EUROPEAN GOLDFINCH. 87 



EUROPEAN GOLDFINCH. 



OF all the cage-birds with which we are acquainted, the Canary holds first place ; 

 and the Goldfinch ranks a close second. His beautiful plumage, sprightly actions, 

 docile ways, and pretty song, make him a favorite wherever he appears ; and he 

 is probably better known than any imported cage-bird except the Canary. The 

 beautifully blended colors of his velvety coat are remarkable for their brilliancy and 

 number ; while his hardiness, when caged, is unsurpassed ; and the readiness with 

 which he mates with other varieties of birds makes him one of the most interesting 

 subjects for use in the breeding- room. The ease with which he may be taught 

 numerous and difficult tricks makes him an especial favorite with another class 

 of bird-lovers. In fine, his many qualifications are not combined in any variety of 

 bird with which we are acquainted. The Goldfinch is about five inches and a half 

 in length ; the beak is conical, and very sharp and whitish, with a horn-colored tip ; 

 the feet are brown and slender ; the front of the head is bright scarlet, and a broad 

 band of the same color encircles the root of the beak ; the top and back of the head 

 are a brilliant black ; the cheeks, and upper part of the neck, are pure white ; the 

 top and nape of the neck are a beautiful brown ; the rump is white, tinged with 

 brown ; the sides of the breast are light brown ; the middle of the breast and belly 

 are whitish gra} T , tinged with brown ; the thighs are grayish ; the wing-feathers are 

 -velvety black, with white tips ; the middle wing-feathers are edged on the outer 

 plume, for about an inch, with bright yellow, which, in conjunction with the yellow 

 tips of the hindmost large coverts, produces a beautiful effect. The tail is black, 

 and tipped with whitish spots. The female Goldfinch closely resembles the male 

 in size, and markings of plumage, the only perceptible difference being the small 

 size of the scarlet band on the head. Much discussion has arisen as to the points 

 by which the male is distinguished from the female. A certain, and the only sure, 

 point by which they are known from one another is in the difference in colors of 

 the fore-arm of the wing. If the bird is taken in the hand, and the wing out- 

 stretched, the tip of the fore-arm will be observed to be velvety black in the male 

 bird, and of a rusty brown in the female. It is contended by some authors, that 

 the difference in the size so often seen in Goldfinches is caused by the unfair share 

 of food which the first birds hatched receive. I think that this theory is doubtful, 

 and I attribute the difference to the country or district in which they are reared. 

 The birds are, to be sure, all of the same genus : but the conditions of climate and 

 food result in the larger growth of some birds over that of others ; as, for instance, 

 the German Goldfinch is larger, and, of course, higher prized, than the English. 



There are many varieties of the Goldfinch, caused by the difference in markings 



