THE PUEPLE FINCH. 
178 
it feeds on the berries of the Virginian juniper, commonly called the red 
cedar ; and when the berries fall to the ground, it alights to secure them. Dr. 
Bachman has kept it in aviaries, where it became very fat, silent, and only 
uttered its usual simple feeble note. After moulting, the males assumed the 
plumage of the females. The next spring a very slight appearance of red 
was seen, but they never recovered their original brilliancy, and it was 
difficult to distinguish the sexes. It breeds sparingly in the northern parts 
of the State of New York. In June, 1837, 1 met with three pairs, within a 
few miles of Waterford, that evidently had nests in the neighbourhood. 
Palate gently ascending ; upper mandible considerably concave, with three 
prominent lines, of which the two lateral are much larger ; mandibles nearly 
equal in breadth, the lower deeply concave. Width of mouth 5 twelfths. 
Tongue 5 twelfths long, sagittate and papillate at the base, much compressed, 
being higher than broad, channelled above, the channel becoming somewhat 
dilated toward the end, and approaching to that of the Pine Grosbeak and 
the Crossbills. Oesophagus 2 inches 2 twelfths in length, its greatest width 
4 twelfths. Stomach 5i twelfths long, 4^ twelfths broad; its lateral muscles 
of moderate size, the epithelium tough and longitudinally rugous. Contents 
of stomach, seeds of various sorts. Intestine 81 inches long, its width from 
I 5 twelfths to I twelfth ; coeca h twelfth long, \ twelfth broad, 9 twelfths 
distant from the extremity. 
Trachea 1 inch 71 twelfths long, flattened, nearly one twelfth in breadth ; 
the rings 66 and 2 additional ; bronchial rings 12 ; muscles as usual in this 
family ; as are the salivary glands. 
Male, 6, 9. 
During winter, from Texas to the Carolinas, and northward to Kentucky. 
In summer, from St. Louis to the Columbia, and in the Fur Countries. 
Abundant. 
Purple Finch, Fringilla purpurea, Wils. Amer. Orn., vol. i. p. 119. 
Purple Finch, Bonap. Syn., p. 114. 
Fringilla purpurea Wilson, Crested Purple Finch, Swains, and Rich. F. Bor. 
Amer., vol. ii. p. 2G4. 
Purple Finch, Fringilla purpurea, And. Orn. Biog., vol. i. p. 24 ; vol. v. p. 500. 
Adult Male. 
Bill shortish, robust, bulging, conical, acute ; upper mandible with its 
dorsal outline a little convex, under mandible with its outline also slightly 
convex, both broadly convex transversely, the edges straight to near the 
base, where they are a little deflected. Nostrils basal, roundish, open, 
partially concealed by the feathers. Head rather large. Neck short and 
thick. Body full. Legs of moderate size ; tarsus of the same length as the 
Vol. III. 30 
