40 



ORNITHOLOGIST 



[Vol. 9-No. 4 



over five (5) feet or under two (2) ; eggs, 

 from four to sis., or even seven ; speckled. 

 They are a reckless bird and I have known 

 them to fly violently against the wires of 

 a cage containing a Canary and do it re- 

 peatedly, frightening the poor native of 

 the Canary Islands almost to death. I 

 remember once finding a nest near Fort 

 Laramie, which I could not get at except 

 by crawling on my hands and knees under 

 the bushes and reaching up through the 

 thorns, at the expense of my clothes and 

 the loss of considerable skin from my 

 hands. Not satisfied with this, Mr. 

 Shrike had to attack my hand, actually 

 breaking one of the eggs as I took it 

 from the nest. These birds are some- 

 thing like the Mockingbird, and are often 

 mistaken for them by the settlers here. 



Bohemian Waxwing {Ampelis garrulus.) 

 Took two (2) specimens yesterday (Jan. 

 30th) from a flock of seventy or eighty on 

 Clear Creek. These are the first I have 

 seen here. These birds agree with Dr. 

 Elliott Cones' description, with one excep- 

 tion, and that is in regard to the white on 

 the under eyelid as in the Cedar Bird 

 (A. cedrorum.) Yet these birds are un- 

 doubtedly garrulous. I do not like to 

 differ from such an ornithologist as the 

 Doctor, but I will give my descrhption and 

 can show the sjDecimen. Under tail cov- 

 erts, chestnut ; front and side of head, 

 orange-brown color ; primary wing cov- 

 erts, tipped with white ; wings, with yel- 

 low and white at outer web ; chin, black ; 

 small black line across forehead and run- 

 ning through eyes meets on back of head, 

 just back of the crest ; bill and feet, black ; 

 tail, tipped with yellow ; white on under 

 eyelid, but none across forehead ; 7.9 in. 

 long; wing, 4.2 in. This bird generally 

 retires south, but is occasionally seen dur- 

 ing an open winter in large flocks. The 

 prettiest thing about this bird is its curi- 

 ous appendages on the inner quills of the 

 wing, which resemble red wax. Al- 

 though not a singer, it has a very pleasant 



note when heard in winter. I have never 

 yet found signs of insect food in the 

 stomach of these birds, and I am inclined 

 to think they feed entirely on berries and 

 seeds. — Charles F. Morrison, Ft. McKln- 

 ney, ~Wyoming. 



The Pine Grosbeak. 



(Pinicola enucleator.) 



In the March number of your magazine 

 I notice some statements regarding the 

 Pine Grosbeak. I have been in Potsdam 

 as teacher in the State Normal School in 

 this place since the Pall of '72, and not 

 until last Winter did I ever notice or have 

 my attention called to this bird in this lo- 

 cality. Last winter I mounted six females 

 and one male. There seems to be a great 

 scarcity of the males. A number of my 

 students shot and mounted specimens, and 

 I believe not one secured a male.. There 

 were a number of flocks that seemed to 

 quarter in and near town nearly all winter. 

 They, without exception, were always found 

 about apple trees — crabapples ordinarily — 

 eating the frozen fruit on trees. This 

 winter I have only seen one flock, and 

 have heard of only two. I got a female 

 this winter ; but for a cap being imperfect 

 I should have had a male. There are usu- 

 ally about a dozen in a flock, seldom more. 

 They were very tame and by some of the 

 citizens of the place taken for Robins. 

 They seem to be in most excellent condi- 

 tion, at least all of mine were. When 

 these birds came here last winter no one 

 knew them, and many asked me about 

 them. Getting a shot at them I was more 

 than pleased to find them a bird that was 

 entirely new to me, a pleasure which no 

 one but a person interested appreciates. 

 My little boy, seven years old, was out 

 with me this winter one day, and some 

 birds flying over our heads, he exclaimed, 

 "Oh! papa, there are some Pine Gros- 

 beaks ; shoot me that pretty red one," re- 

 ferring of course to the male. No parent 



