PURPLE FINCH. 501 



was built in a cedar tree, at the distance of five feet from the ground. 

 The tree stood by itself in a small sandy pasture, which was sparingly 

 covered with half-grown cedars. The nest itself was rudely constructed : 

 it was composed externally of coarse grass and weeds, Uned with fine roots 

 of the same, and little care seemed to have been bestowed on its com- 

 pletion. The diameter of the exterior was 9 inches, the brim 3 inches, 

 the depth 1 inch, the external depth 2 inches, giving it thus a shallow 

 or flattish appearance. The eggs, four ui number, were of a bright eme- 

 rald-green." 



I have foimd this species from Labrador to the Texas. Mr Nuttall 

 and Dr Townsend met with it on the Columbia River, and all the way 

 to St Louis. In South Carolina, where it appears only during severe 

 winters, it feeds on the berries of the Virginian juniper, commonly cal- 

 led the red cedar ; and when the berries fall to the ground, it alights to 

 secure them. Dr Bachman has kept it in aviaries, where it became 

 very fat, silent, and only uttered its usual simple feeble note. After 

 moulting, the males assumed the plumage of the females. The next 

 spring a very slight appearance of red was seen, but they never reco- 

 vered their original brilliancy, and it was dif&cult to distinguish the 

 sexes. It breeds sparingly in the northern parts of the State of New 

 York. In June 1837, I met with three pairs, within a few miles of 

 Waterford, that evidently had nests in the neighbourhood. 



Palate gently ascending ; upper mandible considerably concave, with 

 three prominent lines, of which the two lateral are much larger ; mandi- 

 bles nearly equal in breadth, the lower deeply concave. Width of mouth 

 5 twelfths. Tongue 5 twelfths long, sagittate and papillate at the base, 

 much compressed, being higher than broad, channelled above, the chan- 

 nel becoming somewhat dilated toward the end, and approaching to 

 that of the Pine Grosbeak and the Crossbills. (Esophagus 2 inches 

 2 twelfths in length, its greatest width 4 twelfths. Stomach 5^ twelfths 

 long, 4| twelfths broad ; its lateral muscles of moderate size, the epithe- 

 lium tough and longitudinally rugous. Contents of stomach, seeds of 

 various sorts. Intestine 8| inches long, its width from 1^ twelfth to 

 I twelfth ; coeca ^ twelfth long, ^ twelfth broad, 9 twelfths distant from 

 the extremity. 



Trachea 1 inch 7^ twelfths long, flattened, nearly 1 twelfth in breadth ; 

 the rings 66 and 2 additional ; bronchial rings 12 ; muscles as usual in 

 this family ; as are the salivary glands. 



