THE GOLDFINCH 



Not the most sullen sky nor the bitterest cold seems to dis- 

 courage Goldfinches. They are always cheerful and affectionate, 

 keeping together for the greater part of the year in larger or smaller 

 flocks, which call to each other, if separated, by notes as sweet as 

 those of a Canary. In summer, Goldfinches find an abundance 

 of food in the seeds of many species of plants, but in winter also 

 many remain even in the Northern States, searching cheerfully among 

 the dry weeds and grasses, and uttering their sweet notes. Many 

 people, however, do not notice them at this season, for when winter 

 comes the head and body of the males of this species, as of many 

 others, lose the bright black and yellow which marks them so dis- 

 tinctly in summer, and are clothed in dull brownish shades. About 

 the first of April, one notices here and there in a flock a male that 

 shows a few bright yellow feathers, and by another month, they 

 have moulted their winter dress and are as gay as ever. 



In the spring and early summer, the Goldfinches are extremely 

 musical, spending hours in uttering a simple but pleasing song. 

 Several males now engage in what seems to be a musical contest, 

 flying out from a tree and circling about with set wings, all the 

 time keeping up a continual strain. When flying through the air at 

 a considerable height, they go in long curves, and utter during each 

 undulation three or four simple notes. As they seem constantly 

 to have business in one part or other of the country, the wave-like 

 flight and characteristic notes become a common feature of the 



summer landscape. 



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