 

 hemlock, the spruce, and the larch." 



P. Nf.lsox Nn iioi.s. 



In winter this Goldfinch feeds largely on weed 

 seeds, the seeds of birches, and those of the 

 buttonbush. In summer it subsists to a large 

 extent on weed seed, but destroys many noxious 

 insects, such as cankerworms, plant lice, small 

 grasshoppers, and beetles. The habit of feeding 

 on thistles which has given the species the coiu- 

 mon name (jf " Thistle Bird " is well exemplified 

 by the following field note: A thistle on which 

 a Goldfinch had been feeding was examined and 

 on its leaves and the ground beneath sixtv-seven 



seeds were counted. They appeared pertect, but 

 close inspection showed a slit through which 

 the meaty kernel had been deftlv removed. Dr. 

 .'-i. D. Judd reports having been able to approach 

 within ten feet of four Goldtmches who were 

 feeding on ragwecfl. Often they would all alight 

 on the same plant at once, then thev would 



NEST AND EGGS OF GOLDFINCH 



wrench oft' the seeds, extract the meat, and drop 

 the shell, their actions resembling those of a 

 Canary at its seed cup. In one instaitce three 

 alighted on a very small plant, which under 

 their weight bent to the ground. Nothing 

 daunted, the\- clung to the spr.ays, heads down- 

 ward, until they touched the earth, then shiftin.g 

 their position so as to hold the stems under 

 their feet, went on with their meal. 



ARKANSAS GOLDFINCH 



Astragalinus psaltria psaltria (Say) 



Other Names. — Tarweed Canary; Arkansas Green- tail, black nr dusky. Hill, small, conical, and acute; 



hack. wings, lon.c; and puinted ; tail, r:illu'r shcirl and forked; 



General Description, — I^eiiK'tli, 4'j inches. Ui)i)er le.£?s, short. 

 I)arts. olive-yreeni^h ; under jiarts, yellow: win.ys and Color. — .Xiui r M \i.i: : Croi^'u, (/lossy I'lack': ear 



\oL. 11 1. -3 



