368 
SINGING BIRDS. 
the borders of Athabasca Lake; to the east of these limits 
these birds appear to be only transient visitors in spring and 
fall. They are common inhabitants of the fur countries, and 
particularly of the maple woods of the Saskatchewan, where 
they do not arrive from the South before the commencement 
of the month of June. In the pine woods of Oregon (accord- 
ing to Mr. Townsend) numerous flocks are seen about the mid- 
dle of May, and at this time they are very tame and unsuspicious, 
moving about in considerable numbers throughout the whole 
of the day, and seem no way given to retiring before sunset. 
Their ordinary note while feeding consists of a single rather 
screaming call. At other times, particularly about mid-day, the 
male from the branches of some tall pine-tree utters a single 
warbling note much like the internipted beginning of the 
Robin’s song, but not so sweet. They feed upon the seeds 
of the pine and other trees, alighting upon the large limbs, 
and proceed by a series of hops to the very extremities of 
the branches. They also occasionally devour the larvse of ants, 
and probably other kinds of insects. 
The Evening Grosbeak occurs regularly in winter in Wisconsin, 
Illinois, Iowa, and Michigan, and occasionally in Ohio and Ontario. 
During the latter part of the winter of 1889^90 numbers were 
seen eastward to Montreal and the New England States. 
Its nesting habits are almost unknown. 
