26 



GOLDFINCHES are so well known 

 and the name applies so well to their 

 :?olden color that it would seem very- 

 unnecessary to apply any other to tnem, 

 yet we often hear them spoken of as 

 •'Wild Canaries" because of their excel- 

 lent and canary-like song, and as 

 •Thistle Birds" because they are so of- 

 ten found swaying on thistle heads. 

 Besides their full song they utter a 

 great number of very musical notes. 

 While feeding, one often calls to an- 

 other "sweet, ^weet" or "dearie, dearie." 

 Their flight is very peculiar as their 

 wings on the recovery of the stroke are 

 moved so slowly that the body falls a 

 foot or more between beats. They pro- 

 gress by a series of bounds, punctuat- 

 ing each dip with a cheerily called 

 "per-chic-oree." 



Goldfinches nest late, in July or Aug- 

 ,st, making a firm cup-shaped struc- 

 ure of fibres, placed in upright forks, 

 isually of alders. The eggs are un- 

 marked bluish-white. 



cliaracter. These birds frequent dry fields in the middle 

 of which they locate their arched nests. They are quite 

 shy, but if one is armed with a good pair of bird glasses he 

 can get many opportunities of studying them as they sing 

 their wheezy songs from the vantage point of a stone wall. 

 In the same fields we also find the common VESPER 

 SPARROWS, which can always be recognized by the white 

 outer tail feathers. These birds have a lively and attract- 

 ive song, combining parts of those of Field and Song 

 Sparrows. 



During the winter and early spring, we may find associ- 

 ated with flocks of our Goldfinches, two other kinds of 

 finches. Pine Siskins and Redpolls. PINE SISKINS are 

 very closely related to Goldfinches, but are far from being 

 as attractively gowned when in their summer plumage. 

 The Siskin plumage is constant at all seasons — a striped 

 blackish and buffy, the only conspicuous markings being 

 a yellow patch at the base of the primaries and yellow bases 

 to the tail feathers. The markings, however, very rarely 

 can be seen on the bird while it is feeding in trees above 

 us. Their call notes and songs are quite similar to those of 

 the Goldfinch. REDPOLLS are most frequently seen 

 feeding upon weed seeds upon the ground or close to it. 

 Their plumage is very light colored and striped; they have 



