42 THE GOLDFINCH. 



Mr. Syme, in his excellent treatise on British Song Birds, 

 gives the following amusing particulars respecting this spe- 

 cies : — " The goldfinch is easily tamed and easily taught, and 

 its capability of learning the notes of other birds is well 

 known ; but the tricks it may be taught to perform are truly 

 astonishing. A few years ago, the Sieur Roman exhibited his 

 birds, which were goldfinches, linnets, and Canaries. One 

 appeared dead, and was held up by the tail or claws without 

 exhibiting any signs of life ; a second stood on its head with its 

 claws in the air ; a third imitafed a Dutch milkmaid going to 

 market with pails on its shoulders; a fourth mimicked a 

 Venetian girl looking out at a window ; a fifth appeared as a 

 soldier, and mounted guard as a sentinel ; and the sixth acted 

 as cannoneer, with a cap on its head, a firelock on its 

 shoulder, and a match in its claws, and discharged a small 

 cannon. The same bird also acted as if it had been 

 wounded. It was wheeled in a barrow, to convey it, as it 

 were, to the hospital, after which it flew away before the 

 company. The seventh turned a kind of windmill ; and the 

 last bird stood in the midst of some fireworks, which were 

 discharged all round it, and this without exhibiting the least 

 symptom of fear." 



The Goldfinch is very generally distributed throughout 

 Europe, occurring in most of the wooded and cultivated dis- 

 tricts. Its song commences about the end of March, and con- 

 tinues till July or August. It may often be found in company 

 with linnets, whose flight it somewhat resembles. 



DESCRIPTION. 



The goldfinch is five inches and three quarters long, of which 

 the tail occupies two inches. The beak is five lines long, 

 sharply pointed, and very slightly bent, compressed at the 

 sides, whitish, with a horn-colored tip; the slender feet are 

 brownish, and six lines high ; the front of the head is of a 

 I bright scarlet red ; a broad margin of a similar color surrounds 



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