332 U.S. NATIONAL MUSEUM BULLETIN 23 7 part i 



Edgar A. Mearns (1880) writes: "They appear to be utterly devoid 

 of fear of man. If their ranks are thinned by the gunner, the survi- 

 vors will rarely be driven away, but come close up to the hunter and hop 

 from branch to branch in his vicinity, scrutinizing him closely and 

 uttering a reproachful note like that of the Fox Sparrow (Passerella 

 iliaea); they often fly down to inspect the dead bodies of their com- 

 panions lying upon the ground." 



The flight of the pine grosbeak is slightly undulating, but not so 

 much so as with the woodpeckers or the goldfinch. 



Forbush (1929) says: "During the winter these birds bathe in the 

 soft snow, standing in it, either on the ground or on the thick foliage 

 of coniferous trees, fluttering their wings and throwing the snow- 

 spray over their plumage in the same manner in which many birds 

 bathe in water." 



Voice. — Mearns (1880) pays the following tribute to the song of 

 this bird : 



The Pine Grosbeak's song is one of the finest, but I have only been privileged 

 to listen to it on a single occasion — in March, 1875. * * * It was one frosty 

 morning, as I was following the course of a stream that flowed at the bottom of a 

 deep ravine, that I heard, most unexpectedly, a new song. It proceeded from 

 far up the glen. The notes were loud, rich and sweet. I listened to them with 

 a thrill of delight and wonder, and then pressed forward to identify the new vo- 

 calist. Soon I discovered perched upon the top of a tall hemlock, a beautiful 

 red Pine Grosbeak — the author of one of the most delicious songs that I ever 

 heard. Its carmine or rose-colored plumage, and its mellow notes, were a feast 

 alike to the eye and ear; and, though I may never hear the Pine Grosbeak sing 

 again, I shall ever cherish towards it feehngs of admiration and gratitude for the 

 revelation of beauty and melody which I so keenly appreciated on that occasion. 



Wendell Taber writes that the flight song may be classified as 

 somewhat of the type of the purple finch. The song of the latter 

 bird, however, is rather slurred, with one note running into the next. 

 No confusion between the two songs is possible. The song of the 

 pine grosbeak is a sweet melodious carol, loud and distinct, and carries 

 quite a distance. Each note is clear-whistled rapidly and is sep- 

 arated by an infuiitesimal break from the next succeeding note. 

 The various commonly heard call notes are scattered at intervals 

 through the song and are easily recognizable individually. The 

 song covers a much wider range of pitch, especially in the upper 

 range, than does that of the purple finch. 



Harrison F. Lewis writes of a bird singing near his home in Shel- 

 burne County, Nova Scotia, in the early afternoon of Mar. 23, 

 1953, a sunny day with maximum temperature of about 60° F. He 

 has recorded two types of song. The ordinary song is a short, con- 

 tinuous musical warble, not loud, but weak and altogether lacking 

 in vigor and emphasis, in marked contrast to the vigorous, ardent 



