AVE S— GOLDFINCH. ..HONEY -GUIDE. 539 



tance, when perhaps the bird is perched on a tree over your head. I have 

 however heard them sing in cages with great animation and energy. In the 

 spring, they associate in flocks, to bask and dress themselves in the morning 

 sun, singing in concert for half an hour together ; the confused mingling of 

 their notes forming a kind of harmony not at all unpleasant. Their flight 

 is not direct, but in alternate risings and sinkings, twittering as they fly at 

 each successive impulse of the wings. They search the gardens in num- 

 bers, in quest of seeds, and pass by various names, such as lettuce-bird, 

 sallad-bird, thistle-bird, yellow-bird, &c. They are very easily tamed. 



The yellow-bird is four inches and a half in length : the male is of a rich 

 lemon color. Thev/ings and tail are black, edged with white. In the fall, 

 this color changes to a brown olive, which is the constant color of the fe- 

 male. They build a nest in the twigs of an apple tree, neatly formed of 

 lichen and soft downy substances. 



The other individuals of the finch or sparrow tribe, which inhabit the 

 United States, are too numerous for us here to particularize. 



THE EUROPEAN GOLDFINCHi 



Is the most beautiful bird which inhabits Europe, and is also one of the most 

 docile and harmonious. It is of a gentle nature ; soon becomes reconciled 

 to the loss of freedom; and, as few birds are more intelligent and obedient, 

 it may be taught a variety of entertaining tricks. When confined, it delights 

 to view itself in a mirror. From its fondness for thistle seeds, it is some- 

 times called the thistlefinch. The female builds an admirably constructed 

 and warm nest, generally in fruit trees, and lays five eggs. 



ORDER v. — Z Y GOD AC T YL OUS BIRDS. 



Birds of this order have the bill of various forms, more or less curved, or 

 much hooked, and often straight and angular ; feet always with two toes 

 before, and two behind, and the exterior hind toe frequently reversible. 



THE HONEY GUIDE. 2 



This remarkable bird is a native of Southern Africa, and has the faculty 

 of pointing out to man, and to the quadruped called ratel, the nests of the 



' Frin^illa carduelis, Lin. 

 ^ Indicator major. The genus Indicator has the hill short, depressed, dilated on the 

 sides, a little bent and notched at the point; ridge distinct ; nasal furrow large ; nostrils 

 basal, a little tubular ; tarsus shorter than the external toe ; the anterior toes united at the 

 first joint ; wings with the third feather the longest. 



