BIRDS OF NOETHERN CANADA 399 



to furnisli from now on to the end of the paper series in 

 hand quite as full confirmatory details under each numbered 

 species as previously. Professor Macoun'a " Catalogue of 

 Canadian Birds " will, however, prove of much assistance 

 in this connection. Mr. B. E.. Ross states that this species 

 is not rare on the Mackenzie River to Fort Good Hope. 



The Dominion Museum at Ottawa holds nine skins, hut 

 not a single egg, of this fine pine grosbeak! 



517. Purple Finch — Carpodacus purpureus (Gmelin). 



A supposed example of the species was shot on the lower 

 Athabasca River in the spring of 1885, which was later for- 

 warded to Dr. Bell. In 1891 Professor Nutting, of Iowa 

 University, obtained a specimen (male) at Grand Rapids, 

 Cumberland district. Latitude 56° 15' is apparently the most 

 northern range of this bird, where Mr. Spreadborough 

 observed it in June, 1903. The Dominion Museum at 

 Ottawa possesses "twelve skin specimens and four sets of 

 eggs thereof, one set of four having been taken from a nest 

 situated in a small spruce, about eight feet from the ground. 

 Outside made of grass and small twigs lined with cow's hair." 



517a. Califoenia Pueple Finch — Carpodacus purpureus 

 calif ornicus Baird. 



On 3rd June, 1889, a Stuart Lake Indian found a nest 

 of this finch on a low bush containing four fresh eggs. He 

 shot the mother. On the next day another hunter brought 

 us part of a female with a nest holding five eggs, one of 

 which Major Bendire identified as belonging to the western 

 vesper sparrow (Pooccetes gramineus confinis). On the 26th 

 June a third Indian turned up with the nest and three 

 broken eggs emptied by him. He also had a bird therewith 

 which he shot in the immediate vicinity. 



Professor Macoun states that this suh-species is fairly 

 common in Vancouver Island and on the coast of British 

 Columbia, where it undoubtedly breeds. It has been 

 26 



