° 1919" J Eifrig, Birds of the Chicago Area. 521 



observation the building of a nest of this species. But, however hard and 

 long he watched, he could never see the female. After the nest was 

 finished and the complement of eggs laid, the nest was destroyed by an 

 accident, and then he took one of the two birds in male plumage. Upon 

 skinning and sexing it he found to his surprise that it was a female. Mr. 

 Kahmann also saw the skinned bird, and he corroborates this. He tells 

 me that he once before found the same thing. Mr. Friedrich kindly gave 

 the skin to me. While the bird is not as brilliantly plumaged as some old 

 males, it is more so than some young males I have seen, and is, at any rate, 

 not in the plumage of the female at all. 



Hesperiphona v. vespertina. Evening Grosbeak. — We have 

 found this species to be rather numerous, if only locally so, during the last 

 three winters, in the Sand Dunes of northwestern Indiana. This has been 

 reported by Stoddard (Auk, Vols. XXXIII and XXXIV). In the phe- 

 nomenally cold spring of 1917 several were seen in Jackson Park, Chicago, 

 as late as May 15, and Mr. H. K. Coale saw some as late as the 21st, if 

 I remember correctly. They are keeping this up during the present winter. 

 November 30, 1918, 1 saw about eighteen near Millers, the flock being made 

 up of males and females. They were industriously gleaning the buds 

 of oak trees, but the stomach contents of three, which I sent to the Bio- 

 logical Survey at Washington, were reported as being almost entirely 

 made up of the seeds of some species of dogwood (Cornus). — December 21 

 last, Mr. C. J. Hunt and I saw about fifty to sixty, one flock again indus- 

 triously budding, another flying over. They have a remarkably swift 

 and direct flight, something like some of the Limicolae, while the flocks are 

 very compact. On the 27th we were there again, but we saw only four, 

 having missed the main flock. They feed on the berries or seeds of fra- 

 grant sumac (Rhus oolorata), and poison sumac (R. toxicodendron) and 

 probably others, besides the Cornus mentioned above. 



Pinicola enucleator leucura. Pine Grosbeak. — So far as I know 

 this northern winter visitant has not been seen here for years past. It 

 was therefore with some pleasure that ] saw two near Millers, November 

 30, 1918, one of which was taken. 



Carpodacus p. purpureus. Purple Finch. — This species is strangely 

 rare here, and as erratic in its coming and going as can be. I have seen it 

 seven times only in nine years, as follows: January 6, 1917, one only in the 

 tamarack swamp at Mineral Springs in the Dunes; February 7, 1912, one 

 all alone in the large Addison woods; April 1, 1916, two near Millers; May 2 

 and 3, 1916, a flock of ten in " Waller's Park," near my home; October 6 

 and 9, 1916, flocks of six at La Grange and Crete. 



Acanthis 1. linaria. Redpoll. — Besides the large numbers we have 

 seen in the Dunes, reported by Mr. Stoddard, I have seen many here at 

 River Forest in the fall and winter of 1916-17, from November 15 to March 

 9. December 27, 1918, I again saw about twenty-five near Millers. 



Calcarius 1. lapponicus. Lapland Longspur. — After much search- 

 ing for this species in various parts of our area, I find them rare in most. 



