The Singing of Birds. ILP.Bicknell. 
Carpodacus purpureus. Purple Finch. 
There is much irregularity in the occurrence with us of the 
Purple Finch, particularly in the winter season.. In some winters 
it is constantly present in numbers ; in others it is absent. From 
this arises an irregularity in the time of the beginning of spring 
song. When the bird has been common through the winter its 
song is to be heard usually much earlier in the spring than when 
it is brought by migrants. The time of arrival of the spring mi- 
grants is also variable, and their songs are first heard sometime 
between the fourth week of March and the corresponding week 
of April. The latest date that I have record of for the beginning 
of spring song is April 23. 
Purple Finches were present through the winter of 1877-78) 
and the exceptionally early spring which followed enticed them 
into song as early as the 3d of March. This is my earliest record 
for the actual beginning of song. Impatient birds sometimes try 
their pipes on bright days of mid-winter, but, so far as I have ob- 
served, always with poor results. When once regularly begun, 
singing continues until about the middle of July — 2d to 20th. 
In the autumn the song is weak and desultory, although I have 
occasionally at that season heard a near approach to the full song 
of spring. Singing is also somewhat uncertain in the. fall, and 
though in some seasons quite general with the species, in others it 
is not heard at all. Dates for song are down in my books from 
September 22 to October 31. 
I have elsewhere (Trans. Linnsean Society of New York, Vol. 
I, pp. 43-44) referred to the song of the Purple Finch in the Cats- 
kill Mountains in connection with its song in the Hudson Valley, 
and alluded to variations to which it is subject. 
Auk. I, Oct., 1884. p. 3 XI - 32$. 
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