THE PURPLE FINCH. 285 



in by no means a large wood : and I may olDserve, that all 

 the nests we took were built in small firs, never high from the 

 ground, or in deep woods, and generally in conspicuous situa- 

 tions. The nest is neither large nor deep, but very com- 

 pactly and cleanly built, like basket-work, the outside walling 

 of very fine fir branches and thin cranberry fibres tightly 

 interlaced, and lined with fine stiff grass and a little hair. 

 The eggs vary much, both in size and coloring ; but are 

 usually of a pale blue-green ground-color, blotched and lined 

 with light-purple and dark burnt-umber spots and pricks, 

 always thickest towards the large end. Average size, 1 inch 

 by .75 inch." 



The food of the Grosbeak is not, as in tlie Crossbills, from 

 the seed of the fir cones^ but the small buds or embryo of the 

 young branches which shoot out from the lateral branches 

 of the fir ; but they can pick out the seeds from the cones, 

 both of the pine and fir, quite as cleverly as the Crossbills. 



For a very full and interesting description of the habits 

 of this species, I will refer the reader to vol. IV. Audubon's 

 Am. Orn. Biog., p. 414. 



CARPODACUS, Kaup. 



Carpodacus. Kacp, " Entw. Europ. Thierw., 1829." (Type Loxia erytkrina, Pall.) 

 Bill short, stout, vaulted ; the culmen decun-ed towards the end; the comrais- 

 Bure nearly straight to the slightly decurved end; a slight development of bristly 

 feathers along the sides of the bill, concealing the nostrils; tarsus shorter than the 

 middle toe; lateral claws reaching to the base of the middle one; claw of hind toe 

 much curved, smaller than the middle one, and rather less than the digital portion; 

 wings long and pointed, reaching to the middle of the tail, which is considerably 

 shorter than the wing, and moderately forked ; colors, red, or red and brown. 



CARPODACUS PUEPUREUS. — Gray. 

 The Purple Finch. 



FringiOa purpurea, Wilson. Am Orn., I. (1808) 119. Aud. Om. Biog., I. (1831 ) 



24; V. 200. 



Description. 



Second quill longest; first shorter than third, considerably longer than the fourth; 



body crimson, palest on the rump and breast, darkest across the middle of back and 



wing coverts, where the feathers have dusky centres ; the red extends below continu- 



