398 THE GOLDFINCH AND THE GREENFINCH. 



FINCH, a bird whose bright yellow-orange hues suffer but little even 

 when 'it is placed in close proximity to the more gaudy Finches of 

 tropical climates. Like the chaffinch, it is spread over the whole of 

 En<rland, and may be seen in great numbers feeding on the white this- 

 tlecfown.' There are few prettier sights than to watch a cloud of Gold- 

 finches fluttering along a hedge, chasing the thistledown as it is whirled 

 away by the breeze, and uttering all the while their sweet, merry notes. 

 The birds are not very shy, and by lying quietly in the hedge the 

 observer may watch them as they come flying along, ever and anon 

 perching upon the thistle-tops, dragging out a beakful of down, and 

 biting off the seeds with infinite satisfaction. Sometimes a Goldfinch 

 will make a dart at a thistle or burdock, and without perching snatch 

 several of the seeds from their bed, and, then alighting on the stem, 

 will run up it as nimbly as a squirrel and peck away at the seeds, quite 

 careless as to the attitude it may be forced to adopt. These beautiful 

 little birds are most useful to the farmer, for they not only devour mul- 

 titudes of insects during the spring months, but in the autumn they 

 turn their attention to the thistle, burdock, groundsel, plantain, and 

 other weeds, and work more effectual destruction than the farmer could 

 hope to attain with all his laborers. Several Goldfinches may often 

 be seen at one time on the stem and top of a single thistle, and two or 

 three are frequently busily engaged on the same plant of groundsel. 



The nest of tlie Goldfinch is very neat and prettily made, sometimes 

 built in a hedge or thick bush, but mo;5tly placed toward the extremity 

 of athickly-foliaged tree-branch, such being a favorite for this purpose. 

 In this position the nest is so ingeniously concealed from the gaze of 

 every one beneath, by the disposition of the branches and leaves and 

 by the manner in which the exterior of the nest is made to harmonize 

 in tint with the bark, that it can scarcely be discerned even when the 

 observer has climbed the tree and is looking down upon the nest. The 

 bird, too, seldom flies directly in or out of the nest, but alights at a lit- 

 tle distance from her tree, and then slips quietly through the leaves 

 until she reaches her eggs or young. 



The materials of which the exterior of the nest is made differ accord- 

 ing to the tree in which it is placed. In general, fine grasses, wool, hairs, 

 and very slender twigs are employed in constructing the walls, and the 

 interior is softly lined with feathers, down, and hairs. The eggs are 

 generally four or five in number, and delicately marked with small 

 dots and streaks of light purplish brown upon a white ground, having 

 a tinge of blue, something like " sky-blue " milk. 



The Greenfinch is one of our commonest birds, being resident in 

 tliis country throughout the year, and not even requiring a partial 

 migration. It is found mostly in hedges, bushes, and copses, and, as 

 it is a bold and familiar bird, is in the habit of frequenting the habita- 



