312 DAVENPORT ACADEMY OF SCIENCES. 



have never seen mention of this variety occurring in the state 

 before" (Iowa Orn., ii, 2, 1896, p. 50). 



Genus Astragalinus Cab. 



232. (529). Astragalimcs tristis (Linn.). American Goldfinch. 



The American Goldfinch or "Yellow-bird," known by its 

 bright yellow body and black cap, wings and tail, is a common 

 resident throughout the year in all parts of Iowa, but is usually 

 less common during the winter. The winter birds of both sexes 

 assume a dusky, grayish-brown plumage with an olive tinge, and 

 wander about in flocks, feeding upon weed seeds. The birds 

 remain in flocks through most of the year, delaying the nesting 

 period until late in the summer, usually until the thistles have 

 ripened their down. The nests are built during July, August 

 and September, in thistles, bushes or small trees, from four to 

 twenty feet from the ground, composed of grass, fine rootlets, etc., 

 and almost invariably lined with the soft white down of the this- 

 tle; eggs pale blue, unspotted. On September 5, 1897, I took a 

 set of four eggs, advanced in incubation, from a nest six and one- 

 half feet from the ground in a burr-oak (Winnebago). David L. 

 Savage records a set of four eggs, September 16, 1893, from a 

 nest placed in a thistle (Van Buren). (051., x, 12, 1893, P- 3^6.) 



In summer and fall the diet is varied, the favorite food being 

 thistle seeds, sunflower, hemp and lettuce seeds. The song is 

 frequently given as the bird wings its undulating up-and-down 

 course through the air. 



Genus Spinus Koch. 



233- (533)- Spinus pi mis (Wils.). Pine Siskin. 



The Pine Siskin is a tolerablj^ common but somewhat irregular 

 visitant in Iowa, appearing in varying numbers from September 

 until the spring migration. It is frequently found in company 

 with the American Goldfinch, feeding upon lettuce, cabbage and 

 beet seed-tops in gardens in the fall. Large quantities of the 

 seeds of the ragweed are also consumed. The birds are very 

 tame, allowing a person to approach within a fevy feet before fly- 

 ing, and returning again in a few minutes. During the season 

 of 1896-97 the Siskins were unusually numerous in many local- 

 ities. G. H. Berry reported large flocks around Cedar Rapids 

 during February, 1904. 



