GOLDFINCH 145 



Goldfinch ; Yellow-bird ; Thistle-bird : Spinus 

 tristis. 



(See Frontispiece.) 



Adult male, bright yellow ; cap, wings, and tail black, marked 

 with white. Adult female, brownish, tinged with yellow ; 

 without black cap ; wings and tail blackish. Adult male in 

 winter, similar to female. Length, about 5 inches. 



GEOGRAPHIC DISTRIBUTION. United States northward into 

 Labrador, Manitoba, and British Columbia ; breeds from Vir- 

 ginia, Kentucky, and California northward ; winters mainly 

 within the United States. 



Like the Waxwings, the Goldfinches are late 

 builders, and when other birds are going about 

 silently, preoccupied with nesting cares, it is a 

 peculiar pleasure to hear the light-hearted per- 

 chic-o-ree of a band of wandering Yellow-birds 

 as they come undulating through the sky. Few 

 songs have the sweetness of their calls, or can 

 awaken the same response in our hearts. For, 

 like the Chickadee, the Goldfinch is one of the 

 gentle, trustful birds that hold a place of their 

 own in our affections. 



When going about in wandering bands they 

 brighten our days, and when nest-building claim 

 still more our sympathetic attention. They are 

 on the lookout for soft lining materials, and will 

 frankly accept any bits of colored worsted or 

 string that we may offer, repaying us by letting 

 us enjoy their sweet family life. When the blue 

 eggs are laid upon their thistle-down bed in the 



