584 THE BIRDS OF MANIT015A. THOMPSON. 



173. Goccothraustes vespeitinus. Evening Grosbeak. 



Common winter visitant; possibly nesting-. Winnipeg: Tolerably 

 common winter visitor (Hine). I have never seen this bird myself here 

 dnring the summer months, but have noticed them in the autumn, 

 winter, and early spring at Selkirk and Big Island, on Lake Winnipeg ; 

 the half-breed who was with me at Big Island told me that they were 

 at Selkirk all the year round (R. H. Hunter). Portage la Prairie : 

 Abundant winter visitor from October 15 to about May IG; Winnipeg, 

 less common; Riding Mountain, in December (Nash). Shell River: 

 1885, seen February 20 (Calcutt). Qu'Appelle: Common winter visi- 

 tor ; large flocks seen in February and March (Guernsey). 



Mr. Hine tells me that this bird is very abundant about Winnipeg 

 in the winter and spring. It is usually seen in the groves of soft 

 maple, on whose seeds it feeds. Its note is like that of the Pine Gros- 

 beak, but shriller, and resembles the syllables '■'' clieepy-tceV He says 

 it is known by the name of Sociable Grosbeak, as it is always seen 

 either in pairs or in small flocks. 



This bird is an abundant winter visitor at Portage la Prairie, where tbe first gener- 

 ally appear about the I'ltli of October. From that date they continnally increase in 

 numbers until the 1st (tf December, when they reach the maximum. Whilst here 

 they frequent the Nortiiwost Maple or Box Alder, feeding on its seeds, and seldom 

 visit the ground, except in spring, when they will sometimes crowd thickly on a 

 hare spot, apparently seeking small gravel for digestive purposes. 



During the winter they are usually to be seen in small parties, not exceeding six 

 or eight in number, but early in April they congregate into large flocks, in which 

 the males preponderate ; they are then restless, frequently rising from the tops of 

 the trees and flying about high in the air in circles over their haunts. They remain 

 here until about May 16, when they all disappear together. 



In view of the fact that this bird's nest has never been found, it may be worth 

 noting that the Piue Grosbeak, its invariable associate in the winter, whose nest and 

 breeding place is known, leaves here about the end of Mai-ch, whilst the Evening 

 Grosbeak remains in its winter quarters six weeks later, from which I would infer 

 that it should not go so far from its winter haunts to nest as does the Pine Grosbeak. 



On the 13th December, 1884, I saw a flock of these birds in the Riding Mountain, 

 and observed them every day after that until the 20th, when I left. I did not find 

 them nearly so common on the Red River as at Portage la Prairie. (Nash, in MSS.) 



174. Pinicola enucleator. Pine Grosbeak. 



Somewhat common winter visitant; possibly nesting in the northern 

 woods of spruce. Winnipeg: Winter visitor; tolerably common (Hine;. 

 Red River Valley: Rare and accidental near Winnipeg; plentiful in 

 spruce east and north of Winnipeg (Hunter). Swami^ Island: 1885; 

 rare; migrant; seven observed November 6; last seen November 7 

 (Plunkett). The Pine Grosbeak was frequently seen on the Churchill 

 River in the end of July, showing that it probably breeds in this region 

 (Bell, 1880). Portage la Prairie: 1890; common winter visitor; arrives 

 about the 1st of November, departs about the middle of March; feeds 

 largely on the seeds of prairie plants projecting above the snow; ob- 



