FRINGILLID.E — THE FINCHES. 451 



low bushes at Vancouver, and began to eat the seeds. Since then he had 

 only seen them Hying high among the tops of the poplars, upon the seeds of 

 Avhich they feed. They were uttering their loud, shrill call-notes as they flew. 



The same writer, in his Report on the birds of California, makes mention 

 of the occurrence of this Grosbeak at Michigan Bluffs, in Placer County, iu 

 about latitude 39°. Specimens were obtained by Mr. F. Gruber, and were 

 probably the variety designated as montana. The same form doubtless 

 occurs along the sunmiits of the Sierra Nevada, and they have been traced 

 among the Eocky Mountains to Fort Thorn in New Mexico. 



These birds do not come down near the sea-coast even at the mouth of 

 the Columbia, and in California have not been met with in the Coast Eange. 

 They are said to feed chiefly on the seeds of the pine, spruce, and cotton- 

 wood trees, occasionally seeking other seeds near the ground. They are 

 silent when feeding, but utter a loud call-note as they fly from place to 

 j)lace. In spring, Dr. Cooper states, they have a short but melodious song, 

 resembling that of the Robin or Black-headed Grosbeak. He afterwards 

 met with a flock in the winter near Santa Cruz, where they remained until 

 the end of April. Their favorite resort M^as a small grove of alders and wil- 

 lows, close to the town, where their loud call-notes could be heard at all 

 times of the day, though he never heard them sing. In the early spring 

 their favorite food was the young leaves of various wild plants that grew 

 under the trees. They also fed on the buds of the Ncgundo, and frequented 

 the large pear-trees in the old mission garden. They were very tame, and 

 allowed an approach to within a few yards, when feeding. Mr. Townsend, in 

 1836, found this Grosbeak abundant about the Columbia River. Late in 

 May they M-ere quite numerous in the pine woods. They were very imsus- 

 picious and tame. Under the impression that these birds were only musical 

 towards night, they have been styled the Evening Grosbeak. But this, ac- 

 cording to Mr. Townsend, is a misnomer. He also contraverts several other 

 statements made in reference to their habits. He found them remarkably 

 noisy from morning until night, when they quietly retire like other birds, 

 and are not heard from until the next day-dawn. They go in large flocks, 

 and are rarely met with singly. As they feed upon the seeds of the pine and 

 other trees, they proceed by a succession of hops to tli'e extremities of the 

 branches. They also feed largely on the larvae of the large black ant, for 

 which object they frequent the tops of the low oaks on the edges of the 

 forests. Their ordinary voice is said to be a single screaming note, uttered 

 while feeding. At times, about midday, the male attempts a song, which Islx. 

 Townsend describes as a miserable failure. It is a single note, a warbling 

 call like the first note of the Robin, but not so sweet, and suddenly checked, 

 as if the performer were out of breath. 



Mr. Sumichrast met with the variety of this species designated as montana, 

 ]\Iay, 1857, in the pine woods of Monte Alto, about twelve leagues from 

 Mexico ; and althougli he has never found it in the alpine region of Vera 



