. Our bird allies . sthe larger end with dark brown. The Goldfinch, again, is a very useful bird to theagriculturist, feeding largely upon the seeds of plantswhich not only exhaust the soil by their growth, butcan only be eradicated by dint of considerable labourand expense. Of such seeds as those of the thistleand groundsel the goldfinch is especially fond, andmay often be seen chasing them as they are blownalong by the wind, or tearing them out in quantitiesbefore they have left the parent stem. Quite a littleflock of these birds may often be seen in spots wherethese weeds abound, perching u
. Our bird allies . sthe larger end with dark brown. The Goldfinch, again, is a very useful bird to theagriculturist, feeding largely upon the seeds of plantswhich not only exhaust the soil by their growth, butcan only be eradicated by dint of considerable labourand expense. Of such seeds as those of the thistleand groundsel the goldfinch is especially fond, andmay often be seen chasing them as they are blownalong by the wind, or tearing them out in quantitiesbefore they have left the parent stem. Quite a littleflock of these birds may often be seen in spots wherethese weeds abound, perching upon the stems, anddevouring the seeds by thousands before they aredispersed by the wind. In the spring, too, and particularly during the FINCHES. 141 breeding season^ the goldfinch is also a great destroyerof insects, upon which the young are almost whollyfed. The bird, therefore, is doubly useful to the agri-culturist, and as no serious accusations in the way ofgrain or fruit stealing have ever been brought against. The Goldfinch. it, we are justified in ranking it among the mostvaluable of the farmers friends. The nest of the goldfinch is a singularly neat andpretty structure, and is frequently placed in the forkof a standard fruit-tree, or among the thick foliage atthe end of the branch. Sometimes, however, it may 142 OUR BIRD ALLIES. be found in a bush or a thick hedge, but the formersituation is by far the more common one. The materials vary in accordance with the siteselected, the bird always endeavouring, like thechaffinch, to assimilate the exterior of her abode asfar as possible to surrounding objects. The nest ofthe goldfinch, indeed, is generally a most difficult oneto find, for not only do its tints harmonise almostexactly with those of the branch upon which it is built,but the surrounding foliage generally conceals itfrom sight; while the bird, instead of starting outfrom the nest itself, is cautious enough to make itsway for some little distance along the bough be
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1880, booksubjectbirds, bookyear1887
