PIOUSE FINCH 293 



the same as those of any bird raising partly digested food from its crop; the head 

 was bent sharply downward several times and the pellet was seen to rise up 

 through the gullet. At the moment the female, with much twittering and flipping 

 of wings, would open her beak to receive the tidbit. 



* * * After the performance was over, they both ate freely of the damp, 

 broken dog-biscuit that was on the table. 



Bergtold (1913) "suspects that this species mates permanently: 

 it is apt, in all seasons of the year, to come to the food and drinking 

 dishes in pairs." This is a question which their social disposition 

 makes more difficult to determine. 



Nesting. — The greater part of the nesting activities occur in April 

 and May, but are continued in some degree through June and July. 

 In one of the earliest detailed studies of the species, Charles A. Keeler 

 (1890b) says: "During the month of February the males sing more 

 or less constantly, but it is not until a month later that love-making 

 begins. * * * By the middle of March they are nearly all mated 

 and by the latter part of the month nest-building is fairly under way. 

 During the early part of April both sexes are busy in constructing a 

 home, the male merely assisting by bringing material and finding 

 abundant opportunity to sing while his mate is at work." 



Extreme dates for fresh eggs in southwestern California as listed 

 by George Willett (1933) are March 22 and August 1. Although 

 Philbrick Smith (1930) reports the discovery of eggs under incubation 

 in Contra Costa County, Calif., on November 24, it appears from 

 available data that nesting of the house finch in Cahfornia is confined 

 rather closely to the four months first mentioned. While Bergtold 

 (1913) also found April and May to be the most active nesting months, 

 the following quotation indicates that early nesting may be more 

 frequent in Colorado than in California, notwithstanding the colder 

 winters: "Cold weather has a positive deterrent effect on egg laying, 

 a fact clearly established by the writer's records. On the other hand, 

 pairs of House Finches, unquestionably mated, have been observed 

 looking for eligible nesting sites in every month of the year, not 

 excepting the period from September to February. The earUest 

 active nest building noted by the writer was on January 30, and the 

 latest July 23; while pairs have been noticed gathering material as 

 late as December 22, these attempts have been classed, however, 

 by the writer as due to a fleeting spell of warm weather." 



Nesting sites chosen by house finches are of such infinite variety that 

 it is useless to attempt to mention all the diverse situations that have 

 been reported. Any cavity or projection on a building which is 

 capable of holding a nest may be utiHzed, provided that some con- 

 cealment is afforded if near the ground; higher up, nests are often 

 placed in plain sight on lookout timbers. About orange groves, the 

 trees are often used as nesting sites, and in this case certain gener- 



