410 



Nninil AMKUICAN IMKUS. 



Si'. rir.Mt. T?ill vfllowisli-irnM-ii, duskv at tli«' Kasr. Atitrrior Imlf of tin- Ixuly ilnsky 

 v<'ll«t\vL"<li-oli\c. >li;nliii'' into vcllow to tin* iiitiiit al>«»vt'. ami the iiii«it'r tail-covcils Ik'Ionv. 

 OiittT xMpiiIars. ji ltr«'a«l t'roiita! l>aii<l fOMtiminl on t arli >'u\r nvci- the tvc. axillarit's, aii<l 

 iiiiiMli' of midcr win_ir-<-(>v«'it'< yellow. Fcafli«Ts aloiijr the rxtrtinc l«a>f of \\\r Kill, the 

 crown, til'iic. wiiiirs, nj>jMi- tail-fOv»i ts, and tail lila<'k ; iinicr ;jifati'i' w in^-covorts and 

 t«'iii;irifs white. L»'n.i;tii, 7.;5<»; wiiii:. 4.:H>; tail. *J.7o. 



The tV'inak' ditVcr^ in ha\ in-r the head of a dull <»livacc(His-hrown, which color also 

 •rlosscs the hack. The ycll«»\v of theninip and other jiarts is replaced hy a yellowish-ash. 

 The ui>jier tail-eovert< are s|iotted with white. The white of the wing is mn«-h restricted. 

 There is an olocnre hlackish line on each side of the chin. 



II.\B. (Var. resfterfina.) Pacific cuast to IJocky Moinitains; Xortheni America east to 

 Lake Snperior. (\'ar nio„fiii,a.) Southern Ifocky Mountains of Tnited States into 

 Me.\i<o; Orix.alta! (Sn. vtki;. l>»i(», li.')lj; Vera Cruz (ali»ine regions, hreediiiir) Simichhast, 

 I'r. IJ»>st. So<-. I,.V><» ; < Jnateniala, Salvin. 



The vaii»'ty witli Inoml frontal band and iiuivasod anioiint of wliitc ap]Hniis 

 to cliaiiicteiize Xortheni .»;i»eciiiieiis, whih' that with iianow fronth't an<l ♦lie 



mvatest amount of Mark is found in 

 (hiateniala, Mexico, and the southern 

 liocky Mountains, and may be called 

 itionfiiim. 



In size it is also a little smaller. Speci- 

 mens from ^lirador 'where l»reedinu) and 

 those from New Mexico are nearly iden- 

 tical in size, proportions, and colors. 



II.viMTS. Tiiis remarkable (Irosbeak 

 was first descrilted by Mr. William CoojK'r, 

 from specimens ol)tained by ^[r. Schotd- 

 rraft in A]>ril, 182r^, near the Sault Sainte 

 Marie, in Michiijan. Sir John iJichard- 

 son soon after found it to be a eommon 

 inhabitant of the maple oroves on the 

 jdains of the Saskatchewan, where it is 

 ealled by the Indians the " Suuar-liird." He states that it fnM[uents the 

 Ixtrders of Like Superior also, and the eastern declivity of the liocky Moun- 

 tains, in latitu<le M\°. 



Captain Blakiston did not find this (Irosbeak on the Saskatchewan during 

 the sunnuer, but only noticed it there durini.j the winter. He saw none after 

 the 22d of A]»ril, and not a.uain until the middle of Xovember. They were 

 seen in company with the Pine (Grosbeak, feeding on the keys of the ash- 

 leaved ma])le. He adds that it has a sharp clear note in winter, and is an 

 active bird. 



Dr. Cooper, in his Xotes on the Zoidogy of Washington Territory, states 

 that this species is a common resident in its forests, but adds that as it fre- 

 quents the summits of the tallest trees, its habits have been but little 

 observed. In January, 1 8.14, during a snow-storm, a flock descended to some 



Hesperiphona vespertina. 



