BIRDS OF NEW YORK 277 



they might have found them in somber plumage throughout the winter 

 months. It is true that the Goldfinch is much commoner and more 

 generally distributed in the summer time than in the winter, especially 

 in the gardens and farmyards. 



Haunts and habits. Its usual haunts are open fields with plenty of 

 seeds of the dandelion and thistle. It feeds largely on the ground or among 

 ' the weeds, but otherwise spends most of its time in the orchards and shade 

 trees, in pairs or little companies, being a rather sociable species, and in 

 fall and winter almost always travels in flocks, after the manner of the 

 Redpoll and Siskin. I have noticed that the principal food of the Gold- 

 finch in winter consists of seeds of the birch, alder, hemlock and all kind 

 of weeds which grow in the open field. In summer and fall it seems 

 especially fond of hemp seeds, thistle seeds, chickweed, dandelion and 

 salsify. It is rarely complained of as injurious, but gardeners who are 

 raising lettuce and salsify find it oftentimes very destructive to the seeds; 

 in fact, a garden of lettuce which has been allowed to go to seed almost 

 certainly attracts dozens of these gay-plumaged finches until the supply 

 has been exhausted. When the dandelions are in full seed, it is customary 

 to see dozens of Goldfinches scattered over the lawn, busily engaged in 

 tearing the seeds from their gossamers and devouring them. Thus, by 

 destroying weed seeds through the summer and winter, it does good service 

 to the gardener and farmer. 



This little finch is not only one of our most beneficial and brilliantly 

 colored birds, and one of the most familiar during the summer months, 

 but his call notes and song are as beautiful as his plumage. He has 

 a plaintive, canarylike " tswee-tee " uttered with a rising inflection, and, 

 when flying in deeply undulating sweep, the male utters a call note 

 resembling the syllables " per-chick-a-pee." The young birds fresh from 

 the nest have a curious note somewhat similar to the syllables " chee-pee." 

 The song of the Goldfinch, heard late in June and through the months 

 of July and August, is sometimes uttered from a perch, but more usually 

 while the bird flies around in broad circles with fluttering wings, pouring 



