PINE SISKIN 443 



ness." He says that the siskin's song is uttered in choruses and that 

 mixed choruses are heard when goldfinches and siskins flock together. 

 The latter's song much resembles the former's, being a "long-con- 

 tinued series of notes, groups of two-note phrases, or single notes and 

 long trills," The quality is "husky, and the trills fricative and like 

 a loud long whisper." 



From Rutherglen, Ontario, Louise de Kiriline Lawrence sends this 

 observation: "From this day [January 29], the Pine Siskin's singing 

 became common all over the woods. It was particularly intensive 

 during the morning and early forenoon. The birds sang from perches, 

 sometimes from the top of a bush along the road, at other times from 

 the highest twig of the tallest tree. Their song included some of their 

 common notes which seemed to serve as punctuations between the 

 more elaborate sentences and a 'vireo' song, very like that of the Purple 

 Finch, only with the performance in keeping with the Siskin's smaller 

 size. A 'churry' (not 'hurry') note also was interpolated often in the 

 singing, so like that of the Evening Grosbeak that I several times 

 mistakenly thought the Grosbeaks were present unseen amongst the 

 trees. The weather had no effect whatever on the Siskins' vocal 

 ardor, be the day dull and mild, or cold and clear with the temperature 

 far below zero." 



From Camrose, Alberta, F. L. Farley writes me as follows of a 

 siskin found injured on November 29 and kept in a cage: "It is now 

 more than two months since we have had him and we are all surprised 

 with his musical ability. Between daylight and noon every day he 

 sings just as continuously as most of the tame canaries, and the most 

 interesting thing we have learned is that he combines the well known 

 notes of Goldfinch and Redpoll and the rich ones of the tame Canary. 

 Then, in between these songs come the nasal squeez or issch so diagnos- 

 tic of the Siskin in its wild state. As I write now, he is singing quite 

 steadily, and in between the songs he gives the Canary e-r-e. His 

 songs are on a low scale and cannot be heard more than a thu'd of the 

 distance that a tame Canary's voice carries." 



Enemies. — Friedmann (1963) writes: "Generally, the pine siskin is 

 ecologically aUopatric with the brown-headed cowbird, a fact which 

 effectively protects it from the attentions of the parasite. However, 

 there are places where the two species overlap and here the siskin is 

 occasionally imposed upon. Eleven such instances have come to 

 my notice, distributed among the following states: Iowa, Kansas, 

 Nebraska, South Dakota; and in Canada: Ontario and British 

 Columbia." To these may be added N. J. Ilnicky's (1963) observa- 

 tions of a pair of siskins feeding a newly fledged cowbird in Marquette, 

 Michigan, on July 11, 1962. 



