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“A very pretty little bird,” writes Say, in his precious zoological 
notes to the journal of Long’s expedition, “was frequently seen 
hopping about in the low trees or bushes, singing sweetly, some¬ 
what in the manner of the American Goldfinch, or Hempbird, 
Fringilla tristis. The tints, and the distribution of the colours 
of its plumage, resemble, in a considerable degree, those of the 
autumnal and less brilliant vesture of that well known species. 
It may, however, be distinguished, in addition to other differences, 
by the black tip of its tail feathers, and the white wing spot.” 
The Arkansaw Siskin inhabits the country near the base of the 
Rocky Mountains, south of the river Platte, and probably is also 
to be found in Mexico. The only specimen brought by the party, 
was shot on the sixteenth of July, near Boiling Spring creek: on 
the annexed plate, it is figured in company with the American 
Goldfinch in autumnal plumage, for the sake of comparison. 
The Arkansaw Siskin is four inches and a quarter long; the bill 
is yellowish, tipped with blackish; the feet are flesh colour; the 
irides burnt-umber. The top of the head is blue-black; the cheeks 
are dusky-olivaceous; the neck above and half its side, the back, 
and rump, are olivaceous, more or less intermixed with dusky and 
yellowish, particularly on the rump; the superior tail coverts are 
black, varied with olivaceous: all the under parts, from the very 
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