m 



THE OOLOGKEST. 



I hope this will be of interest to the 

 readers, of the Oologist and that we 

 will see more articles in its columns on 

 water birds. 



F. C. Shepherd, 

 Hastings, Minn. 



House Pinch. 



( Carpodacus frontalis.) 

 A common resident of all parts of 

 California is the House Finch, or as 

 he is more commonly termed Red- 

 headed Linnet. I have found this spec- 

 ies of Fringillidae very common in 

 Southern California where the serenity 

 of nature is undisturbed by wintry 

 blasts, where frost and storms are un- 

 known. 



The House Finch is a sweet 

 songster; from any suitable perch, a 

 tree, chimney, fence, or house-top. The 

 merry song of this bird may be heard 

 in any month of the year. Spring and 

 Summer are to him days of sweetest 

 bliss; feeding and sieging, singing and 

 feeding from morning till night. How 

 often does he visit the cherry orchard, 

 but does he not pay for the cherries in 

 songs? I fear, however, the farmers 

 prefer the more substantial, money rea- 

 lizing cherries, rather than the pleas- 

 ant songs. To-day in mid-winter I 

 heard a little fellow on the top of a 

 neighboring barn singing with all his 

 might. Perhaps the bright sun and 

 green fields reminded him of his distant 

 summer home which he had just left 

 cold, dreary and lifeless. He must have 

 been a stranger for his song seemed to 

 out-class the songs of our birds which 

 have grown somewhat indolent basking 

 in the rays of an ever genial sun. The 

 invigorating sight was conducive to 

 such a song ; everything was green 

 with a cloudless sky overhead, the gen- 

 tlest of breezes played carelessly in an 

 orange grove below exposing, now and 

 then through the leaves as they opened 

 and closed with the varying winds, rich 



golden oranges. A strawberry patch 

 lay close at hand and from this the lit- 

 tle rascal had just emerged after having 

 a delicious feast, yes, a feast on rich, 

 red strawberries in mid- Winter. He 

 sang as if his little throat would burst, 

 his form quivered with the fervor of his 

 song — ample remuneration was given 

 for the few berries he had taken. At 

 last his song ceased, and with a feW 

 merry chirps he thi^ew himself into the 

 air and was soon lost to sight. I will 

 wager, however, the strawberry patch' 

 will receive another visit from this same 

 roguish little fellow, but let him come 

 with that cheerful song — he is a wel- 

 come visitor. 



Although his habitat is confined to 

 the temperate parts of Western North 

 America. I venture to say that the 

 House Finch has as much bird 

 knowledge and experience as anj r cos- 

 mopolite in the feathered world. 

 Quick yet dignified in actions, pleas- 

 ant in appearance, sweet and cheerful 

 in song, the -House Finch has made 

 himself a favorite in the homes of the 

 West. 



As may be expected, the House Finch 

 is not select in its site for a home. After 

 match-making is over, any place that 

 suits the artless fancy of the birds is 

 chosen as the place for their home, then 

 both male and female go to work with 

 a will collecting roots, bits of paper, 

 strings horse hair, in fact anything 

 readily obtained, The nest is noon con- 

 structed and in it are placed four or 

 six bluish-white eggs, dotted with dark 

 brownish black. The eggs are about 

 size of those of the Orchard Oriole, per- 

 haps a trifle smaller. I well remember 

 my first find as an oologist was .a set of 

 this species. I remember how I scram- 

 bled out on the horizontal limb of an 

 oak, swaying to and fro with the breeze 

 while a friend coaxed me on with flat- 

 tering terms only used by those who 

 stand on the solid earth. I got that 

 nest and carried it home in triumph, 



