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GOLDFINCH (Ger. Gold fink')

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Originally appearing in Volume V12, Page 211 of the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica.

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GOLDFINCH (Ger. Gold fink')

GOLDFINCH (Ger. See also:
GOLD
GOLD [symbol Au, atomic weight 195.7(H = 1),197.2(0 =16)]
Gold fink') , the Fringilla carduelis of See also:

LINNAEUS

Linnaeus and the Carduelis See also:

ale gaits of later authors, an extremely well-known See also:

BIRD

bird found over the greater parts of See also:

EUROPE

Europe and See also:

North See also:

Africa, and eastwards to See also:

PERSIA

Persia and See also:

Turkestan. Its See also:

gay plumage is matched by its sprightly nature; and together they make it one of the most favourite cage-birds among all classes. As a songster it is indeed surpassed by many other See also:

SPECIES

species, but its docility and ready See also:

ATTACHMENT

attachment to its See also:

MASTER (Lat. magister, related to tnagis, more, as the corresponding minister is to minus, less; the English form is due partly to the O. Eng. maegister, and partly to O. Fr. maistre, mod. maitre; cf. Du. meester, Ger. Meister, Ital. maestro)

master or See also:

MISTRESS

mistress make up for any defect in its vocal See also:

POWERS, HIRAM (1805-1873)

powers. In some parts of See also:

England the See also:

trade in goldfinches is very considerable. In 186o Mr Hussey reported (Zool., p. 7144) the See also:

AVERAGE

average See also:

ANNUAL

annual captures near See also:

WORTHING

Worthing to exceed 11,000 dozens—nearly all being See also:

COCK, EDWARD (1805-1892)

cock-birds; and a See also:

witness before a See also:

COMMITTEE (from commute, an Anglo-Fr. past participle of commettre, Lat. committere, to entrust; the modern Fr. equivalent comite is derived from the Eng.)

committee of the See also:

House of See also:

COMMONS

Commons in 1873 stated that, when a boy, he could take See also:

FORTY

forty ' The more See also:

COMMON

common See also:

German name, however, is Distelfink (See also:

THISTLE

Thistle-See also:

Finch) or Stieglitz. dozens in a See also:

MORNING

morning near See also:

BRIGHTON

Brighton. In these districts and others the number has become much reduced, owing doubtless in See also:

PART

part to the fatal practice of catching the birds just before or during the breeding-See also:

SEASON (0. Fr. seson, seison, mod. saison, Lat. satio, sowing time, the spring, from serere, to sow; in Late Lat. the word is found with its present meaning, the spring being considered as particularly the season of the year)

season; but perhaps the strongest cause of their growing scarcity is the See also:

CONSTANT, BENJAMIN (1845-1902)

constant breaking-up of See also:

WASTE (O. Fr. wast, guast, gast, gaste; Lat. vastus, vast, desolate)

waste lands, and the extirpation of weeds (particularly of the See also:

order See also:

COMPOSITAE

Compositae) essential to the improved See also:

SYSTEM

system of See also:

agriculture; for in many parts of See also:

Scotland, See also:

East See also:

LOTHIAN

Lothian for instance, where goldfinches were once as plentiful as sparrows, they are now only rare stragglers, and yet there they have not been thinned by netting. Though goldfinches may occasionally be observed in the coldest See also:

WEATHER (O. Eng. weder; the word is common to Teutonic languages; cf. Du. weder, Dan. veir, Icel. ve8r, and Ger. Wetter and Gewitter, storm; the root is wa- to blow, from which is derived " wind ")

weather, incomparably the largest number leave See also:

BRITAIN (Gr. Hperavuml vi7vot, Bperravia; Lat. Britannia, rarely Britannia)

Britain in autumn, returning in See also:

SPRING (from " to spring," " to leap or jump up," " burst out," O. Eng., springau, a common Teut. word, cf. Ger. springer, possibly allied to Gr. QnrFpxecOac, to move rapidly)

spring, and resorting to gardens and orchards to breed, when the lively See also:

SONG

song of the cock, and the See also:

bright yellow wings of both sexes, quickly attract See also:

NOTICE

notice. The See also:

NEST

nest is a beautifully neat structure, often placed at no See also:

GREAT

great height from the ground, but generally so well hidden by the leafy bough on which it is built as not to be easily found, until, the See also:

young being hatched, the constant visits of the parents reveal its site. When the broods leave the nest they move into the more open See also:

COUNTRY (from the Mid. Eng. contre or contrie, and O. Fr. cuntree; Late Lat. contrata, showing the derivation from contra, opposite, over against, thus the tract of land which fronts the sight, cf. Ger. Gegend, neighbourhood)

country, and frequenting pastures, commons, heaths and See also:

DOWNS

downs, assemble in large flocks towards the end of summer.

Eastward of the range of the See also:

PRESENT

present species its See also:

PLACE (through Fr. from Lat. platea, street; Gr. IrAar6s, wide)

place is taken by its congener C. caniceps, which is easily recognized .by wanting the See also:

black See also:

hood and See also:

white See also:

EAR (common Teut.; O.E. are, Ger. Ohr, Du. oor, akin to Lat. auris, Gr. ovs)

ear-coverts of the See also:

BRITISH

British bird. Its See also:

home seems to be in Central See also:

ASIA

Asia, but it moves southward in See also:

winter, being common at that season in Cashmere, and is not unfrequently brought for See also:

sale to See also:

CALCUTTA

Calcutta. The position of the genus Carduelis in the See also:

FAMILY

family Fringillidae is not very clear. Structurally it would seem to have some relation to the siskins (Chrysomitris), though the members of the two See also:

groups have very different habits, and perhaps its nearest kinship lies with the hawfinches (Coccothraustes). See FINCH. (A.

End of Article: GOLDFINCH (Ger. Gold fink')

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GOLDFISH (Cyprinus or Carassius auratus)