PURPLE FINCH, OR AMERICAN LINNET. 531 
latter end of March, or early in April, and arriving with 
us in the month of May, to pass the most important 
period of their existence. Roving flocks are also seen 
here as early as the 24th of March, singing while they 
stay, with great energy and cheerfulness ; these, in all 
probability, proceed to Labrador or Newfoundland to 
breed. The males now have many bitter contests for 
the choice of their mates, and are very bold and pugna- 
cious in confinement, attempting to destroy every other 
bird introduced into the same cage. They also bite 
severely when taken up wounded, but are directly recon- 
ciled to the cage, finding their most important wants so 
amply supplied ; yet, in this state, they often refuse to 
sing, and after moulting into the humble plumage of the 
female, frequently remain so, without ever renewing their 
crimson dress. They are here exposed in cages for sale 
at high prices (by the name of Linnets), and sing pretty 
commonly in confinement. Their notes are very similar 
to those of the Warbling Yireo, but louder, and more 
agreeably diversified. From the tops of our lofty and 
spreading elms, or shadowy spruce-trees, where they de- 
light to pass the time, their varied and very cheerful 
melody is often continued almost without interval, and 
poured forth like a torrent. After a combat with a rival, 
his towering notes of victory burst out into rapture, and 
he now seems to triumph with loud and petulant hilarity. 
The song of this beautiful Finch is, indeed, much finer 
than that of the Canary ; the notes are remarkably clear 
and mellow, and the trilling, sweet, and various, particu- 
larly on their first arrival. At times the warble is 
scarcely audible, and appears at a distance ; it then, by a 
fine crescendo, bursts into loudness, and falls into an ec- 
stasy of ardent and overpowering expression ; at such times 
the usual pauses of the song are forgotten, and, like the 
