ROSE-BREASTED GROSBEAK. 



Habia ludoviciana. 



Char. Male : above, black ; rump white ; wings and tail black with 

 white markings ; below, white ; breast and under tail-coverts deep rose 

 pink. Female : above, streaked blackish and olive ; crown with central 

 stripe of white ; rump white ; under parts dull white, streaked with brown ; 

 no red on the breast. Length 7% to SJ4 inches. 



Nest. Usually on the margin of woods, or in a dense alder-swamp, — 

 occasionally in a garden or open pasture; composed of grass, //.r;/^'^ moss, 

 roots, stalks, and twigs, lined with fine grass, roots, or pine-needles. 



Eggs. 3-5 ; dull green or bluish green variously marked with spots 

 and blotches of reddish brown, lilac, and pale lavender; i.oo X 0.70. 



The remote Northwestern Territories of the Union, Canada, 

 and the cool regions towards the Rocky Mountains appear to 

 be the general residence of the Rose-breasted Grosbeak. A 

 few pairs breed on the banks of the Mohawk, and probably 

 in the interior of Pennsylvania. Mr. Say met with it in the 

 spring, on the lower part of the Missouri ; and at Pembino, on 

 the 5th of August, in the 49th parallel. Dr. Richardson also 

 observed it in the latitude of 53°, and Audubon found it breed- 

 ing in Newfoundland. It has likewise been seen in Mexico 

 and Texas. These are, no doubt, its proper natal regions, and 

 the course of its migrations, from which it only ventures acci- 

 dentally in severe winters, and is then transiently seen in pairs 

 east of the Atlantic mountains, which constitute the general 

 boundary of its range. It is thus seen occasionally in the 

 VOL. I. — 24 



