FRINGILLIDiK — THE FINCHES. 497 



tojTether, in flight, as making a confused chirping, with a rattling noise, and 

 moving ott willi a simultaneous twitter. They were attracted to the ^nnes Ly 

 the Crossbills, and were Imsily employed in collecting the seeds, dropped from 

 the cones as the Crossbills opened tliem. They at times fed ou the buds of 

 fruit-trees. They were always found to be fat, e\'en on their first arrival, 

 and there were no obvious reasons for their movements. 



Mr. Boardman sjieaks of them as common at Calais by the first of the 

 winter. At Norway, Me., Professor Verrill found them very common in fall, 

 winter, and spring, and most abundant in jMarch and April. In Springfield 

 they are, according to INIr. Allen, an irregular and occasimuil visitant, com- 

 ing in very large flocks one year, and again not seen for sexural years. In a 

 more recent paper (1870) j\lr. Allen states that during tlie preceding five years 

 these birds have been several times \ery numerous in Massachusetts, appear- 

 ing in tpute large Hocks. 



Mr. Audubon met with these birds in Labrador the last of .luly, and ob- 

 tained specimens of different ages. He thinks their notes more like those 

 of the Siskin of Europe than of our Goldlincb, uttered both when the birds 

 are ou the wing and when they have alighted. They were in small parties of 

 seven or eight, evidently members of the same family. They were tame and 

 familiar, and fearlessly returned to the same spot after having been shot 

 at. They were also remarkably affectionate, and he frequently observed them 

 passing seeds one to the other in the most loving manner. 



Dr. Coues also observed this liird in Labrador, and described it as ^m. fns- 

 cesccns. He found it abundant along the coast, and was struck with its re- 

 semblance, in habits, to the Chri/soinitrifi tristis. It was remarkably unsus- 

 picious and fanuliar, and showed no signs of fear even when very closely 

 approached. It freipiented, almost exclusively, the scrubby junipers that 

 grow e\'erywhere in open places in thick impenetrable patches. He describes 

 its flight as iri-egular, rising and falling in curves, and seldom protracted to 

 any great distance. While passing overhead, it uttered a peculiar rattling 

 chirp. He thinks it has no song. 



Dr. Kirtland informs me that early in the winter of 1868 his grandson 

 picked up a wiug-ln'oken male Eed-Poll, and jilaced it in his greenhouse. It 

 began at once to feed on crumbs of bread and hay-seed, and rapitlly recovered. 

 It soon acquired the habit(jf leaping from shelf to shelf, among the plants, and 

 was finally seen climbing up some stately Pelargonium shrubs, and suspending 

 itself, parrot-like, by its feet from the limits, capturing aphides. From that 

 time it took no other food, living exclusively on the parasitic insects of the 

 plants. So active was it in capturing these, that for two months it was not 

 necessary to fumigate the greenhouse to destroy them. From day to day a 

 female Eed-Poll hovered ox^er the building, and her calls were responded to 

 by the invalid. Later in the season he escaped from his confinement, and 

 was seen to rejoin his faitld'ul mate, which had remained near him all the 

 winter. As in Europe, this species in the Arctic regions of America has been 

 found nesting in low trees and bushes, from two to six feet from the ground. 



