326 Birds of Colorado 



The female is smoky-grey above, darkest on the head and tinged 

 on the hind-neck with greenish-yellow ; wings, tail and tail-coverts 

 black, with white tips and patches on many of the feathers ; below 

 bufiy-grey, becoming white on the throat and under tail-coverts ; a 

 dusky sub -malar streak on each side of the throat. 



This subspecies differs from the eastern form in its smaller and more 

 slender biU, its narrow frontal band and in the more buffy under-parts 

 of the female. 



Distribution. — Western North America from British Columbia to 

 northern Mexico, east to the eastern bases of the Rocky Mountains. 



In Colorado the Evening -Grosbeak is an irregular wanderer, 

 appearing from time to time and then not seen perhaps for months 

 or even years ; but as it has been met with during every month in 

 the year and is known to breed, it may be classed as a resident 

 bird. Its range extends from the plains to 10,000 feet, at which 

 elevation Lowe records it in the fall from the Wet Mountains. Other 

 records are : Fort ColHns, July, October (Cooke), Estes Park, breeding 

 (Dille), Boulder co., regularly in winter since 1901 (Henderson), Weld 

 CO., Jiuie (Markman), El Paso co., January, May, June (Aiken) ; Fremont 

 CO., April (Aiken), Beulah, May, July and August (Jones apud Cooke) ; 

 Fort Lyon, May (Cooke), Routt co., breeding (H. G. Smith), Mesa co. 

 (Rockwell), La Plata co., May (Morrison). 



Habits. — This handsome bird is almost always to be 

 met with in small flocks, and generally in the pine woods 

 of the momitains, though it sometimes comes down to 

 tile plams, and I have even seen it in the suburbs of 

 Colorado Springs in October, attracted by the buds of 

 the maple trees planted in the streets, of which it appears 

 to be excessively fond. It also feeds on the berries of 

 the cedars and other fruits, while in smnmer caterpillars 

 and insects form its chief food. Its voice is a loud, clear 

 whistle . 



Dille and his collector Andrews found a nest of this 

 bird in Estes Park in 1903, at an elevation of about 

 9,000 feet. There were many of the birds at the time 

 in the park, but the nest was not located till July 4th. 

 It was placed about forty feet up, towards the end of 

 a horizontal limb of a tall white pine {Finns flexilis). The 

 nest was a deep cup and well constructed ; it consisted 



