CARDUELIS, a genus of Birds belonging to the tribe Insessores, division Conirostres, and the family Fringillida. It has a lengthened conical compressed beak ; the point attenuated and acute ; commissure slightly curved. The nostrils basal, lateral, covered by small incum bent plumes. Wings lengthened, pointed ; the first, second, and i third quills longest, and nearly equal. The tail moderate, slightly forked. Feet with the middle toe longer than .the tarsus, which is equal to the hind toe ; lateral toes short, of equal length ; claws slender, curved, and acute.
There are two species of this genus indigenous in Great Britain, the Goldfinch and the Siskin.
C. deyans (Fringilla Carduelis), the Goldfinch, is a well-known bird. It has a gay plumage, lively habits, an agreeable form and song, and a disposition. to become attached to those who feed it. In captivity they can be taught a variety of tricks, such as drawing up water for themselves to drink in a thimble bucket, or opening the lid of their seed-box. They may be often seen performing with canaries in the streets of London.
The Goldfinch builds a very neat nest, and lays four or five eggs of a pale bluish-white colour, with a few spots and lines of pale purple and brown. It is a very general inhabitant of the British Islands. It is also found in Sweden, and is abundant in Germany, France, Provence, Spain, and Italy. It is found also at Corfu, Sicily, Malta, and Crete.
The whole length of this bird is 5 inches. It has a whitish horn colour beak, black at the tip ; the circumference at the base of the beak crimson-red ; checks and ear coverts white ; top of the head black ; nape of the neck white • the back and rump a dusky wood brown ; the carpal portion of wing and the smaller wing-covcrts black ; the greater wing-coverts and the outer edge of the basal half of each primary brilliant gamboge-yellow ; the remaining portion of the primaries black; under surface of the body dull white. (Yarrell.) C. spinua (Priv ilia spines), the Siskin. [ABERDEVINE.]