186 BIRDS OF PENNSYLVANIA. 



the Redpoll is very similar to that of American Goldfinch ( Spinus 

 tristis. Linn.). The food, during their sojourn with us, consists almost 

 entirely of seeds of various grasses and weeds ; the buds of different 

 trees and some few insects are also eaten. 



GENUS SPINUS. KOCH. 

 529. Spinus tristis (LINN.). 



American Goldfinch; Salad-bird; Wild-canary; Yellow-bird; 

 Thistle-bird. 



DESCRIPTION. (Plate SL Fig. I, adult male in summer.) 



Legs, feet and bill flesh color; iris brown. The male in early autumn loses his 

 black cap, and his bright yellow upper and lower parts change to a dull brownish 

 or greenish yellow, similar to the general plumage of the female. The male in win 

 ter may often be distinguished by the darker tail and wing feathers with their more 

 conspicuous white or whitish markings. 



Female. No black cap ; upper parts olivaceous ; wings and tail dusky, marked 

 with whitish as in male ; lower parts whitish, more or less tinged with yellowish. 



Young. Like winter adults, but duller in color. Length about 5| inches ; extent 

 about 9 inches. 



Hab. North America generally, breeding southward to the middle districts of 

 the United States (to about the Potomac and Ohio rivers, Kansas and California), 

 and wintering mostly south of the northern boundary of the United States. 



The American Goldfinch is a common resident in Pennsylvania 

 during all seasons. These birds are usually observed in flocks which 

 move from one locality to another as their food diminishes. Even in 

 the breeding season (June, July and August), it is not uncommon to 

 find several families nesting within a short distance of each other. 

 The males in summer frequently associate in small flocks. The nest, an 

 exceedingly neat and beautiful cup-shaped structure, is composed ex- 

 ternaUy of various pliant plant substances, and lined inside with downy 

 materials chiefly of a vegetable character; it is placed usually in the 

 crotch of a small tree in the orchard, garden, or along the roadside. I 

 have mostly found their nests in the vicinity of West Chester, in small 

 hickory and maple trees. Eggs commonly five, white, with faint blue- 

 ish tint, .66 by .50. This Goldfinch, particularized by naturalists as 

 tristis* from its low and plaintive notes, is known by a number of 

 common names which have reference either to his color or the seeds, 

 etc., of plants on which he feeds. These birds subsist mainly on veg- 

 etable materials, particularly different kinds of small seeds of grass, 

 weeds, cultivated flowers, etc. The Salad-bird, like the Crimson 

 Finch, is fond of feasting on the blossoms of apple, cherry and maple 

 trees; the seeds of the dandelion, thistle and sunflower enter largely 

 into their bill of fare. During the summer months, especially when 

 they have young, the food consists principally of insects, such as small 



