THE CA.NADIAJJ HORTICULTTJRIST. 



91 



(Cardinalis virginianus) a jaunty, 

 showy fellow, handsome in form, and 

 brilliant in plumage, with a high top 

 knot. His home is in the Middle States, 

 but once or twice he has been captured 

 on the north shore of Lake Erie toward 

 the west end. Another very showy 

 memVier of this family is the Evening 

 GrosheAk { fJesj>eriphona vespertina) ; he 

 is entirely different in color from the 

 preceding, being clothed in the richest 

 black and yellow, which in the spring 

 time shines like ebony inlaid with gol 1. 

 This species is peculiar to the north- 

 west, but has been once got near Hamil- 

 ton, and also at London and Woodstock. 

 The species best known in this part 

 of the Dominion is the Rose-breasted 

 Grosbeak, C occothraustes ludovidana) 

 which arrives from the south about the 

 middle of May, spends the summer and 

 rears its young in the bush, where its 

 rich rolling song is frequently heard, 

 and retires to the south again about 

 the end of September. It is the name 

 of this species ]Mr. Bissell uses in de- 

 scribing the birds he saw near his place, 

 but it is evidently a case of mistaken 

 identity as regards the name, and T 

 hope it may also be so as regards the 

 habits of the bii-ds he saw, though I 

 could not be so positive on this point, as 

 no one can tell how far birds will change 

 their habits under certain forced condi- 

 tions. The species which has appeared 

 in such numbers during the past and 

 present winters is the Pine Grosbeak, 

 {Pinicola enacleator); it is a denizen of 

 the north, and in Ontario is classed as 

 an irregular winter \asitor. They were 

 here in considerable numbers last win- 

 ter, remaining from Januaiy to the 

 fij'st of April, feeding almost exclusively 

 on the berries of the mountain ash, 

 and red cedar. I have also seen them 

 taking the buds off the pine and tama- 

 rack. Toward the time of their depar- 

 ture, they often fed on such apples as 

 remained on the trees, but I have not 



heard them accused of taking fruit buds. 

 Those we see here are mostly young 

 birds of the first year, and females, 

 plainly dressed in smoky grey, touched 

 here and there w4th orange. Occasion- 

 ally we see in a flock an adult male, 

 blushed all over with the richest crim- 

 son, which shows with gi-eat effect 

 against a sombre background of Nor- 

 way spruce, among which they fre- 

 quently seek for shelter. They are of 

 a most gentle and amiable disposition, 

 quite unsuspicious ; being reared per- 

 haps in the remote solitudes of the 

 " great lone land," they are little used 

 to the wicked ways of man. This 

 seems a long letter on an outside sub- 

 ject, but after all birds and flowers are 

 closely allied, and I hope your readers 

 will not complain. 



Truly yours, 

 March 10th, 1884. T. McIlwraith. 



JESSICA GRAPE. 



To THE EDtTOB OF THE CaNADIAK HORTICULTURIST : 



DeaiI Sir, — I have just received the 

 January and February numbers of the 

 Horticulturist. I had not sent in my 

 dollar for 18S4, the consequence was 

 no Horticulturist. I feel like saying 

 " God bless the papers that dare stop 

 when the subscriptions are run out, 

 and also the gi-oceryman that cuts just 

 a pound of cheese when asked to do 

 so ; they are the best kind." The 

 Horticulturist is picking right up. 

 The February number is just full 

 of cream. I am pleased with the 

 lithograph of the Jessica grape. I 

 have fruited this grape and can say 

 the plate is a fair i-epresentation, ex- 

 cept, perhaps, a little higher colour 

 than the Jessica grown on my soil, but 

 must say my soil is not at all favour- 

 able for colouring grapes. It is quite 

 refreshing in these times to see an in- 

 troducer of a new grape in getting up 

 a lithograph to come down to about 

 the right size and not try to make a 



