PURPLE FINCH, OR AMERICAN LINNET. 531 



latter end of March, or early in April, and arriving with 

 us in the month of May, to pass the most important 

 period of their existence. Roving flocks are also seen 

 here as early as the 24th of March, singing while they 

 stay, with great energy and cheerfulness ; these, in all 

 probability, proceed to Labrador or Newfoundland to 

 breed. The males now have many bitter contests for 

 the choice of their mates, and are very bold and pugna- 

 cious in confinement, attempting to destroy every other 

 bird introduced into the same cage. They also bite 

 severely when taken up wounded, but are directly recon- 

 ciled to the cage, finding their most important wants so 

 amply supplied ; yet, in this state, they often refuse to 

 sing, and after moulting into the humble plumage of the 

 female, frequently remain so, without ever renewing their 

 crimson dress. They are here exposed in cages for sale 

 at high prices (by the name of Linnets), and sing pretty 

 commonly in confinement. Their notes are very similar 

 to those of the Warbling Vireo, but louder, and more 

 agreeably diversified. From the tops of our lofty and 

 spreading elms, or shadowy spruce-trees, where they de- 

 light to pass the time, their varied and very cheerful 

 melody is often continued almost without interval, and 

 poured forth like a torrent. After a combat with a rival, 

 his towering notes of victory burst out into rapture, and 

 he now seems to triumph with loud and petulant hilarity. 

 The song of this beautiful Finch is, indeed, much finer 

 than that of the Canary ; the notes are remarkably clear 

 and mellow, and the trilling, sweet, and various, particu- 

 larly on their first arrival. At times the warble is 

 scarcely audible, and appears at a distance ; it then, by a 

 fine crescendo, bursts into loudness, and fails into an ec- 

 stasy of ardent and overpowering expression ; at such times 

 the usual pauses of the song are forgotten, and, like the 



