308 INSESSORES. CARDUELIS. 



Female. Fig. 9. The female. Natural size. 



Crown of the head hair -brown. Cheeks and nape of the 

 neck ash-grey. Above the eye is a streak of brownish- 

 black. Throat and breast reddish-orange. Back black- 

 ish-brown, margined with yellowish-brown. Wings 

 brownish-black. 

 The young of the year resemble the female, except that 

 the throat is usually white. 



Genus CARDUELIS, Juct. GOLDFINCH 



GENERIC CHARACTERS. 



Bill conical, longer than deep, compressed anteriorly, 

 and drawn to a very acute point. Culmen of each mandible 

 narrow ; tomia of the upper mandible angulated at the base, 

 and slightly sinuated. Nostrils basal, lateral, and hidden 

 by incumbent bristles. Wings of mean length ; the first 

 quill-feather rather shorter than the second and third ; which 

 last are nearly equal, and the longest of all. Tail rather 

 short and forked. Legs having the tarsi short. Lateral 

 toes of equal length ; claws curved and acute ; hind toe tole- 

 rably strong, with the sole broad. 



The Goldfinches and Siskins form a beautiful group, dis- 

 tinguished by the bright yellow of their plumage, which is 

 well contrasted with black, and in many instances with scar- 

 let, disposed about the head and other parts of the body. 

 They have a wide geographical distribution, and species are 

 found in the new, as well as throughout the different regions 

 of the ancient, world. Their habits are arboreal, and they sel- 

 dom descend to the ground. They feed upon seeds of vari- 

 ous kinds ; the Goldfinches, as commonly called, preferring 

 the seeds of the thistle, and other composite plants ; the I^is- 

 kins, those of the alder, birch, &c. They possess a varied 

 and pleasing power of song, are easily kept caged, and are 



