' F R I N ( 
rot employed in pecking the heads of poppies, of hemp, 
or of thiftles, it is condantly* bufy in carrying backwards 
and forwards whatever it can find in its cage. They live 
in harmony with each other, feek each other’s fociety, 
give marks of regard at all feafons, and feldom quarrel 
but about their food. Tliey are not fo peaceful with 
other birds; they beat the canaries and linnets; but, in 
their turn, they receive the fame treatment from the tit- 
nioufe. 
The docility of the goldfinches is almofi every where 
known ; they can be inflructed without much trouble to 
perform feveral movements with accuracy, to fire a crack¬ 
er, and to draw up finall cups containing their food and 
drink; but for this lad purpofe they mud be clothed. 
This clotliing confids of a fmall belt of foft leather two 
lines broad, with four Itoles, through which the feet and 
wings are paded, and the ends joining under the belly, 
are held by a ring which fupports the chain of the cup. 
In folitude it delights to view its image in the mirror, 
fancying it fees another of its own fpecies; and this at¬ 
tachment to fociety fee'ms to equal the cravings of nature; 
for often it is obferved to pick up the hemp-feed, grain 
by grain, and advance to eat at the mirror, imagining, 
no doubt, that it feeds in company. 
The goldfinches begin to ademble in autumn, and 
during that feafon tliey are caught with eafe. In winter 
they fly in numerous flocks; they approach the highways 
near which are thidles and wild fuccory ; they (hake off 
the Ihow to obtain the feeds and the caterpillars. They 
live to a great age ; Gefner faw one at Mayence whicli 
was twenty-three years old; they v\ere obliged once 
a-week to (crape its nails and bill, that it might drink, 
eat, and fit upon its bar; its common food was poppy 
feeds; its feathers were all turned white; it could not 
fly, but remained in whatever fituation it was placed. 
They are fubjeul: to epilepfy, and to melting of the fat; 
and the moulting often proves fatal to iliem. 
Their tongue is parted at the tip into fmall filaments ; 
the bill long ; the edges of the lov\ er mandible fined into 
the upper; the noftrils covered with fmall black fea¬ 
thers ; tlie'oiiter toe connefted to the middie one as far 
as the firfi joint. Total length of the bird five inches 
and feme lines; the bill fix lines; the alar extent eight 
or nine inches ; the fail two inches, and confifts of twelve 
quills; it is a little forked, and proje 61 :s ten or twelve 
lines beyond the v/ings. 
Of this fpecies of goldfinch there are many varieties, 
the principal of whicli are as follow: 
I. The while eyed goldfinch, in all refpeefs like the com¬ 
mon one, except the fore part of the head, which is red, 
and about tiie eyes white. 
z. The friped-headed goldfnck, which lias the head 
ftrjped alternately with red and yellow. 
3. The /wallow gold/nch, with the bill flefh coloured ; 
irides yellow ; the head, throat, and neck, black, fpotted 
with red near the bill ; the breaft, back, fcapulars, and 
rump, yellow ifli-brown; belly, (ides, .thighs, and under 
tail-coverts, white; the red as in common; legs flefh- 
colour. 
4. The red-and-white goldfinch ; this is red on the fore¬ 
head, cheeks, and throat; the other parts white, except 
she wings and tail, which are brownifli afli colour ; and 
sliat part of the wing which in common is yellow, in this 
is of a dingy hue. 
5. Tlie white gold/nch-, thefe are generally of a pure 
white, except the outer edge of the quills, which are 
yellow ; a little mixture of the fame on the wing-coverts; 
she ends of fome of the quills half black, and tipped 
with white; legs white. One in the Leverian Muieum 
had the parts which are ufually red, of a very pale red, a 
little gloflTy, BrifTon alfo fays he has feen birds of this 
fort. Buffon mentions one with a black head ; the red 
parts very pale; the under parts greyifli-white; the 
wing-coverts pale olive ; the yellow of the wings as 
yfualj wings and tail white; bill and legs reddifli-white : 
■ a. 
? I L L 65 
this was caught at large. There was one alfo in the Le- 
verian Mufeum wholly white; and another all white ex¬ 
cept the crown of tlie head, whicli is mottled with led, 
and a crefeent of the fame under the throat; the wings 
yeliowifli. 
6. 'i'lie Hack goldfinch-, which is wholly black, except 
four of the middle quills, viz. from the ('ourth to the fe- 
vemh, biimflone-coloured on the outer edge, and white 
within from the bafe to tjie middle; bill and legswhitifn. 
Goldfinches entirely black are not uncommon ; fome have 
the appearance of red about the head, others not. One 
of the firfi of thefe is in Dr. La.ham’s colledlion, which 
had been a caged bird, and gradually became of that co¬ 
lour. It had hemp-feed foi its ufaal food. Bnfl'on men¬ 
tions one that changed black all at once, after being four 
years in a cage. It kept fo for eight months, when it 
began to relume its former colours; and tliis circuni- 
fiance liappened thiee times. An elcdlrified goldfinch 
loft the red of the head and yellow on the wings fix 
months after. 
7. The black and-green gold/nch-, which lias the bill 
furrounded with a faftVon-colotired ring ; the reft of the 
head and upper parts blackifti; breaft greenifli-black ; 
belly and under parts brovvnidi afli-colour ; edge of (he 
wing greenilh-black ; quills black. 
8. Canary goldfinch-, the head is not unlike the 
common goldfinch, but lefs bright; the upper parts of 
the body yellovvidi-brown ; tlie under parts'yellow ; wings 
like the goldfinch ; tail yellow, tipped with black. 
10. Friiigilla nielba, the green goldfinch : fize of tlie 
common goldfinch ; bill fledi-coloiired; fore-part of jhe 
head and throat of a bright red; between the bill and 
the eye bluifli afti-colour; tlie upper parts of the bird 
are golden-green; the wing-coverts and fecondaries green- 
ifti, with red margins; quills du(l<y ; breaft oUve-grecn, 
changing into white on the belly and under the tail ; all 
beneath variegated with broken diilky tranfverfe lines ; 
the rump, and tail, bright red ; legs pale brown. The 
female has a pale yellow hill ; fop of the head and neck 
a(h-colour; bafe of tlie.wings and rump yellov. i(h-grecn, 
inftead of red ; the tail brown, edged with dull red. in 
other things not unlike the male. Thisisfaid to inhabit 
China and Brafil. 
11. Friiigilla Afra, the red-faced finch: length near 
fix inches; general colour of the plumage deep dull green ; 
clieeks tinged with crimfon; prime quills duiky, with 
dull orange edges ; tail dullciim(on; legs yellow- In- 
habits Angola. 
12. Friiigilla alario, the C.ipe finch : larger tlian tlie 
hoiile (parrow ; bill afii colour ; head and neck black ; 
the black ending in a point on the breaft; the breaft, 
and the reft,of the under parts, white; thighs rufous; 
upper parts of the body chefnut ; quills blacki(h ; inner 
part of the leflier ones, and under the wings, chefnut ; 
tail of this iaft colour; and the four outer feathers 
marked with a longitudinal blackilh fpot at the tip ; legs 
brown. Inhabits the Cape of Good Hope. 
13. Friiigilla leucotis, the white-eared fincli. Ofbeck 
mentions five fmall birds, which he takes to be finches^ 
and all varieties of the fame fpecies. The firft with the 
head, back, and wing-coverts, purple; the inner fide of 
the body yellow ; prime quills and tail fine blue ; the fe¬ 
condaries green ; on the ears a white fpot. The fecond 
like the former; but the back and tail purpl?>. The 
third with a green liead, and a purple breaft and tail. 
Fourtli, the brealt of a light green; the head and lelfer 
wing-coverts brown. The fifth with, the head, back, 
wing-coverts, and tail, of a fine deep brown; the under 
fide of the body, and under wing-coverts, fine crimfon. 
Each of thefe birds is diftingiiiflied by a white fpot on 
the ears. 
14. Friiigilla Amandava, the Amadavad finch ; fize 
of a wren; bill of a dull red; all the upper parts 
brown, with a mixture of red ; the under fhe fame, but 
paler; the middle of the belly darkeft j all the feathers 
of 
