BIRDS OF 



l^ay and the Kocky Mountains. Since givinj^ ni}' attention to 

 tliis subject I have made a point of examining all available 

 mounted Crow Blackbirds m public museums, country taverns, 

 etc., and find that all belong to tiie Bronzed division. 



It is (juite })ossible that a few of tlie others may yet be 

 found along our southern border, but uncpiestionably the Crow 

 Blackbird of Ontario is the Bronzed Grackle. They like to be 

 near water and are very common in the town of Gait, breeding 

 close to the houses along the banks of the river. There is a 

 colony established at East Hamilton, where they breed in the 

 Norway spruce trees near the residence of Mr. Barnes, who 

 protects them from being molested, whether wisely or not is 

 open to question, for there rests at their door the serious charge 

 of robbing the nests of small birds and destroying the eggs and 

 young, besides that of being very destructive to the sprouting 

 corn m spring-time. 



h^AMiLY FRINGlLLIDyE. Finches, Sparrows, etc. 



Genus COCCOTHRAUSTES Brisson. 



Subgenus HESPERIPHONA Bonaparte. 



199. COCCOTHRAUSTES VESPERTINA (Coop.). 514. 



Evening Grosbeak 



Dusky olivaceous, brighter behind ; forehead, line over the eye and 

 under tail coverts yellow ; crown, wings, tail and tibias black ; the secondary 

 ([uills mostly white ; bill greenish-yellow, of immense size, about f of an 

 inch long and nearly as deep. Length, y.J-SJ ; wing, 4-4 J ; tail, 2 J. The 

 female 3.t\A young differ somewhat, but cannot be mistaken. 



Hab. Western North America, east to Lake Superior, and casually to 

 Ohio and Ontario ; from the Fur Countries south into Mexico. 



Nest and eggs unknown 



This is a western species whose line of travel in the season 

 of migration seems to be along the Mississippi Valley, casually 

 coming as far east as Ontario. 



I have heard of its being observed during the winter at St. 

 Cloud, St. Pauls and Minneapolis, and last winter I had a pair 

 .sent me by mail in the flesh from Redwing, Minnesota. The 



