GOLDFINCH. 105 



close to it, instead of on the sill as before. The birds soon 

 learned to come into the room without fear, and as their 

 numbers had continued gradually to increase, there was soon 

 a flock of not less than twenty visiting the apartment daily, 

 and perfectly undisturbed by the presence of the members of 

 the family. As the inclemency of the winter decreased, the 

 number of the birds gradually diminished, until at length, when 

 the severe weather had quite passed away, there remained 

 none except the original pair. 



Their food consists of the seeds of the teazel, the plantain, 

 knapweed, chick weed, groundsel, ragwort, hemp, the thistle, 

 the hawthorn, corn, fir-cones, grasses, and various herbaceous 

 plants: occasionally also of beetles and other insects, which 

 are triturated with small gravel. The young birds are fed 

 for a time with caterpillars and insects. 



The note, as is so well known, is very sweet and varied. 

 It is commenced about the end of March, and is continued 

 without much interruption till July. 



The nest is placed in orchard and other trees, especially 

 those which are evergreen, in bushes, and in some instances 

 in hedges, and at times as much as thirty feet from the 

 ground: it is composed externally of grass, moss, lichens, 

 small twigs, and roots, or any other appropriate substances. 

 Inside it is elaborately interwoven with wool and hair, lined 

 with the down of willows and various plants, and sometimes 

 a few or more leaves or feathers. It is very neatly finished, 

 and Bolton says is completed in three days. 



The eggs, four or five in number, are bluish white, or 

 pale greyish blue, sometimes tinged with brown, and are 

 slightly spotted with greyish purple and brown, with occa- 

 sionally a dark streak or two. 



Male; length, five inches; bill, whitish tinged with red, 

 the point above and below, blackish brown: it is margined 

 at its base with black to the eye, which is dusky brown. 

 Forehead, crimson, and over the eyes; head on the crown 

 and back, black, on the sides white; neck on the back, black, 

 forming a semicircle towards the front; nape, buff brown; 

 chin, crimson; throat, white, extending backwards to the 

 black, and succeeded by brownish white: breast, pale fulvous 

 brown and whitish; back, darker buff brown, lighter buff 

 brown lower down. 



The wings extend to the width of nine inches ; greater wing 

 coverts, yellow; lesser wing coverts, black; primaries, black, 



