1 16 Twelve Months With 



tail up and his little head back until they came 

 together over his back and played a little tattoo 

 accompaniment to his rippling song. 



Any account of the July birds would be incom- 

 plete without mention of the American goldfinch, 

 the indigo bunting and the scarlet tanager, three 

 of the most conspicuous and beautiful summer 

 birds which sing more or less regularly all 

 summer. 



The goldfinch, commonly called the wild canary 

 or yellow bird, is well known to all, and is easily 

 identified by its bright golden yellow body and 

 black cap, wings and tail. Its song is also charac- 

 teristic, closely resembling the notes of many cage 

 canaries. Its manner of flight is also unusual, and 

 will serve to identify the bird at a height where 

 its plumage is indistinguishable. Dr. Frank M. 

 Chapman gives a striking drawing in his "Birds 

 of Eastern North America," which shows the 

 characteristic combination of undulating flight and 

 song of this little bird. It is worth reproducing 

 here: 



With each undulating movement of its flight the 

 little bird seems to shake out a "per-chic-o-ree," 

 which in turn seems to propel its little body ahead 

 for another undulation. This note made in flight 

 is not its real song, which is a fine, canary-like 



