1911] The Ottawa Naturalist 127 



they seldom are on account of continued exposure to weather. It 

 must be admitted, however, that when large areas are left 

 unthrashed for several months, as is occasionally the case, and 

 left too in the stack that there is a chance for more than slight 

 damage, though even then I doubt its being very extensive, and 

 it must be incomparably less than is the loss by exposure to 

 climatic conditions. 



Now, let us view the other side of the question. In winter 

 time the covering of snow prohibits more than casual ground 

 feeding, therefore, it is those plants standing above the snow 

 that afford or offer food in the form of seeds. What are the 

 plants that are most commonly met with at such times? Answer: 

 lamb's-quarters. redroot, Russian pigweed, docks, ragweeds, 

 false ragweeds, wormwoods and foxtails, besides many more; 

 weeds which take a heavy annual toll from the farmer. In 

 addition to these the seeds of many grasses and wild plants are 

 eaten, all of which are of small importance economically. 



In spring time, before they leave us, Snowflakes have been 

 accused of eating sprouted grain, as well as that recently sown. 

 The former charge has undoubtedly some foundation in fact, 

 though the evidence does not warrant a condemnation on that 

 account, particularly as the sprouts are usually broken off, 

 enabling the lower portion to grow again. As for the birds 

 eating sown grain, that is an impossibility, when it is sown 

 correctly with modern machinery. On the other hand it can- 

 not be doubted that the birds pick up many weed seeds while 

 on the fields in spring time, and so once again more than balancing 

 any injury done. 



Such is a summary of the evidence as it appears to me from 

 field observations, and this has been amply borne out by the 

 examination of stomachs elsewhere. 



During the winter of 1910-11 my brother Talbot captured 

 a male Snowflake with a damaged wing and gave it to his sister 

 Alma. It was wild at first but soon learnt to recognize its 

 mistress, and in time the other members of the household, so 

 that it would allow not only a close approach, but welcome them 

 with raised crest and a cheerful cry oft repeated, sometimes 

 followed by a call note when left alone. In July the bird com- 

 menced to sing, softly at first as if afraid of being heard, but later 

 with a loud clear voice often uttered in our presence as if he 

 were proud of it. He continued to sing on cheerfully for about a 

 month and then stopped. 



As might be expected, such an opportunity of learning 

 something of the food habits of the species was taken advantage 

 of, and so our "Snowie," as he was called, was fed, or rather, 

 given all manner of things to test his tastes. He was fed as a 



