Bird lore - Project Puffin

io6 Bird - Lore
ber of bird-lovers who had ample oppor-
tunity to watch them closely from a
curtained window, which looked out on
the apple-tree and feeding-station only a
few feet from the house; so there was no
chance of an error in their identification.
They were first seen on January 5, in the
midst of a driving blizzard, with the
mercury dropping to 25° below zero. The
pair remained in the vicinity of the grainstrewn
feeding-station for about half an
hour, and have been seen a great many
times since, by a large number of people.
—Ethel A. Nott, Reedshurg, Wisconsin,
Evening Grosbeaks at Port Henry, N. Y.
—
On December 17, 1915, I saw a pair of
Evening Grosbeaks.
On January 28, 1916, out over an open
spot of water in Lake Champlain, I saw
three Canada Geese and the men working
near there told me they had been around
there all the morning.
On January 7, 1916, I saw a large flock
of Evening Grosbeaks.
The last two weeks I have seen many
Crows as many as. four in one flock.
Dora B. Harris, Port Henry, N. Y.
The Evening Grosbeak at Glens
Falls, N. Y.
The Bird Club of Glens Falls reports
that on January 25, 19 16, Miss Shields
saw on one of our streets, seven Evening
Grosbeaks, four males and three females.
—C. EvELEEN Hathaway, Secretary,
Glens Falls, N. Y.
Evening Grosbeaks at Saratoga
Springs, N. Y.
It gives me much pleasure to report to
you that on Sunday morning, January 30,
1916, there was a flock of Evening Grosbeaks
feeding in the open woodland across
the street. When first seen, about twenty
of the birds were sitting quietly on the
upper branches of a leafless maple, the
balance feeding on exposed ground
between snowdrifts under the trees.
There were thirty-seven birds in the flock,
of which one-fourth to one-third were
males in the brilliant yellow, white, and
brownish black plumage. They were
talking to each other softly, and the low
beaded call was frequent; but I did not
hear the males whistle as they used to in
Wisconsin.
I called the attention of Miss Adelaide
Denton (the local authority on bird-life)
to the flock, and we watched them for
quite some time, before they rose, took
wing, and wheeling, flew to the north, and
disappeared. Miss Denton had never
seen Evening Grosbeaks in this territory
before, although she tells me Pine Gros-
beaks are fairly common winter visitors.
I have re-opened this letter to add that
part of the flock have returned to this
locality. Twenty-five of the Grosbeaks
now being in the maples across the way.
Perhaps I should add that I am quite
familiar with the Evening Grosbeaks,
having observed them every winter from
1900 to 1908-9 inclusive, feeding in the
box elder trees in Eau Claire, Wisconsin.
— Jacolyn Manning, M. D., Saratoga
Springs, N. Y.
The Evening Grosbeak at Boston
Any record of the Evening Grosbeak on
the Atlantic coast is so very rare that it
may interest the readers of Bird-Lore to
hear of a visit made to us by one on December
16, 1915.
Our bird was found in the Boston Parkway,
close to the city blocks, flying about,
at times rather wildly, at others, feeding
tamely on the ground among the Eng-
lish Sparrows.
By its plumage, of which we give herewith
a brief sketch, we judge it to have
been a female or young bird. Head,
rather dark gray; nape, yellowish green;
back, pale brownish green; wings, black,
interspersed with large areas of white;
tail, black, with broad, white tip; chin and
throat, gray; rest of under-parts pale
yellowish or greenish brown; legs, pink;
bill, whitish, or pale horn-color.
When at rest, the bird gave the effect of