COMMON GOLDFINCH. 275 



and disappearing in the districts of Scotland 

 where wood and cover becomes scarce. In the 

 breeding season it frequents gardens and the shrub 

 bery, or the partially cultivated pleasure grounds, 

 frequently placing its nest on the fruit trees, and 

 near situations where work is constantly going on. 

 The nest has been often remarked for the beauty 

 of its workmanship, and it is neatly and carefully 

 constructed, exteriorly with moss and the lichens 

 of the tree on which it is placed, in the interior 

 lined with soft materials finely laid flat and rounded, 

 but it scarcely comes up to the fashioning of the 

 nest of the Chaffinch, or to the care and beauty 

 with which the outside of it is worked. During 

 winter they assemble in small parties, seldom ex- 

 ceeding fifteen or twenty, and frequent commons, 

 extensive pasture fields, or the borders of waste 

 lands, where the thistles and the horse-knot, 

 (centaurea nigra,) or common ragweed, and other 

 syngenesious plants, have thriven undisturbed, 

 and on the seeds of which they now delight to 

 feed. It is in such situations that they are taken 

 by bird-catchers in trap cages, or with limed twigs, 

 a call bird being used to attract them. 



The Goldfinch is sought after as a cage bird, 

 on account of its beauty and clean appearance, 

 for its docility and aptness to be taught tricks, 

 and to obey its master or mistress, and for its 

 song. The latter in confinement is pleasing and 

 cheerful, but wants that depth of tone and variety 

 of modulation which some of the Sylviadae and 

 the Thrushes possess. It becomes very familiar 



