70 
Capt. Blakiston on the Birds of the 
having only stopped for the purpose of making a meal on their 
favourite food. Again, on the 24th of the same month, I found 
another travelling party, one-third of which only were females. 
This singularity I had moreover invariably noticed during the 
winter, that while of the Pine Grosbeaks those in the female 
plumage predominated, among the Evening Grosbeaks there 
were always as many, and usually more, in the brilliant dress 
of the males. Are the young birds longer in coming to 
maturity in the one species than in the other ? Although I did 
not observe the Pine Grosbeak as late in the spring as the other, 
yet in autumn I saw it more than two weeks earlier, namely, on 
the 28th of October. The Evening Grosbeak is considered to 
be a western bird, and seems common on the Columbia River 
flowing into the Pacific. It has a very sharp and clear note in 
winter, is an active bird, and will stand a good charge of shot. 
The males and females, of which I examined a good number, 
differed but little in size, being from 7f to 8 in. in length, and 
the closed wing from 4§ to 4|. In winter the bill is of a light 
dull greenish yellow; eye dark hazel; feet flesh, and claws brown. 
Descriptions of both male and female appeared in the ‘ Zoologist' 
for 1859 (p. 6325), which I took from good specimens; and I 
have a couple of very well marked ones still in my possession. 
The figure in the 1 Fauna Bor.-Am.' is good. 
57. PlNICOLA CANADENSIS. 
This species extends from Mackenzie River to Hudson's Bay 
(see preceding, No. 56; also ‘ Ibis, 5 vol. iv. p. 6, and Mr. Ross's 
list). Sir John Richardson mentions an instance of its winter¬ 
ing at York Factory, on Hudson's Bay. 
58. Carpodacus purpureus. (See f Ibis,' vol. iv. p. 6.) 
The stomach of one of the Purple Finches which I shot in the 
spring contained the centres of young aspen-leaves. It is also 
given in the f Fauna Bor.-Am.,' from the Saskatchawan. 
Chrysomitris tristis. 
This American Goldfinch is mentioned in the f Fauna Bor.- 
Am.' as passing three months of the summer in the fur-countries; 
an individual is said to have been killed, but the locality is 
not^stated. I may remark that the “ fur-countries " is rather 
an indefinite region; however, I have little doubt that the bird 
