ORNITHOLOGY 



383 



ORNITHOLOGY 



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All communications for this department 

 should be sent to the Department Editor, 

 Mr. Harry G. Higbee, 13 Austin Street, 

 Hyde Park, Massachusetts. Items, articles 

 and photographs in this department not 

 otherwise credited are by the Department 

 Editor 



Our Distinguished Visitors from the 

 Northwest. 



From the western part of the great 

 province of Alberta, — the home of the 

 evening grosbeak in the Canadian 

 Northwest, — lo the little group of our 



being set ofif by the conspicuous wings 

 of black with a large patch of white, 

 and a black tail. On the top of the 

 head is a black patch nearly surround- 

 ed by a broad yellow band which runs 

 just over the dark hazel eye and across 

 the forehead ; while the large, thick 

 bill is pinkish-white. The general col- 

 ors of the female are soft grayish- 

 brown, with greenish-yellow about the 

 neck and shoulders, and faint dark- 

 er streaks on the back and top 

 of the head. Their black wings 



FEEDING ON THE DRIED FRUIT OF THE JAPANESE CRAB. 



New England states on the Atlantic 

 coast is about three thousand miles, 

 yet now^ and then these beautiful birds, 

 which but rarely visit the United States 

 except in winter, wander in small 

 flocks to our shores, to the delight of 

 bird-lovers wherever they may appear. 

 The evening grosbeak, — about the 

 size and build of our well-known rose- 

 breasted grosbeak," — is a strikingly 

 handsome species ; — the general mark- 

 ings of the male being a bright yellow 

 on the shoulders, sides, rump and bel- 

 ly ; shading to yellowish-brown on the 

 lireast. throat and back : these colors 



and tail are conspicuously marked with 

 white spots and blotches, and the bill 

 shows a decided tint of greenish-yel- 

 low. 



During the past winter an exception- 

 al number of these birds have been 

 reported in the eastern states, although 

 with the exception of the notable 

 flights of 1890 and 191 1, but few spec- 

 imens have been previously reported 

 from this part of the country. 



Lexington, Beverly, Brookline, Mil- 

 ton, West Roxbury, Boston, Leomin- 

 ster and Lancaster are some of the 

 places where small flocks have been 



