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RTL E TV ROTOP ILE FINCH. 
MUU BON ON THE PURPEE FINCE: 
ERVTHROSPIZA PURPUREA, comet. 
Plate cxcviim—MaLr AND FEMALE. 
“From the beginning of November until April, flocks of the Purple 
Finch, consisting of from six to twenty individuals, are seen throughout 
the whole of Louisiana and the adjoining States. They fly compactly, 
with an undulating motion, similar to that of the Common Green Finch 
of Europe. They alight all at once, and after a moment of rest, and as 
if frightened, all take to wing again, make a circuit of no great extent, 
and return to the tree from which they had thus started, or settle upon 
one near it. Immediately after this, every individual is seen making its 
way toward the extremities of the branches, husking the buds with 
tact, and eating their internal portion. In doing this, they hang like so 
many Titmice, or stretch out their necks to reach the buds below. AI- 
though they are quite friendly among themselves during their flight, 
or while sitting without looking after food, yet, when they are feeding, 
the moment one goes near another, it is strenuously warned to keep off 
by certain unequivocal marks of displeasure, such as the erection of the 
feathers of the head and the opening of the mouth. Should this inti- 
mation be disregarded, the stronger or more daring of the two drives 
off the other to a different part of the tree. They feed in this manner 
principally in the morning, and afterwards retire to the interior of the 
woods. Towards sunset they reappear, fly about the skirts of the fields 
and along the woods, until, having made choice of a tree, they alight, 
-and, as soon as each bird has chosen a situation, stand still, look about 
them, plume themselves, and make short sallies after flies and insects, 
