number, and sometimes assemble in small flocks. ae ay Bec! open upland a oa sterile
wastes, and all situations suited to the growth of their favourite thistle, groundsel, an Pp - us food,
however, is not suitable for the young, and they are accordingly fed ae caterpillars and other Insects ;
hence considerable good must be effected by these birds oon) the breeding=season,
Independently of the British Islands, over which the bird is generally distributed, the Goldfinch inhabits
all parts of the Continent, from Norway, Sweden, and Russia, S the Mediterranean and Black Coe It Is
also found in Northern Africa, Asia Minor, and Persia, but not in India, its ee there, or rather in the
Himalayas, being supplied by another and equally interesting species, the Cr Cun q

The history of the Goldfinch would be incomplete without an allusion to its capacity for receiving
instruction, ad the consequent readiness with which it may be taught ane amusin slices) such as drawing
up water for itself, raising the lid of a small box to obtain ee seu within, feigning Co &e. I have
already spoken of its prettiness, and I may add that its colouring 1s both harmonious and beautiful ; its form
also is graceful, elegant, and well-proportioned ; the Goldfinch is, in fact, the gay gentleman of our smaller
birds. In most instances where much decoration is given, it is usually confined to the male; but in the
present case the two sexes are nearly alike. 3

Speaking of the Goldfinch in Scotland, Macgillivray states that it is « generally distributed in most of our
wooded and cultivated districts ; but while plentiful in some parts, it is rare in others that seem to be equally
favourable. Thus, although not uncommon about Aberdeen and Elgin, it is very rare in the neighbourhood
of Edinburgh, in which I never met with more than a single flock.” This statement is confirmed by the
following note, with which I have been favoured by the Duke of Argyll :—* The Goldfinch is a rare bird in
Dumbartonshire ; but small parties are seen during the winter at uncertain intervals. In Argyleshire it is
wholly absent, so far as I have observed, in the more wooded and in the more mountainous districts; but it
is not uncommon, and appears regularly to breed, along some of the lower western shores. I have observed
young birds, in considerable numbers, in the Ross of Mull.”

The nest of the Goldfinch is placed indifferently among the trees of orchards, gardens, and plantations, at
various heights, according to the suitability of the sites that occur, sometimes among the very topmost
branches. A very beautiful nest, taken at Formosa, near Cookham, in Berkshire, in July 1860, was placed
on one of the loftiest branches of a tall sycamore, and was curiously interwoven between the slender forks of
the extremity of the branch; the interior was deep, the walls somewhat thick, and the whole presented a
round and compact appearance. The exterior was mainly composed of one or two different kinds of bright
green lichens, firmly interwoven with dried moss and spiders’ webs; the interior was warmly lined with the
downy cotton-like substance of the blossoms of the willow, intermingled with wool and

a very few horse-
hairs, the three ingredients being felted together, so as to r

ender it perfectly smooth and even. The eges,
four in number, were of a pale greenish stone-colour, somewhat faintly blotched with light reddish purple,

the blotches becoming more numerous towards the larger end, and having among them a few very distinct
patches of rich umber. The materials of the nest appear to vary considerably. One of two, formerly in the
possession of the late T. C. Heysham, Ksq., of Carlisle, was externally composed of dried bent grasses,
interwoven with lichens, moss, and wool, beautifully lined with thistle-down
other was mainly formed of roots instead of grasse

down and hair. Mr. Macgillivray describes the 1
being more elaborately interwoven with wool

and a few very fine hairs ; the
s, and had a few feathers in its lining, besides the thistle-

lest as resembling that of the Chaffinch in form, but as

and hair,—the exterior being composed of moss and lichens,
and occasionally thread, twigs, and other substances ; the interior, of the down of various plants, cotton, and
such other delicate filaments as the bird meets with.

Mr. Salvin mentions that at Djendeli, in the Eastern
Atlas, the Goldfinch builds a neat nest, composed almost entirely of the flowers of the tamarisk.
The plumage of the adult male and female are so accurately repre
it will not be necessary to append a minute description of them.
whole of the head, neck, b

ack, and sides of the chest of ane
they resemble the female ; the black of the he

red towards the end of that month.
The two sexes are figured, of the n

sented in the accompanying Plate, that
The young birds of the year have the
arly uniform greyish brown ; in other respects
ad begins to appear about the middle of September, and the

atural size, on the Wild Teasel (Dipsacus sylvestris).