ATDTDA (1): "as cheerful as a finch"

Tim Strzechowski dedalus204 at comcast.net
Thu Jan 25 07:25:22 CST 2007


"I?  no, not at all -- beyond an unavoidable apprehension at the thought of Counterfly with full run of the ship and no one to supervise him, I am as cheerful as a finch" (p. 21).

Finches are passerine birds, often seed-eating, found chiefly in the northern hemisphere and Africa. One subfamily is endemic to the Neotropics. The taxonomic structure of the true finch family, Fringillidae, is somewhat disputed, with some including the Hawaiian honeycreepers as another subfamily (Drepanidinae) and/or uniting the cardueline and fringilline finches as tribes (Carduelini and Fringillini) in one subfamily; the euphonious finches were thought to be tanagers due to general similarity in appearance and mode of life until their real affinities were realized; the buntings and American sparrows were formerly considered another subfamily (Emberizinae). Przewalski's "Rosefinch" (Urocynchramus pylzowi) is now classified as a distinct, monotypic family with no particularly close relatives.
"Classic" or true finches are small to moderately large and have a strong, stubby beaks, which in some species can be quite large. All have 12 tail feathers and 9 primaries. They have a bouncing flight, alternating bouts of flapping with gliding on closed wings, and most sing well. Their nests are basket-shaped and built in trees. [...]
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Finch
http://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/House_Finch.html
http://www.finchniche.com/f-behavior.mgi

"Cheerful as a finch" comes across as one of those Chumisms that convey the happy naivete of the boys.  And the quintessential literary finch, of course, comes to mind:
http://imdb.com/title/tt0056592/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/To_Kill_a_Mockingbird
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