omes active and conspicuous after the other birds have
nearly all withdrawn from the stage and become silent, their broods
reared and flown. August is his month, his festive season. It is his
turn now. The thistles are ripening their seeds, and his nest is
undisturbed by jay-bird or crow. He is the first bird I hear in the
morning, circling and swinging through the air in that peculiar
undulating flight, and calling out on the downward curve of each stroke,
"Here we go, here we go!" Every hour in the day he indulges in his
circling, billowy flight. It is a part of his musical performance. His
course at such times is a deeply undulating line, like the long, gentle
roll of the summer sea, the distance from crest to crest or from valley
to valley being probably thirty feet; this distance is made with but one
brief beating of the wings on the downward curve. As he quickly opens
them, they give him a strong upward impulse, and he describes the long
arc with them closely folded. Thus, falling and recovering, rising and
sinking like dolphins in the sea, he courses through the summer air. In
marked contrast to this feat is his manner of flying when he indulges in
a brief outburst of song on the wing. Now he flies level, with broad
expanded wings nearly as round and as concave as two shells, which beat
the air slowly. The song is the chief matter now, and the wings are used
only to keep him afloat while delivering it. In the other case, the
flight is the main concern, and the voice merely punctuates it.

* * * * *

Among our familiar birds the matchmaking of none other is quite so
pretty as that of the goldfinch. The goldfinches stay with us in loose
flocks and clad in a dull-olive suit throughout the winter. In May the
males begin to put on their bright summer plumage. This is the result of
a kind of superficial moulting. Their feathers are not shed, but their
dusky covering or overalls are cast off. When the process is only partly
completed, the bird has a smutty, unpresentable appearance. But we
seldom see them at such times. They seem to retire from society. When
the change is complete, and the males have got their bright uniforms of
yellow and black, the courting begins. All the goldfinches of a
neighborhood collect together and hold a sort of musical festival. To
the number of many dozens they may be seen in some large tree, all
singing and calling in the most joyous and vivacious manner. The