AMERICAN ORNH IIOI.OGY. 241 



CALIFORNIA PURPLE FINCH. 



A- O. \/, J*io- 3I7a. {Carpodacuj purpureuj calif ornicuj ,) 



RANGE. 



The Pacific coast reo;ion, west of the Rocky Mountains, from British 

 Columbia to southern California. 



DESCRIPTION. 



Length, 5.75 in.; extent, about 10 in.; tail, 2 25 in. Bill and feet, 

 brown. Eye, brown. Male: — Head, neck, back, rump, and breast, rosy 

 red, brightest on the head and throat. Wings and tail, brown, the feath- 

 ers being edged with reddish. Under parts dull brow nish. 



Female and young: — Upper parts olive brown, rather brighter on the 

 rump. Under parts white, marked in streaks with olive brown. 



NEST AND EGGS. 



This finch nests preferably in coniferous trees, although often nests are 

 found in other varieties. Most all of them are placed near the top of the 

 tree. The nest is composed of grasses and fibres and lined with hair. In 

 May they lay from three to five eggs of a bluish green color sprinkled 

 rather sparsely with reddish brown, these markings being sometimes 

 chiefly at the larger end and at others over the entire surface. 



HABITS. 



This western form of the Purple Finch of eastern North America is an 

 abundant summer resident of some parts of British Columbia, chiefly west 

 of the Cascade Mountains, and on Vancouver Island. But though affect- 

 ing a large range of country, it is rather local in its distribution, owing to 

 its fondness for certain kinds of food, and its partiality to nest in certain 

 woody sections, especially low growths of coniferous trees. It is gen- 

 erally from the topmost bough of a member of this family of trees, that 

 the pleasing refrain of the male of this species is heard from early spring- 

 time till the middle of the summer, or until after the nesting period is 

 over, when it begins to moult, and its melody generally ceases for the 

 year. 



To the residents of the rural sections, and especially to those interested 

 in gardening, the appearance and food seeking habits of this species may 

 soon become known, and for the credit of the bird's harmlessness, unpleas- 

 antly so, for if the horticulturist is interested in the development of turnip, 

 cabbage or other small seeds of that character, companies of these birds 

 will make daily visits to the premises, until every seed is appropriated, if 

 means are not taken to prevent the loss. This species also feeds on var- 

 ious kinds of small fruits, both wild and cultivated, and also, especially 

 when the young are to be fed, on various kinds of insects. It usually 



