GOLDFINCH. (1) The familiar North American black-winged or ewild canaries" of the genus Spinus, the best known of which is the Eastern thistle-bird or lettuce-bird (S. trislis), whose wave-like flight across the fields, each male singing sweetly in its course, forms one of the most pleasing in cidents of a rural stroll. These little finches are bright golden-yellow, with the cap, wings and tail black in the adult male; while the fe male and immature young are gray-brown and yellowish; and in autumn the male discards his conspicuous dress and assumes the plain attire of his mate. At this season they collect in flocks and remain together during the winter, seeking the seeds of the meadow-grasses and roadside weeds, especially thistles, and often coming near the house and barn. Their sum mer food includes more soft material, and they gather many caterpillars for their young. The goldfinch is one of the latest birds to make its nest, delaying until midsummer to fabricate the soft cup of hempen and downy materials which is lodged usually in some crotch of a village shade-tree, and contains half a dozen spotless bluish eggs. Several other species dwell in the
western United States and southward. (2) The small European finch (Carduelis carduelis) to which the name first belonged, and whose habits are much the same as those above de scribed, but which is more varied in plumage. The bill is horn-color, the tip black and the base encircled with crimson; nape of neck white; top of head, shoulder of wing and a part of the quills, black; remainder of wing dull yellow; back and rump dusky brown; under surface dull white. Its nest is neatly built of moss, twigs, roots, etc., lined with wool, is situated in bushes, hedges or apple-trees, and the eggs are spotted with purple and brown. This finch is one of the sweetest singers of Europe, a favorite cage bird and the one most often taught pretty tricks; it is the most useful decoy in bird catching. Examples are to be found in bird stores all over the world; and in the neighbor hood of New York many have escaped and are living wild in the parks and environs.