The Birds’ Calendar 
have chosen the least—a rather dubious compli- 
ment. An instance of this sort is narrated by 
an eminent authority, who relates that on en- 
tering his room one day he was startled to see 
a quail sitting on his bed, having taken refuge 
there, as he supposed, in fleeing from a hawk. 
The argument loses its edge by the additional 
remark, that upon the writer’s entering the 
room ‘‘the affrighted and bewildered bird 
instantly started for the window!’’ <A most 
unreasonable and ungrateful fowl! . 
5 
The American goldfinch in his summer dress 
of brilliant yellow, with a black cap and black 
wings barred with white, is one of the most 
showy of the finches, and easily mistaken for a 
warbler. When singing he prefers the upper- 
most part of a tree, whence often streams down 
such a voluble, gushing, and incoherent melody 
that it seems the outpour of two or three throats 
instead ofone. The song is sweet, but formless, 
like that of the thrasher, and with a delicious 
languishment that is sometimes rather cloying. 
A more fresh and breezy quality sweeps through 
the warble of the European species. 
A most striking combination of colors was 
216 
