THE AUK : 



A QUARTERLY JOURNAL OF 



ORNITHOLOGY. 

 vol. xi. January, 1894. no. i 



HYBRID PINICOLA ENUCLEATOR -f CARPOD- 

 ACUS PURPUREUS. 



BY ERNEST E. THOMPSON. 

 Plate I. 



The early part of 1S90 is remembered at Toronto as the 

 great Grosbeak season. During Jnnuary, February and March, 

 Pine and Evening Grosbeaks appeared in such numbers as were 

 never before seen. On 22d January a small red Grosbeak was 

 taken from a flock of Pine Grosbeaks by Mr. William Cross, 

 and was brought to me for identification. Its general appearance 

 recalled Carfiodaats cassinii, but having no specimen of this 

 for comparison, I sent the bird to Dr. J. A. Allen, who pro- 

 nounced it "clearly a hybrid between the common Purple Finch 

 and the Pine Grosbeak." The specimen was subsequently seen 

 by Mr. Robert Ridgway and M. A. Suchetet, the French student 

 of avian hybrids, and all concur in pronouncing it a most interest- 

 ing and undoubted hybrid between the species named- 



The only question raised by M. Suchetet is — was it born in 

 a state of nature ? For on that the chief interest would turn. To 

 this I reply, the deep red tints that are found on the Pine Gros- 



