288 U.S. NATIONAL MUSEUM BULLETIN 237 tabt i 



Henshaw (1877) comments that this species was not common in 

 September in the Lake Tahoe region of California and that after this 

 month none was seen. It has been the experience of others, however, 

 that dm-ing most years a few of these finches regularly remain in this 

 region the year around. 



Winter. — Although some Cassin's finches remain in the higher 

 mountains throughout the winter, these birds are frequently encoun- 

 tered in foothill and valley regions at this season. Willett (1933) 

 referring to this species in southwestern California says: "In winter 

 occurs occasionally in foothill country and sometimes straggles down 

 into valleys. Has been recorded by H. Michener (Condor, 27, 1925: 

 222) at Pasadena from February 9 to April 7 (1925); by H. S. Swarth 

 (Condor, 3, 1901:66) at Los Angeles from February 25 to April 26 

 (1901), and by F. F. Gander (Condor, 57, 1929:131) at San Diego 

 March 23, 1927, and February 25, 1929. Immature male (D. E. 

 Dickey coll.) taken by H. H. Sheldon on San Nicolas Island May 1, 

 1929." Barlow (1900) recorded a Cassin's finch that was shot on 

 Jan. 1, 1896, 5 miles south of San Jose, Calif., where it was found 

 in company with a flock of juncos in a eucalyptus tree. 



Johnson, Bryant, and Miller (1948) state: "These finches were 

 present as winter visitants chiefly in the sagebrush-juniper area 

 above 5,000 feet altitude in the Mid Hills section of the Providence 

 Mountains [California]. In the vicinity of Stott's house, five miles 

 northeast of Granite Well, they were especially abundant. Solitary 

 individuals and small flocks foraged in piiions on rocky hillsides and 

 in junipers on the adjacent flats. The largest flock, seen on January 

 2, contained 39 birds. Sometimes these finches perched quietly for 

 long periods in the centers of junipers." 



Taylor and Shaw (1927) state that "In winter the Cassin purple 

 finch is a not infrequent visitor in the valley lands of eastern Wash- 

 ington." Regarding this species in Oregon, however, Gabrielson 

 and Jewett (1940) comment as follows: "Our field notes and those of 

 other members of the Biological Siu-vey show it to be a regular perma- 

 nent resident of all of the principal ranges of Oregon, except the 

 Coast Ranges." In Nevada Linsdale (1936) says that Cassin's finch is 

 "probably of regular occurrence in the valleys in winter." 



A. J. van Rossem (1936) found this species principally in the pinon 

 belt between 6,000 and 8,000 feet in the Charleston Mountains of 

 southern Nevada in winter. Scott (1887) records a large flock of these 

 finches at Tucson, Ariz., on Feb. 19, 1886. 



Distribution 



Range. — British Columbia and Alberta to Zacatecas and San Luis 

 Potosl. 



