^ PURPLE FINCH. 106 



color of the young during the first, and to at least the end of the 

 second, season, when the males begin to become lighter yellowish, which 

 gradually brightens to crimson ; the female always retains nearly the 

 same appearance. The young male bird of the first year may be dis- 

 tinguished from the female by the tail of the former being edged with 

 . olive green, that of the latter with brown. A male of one of these 

 birds which I kept for some time, changed in the month of October, 

 from red to greenish yellow, but died before it recovered its former 

 color. 



FRINGILLA PURPUREA. 



PURPLE FINCH. " 



(Plate XLII. Fig. 3, Male in winter plumage.] 



This bird is represented as he appears previous to receiving his crim 

 son plumage, and also when moulting. By recurring to PI. VII., fig. 4, 

 which exhibits him in his full dress, the great difference of color will be 

 observed to which this species is annually subject. 



It is matter of doubt with me whether this species ought not to be 

 classed with Loxia ; the great thickness of the bill, and similarity that 

 prevails between this and the Pine Grosbeak, almost induced me "to 

 adopt it into that class. But respect for other authorities has prevented 

 me from making this alteration. 



When these birds are taken in their crimson dress, and kept in a cage 

 till they moult their feathers, they uniformly change to their present 

 appearance, and sometimes never after receive their red color. They 

 are also subject, if well fed, to become so fat as literally to die of cor- 

 pulency, of which I have seen several instances ; being at these times 

 subject to something resembling apoplexy, from which they sometimes 

 recover in a few minutes, but oftener expire in the same space of time. 



The female is entirely without the red, and differs from the present 

 only in having less yellow about her. 



These birds regularly arrive from the north, where they breed, in 

 September; and visit us from the south again early in April, feeding 

 on the cherry blossoms as soon as they appear. 



The individual figured in the plate measured six inches and a quarter 

 in length, and ten inches in extent ; the bill was horn colored ; upper 

 parts of the plumage brown olive strongly tinged with yellow, particu- 

 larly on the rump, where it was brownish yellow ; from above the eye, 

 backwards, passed a streak of white, and another more irregular one 



