332 Birds of Colorado 



Habits. — The House-Finch rivals the Enghsh Sparrow 

 in its attachment to to^vns and villages, moreover it 

 seems well able to hold its o\vn against it although 

 inferior in size. Its bright colour and beautiful song 

 endear it to all the inhabitants of western towns, and 

 if encouraged it becomes tame and familiar. 



Dr. Bergtold relates how it will come to his window- 

 sill in the centre of Denver to drink water put out for 

 it, and will even enter the room through the open window, 

 to take advantage of the radiators. When met with 

 in the country, it frequents open hill-sides and ravines, 

 but shows none of the famiharity it displays in towns. 

 The food consists chiefly of scraps in the town, but in 

 the country it has a distmct taste for fruit. The nest 

 (Plate 14, Fig. 1) is a compact structure of twigs and 

 grass stems, sometimes hned with wool ; it is placed in. 

 bushes or creepers growing about verandahs and porches, 

 while in Denver the bird has been frequently observed to 

 adapt the large arc-light globes used for hghting the streets 

 as a safe, warm place to rear a famity. It is an early 

 breeder, eggs having been found so soon as March 15th, 

 and as it raises two broods it is often still engaged in 

 incubation as late as July. The male, according to Aiken, 

 does not assist in this matter. The eggs, usually five 

 in number, are white, with, a blueish or greenish tmge, 

 sparsely speckled, chiefly at the larger end, with black, 

 and measure -75 x -54. Gale found it nesting at Gold 

 Hill at about 9,000 feet (Henderson). 



Genus LOXIA. 



Moderate-sized Finches — wing 3 to 4 — with the upper and lower 

 mandibles falcate and crossed in adults ; nostrils concealed by the nasal 

 bristles ; wing long and pointed, tail short, about -60 length of wing- 

 Plumage of the males with reddish, of the females with yellowish-green. 



This genus, containing the Crossbills, is found throughout the more 



