172 PASSERES: Perching Birds 



CALIFORNIA PURPLE FINCH 



(517a. Carpodacus purpureus californicus) 6 in. 



Male: Head, neck, breast, and rump dull reddish purple, 

 whitening on belly; back and wings brownish. 



Female: Brownish above, streaked with gray; dull white be- 

 low, brown-streaked-; a distinct whitish line over eye. 



Colors of both sexes are too dull to make their wearers con- 

 spicuous. 



Food consists mostly of tree seeds and buds. 



CASSIN PURPLE FINCH 



(518. Carpodacus cassini) 6| in. 



Both sexes resemble the California Purple Finch, but they 

 are larger with colors stronger and better contrasted. 



Male: Crown with a squarish patch of crimson; red of under 

 parts paler. Bill relatively larger. 



Female: Streakings both above and below much sharper. 



HOUSE FINCH: LINNET 



(519. Carpodacus mexicanus frontalis) 6 in. 



Colors and pattern similar to the Purple Finch, but is notably 

 more slender. 



Male: Red of a rosy hue, quite variable, fading to orange, or 

 even scarlet, in rare cases; line over eye and rump usually 

 brighter; belly brown and whitish streaked. 



Female: Gray-brown above, darker-streaked; below whitish, 

 distinctly streaked with olive. 



A bird of familiar habits, cursed for the damage he does to 

 fruit, but on the whole probably more beneficial than injurious. 



SAN CLEMENTE HOUSE FINCH 



(519c. Carpodacus mexicanus dementis) 6 in. 

 Differs from the House Finch of the mainland only in lighter 

 red of male and slightly larger bill differences that are hardly 

 perceptible. 



