FEMALE AMERICAN GOLDFINCH. 
315 
goldfinch of Europe in song and habits, being nearly com- 
pleted by the golden pen of Wilson, we shall not attempt to 
add any observations of our own, but shall refer the reader to 
his volume, quoted above, for its biography. As we cannot 
but observe that his description is short and somewhat imper- 
fect, probably owing to the opinion he at first entertained, but 
afterwards judiciously relinquished, that a minute description 
of common birds is superfluous, we shall proceed to describe 
the species in all its different states. 
The male American goldfinch in summer dress, represented 
by Wilson in his first plate, is four and a half inches long, and 
eight in extent. The bill resembles that of the European gold- 
finch, and, as well as the feet, is of a reddish cinnamon colour ; 
the irides are dark brown ; the front and vertex are glossy black ; 
the remaining part of the head, and all the body, rich lemon 
yellow ; the superior and inferior tail-coverts are white, as well 
as the thighs ; the wings and tail are black, the small coverts 
of the wings being yellow externally, and white on the inner 
side and at tip ; the greater coverts are tipped with white, an 
arrangement which exhibits two white bands across the wings ; 
the first and third primaries are equal, hardly shorter than the 
second, which is the longest, the fourth being nearly as long 
as the third ; the secondaries are margined with white. The 
tail is emarginated, the feathers being black, slightly edged 
with white, and having a large pure white spot on the inner 
web at tip. 
The female, as is usual in this family of birds, is rather 
smaller than the male, and is widely different from that sex in 
the colours of its plumage. The bill and feet are brownish ; 
the lower mandible is whitish at base ; the head has no appear- 
ance of black, and, with the neck, the back, and rump, is 
brownish olive, the latter part being of a lighter shade than the 
preceding portions ; the upper tail-coverts are greenish white ; 
the frontlet, cheeks, sides of the neck, throat, and upper part 
of the breast, are pale greenish yellow ; the lower portion of 
the breast, belly, vent, flanks, under wing and under tail-coverts, 
