CATALOGUE OF CANADIAN BIRDS. 45 1 



Along the entire west and northwest coast of America from 

 Vancouver island north to. within the Arctic circle, this bird occurs 

 in greater or less abundance. The only breaks in this range are 

 the treeless areas which occur along the the coast of Behring sea. 

 Throughout the interior of the above region it is an abundant 

 species. (Nelson.) This species is a resident of the interior and 

 wooded districts of the entire territory of Alaska. (Turner.) 

 Sheep creek and Homer, Kenai peninsula, Alaska; at these places 

 nine specimens were taken in July and September, . 190 1. The 

 patches of cotton wood were the favourite haunts of this bird. They 

 were never found in spruce timber except while perched upon the 

 topmost branch of a dead tree, where they remained but for a few 

 minutes. During heavy rain storms they repair to the lower under- 

 brush and even the low grass. (Figgins.) 



Breeding Notes. — The Alaskan pine grosbeak proved to be a 

 common resident throughout the year in wooded tracts from the 

 delta through the Kowak valley. My first acquaintance with this 

 species was made on the 25th August, 1898, when two adults and 

 two full-grown young were observed. They were silent save for 

 a low, mellow call-note, and were feeding on the green alder seed- 

 pods. I secured the two adults, which were in moulting plumage. 

 In September and October pine grosbeaks were -quite numerous, 

 being often met with in coinpanies of six to a dozen, immatures 

 and adults together. They were usually among the scattering 

 birch and spruce which line the low ridges. There, until the snow 

 covered the ground, they fed on blueberries, rose-apples and 

 cranberries. During the winter their food was much the same as 

 that of the redpolls — seeds and buds of birch, alder and willow, and 

 sometimes tender spruce needles. In the severest winter weather 

 they were not often in the spruce, but had then retired into the 

 willow beds. The usual note is a clear whistle of three sj^lables. 

 The native name Ki-u-tak represents it. Then there was a low, 

 mellow, one-syllabled note uttered among members of a flock 

 when alarmed. Twice I noted solitary males, when flying across 

 the woods, singing a loud, rollicking warble, much like a purple 

 finch. One morning, the iSth February, found me across the 

 river skirting the willows in search, of ptarmigan. Although it 

 was 50 degrees below zero, a pine grosbeak, from the depths of a 

 nearby thicket, suddenly burst forth in a rich melodious strain, 

 2gV2 



