CASSINS BULLFINCH 259 



in a broad general sense for the species, are not necessarily authori- 

 tative for cassinii, and probably not exact in all details. 



Courtship. — The breeding habits of Cassin's bullfinch are unknown. 

 In fact there is very little available on the nesting of any of the 

 Asiatic bullfinches. The display and posturing of the British sub- 

 species, P. p. nesa are described by Jourdain and Tucker in Witherby's 

 "Handbook of British Birds" (1938) as follows: 



"Displaying male faces female, puffing out breast so as to display 

 crimson feathers, while twisting and bowing tail from side to side 

 (J. Weir). O. G. Pike describes both sexes drooping wings and 

 spreading and vibrating tail." 



Nesting. — Nothing is known of the nesting of Cassin's bullfinch. 

 Its nest and eggs have never been collected. Jourdain (Witherby, 

 1938) notes that the European bullfinch, P. p. pyrrhula nests fre- 

 quently in conifers, but that nesa breeds in England "in gardens, 

 thick hedges, clumps of evergreens (especially box), also yews, and 

 in plantations." Kiyosu (1943) states that the nests of the Japanese 

 griseiventris are foimd "in the evergreen woods of the sub-alpine 

 zone, in such trees as Veitch's silver fir and the Japanese hemlock, 

 from 2000 to 2500 meters above sea level. Usually the nests are 

 found on branches about 1 to 2.7 meters above the ground. The 

 nest is buUt of dried twigs, dead runners, Usnea spp., and other 

 mosses into a bowl-like shape, and lined with weed roots, hair, or 

 feathers." The nest of the British bullfinch, according to Jourdain 

 {in Witherby, 1938) is "usually about four to seven feet from ground, 

 built of fine twigs and some moss or lichens, lined with thick layer 

 of interlacing fine roots nearly always black. Sometimes extremely 

 slightly, at others very stoutly, constructed." The same authority 

 notes that the nest of P. p. pyrrhula is similar, "but slightly larger, 

 and in Scandinavia often lined with hairy lichen (Usnea barbata)," 

 which probably most nearly approximates the nest of cassinii. 



Other bullfinch races are known to rear two broods annually, 

 and possibly cassinii does likewise, for its first nesting is evidently 

 quite early, probably starting in late April or early May. Tac- 

 zanowski (1891) reports that Dybowski encountered in early July 

 young "which had left the nest quite some days previously" and 

 Bergman states (1935) : "The Bullfinch breeds very early in Kam- 

 chatka, and as early as 14 June I collected a flying ju venal near 

 Klutschi." 



Eggs. — Considerable variation has been noted in the eggs of bull- 

 finches. P. p. griseiventris (Kiyosu, 1943) lays four to six eggs, which 

 are "roundish, 19-21 mm X 14.5-16.5 mm, averaging 20 X 16 mm in 

 size, and 22-25 gr. in weight." The British form, says Jourdain {in 

 Witherby, 1938) lays "usually 4-5, occasionally 6 or even 7 ; clear green- 



646-737— 68— pt. 1 19 



