36 Trans. Acad. Sci. of St. Louis 



chicken in appearance and is very much relished by the 

 Eskimos. The bird is capable of rapid flight and is able 

 to catch ducks and pigeons on the wing, striking them 

 down after the manner of the Duck Hawk. 



Siskins, as we generally call them, although the name 

 belongs to a different species of the Old World, are 

 counted among the winter residents of Missouri, but we 

 better call them winter visitants, for they are, like the 

 Purple Finches, highly erratic. They may stay a few 

 days at a place, but when gone may not be seen for a 

 whole year. They breed in the northern coniferous for- 

 ests and in the western mountains down to the Mexican 

 border, but are great wanderers for one-half of the year. 

 In appearance they resemble much our Goldfinches in 

 their winter dress, but are easily known by the spotted 

 underparts and yellow areas on wings and tail. Having 

 the feeding habits of the Goldfinches, the two species are 

 often found together on their feeding grounds and at the 

 water pools, but when disturbed the Siskins go off their 

 own way, keeping together in troops, which sometimes 

 amount to real flocks. Before their departure in spring 

 the males become very musical, but their song is not as 

 melodious as that of the Goldfinches or that of the Pur- 

 ple Finches. 



The latter are great musicians, in fact they are one 

 of our best songsters, their song resembling that of the 

 Warbling Vireo, undisputedly an artist among songsters. 

 Purple Finches are more regular in their visits to us and 

 might be classed among our winter residents if they would 

 only remain longer in one place, but they like to rove 

 from one feeding ground to another in search of favorite 

 food, the seeds of trees, shrubs, weeds and grasses. Like 

 other birds they have sometimes a hard task to get at 

 their food. During one of those dreaded periods, when 

 everything was covered by snow and frozen rain, when 

 boys were skating in the streets of St. Louis, I came upon 

 a troop of Purple Finches in a sinkhole near Carondelet. 



