Origin and Status of the House Finch in the Eastern United States

ON January 17, 1948, at Hewlett, Nassau County, Long Island, New York, an adult male House Finch, Carpodacus mexicanus, was collected by Arbib from a flock of 40 or more birds. This specimen (now No. 348793, Amer. Mus. Nat. Hist.) was the first House Finch collected in the eastern United States, and it proved that the species had been correctly identified as a resident--indeed, a breeding bird on Long Island--an assertion that had been maintained in the face of some skepticism during the previous five years. ACKNOWLEI)GEMENTS.--In seeldng to unravel the mystery of the appearance and history of th•s western species in this new locale, the authors have been greatly assisted by the professional opinions and advice of Dr. Dean Areadon and Dr. John T. Zimmer of the American Museum of Natural History and Dr. Alden H. Miller of the Museum of Vertebrate Zoology. Information valuable to the study was generously suppl•ed by John L. Bull, Jr., Edward Costich, Richard B. Fischer, Dr. Edward Fleisher, Charles E. Mohr, Richard H. Pough, and Lester Walsh.