4r.4 NOIlTll AMKKICAN iJlUUa 



.iiiil ulwjiys very aiiiiisin^. iMscrrtitUi usually tonk tlu' ]>hu'«! ni" valnr mi tln' 

 part of tlic iutiudiT. 



The SdU'^ of tilt' I'uijilc Fiuch n'SciuMcs tiial of tlir ('5»riarv, and tiiou;^!! 

 less vuiii'd ami powerful, is sofii-r, sweeti-r, and more toueliiu^' and pleasing. 

 The notes of this si>eeit's niav In* heard from thr last of M:iv until latr in 

 Scptcndn'r, Jind in the Kuig summer eveninns are otten coniiiiued until a*ter 

 it '■' uite dark. 'I'heir son;; has all the Iteauty and j>athos of the Warbling 

 Vire(», and greatly resemhles it, hut is more jtowerful and full in ti>ne. It is 

 a very interesting sight to watch one of these little performers in tlu^ midst 

 of his song. He aj>jK'ars perfectly ahsorhed in his work, his form «lilates, 

 his crest is erected, his throat ex]>ands, and he seems to he ulti'rly uncon- 

 scious of all around him. Hut let an intruder of his own race appear within 

 a few feet o\' the singer, an«l tlie soul, instantly ceases, and in a violent lit 

 of indignation he chases him away. 



The tli'_jht of the Purple Finch is saitl hv Mr. Auduhon to resemhle that 

 <»f tlie (Jreen Finch of Funtpe. They ily in couiinict Hocks, w'lh an undu- 

 l.itini: motion, aliLihtim; all at once, and then instantlv, as if suddenly 

 alarmed, take a«4ain to lli<'ht oidv to return to the same tree. Thev then 

 immediately make each his separate way to the ends of the branches, and 

 commence eating the huds. The food thev take to their young is juicy ber- 

 ries antl the softer ]torti(»nsof the young cones of the tir and spruce. 



They nest generally in tirs, spruces, or cedar-trees, though occasionally on 

 the upper branches of a high a]>ple-tree. Their nests are usually i»laced uj»on 

 a branch, rather than interlaced between its forked twigs. I have known 

 them not more than five feet fr(nn the ground, and at other times on the high- 

 est point of a lofty tir-tree. The nests are, for the most part, somewhat Hat 

 and shallow structures, not more than two and a half inches in height, and 

 about three and a half in breadth. The walls of the nest ayemge less than 

 an inch, and the cavity corresjtonds to its general shape anil form. Tl.'e 

 framework of the nest is usually made of small denuded vc'ctable fibres, 

 stems of grasses, strips of bark, and woody fragments. The ni)j)er rim of the 

 nest is ofti'u a curious intertwiniuL; of dry herbaceous .stems, the ends of which 

 project above the nest itself in the manner of a low palisade. The inner nest 

 is ma«le up of minute vegetable Hbres, closely interwoven. There is usually no 

 other lining than this. At other times these nests are largely made up of small 

 dark-coh)ied rootlets of wooded plants, lined with finer materials of the same, 

 occasionally mingled with the down of l)irds and the fur of small animals. 



The eggs of the Purple F'inch vary greatly in size, and somewhat in shai^e. 

 Generally they ari» of an oblong oval, ])ointed consideraUy at one end. Their 

 length varies from .0:2 to .81 of an inch, and their breadth from .7n to .00. 

 Their color is a pale shade of emerald-green, spotted with dark brown, almost 

 black, chieHv about the larger end. The i^round-color is much brighter when 

 the eggs are fresh, and soon fades upon exposure to light, and e\ en when kept 

 in a close drawer. 



