Identifier: birdlifeguidetos00chapman (find matches)
Title: Bird-life; a guide to the study of our common birds
Year: 1897 (1890s)
Authors: Chapman, Frank M. (Frank Michler), 1864-1945 Seton, Ernest Thompson, 1860-1946
Subjects: Birds
Publisher: New York : D. Appleton and company
Contributing Library: Smithsonian Libraries
Digitizing Sponsor: Smithsonian Libraries

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ight colors, but theyare evidently believers in prolonged courtship, and, al-though the nuptial dress is acquired so early, housekeep-ing is apparently not thought of until June. Then a neathome of bark and fine grasses, thickly lined with plantdown, is placed in a bush or tree, five to thirty feet fromthe ground, and in it are laid three to six pale, Wuish-white eggs. IS^ow the song season has reached its height. Chorussinging has l)een abandoned. Each bird has become aninspired soloist, who, perched near his home or flying inbroad circles about it, pours forth a flood of melody. Itis an exceedingly attractive song, sweet and varied andsuggesting a Canarys, but still is no more like it than ahothouse is like a tropical forest. CreaJi\ creak, the notes are clear but faint, and may Purple Finch come from any place beyond arms reach.Carpodaeusparjiureus. They are the Purple Finchs flight-Plate Llll. calls ; one might think his wing-jointsneeded oiling. Alighting on the topmost twig of a
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Plate LIII. PURPLE FINCH.Length, 620 inches. Adult male, rose-pink ; back brownish ; lower bellywhite ; no white in wings. Adult female and yoking, upper parts streakedbrownish and grayish ; under parts white, streaked with brownish; billrounded on top ; a tuft of bristly feathers over the nostrils. 201 202 PUKPLE FINCH. forest tree, lie utters a low, wild, questioning whistle.With crown-feathers slightly erect he seems alert andrestless, and before we can fairly see him is off again toparts unknown. Purple Finches, in small companies, may often beseen feeding near the ground with Goldfinches, but ifalarmed they soon return to the tree tops. The old malesmay be known by their pinkish red color, which is bright-est on the head and breast, and fades to brownish on thelower back and tail and white on the belly. The youngmales and females are Sparrowlike in appeaiance, theupper parts being dark grayish brown, the under partswhite, streaked with dusky. A whitish line passing overthe eye is

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