312 BIRDS 



In the United States, our true goldfinch, or wild canary, 

 remains with us throughout the year, and is known in vari- 

 ous phases of plumage according to the season. The flight 

 and flight note betray these birds after the fall molting, 

 when they have left off the bright colors. 



The charming ways of a devoted pair of these hardy 

 creatures should render them easy of identification at all 

 times. Few farm orchards or thistle patches are without 

 a pair of these little birds. The male, with a voice equal 

 in tone and quality to his beautiful plumage of black and 

 yellow, finds a warm place in the heart of the bird-lover, 

 naturalist, and agriculturist. The mating song is espe- 

 cially noticeable, coming so late in the year. These are 

 not the only virtues possessed by the goldfinch, as he is 

 of great economic value, because of the destruction of seeds 

 of the thistle, the dandelion, and other noxious plants. 



The female is less vivacious than her mate, but she has 

 that small sweet call note so full of expression. Their 

 voices have always impressed me as having something 

 human about them. Goldfinches are fond of each other's 

 society, and are usually found in flocks except when nest- 

 ing. Their flight is conducted in a peculiar undulatory man- 

 ner, as both sexes dart back and forth above the tree tops 

 whose dense foliage shelters many a nest of treasures. 

 Twittering incessantly while on the wing, their life appears 

 one perpetual round of happiness. Their mating song is 

 beautiful, and is striking, as it is heard after most other 

 song birds are silent for the year. 



In July or August, when thistle-down is floating in the 

 air, the female usually selects for a nesting site the crotch of 



