72 NollTII AMKIilCAN liinOS. 



Sir .Iiilm li'icliunlsoii nicl with ii siiij,'ln s]ii'('iiiu'ii of tliis bird near tlii! 

 SaskiilcliL'waii ilnrin.u Iii.s lir>t cxiKMlitidii with Sir .Fohii Friuiklin, Imt did not 

 nl'tcrwards meet willi it. He .states tliat it rriMiuciits tlie deep recesses oi' 

 the forests, and tlicre sings n clear, mellow, and harmonious s()n<». 



Niittall ajipears to have seen little or nothiii;,' of this bird, except in con- 

 finement. He describes it as thrivinj,' very well in a ca<i;e, and as a melodious 

 and iiiilei'atij^'aiple warider, ireiiuently passinj;- the "greater ])art of the nij^ht in 

 singin},', with great variety of tones. It is said, while thus earnestly cngagiid, 

 to mount on tiptoe, as if seemingly in nn ecstasy of enthusiasm and delight 

 at the unrivalled harmony of its own voice. These notes, lu; adds, are 

 wholly warbh'd, now loud and clear, now with a quendous and now with a 

 sjirightly air, and finally lower and more pathetic. In Mr. Nnttall's opinion 

 it has no .sn])erior in song, excejit the Mocking- 15ird. 



^Ir. Say met with these iiirds in the spring, on the baidcs of the ^Ii.sso\iri, 

 and afterwards, on the oth of August, at I'enibina in the 4Uth dtigree of 

 latitude. 



This bird arrives in Eastern ^Massachusetts about the loth of May, and 

 leaves in Septendier. It nests during the Hrst week in June. 



^Ir. Audubon states that he has frequently observed this .s])ccies, early in 

 the month of March, in the L)wer parts of Louisiana, making its way ea.st- 

 Avard,aiul has notice(l the same circum.stance both at Henderson, Ky.,aud at 

 Cincinnati, O. At this jieriod it pa.sses at a considerable height in the air. 

 He never saw it in the maritime ])arts of (Jeorgia or Carolina, but they have 

 been procnrod in the mountainous parts of those States. On the banks of 

 the Schuylkill, early in May, he has observed this bird feeding on the tender 

 buds of tiie trees. Wlicn in Texas, in 18;!7, Mr. Audubon also found it v(.'ry 

 abundant in April. 



Dr. Dachman, quoted by Audubon, states that, having slightly wounded ii 

 beautiful male of this species, he kept it three years in confinement. It very 

 soon became quite tame, fed, in an o])en room, on moistened bread. It was 

 at once reconciled to live in a cage, and fed readily on various kinds of food, 

 but preferred Indian meal and hemp-seed. It was also very fond of in- 

 sects, and ate grasshop])ers and crickets with peculiar rclLsh. It watched the 

 Hies with great a])parent interest, and often snatched at and secured the 

 wasps that ventured within its cage. During bright moonshiny nights it 

 sang sweetly, l)ut not loudly, remaining in the same position on its jierch. 

 "When it .sang in the daytime it was in the habit of vibrating its wings, in 

 the manner of the Mocking-lSird. It was a lively and a gentle conq)ani(m 

 for three years, but suffered from cold in severe wintry weather, and finally 

 died from this cause. It woidd frequently escape from its cage, and never 

 exhibited the least d(^sirc to Icavi^ him, but always returned to the house at 

 night. It sang iibout eight week.s, and the rest of the year had only a faint 

 rJi nek. 



This Gro.sbeak builds in low trees on tlu; edge of woo'ls, frequently in 



