BIRD NOTES AFIELD 



line above eye yellow; forehead, shoulder patch and rump, same. Tail 

 black; wings black and white. Female light gray below, brownish 

 gray above, with a trace of yellow; wings and tail black and white. 

 Breeds in the high northern Sierras. An erratic and generally rare 

 winter visitant in the valleys. 



107. California Pine-Grosbeak; Pinicola enucleator calif ornica 

 Price. 



General coloration crimson and gray. Bill stout; size large for a 

 sparrow, eight inches or more in length. The brilliancy and extent of 

 the red varies with age and season, but in general this coloration is on 

 the fore parts of the body, the belly and under tail-coverts being gray. 

 The wings are dull blackish brown with obscure wing bars. Female 

 dull gray with a little yellow on head and rump. Breeding in the high 

 Sierras and seldom found in the valleys even in winter. 



Purple and House-Finches. There are three representatives of the 

 purple finch family found in California. In all the general coloration 

 is reddish on the fore part of the body and grayish or brownish behind, 

 more or less streaked. They are related to the pine-grosbeak group, 

 but much smaller (birds the size of an English sparrow), and the bill, 

 although stout, is not so thickened. The female and young are streaked 

 brownish and grayish. 



The three species are quite similar but may be distinguished by the 

 following characters. 



1 08. California Purple Finch ; Carpodacus purpureus calif ornicus 

 Band. 



Medium in size, length about six inches. Bill comparatively sharp 

 and slender. Head, throat and breast of male, bright rosy red. Back 

 brown with a pinkish tinge, and rump brighter reddish. Belly and under 

 tail-coverts white, unstreaked. A resident of the valleys. 



1 09. Cassin's Purple Finch ; Carpodacus cassini Baird. 



Larger in size than the preceding, length nearly seven inches. Bill 

 comparatively sharp and slender. Colors duller than in preceding, the 

 breast pale purplish pink, the head alone bright rosy red. Summer 

 resident of the Sierras, more common on eastern slope. 



I 1 0. House-Finch ; Carpodacus mexicanus frontalis (Say) . 

 Small in size (under six inches). Bill thicker and blunter. Breast 

 like head, throat and rump, crimson in full-plumaged bird. The most 

 abundant bird of the valleys of California. Does not occur in the high 

 Sierras. On Santa Barbara Island a race form, the San Clemente 

 House-Finch, has been recognized. 



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