390 NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS. 



usually strongly suffused with brownish and broadly though not 

 sharply streaked with darker ; back veiy indistinctly streaked, the 

 central portion of the feathers being less dark and the edges darker 

 than in C. purpureus ; red of crown darker and that of rump much 

 darker and duller than in C. purpureus. Adult female with upper 

 parts more uniform, and streaks on lower parts rather narrower, 

 less sharply defined, and paler than in C. purpureiis. Length 6.00 

 -6.50, wing (male) 3.10-3.20 (3.13), tail 2.40-2.60 (2.49). Eggs 

 .77 X -56. Hab. Pacific coast of United States, from southern 

 California to British Columbia, breeding in mountains. 



517a. C. purpureus californicus Baird. 

 California Purple Finch. 

 b^. Lower tail-coverts with distinct streaks of dusky ; depth of bill through 

 base less than length of gonys. Adult male : Top of head bright crim- 

 son ; back and scapulars pinkish brown, the feathers edged with light 

 grayish and streaked medially with dusky ; rump nearly uniform dull 

 pinkish ; throat and breast pale dull rose-pink ; rest of lower parts 

 white, the sides scarcely tinged with pinkish, and lower tail-coverts 

 conspicuously streaked with dusky. Adidt female : Above olive-graj'ish, 

 streaked with dusky ; sides of head nearly uniform grayish olive, finely 

 streaked with dusky ; lower parts white, conspicuously streaked with 

 dusky. Young : Similar to adult female, but streaks on lower j)art8 

 narrower and less distinct, and wing-edgings more ochraceous. Length 

 6.50-6.95, wing 3.60-3.95, tail 2.60-3^.00. Eggs .86 X -60. Jfab. Western 

 United States, north to British Columbia, east to Eocky Mountains, 

 and south over highlands of Mexico. 



518. C. cassini Baird. Cassin's Purple Finch. 

 a"^. Tail not decidedly shorter than wing, not distinctly emarginated ; adult males 

 with wing-feathers edged with pale grayish. Nest a well-built, compact 

 structure, composed of dried grass-stems, plant-fibres, etc., built in ti*ees or 

 about houses (often within deserted nests of other species). Eggs 3-6, bluish 

 white, or very pale greenish blue, sparsely speckled, chiefly round larger end, 

 with black, (Subgenus Burrica Eidgw.^) 



Adult males : Above brownish gray (this sometimes overlaid or replaced by 

 a wash or suffusion of reddish), without distinct streaks on back ; rump, 

 forehead, superciliary stripe, malar region, chin, throat, and chest reddish 

 — these reddish ai'eas sometimes running together, the red thus covering 

 the greater extent of the plumage; rest of lower parts whitish, more or 

 less extensively streaked with dark grayish brown ; wings and tail dusky 

 grayish brown, the feathers edged with a paler shade of the same. Adult 

 females : Above entirely grayish brown, indistinctly streaked with darker ; 

 beneath everywhere white, broadly streaked with dark grayish brown. 

 Young : Similar to adult female, but back more distinctly streaked, 



^ New subgenus. Type, Fringilla mexicana MUll. 



