THE ARKANSAS GOLDFINCH. 155 



sometimes as low as your elbow. The nests are 

 very carefully made. The wall is thickly matted, 

 composed of plant-down, fibers and lichens, and 

 bits of dried leaves. The nest is pressed into 

 shape by the mother's breast, she revolving in- 

 side the cup until it is perfectly round. Then 

 she lines it with horsehairs, threads, bits of 

 feathers, and spider-web. When completed, the 

 nest is about the size of an after-dinner teacup. 



We like to tempt the goldfinches to build about 

 our grounds; so we place twine in short lengths 

 over a twig, and horsehairs and soft ravelings 

 from cloth. We pinch bits of furze from the 

 woolen rugs, and fur from the skins in the house, 

 and place these in sight of the birds. We tie 

 cotton batting in bunches to the bushes, and 

 stick pampas, plumes in the hedges. 



We have known the goldfinches to accept each 

 of these tempting offers, especially the pampas 

 plumes, which they pull in little tufts and scatter 

 to the wind as they fly. We have tracked them 

 to the nest by these little tufts, and by the bits of 

 white cotton which they love best of anything for 

 lining their nests, in our grounds. When cotton 

 is used, horsehairs are mixed with it, so the 

 young birds may have something to cling to with 

 their toes. With most birds, this having strings 



