Evening star., 1945-05-18
This andThat
By Charles E. Traceueu.

One of our younger readers recently
sent In the following inquiry: st like to
feed and know birds. Lately from one
to ten new ones fly on our lawn and eat
dandelion seed, then fly away. I am not
good at describing, but its colors are like
this picture. The yellow is the color of
dandelion flowers. Please tell me what
bird this is: "Yours truly, C. F."
The excellent colored sketch was that
OF goldfinch, or wild canary.
great many people protest about
dandelions spelling their lawns, but they
do us good service when they bring us
these fine birds.
Chickweed, too, Is regarded as lawn
nuisance, but 1t may bring the gold
finches.
The male is the colorful one. In sum-
mer his general color tone is pure lemon,
or canary yellow, with black wings and
tail, with white along the edges.
In the fall the males turn brown, re-
sembling the females and the immature.
The adult female in summer Is olive
brown; the adult male in winter is like
his mate, except his wings and tail are
deeper black and the white markings
are more conspicuous. The adult female
IN winter Is more brown than ever, while
the young are something like the winter
adults, but browner, the plumage being
suffused with cinnamon.
1t may be realized that unless one is
very careful, he will mistake these COL
orations for those of other birds. This
column has always received more in
quiries about the goldfinch than any
other bird.
In some localities the wild canary is
called the thistle bird.
1t has habit of clinging to blossoms,
which dip almost to the ground under
the bird, whose weight is only about half
especially if there are several goldf1nches
on stalk, is beautiful one, never for
gotten by the observer.
Golddniches usually travel in fiocks
and manage to consume huge quantities
of weed seeds, and also destroy many in
sects inimical to man.
One investigator examined 81 seeds
beneath bush after goldfinches had
passed by. Each appeared perfect, but
actually was slit so perfectly that the
cut could not be seen except with glass.
Other common names for this one are
yellow bird, catnip bird, lettuce bird,
sinner, saladbird and beetbird
The American goldf1nch is inches
long, ,trif1e shorter than the European
goldfinch, favorite European cage bird.
Many attempts have been made to in
troduce the European goldf1nch, called
by the Germans distelfink, or thistle
finch, into the United States. Some
were brought to Cincinnati in 1872, to
Massachusetts, in 1880 and to the Isle of
Cuba in 1886.
For few years many were seen in
and around New York City, but since
then records of them have been very
rare, the last being seen about 1900. One
was reported from Chicago in 1911.
The European species is brown, with
black wings and tail and with red spot
on the head. This red spot, of course,
is the way to identify the bird. The
spot" Is not just point, but covers the
fore part Of the head.
Our American goldfinch places from
three to six pale bluish-white eggs in a
fine nest. Thistledown, appropriately, is
used for lining.
Goldfnch nests are late in building,
usually not until the last week in June,
but nesting is carried on until late Sep
tember.
There are many varieties Of goldfnch
In the United States, those in the West
being larger and paler, but all with the
same habits and all beloved of friends
of birds.
We would not suggest to any one that
they grow dandelions and chickweed,
however, just to attract goldfinches. IN
l6 years we have had plenty of dande-
lions and chickweed in our grass but
they have not attracted many wild
canaries,