of the
plumage is a rich yellow, tinged with orange at the hind neck. Thus
the colour and markings are almost identical with those of the
black-headed oriole, the chief difference being that the latter has
a little yellow in the wing. So great is the resemblance that the
casual observer will, in nine cases out of ten, mistake the grosbeak
for an oriole. The resemblance extends to size and shape, as the
following table shows:

Length Length Length Length Length
of Bird. of Tail. of Wing. of Tarsus. of Beak.
Grosbeak . . 9.0 in. 3.7 in. 5.2 in. 1.0 in. 1.0 in.
Oriole . . . 9.5 " 3.4 " 5.4 " 1.0 " 1.3 "

The hen grosbeak differs considerably in colour and marking both from
the cock of her species and from the hen black-headed oriole. She
is a dull ashy-grey bird, tinged faintly with yellowish red on the
back and abdomen. Her wings and tail are black. The only young grosbeak
that I have seen resembled the female in appearance, except that it
had a yellow rump. It was being fed by a cock bird.

Grosbeaks live in forests, and go about either in couples or in small
companies. They seem to feed largely on the ground, picking up insects.
The beak of the finch tribe is adapted to a diet of seeds; nevertheless,
many finches vary this food with insects. I saw a grosbeak seize,
shake, and devour a caterpillar about two inches in length. Grosbeaks
also eat berries and stone fruit. When disturbed they at once betake
themselves to a tree, among the branches of which they are able to
make their way with great agility. Grosbeaks are restless birds,
always on the move, here to-day and gone to-morrow. The cock emits
a call at frequent intervals. This is not easy to describe. It sounds
something like _kiu kree_.

The nest is a cup-shaped structure, composed exteriorly of twigs,
grass, and moss, and lined with stalks of maiden-hair fern and fine
roots. It is usually placed high up in a fir tree. Colonel Rattray
believes that the birds bring up two broods in the year. They lay
first in May, and, as soon as the young are able to shift for themselves,
a second nest is made. Thus in July both young birds at large and
nests with eggs are likely to be seen. The eggs are not unlike those
of the English hawfinch; the ground colour is pale greenish grey,
blotched and spotted with blackish brown. Sometimes the markings
occur chiefly at the broad end of the egg