CALIFORNIA PINE GROSBEAK. Pinicola enucleator californica Price

Field characters.—Size large for a sparrow, only slightly less than that of Robin; tail long appearing. Plumage in general, including wings and tail, dark gray, without any white markings. Males have head, breast, and rump pinkish red; females and immature birds have top of head and rump dull yellow. Voice: Call note, a loud clear woit-leek, repeated.

Occurrence.—Sparse resident in Hudsonian Zone on west slope of Sierra Nevada. Observed on ridge at 9000 feet four miles southwest of Dark Hole, July 2, 1915, and in Ten Lakes basin, October 8 and 11, 1915. Frequents coniferous trees of its zone.

The two large grosbeaks of the higher part of the Sierra Nevada are by no means as abundant as the Black-headed Grosbeak is at the lower levels, and the California Pine Grosbeak is decidedly the rarer of the two mountain species. According to the authors' knowledge the present species does not, in the Yosemite region, occur below the Hudsonian Zone even in midwinter.

Being a bird of predominantly gray coloration and medium size, the California Pine Grosbeak is not likely to be confused with any other species in the region, save perhaps the Townsend Solitaire. The pine grosbeak is of somewhat stouter build than the solitaire, has no light markings under the wings or on the tail, and possesses a stout conical bill. The male of course may be known by the great amount of red on its head, breast, and rump.

The call notes of the pine grosbeak, as written in the field by two of our party, sound like woit-leek, woit-leek, and klink, kerink. They recall the simpler notes of the linnet or purple finch, but are louder and clearer. They also remind one of the sound produced by clinking a metal spoon in a tin cup. In addition to these notes, there is said to be a pleasing song; but this we did not hear. During the whole season of field work in 1915, we encountered the pine grosbeak at but two places. A single adult male was found on July 2 in an alpine hemlock on a hill four miles southwest of Dark Hole. This locality proved to be the westernmost 'island' of the Hudsonian Zone in the Yosemite region. The species was not met with again until early on the morning of October 8, when an adult male in red plumage and at least four yellow-crowned young were observed in some alpine hemlocks at Ten Lakes. They were all evidently feeding on the foliage and seeds, for they were clinging to the outermost swinging branchlets where the needle buds are tenderest, and sometimes would reach down almost directly beneath their perches to get some desired bit of food. On October 11 two other birds in the gray and yellow plumage were seen in the same vicinity. When perched on the outer twigs of a pine tree they held their tails up at a distinct angle with the body after the manner of a White-crowned Sparrow, and decidedly unlike the posture ordinarily assumed by grosbeaks. One bird which was collected at Ten Lakes held in its gizzard needle buds of some coniferous tree and the remains of a single insect.