THE WESTERN GOLDFINCH, ” Bo 
No. 31. 
WESTERN GOLDFINCH. 
A. O. U. No. 529a. Astragalinus tristis pallidus (Mearns). 
Synonyms.—Patre GoripFincH. “Witp Canary.” “SumMMER YELLOW- 
BIRD.” ‘T'HISTLE-BIRD. 
Description—Adult male in summer: General plumage clear lemon or 
canary yellow; crown patch, including forehead and lores, black; wings black, 
varied by white of middle and lesser coverts, tips of greater coverts and edges 
ot secondaries ; tail black, each feather with white spot on inner web; tail coverts 
broadly tipped with white ; bill-orange, tipped with black; feet and legs light brown; 
irides brown. Adult female in summer: Above grayish brown or olivaceous ; wings 
and tail dusky rather than black, with white markings rather broader than in 
male; below whitish with buffy or yellow suffusion brightest on throat and 
sides. Adult male in winter: Like adult female but brighter by virtue of con- 
trasting black of wing and tail; white markings more extended than in summer. 
Female in winter: not so yellow as in summer, grayer and browner with more 
extensive white. Young: Like winter adults but browner, no clear white any- 
where, cinnamomeus instead. Length of adult male: (skins) 4.71 (120); wing 
2.95 (75); tail 1.97 (50); bill .41 (10.4); tarsus .55 (14.1). 
Recognition Marks.—Warbler size; black and yellow contrasting, with 
conical bill, distinctive; undulating flight; canary-like notes. Feeds on thistle 
seed as does also Spinus pinus, a closely related but much less handsome species. 
Nesting.—Nest: A beautiful compact structure of vegetable fibers, “hemp,” 
grasses, etc., lined with vegetable cotton or thistle-down, and placed at varying 
heights in trees or bushes, usually in upright crotches. Eggs: 3-6, pale bluish 
white, unspotted. Av. size, .65x.52 (16.5x 13.2). Season: July and August; 
one brood. 
General Range.—Western United States, except the Pacific coast district, 
north to British Columbia and Manitoba, south to northern and eastern Mexico. 
Range in Washington.—East-side, not common resident in half-open situa- 
tions and along streams; resident but roving in winter. 
Authorities.—Chrysomitris tristis, Brewster, B. N. O. C. VII. Oct. 1882, 
pezewa(l) a2 D2) Sst, Ss2. J, 
Specimens.—P. Prov. C. 
“HANDSOME is that handsome does,” we are told, but the Goldfinch 
fulfils both conditions in the proper sense, and does not require the doubtful 
apology of the proverb, which was evidently devised for plain folk. One 
is at a loss to decide whether Nature awarded the Goldfinch his suit of fine 
clothes in recognition of his dauntless cheer or whether he is only happy 
because of his panoply of jet and gold. At any rate he is the bird of sun- 
shine the year around, happy, careless, free. Rollicking companies of them 
rove the country-side, now searching the heads of the last year’s mullein 
