The flight of this bird is undulating and smooth, performed in a direct line when it is migrating, at a considerable height above the forests, and in groups of from five to ten individuals. They alight frequently during the day, on such trees as are opening their buds or blossoms. At such times they are extremely gentle, and easily approached, are extremely fond of bathing, and whether on the ground or on branches, move by short leaps. I have been much surprised to see, on my having fired, those that were untouched, fly directly towards me, until within a few feet, and then slide off and alight on the lower branches of the nearest tree, where, standing as erect as little Hawks, they gazed upon me as if I were an object quite new, and of whose nature they were ignorant. They are easily caught under snow-shoes put up with a figure of four, around the wood-cutters camps, in the State of Maine, and are said to afford good eating. Their food consists of the buds and seeds of almost all sorts of trees. Occasionally also they seize a passing insect. I once knew one of these sweet songsters, which, in the evening, as soon as the lamp was lighted in the room where its cage was hung, would instantly tune its voice anew.
My kind friend Thomas M’Culloch of Pictou in Nova Scotia, has sent me the following notice, which I trust will prove as interesting to you as it has been to me. “Last winter the snow was exceedingly deep, and the storms so frequent and violent that many birds must have perished in consequence of the scarcity of food. The Pine Grosbeaks being driven from the woods, collected about the barns in great numbers, and even in the streets of Pictou they frequently alighted in search of food. A pair of these birds which had been recently taken were brought me by a friend, but they were in such a poor emaciated condition, that I almost despaired of being able to preserve them alive. Being anxious, however, to note for you the changes of their plumage, I determined to make the attempt; but notwithstanding all my care, they died a few days after they came into my possession. Shortly after, I received a male in splendid plumage, but so emaciated that he seemed little else than a mass of feathers. By more cautious feeding, however, he soon regained his flesh, and became so tame as to eat from my hand without the least appearance of fear. To reconcile him gradually to confinement, he was permitted to fly about my bedroom, and upon rising in the morning, the first thing I did was to give him a small quantity of seed. But three mornings in succession I happened to lie rather later than usual, and each morning I was aroused by the bird fluttering upon my shoulder, and calling for his usual allowance. The third morning, I allowed him to flutter about me some time before shewing any symptom of being awake, but he no sooner observed that his object was effected than he retired to the window and waited patiently until I arose. As the spring approached, he used to whistle occasionally in the morning, and his notes, like those of his relative the Rose-breasted Grosbeak, were exceedingly rich and full. About the time, however, when the species began to remove to the north, his former familiarity entirely disappeared. During the day he never rested a moment, but continued to run from one side of the window to the other, seeking a way of escape, and frequently during the night, when the moonlight would fall upon the window, I was awakened by him dashing against the glass. The desire of liberty seemed at last to absorb every other feeling, and during four days I could not detect the least diminution in the quantity of his food, while at the same time he filled the house with a piteous wailing cry, which no person could hear without feeling for the poor captive. Unable to resist his appeals, I gave him his release; but when this was attained he seemed very careless of availing himself of it. Having perched upon the top of a tree in front of the house, he arranged his feathers, and looked about him for a short time. He then alighted by the door, and I was at last obliged to drive him away, lest some accident should befall him.
“These birds are subject to a curious disease, which I have never seen in any other. Irregularly shaped whitish masses are formed upon the legs and feet. To the eye these lumps appear not unlike pieces of lime; but when broken, the interior presents a congeries of minute cells, as regularly and beautifully formed as those of a honey-comb. Sometimes, though rarely, I have seen the whole of the legs and feet covered with this substance, and when the crust was broken, the bone was bare, and the sinews seemed almost altogether to have lost the power of moving the feet. An acquaintance of mine kept one of these birds during the summer months. It became quite tame, but at last it lost the power of its legs and died. By this person I was informed that his Grosbeak usually sang during a thunder-storm, or when rain was falling on the house.”
While in the State of Maine, I observed that these birds, when travelling, fly in silence, and at a considerable height above the trees. They alight on the topmost branches, so that it is difficult to obtain them, unless one has a remarkably good gun. But, on waiting a few minutes, you see the flock, usually composed of seven or eight individuals, descend from branch to branch, and betake themselves to the ground, where they pick up gravel, hop towards the nearest pool or streamlet, and bathe by dipping their heads and scattering the water over them, until they are quite wet; after which they fly to the branches of low bushes, shake themselves with so much vigour as to produce a smart rustling sound, and arrange their plumage. They then search for food among the boughs of the taller trees.
Loxia Enucleator, Linn. Syst. Nat. vol. i. p. 299.—Lath. Ind. Ornith. vol. i. p. 372.
Pine Grosbeak, Loxia Enucleator, Wils. Amer. Ornith. vol. i. p. 80, pl. 5, fig. 2.
Pyrrhula Enucleator, Ch. Bonaparte, Synopsis of Birds of United States, p. 119.
Pyrrhula (Corythus) Enucleator, Richards. and Swains. Fauna Bor.-Amer. vol. ii. p. 262.
Pine Grosbeak or Bullfinch, Nuttall, Manual, vol. i. p. 535.
Adult Male. Plate CCCLVIII. Fig. 1.