ALASKA PINE GROSBEAK 339 



Nesting. — Grinnell (1900a) says on this subject: "Not until May 

 25th did I discover a nest. This was barely commenced, but on 

 June 3rd, when I visited the locality again, the nest was completed 

 and contained four fresh eggs. The female was incubating, and 

 remained on the nest until nearly touched. The nest was eight feet 

 above the ground on the lower horizontal branches of a small spruce 

 growing on the side of a wooded ridge. The nest was a shallow 

 affair, very much like a Tanager's. It consisted of a loosely-laid 

 platform of slender spruce twigs, on which rested a symmetrically- 

 moulded saucer of fine, dry, round-stemmed grasses. Its depth was 

 about one inch and internal diameter 3.25." 



He found two other similar nests, on June 11 and 12, about 6 feet 

 up in dwarf spruces. 



Eggs. — Grinnell (1900a) continues: "The eggs are pale Nile blue 

 with a possible greenish tinge, dotted and spotted with pale lavender, 

 drab and sepia. The markings are very unevenly distributed, the 

 small ends of the eggs being nearly immaculate, while there is a con- 

 spicuous wreath about the large ends. The markings are not abruptly 

 defined, but the margins of the spots are indistinct, fading out into 

 the surrounding ground-color. One of the eggs is more thickly and 

 evenly sprinkled with various tints of bistre. The eggs are rather 

 ovate in shape, but the small ends are blunt. They measure 1.05 X 

 .71, 1.05 X .72, 1.04 X .74, 1.03 X .75." 



The measurements of 17 eggs average 26.3 by 18.4 millimeters; 

 the eggs showing the four extremes measure 26.8 by 18.3, 26.3 by 

 19.0, 22.9 by 16.8, and 26.8 by 17.8 miUimeters. 



Food. — Grinnell noted that "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." 



Distribution 



Range. — Alaska to western Canadian border states. 



Breeding range. — Breeds and is partly resident in central Alaska 

 (Cape Prince of Wales, Fairbanks), Yukon (Russell Creek, Carcross), 

 western Mackenzie (Aklavik, Fort Simpson), and northeastern British 

 Columbia (Lower Liard Crossing). 



Winter range. — Winters south to southeastern Alaska (Chitina, 

 Wrangell), central Oregon (Sisters, Camp Harney, Ironside), and 

 northern North Dakota (Turtle Mountains, Devils Lake). 



Egg dates. — Alaska: 5 records, May 26 to June 29. 



646-737— 68— pt. 1 24 



