Carpodacus purpureus at Portland, Maine, in Winter. — Last Autumn 
(1887) I saw Purple Finches {Carpodacus 'purpureus') in the outskirts of 
the city up to November 11, — later than they had ever been seen in this 
vicinity. Having no suspicion that they would remain through the 
winter, and being very busy, I then ceased to look for them. During the 
last of January, however, I frequently heard bird notes I could not ascribe 
to any resident species, or to any species known to winter about Portland, 
and I was told by friends living in the suburbs that the mountain ash 
berries there were being eaten by a strange bird. On January 26 and 27, 
Portland was visited by the severest storm that has occurred here for 
nearly twenty years. One might think that such weather (there was now 
over three feet of snow) would have discouraged a bird unused to our 
winter season ; but such was not the case, for, early in the morning of 
February 1, I saw a Purple Finch (a female or immature male) feeding on 
the berries. of a mountain ash which grows in front of my study window. 
That afternoon I noticed three birds, an adult male and two females or 
immature males, in the same tree. On February 8 , 1 saw three adult males 
feeding in a crab-apple tree from which the fruit was not gathered in the 
fall. For the succeeding twelve days, besides seeing individuals in 
mountain ash trees, I never passed this crab-apple tree without noticing 
these birds there. The largest number seen was seven, — five males and 
two females or immature males. During these twelve days* five inches of 
snow fell and the thermometer averaged 18.5° Fahrenheit. For the next 
two weeks I was out of town and unable to take notes. On March 10 I 
found at least eight Purple Finches in a large flock of Spinus pinus ; it 
was impossible to count them accurately. For the next three days they 
fed in the same place (under a mountain ash where the snow had blown 
oft') in about the same numbers. On March 13, came a terrific snow- 
storm which will hardly need to be recalled to Eastern readers of ‘The 
Auk.’ Nevertheless, on the following day, Purple Finches were still here, 
and I have seen them every day since up to the present time (March 20). 
It may here be stated that their earliest recorded arrival at Portland is 
March 23 (IV. C. Brown, Proc. Port. Soc. Nat. Hist., 1882, p. 12). Of late 
they have grown shyer and do not associate so much with the Pine 
Finches. The largest number I have seen together is twelve, and that 
only once. 
When it is remembered that that part of the winter during which I saw 
no specimens was by far the mildest, I think no one will doubt that Pur- 
ple Finches have been resident here this year. There seems to be no 
previous record of their occurrence at all in winter so far north in New 
England as Portland ; and it is remarkable that they should have chosen 
an unusually severe winter for what may be a first experiment. — John 
C. Brown, Portland , Maine. \ 
*At this time a notice of their occurrence up to February 20, which was published 
in the Portland ‘Daily Advertiser’ for March 20, was handed in to the Portland Society 
of Natural History. 
Auk, V. April 1888. p. £0 7 
Birds of- Dead River Region, Me. F. H, G, 
44. Carpodacus purpureus, (Purple Finch). The 
Linnett breeds in the southern portions of the 
counties, and a few were seen in the immediate 
vicinity of Dead River, but could not detect them 
nesting in the forests. Their nidification about 
New Portland and Kingfield was in no wise dif- 
ferent from the well known habits of this species. 
O.&o. XI. Oct. 1886. p. 146 
SnmmetpResIdents on Southwest 
Ooast of Maine, T.H, Montgomery, Jr, 
517 . Purple Finch. Common at Bootlibay, 
and at Seal Ilarbor, Mt. Desert. 
O, andO, Wu Mov, 1390. p,loa 
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