KKINrilMJD.K-TllK FINCllKS. 463 



jtaralli'ls is u ratlin- <niiiiii(»n lunl in suitahh; luciilitics. A few art' occasinii- 

 iillv t'omid <liiriiM tlir w iiitn in MassacliiisfUs, luit iisiiallv llirv all i»ass tar- 

 tlicr south. Ill thu StaLu of South Carolina thcv are e.s|u'(ially abundant 

 throughout the winter, or from ()(to)i('r until April. 



J)r. C'oues states that the I'uiple Kineh is a very ahundant winter resid«'nt 

 near Washington, arriving,' early in Octoher and remaining until May, hein^' 

 eminently ;j;reuMrious. Sira^irlers were seen until nearly dune, hut tlu* njajor- 

 itv had dei)arted as the K-avcs uxitanded. Thev were most eomnion in hiuh 

 Open woods, and were ohscrved to feed chirlly on lender y<»un^ hutls «»f trees. 

 They were in full son^^ hefore they took their departure. 



They make their Hrst apitearanee in rej^ular migrations, in ^lassachust'tts, 

 from the Idth to the 2nih of Mav, and oeeusionallv a few are swn earlier. 

 They are often unweleome visitors to the fruit-growei*s, having' a threat fond- 

 ness for the Idossoms of the peaeh, eherry, ]tlum, and ai)ple. J'hey will also 

 feed uj»on other kinds of huds and hhtssoms. They have a ;;reat ]»redilec- 

 tion for everj^reen trt^es, especially the tir, the spruce, and the red ce(hir, 

 anil nio.st generally huiUl their nests in these trees. In sunnuer they leed on 

 seeds, insects, and U'rries of the honeysuckle and other shrubs. 



The Purple Finch, (»r, as it is generally known in New Kn^dand, the Linnet, 

 is one of our sweetest, Ixist, an»l most constant son,usters, and is often trapped 

 and sold as caged birds. They soon become accustomed and jtartially recon- 

 ciled to their confinement, but sin«' onlv durin<f a small part of the year. 

 When one of the.se birds, confined in a cage, is hung outsitle the house, 

 in tlui country, he is sure to draw around him ([uite a nuiidxT of his species, 

 and this furnishes the dealer a ready means of capturing them. 



This Finch was once regarded as ([uite rare in the vicinity of l^)oston, so 

 much so that during a four years' residence in ('and)ridge, when C(»llections 

 of nests and eggs had many votaries, not a single nest (tf this species was 

 obtained by any one. Since then, from some cau.se, jtrobably the increase of 

 gardens, groves of evergreens, and other localities favorable for their ])reserya- 

 tion and reproduction, these graceful little Finches have beconie (piite abun- 

 dant in jdaces propitious for their lesidence. \o less than seven j»airs of 

 these favorite songsters took up thew abode in my grounds at Hingham in a 

 single summer, and two had nests in the same tree, one of which was at least 

 sixty ftM't from the ground, on the very top of a tall tir. These several ]»airs, 

 as a general thing, lived together very harmoniously, save only when one 

 would ap])roach too near the favorite station (»f another, when the latter 

 Avould begin to bristle up his crest, and give very evident hints that his near 

 presence was not agreeable. The extreme southern end of the ridge-iude of 

 the house had been, for se\ eral sunnners, the favorite post for the patriarch 

 of the Hock, from which at morning and at evening he maile the neighbor- 

 hood vocal with his melody. If in his absence any other of these binls 

 ventured to occupy his ])ositi«)n, there was always sure to be a disturbance on 

 his return, if it was not instantly vacated. These encounter were fre(|Uent, 



