The California Purple Finch 



lady,- 



lost his head, and was 

 mouthing the approved 

 gibberish of infatuation. 

 Very young and very 

 silly he looked as he 

 stood with fluttering 

 wings and strident voice, 

 coaxing, coaxing, coax- 

 ing. He had a hand- 

 some red head, and was 

 not a badly put up bird 

 —but love makes us all 

 look foolish. So at least 

 thought the buxom and 

 spirited dame he was 

 suing, and the suitee 

 drove at him viciously 

 as often as he renewed 

 his suit. Again and again 

 she pursued him, now 

 knocking him headlong, 

 now merely driving him 

 from his perch; but ever 

 and ever the love-sick 

 swain kept up his unme- 

 lodious yipping, — and 

 the enamorata, mind you, 

 did not fly away. The 

 whole performance re- 

 minded me strongly of 

 the courtship of the Eng- 

 lish Sparrow, save that 

 the gallant did not stand 

 his ground as well as does 

 Cock Sparrow; and the 

 well, perhaps she was even more unreasonable and vicious. But 



Phuto by the Author 



NESTING HAUNT OF THE CALIFORNIA PURPLE 

 FINCH 



this kind makes the very best wives, they say. 



Of the nesting of the California Purple Finch very little appears to be 

 known, and nothing of moment written. I have found nests on only one 

 occasion, near Santa Barbara, although I am persuaded that the birds 

 breed regu'arly along our creek bottoms. A nest containing two eggs was 

 found on the 27th of May, 1915, settled among the branching terminal 



211 



