14 AMERICAN ORNITHOLOGY . 



Kadiak Island and south on the coast to Sitka, Alaska. (Ridgway)." 

 (Color Key to N. A. Birds). 



HABITS. 



To most of us who reside within the United States, Pine Grosbeaks 

 are known only as winter visitants. The first snow storm or long- 

 cold period in the fall brings them down from the north in bands of 

 from three or four individuals to as many as thirty or forty. The male 

 birds in the rosy plumage average about one to every five of the gray 

 and yel 1 ow ones, so it is to be assumed that each flock contains four 

 young birds and an adult female in company with each adult male. Their 

 call note and also note of alarm is a clear piping whistle. It is occa- 

 sionally uttered while they are perching, and is nearly always heard 

 when they are on the wing. The chorus of a large flock makes a very 

 pleasing melody on a cold wintry day, when few other birds are 

 to be heard. While they are very often found in orchards, they are 

 much more frequently met with in localities where there is a small 

 growth of pines. When the ground is bare or the snow is not too 

 deep, they feed on the seeds that are left hanging to various weeds. 



This year they have been more numerous than usual in Massa- 

 chusetts, first putting in an appearance about the first of October. They 

 are exceedingly tame birds, being so unsuspicious that they have fre- 

 quently been caught in butterfly nets. It is said that they are very 

 easily tamed and they are sweet singers. Their flight is very easy 

 and is made with a slight undulation; they never appear to be on the 

 lookout for danger and a number of times I have involuntarily dodged, 

 so near my head did they come when they flew from one tree to another. 

 This winter I have followed one flock with unusual interest. They 

 have remained in one locality, a certain hill which is set apart by the 

 city for a park, for over two months. This hill is covered by scatter- 

 ed clumps of firs and the ground is carpeted by grass and weeds which 

 make a fine feeding ground for Grosbeaks. The entire flock number- 

 ed in the neighborhood of fourteen birds but was generally found 

 broken into two or three bands on different parts of the hill. They 

 were first discovered by a reporter on one of the daily papers. Al- 

 though he did not then know what they were, he soon found them to 

 be tamer than any birds that he had ever met before. They were 

 feeding on the ground and he did not notice them until about four or 

 five feet from them; seeing that they showed no disposition to fly 

 away from him he tried to see how near he could get; noticing that 

 they were feeding on the seeds of a particular weed, he picked one of 

 the same variety and then cautiously approached them a few inches at 



