Evening Grosbeak 413', 



sums up the information to date in the general statement: "Nest. — 

 15 to 50 feet from the ground in the top of a conifer or thick willow, 

 a comparatively flat, slight structure of small sticks, roots, and some- 

 times tree lichens lined with finer roots. Eggs. — 3 or 4, clear green, 

 blotched with pale brown. "f 



As the Evening Grosbeak possesses such a fascination for nearly 

 all bird students it will no doubt be of historical interest to many 

 to peruse the rather curious notes which accompanied the original 

 description of the species, more especially as they are not readily 

 accessible to the general reader. William Cooper first described the 

 Evening Grosbeak in a communication read before the Lyceum of 

 Natural History of New York City, January 10, 1825, and published in 

 the Annals of that Society for the same year, Vol. I, part the second, 

 pages 219-222. After a technical description of a male in full plum- 

 age the following account is given: "The specimen from which the- 

 description is taken, was sent to the Lyceum from Sault Ste Marie^ 

 near Lake Superior by Mr. H. R. Schoolcraft, and is labeled Paush- 

 kundamo, the name given it by the Chippewa Indians. Mr. School- 

 craft has since favored me with the following account. It is a little 

 singular that the meaning of the Chippewa name should so nearly 

 coincide with that of the subgenus in the language of the system." 



" 'Paushkundamo.' This word is derived from the Chippewa 

 verb paushka-un, to break. The termination indicates the object 

 acted on, and is in accordance with one of the rules of their language, 

 which permits the formation of compound words from a verb and 

 substantive, dropping one or more syllables of each for the sake 

 of euphony. The word paushkaun is the animate form of the verb, 

 and is used only in particular reference to soft, fieshy or vegetable 

 substances, as a fly, a berry, etc. The word will therefore admit of 

 being rendered fly-breaker, berry-breaker, etc. 



"This bird appeared about Sault Ste Marie, M. T., during the 

 first week in April, 1823. The individual under examination was shot 

 on the 7th of April, in the Evening. An Indian boy was attracted 

 into the woods by its peculiar, and to him strange note. There were 

 a few birds in company: they were seen for a short time about the 

 place; but none have since appeared. The species is said to be com- 

 mon about the head of Lake Superior, at Fond du Lac, etc." 



"Major Delafield, in the execution of his duties as agent of the 

 United States for boundaries, met with the same bird in the month 

 of August, 1823, near the Savannah River, northwest from Lake 

 Superior, and has obligingly communicated th following extract from 

 his notes at the time:" 



" 'At twilight, this bird which I had before heard to cry in a sin- 

 gular strain, and only at this hour, made its appearance close by my 

 tent, and a flock of about half a dozen perched on the bushes in my 

 encampment. They approached so near, and were so fearless, that 

 my canoe-men attempted to catch them, but in vain. I recognized 



vA 



t Handbook Birds Western U. S. 1902, 307. 



