'> - Brief Notea. 
The Pine Grosbeaks have been very num- 
erous at Andover this winter. Every time 
that I go out I meet with one or more flocks 
of from 5 to 20 feeding in the ash, pine and 
apple trees. The seeds of the ash are their 
principal food, but they also feed on the 
apples that remain frozen on the trees. 
Nov ember 30 I first saw them, but there' 
had been one or two others shot a few days! 
before. 
I have shot 13 specimens, 4 of which were! 
I males and only one in the red plumage.' 
There had been 8 or 10 others in the red! 
plumage shot here. I hope that other col- 
! lectors are having as good success. 
_ _ _ _ E. Woodruff. 
0.& O. Val«-18, Mar. 1893 p.47 
Brief Notes. 
A word or two more about Pine Grosbeaks. 
As they are strangers here, this winter they 
created quite an amount of notice. Every 
day or two some one would ask the question, 
What new birds are these around here ? On 
February 5 th, when I arrived home from 
church, my x 2-year-old girl ran to meet me 
saying, “ O, papa, I have caught one of those 
Pine Grosbeaks ; he was so tame I put my 
hand right on him while he was eating horse- 
brier berries.” I have kept him (I say himj 
for I think it is a male, as he sings very 
sweetly, although it has not the red plumage) 
in a cage since that time. Once a week I 
bring in a small pine tree and let “ Dick 
out for a nice time, which he seems to enjoy 
very much. He is very tame ; will alight on 
our heads and makes himself very much at 
j home in general. He feeds freely on oats,. 
I pine buds, sand, apple and other seeds, and 
has a very nice time bathing in a saucer of Id 
water. B 
(0. X ‘o . 
0.& Q.V0I.I8, July. 1893 P.107 
The Pine Grosbeak in Confinement.— I have a male 
Pine Grosbeak ( Pinicola enucleator) in confinement, which 
was captured in the winter of ’82. He stood the hot weather 
in summer well and is now in fine condition, being fat and 
in full plumage. When caught he was of an ashy brown 
color, except back of head and rump were tinged with 
yellow. In the fall of ’83 he came out in a coat of bright 
yellow wings, and tail nearly black, wing bars white. I 
suppose he would have been red in place of the yellow if he 
had been at liberty. Last month (January) I captured three 
more, one male and two females, by slipping over their 
heads a slip noose made of horse hair and attached to a 
slender pole. So I have now two pair and am in hopes of 
getting a clutch or two of eggs this spring. I feed them on 
corn meal mixed with sweet milk, also apple seeds and 
beech nuts. They are especially fond of the buds of the 
pine and spruce and the seeds that they get from the cones. 
They are quite good singers, and both male and female sing. 
The former louder and more musical than the latter. 
Their song is generally a low warble audible but at a short 
distance, though they sometimes sing a louder note which 
somewhat resembles that of the Bose-breasted, ( Zamelodici 
ludoviciana). In answer to P. S. U. would say the red males 
are quite common here in winter. 
I am uncertain about the whistling sound made while fly- 
ing, but think it is not made by the wings.- —G. F., Union , 
Maine. O.SsO. IX. Apt. 1884. p. hi. 
The Pine Grosbeak. 
(. Pinicola Canadensis.) 
wintry but very blaasant roads and Country 
paths lately, the Listener has been introduced 
to the company of some very pleasing and beau- ) n J an . 13 th, I first saw a large flock of 
tiful strangers whom he has found inhabiting ° 
the waysides and tiiickets. They are birds, se northern birds, and. for the following’ 
quite naturally; sintSs very few other people i, mi ;n 
live out of doors at tte season; and they are v 1 1 
Mr ’ 
were quite common. They 
bftfiutv^id very tame, and I obtained as many 
©ranseB {{iAi ©h qooqpg J 
ds of sueh 
looitfS %*»* J»»W'M 09 X nio^ cnwflnens os T wnn+fwl 
-umpai ©qj jo juopisojg jo juemjaioadB ©t l specimens us x Wcmueci. 
I saw sev- 
Is 
POA10OM snq • 9 ,m!isui omqoeUjoj w,S 30 io Aaclult ma l es j n f u H red plumage. 
12 1 }0 evsro -Aroma vj pera rossajarj x n 
•amqarocn jo •8opi9A common hi winter ? I observed that 
poX/I Iqf o, q were always engaged in picking the 
-ui ‘ijaiuoA© A«piuj«g ‘koabh m©j s f r0 m the cones of the Larch-trees, 
ui 3odep ©qj %v pejsoiiB e vm. *9201103 sansinijj , . 7 
uijjuopnjs v ‘oaij-aiuoalj pajsu ‘^ooi[tig [JB3 a few were generally hopping’ about on 
^•sairairj jroq^round. 
puu srajojeg,, uodn 9X qoiBjfl AJBuuheg' tic.-, , , ,, , . 
<mujo©i ox si •£* jdssejojg though always quite tame, these birds 
spooqosipj ©jnjnj ©qj ui pogno ©q oj si ©siioiar to be especially so in a snow storm. 
pO0AU,0- a 8U UAroun u 99 q S *q VvjlM. geem )otallv unacquainte d with the 
‘5iro A Ai9Km Ptaq oq o, si iqj mi»a vqd,-, f m i S sile- as if a stone is 
jo j© 4 deqo jsisquiv ©qj jo s©jBnpB.i5?j9pu L Ui 6111 J ’ clb ’ 11 ^ bLUliC 
©q^ puts iurani-8 ©qj jo ibuuub ©qx wn they never fly until it strikes some- 
• 08 TX *9 ‘Aupsjnqx n m 1 xi i u , 
-©1 hia pu* *uoou jb Aispsenx p©so[o ©s&ijoqd them, lo wards the latter part 
•osoiioo jsaoqrav ae month, if disturbed while feeding, 
isumoqx *H ‘ucioijsijisjs ; puomqmg^ 'y q would leave the immediate vicinity, 
-sro 1 : ^umrupv qrq 8 s ! jsm ^pr Aim iSinA* 1611 tlle y arrived they were not 
-r«ta ™o[io} 0 ^ p9,o»i9 'uiaq ?b baeV driven away from their feeding 
ABp S8B[o UO S6- !IU 9 S 9 Jd 9 J OJ ©J.B OUAl U 91 U ©OT -r-r 71 , n n i 
•»9nituuiooi0uiup nds. Whenever they fly, they make 
paaniodd-E ©jqm i«qtu©©j0 pub ueq.iej ‘(iiAkpit?:- -v-vr-i t tv 
'sjssapst •uuaj ixou jo 2uiuai2aq ©qj jb pjeistling’ sound like a Wild Love, 
©q S6« jo ssb(o ©tjj jo ieauip jenauv ©qj. 
•uoii'dows Suiqov.ojdd'B ©qj uo*©ju'> 09 ! 
-III pu-e ©AiqbniJSUl UB p 9 J 9 Al[ 8 p 5 110 
-IS 9 J j ABpsjhqx *uu 9 j qsxLj ©qa jo pu© si 
xv sesunoo Jieqj ©sooqo ox aouiqsejj ©qi ssjiu 
- 9 J qoiqAi ©fnj M 9 a u ©pum ©Auq Aunouj ©qx 
T®^°H SjSjuuo^ xv J 9 uuip lacuhj 
eqj xv ©DUBjBOddB jsjg sji ©p«cu qn[0 eo\S ©qx 
•aovjdo ouijBi 
©qj ijqSi© puB ‘©Aijocaoooi ©qj a©j ‘uoijd 
IHta ©qj ©qisj qiM. U9©aq2ig :saaoi[oj sb ‘pepiAi 
-qns U 9 ©q ©A«q siBOiuBqoeca joiaas ©qx 
•A2oioaqo©x J° ©injjjsai 
Do 
*3931103 ONV 100 HDS 
•p©msi 
A||UJ 8 BAV juq ‘QSO[ SBA\ JBOD JO SUOJ pOjpUUq 0 A 
qnoqy *aj 9 JBS mi ugabjj m©^ oj S 9 isi«q ©soof x 
©qj y,ooi puB ©nosaj ©qj oj juom jeqanqx * 
•g puB s©aj qDu©p0jg sSnj ©qx ‘inojjoq ©i 
oj JU9M {boo jb suoj pejpunq ©Aq pus sesae 
OA\J PUB J 9 JBA\ 3 {B 9 .iq 91 {J JO JS 9 A 1 9 {tUl B JUOq 
they make this with their wings ? They 
P were very fat and most of the specimens 
q shot were in various stages of moulting. 
I saw these birds last winter also, but 
0 hi comparatively small numbers, nor were 
{gj there any red males among them. Have 
S you heard of them in any other part of 
Co the country as far south ? 
4) I send you these few facts as I find very 
•O little in ornithological works in reference 
2 to these birds — E. S. IV., Southboro , 
» Worcester Co., Mass. 
nyiiAi dn 9 S(om ‘Aireamoo uoiih-iocsueix pm Pine Grosbeak annears to have 
-3ua m©£[ ©aiauig ©qj oa 2uiSuo{9q sjBoq-Au. r 
?qiii9 JO 9ai[ D sabs qojDdsep u«a«h V uncommonly plentiful throughout 
sabp nei bjb pm: ‘,ioa ,eq, njej Aati, eoms* uodngland this season, probably owing 
uoaq ^ou ©ABq 810SS9A ©qj *u9AB^j ui ss . 
-jBd joj S9O2JB0 jequmi 'qjiAi “bo ‘qouAsuna) severe winter which has been ex- 
UlOJJ 9 - 09 CI uo p 9 [!Bs* qoiqAA ‘-ysBj ^ ‘paojp© - ... . . 
A\©^ jo qjuug uiBijn^ ©qj poB uoabh ced m the northern sections. Our 
jo S9AJ souiup sjsnooqqs ©qj jo Ajojbs ©qj jc , „ ~ . 7 
Q9A15H iieij jb peuiBu©ju9 ©jb vjvQj ©abj^) pondent (6 has. V. Ivicharcis , JSor- 
auq ‘uub|b ©qj ©abs pub jBpsinq ©qj 'p\i9AOo*\C'Onn.,') reports seeing them in large 
‘fctlBH) BJUBC JOJ JBarqOJBAi WMBAiB SBAI OqAI ‘A» t ^ ‘ J 
-jut *u\ j° uospuBja ©ijjii v ’jepSjnq p©3{8Bt and we have received numerous 
v Aq jsniujom ABpung ’Ajjb© pajQjue sb., 
pisgjiBg jo Aoujnx jaoqiv jo ©ouapisaj ©qx 
■pjOJJJBJJ A\0{©q UOlJBJblABtt OJ J0AIJJ JU^po 
-jd©uqo 3 ©qj p©s»O[0 SBq dBU8 p’{00 aoppus ©qx ' k 
‘i to the same effect from other 
In severe winters they are occa- 
•peitiy found even as far south as Penn- 
-iitnu podBOS© PUB ©{jaejj ©qj mojj pQduiu- , -i renort of their 
•jeqq©^ Buirajq qjis pJiqj y ‘^oojg pisojj lcl ’ nave no report 01 men 
ssojob ©IJ 8 ©JJ eqj uo poiiedduq juepioou oi\ Lf i fherp far this season 
•uibjj b Aq qonajs JSuiaq Aq ‘ABpjejsaA ‘qoojp tiitJit; bu lai tiiit? oeaouij. 
p« 0 j a PBjnfni ^(p«.q -noiauduioo v ‘pnoc, , ,,, ,, • j f 0110 ticp 
-ir. a t!n 9 1 pn« ‘P»I[I 5 [ Annsasai SHA 1 ‘p[o sj «9 ' 0 * en a nttiG suipusea to nonce 
— —■ * eifffiTiiany of our Collectors seem to have 
! failed to identify these birds. For the in- 
formation of any who may yet have to make 
their acquaintance, we subjoin brief des- 
: scriptions of specimens taken this month 
(February) within a hundred yards of our 
office. 
Male. Length about 8-£ inches, rather 
thickset. Upper mandible extending over 
! the lower one and slightly hooked. General 
color carmine-red, brightest on head and 
base of tail. Wings a brownish-drab with 
two white bands. Lower edges of qxxills 
white. Iris hazel. Very similar in appear- 
ance to the Purple Finch ( Carpodacus 
purpureus.) In its summer plumage the 
bird is probably far brighter. Female. 
Same size as the male. Color Ashy-brown, 
or Drab. Back of head and base of tail 
tinted with a yellowish-brown. — F. B. W. 
O.&O. IX. Mar. 1884. p, 33 
