288 BiRTWELL, A''csfiiio- Habits of Evening- Grosbeak. loct 



NESTING HABITS OF THE EVENING GROSBEAK 

 ( CO ceo THRA USTES VESPER TIN US). 



BY FRANCIS J. BIRTWELL.^ 



F/ate VII. 

 Photographs from nature bj the author. 



June 5, 1901, Willis, New Mexico. — Bright and pleasant, 

 temperature 70° F. In company with Olivia I took a short stroll 

 on the bench west of the cabin. There the slope showed abun- 

 dant signs of avian activity. Evening Grosbeaks were abundant 

 and common, their shrill whistles not infrequently preventing the 

 identification of other sounds. Both males and females were 

 present, and I observed several feeding upon the ground, where 

 they hopped very sparrow-like. 



June 6. — Evening Grosbeaks were common, apparently doing 

 nothing but shriek. 



June II. — Olivia and I to-day went up. as usual, to the bench. 

 The usual birds were seen and nothing important noted except 

 the two finds of the day. A male and female Black-headed Gros- 

 beak flew to the ground, and, a moment later, came back, the fe- 

 male first, bearing nesting material. Both fiew to a large limb of 

 a great pine tree by the trail, where the material was undoubtedly 

 deposited. I was. however, unable to see distinctly. 



June 18. — I shot a female Coccothraustes I'espei-tinus ; bill apple- 

 green, legs light brown. The stomach was filled with hairless 

 caterpillars about half an inch long. 



June 20. — Our last finds to-day were the most important I have 

 ever made, ornithologically'; and the secret of the shrieking Even- 

 ing Grosbeaks about the slopes is explained. The quick flight of 

 a female (closely followed by a male) bearing nesting material 



1 From the Field Notes of Francis J. Birtwell, Pecos River Forest Reserve, 

 Summer of 1901. Copied and completed by his wife, Olivia M. Birtwell. 



[This article has a peculiarly sad interest, owing to the fact that the author 

 met with a fatal accident while conducting these investigations. See ' Notes 

 and News ' in the present number of 'The Auk.' — Edd.] 



