BIRDS OF NORTH AND MIDDLE AMERICA. 131 



[Carpodacus'] jmrpureus CouES, Key N. Am. Birds, 1872, 128, part. 



Q.\_arpodacus\ pmyureus Coues, Key N". Am. Birds, 2d ed., 1884, 346, part. 



CarjMdacus californicus Baied, Rep. Pacific R. R. Surv., ix, 1858, 413 (FortTejon, 

 southern California; U. S. Nat. Mus.); ed. 1860 ("Birds N. Am."), pi. 72, 

 figs. 2, 3; Cat. N. Am. Birds, 1859, no. 306.— Xantus, Proc. Ac. Nat. Sci. 

 Phila., 1859 (FortTejon). — Coopeb and Suckley, Rep. Pacific R. R. Surv., 

 xii, pt. ii, 1860, 196 (Fort Steilacoom, Straits of Fuca, etc., Washington). — 

 Cooper, Orn. Cal., 1870, 154.— Ridgway, Proc. IT. S. Nat. Mus., i, 1879, 

 391 (Calaveras Co., California). 



Carpodacus purpureus, var. californims Baird, Brewer, and Ridgway, Hist. N. 

 Am. Birds, i, 1874, 465.— Cooper (W. A.), Bull. Nutt. Orn. Club, iii, 1878, 8 

 (habits; descr. nest and eggs). 



Carpodacus, var. californicus Baird, Brewer, and Ridgway, Hist. N. Am. Birds, 

 i, 1874, pi. 21, figs. 10, 11. 



Carpodacus purpureus, (i. californicus Ridgway, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., i, Mar. 21, 



1879, 413 (Big Trees, Calaveras Co., California, breeding; Marysville, Stock- 

 ton, etc. , in winter) . 



Clarpodacus'] purpureus californicus Henshaw, Orn. Rep. Wheeler's Surv., 1879, 



293 (Dalles, Oregon).— Ridgway, Man. N. Am. Birds, 1887, 390. 

 Carpodacus purpureus caUfornicus Ridgway, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., iii, Aug. 24, 



1880, 176; Nom. N. Am. Birds, 1881, no. 168o. — Americax Ornithologists' 

 Union, Check List, 1886, no. 517a.— Anthony, Auk, iii, 1886, 168 (Wash- 

 ington Co., Oregon, breeding). — Evermann, Auk, iii, 1886, 181 (Ventura 

 Co., California, rare in winter). — Scott, Auk, iv, 1887, 196 (Santa Catalina 

 Mts., Arizona, Nov. toFeb.).— Townsend, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., x, 1887, 215 

 (Baird and Mt. Lassen, n. California, June; Humboldt Co., Dec). — Morcom, 

 Bull. Ridgw. Orn. Club, no. 2, 1887, 48 (Coahuila Valley, San Diego Co., Cali- 

 fornia, winter resid.). — Fannin, Check List Birds Brit. Col., 1891, 34 (chiefly 

 w. side of Cascades, including Vancouver I. ; breeding). — Lawrence (R. H.) , 

 Auk, ix, 1892, .355 (Gray's Har])or, Washington). — Grinnell, Pub. ii, Pasa- 

 dena Acad. Sci., 1898, 34 (Mount Wilson, Los Angeles Co., California, June). 



CARPODACUS MEXICANUS MEXICANUS (Miiller). 

 MEXICAN HOUSE FINCH. 



Adult male. — Forehead (broadly), broad supra-auricular stripe 

 (extending from forehead to occiput), malar region, throat (sometimes 

 upper part of chest also^), and rump bright red (varying from poppy 

 red to crimson^); rest of upper parts hair brown, obsoletely streaked 

 with darker, the wings and tail dusky, with pale grayish brown and 

 brownish gra}^ edgings; under parts (except throat, etc.) dull whitish, 

 thickly streaked with hair brown, the breast sometimes tinged with 



^ There is considerable variation in the extent of the red on the under parts. 

 Usually it includes not only the entire throat, but also the upper part of the chest; 

 frequently it is confined to the throat; occasionally even the breast is faintly tinged 

 with red, but in such cases the intense red of the throat or upper chest is still sharply 

 contrasted with the pale red or pink behind it; in fact, all the red areas are always 

 sharply defined in this form. 



- There is also much variation in the hue of the red, the color being more scarlet 

 or crimson in summer, more purplish (sometimes almost pinkish wine color) in 

 winter. Occasionally the color varies to orange or even yellow. 



