ANIMAL LIFE IN THE WOODS 163 



know of birds that breed so late ? Let me see if any of 

 you can recognize the little architects from my description. 

 One of the birds, the male, wore a tiny black cap ; its wings 

 and tail were also black, marked with a little white ; the 

 rest of the body is of a clear, beautiful yellow. If you had 

 not already learned something about the scarlet tanager and 

 the rose-breasted grosbeak, you might be surprised that this 

 bright-colored little bird has a mate whose attire consists of 

 a very modest, brownish-olive above and a pale yellow be- 

 low. How many of you know the bird I described ? It is 

 called the American Goldfinch. Do you not think that it 

 has received a very appropriate name ? 



How many of you have seen the goldfinch late in fall ? 

 Although none of you have seen them, they are with us 

 until November and some remain all winter. But in Sep- 

 tember the male doffs his black cap, his bright colors fade, 

 and soon he looks just like his mate and the young of the 

 season. If you are close observers, you may even then rec- 

 ognize it by its peculiar dipping flight. The birds return 

 to us in March or early April, but the spring moult is not 

 completed before the latter part of May, and before that 

 time you are not likely to observe the bright yellow and the 

 distinct black of their plumage. Have you learned about 

 another bird which shows such a marked change in color ? 



Now let us study this pretty little nest. How trim and 

 small it is, and still, how strong and how securely placed 

 on its support. The outside they made of grass and moss ; 

 but this material was evidently not considered soft and 

 warm enough for the little baby finches, and the parents 

 therefore lined the nest with fine down and wool. Do all 

 birds of the same species build their nests just alike, or are 

 they governed to some extent by circumstances and by the 

 material which they can most easily procure ? I wonder 

 where the Chimney Swifts built their nest, before this 



