pee At UL D.UsBbtOUN BULL Bie N 13 
made. The Utah and California birds differ from the Arizona birds and 
they from the Texas birds. Western birds are paler colored than eastern 
blue grosbeaks. 
The thought of pine grosbeaks brings with it the suggestion of the cold 
pure air of northern woods and the scent of evergreen trees. They are 
largely denizens of the coniferous forests of the North and of the mountains 
of the West. In the winter they wander south to temperate latitudes, but 
they are practically unknown in the Chicago territory. Wherever they go, 
they are to be found in groves of pine and spruces, wild or cultivated. 
Dwelling usually far from the haunts of men, they have retained a tame 
and unsuspicious nature. 
The pine grosbeak is the largest of the northern finches, being near. the 
size of a robin. The adult males, with the exception of wings and tails, 
are largely a handsome rose-red. Two or more years are required to bring 
the adult males to the rosy-red plumage, and it is the opinion of ornitholo- 
gists that some of the birds never acquire this striking beauty. The 
females are, wings and tails excepted, gray birds with their crowns and 
rumps yellow. 
The song of this bird has a ventriloqual quality. As bird music goes, 
it is very fine, full of warbles and trills, and often given with many tender 
notes. Sometimes the males sing in winter even when the thermometer 
falls below zero. Thoreau refers to their song and to their “dazzling 
beauty” and terms them “angels from the north.” 
Truly there is an especial charm about these hardy birds from northern 
wilds which pay no heed to the cold. During the winter they bathe in 
soft snow, standing in it, either on the ground or on the limbs of coniferous 
trees, fluttering their wings and throwing the snow-spray over their 
plumage as if it were water. 
The economic status of the pine grosbeak is neutral, as it feeds largely 
upon buds from pine, spruce, and tamarack trees, the berries of the Virginia 
juniper and the mountain ash, and the seeds of maples. It does no particu- 
lar harm and dces no particular good, unless possibly in the distribution 
of the seeds of some valuable trees. Surely it is a point in its favor that 
it adds to the beauty and glory of the world. 
The perky Arizona pyrrhuloxia, that gray bird with flaming crest, 
front, and tail, has been called the gray cardinal. He lives in the desert 
reaches of the Southwest. His range is confined to the hot upland areas of 
the northern plateau of Mexico, and the adjacent parts of Arizona, New 
Mexico, and Texas. The eastern variety is known as the Texas pyrrhuloxia. 
Although this bird has many of the traits of the wide-ranging cardinal, 
it has also conspicuous differences. Its song is a clear, cheerful whistling 
and it lacks the cue note of the cardinal. 
The red crest is the most characteristic feature of this parrot-billed 
bird. Every change of mood is not only shown but also exaggerated by 
the quick up and down motions of the crest feathers. These changes occur 
many times within an hour. 
