276 NOTES ON NEW ENGLAND BIRDS 



I see in the cut near the shanty-site quite a flock of 

 F. hyenialis ^ and goldfinches together, on the snow 

 and weeds and ground. Hear the well-known mew and 

 watery twitter of the last and the drier chilt chilt of the 

 former. These burning yellow birds with a little black 

 and white on their coat-flaps look warm above the snow. 

 There may be thirty goldfinches, very brisk and pretty 

 tame. They hang head downwards on the weeds. I 

 bear of their coming to pick sunflower seeds in Melvin's 

 garden these days. 



March 24, 1859. Returning, above the railroad cause- 

 way, I see a flock of goldfinches, first of spring^ flitting 

 along the causeway-bank. They have not yet the bright 

 plumage they will have, but in some lights might be 

 mistaken for sparrows. There is considerable difference 

 in color between one and another, but the flaps of their 

 coats are black, and their heads and shoulders more or 

 less yellow. They are eating the seeds of the mullein 

 and the large primrose, clinging to the plants sidewise 

 in various positions and pecking at the seed-vessels. 



Nov. 15, 1859. About the 23d of October I saw a 

 large flock of goldfinches (judging from their motions 

 and notes) on the tops of the hemlocks up the Assabet, 

 apparently feeding on their seeds, then falling. They 

 were collected in great numbers on the very tops of these 

 trees and flitting from one to another. Rice has since 

 described to me the same phenomenon as observed by 

 him there since (says he saw the birds picking out the 

 seeds), though he did not know what birds they were. 

 William Rice says that these birds get so much of the 

 ^ [Now called Junco hyemalis, the slate-colored snowbird.] 



