FniX(;iLLlDJO- «iIE KINCIIHS. 455 



and became of a jLireenish-yellow. Tii M;iy and Juno, it.s sonix, tliouLih 

 not so loud as that of soin«* birds, was extremely clear, nirllow, and sweet. 

 This son^ it warbled out lor the whole nioininiLj:, and also iniitatv'd the notes 

 of a Cardinal, tliat liuui;- near it. It bt'canie exceeibnuly tame and I'amiliar, 

 and wliL'n in want of loud or water, uttered a continual nielanclioly iind 

 anxious note. 



In the winter of IS:),"), and for .several followinj:? seasons, these birds were 

 exceedingly abundant in the vicinity of Iioston. They api)eared early in 

 Deceml>er, and remained until tjuite late in ^larch, feeding: chiefly on the 

 berries of the red cedar. Tiiev were so nnsus])e(tinu: and familiar that H was 

 often possilde to cajtture them alive in butterfly-nets, and to knock them down 

 with poles. L'lr^e nunibcrs were destroyed and brouj^lit to market, and many 

 were taken alive and ca^ed. They were tame, but unhapity in confinement, 

 uttering mournful cries as the warm weatlier a]>proached. In the winter 

 of ISlV.i-TU tliev again made their ap])earance in extra(«linary nundters, 

 in a few localities on the sea-coast of ^lassachusetts, where thev did con- 

 siderable damage to the fruit-buds of the ap])le and pear. 



Sir John Iiichardson states that this bird was not observed by Ids expedi- 

 tion higher than the liOth jiarallel. It'lives, for the most part, a very retired 

 life, in the deepest recesses of the pine forests, where it passes the entire 

 vear, havino: been found bv ^Ir. Drau'e, near York Fort, on tla* l!~>tli of Janu- 

 ary, 1747. IJicliardson adds tliat it builds its nest on tlie lower branches of 

 trees, and feeds chiefly on the seeds of the white s]>ruce. 



J)r. Cones speaks of it as not at all rare along the ('(»ast of T.abratlor, where 

 he obtained .several specimens. It was confined entirely to the thiek woods 

 and patches of scrubby juniper. A female remained unconcernedly on a 

 twig after he had shot her mate, uttering continually a low soft >ilu'p, like 

 that of the Fox-colored Sparrow. Another note was a }»rolonged whirring 

 chirrup, uttered in a rather low tone, apparently a note of recognition. 



A lady resident in XewftuindLuid informed Mr. Audubon that she had 

 kejjt several of these (Jr«>sbeaks in confinement, that they .soon became very 

 familiar, would sing during the night, feeding, during the sununer, on all 

 kinds of fruit and Iterries. rnd in the winter on difl'erent seeds. Mr. Audu- 

 bon also often observed that, when firing at one of their nundjer, the others. 

 instead of Hying away, woidd move towards him, often to within a few feet, 

 and remain on the lower branches of the trees, gazing at him in curiosity, 

 entirely unmingled with any sense of their own danger. Mr. Au«lul>on ([uotes 

 from ]Mr. McCulloch, of Pictou, an interesting account of the habits of one 

 of these birds, kept in confinement. The winter had been very severe, the 

 storms vicJent, and, in consequence of the dejith of snow, many birds had 

 perished from hunger and cold. The (iro.sbeaks, driven from the woods, 

 sought fot)d around the barns and outhouses, and crowded the streets of 

 Victou. One of the.se, taken in a starving condition, s!!on became so tame as 

 to feed from his hand, lived at large in his chamber, and would awaken him 



