PINE GROSBEAK. 11 



nearest tree, wliere, standing as erect as little HaM'ks, tliey 

 gazed upon nic as if I were an object quite new, and of whose 

 nature they were ignorant. They are easily caught under 

 snow-shoes put up with a figure of four, around the wood- 

 cutters' camps, in the State of Maine, and are said to afford 

 good eating. Their food consists of the buds and seeds of 

 almost all sorts of trees ; occasionally, also, they seize a 

 passing insect. I once knew one of these sweet songsters, 

 which in the evening, as soon as the lamp was lighted in the 

 room where its cage was hung, would instantly tune its voice 

 anew." 



A friend of Mr. Audubon says, " I received a male in 

 splendid plumage, but so emaciated that he seemed little else 

 than a mass of feathers. By cautious feeding, however, he 

 soon regained his flesh, and became so tame as to eat from 

 my hand without the least appearance of fear. To reconcile 

 him gradually to confinement, he was permitted to fly about 

 my bedroom ; and upon rising in the morning, the first 

 thing 1 did was to give him a small quantity of seed. But 

 three mornings in succession I happened to lie rather later 

 than usual, and each morning I was aroused by the bird 

 fluttering upon my shoulder, and calling for his usual allow- 

 ance. The third morning I allowed him to flutter about me 

 some time before showing any symptom of being awake ; 

 he no sooner observed that his object was effected than 

 he retired to the window, and waited patiently until I arose. 

 As the spring approached, he used to whistle occasionally in 

 the morning, and his notes were exceedingly rich and full. 

 About the time, however, when the species began to remove 

 to the North his former familiarity entirely disappeared." 

 Mr. Audubon further says, " While in the state of Maine, I 

 observed that these birds when travelling fly in silence, and 

 at a considerable height above the trees. They alight on the 

 topmost branches, so that it is difficult to obtain them, unless 



