AMERICAN ORNITHOLOGY. 15 



a time; reaching out the hand that held the weed he placed the tip of it 

 before one of the birds and the latter proceeded to regale himself from 

 the supply offered. The bird finally allowed him to reach forth his 

 hand and stroke his back before flying. The next day I verified this 

 report and found the birds more tame than any that I had seen before, 

 although I did not attempt to touch them, being content to get a num- 

 ber of photos of them. About the only thing that would startle them 

 was a sudden noise, such as the focal plane shutter on the camera; the 

 first two snaps they flew a few feet away but after that paid no atten- 

 tion to this noise. 



The following day the hill was dotted with people looking for the 

 birds. On this day I enjoyed studying human nature even more than 

 the birds. Very few had any idea what the birds were like and fewer 

 still knew what their notes were; party after party went by within ten 

 or fifteen feet of the birds without seeing them though they were in 

 plain sight, and without hearing them although they were calling re- 

 peatedly. One man stood for several minutes sweeping the hillsides 

 with his field glasses; between he and I and within ten feet of him were 

 eight Grosbeaks, one an old male; one bird stood on a stone with his 

 head turned on one side looking up at the man and not more than 

 three feet from his feet. Yet he did not see one of them and was 

 astonished when I called his attention to them. How observant we are! 



The movements of Grosbeaks are very slow while on the ground; 

 they will eat all they can reach and then slowly move to the next stalk 

 either by hopping or walking as their fancy dictates. If they wish to 

 reach a spot a yard or more away they very rarely walk to it; they 

 think flying is much easier than walking. In the trees the same slow- 

 ness of motion is characteristic of them. The whole rlock generally 

 takes wing as if by one impulse, and with much calling to each other 

 flies away. They have a very pretty song; it introduces a great va- 

 riety of notes and warbles and is modelled something after the style of 

 the Rose-breasted Grosbeak, though it is not nearly as loud, in fact at 

 times it seems as though the bird were singing to himself, the tones 

 hardly being audible. They seem to sing the most when alone either 

 leaving the rest of the flock for that purpose or else having strayed 

 away by accident. 



