1921 BIRDS OP MONTANA 107 



:'. to .Maivh :!(» ( Kittivd'/i", MS). A liii'd taken then- Direiiihcr -3 is reported as: 

 inteniu'diate betwi'cu h ucuni and montana. 



In winter it is coiiniidn in most of the mountain valleys. It is i-ei>orted in 

 winter from Gallatin County (Saunders, IDlla, p. 41 ) ; from Deer Lodge, Jef- 

 ferson and Silver Bow eounties (Sannders, HH'-'a. p. L'S ) ; from Missoula (Kitt- 

 I'edge, MS) ; and from Helena, where it has iieen nofed February 1(1 and 22, 

 1011, The birds from Gallatin County wei-e originally reportel as iihinci usis 

 but later examination has showni that they ai'e neai-er io iiinntana. 



205. Pinicola enucleator alascensis Ridgway 



Ai..\sKA Pine Groshk.vk 

 This subspecies has been tak'en in the liitteri-oot \'alley in wintei' (Ridg- 

 way, 1898, p. 310) ami it may occur elsewhere at that season. The ma.jority of 

 winter birds from Montana are not typical of any race, but are ])robably inter- 

 grades between alascensis and montana. 



206. Carpodacus cassini Baird 



C.vssix PcKPLE Pinch 



A suiiuncr resident of the western half of the state. mainl,\' in the moun- 

 tains. Fairly counnon in most I'egions. but usually more abundant in migra- 

 tions than in the bi'cediug season. In tin hittei' season it is found up Io the 

 Hudsonian zone, and, locally at least. I'emaius in the Transition, |)robably 

 breeding. In my experience it is coimnouei' iii tli<' Transition and Hudsonian 

 zones than it is in the intervening Cana<lian. .Ml obser\ei's in the western half 

 of the state who ha\'e done any work' in the mountains, report this species, so 

 it is evidently universally distributeil. The eastern limits of its I'ange in tic 

 nionntains are marked l)y Teton and fjewis and Clark counties (Sauudei's, i;)14,i, 

 p. 130) and Park County, where 1 have obsei-ved the bird in Liviug.stone. and 

 probably by the Belt Mountains, whei'c two bii'ds \ver<' seen and rei'orded as 

 C. purpurcus (Williams, 1882a, p. (12), the identification being evidentl.v a mis- 

 take. The Cassin Purple Finch occurs throughout the breeding season, and un- 

 doubtedly breeds, in eottonwood trees in the following jilaccs in the valh-y.'.-, : 

 Bozeman (Saunders, 1911a, p. 41). Bitterroot Valley (Bailey. MS), and Mis- 

 soula and Kalispell (Kittredge, .MS). 



The migrations appear to bi^ decidedly irregular. In \'alley locations the 

 birds often occur in large flocks in the sfu-ing migration, when the numliers are 

 so great that it is easy to mark both the beginning and the end of the flitrht. 

 Dates for such migrations are: Gallatin County. May .") to 19. 19<'9: Silver Bow 

 Coiuit.y, April 22 to May IS. 11)11); Anaconda, .M.-iy Ti to .lunc 10, 1911. ,\t 

 Columbia Falls it was first observed April 4. 1S!)4. ami ,\pi-il '> 1,s:)7 (Cooke, 

 1914b, ]). in(]). In the Bitterroot Valley it was first seen April 7, 1!)12 (Bai- 

 ley, :\rs). 



The nest of this species has nevi'i- been i-ei'oi'dcd fi-om .Montana. \'our,g arc 

 full grown at Missoula by July HI (Kittredge, MS). 



