HOUSE FINCH. 15 
more numerous in villages and suburbs than in the country, trees in 
gardens are often entirely stripped. 
INJURY TO FRUIT BUDS. 
‘ 
It is a little singular that formerly most of the complaints against 
the linnet were that it destroyed the buds and blooms of fruit trees 
instead of the fruit itself. Thus in 1886 Mr. R. P. Chandler, of 
Riverside, San Bernardino County, wrote: 
The bird which is commonly known as the linnet, or crimson house finch, has 
been observed to do great injury to the apricot crops of this section by feeding 
on the fruit buds from the time they begin to swell until the trees are in bloom. 
Two years ago my entire apricot crop was destroyed by the above birds, and IT 
took the opportunity to establish the facts of the case by shooting a large numw- 
ber for the purpose of examination. A great many of the birds that were shot 
had small bits of buds, etc., stuck on their bills by the gummy substances of the 
fruit buds. A further examination would invariably result in finding each and 
every bird’s stomach filled with buds. 
The same year J. C. Galloway, of Tustin, Cal., stated: 
The common linnet does great injury to the buds of the apricot, eating out 
the center and destroying all the fruit buds on the tree in many cases, usually 
in January and February, in this latitude. 
Wiliam Proud, of Rancho Chico, Cal., accuses the linnet of eating 
both buds and fruit. He says: 
The burion, house finch, or linnet, is by far the most nernicious bird we have 
to deal with in the orchard. He arrives in March and immediately commences 
his ravages on the buds of the cherry, peach, plum, persimmon, ete. The first 
cherry showing a red cheek is sampled by this most rapacious little bird. Then 
comes the fruit of the apricot, peach, and fig. For the latter he shows a decided 
partiality. When the fruit crop is exhausted he immediately turns his atten- 
tion to all kinds of millets, sorghum, Egyptian corn, and other small seeds. 
As showing how destructive the bird is to fruit, especially in small 
orchards, the following is quoted from Dr. T. S. Palmer, then at 
Berkeley, Alameda County, Cal. : 
The crimson house finch is the only bird that does any considerable damage 
to fruit. As soon as the cherries begin to ripen the birds keep close watch of 
the trees, and if the fruit is not gathered as soon as ripe they soon dispose of a 
large portion of it. In our garden there are about a dozen cherry trees of 
various kinds, and if not very closely watched, within a week or two from the 
time when the fruit first begins to ripen almost every tree will be completely 
Stripped. Of course, in a large orchard the damage would not be so noticeable, 
but still might be considerable. Later in the season when the cherries are 
gone, the finches attack the plums and pears. 
F. H. Holmes, of Rio Vista, Solano County, Cal., under date of 
September, 1886, states: 
Our worst fruit pest is the crimson house finch, which, on account of its 
abundance and familiarity, it is impossible to scare off. They injure mostly 
cherries, figs, berries, peaches, and apricots. They often only peck each fruit 
