EOSE-BEEASTED GEOSBEAK. 33 



HYMENOPTSBA. 



Hornets (Vespldse) : I Smooth-headed ants (Formicidse). 



Vespa sp. 



NBUBOPTEEA. 



Mantispidse: Mautispa sp. 



OTHER INVEBTBBBATES. 



Spiders (Araneida). | Snails (Gastropoda). 



BOSE-BBEASTED GBOSBEAK. 

 (Zamelodia ludoviciana, Plate III.) 



APPEARANCE, DISTRIBUTION, AND HABITS. 



The rose-l^reasted grosbeak, one of the loveliest and most valuable 

 of our North 4-merican birds, is easily recognized by its characteristic 

 coloring and big bill. The male is gayly clad in rose, white, and 

 black, the brightest tint partly covering the breast and lining the 

 wings. The female, while soberly clothed in buffy, grayish, and 

 brown, can not be mistaken, once the appearance of the species is 

 familiar, the plump form and thick bill sufficiently distinguishing her. 



The song of the male rosebreast is as charming as his appearance 

 is striking, its notes being among the sweetest and most inspiring of 

 the avian chorus. The bird seems never to tire of his music and may 

 be heard during the hottest days and even at night. However, he 

 is also a paragon of domesticity, taking turn with the female in 

 incubating the eggs and later doing yeoman service in feeding the 

 young. 



The bulky and loosely-fashioned nest is built in June, and 3 or 4 

 eggs are laid. The nests are very often placed in orchard trees; 

 indeed, where conditions permit, they are almost invariably in the 

 vicinity of cultivated lands. 



The birds are fairly common, especially in the northern part of 

 their range, but they are not evenly distributed. For instance, in one 

 locality, for no obvious reasons, grosbeaks are absent, while iii another 

 near by several pairs may live. In Wisconsin 7 nests have been 

 found in a space of not over 5 acres, and on the brushy banks of a 

 little stream in New Jersey 11 pairs nested within a quarter of a 

 mile. If these figures held for any considerable area, they would 

 indicate that the bird was very abundant, and indeed it would 

 appear that in most accounts the number of rose-breasted grosbeaks 

 has been underestimated, unless we are to assume that of late years 

 the bird has increased in numbers greatly. In parts of New England 



