168 
OUR HOME BIRDS. 
mingling of their notes forming a kind of harmony 
not at all unpleasant/ 
“ During the summer, goldfinches are frequently 
seen in the garden searching for seeds, of which they 
are extremely fond ; and their manner of getting 
them from the husks, often hanging head downward 
while engaged in this way, is very ingenious. They 
have a particular fancy for thistle-seeds, and for this 
reason they are often called thistle-finches. The 
gardeners revenge themselves for their raids upon 
the lettuce and other marketable stuff's by catching 
them in trap-cages and selling them in the city 
markets. 
“ Audubon says : ‘ In ascending along the shores 
of the Mohawk River I have met more of these 
pretty birds in the course of a day’s walk than any- 
where else ; and wherever a thistle was to be seen, 
along either bank of the New York Canal, it was 
ornamented with one or more goldfinches. They 
tear up the down and petals of the ripening flowers 
with ease : leaning downward upon them, they eat 
off the seed, and allow the down to float in the air. 
The remarkable plumage of the male, as well as its 
song, is at this season very agreeable ; and so fa- 
miliar are these birds that they suffer you to approach 
within a few yards before they leave the plant on 
which they are seated/ 
