112 Sketches of Some Coimnon Birds. 



hibitions of ecstatic joy are uot seen commonlj', and are 

 observed only in the immediate vicinity oftbe iie^t. 



In this region the nest of ttie goldfinch is seldom furnished 

 with its complement of eggs before the first of August. 

 This late householder prefer* hedgerows of 0(«age orange, 

 growing from eight to fourteen feet high, in which to 

 build his home, though he nests in orchards and in shade 

 trees, woods, and shrubberj'. The nest is generally placed 

 at a point about three-fourths the height of the hedge, 

 against the inner side of an obliquely ascending branch, 

 where forking twigs afford a firm support; but frequently 

 a nest is found saddled upon a horizontal bough. Of 

 eighteen nests found and examined by the writer in 1893, 

 one was saddled as above stated. In orchards and gar- 

 dens the goldfinch generally chooses a site among forking 

 branches in younger trees, and in woods its home is 

 similarly placed in saplings and smaller growth. In vil- 

 lages and cities it finds suitable sites for nests in the 

 maples and elms along the streets. 



The foundation of the nest is woven around the branch, 

 and also around neighboring twigs. The structure is 

 made of fine strips of bark, dried grass, weed fibers, and 

 cobweb, nicely rounded into a compact cup about three 

 inches deep and two and three-fburth inches in diameter 

 externally. The cavity is one and one-fourth inches deep, 

 and slightly less than two inches across. It is delicately 

 and evenly lined with milkweed and thistle down, and 

 sometimes a few horse hairs and threads, the latter being 

 probably picked up on excursions to the door-yard. The 

 down is laid in with such skill that when disarranged it 

 exposes a surprising quantity to be packed into a space so 

 small; yet their little bills have such a knack of disposing 

 it that nest-building with them is a very rapid process, 

 and the structure seems to spring into existence as though 

 by magic. The eggs are pale bluish white, rarely spotted. 

 Four to six Cijgs form a complement. They average .65 

 by .50 of an inch. 



The home life of the goldfinch reveals a wonderful at- 

 tachment existing between the owners of the down-lined 

 establishment. No cavalier of olden time ever attended 

 his lady-love more devotedly than our little black-capped 



