74 ROSE-BREASTED GROSBEAK. 



wing and under wing coverts rose. Bill, whitish. Female, 

 brown above streaked with dusky, buff below, also streaked 

 with dusky. There is a medium and superciliary stripe of 

 whitish. (See Fig. 11). Wings and tail, brown without 

 white markings. There is no rose, but the under wmg coverts 

 are yellow. Young male similar, but more buffy above with 

 rosy under wing coverts, and Avith the white wing markings, 

 but the tail is brown. Young birds are more broadly striped 

 than the adults. Nestlings are wholly buff, marked with 

 black. 



Dimensions. Length, 7.75; stretch, 12.50; wing, 4.00; 

 tail 3.25 ; bill, .68 ; tarsus, .75. 



Comparisons. Adult males, may be known at once by the 

 black above, white beneath, and rosy breast, and the females 

 and young by the large, heavy bill and colored wing lining. 



Nests and Eggs. Nests placed in trees or bushes. They 

 are shallow, rather slight structures, composed of sticks, rath- 

 er loosely arranged and lined with fine rootlets and grass. 

 Eggs, three or four in number, oval in form, light bluish green 

 in color, spotted and blotched rather coarsely with reddish 

 brown and lilac. 



General Habits. The Rose-breasts make their appear- 

 ance about the first week in May. They frequent open wood- 

 lands when they first come, but soon scatter about the orch- 

 ards and gardens. They are, however, fond of the vicinity 

 of water courses which are bordered with bushes. This hab- 

 it of frequenting orchards, has recently been acquired by 

 this fine Grosbeak. Possibly the fact that their numbers are 

 increasing may have something to do with this change of hab- 

 it. Audubon, as is well known, considered this species quite 



