THE CASSIN PURPLE FINCH. 



93 



called his attention to this year's nest in process of constructi<3n, by going 

 over and helping herself to a beakfnl of material, which she pulled out of the 

 structure by main force. She evened things up, however, (for the bird-man) 

 by immediately visiting her own nest, pitched on the upper side of a horizontal 

 branch near the end. 



This female Cassin was a wearisome bird, for she sat and twittered 

 inanely, or coaxed, every minute her husband was in the tree. He, poor soul, 

 was visibly annoyed at her indolence, not to say her wantonness, and had 

 as little to do with her as possible. However, he was a young fellow, without 



a bit of red on him, and he should not have 

 been o\'er-critical of his first mate in honey- 

 moon. 



On the pine-clad slopes of Cannon 

 Hill in Spokane, there is no more 

 fann'liar sound in June than 

 the wantun note of the female 

 Cassin Finch, orcc-ch. oycc-ch. 

 delivered as often as not 

 with quivering wings, and 

 unmistakably inviting the 

 attentions of the male. 

 Perhaps it is fair to call 

 this a love note, but it is 

 delivered with the simper- 

 ing insistence of a spoiled 

 child. 



The sight of a singing 

 male in high plumage is 

 memorable. He selects 

 a position at the tip of a 

 pine branch, or perhaps 

 on a bunch of cones at 

 the very top of the tree, and throws himself into the work. His 

 color, crimson, not purple, is pure and clear upon the crown onlv ; 

 elsewhere, upon nape, shoulders, and breast, it presents merelv a suffu- 

 sion of red. A song heard near Chelan was much like that of a 

 California Purple Finch in character, but less musical and more chatter- 

 ing, with the exception of one strong note thrown in near the close. 

 This note was very like the characteristic squeal of the Evening Grosljeak, 

 giiup, or thkiiiip, out of all keeping with the remainder — unquestionablv 

 borro\\'ed. 



The Cassin Finch is quite as successful as a mimic as his cousin from 



Taken in Spokane 



Photo by the Aiilhor. 



C-ASSIN'S FINXH. 



