376 
SINGING BIRDS. 
but as the period of incubation approaches they grow silent. 
Suited to the sterile climates they inhabit, their fare, besides 
the seeds of the pine, alpine plants, and berries, often consists 
of the buds of the poplar, willow, and other northern trees and 
shrubs ; so that they are generally secure of the means of sub- 
sistence as long as the snows are not too overwhelming. The 
individuals as yet seen in the United States are wholly young 
birds, which, it seems, naturally seek out warmer climates than 
the adult and more hardy individuals. 
According to Mr. T. McCulloch, of Pictou, Nova Scotia, in 
very severe winters flocks of these birds, driven from the pine 
forests by famine and cold, collect about the barns, and even 
enter the streets of Pictou, alighting in quest of food. male 
bird at this season, caught in a trap, became very familiar, and 
as the spring approached he resumed his song in the mornings, 
and his notes, like those of the Rose-breasted Grosbeak, were 
exceedingly rich and full. As, however, the period for migra- 
tion approached, his familiarity disappeared, and the desire of 
liberty seemed to overcome every other feeling. For four days 
in succession his food remained untouched, and his piteous 
wailing excited so much commiseration that at length he was 
released. The Pine Grosbeak is said to breed in Maine as 
well as in Newfoundland and Labrador. 
The visits of this handsome bird to New England and the more 
southern portions of Canada are decidedly irregular. During an 
occasional winter the flocks are large and numerous, while again 
for several seasons but a few stragglers may appear. 
Dr. Coues thinks that there is no question Ixit that the bird is a 
“resident” in northern New England, breeding in some parts of 
Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont; but I am much inclined 
to question it. Very possibly a few pairs may pass an occasional 
summer in that region, but I can find no evidence of the birds 
having been seen there with sufficient frequency to warrant their 
being termed residents. 
The only known instances of this species having built in the 
vicinity of northern New England must be credited to New 
Brunswick. These are Boardman’s hypothetical nest, found near 
St. Stephen ; the unfinished nest which Banks discovered the 
parents at work upon, near St. John ; and the nest with three 
