214 GOLDFINCH. 



at this time ; will light just before a dog-, and run on the ground to 

 entice him from their nest.* 



GOLDEN THRUSH.— A name for the Golden Oriole. 



GOLDFINCH (Carduelis communis, Cuvier.) 



* Fringilla carduelis, Linn. Syst. 1. p. 318. l.—Gmel. Syst. 1. p. 903. sp. 1 .—Lath. 



Ind. Orn. 1, p. 449.— Raii, Syn. p. 89. A. 1. Will. p. 189.— Briss. 3. p. 53. 1. 



Le Chardonneret, Buff. Ois. 4. p. 187. t. 10 lb. pi. Enl. 4. f. 1 — Gros-bec 



Chardonneret, Temm. Man. d'Orn. 1. p. 376 — Distel Zeisig, Bechst. Naturg. 



Deut. 1. p. 200 Meyer, Tasschenb. Deut. 1. p. 167 Frisch, t. 1. f. 2. A. B. 



Goldfinch, or Thistlefinch, Br. Zool. 1. No. 124 Arct. Zool. 2. p. 283. H — 



Will. (Angl.) p. 246. t. 46 Albin, 1. 1. 64.— Lath. Syn. 3. p. 281. 4.— Lewin's 



Br. Birds, 2. t. 81 Mont. Orn. Diet. 1.— Wale. Syn. 2. t. 219 — Putt. Cat. 



Dorset, p. 12.— Bewick's Br. Birds, p. t. 165 Shaw's Zool. 9. p. 460. t. 68. 



bad copy from Bewick. — Flem. Br. Anim. p. 85. — Syme, p. 81. — Selby, pi. 55. 

 fig. 8. 9. p. 284. 



Provincial. — Gold-Spink. Goud-Spink. Gooldie. * 

 This beautiful bird is rather less than the chaffinch. The bill is 

 white, with a black point ; irides dusky ; the forehead and chin rich 

 scarlet ; top of the head black ; cheeks white, bounded with black; hind 

 part of the head white ; breast pale tawny brown ; the coverts of the 

 wings black ; quill feathers dusky black, barred across with bright yel- 

 low ; tips white ; belly white ; the tail feathers black ; most of them 

 marked with a white spot near their ends ; legs whitish. 



The female differs very little in plumage from the male : in general 

 the smaller coverts of the wings are not so black. Young birds are 

 brown about the head for some time after they leave the nest, and are 

 by some called grey pates. 



The Goldfinch is subject to variety in confinement ; sometimes 

 wholly black ; others black and white, or quite white. A variety is 

 sometimes taken by the birdcatchers with white spots under the throat: 

 such is termed a cheverel. It makes a very elegant nest, formed ex- 

 ternally of bents, moss, and liverwort, woven together with wool ; lined 

 sometimes with wool, or hair covered with thistle down, or willow 

 cotton. 



* The Goldfinch is more neat in the execution of its felting than the 

 chaffinch, though I have seen several of the nests not look so pretty ; 

 for the Goldfinch's is rendered more formal and less richly varied in 

 colouring, by the anxiety which the bird displays not to have a single 

 leaf of moss or lichen projecting, all being smoothly felted with wool, 

 which in some measure conceals the moss ; whereas in the chaffinch's 

 nest, the lichen usually conceals the wool. In other respects the two 

 nests are much the same, as well as the eggs ; those of the Goldfinch 

 having their white ground more commonly tinged with blue, and hav- 



