410 



THE GOLDFINCH. 



His lively habits and docile disposition too often lead to his 

 captivity, but — 



" I love to see the little goldfinch pluck 

 The groundsel's feather'd seed, and twit, and twit ; 

 And then, in bower of apple blossoms perched, 

 Trim his gay suit, and pay us with a song ; 

 I would not hold him prisoner for the world." 



It is the most gaily attired of all our native birds, and a sweet 

 singer. It takes its name of thistlefinch from feeding on 

 thistle, dandelion, burdock, and knapweed seeds — would there 

 were more of them here to keep those winged weed-pests from 

 flying about. It also feeds on the seeds of alder and birch trees. 

 It is 5 inches long and 9 in extent of wings. The forehead, 

 temples, and throat are crimson ; cheeks and lower parts white ; 

 back brown, merging into yellow ; sides of breast and scapulars 

 deep yellowish brown ; lesser wing coverts black ; the 

 secondaries rich yellow ; half of the outer webs of its quills 

 yellow ; the other parts black ; the tips pure white. It is 

 impossible to paint with words the various pencillings of this 

 pretty little bird, so I need not try. It is a fanciful dress of 

 buff and brown, ornamented with gold and crimson, well named 

 elegans. Female like the male, but fainter and less ; young, like 

 the old ones. The iris, brown. But mere beauty of plumage 

 had no attraction for Burns over plainer if better songsters, for, 

 like them, he says — 



"My muse, though namely in attire, 

 May touch the heart. " 



While he only mentions the " gowdspink" once, he sings twenty 

 times of the plain-dressed lark, twelve of the linnet, ten of the 

 mavis, and half-a-dozen times of the parson-like blackbird, besides 

 many allusions to each. It remains all year with us, is common 

 on the Continent, and found as far south as the Archipelago. It 

 lives fifteen years ; is retiring ; found here in summer scattered in 

 pairs. In winter I have seen small flocks of about thirty about St 

 Andrews and Cambo, but not often. 



The next genus is that of Linaria, linnet, which is closely 

 allied, especially by the lesser redpoll Linaria Minor, and the 

 siskin Carcluelis Spinus ; have the same habits, and feed chiefly 

 on seeds. 



