a year with the birds 
Purple Finch : Carpodacus purpurcus 
Length: 5.75-6.25 inches. 
Male: Until two years old resembles a dull-colored, heavy-billed spar- 
row; when mature, the head, shoulders, and upper breast have a 
wash of raspberry-red, lower parts grayish white, wings and tail 
dusky with some reddish brown tips. Bill and feet brown. 
Female: Olive-brown, clearer on rump, and streaked above and below 
with dusky brown. Whitish beneath, and streaked on sides of 
breast with arrow-shaped marks. 
Song: Joyful and sudden — “ O, list to me, list to me, hear me, and 
I’ll tell you — you, you ! ” 
Season: March to November; a common summer resident, individuals 
remaining sometimes all winter. 
Nest: In a bush or tree, of grass and fibre, and lined with horsehair; 
a flat nest. 
Eggs: 4-5, greenish white, scratched and spotted with black and lilac. 
Burroughs, with his fine sense of perception and language 
combined, at once locates this Finch. “ His color is peculiar,” 
he says, “ and looks as if it might have been imparted by 
dipping a brown bird in diluted poke-berry juice. Two or 
three more dippings would have made the purple complete.” 
In looking for this Finch, then, you must rely greatly upon 
his song, remembering that he may or may not be red colored 
on the head and back, and that whether he is or not, you will 
find it difficult to discover. 
English Sparrow : Passer domesticus 
House Sparrozv; Gamin, Tramp, Hoodlum. (Coues.) 
Length : 5 inches. 
Male and Female: Ashy above, shoulders and back striped with black 
and chestnut. Dark chestnut mark over eye and on sides of 
neck. Chestnut and white bar on wings, bordered by a black 
line; tail gray. Bill blue-black; feet brown. Female paler; wing 
bars indistinct. 
Song: A harsh chirp. 
Season: A persistent resident. 
Nest: Rough, and loosely made of straws, sticks, or any material 
which circumstances offer. 
Eggs: 4-8, greenish white, speckled with chocolate and lavender. 
This unfortunate Sparrow, bearing a load of opprobrium 
which he deserves, though largely through no fault of his 
