1891-92. | THE MIGRATION OF THE EVENING GROSBEAK IN 1890. 183 
east, till near the end of January, when for a few days none were seen, 
About Feb. roth the return migration began, and was very active while 
it lasted ; but they were only noticed for three or four days.” 
Mr. Ernest E. Thompson reports that a flock of about twenty were 
seen at Lorne Park, fourteen miles west of Toronto, on Jannary 16th, 
and on January 18th Mr. Cross, and Master Charles Harvey, a son of our 
President, met with specimens in Rosedale, Toronto. A male bird, that 
Master Harvey procured then, he presented to our Museum. The white 
secondary quill feathers of the wing, in this specimen, are shaded with 
brown like those of the female. 
The first time I saw any of these birds, was on January 22nd. I had 
gone out to Rosedale Heights with a gun, hoping to meet with some, as 
there had been a north-west wind on the previous day. After wandering 
about for some time, I heard what, at a distance, seemed like the creak- 
ing of a gate repeated over and over again. I walked in the direction of 
the sound, and, as I approached nearer, it increased to quite a number of 
quiet whistlings, and I saw, just in front of me, a flock of about fifteen 
Evening Grosbeaks. Their thick beaks gave them quite a parrot-like 
appearance as they ran about among the bushes, searching for seeds that 
had fallen on the ground. I followed them closely for some distance 
before they took any notice, and then the whole flock flew into a small 
tree by the roadside. I fired, and a pair of them fell. It was difficult to 
see the female bird as it lay on the greenish-brown herbage at the road- 
side, so closely did its plumage match the surrounding tints. The 
striking black, yellow, and white colours of the male bird were, of course, 
more conspicuous. 
There are many birds that exhibit these striking differences in the 
colour of the sexes. The quiet tints of the female conceal the bird when 
sitting on its nest, and protecting its young, while the more striking 
colours of the male bird make him very conspicuous. Mr. Darwin attri- 
butes the bright tints of the male, very largely, to the preference of the 
females, and their.continued selection of bright colored partners. 
It often seems, however, to be the duty of the male bird to attract, not 
only the attention of the female, but also, that of any enemy that 
approaches too near her, and to lure away the enemy from the nest and 
eggs, by his attractive colours, or peculiar antics. The Scarlet Tanager, 
the Towhee, and Bob-o-link are, I think, examples of this. 
The Grosbeaks were very numerous in the neighbourhood of the city 
until the end of January. There was very little snow about, and they 
fed largely on the ground. 
