56 ARKANSAW SISKIN.
“Whilst in.the foreign bird.aJL the feathers,, excepting the two middle
»fcmarked with yellows/i'fflpbill of oujs species is also aJ-Lftle
shorter,'less'compre^e^Vand less .acuminated^ . finally, we may notice
another trifling difference,; which .consists* in the proportional length
of;, the^primaries, the four- first ybedng) nearly equal in American
bird, and the three fite#%nlyr in the.; KdEdpfekn?^ the fourth being
almost a quarter oLauinfB* shorter? - The other approximate sjjecics,
Fringilla magellanica,fVieill. cpnsideredcby Gmelrnaiid Latham ras; a
variety of the European Siskin/ is readily distinguishable/by having
the; head jehtirjsly black.'
'Though the Mexican Sislua^Fnngilld m S k i c ' a n e i imay pi-i-fye
Ito^be, the-female .of?aur‘'bird, or the ^dl'e^in an' imperftct*state of
plumage,-(pad, from mo^rni-amy:^wjgf!should.possibly hayc.’-nflfTi'cd
i t to that name, had the < classification- of it- falleiv^to^L^I ^ P ^ efe.
as; nothing .positive '^an be drawn from s^im^^enjialv an indication
as that of the Mexicans. Siskin/ we have' no /hesitation.in; following
the; same course- with Say/ who considers it* as, entirely»*new>, and
have retained ; his elegant name of Frihgilla psaUriai It iis ^ ^ iy
'ijxofeible*that T^m oal^Sie^Fringilla -mexfcfanci, biit- also’'th e Black
Mexican Siskin,- (FHnpittamffitpls Gmfe^niay be tlte ■‘Same bird'as
our Fringilla psaltria^mA how can we determine,- from the vague
descriptions that have been given-ctf those s p |e f e ? |* ^ a r e . equally
applicable to-the American Goldfinch in its dull state of-plumage/
and Wilson- expresses a doubt whether or not the Black Mexican
Siskin is the same , as his new species, Fringilla pirns.
All these pretty little birds belong to the sub-genus Carduvlis, having
a more slender/ acute, and elongated bill, than other Fringillse:
H
FEMALE AMERICAN GOLDFINCH.
Plate VI. Fig.; 4.
See'Wilson’s American Ornithology, I, pV^O/'Pl. 1/fig. 2; for. the Male, and history. •
Fringilla tristis, L inn. Syst. I , Sp. 12, Male. Gmel. Syst. h p. 907, Sp. 12.
L atb. Ind. p-. 452, Sp. 64..i( Yieill. Noutr. Diet, d’Hist. Nat. XII, p. 167.
Fringilla spinus, var. -/ (Imkl. Syst. 9.14^Sp.25, Male, in winter plumage.
Cardudis americana, Briss. Ac. Ill, p. 64, Sp. 3.
Carduelis americanus, the American Goldfinch, Cate shy, Carolina, I, p.’ 43', Pi. 43, Male
ra^ifl^sfmng* dress. Barte. Treed: pr>29^ ffi
Chardonneret jaune, jTTA' iV Ois. IV, p.5'212{:.”'
Chardonneret da Canada, BufeI Pl. Enl 202, fig. 2, Male, in spring'dress?’
Turin de la Nouvelle York, ifnlt1 (Sis. IV, p. ^3$. ' Ph link292#fig. 1, Male changing j
/ fie. 2.. Malt in wintc i .dr(j->,. > '«
Golden Finch, P enn. Arct. Zool. Sp.j.242,. M
American Goldfinch, E dwards,' Glean. IIJ ,p .« [S ^ P l. 274, Male and Feifiafe. L athI
: Syn. II, Part I, p.’28$/ jiSflp?. Id. lsifSuppJ,
Siskin, var. b, Lath. Syn. If, Part I, p. 291, Sp.'^Male changing. ' ’
Philadelphia Museum, No: 6344, Male; Nd.%115, Female; No. 6346, Albino.
W e have beeffiihduced fly the arinl'd^ ^istihg between the precede
ing'new species and thi’Sfcbmtodd!iBiM| tofftgure them a#hompanions
on. the same plate, thaf they may b<# immediately and readily compared.
To give thcr’present figure more interest, we have chosen
the female", thdbglf We mighd with equal' propriety have; selected the
male in winter plumage^ as theplatt'er differs but slightly from its mate
during that The very great dissimilarity between the sexes*
in their spring dress/ will justify the reappearance of a bird already
given by Wilson, more 'especially as it has, ih this state, been mis-
vol. i.— p