GROSBEAKS 441 



For example, in late May, 1906, the species was common near 

 Bangor in migration and not rare throughout the summer, 

 while about twenty years ago the same condition prevailed. 

 From Franklin County eastward, through central and northern 

 Somerset, southern Aroostook and northern Penobscot the 

 species is locally common clear to the eastern boundary. 

 The eoctreme upper Woolastook waters, Pleasant River and 

 Piscataquis Valleys are centers of northern abundance as also 

 the Aroostook Valley about Fort Fairfield. It seems quite 

 probable indeed that these northern representatives of the 

 species enter the State from the west and pass across it by 

 some regular migration route. 



With us the species frequents rather open hard wood 

 thickets along the river bottoms and by the roadsides, and 

 less frequently in southern sections the orchards and groves 

 about the farms. In northern Maine it is a bird of the river 

 valleys. The song of the male is pleasing and very character- 

 istic, utterly different from that of the Robin and Catbird but 

 having a twang to it that reminds me of these other songsters. 

 The alarm call is a harsh " chink " or " preek." 



At nest building time the female seems to do all the work 

 while the male sings very constantly, being answered by others 

 of his kind that are within hearing. In fact the only part the 

 male ever seems to do, as far as I have observed, is to help feed 

 the young birds. The nest is placed in trees, bushes and 

 shrubbery at heights ranging from five to fifteen feet from the 

 ground. A typical nest in my collection is composed of stems 

 oi Aster, twigs oi Diervilla, and it is lined with finer plant and 

 grass stems, being quite fi-ail and slight, yet firm. This nest 

 is three inches deep externally by one-half inch inside, while 

 the outside diameter is five and the inside two and a half 

 inches. The eggs it contained measure 0.97 x 0.67, 0.95 x 0.68 

 0.94 x 0.70, 0.91 X 0.70. Three or four eggs are usually laid, 

 and more rarely five. They are greenish blue color, more or 

 less spotted with olive or reddish brown. In some types the 



