THE BLACK-HEADED GROSBEAK. 



169 



\-et liis sliyness is not inspired by cantion. fur lie will sin^- upon llic nest 

 when he spells liis wife at the hopefnl task (if incubation. 



The more matter-of-fact female has no word of greelini^ for the 

 stranger beyond a sharp kinip. a beak-clearing note, not unlike that of a 

 chicken with a crumb in its thmat. This the male repeats also, with all 

 shades of emphasis when the home is beset, or, as a last resort, he breaks 

 into song at close quarters, — an ample price, surely, for the fullest immunity. 



It is the nest 

 which confirms the 

 southern origin of 

 these gentle birds. 

 It is a flimsy affair 

 of twigs, grass- 

 stems, or weed- 

 stalks carelessl}- in- 

 terlaced, and caught 

 in the crotch of a 

 sapling at a height 

 of from five to 

 fifteen feet. The 

 construction is so 

 open, that the blue 

 eggs with their dark 

 brown and lavender 

 si)ottings may be 

 counted from below. 

 The birds, you see. 

 have been accus- 

 tomed to a warmer 

 climate, to a tropical 

 range, in fact, where 

 warmth of bedding 



IS no object. Taken in Oregon. Photo bv FinUy and Boluman. 



If found upon the re.\liz.\tiox. 



nest, the brooding 



bird cannot think ill of you; or, if there is ground fol" misgiving, seeks to 

 disarm hostility by a display of gentle confidence. Instances are of record 

 where the sitting bird has been stroked with the hand, and :i little discretion 

 will usually insure a lasting friendship. 



This species enjoys a wide range in Washington, being found from 

 tide-water to the upper reaches of the deeper mountain valleys: but it is 

 nowhere common enough, let alone abundant. 



