205 



the wing's and tail brown, spotted with gold, and 

 all the lower part of the body of a changeable 

 flame-colour. 



The sill ( fringilla barbata) called by the Spa- 

 niards gilglirro, or the goldfinch, is nearly of the 

 size and form of the canary-bird. It has a 

 straight, sharp-pointed, conical bill, which is 

 white at the base and black at the point. The 

 male has a black velvety head, and a yellow 

 body slightly marked with green; its wings are 

 variegated with green, yellow, red, and blacky 

 and the tail is brown ; when young its throat is 

 yellow, but as it advances in years is entirely co- 

 vered with a black hair, which begins to be vi- 

 sible when the bird is six months old, and con- 

 tinues jrrowinii: until it attains tlie aoce of ten 

 vears, the usual period of its life, at which time 

 it reaches to the middle of the breast, and its 

 age may be very accurately ascertained by the 

 length of its beard. The female is entirely grey, 

 with a few yellow spots upon the wings; it has 

 no beard, nor any song, but only a kind of occa- 

 sional whistle; the noto of the male is, however, 

 very harmouiou!^, and far surpasses that of the 

 ranary-])ird ; v/hcn it bcp^ius to sing, it elevates 

 its >()ice by little and little, continues its strain 

 i\>r a c{)t'.>idcr:ibl<5 tirnf^', and ( !:>;;cs with some 

 vcrv ^weet triilj; it slu's pII the year, and is 

 readitv taught to imitate wuh r(.Mir:uk:ible grace 

 the notcjj ol" oilier birds. h\ the uKin'tiaio niouii- 



