82 PINE GROSBEAK. 



to be the same with the one now before us, though his colour- 

 ing of the female differs materially from his description. 



If this, as Mr Pennant asserts, be the same species with 

 that of the eastern continent, it would seem to inhabit almost 

 the whole extent of the arctic regions. It is found in the 

 north of Scotland, where Pennant suspects it breeds. It in- 

 habits Europe as far north as Drontheim ; is common in all 

 the pine forests of Asia, in Siberia, and the north of Russia ; 

 is taken in autumn about Petersburg, and brought to market 

 in great numbers. It returns to Lapland in spring; is found 

 in Newfoundland, and on the western coast of North America* 



Were I to reason from analogy, I would say, that, from the 

 great resemblance of this bird to the purple finch {Fringilla 

 purpurea), it does not attain its full plumage until the second 

 summer ; and is subject to considerable change of colour in 

 moulting, which may have occasioned all the differences we 

 find concerning it in different authors. But this is actually 

 ascertained to be the case ; for Mr Edwards saw two of these 

 birds alive in London, in cages ; the person in whose custody 

 they were, said they came from Norway ; that they had 

 moulted their feathers, and were not afterwards so beautiful 

 as they were at first. One of them, he says, was coloured very 

 much like the green finch (L. chloris). The purple finch, 

 though much smaller, has the rump, head, back, and breast, 

 nearly of the same colour as the pine grosbeak, feeds in the 

 same manner, on the same food, and is also subject to like 

 changes of colour. 



Since writing the above, I have kept one of these pine gros- 

 beaks, a male, for more than half a year. In the month of 

 August those parts of the plumage which were red became of 

 a greenish yellow, and continue so still. In May and June its 

 song, though not so loud as. some birds of its size, was ex- 

 tremely clear, mellow, and sweet. It would warble out this 

 for a whole morning together, and acquired several of the notes 

 of a red bird {L. cardinalis) , that hung near it. It is ex- 



* Pennant 





