THE CASSIN PURPLE FINCH. 



93 



called his attentinn to this year's nest in process of constructiim, 1)\- going 

 over and helping herself to a beakfnl of material, which she pulled out of the 

 structure by main force. She evened things up, however, (for the bird-man) 

 by immediately visiting her own nest, pitched on the upper side of a horizimtal 

 branch near the end. 



This female Cassin was a wearisome bird, for she sat and twittered 

 inanely, or coa.xed, every minute her husband was in the tree. He, poor soul, 

 was visibly annoyed at her indolence, not to say her wantonness, and had 

 as little to do with her as possible. However, he was a young fellow, without 



a hit (if red (.>n him, and he should not have 

 been ( >\cr-critica] of his first mate in honey- 

 moon. 



On the pine-clad slojies (_>f Cannon 



Hill in Spokane, there is no more 



familiar sound in June than 



the wanton note of the female 



Cassin Finch, orcc-ch. orcc-eh. 



delivered as often as not 



with quivering wings, and 

 unmistakalily inviting the 

 attentions of the male. 

 Perhaps it is fair to call 

 this a love note, but it is 

 delivered with the sim])er- 

 ing insistence of a s]X)iled 

 child. 



The sight of a singing 

 male in high plumage is 

 memorable. He selects 

 a position at the tip of a 

 pine branch, or perhaps 

 on a bunch of cones at 

 ws himself into the work. His 

 and clear upon the cruwn onh-; 

 breast, it presents merely a sufl'u- 

 sion of red. A song heard near Chelan was much' like that of a 

 California Purple Finch in character, but less musical and more chatter- 

 ing, with the exception of one strong note thrown in near the close. 

 This note was very like the characteristic squeal of the Fvening Grosbeak, 

 (limp, or thkiiiip. out nf all keejiing with the remainder — un(|uesti(inal)lv 

 borrowed. 



The Cassin Finch is ipiite as successful as a mimic as his cousin from 



Taken in Spokane 



Photo by llic Aulh 



C.XSSI.VS I-INCII. 



the very top of the tree, and thn 

 color, crimson, not ])urple. is ])iue 

 elsewhere, upon nape, shoulders, and 



