144 Bird-Nesting 



Porter, of Toronto, the OAvner of the birds. The eggs are 

 greenisli-lilue, spotted around the butt end of the eggs with 

 dark brown and likic, and measure 1.05 x 75 and 1.02 x 78. 

 These eggs are a trifle larger than several clutches I have 

 from Lapland. I have a series of twenty eggs of the pine 

 grosbeak from Tornea, Lapland, consisting of five sets of four 

 eggs each, so that four appears to bo tlie regular number of 

 eggs to a clutch. A clutch of four eggs before me, collected 

 at Tornea, Lapland, June 13th, 1890, are very handsome. The 

 ground colour is bright greenish-blue, and they are heavily 

 spotted with purplish black and pale lavender shell spots. At 

 the larger ends are other spots of dark purple, and the mark- 

 ings almost form zones around the l)utt ends of the eggs. 

 Another clutch of four eggs collected in Lapland, June 7th, 

 1 890, are pale-bluish with a glaucous shade, they are spotted 

 with purple-brown and purple-grey, chiefly about the butt 

 end. 



The nests are built in small trees and made of twigs and 

 rootlets. Mr. Porter, who owns the birds that laid the eggs in 

 captivity, remembers the pine grosbeak nesting some years 

 ago near Lake Simcoe. He says the birds used to come around 

 his house every winter and leave early in spring, with one 

 exception when a pair remained and built a nest in a fir 

 tree in his garden. This is the only instance I know of their 

 breeding in Ontario. They retire to the north to breed around 

 Hudson's Bay and Lalirador, a few remaining to nest in New 

 Brunswick and around the Gulf of St. Lawrence. The even- 

 ing grosbeak is also a handsome bird ; as before stated, several 

 flocks visited Toronto durino- the winter of 1890-91. 



This species breeds in the Northern Rocky Mountains, but 

 its eggs are almost unknown in collections and are consequently 

 very valuable. It is reported as a common resident in the 

 forests of Washington Territory. A nest of four ii^g% on the 

 point of hatching, was found in Yolo Count}', California, May 

 10th, 1886, but could not be preserved. These eggs are said 

 to be similar to those of the black-headed grosbeak. This 

 species breeds in British Columbia, and wlien that country- l)e- 



