122 General Notes. 



of red. Ill the depth of winter the}' collect around houses, oftentimes in flocks 

 of several hundreds, appearing to be particularly fond of feedin<>; and picking 

 in places around an house where slops have been thrown, and especially where 

 anything salt or briny has been cast ; and they are so tame as often to be taken. 

 But what is extraordinary, and makes this bird worthy of notice, is, that they 

 lay their eggs and hatch theii' young in the middle of winter. 



Samuel C. Crafts, Esq., informs me that a person of entire credibility in 

 Craftsbury assured him that in the depth of winter, sometimes in February, he 

 discovers at one time as many as twelve of their nests on one small shrubliy 

 Hacmatac-tree, in which there were eggs, and the birds were then setting and 

 hatching. As a confirmation of this, he also assures me, that when they have 

 been taken in the dead of winter, and been opened, litters of eggs have been 

 found in the females, and a part of them with shells, in a state of maturity, to 

 be laid. The naturalist will, I think, be inclined to notice this 'curiosity, not- 

 withstanding the minutia of the thing, and the insignificancy of the bird as to 

 size. He may do it, also, jierhaps, with more security from sarcasm than if he 

 lived in the vicinity of Peter Pindar. I am, sir, yours, &c., 



Thomas Toljian. 



Notes on thp: Purple Finch. — Ithas been a matter of remark that sev- 

 eral of our once rare birds have largely incrensed in numbers within a few 

 years, and I think in no case is this so apparent as in that of ihe Purple Finch 

 (^Carpodaciis purpureus). At the same time its distribution extends over 

 a much larger range. It was formerly considered a strictly northern mi- 

 grant, but has recently become res-ident in Massachusetts, where it breeds 

 quite plentifully in certain sections, and from the following instance would 

 seem inclined to remain even farther south. Among some notes taken at 

 Bayside, L. I., I find under date of April 21, of this year : " Saw a Purple 

 Finch (male) in full song and plumage and apparently resident." In the 

 early part of .June I visited the same locality and again saw both male 

 and female. Feeling sure they must have nested there, after diligent 

 search I discovered the nest, located, as usual, some forty feet from the 

 ground, near the top of a large spruce-tree, and contained only two egg.*, 

 well advanced in incubation. This was June 15, and I am at a loss to 

 explain the reason of their late domestic arrangements, except with the 

 surmise that their first nest was destroyed, or that they felt out of their 

 latitude, as indeed their actions seemed to indicate. They remained in 

 the vicinity but a short time after, and, I think, did not attempt another 

 nest. The construction of the nest, its situation, and the eggs, except in 

 number, were almost identical with a set procured just previously at Grand 

 Menan. This is, I believe, the most soiithern point at which the species 

 has been found breeding. — R. F. Pearsall, Neio York Ci///. 



Nksting of the Black-throated Bunting (Euspiza americand) 

 IN M.\ssachusetts. — On page 45, Vol. Ill, of the Bulletin, Mr. Purdie 

 records the finding of two nests of this Bunting in ]Medford, jNIass., in 

 June, 187 7, one containing eggs and the other young, and on page 190 



