May, 1922 THE ALEUTIAN ROSY FINCH 91 
the Pribilofs. Some of these rise to a height of a thousand feet and form in- 
comparable bird rookeries. Although there is almost no zoning of the eleven 
species of sea birds nesting there, the lowermost nests are, in almost every 
ease, those of the kittiwakes. In some instances the fulmars, murres and cor- 
morants are equally low, but not often. The lowermost of these do not usually 
approach the beach line closer than twenty-five feet, and it is in the space 
from there down that the Rosy Finches most often build. On rare occasions 
the nests of the latter may be reached by hand, but the birds are seldom so in- 
judicious as to run such risks. The nest is neatly constructed of the dry 
grasses most accessible, and the lining is of similar material, but softer and 
finer than that used for the body of the nest. Seldom are roots or feathers 
used in nest construction. 
The length of time a female remains off her nest depends, of course, upon 
the state of incubation of the eggs; when she returns to it, the male settles on 
some favorite nearby rock and pours forth his beautiful song, repeating it 
time and time again. The serenity of the scene is interrupted only by some 
wandering finch which must be chased away most vigorously. 
The normal set consists of five eggs, but four and six are not infrequent. 
While the color is usually pure, immaculate white, in some cases there are faint 
reddish or yellowish brown spots or, more often, specks, many of which are 
almost microscopic in size. 
Two broods of young are raised each year under normal conditions, and 
hence this species increases rapidly in numbers if free from enemies. The 
period of incubation is not definitely known. but the second sets are laid bv 
August 1 in the majority of cases. It is believed that the same nest is used 
for both sets. or at least the same location. Sometimes it appears that a por- 
tion of the old nest is torn out and then reconstructed. The youne of summer 
plumage are uniform grayish brown, and show no trace of the brilliant rose 
and pink colors of adults in breeding plumagcve. 
The Aleutian Rosy Finch has endeared itself to all those who have come 
to know it, and being one of the most beautiful of the sparrows it is a misfor- 
tune that it is so isolated in habitat. 
San Francisco, March 23, 1922. 
