20 Bird Portraits 



of May which brings the Thrushes, Bobolinks, and Orioles brings 

 them back again. 



Just as a knowledge of the hoarse note of the Tanager will 

 often betray the presence of that splendid bird, so an acquaintance 

 with the sharp click, like that of a pair of shears, which the Gros- 

 beaks make, will often attract the student and reward him with a 

 sight of the beautiful rosy breast. Grosbeaks sing for a long time 

 on one perch, — not on the uppermost spray of the tree, as that other 

 tropical sparrow, the Indigo bird, loves to do, but, like the Tanager, 

 on some branch well inside the canopy of leaves. In the first weeks 

 of May, when birds of many species are mating, two and sometimes 

 three male Grosbeaks may occasionally be seen pursuing each other, 

 their white wing bars and spots making a showy contrast to the black. 

 The victor in the struggle then returns to the tree near the female, 

 and pours out a song of unusual vigor and sweetness. In May, the 

 Grosbeak visits the blossoming fruit trees, snipping off the petals 

 and the undeveloped fruit. Suspicion has therefore fallen on him, 

 but it is now believed by the best authorities that this "budding" 

 is not severe enough to injure the tree or the crop of fruit. Nor 

 must we forget to throw into the other balance the result of his 

 labors in the potato field. 



When the adult male Grosbeak moults in summer, the rose on 

 the breast becomes duller, and the black on the head and back is 

 almost entirely replaced by brown. Like the Tanager, however, 

 he retains his black wings and tail, and may thus be distinguished 

 from the brown-winged young males. 



