348 BIRDS 



the stomachs of several that were killed in the very act. 

 The stomachs contained a few peas, but enough potato 

 beetles, old and young, as well as other harmful insects, 

 to pay for all the peas the birds would be likely to eat in 

 an entire season. It deserves full protection. A small 

 potato field was so badly infested with the Colorado beetles 

 that the vines were completely riddled. The grosbeaks 

 visited the field every day, and finally brought their fledged 

 young. The young birds stood in a row on the topmost 

 rail of the fence and were fed with the beetles which their 

 parents gathered. When a careful inspection was made a 

 few days later, not a beetle could be found; so the birds 

 had saved the potatoes. 



"There is an exquisite purity in the joyous carol of the 

 Grosbeak ; his song tells of all the gladness of a May morn- 

 ing; I have heard few happier strains of bird music. With 

 those who are deaf to its message of good cheer I can only 

 sympathize." (Chapman.) 



The male, though a fine songster, makes himself useful 

 by relieving the female of the duties of incubation, often 

 singing while on the nest. In molting, the feathers come 

 off in patches, leaving the male a most woebegone bird and 

 a silent one. The new coat of the male is a good match 

 for the sparrow-like dress of the female. 



The nests are placed at elevations not to exceed fifteen 

 feet. They are loosely made of stiff stems and rootlets, 

 very little soft material is used even in the lining. Three 

 or four eggs are deposited in May or June. The back- 

 ground is deep greenish-blue and the marks are in the form 

 of specks and spots of deep brown, chiefly at the larger end. 



