PURPLE FINCH LINNET. 



bird is throughout eastern North America ; its food con- 

 sists mostly of seeds and berries, but there are unques- 

 tionably frequent depredations committed among the 

 blossoms of the fruit trees. 



As a singer the Purple Finch has no equal when we ex- 

 clusively consider his method. He is a warbler with 

 an incomparably sweet warble. In a measure his song 

 is like that of the Warbling Vireo, but it is far beyond 

 anything which that bird ever attempted. The Vireo's 

 warble is stereotyped, that of the Finch is untrammelled 

 and characteristically variable. The Vireo's warble is 

 scarcely sweet, it is rather lively and cheerful, although 

 it produces the impression that the bird has rolled it 

 around in the mouth like a sugarplum ; but the quality 

 of tone lacks the fulness, the richness, of the Finch's tone. 

 There is a ripeness, or mellowness to the voice of the 

 Finch which I attribute entirely to the superior size of 

 his throat and bill. As a consequence, this larger bird 

 has a stronger and deeper voice, he sings quite half an 

 octave lower than the Vireo, with the advantage that he 

 can put more expression in the lower register, and he does 

 so, for his song is singularly sentimental, indeed, its pas- 

 sionate persuasiveness is truly loverlike and irresistible.* 



Mr. Eugene P. Bicknell calls the song "a sweet-toned, 

 carelessly flowing warble," and adds to this a rather 

 poetic estimate of it ; but for purposes of identification, 

 such a description of music is manifestly inadequate. 

 A song which bursts forth under "stress of gladness" 

 can be illustrated at the piano in a hundred different 

 ways. Neither is it possible to adequately demonstrate 

 the song by a series of dots which will represent the notes ; 

 this is the only way it would be possible to print such dots : 



and they certainly do not carry with them very much 

 meaning ! It is better for a more perfect comprehension 



* I consider this lower register of the Linnet's or Purple Finch's 

 voice the key to his popularity as a singer, for he is often caged 

 The register of the Canary is too high for expression. 



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