1891-92]. ORNITHOLOGICAL REPORT. 115 
Several times I had my gun ready to secure specimens, but my heart 
failed me each time. They have been noticed in bunches of three to 
five, all over this section, and are exceedingly tame, a number were 
secured by Mr. Melville, our local taxidermist.—A. P. CORNELL, M.D, 
Gravenhurst. 
March 19, I observed two evening Grosbeaks on this date in our 
orchard.—MrRs. J. R. BARBER, Georgetown. 
April 11, at Todmorden, north-east of Toronto, I saw five Evening 
Grosbeaks ona birch tree, near Taylor's Paper Mills, there were four 
males and one female. On returning half an hour afterwards they had 
flown, and hearing them in a piece of woods close by, I went over and 
found a small flock in the top of a pine tree. They were playing with 
each other, apparently pairing, but although the males exceeded the 
females in numbers there was no fighting. They were uttering their 
characteristic whistle and another call which I never heard before, the 
whistle blending into a soft musical r-r-r-r-r._ These calls repeated by a 
number of birds made a very pleasing little concert. I watched them as 
they flew from tree to tree several times, and I counted thirty-five 
specimens, of these at least twenty-four were males. At one time 
mineteen settled on the top of a red oak, so closely together that a 
charge of small shot might have killed every specimen. On walking 
about a mile homewards I came on a flock of over fifty in R. Davies’ 
orchard, feeding on the ground among brewery refuse which was 
scattered as manure—W. BRODIE. 
April 13, while shooting at Chester with Mr. Jas. R. Thurston we came 
upon a flock of about fifty birds, feeding on brewery refuse. We col- 
lected seven males and females. There were more males than females. 
in the flock-—JOHN EDMONDs. 
April 15, while collecting on Well’s Hill I came across a flock of 
Evening Grosbeaks which numbered about thirty, in the top of a clump: 
of pines. I followed them and eventually secured five females and three 
males, one of the former taken alive. I only observed six or seven 
males in the flock. These birds have been absent almost entirely from 
Toronto since March 1. 
April 17, I saw a female take several straws from a Sparrow’s (Passer 
domesticus) nest, and expecting she was building I followed her. She 
carried them about for some time and at last carelessly dropped them 
on top of a witch hazel tree and left them. 
April 21, the birds were observed in the same place, but no further 
attempt at nesting was apparent, nor did they seem paired. 
April 29, these birds are still here. 
