April, 1884.] 



AND OOLOGIST. 



41 



it seems to me realizes how much good 

 comes from making a collection of birds ; 

 not only for their own personal good but 

 for their children or students. My little 

 boy above mentioned, can by the song dis- 

 tinguish almost all of our birds. I wish 

 in your excellent little paper you would 

 urge this work upon your subscribers. 

 Here lies a field of exact knowledge that, 

 except by specialists, is but little worked. 

 — W. Mann, Teacher of Science in State 

 Normzd School, Potsdam, 1ST. Y. 



Pine Grosbeaks. We have received sev- 

 eral further communications respecting 

 the large numbers of these birds that 

 have been seen this winter in various 

 parts of New England, also several in- 

 stances of their tameness. The large 

 preponderance of females is also generally 

 noted. 



The Pine Grosbeak in Confinement.— I have a male 

 Pine Grosbeak {Pinicola enucleator) in confinement, which 

 was captured in the winter of '82. He stood the hot weather 

 in summer well and is now in fine condition, being fat and 

 in full plumage. When caught he was of an ashy brown 

 color, except back of head and rump were tinged with 

 yellow. In the fall of '83 he came out in a coat of bright 

 yellow wings, and tail nearly black, wing bars white. I 

 suppose he would have been red in place of the yellow if he 

 had been at liberty. Last month (January) I captured three 

 more, one male and two females, by slipping over their 

 heads a slip noose made of horse hair and attached to a 

 slender pole. So I have now two pair and am in hopes of 

 getting a clutch or two of eggs this spring. I feed them on 

 corn meal mixed with sweet milk, also apple seeds and 

 beech nuts. They are especially fond of the buds of the 

 pine and spruce and the seeds that they get from the cones. 

 They are quite good singers, and both male and female sing. 

 The former louder and more musical than the latter. 



Their song is generally a low warble audible but at a short 

 distance, though they sometimes sing a louder note which 

 somewhat resembles that of the Rose-breasted, (Za/melodia 

 ludoviciana). In answer to P. S. U. would say the red males 

 are quite common here in winter. 



I am uncertain about the whistling sound made while fly- 

 ing, but think it is not made by the wings. — G. F., Union, 

 Maine. 



Notes from Bay City, Mich. If, as you request, I am 

 to furnish some notes for the April number with so short a 

 notice, I must scurry about and from the leavings and pick- 

 ings concoct as palatable an ornithological hash as possible 

 under the circumstances, trusting that the more ingredients 

 there are the better it will be relished. Let us first take up 

 the birds in and about our city the past winter. The Eng- 

 lish Sparrow, of course, has been with us all winter as they 

 drobably will be forever, and we must believe in greatly in- 



creased numbers, for they are now (March 18th) generally 

 throughout the city busily constructing their nests. The 

 Black-capped Chickadee as well as the Downy Woodpecker 

 and White-bellied Nuthatch have occasionally visited us in 

 the heart of the city, and on March 1st a small flock of 

 Horned Larks ventured well in on one of the main streets. 

 On two occasions a few Bohemian Waxwings were noted. 

 Snowbirds, (P. nivalis,) have been hardly as plenty as in the 

 winter of '82- 'S3, although frequently seen on the river. 

 On Nov. 19th the Pine Grosbeaks arrived, remaining until 

 the 10th of the present month, when I guess we saw them 

 for the last time this season. In the winter of 'S2-'83 this 

 species remained an unusually long time in the State of 

 Maine. I first noted them Nov. 4, 1SS2, in the city of Ban- 

 gor. They were constantly with us until the first of Feb- 

 ruary, when I visited this State (Michigan,) and on my re- 

 turn, the middle of March, they were still there and 

 remained until the 4th of April, when they were noted for 

 the last time, just five months from the day of their arrival. 

 Let us now see what notes we have on the birds of the 

 pineries. The past few months I have made several trips 

 to the northern forests, partially for the purpose, if possi- 

 ble, to add evidence to a statement made by myself some 

 time ago in this paper, that the Black-backed Woodpecker, 

 {P. arcticus,) was not an uncommon winter resident of our 

 pine forests ; in this I have been unsuccessful ; but will say 

 that I have notes, other than those now recorded, of its 

 capture in this State which I am in hopes to give you in 

 time. 



The first week in November I was encamped on the 

 north branch of the Au Sable, surrounded for miles with 

 barren Norway plains. We found the locality somewhat 

 barren of bird-life, although the cedar swamps lining the 

 shores of the stream, abounded in the Ruffed Grouse and 

 Spruce Partridge, (T. canadensis,) the latter generally con- 

 sidered not plenty south of Mackinaw. A few of the 

 smaller, common species were noted, while an unknown 

 Owl paid us nightly visits. Frequent trips to the south 

 branch of the Pine and Rifle rivers have added no new or 

 rare specimens to my collection ; but I have hardly ever 

 failed to find the following abundant about the logging- 

 camps : Hairy, Downy and Pileated Woodpeckers, Black- 

 capped Chickadees, White-bellied Nuthatch, Brown Creep- 

 ers, Blue Jays, Canada Jays, Ruffed Grouse, and Barred 

 Owl, with the Snowy Owl and Raven on one occasion. We 

 will now go back a little as to the season and close with 

 some condensed notes on the Fall migration of the Ducks 

 in this locality in 1883. At the opening of the shooting 

 season, Sept. 1st, the Wood Duck was found quite plenty, 

 probably the larger part raised in the immediate vicinity of 

 the marshes; they, with the Lesser Scaups, constituted the 

 bulk, while the Red-breasted Merganser was noted. The 

 Teels had hardly put in an appearance. On the 23d the 

 Blue-winged Teel had become plenty, while the Red-heads 

 had arrived in some numbers. Wood Ducks about the 

 same as on the 1st. Oct. Tth the Red-heads and Greater 

 Scaups composed the main body, while on the 14th the Red- 

 heads were exceedingly abundant ; of forty Ducks taken by 

 one sportsman in about an hour, all were of this species. 

 Oct. 16th, 20th and 22d, I obtained from different sources 

 fresh specimens of the Surf Duck, {ffi. perspzcillata,) as 

 also on the 22d an American Black Scoter, (05. americana.) 

 The specimen of the Surf Duck procured on the 16th was 

 given in the January O. and O. as the first for this State, 

 which Dr. Gibbs since writes me stands good. Buffle- 

 heads, (B. albeola,) reached us on the 23d of October, and 

 last and least the Ruddy, {E. rubida,) on the 27th. A severe 

 cold snap the fore part of November practically closed the 

 season, at least, as far as the sportsmen were concerned.— 

 N. A. Eddij, Bay City, Mich. 



