f-AMILY FrlngiWdm* 



wavelike curve. The swoop downward is, of course, 

 with closed wings, and the recovery is effected at the 

 l>ottom of the flight by some rapid flips of tin- win^s, 

 then up he goes, and again the cheery notes. It would 

 seem as though the writer of those familiar lines 



" Or if on joyful wing, 



Cleaving the sky, 

 Sun, moon, and stars forgot, 

 Upward I fly" 



must have seen this bird's afternoon performance, or lie 

 never could have chosen a simile so remarkably sugges- 

 tive of the joyous heart of the happy little rover. Both 

 in this peculiar habit and in character of song the Amer- 

 ican Goldfinch resembles its European relative. Audu- 

 bon says, in describing the bird, '* So much does the song 

 of our Goldfinch resemble that of the European species, 

 that whilst in France and England, I have frequently 

 thought, and with pleasure, that they were the notes of 

 our own bird which I heard." 



Mr. Chapman says, " Their love song is delivered with 

 an ecstasy and abandon which carries them off their 

 feet, and they circle over the fields sowing the air with 

 music. The song has a canarylike character, and while 

 it is less varied it possesses a wild ringing quality want- 

 ing in the cage-bound bird's best effort." But I have 

 already explained the real difference between the Ca- 

 nary's and the Goldfinch's songs, and it only remains 

 to say that if the two birds were singing in the same 

 tree along with the Purple Finch, the melody of the 

 latter with his mellow lower register would completely 

 overpower the voices of the other two birds and their 

 songs would sound like so many squeaking violin strings! 



There is onlv one occasion when the Goldfinch has 

 things all his own way so far as forceful singing is con- 

 cerned; this is at five in the morning, in the maple close 

 by your open window. There he is with fifty of his fel- 

 lows, and all sing "at the top of their lungs" whether 

 you wish to sleep or not. In that situation evidently the 

 Purple Finch would be in the minority, song and all. 

 82 



