70 Capt. Blakiston on the Birds of the 



having only stopped for the purpose of making a meal on their 

 favourite food. Again, on the 24th of the same month, I found 

 another travelling party, one-third of which only were females. 

 This singularity I had moreover invai-iably noticed during the 

 winter, that while of the Pine Grosbeaks those in the female 

 plumage predominated, among the Evening Grosbeaks there 

 were always as many, and usually more, in the brilliant dress 

 of the males. Are the young birds longer in coming to 

 maturity in the one species than in the other ? Although I did 

 not observe the Pine Grosbeak as late in the spring as the other, 

 yet in autumn I saw it more than two weeks earlier, namely, on 

 the 28th of October. The Evening Grosbeak is considered to 

 be a western bird, and seems common on the Columbia River 

 flowing into the Pacific. It has a very sharp and clear note in 

 winter, is an active bird, and will stand a good charge of shot. 

 The males and females, of which I examined a good number, 

 differed but little in size, being from 7f to 8 in. in length, and 

 the closed wing from 4| to 4f . In winter the bill is of a light 

 dull greenish yellow ; eye dai-k hazel ; feet flesh, and claws brown. 

 Descriptions of both male and female appeared in the ' Zoologist^ 

 for 1859 (p. 6325), which I took from good specimens; and I 

 have a couple of very well marked ones still in my possession. 

 The figure in the ' Fauna Bor.-Am.' is good. 



57. PiNICOLA CANADENSIS. 



This species extends from Mackenzie River to Hudson's Bay 

 (see preceding. No. 56; also ' Ibis,' vol. iv. p. 6, and Mr. Ross's 

 list). Sir John Richardson mentions an instance of its winter- 

 ing at York Factory, on Hudson's Bay. 



58. Carpodacus purpureus. (See ^ Ibis,' vol. iv. p. 6.) 

 The stomach of one of the Purple Finches which I shot in the 



spring contained the centres of young aspen-leaves. It is also 

 given in the ' Fauna Bor.-Am.,' from the Saskatchawan. 



Chrysomitris tristis. 



This American Goldfinch is mentioned in the ' Fauna Bor.- 

 Am.' as passing thi-ee months of the summer in the fur-countries ; 

 an individual is said to have been killed, but the locality is 

 not stated. I may remark that the " fur-countries " is rather 

 an indefinite region ; however, I have little doubt that the bird 



