BIRDS OF MINNESOTA. 291 



Family FRIXGILLID^. 



COCCOTHRAUSTES YESPERTINA (Cooper). (514.) 

 EVENING GROSBEAK. 



In characteristics, habits and its history, the Evening Gros- 

 beak is a wonderful, if not a mysterious bird. The pecuhar 

 combination of its colors in plumage, the huge size of its 

 powerful bill, as well as many other things, almost undefinable, 

 in its feeding, peeping and flying combine to constitute it a 

 very remarkable bird. It is cheerfully assigned the place of 

 honor, at the head of our list of the Finch family. After all, 

 however, it is least known. It is but recently that it has been 

 very closely observed, and very little has been learned of its 

 summer habits. It appears in the vicinity of our homes so 

 suddenly, so mysteriously, that it seems like a phantom, drop- 

 ped out of the autumn clouds. Its entire absence in summer 

 contributes materially to this. It comes when most of those 

 birds we know, and love, have gone — when the spectral forms 

 of the leafless trees are apparently dead, to reclothe them 

 with life, and by their peeping, recall the spring. Their trust- 

 fulness scarcely recognizes the presence of man. Except their 

 frog-like peeping they give nothing by which to judge their 

 powers of song. 



But silent and songless, no story he tells, 

 Not even to whisper the place where he dwells; 

 And when the bright sun to the northward returns, 

 Like a ghost, flies away from the land that he spurns. 



I had resided here many years before I saw one of them in the 

 flesh or the skin, notwithstanding my extensive observations, 

 and my familiarity with every local collection besides my own, 

 then known. The individual met with, so far as I have known, 

 was found by Mr. T. A. Whitmore, of this city, on Nov. 9, 

 1870, in the timber bordering the banks of Basset's creek, 

 within or near the corporate limits. Its strongly marked 

 colors and huge bill, assured him that it was a new bird, and 

 after a prolonged and exhausting pursuit he finally was 

 rewarded by securing it. After it was mounted and placed in 

 his collection I had the pleasure of examining it many times. 

 On Dec. 26th following, a specimen of each sex, in mature 

 plumage, was obtained near the city out of a small flock feed- 

 ing upon the cottonwoods. 



