246 



North American Birds Eggs. 



5 19. House Finch. Carpodacus iiiexiraniis froatalis. 

 Range.— United States west of the Plains and from Oregon and Wyoming to 



Mexico. 



jf* 



[Greenish blue. 



This is one of the best known of western birds, and nests com- 

 monly in all situations from trees and bushes to vines growing 

 on porches. Their nests are made of rootlets and grasses and 

 are lined with horse hair. Their nesting season includes all the 

 summer months, they raising two and sometimes three broods a 

 season. The three to five eggs are pale greenish blue with a few 

 sharp blackish brown specks about the large end. Size .80 x .55. 



519b. St. Lucas House Finch. Carpodacus mexicanus ruberrimus. 



Range.— Southern Lower California. A slightly smaller variety of the pre- 

 ceding. 



5 1 9c. San Clemente House Finch. Carpodacus mexicanus riementis. 



Range.— San Clemente and Santa Barbara Islands. Somewhat darker than 

 the last. 



520. Guadalupe House Finch. Carpodacus amplus. 



Range.— Guadalupe Island, Lower California. 



Simtlar to the House Finch, but deeper red and slightly larger. Their nest- 

 ing habits and eggs are precisely like those of the House Finch but the eggs 

 average larger; size .85 x .60. 



520.1. San Benito House Finch. Carpodacus mcgregori. 



Range.— San Benito Island, Lower California. 



A newly made species, hardly to be distinguished from the last. Eggs pro- 

 bably the same. 



52 L American Crossbill. Loxia curvirostra minor. 



Range.— Nortliern North America, breeding in the Alleghanies and from 

 northern New England northward: winters south to the mid- 

 dle portions of the United States and casually farther. - -i 



The birds are very curious both in appearance and actions, ^^r > ■ 

 being verv "fiighty" and restless, and apt to remain to breed 

 on anv of' the mountains. They build during March or April, 

 making their nests of twigs, rootlets, moss, feathers, etc., and 

 placing them in forks or on branches of trees (usually coni- 

 fers) at anv height from the ground. The eggs are greenish 

 white, spotted with brown and with lavender shell markings; size .75x.55. 



521a. Mexican Crossbill. Loxia curvirostra stricklandi. 



i^ai-ige.— Mountain ranges from central Mexico north to Wyoming. 



A larger variety of the preceding. The eggs will not differ except perhaps a 

 trifle in size. 



522. White-winged Crossbill. Loxia Icucoptcra. 



Range.— Northern North America, breeding in the Alle- 

 irhanies and from northern Maine northward; winters to mid- 

 dle portions of the United States. 



This species is rosy red with two white wing bars. Like the 



last, they are of a roving disposition and are apt to be found 



in any unexpected locality. Their nesting habits are the same 



as those of the American Crossbill, but the eggs average larger 



[Greenish white.) and the markings are more blotchy; size .80 x .55. 



[Greenish white. J 



