T£NTH ORDINARY MEETING. 89 



birds are the Pine Grosbeak ( Pinicola Enucleator ), a rare visitor 

 in some years, but in severe winters it comes to us in considerable 

 numbers, being met with, not only in our woods, but sometimes ven- 

 turing fearlessly, as I have said, into the streets and squares of our 

 towns. They occasionally do a good deal of mischief to the young 

 buds of both fruit and ornamental trees. 



During a very sevei"e winter many years ago these birds came into 

 my own grounds in great numbers. Observing that wherever any 

 withered apples were left hanging on the trees in the orchard they 

 were eagerly attacked and torn to pieces by the Grrosbeaks, appa- 

 rently for the sake of the seeds, I had a quantity of apples cut 

 up and and strewed on the steps of the verandah of the house, and 

 before long I had as many as ten or a dozen of these beautiful birds 

 feeding at the same time, and so tame and fearless did they become, 

 that they would allow the members of the family to watch them 

 from the windows. They did not, however, always content them- 

 selves with the food thus provided for them, but did a good deal of 

 mischief that winter to the young buds of the cherry and apple as 

 well as many of the ornamental trees. They leave us generally 

 about the end of March. 



The Bohemian Wax- Wing (Ampelis Garrulus ), is another 7-are 

 winter visitor only appearing in seasons when exti'eme cold has 

 driven it down from more northern latitudes. In plumage it re- 

 sembles very closely the Ampelus Cedrorum, the Cedar Bird, com- 

 mon Wax-wing, or Cherry Bird, so well known, as an active depre- 

 dator in our gardens and orchards. The Bohemian Wax-Wing, 

 however, is considerably larger and the colouring of the plumage, 

 though very similar, is richer and deeper. It has the same curious 

 horny tips like red sealing wax on the secondai-ies of the wings. 



The Crossbills, both the Pted Crossbill ( Loxia Curvicostra Ameri- 

 cana), and the White-wiaged (Loxia Leucoptera ), have been classed 

 as winter visitors only in Ontario, and so has that elegant little bird 

 the Pine Finch (Ghrysomitris Finns). I have met with all three, 

 however, in the neiglibourhood of Lake Simcoe during the summer, 

 and the Crossbills undoubtedly breed in the pine and Hemlock 

 wouds and may be seen there all throughout the year. 



The last of our winter visitoi'S that I shall notice is the Shore 

 Lark, Ereinophila Alpestris. Speaking from my own experience, it 

 is not often met with in this part of Ontario, though it is found 



