FINCHES 387 



quite diflerent. When alighted they often call "chee" or "chee- 

 chee," "chee-we" or "pea-r-ee." 



The nest is placed in various shrubs and trees at heights of 

 four to forty feet from the ground. They rather seem to prefer 

 to nest in maple trees near Bangor, selecting those bordering 

 the highway but elsewhere they nest in more varied situations, 

 various evergreens and hardwood trees, willows and alders along 

 streams being often selected. Four to six eggs are laid. 



A typical nest was found in the horizontal fork of a maple 

 tree, fifteen feet from the ground near Bangor, July 20, 1896, 

 at which time only the foundation was laid. The nest was 

 discovered by hearing the calls uttered by the male and female 

 as they caressed each other in the intervals of nest building, 

 and while at the side of the nest. These calls and caresses 

 while at the nest seem characteristic of the species. The first 

 egg was laid July 29, so that nest building took about nine 

 to ten days. An egg was laid each day until on August 4th 

 it contained six pale bluish-white unspotted eggs which measure 

 0.61x0.49, 0.65x0.49, 0.63x0.49, 0.62x0.49,0.66x0.50, 

 0.61 X 0.49. The nest measured three inches in height outside 

 by one and a quarter internally, and its external diameter was 

 three and the internal diameter one and a half inches. It was 

 composed of fine soft vegetable fibers, bark strippings, silky 

 plant fibers, strongly and compactly felted and lined with 

 thistle down. 



The male bird accompanied the female while she was gather- 

 ing building material but did not seem to do much if any of 

 the work of collecting material himself. He sang and called 

 more or less and seemed bound to caress her and keep up a 

 constant low "chirping and cheeing" with each successive addi- 

 tion to the nest. He fed her more or less with semi-digested 

 material which he pumped up from his interior. 



Other nests which I have found and observed were located 

 by following up the calls which are uttered whenever the feed- 

 ing process is going on at the nest. The males seem to feed 



