28 



ORNITHOLOGIST 



[Vol. 15-No. 2 



IX MASSACHUSETTS. 



H. L. Clark of Amherst received, January 8, 

 a fine specimen of the evening Grosbeak shot 

 in South Amherst. He says this is the firnt 

 instance on record of this bird being found in 

 New England. Is that a fact'.* 



G. W. Jackson. 



It gives me pleasure to record the capture of 

 an adult female Evening Grosbeak {Hespero- 

 phona vespertina) in Wellesley, Mass., January 

 15, 1890, by Mr. Thomas Smith, a gardener in 

 the employ of Mr. H. H. Hunnewell. 



This bird was shot from a maple tree on the 

 estate of Mr. R. G. Shaw about nine o'clock in 

 the morning, and was the only one seen that 

 day, although Mr. Smith is quite positive he 

 saw one ( possibly this same bird) a few days 

 previously and describes the note, though dis- 

 tinct, as being quite similar to that of the Pine 

 Grosbeak (Pinirola enurU'ator). 



So far as I can learn and I have the authority 

 of Mr. William Brewster, this is the first spec- 

 imen of this species recorded, as having been 

 taken, not only in Massachusetts but even in 

 New England. Sht^llei/ IT. Dmt.nn. 



ings and markings of this beautiful bird. The 



males were wonderfully brilliant, and the 



females were very much like their lords only 



their plumage wns not so bright and were 



somewhat smaller in size. 



This is not the first time this winter this 



bird has been found in this locality. 



I), a. Swift. 

 Silver Creek, N.Y. 



Can the Cowbird Make its Eggs Re- 

 semble Those of Other Birds ? 



Have you ever known of the Evening Gros- 

 beak being taken in Massacliusetts? I got a 

 fine male shot here last Wednesday, January 



22. ^. Vii-karij. 



Lvnn, Mass. 



Evening (irosbeak at West Pelham, Mass., 

 Jannarv '1^- ^'""' ■'"'• Hofx^rts. 



IN NEAV ITAMPSIIIKE. 



I have secured five Evening Grosbeaks (//p.s'- 

 pcriplKnia ve.yiertina) on January (i, and four 

 January It, one a very fine male, two that we 

 were able to determine as females, and two 

 with female ])lumage, but I could not make 

 out tlie sex. 



This is evidently a rare occurrence and I 

 thought it might be of interest to you. Tiiere 

 were four or five more in the fiock tiiat were 

 not taken. Janus f. Mclzcr. 



Milford, N. H. 



Editor ()rniUiolo<iist and Oi'dixjist : 



While out for a walk Sunday moriiiug, Feb- 

 ruary 9, I had the remarkable good luck to sei; 

 six Evening (irosbeaks, three males ami three 

 females. These birds were so very tame they 

 allowed me to approach very near to them and 

 gave me a splendid chance to study tiie color- 



I have a pet theory that tlie Cowbird [Molo- 

 thrns ater) can control the amount of pigment 

 placed on her eggs, making them dark or 

 light at will, so as to have them resemble as 

 much as possible the eggs whi(^h belong to the 

 nest in which she is to deposit hers. If she 

 deposits them in a Vireo's nest tliey will be 

 light, if in a S(mg Sparrow's {Melosjdzafasr la- 

 ta) they will be dark. 



This may not be the case always, but it holds 

 good as far as my expei'ience goes. 



Gen. G Cantwell. 



Lake Mills, Wis. 



[1 am afraid Mr. CantwelTs theory will not 

 stand the practical test of examination. An 

 examination of the sets of eggs containing 

 those of the Cowbird, in a very large collec- 

 tion, shows that his theory is purely fanciful, 

 and is not sustained by facts. rro))ably if Mr. 

 Cantwell had ever seen a really large collection 

 of eggs he would not have written the above. 



J. P. JV.] 



Petered Out. 



At last the edition of Cones' Key to North 

 American Birds is now exhausted, .and camiot 

 be supplied by its pu))lishers, who evidently 

 did not run otf a cook book edition, .hulging 

 from the protracted and annoying delay in 

 bringing out the one just defunct, the present 

 generation will have time to gain much in wis- 

 dom before it sees a succeeding (me. A careful 

 iiKpiiry at the uublisliers' as to the prospects was 

 as enlightenuig as a communion with a Stone 

 God. We siuill miss it from our stock. On 

 many an occasion when the interest of a cus- 

 tomei- lias waned, as a last resort, taking a coi)y 

 from the slielf and oi)eniiig at tlie first illus- 

 tration, a short lectiue on color blindness, has 

 been both effective and impressive. 



