SIERRA NEVADA ROSY FINCH 365 



water of a slmllow lake, where they could seize the becoming caddis-flies as they 

 crawled out of their chrysalis cases.* * * 



Behavior. — Except during the nesting season rosy finches are not 

 particularly shy and may often be approached. Behavior about the 

 nest is thus described by Dixon (1936): 



During nest building the female exercised no caution in approaching the nest 

 and paid little attention, if any, to anything except building her nest as quickly as 

 possible in the place she had selected. After egg laying, and particularly after 

 incubation had begun, this condition changed. After incubation had begun, the 

 female upon leaving the nest would drop vertically to the lower part of the cliff 

 and then change her course to suit the direction of her destination. In returning to 

 the nest extreme caution always was exercised. Usually the approach was made 

 from level with the nest or slightly higher; and alighting first some distance from 

 the nest the bird would carefully look the situation over and would then fly about 

 half way to the nest and repeat the performance. If satisfied that the coast was 

 clear she would then fly directly to the nest and enter with hardly a wing flutter 

 to indicate where she had disappeared. In no instance did we see the male feed 

 the female either on the nest or near it. 



Ray (1910) writes: "The Rosy Finch * * * is ever active either on 

 foot or wing, among the rocks, along the cliffs or while feeding on 

 stranded insects upon the snow. Endowed by nature to combat the 

 fierce gales which prevail almost continually in these high altitudes, 

 this bird possesses great power in its broad stretch of wing. The 

 flight is rapid, in long, graceful, sweeping curves, and the birds mount 

 hundreds of feet even against the strong head winds without much 

 apparent effort." 



Distribution 



Range. — The Sierra Nevada rosy finch is resident in the Sierra 

 Nevada (Mount Tallac, Olancha Peak) and White Mountains of 

 central eastern California; probably also in the Inyo Moim tains. 

 Recorded in winter in central western Nevada (Reno) . 



Egg dates. — California: 1 record, July 14. 



LEUCOSTICTE ATRATA Ridgway 



Black Rosy Finch 



PLATE 20 



Contributed by Norman R. French 



Habits 



The first black rosy finch was found in 1870 somewhere in the 

 Uinta Mountains of northeastern Utah by the naturahst accom- 

 panying the Hayden Expedition of the U.S. Geological Survey. 

 When Robert Ridgway of the Smithsonian Institution received this 

 bird, a single specimen apparently in the first winter plumage, he 



