404 NOIITII AMKItlCAN IMKDS. 



and always vnry aimisiiijjj. Discrctidu usually Un>\<. ilic |iliu'(! of valur mi llio 

 iKiii III' till' iiitnidiT. 



Tilt' siiiij,' ()(' the I'ui'liln KiuL'ii M'SL'iiilili's tliiil (if till' Caiiiiry, and tli(in;,di 

 less varii'd and powcrrul, is sol'lcr, Hwuefer, and nioiv Uaa-iun;,' aiul ]>lcasing. 

 Tiu! noti'H of this s|iuc'i('s may lie iu'.U'd I'mni the last ol' .May until late in 

 S('|)t(Mnl)i'i', and in tlic long sunmicr nvcnings arc often cnnlinui'd until alter 

 it is {[uitc dark. Their song has all the heauty and pathos of the Warbling 

 Vireo, and greatly resenddes it, hut is luon^ powiuiul and full in tone. It is 

 a very iuleresting sight to watch one of ihesi- litth^ perforintn's in the midst 

 of his song. He. iippears perfei'tly alisorlied in his wia'lc, his jorni dilates, 

 his crest is e 'cted, his throat e.xpamls, and he seems to he ulti^rly uncon- 

 scious of all around him. Ihit let an intruth^r of his own race ajipear within 

 a few feet of the singiir, ami the .song instantly ceases, and in a violent lit 

 of indignation lie chases him away. 



The flight of the I'urpie Finch is said hy Mr. Auduh.n to resenihle that 

 of the Oreen Finch of Kuro])e. They ily in compact Docks, with an undu- 

 lating motion, alighting all at once, and then instantly, as if suddenly 

 alarmed, take again to flight only to return to the same tree. They then 

 immediately make each his .separate way to the end.s of the la'anches, and 

 commence eating tla? laids. The food they take to their young is juicy ber- 

 ries and the softer jiortions of the young cones of the fir ami spruce. 



They ne.st generally in firs, si)ruces, or cedar-trees, though occasionally on 

 the upper branches of a high aiii)le-tree. Their nests are usually placed upon 

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

 them not more than live feet from tiie ground, and at other times on the higii- 

 est point of a hil'ty lir-tree. The nests are, I'or tiie most part, .somewhat ilat 

 and shallow structure.s, not more than two and a half inches in height, and 

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

 an inch, and the cavity corresponds to its general shape anil form. The 

 framework of the nest is usually made of small denuded vegetable fibres, 

 stems of grasses, strips of bark, and .voody Iragments. The upjier rim of the 

 nest is often a curious intertwining of dry herbaceiais stems, the ends of which 

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

 is made up of minute vegetable fibres, closely interwoven. There is usually no 

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

 dark-coldied rootlets of wooded ])lants, lined with liner materials of the same, 

 occasionally mingled with the down of liirds and the fur of small animal.s. 



The eggs of the I'urple Finch vary greatly in size, and somewhat in shajie. 

 Generally they are of an oblong oval, jtointed considerably at one end. Their 

 length varies from .92 to .81 of an inch, and their breadth from .70 to .00. 

 Their eohn- is a pale shade of emerald-green, spott,ed with dark brown, almost 

 black, chiefly about the larger eml. The gi-ound-color is much brighter when 

 the eggs are fresh, and soon fades upon exposure to light, and even when kept 

 in a close drawer. 



