abandoned and picturesque jail building was secured for library- 

 purposes through the efforts of the ladies of the town, and at 

 the suggestion of the Hon. Hannibal Hamlin, who gave it an 

 endowment fund and who was the means of placing two fine 

 mineral collections in its custody. 



E. Van H. 



THE PINE SISKIN IN THE CITY 



In the coast country of South Carolina the Pine Siskin {Spinus 

 jyinus) is a very rare and irregular winter visitant. On April 

 18 and 19, 1909,1 observed a flock of eight or ten in my garden 

 on Legare street. I had heard their notes for some days previ- 

 ous, but was deceived by the similarity to the notes of the 

 goldfinch and did not investigate the birds until the morning of 

 April 18th, when I was astonished to find that they belonged to 

 this rare species. The birds were very tame, kept up a constant 

 twittering and frequented both the tall elms and the lower 

 privet bushes, keeping mainly, however, to the taller trees. 



This record is remarkable because of the rarity of the species 

 on the coast, because it has never before been observed in the 

 City, and because these dates are far later than any others on 

 which the bird has been reported on the coast. 



Audubon records having shot several Pine Siskins near 

 Charleston in December, 1833, and Mr. Arthur T. Wayne ob- 

 served them in the winter of 189G-97, when they were common 

 from December 12 till the middle of March, but no other records 

 for this eratic species in this part of the State are known. 



The Pine Siskin breeds from the mountains of North Carolina 

 northward into British America, and also in the Rocky and 

 Sierra Nevada Mountains. 



Herbert R. Sass. 



37 



