472 



NOUTH AMERICAN BIRDS. 



Ctirysomilris tristis. 



yellow lit'low; two l)roiid Imiulti luiross! covi'its, aiRl broad cdgus to last half" of secondaries 

 imlo rulbus. 



IIab. North America jrciu^rally. 



In winter tlio yellow is replaced by a yellowish-brown ; the black of the 

 crown wanting, that of wings and tail browner. The tin'oat is generally 

 yellowish; the under parts ashy-brown, passing behind into white. 



Tlicre. are no (ihserval)le dillerences between eastern and western speci- 

 mens. 



llAUiTS. The common American CJoldtinch is i'ound throughont the 



greater portion of North America, from 

 the Atlantic to the Pacific. Sir .Fohn 

 liichardson met with it in the fur re- 

 gions, where it is one of the tardiest of 

 the summer visitors, and whence it de- 

 parts early in Se^jtcmber. The speci- 

 men described by him was taken June 

 2'.). At the extreme South it is not 

 uncommon, accoixling to Dresser, around 

 San Antonio, and Dr. Woodhouse found 

 it abundant botli in Te.xas and in tiie 

 liulian Territory. Dr. Cones did not 

 find it in Arizona, nor does Sumichrast 

 give it as a bird of Vera Cruz. Dr. Newberry found tliis Finch quite com- 

 mon tin'oughout liis route to the Columl)ia, this sweet songster, he states, 

 having been a constant source of pleasure iu the interior both of California 

 and Oregon, far from the haunts of men, where everything else was new and 

 strange. l!ut Dr. Suckley, tliough he looked carefully fm' tliis species alxiut 

 Paget Sound, iu the most ai)i)ropi'iate situations, was unaltle to find any, and 

 did not believe tliat any e.\isted there. Dr. Cooj)er states that it is, however, 

 (piite al)undant on the Cohunbia and along the coast near its mouth. 



The last-named writer states tliat this si)ecies is a constant resident in all 

 tlie western parts of California, but he met with none on the C'olorado. They 

 become rare on the coast at the Columbia, but farther in. the interior are 

 found as far north as latitude 49°, Tliey breed as far sout!\ as San Diego, 

 but seem to avoid the hot interior valleys, as well as the mountains. Their 

 favorite resorts are where thistles and other composite plants abound, and 

 also groves of willow and cottonwood, up(jn the seeds of which they feed 

 largely. In winter the seeds of the buttonwood supply their chief sub- 

 sistence. 



The common (roldfinch was seen in abundance by ^Ir. I'idgway only in 

 the vicinity of Sacramento City, aasociatetl witli the Carjmldciis fronfalis, 

 and often nesting in the sanu; tree. In tlie interior this sjjecies was rarely 

 seen, and only one specimen was .secured in the Truckee Valley in May, and 

 U'.- noticed afterwards. It was, however, found breeding iu the Uintah 



