48 Birds of Lezuiston-Aubnrn 



82. (514) El^NING GROSBEAK 



An irregular winter visitant. In 191 3 it appeared the 

 last of the winter. In 1914 it was seen in January. Twa 

 other years it came in December and remained into May. 



This bird was unknown in this county till the winter 

 of 1839-90 when one was taken on the college campus. 

 None were seen again until February, 191 3, when twa 

 were observed by one of our careful and reliable bird- 

 students near her home. The next winter a flock was 

 about the home of an Auburn bird-lover, the first one 

 appearing January 26. We who failed to see it that season 

 were disappointed and had to '*learn to wait." None 

 were reported in the winter of 1914-15. From an article 

 in Bird-Lore, May-June 1916: December 31 (191 5) an 

 immature male was seen in the trees on one of the side 

 streets of the city. A few days later flocks of eight were 

 reported in different places. Sometimes they would stay 

 three or four hours, but usually would feed a short time 

 then fly away, making it impossible for the place to be 

 reached before they had gone. No sooner had one been 

 seen by a bird-lover than telephones would be busy noti- 

 fying all interested. The last two weeks in January a. 

 flock of seventeen visited a lawn on Auburn Heights 

 every morning. The ground being bare, they fed on seeds 

 that had fallen from a tree. A little snow came and they 

 disappeared. When the lawn was bare again, the flock 

 returned increased to thirty-five or more. As soon as 

 snow came in February small flocks were seen about the 

 residential sections of the city. After I wrote the above 

 the birds were observed as late as May, the last date being 

 May 7. December 11, 1916, they came again and were 

 numerous during the winter. Seed was furnished one 

 flock till the tenth of May. It is uncertain how long they 

 would have remained if the feeding had continued. None 



