THE PURPLE FINCH. 285 



in by no means a large wood : and I may observe, 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 the 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. 



Carpodncus. Kaup, " Entw. Europ. Thierw., 1829." (Type Loxia erythrina, Pall. ) 

 Bill short, stout, vaulted ; the culmen decurved towards the end ; the commis- 

 sure 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 browu. 



CARPODACUS PURPUREUS. — Gray. 

 The Purple Finch. 



Frinfjilla purpurea, "Wilson. Am. Orn., I. (1808) 119. Aud. Orn. 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 contiiiu- 



