346 



SYSTEMATIC SYNOPSIS. — PASSERES— OSCINES. 



65. CARPO'DACUS. (Gr. Kapiros, Icarjyos, fruit ; Saxor, dakos, biting.) Purple Bullfinches. 

 Bill smaller and less turgid than in Pinicola or Pyrrhula, more regularly conic and more acute; 

 sides convex in all directions, but with distinct ridge prolonged in a point on forehead where 

 not concealed by the antise, its outline moderately curved ; com- 

 ^^^ missure decidedly angulated, about straight before and behind the 

 V J M^^^^^ bend ; gonys quite straight. Nasal ruff little developed, barely 

 concealing the slight nasal fossEe, thence falling over sides of bill, 

 but discontinuous across culmen. Wings long and pointed, fold- 

 ing half-way to end of tail or farther, pointed by first 3 or 4 quills. 

 Tail much shorter than wings, considerably forked, with rather 



Fig. 210. — Bill of Purple narrow feathers ; both sets of coverts reaching more than half- 

 Finch, nat. size. ^ 



way to end. Feet small and weak ; tarsus shorter than middle 



toe ; lateral toes subequal, outer rather longer than inner, their claws reaching base of middle 

 claw. Sexes unlike. ^ extensively red of some shade, 9 streaky brown and white. Head 

 with erectile feathers, but not fairly crested. A beautiful genus, of several species of New and 

 Old World. 



Analysis of Species {(f). 

 Bill conic-acute, witli scarcely convex culmen ; edgings of "wing- and tail-feathers reddish. 



Large : length 6 50-7.00 ; bill at least 0.50 along culmen. Under tail-coverts strealied with dusky centres 

 \ of the feathers. Crimson crown well distinguished from merely reddish-brown back. (Southwestern 



U. S.) cassini 195 



Medium: length 5.75-6.25: bill not 0..50 along culmen. Under tail-coverts scarcely or nol, streaked. 



Crimson of crown not well distinguished from that of back. (U.S.) purpureus 194 



Bill conoid-obtuse, with very convex culmen. Edgings of wing- and tail-feathers whitish. 



Small ; length scarcely 6.00 ; bill about 0.40 along culmen. Front, line over eye, rump and throat red, 

 more or less contrasting with brown or white of other parts. 



Ked pretty definitely restricted to the areas said (Southwestern U. S. ) frontalis 196 



Red spreading over other parts (Californian coast) rhodocolpus 197 



194. C. purpu'reus. (Lat. pHrpurens, purple. Figs. 210, 211.) Purple Finch (better Crim- 

 son Finch.) Adult $ : Rose-red, paler below, insensibly whitening on belly and crissura, 

 brightest anteriorly, intensified to crimson on crown, darker and more brownish-red on back, 

 where also streaked with dark brown. Wings and tail 

 dusky, the quills edged and coverts tipped witlr brownish- 

 red. Lores and feathers about base of bill hoary- whitish. .,..,.^Ss;^?S 

 Bill and feet brown, the under mandible rather paler. 

 Length 6.00-6.25; extent 10.00-10.60; wing 3.00-.3.25; 

 tail 2.25-2.50 ; tarsus 0.63; middle toe and claw 0.87 ; bill ^-iam^jcf*^ 

 under 0.50. The shade of red is very variable, almost any- ^ 

 thing but pui-plish — according to season, and age and m 



vigor of the individual. In high feather, the crown is '"^jfrn^m^ i ^|jj*['-^^^ 

 richer crimson than any other part, but does not form a 



definite cap. The auriculars are dusky, and there is an ^B MtU HP^FX'T 

 appreciably light rosy stripe over them. Younger ^ ^ JB^m '^f^^ ; *3bm 



have frequently a bronzy shade. ? and young : Oliva- ^ws^-, i^* ^ A"^ 

 ceous-brown, more clearly olivaceous on rump, everywhere w ' ^jS *^ V SlVT 



streaked with dusky. Below, white, marked everywhere I'lf > '*' 



except on throiit, belly, and crissum with streaks and Fig. 211. — Purple Finch, (f, reduced, 

 arrow-heads of dusky oHve-brown ; the latter pretty (Sheppard .lei. Nichols, so 

 evenly distributed on breast, former the same on sides, on the sides of nock and throat con- 

 fluent and gathered into a maxillary series running up to the bill, separated by a poorly- 

 defined whitish area from the olive-brown auriculars, over which is a whitish postocular 

 streak. Wings and tail as in ^, but the edgings plain brown. Length 5.70-5.90; extent 



