Are Spotted Eggs of the Native Gold- 
finches Common? 
Coues, in his “Key,” speaking of the eggs 
of the American Goldfinch, says: “Normally 
unmarked.” I had heard of no spotted eggs 
being taken, until April 18, 1891, when I 
took a set of three of the Arkansas Goldfinch, 
one of which was faintly marked with cinna- 
mon around the larger end. May 3, T892, 
I took another set of three, one of which has 
faint but numerous dots on the larger end 
and others scattered irregularly over the 
balance of the egg. The nest containing 
these eggs was placed about four feet from 
the ground in a sage bush and was substan- 
tially built, being composed of bits of sage 
stems and finely split grass neatly woven 
together and placed in an upright crotch of 
four prongs. 
April 27, 189T, I discovered a new nest 
of the Arkansas Goldfinch placed on top of 
an old one in a sunflower bush. The top 
nest contained three eggs. May 23 I took 
one egg from a new nest of this species and 
seven days later I took seven more from the 
same nest. 
This bird nests abundantly among the low 
foot hills, building its nests in poison oak, 
sunflower or other bushes, which grow in 
abundance along the canons wherever there 
is enough water to keep them alive. 
I would be pleased to hear through the 
“ O. & O.” from other collectors regarding 
spotted eggs of the Goldfinch. 
Harvey M Hall. 
Riverside, Cal. 
[I never saw any. — J.P.N.] 
O.AO.Vol.18, F§b. 1893 p. 28 
Late Breeding of the Goldfinch. 
The well-known fact of an American Gold-, 
finch breeding later than other birds has been' 
a puzzle to ornithologists, especially as it stays- 
with us all winter and doffs his summer suit as 
' soon as apple blossoms unfold; few build in 
northern New Jersey before the beginning of 
July and later. The latter part of August and 
September is the time I hear most young ones 
squeaking after the old birds to be fed. On 
one occasion I watched a nest of young near 
my house that left the nest on the last of 
September which was probably a second nest. 
I need not go through the quotations from 
various ornithologists as to the probable 
reasons of this late breeding, such as proper 
food for their young, or materials for building 
their nests, etc. One thing is certain, they 
are as joyful as any of the amorous birds in 
spring that commence housekeeping promptly 
as soon as the weather permits them. Who 
has not heard the Goldfinch’s sweet notes 
among the fruit tree blossoms? Often a flock 
on one tree all sing together as if trying to 
outsing each other. I have noticed for a num- 
ber of years that after the Hood of dandelion 
seed was over the Goldfinches became scarce, 
too, and I began to suspect that the birds left 
to follow up the flowers as the harvest ap- 
proached further north, following up the 
ripening seed of which they are intensely fond. 
They will so eagerly alight on the roadside or 
any sheltered corner where the first ripe seed 
appears that they may be very closely ap- 
proached, and as the seed gets plentiful many 
more birds arrive, to disappear when the seed 
becomes scanty. This season I made test ob- 
servations and found that on the beginning of 
June few Goldfinches were left; after I saw 
none for two weeks; on the 20th of June I 
saw two male birds, next week one or two 
more; but not till July did I see little parties 
of two or three males in company. It was the 
middle of July before I saw any females. In 
this part there are very few thistles, so I 
do not think they stop for that, as some sup- 
pose. The birds are quite common from July. 
If some ornithologists will take observations j 
farther north to track the birds it could soon 
bo found whether my theory is correct. 
Henry llales. 
Ridgewood, N.,T. 

. . > an d on “ Small' Birds [ Ulirysomitris 
tnshs and Dendneca coronata ] caught by the Burdock” (p. 239), by A. K. 
iisher. Atter. Naturalist, Vol.lO.Mar. 
J .*. r V/ JLWCOClli- 
blance in the Yellow-Bird,” Chrysomitris tristis (p. 115), by Henry Gill- 
man - Amer, NafcoraUstt Yol, 10, Fata, 
Young Oologist. I53S- ‘Lettuce Bird: By E. T. Adney. Ibid., p. 100 .— A name for Anlr TTii r 
Spinus tristis. 1890. p. *4 ’ U ’ J * a ’ 
anny So.Oologist.1490. The 
American Goldfinch R,r 
7 By George h. Selover. 
Ihid - ’ PP- 6 -7 AuU. 
‘Vll.iiUi, 
£1 
