60 ARKANSAS GOLDFINCH, 



NAMES: American Goldfinch, Common Goldfinch, Yellow-bTrd, "Wild Canary," Lettuce-bird, Thistle-bird, 

 Black-winged Yellow-bird, Black-capped Yellow-bird. — "Wilder Canariepvogel" (German settlers in 

 - Wisconsin), Goldfink, Goldstieglitz (German). 



SCIENTIFIC NAMES: FringiUa tristis Linn. (1758). Carduelis tristis Bonap. (1825). ' Chrysomitris 

 tristis Bonap. (1838). Astragalinus tristis Cab. (1851). SPINUS TRISTIS Stejn. (1884). 



DESCRIPTION: "Male: Bright lemon-yellow; crown, wings, and tail, black. Lesser wing-coverts, band 

 across the end of the greater ones, ends of secondaries and tertiaries, inner margins of tail-feathers, 

 tipper and under tail-coverts and tibia, white. Female: Yellowish-gray above ; greenish-yellow below. 

 No black on forehead, wing and tail much as in the male. Young: Reddish-olive above; fulvous- 

 yellow below ; two broad bands across coverts, and broad edges to last half of secondaries pale rufous. 

 "Length, 5.25 inches; tail, 2.00; wings, 3.00 inches." (Ridgway.) 



ARKANSAS GOLDFINCfA. 



Spinas psaltria Stejneger. 



jS^HIS is not a common bird, and our knowledge regarding its life history is limited, 

 1^ but we may venture to say that it is the counterpart of our eastern Goldfinch. 

 The bird was discovered in Long's Expedition to the Rocky Mountains and described by 

 Thomas Say in 1823. It is distributed over various parts of California and New 

 Mexico, and is also found in Oregon, Utah, and Colorado, and— in winter at least— in 

 Lower California, Arizona, Sonora, etc. 



Dr. Heermann states that the birds are quite abundant in the northern mining 

 regions of California, frequenting the same localities as Lawrence's Goldfinch, and often 

 associated with the Pine Siskin. 



Prof. Robert Ridgway found the Arkansas Goldfinch among the Wahsatch 

 Mountains, his attention being at once drawn to it by its curious notes. He met with 

 it first in the City Creek Canon, near Salt Lake City, where he found it mixed with flocks 

 of Pine Siskins. The note of this bird is remarkable for the powerful and at times very 

 sad tone. The ordinary note is a plaintive, mellow, whistling call, impossible to describe, 

 and so inflected as to produce a very moumfiil eflect. When the bird takes to flight, it 

 is changed to a simple cheer, similar to the anxious notes' of the male Red- winged Black- 

 bird, uttered when its nest is disturbed. This species was rare, not being so common 

 as either the Common Goldfinch or the Pine Siskin. Its nest was found in Parley's Park, 

 Wahsatch Mountains, June 27, in the top of a willow bush near a stream. 



A nest found by Mr. Xantus, containing four eggs, was built in an Obione, 

 about ten feet from the ground. This was at Fort Tejon, May 1. It is reported by 

 Dr. T. M. Brewer in "History of North American Birds," that Dr. Canfield found 

 their nests in considerable numbers, near Monterey. They were all built in the forks of 

 trees, in the same manner as those of the Common Goldfinch, and were structures of 

 remarkable beauty, evincing the great skill of the architects. Eggs, four to five, uniform 

 greenish-white, unspotted. 



