Year: 1860

\CWUuettS UtSItS.


We recently asked an intelligent farmer
whether he supposed this bird remained in
New-England during all the Winter. He
replied unhesitatingly No, for he must
have seen them, if such were the case
We exhibited to him one in its Winter
plumage, which was so widely different
from its Summer garb, that he insisted it
was not the same bird, and as he would
not acknowledge the force of evidence
which would be conclusive to the ornithol-
ogist on the question of identity, he re-
mains unconvinced to this day. But it
is not the less true, that this lively little
sparrow that glances so brilliantly in the
light of an August sun, with it's jet black
wings and light yellow body and which
is known to almost every farmers boy in
New York and New England as the "Yel-
low bird" can not be called. migratory in
its habits, but remains with us during the
cold and storms of our longest Winters.
True, he fits himself for them. The hui
man denizen of the same geographical
limits does not make greater change
between his Summer and Winter clothing,
than this little bird. He does what human
fashionables often do not-he even OBJ
serves the proprietieS of the case. The
warm tints of his summer vesture would
be i'll suited to the SHOWS, storms and
clouds Of Winter: accordingly, while the
light, tufty feathers of his body, wings,
and tail become thick and compact, and
very much increased in length, they at
the same time assume more sombre hue.
The yellow body is changed to a Quaker
like brown, and the jet wings grow lighter
and are crossed by the transverse bars of
white. The tail nearly doubles its length,
and becomes more forked.


HABITS AND INSTINCTS.


The habits of this bird seem in Winter
materially changed. While in Summer
they are commonly seen in pairs and in
early Autumn accompanied by their young,
when strong enough for flight, in Winter
they become gregarious individuals COM
ing together in large hocks, sometimes
numbering hundreds It's fight, too, is
changed. In summer it is performed in
deep curved lines alternately rising and
falling after each propelling motion of the
wings. Each of these curves is accom-
plished while uttering one or more of it's
sharp notes, the one accompanying the
other with almost the regularity of a clock.
The curveting movement could hardly
be carried out in a large flock, and in
Winter this popularity is lost entirely.
The whole flock then moves straight on
ward, or in long graceful swoops, as if
animated by common instinct. The
following account of it's instinct is given
upon the authority of that most accurate
observer of the habits of North American
birds, the veteran Audubon "There is
trait of sagacity in the bird which is
quite remarkable. When goldfinch
alights on twig imbude with bird-lime,
"a gluey substance, expressly for the pur-
pose of securing it,) it no sooner discovers
the nature of the treacherous substance
than it throws itself backward with closed
wings, and hangs in that position until
the bird-lime has run out in the form Of
a slender thread below the twig, when
feeling certain degree of security, it
beats its wings and flies off, doubtless
with resolution never to alight in such
a place again. / have observed those
that had escaped from me in this manner,
when about to alight on any twig, whether
smeared with bird-lime or not, futter over
it as if to assure themselves of its being
safe for them to perch upon it,


Birds like other animals, require an in
creased nutrition in cold weather. The
bodies Of all -blooded animals are
caloric factories, which are run at a full
or lesser speed as the season requires; !;
and the rapid motion of their complicated
machinery requires an increased con-
sumption of fuel, which is but another
name for food


.. But what Of all this?' says the far
mer. +" What is this to me? Yellow
L..