70 OUR WINTER BIRDS 



age for their gold and black wedding dress and will 

 soon be true Goldfinches. It is this costume, to- 

 gether with their canary-like song, that has won for 

 them the name of "Wild Canary." They are also 

 called "Thistle-bird" from their fondness for the 

 seeds of that plant. 



The Goldfinch seems loth to give up his care-free, 

 wandering life for the duties of housekeeping, and, 

 like the Waxwing, roves about the country with a 



^,^^ 



The Goldfinch Loops the Loop 



troop of his companions long after most birds have 

 families to provide for. 



Perhaps he believes in a prolonged courtship for, 

 although, as we have seen, he dons his nuptial cos- 

 tume in April, it is not until late June or even July 

 that he and his mate build a home. This they place 

 in bushes or more often trees, and make of fine 

 grasses, strips of grass and moss, padding it as 

 warmly with soft plant-down as though it were to 

 be used in mid-winter rather than mid-summer. The 

 three to six eggs are pale bluish white. 



