ROSE-BREASTED GROSBEAK. 
of atree. The last, however, is not an uncommon posi- 
tion for him, and I recollect being greatly puzzled by an 
eccentric form of his song coming from the very top of 
a giant oak on or near the estate of Mr. A. Hemenway, 
near the Blue Hills, Mass. It was the first time I had 
heard the song composed of a single sustained tone and 
the so-called trill. 
His common call, chewink, certainly should be recog- 
nized by every one; it is composed of two distinct tones 
rapidly whistled, with a rising inflection approximately 
covering asixth, and characterized by an overtone which 
I have already explained is best imitated by humming 
and whistling simultaneously. 
Frestoprpy 
Che-wink! 
This large and bustling Finch is famous for his devo- 
tion to the leaf-strewn ground beneath thickets and 
brush-heaps; there he will be found in spring grubbing 
with an intensity of purpose only equalled by the Fox 
Sparrew or the itinerant hen! An ornithological friend 
told me he once saw an energetic Fox Sparrow scratch- 
ing with both feet im concert, not alternately after the 
manner of the slow barn fowl! 
Rose-breasted The charming Rose-breasted Grosbeak 
Grosbeak resplendent in his striking costume of 
Zamelodia sie ben a cri i h 
i esi lack, white, and crimson, is one of the 
L. 8.10 inches sweetest singers in this part of our coun- 
May 12th try. Heisa robust fellow with an over- 
large, parrotlike, yellow ivory-colored bill, a somewhat 
nervous, restless temperament, and a special penchant 
for the trees of the orchard or grove. He is not as com- 
mon as he ought to be, which is in part, at Jeast, due te 
re) 129 
