FINCHES. I4I 
breeding season, the goldfinch is also a great destroyer 
of insects, upon which the young are almost wholly 
fed. The bird, therefore, is doubly useful to the agri- 
culturist, and as no serious accusations in the way of 
grain or fruit stealing have ever been brought against 
The Goldfinch. 
it, we are justified in ranking it among the most 
valuable of the farmer’s friends. 
The nest of the goldfinch is a singularly neat and 
pretty structure, and is frequently placed in the fork 
of a standard fruit-tree, or among the thick foliage at 
the end of the branch. Sometimes, however, it may 
