“The food of this species, like its congeners, consists at different seasons of buds, fruits, the seeds of various grasses and wild plants, which it often plucks from the capsules while hanging inverted or sidewise on the bending stalk. Insects are also eaten, I believe, at all seasons. But in its half-domesticated condition at Santa Fé, nothing edible seemed to be amiss.” This species appears to congregate into flocks at the close of the summer season, and to adopt the wandering habits of its near relative the Purple-Finch previously alluded to in this article. They migrate at that period and during the winter to Mexico, and probably to the countries of Central America. The following notice is from Dr. Heermann’s Notes on the Birds of California, (Jour. Philada. Acad. Quarto, II. p. 267,) and relates to this bird: “Very abundant and found in large flocks in the fall season, feeding on the buds of young trees. I found this species abundant at Guaymas, where it breeds under the eaves of houses, in the branches of the small cactus plants; and one nest I discovered in a deserted woodpecker’s hole, made in the body of an upright cactus, one and a half feet in diameter and about fifteen feet high, with which species of plants the country near Guaymas is covered. In California I found its nest on the dwarf oaks, composed of coarse grasses and lined with fine hair. The eggs, from four to six in number, are pale blue, marked with spots and delicate lines of black.” Dr. Woodhouse also notices this bird as abundant in New Mexico and California, (Sitgreaves’ Report, Zoology, p. 88.) The figures in our plate are about two-thirds of the size of life. DESCRIPTION AND TECHNICAL OBSERVATIONS. Genus Carpodacus. Kaup Nat. Syst., p. 161. (1829.) Bill short, conical, wide at base, wings long, pointed, second and third quills longest, tail moderate or rather short, tarsi and feet strong, colors in males usually purple, size small. Carpodacus familiaris. M‘Call, Proc. Acad. Philada. VI. p. 61. (April 1852.) Form. Generally similar to that of _Carpodacus purpureus_ (Gm.), but smaller than either that species or _Carpodacus frontalis_. (Say.) Bill short, strong; shorter, more curved above and more turgid than that of _C. purpureus_. Wing rather long, with the first, second and third quills longest and nearly equal, secondaries truncate and emarginate, tail slightly emarginate only, not forked as in _C. purpureus_, legs, feet and claws moderate. Dimensions of a skin from California: Total length from tip of bill to end of tail about 5½ inches, wing 3¼, tail 2¾ inches. Col. M‘Call gives the total length of the recent bird as 6 inches, 1 line and alar extent 10 inches. Colors. Male. Head entirely, back, rump, superior tail-coverts, neck before and breast, brownish red, inclining to crimson, most clear and distinct on the rump, superior tail-coverts and front immediately at the base of the bill, and most obscure on the back.