148 PURPLE FINCH 



Purple Finch : Carpodacus purpureus. 



(Plate IX.) 



Geographic Distribution. — Eastern North America ; breeds 

 from Minnesota and southern New York northward ; winters 

 from the northern states to the Gulf, 



Purple this tuneful little Fincli assuredly is 

 not, but rather a warm old rose as if he had been 

 dipped in pokeberry juice, as Mr. Burroughs so 

 aptly suggests. The Finch part of the name is less 

 deceptive and bears out the evidence of the cone- 

 shaped bill ; for the Purple Finch belongs to the 

 Sparrow and Finch family of seed-eaters, whose 

 partial vegetarianism enables them to winter north 

 of the Gulf and who, like the Goldfinch, wander 

 about in flocks looking for food. Doctor Mearns 

 says of their flocks : " On some occasions they 

 are quite wild, and, on being approached, all 

 rise at once on wing with a loud, rushing noise, 

 accompanied by certain peculiar wild notes, which 

 produce quite a startling effect. . . . When feed- 

 ing in flocks, the rustle of their wings is constant, 

 and their united chirping produces a singular 

 effect. ... I have found immense flocks in 

 March, eating the seeds of hemlock and sj^ruce. 

 . . . Like the Blue Jay and some other birds, 

 they appear to be unusually lively during a rain- 

 storm ; and in winter, at the commencement of a 

 snowstorm, they sometimes hie to the loftiest tree- 

 top, and begin to sing, as if from pleasure or 

 excitement." 



