Chapter C: S. Paine, of East Bethel, Vt., found a nest of this species about (19)

Mr. Boardman mentions it as abundant, in the winter, about Calais, and Mr. Verrill gives it as quite common in the vicinity of Norway. It is found every winter more or less frequently in Eastern Massachusetts, though Mr. Allen regards it as rare in the vicinity of Springfield. It is not cited by Dr. Cooper as a bird of Washington Territory, but he mentions it as not uncommon near the summits of the Sierra Nevada, latitude 39°, in September. It probably breeds there, as he found two birds in that region in the young plumage. They were feeding on spruce seeds when he first saw them, and lingered even after their companions had been shot, and allowed him to approach within a few feet of them.

Mr. R. Brown (Ibis, 1868) states that during the winter of 1866, while snow was lying on the ground, two pairs of this species were shot at Fort Rupert, Vancouver Island.

Wilson met with occasional specimens of these birds in the vicinity of Philadelphia, generally in immature plumage, and kept one several months, to note any change in its plumage. In the summer it lost all its red colors and became of a greenish-yellow. In May and June, its song, though not so loud as that of some birds, was extremely clear, mellow, and sweet. This song it warbled out for the whole morning, and also imitated the notes of a Cardinal, that hung near it. It became exceedingly tame and familiar, and when in want of food or water, uttered a continual melancholy and anxious note.

In the winter of 1835, and for several following seasons, these birds were exceedingly abundant in the vicinity of Boston. They appeared early in December, and remained until quite late in March, feeding chiefly on the berries of the red cedar. They were so unsuspecting and familiar that it was often possible to capture them alive in butterfly-nets, and to knock them down with poles. Large numbers were destroyed and brought to market, and many were taken alive and caged. They were tame, but unhappy in confinement, uttering mournful cries as the warm weather approached. In the winter of 1869-70 they again made their appearance in extraordinary numbers, in a few localities on the sea-coast of Massachusetts, where they did considerable damage to the fruit-buds of the apple and pear.

Sir John Richardson states that this bird was not observed by his expedition higher than the 60th parallel. It lives, for the most part, a very retired life, in the deepest recesses of the pine forests, where it passes the entire year, having been found by Mr. Drage, near York Fort, on the 25th of January, 1747. Richardson adds that it builds its nest on the lower branches of trees, and feeds chiefly on the seeds of the white spruce.

Dr. Coues speaks of it as not at all rare along the coast of Labrador, where he obtained several specimens. It was confined entirely to the thick woods and patches of scrubby juniper. A female remained unconcernedly on a twig after he had shot her mate, uttering continually a low soft _shep_, like that of the Fox-colored Sparrow. Another note was a prolonged whirring chirrup, uttered in a rather low tone, apparently a note of recognition.

A lady resident in Newfoundland informed Mr. Audubon that she had kept several of these Grosbeaks in confinement, that they soon became very familiar, would sing during the night, feeding, during the summer, on all kinds of fruit and berries, and in the winter on different seeds. Mr. Audubon also often observed that, when firing at one of their number, the others, instead of flying away, would move towards him, often to within a few feet, and remain on the lower branches of the trees, gazing at him in curiosity, entirely unmingled with any sense of their own danger. Mr. Audubon quotes from Mr. McCulloch, of Pictou, an interesting account of the habits of one of these birds, kept in confinement. The winter had been very severe, the storms violent, and, in consequence of the depth of snow, many birds had perished from hunger and cold. The Grosbeaks, driven from the woods, sought food around the barns and outhouses, and crowded the streets of Pictou. One of these, taken in a starving condition, soon became so tame as to feed from his hand, lived at large in his chamber, and would awaken him early in the morning to receive his allowance of seed. As spring approached, he began to whistle in the morning, and his notes were exceedingly rich and full. As the time came when his mates were moving north, his familiarity entirely disappeared, and he sought constantly, by day and by night, to escape by dashing against the window-panes, and during the day filled the house with his piteous wailing cries, refusing his food, so that in pity he was let out. But no sooner was he thus released than he seemed indifferent to the privilege, and kept about the door so persistently that he had at last to be driven away, lest some accident should befall him.

The Pine Grosbeaks were found by Bischoff at Sitka and at Kodiak, and are said by Mr. Dall to be extremely common near Nulato, and wherever there are trees throughout the Yukon Territory. They frequent groves of willow and poplar, near open places, and especially the water-side in winter, and in summer seek more retired places for breeding. Their crops, when opened, were always found to contain the hearts of the buds of poplars, with the external coverings carefully rejected, and were never found to include anything else. Mr. Dall noticed no song, only a twitter and a long chirp. He found them excellent as an article of food. European eggs of this bird, taken by Mr. Wolley in Finland in 1858, are of an oblong-oval shape, and have a light slate-colored ground with a marked tinge of greenish, broadly marked and plashed with faint, subdued cloudy patches of brownish-purple, and sparingly spotted, chiefly at the larger end, with blackish-brown and dark purple. They measure 1.02 inches in length by .70 in breadth.

No positively identified eggs of the American Pine Grosbeak are as yet known in collections, but Mr. Boardman has found a nest, near Calais, about which there can be little doubt, although the parent was not seen. This was placed in an alder-bush in a wet meadow, and was about four feet from the ground. It was composed entirely of coarse green mosses. The eggs were two, and were not distinguishable from those of the European _enucleator_.

GENUS PYRRHULA, PALLAS.

_Pyrrhula_, “BRISSON, Orn. 1760.” PALLAS.

GEN. CHAR. Bill very short and thick, higher than long, swollen.
Lower jaw broader at base than upper jaw, and broader than length of
gonys. Nostrils and base of mandible concealed by a thick tuft of
rather soft feathers. Tail nearly even, shorter than the pointed
wings; upper coverts reaching over nearly two thirds the tail.
Middle and hind claws about equal.

This genus is closely related to _Pinicola_, but has a more swollen and much shorter bill, the lower jaw disproportionately larger, and wider than long along gonys, instead of being about equal. The nasal tuft is thicker and more feathery and less bristly than in _Pinicola_. The upper tail-coverts are much longer, the tail less emarginate. Other differences exist in the grooves and ridges of the palate, which need not be here referred to. The middle claw is about equal to hind claw; not longer, as in _Pinicola_.

[Line drawing: _Pyrrhula cassini._
49955]

The genus _Pyrrhula_ is an Old World one; extending across from the Atlantic to the Pacific, six or eight species or varieties being recognized by naturalists. All have the back ash-colored; the wings and tail, with top of head, lustrous black; the under parts ash, generally with vermilion on the cheeks and chin, sometimes extending over the whole under surface; the rump and crissum white: the females similar, but lacking the vermilion. Its introduction into the North American fauna rests on the collecting by the naturalists of the Russian Telegraph Expedition in Alaska of a specimen which—if a full-plumaged male, as stated—differs from all of its congeners in the entire absence of any vermilion tint.

Pyrrhula cassini, BAIRD.

CASSIN’S BULLFINCH.

_P. coccinea_, var. _cassini_, BAIRD, Trans. Chicago, Ac. Sc. I,
1869, ii, p. 316.—DALL & BANNISTER, Tr. Chic. Ac. I, 1869, 281
(Alaska). _P. cassini_, TRISTRAM, Ibis, 1871, 231.—FINSCH, Ornith.
N. W. Amerikas, 1872, 54.

SP. CHAR. Description of specimen No. 49,955: Upper parts clear ash-gray, as are the alula, and the lesser and middle secondary and the primary wing-coverts. Under parts and the sides of head cinnamon-gray; the inside of wings and axillars, anal region, tibia, crissum, and rump white; wings and tail, including upper tail-coverts, the entire top of head (to level of eyes), the base of bill all round, and the chin, lustrous violet-black. Greater wing-coverts black, with a broad band of ashy-white across the ends; outer primaries, externally, with a narrow border of grayish-white near the ends; inner edges suffused with the same. Outer tail-feathers with an elongated patch of white in the terminal half, along the shaft, but not reaching the tip. Bill black; feet dusky.

Dimensions (prepared specimen): Total length, 6.50; wing, 3.55; tail, 3.25. Exposed portion of first primary, 2.65. Bill: Length from forehead, .44; from nostril, .34. Legs: Tarsus, .75; claw alone, .26; hind toe and claw, .45; claw alone, .25.

No. 49,955, adult male. Nulato, Yukon River, Alaska. January 10, 1867. W. H. DALL (No. 553).

The specimen referred to above is the first record of the occurrence in America of a genus heretofore considered as belonging exclusively to the Old World.

This bird was described in 1869 as a possible variety of _P. coccinea_ of Europe. On submitting the typical specimens to Mr. H. B. Tristram of England, it was decided to be a well-marked and distinct species, as explained in the following extract from a letter received from him.

“The coloration of the back is the same as in males of _P.
coccinea_ and _P. rubicilla_, and differs from the coloration of
the ♀ in all three species. In all the ♀ has the back brown
instead of slate-colored. Your bird, however, differs from _P.
coccinea_ in having the under parts of the same color as the ♂ of
_P. griseiventris_ with a slightly redder hue on the flanks,
while _P. coccinea_ is a brilliant blazing red. In this your bird
is like _P. murina_ of the Azores, but that has no white on the
rump.

“Nor can it be ♂ juv. of _P. coccinea_, because it has the
_black_ head, and the young assumes the black head and red breast
simultaneously, or rather the red begins first. It differs from
_P. nipalensis_ in having a black head and broad white rump, as
well as in size.”

Dr. O. Finsch, of Bremen, agrees with Mr. Tristram in considering it as specifically distinct, and says that the long white shaft-streak on the outermost tail-feather is to be considered as one of the peculiar characters, and that in general it resembles the female of _P. griseiventris_, LAFR., but differs in having the back beautiful ash-gray.

HABITS. This new species of Bullfinch, having a close resemblance to the _P. coccinea_ of Europe, was obtained by Mr. Dall, near Nulato, Alaska, January 10, 1867. An Indian brought it in alive, but badly wounded, having shot it from a small tree near the fort. He had never seen anything like it before, nor had any of the Russians. Captain Everett Smith had, however, met with several flocks of the same species near Ulukuk. This specimen was a male, with black eyes, feet, and bill, and was the only bird of the kind met with by Mr. Dall.

In size it is about equal to _P. coccinea_, which is now quite generally considered to be simply a large race of the common Bullfinch (_P. vulgaris_), and the habits of the American bird are doubtless similar to those of its congeners. The European races inhabit the mountainous regions of Northern and Central Europe, appearing in large flocks in December and January in the more southern regions. In their return in spring to their summer quarters, they move in smaller numbers. They nest in the mountain forests, on trees or bushes. Their nest is usually but a few feet from the ground, is beautifully wrought in a cup shape, made externally of small twigs, blades of grass, and rootlets, lined with coarse hair. They lay five eggs, the ground-color of which shades from a light blue to a bluish or a greenish white, with brown and violet-colored spots, that usually form a ring around the larger end. Their food is grain and small seeds, and, in spring, the buds of certain trees.

The Bullfinch is a favorite cage-bird, soon reconciled to confinement, and capable of being taught to whistle whole airs of opera music with wonderful exactness and beauty.

GENUS CARPODACUS, KAUP.

_Carpodacus_, KAUP, “Entw. Europ. Thierw. 1829.” (Type, _Loxia
erythrina_, PALL.)
_Erythrospiza_, BONAPARTE, Saggio di una dist. met. 1831.
_Hæmorrhous_, SWAINSON, Class. Birds, II, 1837, 295. (Type, _Fringilla
purpurea_, GMELIN.)

[Line drawing: _Carpodacus frontalis._
796 ♂]

CHAR. Bill short, stout, vaulted; the culmen decurved towards the end; the commissure nearly straight to the slightly decurved end. A slight development of bristly feathers along the sides of the bill, concealing the nostrils. Tarsus shorter than the middle toe; lateral claws reaching to the base of the middle one. Claw of hind toe much curved, smaller than the middle one, and rather less than the digital portion. Wings long and pointed, reaching to the middle of the tail, which is considerably shorter than the wing, and moderately forked. Colors red, or red and brown. _Female_ with the red replaced by brown.

The genus _Carpodacus_, including the American Purple Finches, is composed of species the males of which are more or less red in full plumage, while the females are brown-streaked. They are spread over North America, and species also occur in considerable numbers in Northern Europe and Asia.

Species and Varieties.

A. Culmen only slightly curved. Tail and wing feathers edged with reddish in the male.

_a._ ♂. Crown much brighter purple than the rump or throat. ♀.
Without lighter superoral and maxillary stripes, the whole head
being pretty uniformly streaked.

1. C. cassini. ♂. Crown bright crimson; rest of head,
breast, rump, etc., much lighter purple-pink; _lower
tail-coverts with a shaft line of dusky. Hab._ Mountain
regions of the Middle Province, south, through the
table-lands and alpine regions of Mexico, to Mirador.

_b._ ♂. Crown scarcely brighter purple than the rump or throat.
♀. With conspicuous superoral and maxillary stripes.

2. C. purpureus. Crown purple; rest of head, breast, rump,
etc., nearly similar in tint; _lower tail-coverts_ without
dusky shaft-lines.

Purple tints of a rosy carmine cast; first quill longer
than the fourth. _Hab._ Eastern Province of North America …
var. _purpureus_.

Purple tints of a darker purplish-rose cast; first quill
shorter than the fourth. _Hab._ Pacific Province of North
America … var. _californicus_.

B. Culmen much curved. Tail and wing feathers edged with grayish in the male.

3. C. frontalis. ♂. A frontal and superciliary band of
crimson; a patch of same on the rump, and another on the
throat and jugulum; abdomen and crissum streaked with dusky.

♂. Red restricted to the portions mentioned above.

Red of an intense carmine tint, sharply defined, and
strictly restricted within the limits indicated. _Hab._
Plateau of Mexico … var. _hæmorrhous_.[109]

Red of a lighter carmine, and with a greater or less
tendency to escape its boundaries. _Hab._ Middle Province
of the United States … var. _frontalis_.

♂. Red not restricted, but spread over the crown, tingeing
the back and other portions, excepting wings and tail.

Red tint varying from scarlet to wine-red. _Hab._ Pacific
Province of United States, including the peninsula of
Lower California … var. _rhodocolpus_.

Carpodacus cassini, BAIRD.

CASSIN’S PURPLE FINCH.

_Carpodacus cassini_, BAIRD, Pr. A. N. S. Philad. VII, June, 1854,
119; Birds, N. Am. 1858, 414, pl. xxvii, f. 1.—LORD, Pr. R. A.
Inst. iv, 1864, 119 (Br. Col. between Rocky Mts. and
Cascades).—KENNERLY, P. R. R. X, pl. xxvii, f. 1.—COOPER, Orn.
Cal. 1, 155.

SP. CHAR. Larger than _C. purpureus_. Bill, .55 of an inch above. Second and third quills longest; first longer than fourth. _Male._ Above pale grayish-brown, the feathers streaked with darker brown, and with only an occasional gloss of reddish, except on the crown, which is uniform deep crimson, and on the rump. Sides of the head and neck, throat, and upper part of breast with rump, pale rose-color; rest of under parts white, very faintly and sparsely streaked with brown. _Female_ without any red, and streaked on the head and under parts with brown. Length, 6.50; wing, 3.60; tail, 2.60.

HAB. Mountainous regions of Middle Province of United States, from Rocky Mountains to Sierra Nevada. British Columbia (LORD). City of Mexico (SCLATER & SALVIN, 1869, 362). Breeds in pine region of Mt. Orizaba.

This species, though somewhat resembling _C. purpureus_, may be easily distinguished from it by the streaked lower tail-coverts (of both sexes), and by the pileum being much more intensely red than any other portion in the male. The female resembles more in markings that of _frontalis_, but has an entirely different shaped bill, and is much larger; the streaks above very conspicuous, instead of nearly obsolete. The side of the head lacks the conspicuous light and dark longitudinal areas observable in _purpureus_.

The young of both sexes resemble the adult female, but the streaks are less sharply defined, and the wing-feathers are broadly edged with light earth-brown.

In autumn and winter, as in all the other species, the red tints are softer and more purplish than in spring and summer.

HABITS. Cassin’s Purple Finch is the largest of the American birds of this genus, and is not only conspicuously different from all in size, but also in other respects. It is found between the great Central Plains and the coast range of mountains, being one of the common birds of Colorado, Utah, Nevada, and Eastern California. Dr. Cooper found these birds in large numbers about Lake Tahoe in California. They were all in their brown plumage, and seemed so much like the _C. californicus_ in their habits that he mistook them for that species. He noticed in them a very peculiar call-note as they flew, reminding him of that of _Pyranga_, and quite different from the other _Carpodaci_. The song of these birds, as he afterwards heard it, was much louder and finer than that of _C. californicus_, and more original in style. He is not familiar with their other habits, and has never met with them in the Colorado Valley. They have been procured from Fort Thorne, Pueblo Creek, and Alberquerque, New Mexico. Mr. Ridgway met with these birds in the Wahsatch Mountains, June 26, 1869, in Parley’s Park, Utah, where he found them breeding. Their nest was in the top of a cottonwood-tree near the cañon stream, about forty feet from the ground. It is a soft homogeneous structure, flattened in shape, and with only a slight depression. It is composed principally of roots and twigs, lined with softer materials of the same, interspersed with moss, cotton, and other soft substances. It is two inches in height with a width of four and a half inches. The cavity is about an inch deep.

In his Report on the birds of Mr. King’s survey, Mr. Ridgway states that he found this Linnet in the greatest abundance among the pines of the Sierra Nevada, near Carson City. It was next seen among the cedars and nut-pines of the East Humboldt Mountains, and again in the pine woods and cottonwood-trees along the streams on the Wahsatch Mountains. It breeds in all these localities, and is in its habits essentially, though not exclusively, resident among the pines. March 21, 1868, Mr. Ridgway observed flocks of these birds near Carson City. They were found in every portion of the woods, feeding among the branches of the pine-trees. They were all in full song, the females as well as the males. A week later he again found them common among the isolated pines in the fields at the foot of the Sierras, alighting on the trees in companies. Their notes resemble the song of the _C. purpureus_, but are finer and more musical. They have a great resemblance to the warblings of the _Vireo flavifrons_, but the passages in its song as much excel those of the Vireo in sweetness as they are surpassed in richness by the warblings of the latter. When one of two females of this species had been killed, the survivor, missing her companion, returned immediately to the tree and hopped from branch to branch, and then alighted on the ground by the side of her dead associate, lamenting her in sweet and plaintive cries.

By the 4th of April the pine-trees about Carson City were alive with these handsome birds, all of whom were in full song. So many were singing simultaneously that the chorus was almost deafening, yet was most exquisitely pleasing.

The nests of this bird were found by Mr. Ridgway in various situations, such as a box-elder bush, the tops of cottonwood and aspen trees, and similar situations. The eggs, four in number, are in size .82 by .63 of an inch, oval in shape, pointed at the smaller end, of a light bluish-green ground, dotted around the larger end with slate, lilac, and a blackish-brown.

Specimens were obtained by Dr. Sartorius, during the breeding-season (June, 1864), in the pine forests of Mt. Orizaba. A careful comparison shows no difference from birds procured in the same month in Nevada.

Carpodacus purpureus, GRAY.

EASTERN PURPLE FINCH.

_Fringilla purpurea_, GMELIN, Syst. Nat. I, 1788, 923.—WILSON, Am.
Orn. I, 1808, 119, pl. vii, f. 4.—IB. V, 1812, 87, pl. xlii, f.
3.—AUD. Orn. Biog. I, 1831, 24; V, 200, pl. iv. _Hæmorrhous
purpurea_, SWAINSON, Birds, II, 1837, 295. _Erythrospiza
purpurea_, BP. List, 1838.—AUD. Birds Am. III, 1841, 170, pl.
cxcvi. _Carpodacus purpureus_, GRAY’S Genera, 1844-49.—BON. &
SCHLEGEL, Mon. des Loxiens, 14, tab. xv.—BAIRD, Birds N. Am. 1858,
412.—SAMUELS, Birds N. Eng. 285. _? Loxia violacea_, LINN. Syst.
Nat. 1766, 306, 43. (Very uncertain.) _Purple Finch_, CATESBY,
PENNANT, LATH. _Hemp-Bird_, BARTRAM.

SP. CHAR. Second quill longest; first shorter than third, considerably longer than the fourth. Body crimson, palest on the rump and breast, darkest across the middle of back and wing-coverts, where the feathers have dusky centres. The red extends below continuously to the lower part of the breast, and in spots to the tibiæ. The belly and under tail-coverts white, streaked faintly with brown, except in the very middle. Edges of wings and tail-feathers brownish-red; lesser coverts like the back. Two reddish bands across the wings (over the ends of the middle and greater coverts). Lores dull grayish. Length, 6.25 inches; wing, 3.34; tail, 2.50; bill above, .46. _Female._ Olivaceous-brown above; brighter on the rump. Beneath white; all the feathers everywhere streaked with brown, except on the middle of the belly and under coverts. A superciliary light stripe.

HAB. North America, from Atlantic to the high Central Plains.

HABITS. The Purple Finch is a common species from Georgia to the plains of the Saskatchewan, and as far west as the Great Plains, beyond which it seems to be replaced by another race, or closely allied species. It breeds from about latitude 40° to perhaps 60°, and in most parts between these parallels is a rather common bird in suitable localities. A few are occasionally found during the winter in Massachusetts, but usually they all pass farther south. In the State of South Carolina they are especially abundant throughout the winter, or from October until April.

Dr. Coues states that the Purple Finch is a very abundant winter resident near Washington, arriving early in October and remaining until May, being eminently gregarious. Stragglers were seen until nearly June, but the majority had departed as the leaves expanded. They were most common in high open woods, and were observed to feed chiefly on tender young buds of trees. They were in full song before they took their departure.

They make their first appearance in regular migrations, in Massachusetts, from the 10th to the 20th of May, and occasionally a few are seen earlier. They are often unwelcome visitors to the fruit-growers, having a great fondness for the blossoms of the peach, cherry, plum, and apple. They will also feed upon other kinds of buds and blossoms. They have a great predilection for evergreen trees, especially the fir, the spruce, and the red cedar, and most generally build their nests in these trees. In summer they feed on seeds, insects, and berries of the honeysuckle and other shrubs.

The Purple Finch, or, as it is generally known in New England, the Linnet, is one of our sweetest, best, and most constant songsters, and is often trapped and sold as caged birds. They soon become accustomed and partially reconciled to their confinement, but sing only during a small part of the year. When one of these birds, confined in a cage, is hung outside the house, in the country, he is sure to draw around him quite a number of his species, and this furnishes the dealer a ready means of capturing them.

This Finch was once regarded as quite rare in the vicinity of Boston, so much so that during a four years’ residence in Cambridge, when collections of nests and eggs had many votaries, not a single nest of this species was obtained by any one. Since then, from some cause, probably the increase of gardens, groves of evergreens, and other localities favorable for their preservation and reproduction, these graceful little Finches have become quite abundant in places propitious for their residence. No less than seven pairs of these favorite songsters took up their abode in my grounds at Hingham in a single summer, and two had nests in the same tree, one of which was at least sixty feet from the ground, on the very top of a tall fir. These several pairs, as a general thing, lived together very harmoniously, save only when one would approach too near the favorite station of another, when the latter would begin to bristle up his crest, and give very evident hints that his near presence was not agreeable. The extreme southern end of the ridge-pole of the house had been, for several summers, the favorite post for the patriarch of the flock, from which at morning and at evening he made the neighborhood vocal with his melody. If in his absence any other of these birds ventured to occupy his position, there was always sure to be a disturbance on his return, if it was not instantly vacated. These encounters were frequent, and always very amusing. Discretion usually took the place of valor on the part of the intruder.

The song of the Purple Finch resembles that of the Canary, and though less varied and powerful, is softer, sweeter, and more touching and pleasing. The notes of this species may be heard from the last of May until late in September, and in the long summer evenings are often continued until after it is quite dark. Their song has all the beauty and pathos of the Warbling Vireo, and greatly resembles it, but is more powerful and full in tone. It is a very interesting sight to watch one of these little performers in the midst of his song. He appears perfectly absorbed in his work, his form dilates, his crest is erected, his throat expands, and he seems to be utterly unconscious of all around him. But let an intruder of his own race appear within a few feet of the singer, and the song instantly ceases, and in a violent fit of indignation he chases him away.

The flight of the Purple Finch is said by Mr. Audubon to resemble that of the Green Finch of Europe. They fly in compact flocks, with an undulating motion, alighting all at once, and then instantly, as if suddenly alarmed, take again to flight only to return to the same tree. They then immediately make each his separate way to the ends of the branches, and commence eating the buds. The food they take to their young is juicy berries and the softer portions of the young cones of the fir and spruce.

They nest generally in firs, spruces, or cedar-trees, though occasionally on the upper branches of a high apple-tree. Their nests are usually placed upon a branch, rather than interlaced between its forked twigs. I have known them not more than five feet from the ground, and at other times on the highest point of a lofty fir-tree. The nests are, for the most part, somewhat flat and shallow structures, not more than two and a half inches in height, and about three and a half in breadth. The walls of the nest average less than an inch, and the cavity corresponds to its general shape and form. The framework of the nest is usually made of small denuded vegetable fibres, stems of grasses, strips of bark, and woody fragments. The upper rim of the nest is often a curious intertwining of dry herbaceous stems, the ends of which project above the nest itself in the manner of a low palisade. The inner nest is made up of minute vegetable fibres, closely interwoven. There is usually no other lining than this. At other times these nests are largely made up of small dark-colored rootlets of wooded plants, lined with finer materials of the same, occasionally mingled with the down of birds and the fur of small animals.

The eggs of the Purple Finch vary greatly in size, and somewhat in shape. Generally they are of an oblong oval, pointed considerably at one end. Their length varies from .92 to .81 of an inch, and their breadth from .70 to .60. Their color is a pale shade of emerald-green, spotted with dark brown, almost black, chiefly about the larger end. The ground-color is much brighter when the eggs are fresh, and soon fades upon exposure to light, and even when kept in a close drawer.

Carpodacus purpureus, var. californicus, BAIRD.

THE CALIFORNIA PURPLE FINCH.

_Carpodacus californicus_, BAIRD, Birds N. Am. 1858, 413, pl. lxxii,
f. 23.—COOPER & SUCKLEY, 196.—COOPER, Orn. Cal. 1, 154.

SP. CHAR. Similar to _purpureus_. Third quill longest; first shorter than the fourth. Purple of head and rump much darker than in _C. purpureus_; the head with a broad supra-orbital lateral band of lighter purple. Length 6.20; wing, 3.20; tail, 2.60.

HAB. Pacific Province of United States.

The female of the western type differs from that of the eastern in being more olivaceous above, and in having the streaks below rather larger, and not so well defined. There appears to be a difference in the marking of the wings. In eastern _C. purpureus_ there is usually a well-marked whitish band across the ends of the middle coverts, while the greater coverts, though margined externally by paler, have a still lighter bar across the posterior extremity, which is not seen in the western bird.

HABITS. The Californian Purple Pinch is found throughout the Pacific coast, from the Straits of Fuca to California, as far south as Monterey. Dr. Cooper states that this species is rather a northern bird, being common at the Columbia River, and even farther north, while in California it has not been found south of Monterey on the coast, and Fort Tejon in the Sierra Nevada. In summer they frequent the mountain forests, especially those in part composed of _Coniferæ_. In winter they descend to the valleys, where they are found associating with the more common and familiar _C. frontalis_. He met with them in May on the summits of the coast range toward Santa Cruz, but they were not very numerous. They then had nests, though he did not succeed in finding them.

The song of the California Linnet is quite loud and varied, often resembling that of other birds, especially _Vireos_ and _Dendroicæ_, for which Dr. Cooper has often mistaken it. Their food consists of seeds, berries, and the buds of trees. Their nest and eggs are unknown, but probably resemble those of _C. purpureus_.

Carpodacus frontalis, SCLATER.

HOUSE LINNET; CRIMSON-FRONTED FINCH; BURION.

_Fringilla frontalis_, SAY, Long’s Exped. R. Mts. II, 1824, 40. (For
other synonymes see under the different varieties.)

SP. CHAR. Bill short, nearly as deep as broad; culmen much curved, commissure arched; lower mandible nearly as deep as the upper. Tail more than three fourths as long as wing, slightly emarginated. Wing and tail feathers without reddish edges; lower tail-coverts and abdomen with broad streaks of dusky. General color above, including wings, tail, and upper tail-coverts, brownish-gray, the feathers with lighter edges. Beneath white, each feather with a medial streak of dusky. _Male._ A broad frontal crescent, extending back in a superciliary stripe to the occiput, a patch on the rump (not the upper tail-coverts), and an area covering cheeks, chin, throat, and jugulum red,—bright scarlet in spring, rosy in fall. _Female_ without the red, which is replaced by a uniform streaking. _Young_ resembling the female, but streaks less sharply defined; those above more distinct. Wing-coverts broadly edged with light earth-brown.

This species inhabits the western regions of North America, from the Rocky Mountains to the Pacific; and Mexico, except, perhaps, the eastern portion. In this range of distribution it occurs in three races, which, taking extreme examples, are well marked, but when a large series is examined are found to grade insensibly into each other.

The above description is general, being modified only by _additional_ characters in the several races. The normal plumage is perhaps represented in the central race,—the true _frontalis_, as restricted,—which inhabits the Middle Province of the United States, and is nearly as described above; the red of the male of this style is of a bright scarlet tint, and in nearly all specimens shows a tendency to escape the boundaries above indicated. As we go south into Mexico, we find the red strictly confined within those limits, very sharply defined; and, under the tropical influence, intensified into a very bright carmine tint; this latter is the _C. hæmorrhous_ of authors. Following the var. _frontalis_ westward, we find it gradually changing, the red invading more and more the other portions, until, in specimens from the coast of California and from Cape St. Lucas, it is spread over all portions, except the anal region, wing, and tail,—though always brightest within those outlines which confine it in the two preceding varieties. In extreme examples of the latter race,—the _C. rhodocolpus_ of Cabanis,—the red even obliterates the streaks on the abdomen. The spreading of the red is seen in other birds of the Pacific region, this case being exactly paralleled by the _Sphyropicus ruber_, in its relation to _S. nuchalis_ or _S. varius_.

The females and young of the three races are quite difficult to distinguish from each other, the locality being the best means of identifying them.

Carpodacus frontalis, var. frontalis, GRAY.

CRIMSON-FRONTED FINCH; BURION.

_Fringilla frontalis_, SAY, Long’s Exp. II, 1824, 40.—(?) AUD. Orn.
Biog. V, 1839, 230, pl. ccccxxiv. _Pyrrhula f._ BONAP. Am. Orn. I,
1825, 49, pl. vi. _Erythrospiza f._ BON. List, 1838.—IB. P. Z. S.
1837, 112.—(?) AUD. Syn. 1839, 125.—IB. Birds Am. III, 1841, 175,
pl. cxcvii.—GAMB. J. A. N. S. 2d series, I, 1847, 53. _Fringilla
(Pyrrhula) f._ GAMB. P. A. N. S. I, 1843, 262. _Carpodacus f._
GRAY, Gen. 1844-49.—MCCALL, P. A. N. S. V, 1851, 219.—BAIRD, Birds
N. Am. 1858, 415. _? Carpodacus obscurus_, MCCALL, P. A. N. S. V,
June, 1851, 220, Santa Fé, N. M. _Carpodacus familiaris_, MCCALL,
P. A. N. S. VII, April, 1852, 61, Santa Fé, N. M.

SP. CHAR. (♂ 58,589, Great Salt Lake City, Utah, June 1, 1869.) Above brownish-gray, faintly glossed with red on the nape and back; wing and tail feathers passing into lighter on their edges, and dorsal feathers with obsolete shaft-streaks of darker. A frontal band, about as wide as the length of the culmen, continuing back in a superciliary stripe to the occiput, throat, jugulum, and a patch on the lower part of the rump (but not on upper tail-coverts) carmine-scarlet. Rest of lower parts white, each feather with a medial streak of brown like the back. Wing, 3.10; tail, 2.60; culmen, .38; tarsus, .65; middle toe, .52.

(♀ 58,590, Salt Lake City, June 21, 1869.) Similar, but red entirely absent, the throat and jugulum being white streaked with brown, and the front, rump, etc., grayish, obsoletely streaked with darker. Wing, 3.00; tail, 2.40.

(_Juv._ 40,799, Fort Whipple, Arizona, June 5, 1865.) Generally similar to the ad. ♀, but more brownish, and the wing-feathers passing into dull buffy-ochraceous on their edges; streaks beneath narrower and less distinct.

In winter the red is softer and less sharply defined, and usually of a more purplish tint; the markings generally more blended.

HAB. Middle Province of the United States, from Rocky Mountains to the interior valleys of California.

HABITS. This form of the House Finch appears to be a very common bird throughout the interior region of the United States, extending to New Mexico and Arizona on the south and southeast, and probably to Mexico. On the Pacific coast it is replaced by another and closely allied variety.

Dr. Woodhouse states that his attention was first called to this interesting little songster while at Sante Fé. It was there known to the American residents as the “Adobe Finch.” By the Mexicans they were called _Buriones_. He found them exceedingly tame, building about the dwellings, churches, and other buildings, in every nook and corner, and even entering the houses to pick up crumbs. They are never disturbed by the inhabitants. He adds that at the first dawn of the morning they commence a very sweet and clear warble, which he was quite unable to do justice to by any verbal description. He has often in the early morning listened with admiration and gratification to the song of this bird, which is deservedly a great favorite. He found it throughout New Mexico, and beyond. He did not distinguish it from the coast variety.

Dr. Coues also found this bird very abundant in Arizona, where it is a permanent resident, but most abundant in spring and fall. He describes it as eminently gregarious. He found it in all situations, but most common in the spring among the groves of willows and poplars, on the buds of which it feeds. He met with this species all the way from the Rio Grande through New Mexico and Arizona to California, and appears to have noted no differences between this form and the coast variety. He also mentions finding, during a few days’ stay in the New Mexican village of Los Pinos, near Alberquerque, on the Rio Grande, this pretty little Finch the most common and characteristic of the local birds. It was there breeding indifferently in the courtyards, sheds, under porticos or eaves, and also in the forks of trees in the streets. It had sharp conflicts with the Barn Swallows, whose nests it often took possession of, and was a lively and most agreeable feature in the dirty towns which it honored with its presence; and its songs were at once sweet, clear, and exquisitely melodious.

Dr. Cooper met with these birds among the barren and rocky hills near the Colorado.

Mr. Ridgway, who found these birds breeding in large numbers at Pyramid Lake, informs me that their nests were usually placed in clefts in rocks, or in a cave. Near Salt Lake City they were also very common, building their nests among the shrubs known as the wild mahogany, on the hills, but never frequenting the higher regions of the mountains.

The eggs of this bird, which are not distinguishable from those of the Pacific coast form, have a delicate pale-blue ground-color, which is very fugitive, and fades even in the drawers of a cabinet. They are sparingly marked, chiefly around the more obtuse end, with spots and lines of black and a dark brown. They are of oval shape, elongate and pointed at one end, and measure .80 of an inch in length by .60 in breadth.

Carpodacus frontalis, var. rhodocolpus, CABAN.

CALIFORNIA HOUSE-FINCH; RED-HEADED LINNET; BURION.

_? Pyrrhula cruentata_, LESSON, Rev. Zoöl. 1839, 101. _Carpodacus
rhodocolpus_, CABANIS, Mus. Hein. 1851, 166.—SCLATER, P. Z. S.
1856, 304. _Carpodacus frontalis_, BON. & SCHLEG. Mon. des Lox.
1850, tab. xvi, f. 1.—IB. Consp. 1850, 533.—BAIRD, Birds N. Am.
1858, 415 (in part).—COOPER, Orn. Cal. 1, 156. _House Finch_,
GRAYSON, Hesperian, II, 1859, 7, plate. _Carpodacus familiaris_,
HEERMANN, X, 50 (nest).

SP. CHAR. (♂ 12,973, Cape St. Lucas.) Head, neck, jugulum, breast, upper part of abdomen and sides, and rump, bright carmine-scarlet, dullest on the centre of the crown and auriculars; rest of the upper parts brownish-gray, glossed with red except on the wings, which have the feathers with distinctly lighter edges. Anal region, flanks, and crissum white, the feathers with shaft-streaks of brown. Wing, 3.00; tail, 2.60; culmen, .45; tarsus, .62; middle toe, .50.

_Female_ and _Juv._ similar to var. _frontalis_, but colors darker.

HAB. Coast region of Pacific Province, and peninsula of Lower California.

The male described above represents about the average plumage of this form; an extreme example is No. 26,546, Cape St. Lucas, which is almost entirely of a wine-red color, this covering the whole lower parts, except the anal region, and obliterating the streaks; the wings even are tinged with red. Still, on the head the red (a wine-purple tint) is brightest within those limits to which it is confined in the normal plumage.

HABITS. This variety of the House Finch is a very common bird throughout the Pacific coast, from Oregon to Mexico. Mr. Ridgway states that he found this species the most common and familiar of all the birds of the Sacramento Valley. It is a very common cage-bird, being highly prized for its song, which in power is hardly inferior to that of the Canary, while it far surpasses it in sweetness. Its beautiful plumage also renders it still more attractive. The peculiarly soft and musical _tweet_ of this bird is also very similar to that of the Canary, and is very different from the common note of the Purple Finch. This bird breeds very numerously among the shade-trees in the streets of Sacramento, as well as among the oak groves on the outskirts of that city. The males are very shy, but the females, when their nest is disturbed, keep up a lively chirping in an adjoining tree. The nest is generally situated near the extremity of a horizontal branch of a small oak, usually in a grove, occasionally in an isolated tree. In one instance it made use of an abandoned nest of a Bullock’s Oriole, and in another of that of a Cliff Swallow.

Dr. Cooper speaks of this bird as being especially abundant in all the southern portions of California, and also, according to Dr. Newberry, throughout all the valleys northward into Oregon. It is a species that is everywhere peculiar to the valleys, while the others of this genus are equally confined to the wooded mountains. Dr. Cooper also met with this species in the plains near the coast, where there are no plants higher than the wild mustard, on the seeds of which they feed. They also frequent the groves and the open forests on the summits of the coast range, but in small numbers, in company with the _C. californicus_. They at times feed on buds of trees, and seeds of the cottonwood and other plants. It is most abundant among ranches and gardens where, Dr. Cooper states, it does much mischief by destroying seeds and young plants, fruit and buds. For these depredations even its cheerful and constant song is not regarded as an adequate compensation; and unlike the New-Mexicans in their treatment of its kindred race, the California cultivators wage an unrelenting war upon these birds.

At San Diego, Dr. Cooper found them building as early as the 15th of March, and even a little earlier. Both the situation and the materials of their nest vary. He has found them nesting in trees, on logs and rocks, on the top rail of a picket fence, inside a window-shutter, in the holes of walls, under tiles, on the thatch of a roof, in barns and haystacks, and even between the interstices in the sticks of which the nest of a Hawk had been made, and once in the old nest of an Oriole. About dwellings they always seek the protection of man, and seem to be quite unconscious of having deserved or incurred his enmity. The materials of their nests are usually coarse grasses and weeds, with a lining of hair and fine roots. They raise two, sometimes three, broods in a season, and in the autumn assemble in large flocks, but migrate very little, if any, to the south.

Dr. Cooper states that their songs are very different from those of the other species. They are very varied and very lively, and are heard throughout the year. They are easily kept as cage-birds, but soon lose the beauty of their plumage in confinement, their bright purple colors changing to a dirty yellow.

Nuttall did not observe any of this species in Oregon.

The eggs of this bird vary from four to six in number, and are of a pale blue which readily fades into a bluish-white, and are marked with spots and lines of a dark brown or black. They are of an elongate-oval shape, and measure from .82 to .75 of an inch in length, with an average breadth of .60.

GENUS CHRYSOMITRIS, BOIE.

_Chrysomitris_, BOIE, Isis, 1828, 322. (Type, _Fringilla spinus_,
LINN.)
_Astragalinus_, CAB. Mus. Hein. 1851, 159. (Type, _Fringilla
tristis_, LINN.)
_Hypacanthus_, CAB. Mus. Hein. 1851, 161. (Type, _Carduelis
spinoides_.)

[Line drawing: _Chrysomitris tristis._
1521 ♀]

GEN. CHAR. Bill rather acutely conic, the tip not very sharp; the culmen slightly convex at the tip; the commissure gently curved. Nostrils concealed. Obsolete ridges on the upper mandible. Tarsi shorter than the middle toe; outer toe rather the longer, reaching to the base of the middle one. Claw of hind toe shorter than the digital portion. Wings and tail as in _Ægiothus_.

The colors are generally yellow, with black on the crown, throat, back, wings, and tail, varied sometimes with white.

The females want the bright markings of the male.

This genus differs from _Ægiothus_ in a less acute and more curved bill, a much less development of the bristly feathers at the base of the bill, the claw of the hind toe shorter than its digital portion, the claws shorter and less curved and attenuated, and the outer lateral toes not extending beyond the base of the middle claw.

The species exhibit many differences among themselves, especially in the size and shape of the bill, which have been made the basis of generic distinctions. They may be distinguished as follows:—

Species and Varieties.

A. No streaks anywhere on plumage; base of tail-feathers black or white. Sexes dissimilar. (_Chrysomitris._)

_a._ No yellow on the wings.

1. C. tristis. Inner webs of tail-feathers always whitish
terminally (except in _Juv._). ♂. Forehead and crown, wings
and tail, deep black; rest of plumage, including the back,
rich lemon-yellow; tail-coverts white. ♀. Body grayish above,
dingy whitish beneath, stained with yellow; no black on head;
wings and tail duller black. _Juv._ Fulvous-umber above, with
markings of reddish-ochraceous on the wings; beneath,
dilute-yellow washed with fulvous. _Hab._ Whole of temperate
and warm North America.

2. C. psaltria. Inner webs of tail-feathers never whitish
terminally. ♂. Beneath yellow, including the lower
tail-coverts; above black, with or without olive-green on the
back. ♀. Without any black, the yellow duller.

_Tail with white on inner webs; tertials with large white spots._

♂. Auriculars, nape, back, and rump olive-green. _Hab._
Rocky Mountains of United States … var. _psaltria_.

♂. Auriculars black; nape, back, and rump green clouded
with black. _Hab._ Arizona … var. _arizonæ_.

♂. Auriculars, nape, back, and rump entirely black. _Hab._
Middle America … var. _mexicana_.

_Tail without any white on inner webs; tertials without white spots._

♂. Auriculars, nape, back, and rump wholly black. _Hab._
Panama and New Granada … var. _columbiana_.

_b._ Terminal half of outer webs of wing-coverts and
secondaries yellow.

3. C. lawrencii. Prevailing color ashy, lighter beneath. ♂.
A large patch on the breast, the rump, and most of the outer
surface of the wing, yellow; forehead, crown, lores, all
round base of bill, chin, wings (beneath the yellow), and
tail black. ♀. Lacking the black, and with the yellow only
indicated. _Hab._ California and Southwestern Arizona.

B. Whole body and head thickly streaked; bases of tail-feathers yellow. Sexes alike. (_Astragalinus._)

4. C. pinus. Above brownish-gray, beneath white, with
conspicuous dusky streaks everywhere; two light bands on the
wing; bases of secondaries and primaries yellow. _Hab._ Whole
of North America.

1. Hesperiphona vespertina, _var._ vespertina. ♂ H. B. Ter., 16770.
2. Ægiothus canescens, _var._ exilipes. ♂ H. B. Ter., 19686.
3. “ linaria, _var._ fuscescens. ♂ Lab’r, 18098. Summer.
4. Hesperiphona vespertina, _var._ montana. Mex., 35150.
5. Ægiothus linaria, _var._ fuscescens. Pa., 900. Winter.
6. “ flavirostris, _var._ brewsteri. Autumn.
7. Chrysomitris tristis. ♂ Pa., 1531. Summer.
8. “ “ _ad._, ♂ Pa., 2205. Winter.
9. Chrysomitris psaltria. ♂ Cal., 6401.
10. “ “ ♀ Cal., 3930.
11. “ mexicana, _var._ arizonæ. ♂ Ariz., 37091.
12. “ “ _var._ mexicana. Mex., 4078.
13. Chrysomitris psaltria, _var._ mexicana. ♀ Mex., 22432.
14. “ lawrencii. ♂ Cal., 6405.
15. “ “ ♀ Cal., 40836.
16. “ pinus. ♂ Rocky Mts., 11095.]

Three species of _Chrysomitris_, given by Mr. Audubon, are to be erased from the list: _C. stanleyi_, _C. yarrelli_, and _C. magellanica_. If, as he states, he killed specimens of the latter in Kentucky, they must have belonged to the _C. notata_ of Dubus, a Mexican species, not since met with in our limits. The other two were given him as coming from California,—a statement we now know to be incorrect, both belonging to South America.

Chrysomitris tristis, BON.

YELLOW-BIRD; THISTLE-BIRD.

_Fringilla tristis_, LINN. Syst. Nat. I, 1766, 320.—WILS. Am. Orn.
I, 1808, 20, pl. i, f. 2.—AUD. Orn. Biog. I, 1831, 172; V, 510,
pl. xxxiii. _Carduelis tristis_, BON. Obs. Wils. 1825, No.
96.—AUD. Birds Am. II, 1841, 129, pl. clxxxi.—MAX. Cab. Journ. vi,
1858, 281. _Chrysomitris tristis_, BON. List, 1838.—NEWBERRY,
Zoöl. Cal. & Or. Route; Rep. P. R. R. Surv. VII, IV, 1857,
87.—BAIRD, Birds N. Am. 1858, 421.—COOPER & SUCKLEY, 197.—COOPER,
Orn. Cal. 1, 167. _Astragalinus tristis_, CABANIS, Mus. Hein.
1851, 159 (type). _Carduelis americana_, (EDWARDS,) SW. & RICH. F.
B. A. II, 1831, 268. _Golden Finch_, PENNANT. _American
Goldfinch_, EDWARDS. _Chardonneret jaune; Chardonneret du Canada;
Tarin de la Nouvelle Yorck_, BUFFON.—IB. Pl. enl., pl. ccii, f. 2,
pl. ccxcii, f. 1.—SAMUELS, Birds N. Eng. 288.

SP. CHAR. _Male._ Bright gamboge-yellow; crown, wings, and tail black. Lesser wing-coverts, band across the end of greater ones, ends of secondaries and tertiaries, inner margins of tail-feathers, upper and under tail-coverts, and tibia white. Length, 5.25 inches; wing, 3.00. _Female._ Yellowish-gray above; greenish-yellow below. No black on forehead. Wing and tail much as in the male. _Young._ Reddish-olive above; fulvous-yellow below; two broad bands across coverts, and broad edges to last half of secondaries pale rufous.

HAB. North America generally.

In winter the yellow is replaced by a yellowish-brown; the black of the crown wanting, that of wings and tail browner. The throat is generally yellowish; the under parts ashy-brown, passing behind into white.

There are no observable differences between eastern and western specimens.

HABITS. The common American Goldfinch is found throughout the greater portion of North America, from the Atlantic to the Pacific. Sir John Richardson met with it in the fur regions, where it is one of the tardiest of the summer visitors, and whence it departs early in September. The specimen described by him was taken June 29. At the extreme South it is not uncommon, according to Dresser, around San Antonio, and Dr. Woodhouse found it abundant both in Texas and in the Indian Territory. Dr. Coues did not find it in Arizona, nor does Sumichrast give it as a bird of Vera Cruz. Dr. Newberry found this Finch quite common throughout his route to the Columbia, this sweet songster, he states, having been a constant source of pleasure in the interior both of California and Oregon, far from the haunts of men, where everything else was new and strange. But Dr. Suckley, though he looked carefully for this species about Puget Sound, in the most appropriate situations, was unable to find any, and did not believe that any existed there. Dr. Cooper states that it is, however, quite abundant on the Columbia and along the coast near its mouth.