142 Notes on Land Birds. 



here till middle of April. A great number were in very hand- 

 some plumage, and some small flocks consisted entirely of males 

 with red breasts, whilst in others, all were destitute of the red on 

 the lower parts, but I met with flocks towards the end of the 

 winter consisting indiscriminately of males and females. Hundreds 

 were exposed for sale in the markets, and appeared to have been 

 taken by means of nets or traps, as they had all been killed by 

 crushing the skull, and none exhibited any shot marks. These 

 large flocks fed on the seeds of the birch and alder, but principally 

 on those of thistles, &c., not covered by the snow and must have 

 been of great service in reducing the progeny of those noxious 

 weeds. The Canadian farmers however, who are themselves too 

 indolent to rid their farms of the weeds which are so injurious to 

 their crops, fur the sake of gaining a few coppers, destroy without 

 mercy these useful and harmless birds, — the means which a wise 

 providence has provided for checking the increase of those 

 troublesome plants which on some of the Canadian farms threaten 

 to entirely usurp the place of the crops. 



Linaria pinus, Wils. Pine Linnet, I met with only one small 

 flock which was feeding on an alder tree in a swamp near Mile- 

 end Road, November 20th, 1856, and of which I shot two 

 specimens. 



Gorythus enncleator, Linn, Common Pine Finch or Pine 

 Grosbeak. The flrst time I observed a flock of this fine bird 

 sufficiently close to identify, was on the 6th January, but I saw 

 some birds at the beginning of December, which I could not 

 distinguish, but which were very probably of this species. When 

 I first saw them they were feeding on the beri'ies of the Mountain 

 Ash in company with a large flock of Waxwings as noticed in 

 the "Canadian Naturalist and Geologist" for February, page 

 There cannot be a greater contrast than exists in the maijiner of 

 feeding and internal formation of these two birds which subsist 

 on the same berries. The Grosbeak with its strong bill and hard 

 muscular stomach, discards the skins of the berries, swallowing 

 nothing but the pulp and pips or seeds, which are ground to 

 pieces by the action of the gizzard aided by small stones which I 

 found in all I opened. The Pips thus crushed communicate a 

 strong odour of Prusic acid to the whole body. The pulp seems to 

 be very easily digested as although always present in the throat and 

 crop, I could never detect it in the true stomach. The Waxwing 

 on the contrary having a comparatively weak bill, capacious throat, 



