3



The song in the wild bird is said to be very melodious and

flute-like, the flight powerful and undulating. It is a true bird

of the woods and a somewhat late breeder : it feeds on seeds of

conifers, berries, and buds, as well as inserts and their larvae, and

earth-worms.


About July 20th, I received a letter from Mr. James H,

Fleming, of Ontario, in which he informed me that he was send¬

ing off a box containing six Pine Grosbeaks and a Purple Finch,

under the care of Mr. J. B. Williams (Curator of the Montreal

Natural History Society). I received this kind present on July

23rd; all the birds reaching me alive, though very dirty and a

good deal the worse for quarrelling during their fortnight of

close confinement.


I turned the Pine Grosbeaks out into my garden aviary,

giving them a seed-mixture, consisting of sunflower, hemp, oats,

canary and millet: I found that they ate these seeds in the

order given above, beginning with the sunflower; they did not

seem to care about the millet. During the first two or three

da}^s they washed almost incessantly, so that whenever I looked

at them I was sure to see one or two bedraggled looking, soaked

individuals.


By the end of the first week my birds were clean, though

ragged, and five of them appeared to be in excellent health :

seeing them eating worms which had crawled from below their

water-pan, I dug some up and offered them ; they seemed much

pleased and quarrelled for them. I also found that they were

very glad to get caterpillars and spiders.


Shortly afterwards, Mr. Williams called upon me, and

seemed gratified to find the Grosbeaks well and contented : in

the course of conversation, he unfortunately told me that, in

Canada, the favourite food of the Pine Grosbeak consisted of

berries of the Mountain Ash. Next morning, I put a bunch of

these berries into the aviary and two of the birds immediately

flew down and devoured them : by the evening both birds were

staggering about as if frightfully drunk ; when they flew towards

a perch they missed it and fell heavily to the ground ; if I

entered the aviary the}^ seemed scared almost out of their wits;

although, naturally, they are the tamest and most gentle birds I

ever had, utterly devoid of fear ; now they dashed wildly and

blindly against the wires, fell to the ground, staggered up and

flew off again madly ; they had constant diarrhoea, were unable

to see their seed, tumbled into the water, had fits every few

minutes, and after two or three days of misery died. It is.



