ASTRAGALINUS TRISTIS : AMERICAN GOLDFINCH. 227 



weed, whose enduring seeds had served them well in 

 periods of scarcity, they enter cultivated ground, and 

 generall}^ choose to nest in a shade or fruit tree, near 

 the house — at farthest by the roadside, or in the ad- 

 joining neglected field. A neat, compact, and substan- 

 tial fabric, of the most miscellaneous material, so it be 

 soft, warm, and susceptible of felting, is placed in the 

 crotch formed by several upright twigs, or in the fork 

 of a branchlet, anywhere from a man's height to twen- 

 ty or thirty feet from the ground. The nest is deeply 

 cupped, with a well-turned brim, and smoothly lined 

 with plant-down, or sometimes hairs ; the whole struct- 

 ure resembling that of the Summer Warbler, or one 

 of the smaller Flycatchers. The eggs, from four to 

 six in number, resemble the paler sorts of Blue-bird 

 eggs which we often see, being faintly bluish-white, 

 and normally without any markings ; but they are of 

 course much smaller, measuring only about 0.65 XO.50. 

 The Finches occupy themselves very assiduously and 

 persistently in their household affairs, which, begin- 

 ning early in June, are not entirel}' concluded until 

 some time in August ; during which period more than 

 one brood is commonly the happy result of their in- 

 dustrious mutual devotion. In August, when sturdy 

 CompositEe assert the full power of that invincible 

 order of plants, overrunning the garden, field and 

 wayside, blowing their thousand-seed everywhere, the 

 Goldfinches doff satin for linen, and grow quite com- 

 fortably commonplace, as befits their homely attire. 

 The flocks, so long separated and engrossed in indi- 

 vidual cares, make up again, with all the rising gen- 

 eration as new-comers, to loiter about the kitchen-gar- 

 dens, the patches of truculent thistles that obstruct the 



