312 FINCHES, SPARROWS, ETC. 



fiP7narks. — The male Cassia finch may be distmg-uished by its large size, 

 bright squarish crown patch, dull rump, 

 nnstreaked under parts, and distinct 

 streaks on under tail coverts. 



Distribution. — Breeds in Canadian 

 /one from British Columbia to Mexico ; 

 trom the eastern slope of the Rocky 

 Mountains to the Pacific ; and migrates 

 through Mexico to Mt. Orizaba. 



Nest. — Near tops of young- firs and 



pines on a horizontal branch ; rather thin 



and flat, composed largely of rootlets 



and grasses, l^ygs : 2 to 4, finely spec- 



^^^ kled, chiefly around the larger end, with 



Fig. 3'J7. Cassia Purple Finch. "black and dark brown. 



The Cassin tinch is the purple finch of the mountains, breeding 

 from the lower edge of the firs to timberline. Its square crimson 

 crown patch is a stril^ing sign mark in the shade of the woods, and 

 its sweet song gains richness from its forest setting. Even in winter 

 the birds stay as high as the\^ can. In southern California, Mr. 

 Grinnell says they rarely come as low as the foothills, but go about 

 in small flocks, feeding in the brush as long as it is not entirely 

 covered with snow. 



Subgenus Burrica. 



519. Carpodacus niexicanus frontalis (Sa^). House Finch. 

 Adult male. — Forehead, superciliary, and rump rose pink, orang-e red, 

 or scarlet ; rest of upper parts brownish g"ray, 

 sometimes washed with reddish ; back not dis- 

 tinctly streaked ; throat and breast reddish ; belly 

 Fio- 398 M lie whitish, sharply and closely streaked icith brown ; 



tail not decidedly shorter than wing, nearly even ; 

 wing- feathers edg-ed with pale grayish instead of reddish. Adult female : 

 .^ upper parts grayish brown, indistinctly streaked ; 



r /'s^^^.. - ""der parts white, broadly streaked. Young: 

 ^ - -.j^.^xas^^ ^^^^^ ^^^"^ similar to female, but back more distinctly 

 Fi ' "'M F ■ 1 streaked, under parts more narrowly and less 



distinctlv streaked ; wing coverts tipped with 

 buffv. Male : length (skins) 4.80-6.10, wing 2.99-3.33, tail 2.14-2.60, bill 

 .38-!50, Female : length (.skins) .5.00-5.63. wing 2.77-3.05, tail 2.00-2.40, 

 bill .39-.43. 



Bemarks. — The sluirp uniform sti'eaking- of under parts disting-uish the 

 house finch from the California and Cassin. Individuals sug-gest dichro- 

 matism in varying- amount of yellow in plumage. (See Condor. Jan. 1901, 



Distribution. — Breeds in Upper and Lower Sonoran zones from western 

 parts of Kansas and Texas to the Pacific, and from Oregon to northern 

 Lower California and northern Mexico. 



Nest. — Compactly woven, largely of dried g-rass stems and plant fibers, 

 placed in trees, cactus, or sagebrush, but preferably about houses. Eggs : 

 3 to 6, bluish white or pale greenish blue sparsely speckled, chiefly around 

 larg'er end, with black. 



