The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1906-05-26
THE AMERroAN eoLDr1NcH.


every youth, and it should appeal es-
pecially to teachers, who have the
opportunity of impressing children
with the Importance of cultivating
| the birds.
The first of the birds to be favored
IN this way is the goldfnch, known
also as the yellow bird, wild canary,
lettuce bird, and thistle birds.
The English name of the gold6nch
IS well chosen, as the bright yellow
Of the male is like FURNISHED gold.
The Latin generic name, GstyagG-
linus, has reference to prickle plants,
while its specific name, hfstis, sad,
refers to its rather plaintive flight
note. The female gold6nch is more
modestly dressed than her mate.
The changes in plumage of the
male are very interesting, and, to the
Enovice, somewhat puzzling. Until
the student becomes acquainted with
this bird he may wonder why he sees
no males during the winter. The
TRUTHS at this season the hocks of
supposed female gold6nches are real
ly of both sexes, the male bird hav-
ing assumed in the previous fall, ilsu-
ally blythe end of October, a plum
age resembling that of the female and
young BIRDS of the year.
The male retains this inconspicuous
/ dress until late in February, when one
can notice a gradual change taking
place in some of the birds. This
:aolt, or renewal of feathers, is active
ly continued through March and
April, and by the first of May Our re-
spleDdent bird is with us again. The
change from yellow to brownish and
back again to yellow can be noted by
the student in the field, who with
good opera glass will find that the
variations in plumage between the
two extremes are without number.
The song period with the male
| gold6nch continues as long as he
wears bis gold and black livery, for
it commences as early as the middle
of March and ends late in August.
Goldfnches are wee birds, some
four and one-half inches in length,
but what they lack in size they make
up in admirable qualities, one of the
chief of which is their gregarious
mode of life. Except during the
short season devoted to domestic du
ties, they associate in focks and live
a happy, nomadic existence. Their
undulation mode of flight seems to
express Joy and exaltation, and when
they add song. it is the very abondon
of happiness. Even in winter, when
the fields are brown and the trees are
bare, flock of gold6nches adds the
charm of life to an otherwise dead
outlook.
The goldfnch migrates, but not to
the extent that the truly migratory
species do. The warblers, for in
stance, desert their summer homes
and, after making long journeys
southwark, spend the winter beyond
the limits of the United States; the
gold6nches, on the contrary, grad
ually move southwark as far as the
Gulf States and in winter are found
from the Gulf coast as far north as
the latitude of central New York.
Their breeding range is from the Car
olinas westward to the Rocky Noun
tains and northward to the British
Provinces and southern Labrador
consequently they are permanent
residents in large part of the United
States where their migratory and
breeding ranges overlay. There are
several closely related forms or SUBJ
species of the goldfnch found in the
West and on the Mexican border,
which are so much like the American
gold6nch that it may be said gold
fnches are found in a large part of
North America.
Goldfnches are very cleanly in
their habits and indulge in frequent
baths; indeed, the border of shall
low pool is an excellent place to study
the species, as it is not an uncommon
sight to see a number of the brightly
colored males gathered there. Dur
ing the breeding season the parent
birds seem to have well-dehned
route from the nest to common
watering place.
The nesting site may be in an ever
green or deciduous bush or tree, and
the nest may be built only a feet from
the ground or at considerable
height, where it is saddled or attach
ed to torked twig. The nest itself
is an exquisite piece of bird architec-
ture, compactly built of dried grasses,
leaves and shreds of bark, the out
side being embellished with lichens,
which Audubon says are attached by
saliva. The inside of the nest is lin
ed with the softest plant-down. The
mother-bird is the builder of this
tasteful home, her handsome consort,
during the nestbuilding time, devot
| ing most of his efforts to singing to
cheer his industrious mate. After
the four to six blush white eggs have
been laid, the singing partner has
more work to do, for he has to feed
his brooding wife. His frequent
visits are always announced with a
sweet conversational song, which he
seems able to give even though his
bill is filled with seeds.
The goldfnch belongs to the thick
billed, seed-eating class of birds and
is extremely fond of the seeds of this
ties, most noxious weed.
The agriculturist should be inter-
ested in this bird. Every thistle
along the highway is prolific source
Of future trouble, but when you see
it ornamented with an animated bit
of gold and black, you may know
that Nature is interposing one of her
potent checks to the too rapid increase
of weed pests. Every gold6nch saves
the farmer much hard work by de-
stroying weed seeds. which form the
! h,,1k of itc food si1nn1v although dur.