FINCHES . 
385 
Goldfinch. 
THE GOLDFINCH. 
The goldfinch (Carduelis elegans) occupies an intermediate 
position between the true finches and the siskins, to the latter of 
which it is so closely allied that by many it is included in the same genus. To 
point out its distinctive generic characters is unnecessary ; - while, as the bird is so 
well known, its description may likewise be omitted. The goldfinch is locally 
distributed all over England, and 
its breeding - range extends in 
Norway as far north as latitude, 
65°, and in the Urals to 60°. It 
is a partial migrant in the ex¬ 
treme north of its range; it is a 
resident in Madeira, the Canaries, 
North-West Africa, Syria, Asia 
Minor, and Persia, but it only 
visits Egypt and Turkestan in 
winter. The nest, although some¬ 
what smaller, is very like that of 
the chaffinch. Mr. Seebohm writes 
that “ it is often made of moss, 
lichens, vegetable-down, tine roots, 
and grass-stems, and lined plenti¬ 
fully with feathers and down and a few long hairs. Nests taken in Greece and 
Asia Minor were almost entirely made of stems of a plant with round flat seed- 
cases attached, strengthened by rootlets, and lined with vegetable down. . . . The 
eggs are four or five in number, and are laid by the middle of May. They are 
greenish white in ground-colour, spotted and streaked with purplish brown, and 
with underlying markings of violet-grey.” In Eastern Asia the genus is repre¬ 
sented by the Eastern goldfinch (C. orientalis). 
This group comprehends a number of small finches, characterised 
by the possession of a long and acute bill, long wings, and a short, 
deeply-forked tail; green and yellow predominating in their plumage. All are 
highly gregarious in habits. They belong to both the Old and New Worlds, 
having representatives in Abyssinia, the Himalaya, Siberia, the United States, 
and especially South America, where several species are found in Chili, Bolivia, 
Ecuador, and other parts of that continent. 
One of the most charming birds of the United States is the 
American Siskin ^ 
' yellow-bird or American siskin (Chrysomitris tristis), which is also 
common in many parts of Canada. It is a lively, graceful species, full of vivacity, 
and leads a social life, roving about in small communities. Even in the breeding- 
season these birds are partial to the company of their fellows, and fly in flocks 
between their nest and their favourite feeding-grounds, where they consume 
the seeds of various wild plants. The nest is small and compact, built of soft, 
downy substances. The eggs are white, with a rosy blush when fresh. After the 
breeding-season, the family parties unite permanently, and rove over the prairies 
in search of weedy places where they can find subsistence. The adult male in 
summer is bright golden yellow above and below; the crown and wings being 
vol. hi.— 25 
The Siskins. 
