NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS.

LAND BIRDS.

VOL. I.

HISTORY

OF

NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS

BY

S. F. BAIRD, T. M. BREWER, and R. RIDGWAY

LAND BIRDS

ILLUSTRATED BY 64 PLATES AND 593 WOODCUTS

VOLUME I.

;^-.;.^-/.^.

■ /

BOSTON
LITTLE, BROWN, AND COMPANY

1874

REFERENCR

FRC V I « ^* C . M L L-i tiR AH Y
VICTORIA, B, C,

REFERENCE

Entere.1 acconling to Act of Con-ress, in the year 1>74,
BY LITTLE, BRoWN, AND COMPANY
i" the Office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington.

PRE FACE.

TiiK pre^jent work is designeil to meet tlie want, which has \o\\*^ ])een felt,
of a descriptive account of the lUrd.s of North America, with notices of tlieir
geograpliical distribution, liabits, methods of nesting, cliaracter of eggs, their
popuhir nomenclature, and other ])oints connected witli their life history.

For many years past the only systematic treatises l)earing upon this sub-
ject have been "The American Ornithology" of Alexander Wilson, tinislied
bv that autlior in 1814, and brought down to the date of 1827 by CJeorire
Ord ; the "Ornithological Biography" of Audubon, bearing date of 18;>8, with
a second edition, " liirds of America," embmcing a little more of detail, and
comi»leted in 1844; and "A Manual of the Ornithology of the United States
and Canada," by Xuttall, of which a first edition was published in 181)2 and
a second in 1840. Since then no work relating to American Ornitludogy, of
a biographical nature, has been presented to the public, with the exception
of some of limited extent, such as those of Oiraud, on the "Birds of Long
Island," in 1844; De Kay's "Birds of Xew York," 1844; Samuels's "Orni-
thology and Oology of Xew England," 1868, and a few others ; together with
(|uite a nundier of minor papers on the birds of particular localities, of
greater or less moment, chiefly published in periodicals and the Proceedings
of Societies. The reports of many of the government exploring ])arties also
contain valuable data, especially those of Dr. Xewl terry. Dr. Heermanu,
Dr. J. O. Oooper, Dr. Suckley, Dr. Kennerly, and others.

More recently (in 1870) Professor Whitney, Chief of the (Jeological Survey
of California, lias pul)lished a very important volume on the ornithology of
the entire west coast of Xorth America, written by Dr. J. G. Cooper, and
containing nmch original detail in reference to the habits of the western spe-
cies. This is In' far the most valuable contribution to the biograjjhy of
American birds that has ap]K^ared since the time of Audubon, and, with its
typogi'aphical beauty and numerous and excellent illustrations, all on wood
and many of them colored, constitutes one of the most noteworthy publica-
tions in American Zoidogy.

Up to the time of the appearance of the work of Audubon, nearly all that
was known of the sreat re^jion of the United States west of tlie Missouri
liiver was the result of the journey of Lev.is and Clark up liie Missouri and

40292

yj PREFACE.

across to tin* Pacitie- Coast, fiinl that t>t' John Iv. Townsend and Mr. Xuttall,
l»oth of wlioiii made suim* cMllc'ctiniis and l»r(m,u;lit luick iiuticL's of the t'dun-
trv, which, how c' or, lliev were uuahle to exjdore to any ^reat extent. The
entire region of Texas, New Mexico, Cohaado, Arizona, Nevada, and Cali-
fornia was unvisited, as also a ^reat portion of territory north of the United
States boundary, including liritish ('(dunibia and Alaska.

A work hv SirJolm Richardson, forming a volume in his series of " Fauna
lioreali-Aniericana, ' in reference to the ornitludogy of the region covered by
the Ihulson liay Company's operations, was published in 1831, and has
been much used by Mr. Audubon, l»ut embraces little or nothing of the great
Ijreeding-urounds of the water birds in the neighborhood of the Great Slave
and P>ear hikes, the Upi)er Yukon, and the shores of the Arctic coast.

It will thus be seen that a third of a century has elapsed since any at-
tempt has been made to present a systematic history of the birds of North
America.

The object of the i)resent work is to give, in as concise a form as possible,
an account of what is known of the birds, not onlv of the United States, but
of the whole region of North America north of the boiindary-liiie of Mexico,
including (Jreenland, on the one side, and Alaska with its islands on the
other. The published materials for such a history are so copious that it is a
matter of surjaise that they have not been sooner utilized, consisting, as they
do, of numer«»us scattered biographies and reports of many government expe-
ditions and i)rivate exi»lorations. Hut the most productive source has been
the great amount of manuscript contained in the archives of the Smithsonian
Institution in tlie form of correspondence, elaborate reports, and the field-
notes of collectors and travellers, the use of which, for the present work, has
been liberally allowed by Professo" Henry. P>y far the most important of
these consist of notes made by the late Ifobert Kennicott in British America,
and received from him and other gentlemen in the Hudson Bay Territory,
Avho were brought into intimate relationship with the Smithsonian Institu-
tion through Mr. Kennicott's efforts. Among them may be mentioned more
es])ecially ^Ir. K. ^lacFarlane, Mr. B. li. Boss, Mr. James Lockhart, Mr.
Liwrence Clark, ^Ir. Strachan Jones, and others, whose names Avill appear
in the course of the work. The especial value of the communications re-
ceived from these gentlemen lies in the fact that they resided for a long
time in a region to which a large proportion of the mpaciiMis and water birds
of North America resort during the summer for incubation, and wdiicli imtil
recently has been sealed to explorers.

Etpially serviceable has been the information received from the region of
the Yukon Biver and Alaska generaBy, including the Aleutian Islands, as
supplied by ^lessrs. Bobert Kenn.cott, \Villiam H. DaB, Henry M. Bannister,
Hemy AV. Elliott, and others.

It should be understood that the remarks as to the absence of general works
on American Ornithology, since the time of Audubon, ai)ply only to the life

I'KHKACK. yJJ

Iiistorv (if the species, as, in 18r)S, one nf tlie iiutliois of tlie ])reseiit work
juililisht'il ;i sysli'inatic iiceuunt <>f tlie liinls of Nnitli Anieriea, loiirstituliiiLj
N'ol. IX. (»f tlie series ot Tacitie iJailruad la'jtorts ; while lioui the pen nt
Dr. Kllintt ( 'ones, a \vell-ku<>\vii ainl eminent ornitliolou;i.st, ajtjieared in ISTl'
u comprehensive volume, t-ntitled '• A Key to North Amerieaii lUrds,' con-
taining descriptions ot the species and higher group.s.

The leehniciil, or descriptive, matter of the present work has been i)repared
1»V Messrs. JJaird autl lliduwav, that relatinLt to the Ji(n>(ons entirely hv Mr.
Jfitlgway ; and all the accounts of the habits of the species are from the pen
of I)r. JJrewer. In acMition to the matter su})plied by these gentlemen, IMo-
fessor Theodore X. (iill has furnished that portion of the Introduction de-
lining the class of binls as CA.mi)ared with the other vertebrates ; while to Dr.
Cones is to be given the entire credit for the pages embracing the tables of
the Orders and Faniilie.s, as well as for the (Jlossary beginning on page r>;»o
of Vol. TIT.

Nearly all the drawings of the full-length figures of birds eontaint'd in the
^vork were made directly on the wood, by Mr. Edwin L. Shej)pard, of Phila-
deli»hia, from original sketches taken from nature; while the heads were exe-
cuted for the most jiart by Mr. Henry W. Elliott and Mr. IJidgway. IJoth
series have been ennraved l)y Mr. Hobart II. Xichols of Washinuton. The
generic outlines were drawn by Anton L. Scliiuiborn, and engraved by the
])eculiar process of Jewett, ("handler, & Co., of lUifi'alo. All of these, it is
believed, si)eak for themselves, and recpiire no other connnendation.

A considerable portion of the illustrations ^vere prepared, by the persons
mentioned above, for the IJeports of the Cleological Survey of California, and
published in the volume on Ornithology. To Professor Whitney, Chief
of the Survey, acknowledgments are due for the in'ivilege of includiu'^ many
of them in the juvsent History t»f X^orth American Birds, and also for the
Exjjlanation of Terms, ])age ."iUO of Vol. III.

A few cuts, drawn l)y Wolf and engraved by Whymper, first publislied
in " Tiriti.sh r>irds in their Haunts,' and credited in their i>roper places,
were kindly furnished by the London Society for the Ditlusion of Chris-
tian Knowledge ; and some others prepared for an unpublished volume by
Dr. Blasius, on the liirds of Germany, were obtained froiu Messrs. Vieweg
and Son, of Rraun.schweig.

Th(^ volume on the Water Birds is in an advanced state of preparation,
and will be published with the least possible delay.

SPENCER F. BAIRD.

Smitiksoxiax Institutiox, Washixc.ton,
January 8, 1874.

G O X T E X T S .

Imi:i'Ii? rrioN-

FiiiJiily Tri:i.ii..K. TIi.' TIinisl„.s

Sultfaiuily Tri:i>iN.K . . .
Sulifainily Mi mink . . .

Family < IN. LI ii.K. Tin- DipiMTs
Fui'iily Saxic..i.ii,.k. TIk- Saxuohis .
Fan.ily Syia iil.k. Tli.- Sylvius
Sul>raiiiily Syi.\ iiN.K .
Subfaiiiiiy l»i;(;ri.iN.K
Suhraiiiily Pnl.Inl'iii.iN.K .
Family (iiAM.KAD.E. Tlu' Cround-Tits .
Family rAi:ii..K. Tlu' Titmice .
Sill. family rAiiiN.K
Sul>lamily Sit IIN.K . . .
Family Te urn I Ai».E. Tin- t*r»'.|.tis .
Family Tiuxii.udytid.k. Tlu' Wifiis .
Family M(»ta<im.ii».k. The Wai^tails
Sultlamily .Motacillix.k
Subfamily Anthin.e
Family SYLVKni.in.K. The War])lei.s .
Sulifamily SYl.vicdi.iN.K
Subfamily CK'trni.Yrix.K .
Subfamily IcTKltlAX.E . .

Subfamily SLntrilAGlN.E .
Family HiurxDiNiDE. The S\v;ill.)\vs .
Family Viueonid.e. The Vireos .
Family Am i'i:i,n».E. The Chatteiei-s
Subfamily Am I'KLiN.K

Subftimily Ptilogonatin.f,
VOL. r. b

Page
y

xi

1

3

31

55

59

69

69

. 72

77

. 83

86

86

113

. 121

130

. 164

i<;r>
. i(;i»

177
. 17!»

■27U
. '}(>♦)

311
, 326

357
. 3i>5

395

404

CONTKNTS.

Family I.amim.k. Thi- Shrikes .
Family ('.>:i:i:r.n».f:. Tin- <;uit.s
Faiiiilv TANA<;i;ii).t:. Tin- TauamTs
Family FkiN(;ii.i.ii>.k. The Finches
Suldamily ( '»•» ( i>THKAr>TiN.E
Subfamily rvKciTlN.f: .
Suhiamilv Sl'IZKLLlN.K

412
425
431
446
446
524
528

InDKX to the rLATES.

ri.ATi:.s 1 - 2t>.

INTRODUCTION.

The class of Birds (Airs), as represented in the present a^^e of tlie world,
is composed of very many species, closely related anions tliem:^elvcs and
distin'nii^hed bv numerous characters common to all. F<jr the puri)oses nf
the present work it is hardly necessary to attempt the definition of wliat
constitutes a hird, the veriest t\ <• heing- able to decide as to tlie fact in
re«'ard to anv Xorth American animal. Nevertheless, for the sake of «,n-eater
completeness, we may say that, compared with other chisses,^ liirds are
abranchiate vertebrates, with a brain filliuLj: the cranial cavity, the cerebral
portion of which is moderately well develoj)ed, the corpora striata connected
bv a small anterior commissure (no corpus caUosum developed), prosen-
cephalic hemispheres lari;e, the optic L)bes lateral, the cerebellum trans-
verselv nndtitissured ; tlie lunus and heart not separated Ity a diapliraum
from the abdominal viseera ; aortic arch sin^^le (the ri^lit only beim;' (h'vel-
oped) ; blooil, with nucleated red corpuscles, undergoing a comjtlete circula-
tion, beinii: received and transmitted by tlie right half of the (juadriloeuhir
heart to the lungs for aeration (and thus warmed), and afterwards returned
by the other half through the system (there being no communication be-
tween the arterial and venous ])ortions) ; skull with a single median convex
condvle, chietly on the basi-occipital (with the sutures for the most i)art early
obliterated) ; the lower jaw with its rami ossifying from several i)oints, con-
nected with the skull by the interventiim of a (piadrate bone (homologous
with the malleus) ; pelvis with ilia prolonged in front of the acetabulum, isehia
and pubes nearly parallel with each other, and the isehia usually separated:
anterior and posterior mendiers much ditferentiated ; the former modified for
flii»ht, with the humerus nearlv i)arallel with the axis of the bodv and con-
cealed in the muscles, the radius and ulna distinct, with two ]iersistent carjtal
bones, and two to four digits; the legs with the V>ones peculiarly cond)ined,
(1) the proximal tarsal bones coalescing with the adjoining tibia, and (2)
the distal tarsal coalescing with three (second, third, and fourth) meta-
tarsals (the first metatarsal being free), and forming the so-ealled tarso-
metatarsus ; dermal appendages developed as feathers : oviparous, tlie eggs
being fertilized within the body, excluded with an oval, calcareous shell, and

^ W«' art' iii(lrl»t('(l to Pn)ft*ssor Tlu'odon' X. (lill for tlir pn'sciit arcount of thi" charactfiisties
of the class of liinls as «listinrrui.slit'«l from otli«'r vcrtt'liratt's, juij^'cs xi -xv.

xii NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS.

liatched at a temperature ufalxtut 104° F. (generally l)y the iiiciil)ation upon
them oi the mother;.^

Such are .srtiiie «>t" the t'eatiires eomnjon to all tlie existing sjieeies of Itirds.-
^laiiy olher.s niiglit l)e enumerated, 1)Ut only those* are liiven which contrast
with tiie characteristics of the mammals on tlie one hand and those of the
reptiles on the other. The inferior vertel)rates are distiniiiiishcd l>v so
maiiv salient characters and are so widely sc]>arated from the lii'dicr tliat
they need not l)e c<imj>ared with the present class.

Althoiiuh hirtls arc «tf course readilv recomii/able hv the ol>scrver, and are
dctiiiahle at once, existing under present conditions, as warm-l>loodcd verte-
hiates, witli the anterior memhers juimitivcly adapted f(»r lliglit, — they are
s(tmetimes alxntive, — and covered with feathers, sucii characteristics do not
suttice to eiialile us to ajtpreciate the relations of the class. Tlie character-
istics liave Iteeii gi\en more fully in order to i)ermit a comjtarison between
tlie memhers of the class and tliose of the mammals and rejitiles. The class
is without exception the most homogeneous in the animal kingdom; and
among the living forms less ditferences are ohservahle than hetween the re]»re-
sentatives of many natural orders among other classes. JUit still the dill'er-
ences hetween them and the other existing forms are sullicient. perhajts, to
autliori/e the distinction of the grou}) as a class, and such rank has always
been allowed excel ttinn" hv "la' recent naturalist,

lUit if we further coinj)are the characters of the class, it becomes evident
that those shared in common with the reptiles are much more numerous
than those shared with the mammals. In this resjtect the vit'ws of natural-
ists have chaniivd within recent vears. Formerlv the two character-
istics shared with the mammals — tlu' (piadrilocular heart and warm bhKxl
— were deemed evidences of the close atlinity of the two groups, and
they were conse«iueiitly cond)ined as a section of the vertebnites, under
tlie name of Warm-l>l<joded Vert citrates. lUit recently the tendency has
been, and very Justly, to consider the birds and re]>tiles as members of
a common groujt, separated on the one hand from the mammals and
on the other fr<un the batrachians ; and to this condjinalioii of birds and
reptiles has Iteen given the name Sdi'ropsuhi.

' I)|-. <'i>uts, in lii< " Kt V to Xoitli Aiuciiiiiii Ilinls,"' «jjiv<>s an alil<' ami «'xt"n«lttl aiti<l<' on
till' .i^t nt'ial tliaiatt<ri>tiis of liii<l>-, an<l on tlnir intiTiial and external anatomy, to wliidi we
refer our reailtls. A Jia|H'rliV Professor K. S. MoiM' in tlie "Annals of the New Ydlk l.yeeiun of
Xatuial ni>ttiiy" (X. iSdM), " On lli<- Caipii^ and Tarsus of Uinls,"' is of niu.h seientilir value.

- Cams anil Cerstaeeker (llainlliueli der Zoologie, 18ri8, 191) j.re-ent the following definition
of Innls as a i lass : —

Aves. Skin covered wholly or in jiart with feathers. Anterior pair of liinhs, eonverted into
winu^s ,i:<-nerally used in Hi<,dit : sonietinies rudimentary. Oeeiput with a sin<xle eondyle. .taws
encased in horny sheaths, which form a hill ; lower jaw of several elementsand aiticulated hehind
with a distinct »ir.ailiate hone attached to the skull. Heart with douhle auiide and doul>le ven-
tricle. Air-spaces connected to a greater ov less extent with the Xnw^s ; tin' skeh'tou mole or less
jnieuniatic. l)ia]>hraj;m ineomitlete. iNdvis generally oj>en. lle]>ro«luetion hy eggs, fertili/ed
within the hody, ami hatched externally, eitlu-r l>y incubation or hy solar heat ; the shells cal-
cari'ous and hard.

r'TRODUCTiON. xiii

As already indicattHl, the ranj^e of variation witliiii this class is extremely
limitfd; and if «»nr views respecting,' the taxononiic value of the suh-
divisiuns are inHuenced hy this condition of thin<;s, wu are ol)li<j;ed to deny
lr» the i^n-oups of living birds the right which has generally been conceded
of ranking as orders.

Tlie ureatest distinctions existing among the living members of the class
are exhibited on the one liand ))y tlie Ostriches and Kiwis and the rehited
forms, and on the other by all the remaining birds.

Tliese c(»ntrasted groups have been regarded by Professor Huxley as of
ordinal value; but the difUnences are so slight, in ccmiparison with those
whieh have received ordinal distincticm in other classes, tliat the expe-
(Uency of giving tliem that value is extremely doubtful ; and chey can
be coml)ined into one order, which may approj^riately bear the name of
Ell rhipidn I'll .

An ol)jection has been urged to this depreciation ef tlie value of the sub-
divisions of the class, on tlie ground that the peculiar adaptatii n for flight,
which is the prominent characteristic of birds, is incapable of being combined
with a wider range of form. This is, at most, an explanation of the cause
of the sliLrht range of variation, and should not therefore affect the ex])osi-
tion ot'the A/r/ (thereby admitted) in a classification based on morphological
characteristics. JUit it must also be borne in mind that flight is by no
means inc<>nn)atible with extreme modifications, not only of the organs of
flight, but of other parts, as is well exemplified in the case of bats and the
extinct pterodactyls.

Nor is the class of birds as now limited confined to the single order of
Mhich only we have living representatives. In fossil forms we have, if the
dilferences assumed l)e confirmed, types of two distinct orders, one being
rej)resented by the genus Air]uropteri/.r and another by the genera IcJitlu/oniis
and Aimtoraiii of Marsh. The first has been named Snvrura' by Hieckel ;
the second Lliflnfornitlnilrs by ^larsh.

(.V>m})elled thus to (piestion the existence of any groups of ordinal value
among recent birds, we ])roceed now to examine the grounds upon whieh natu-
ral subdivisions should be based. The prominent features in the classification
of the class until recently have been the divisions into groups distinguished
i>y their adaptation for different modes of life ; that is, whether aerial or for
progression on land, for wading or for swimming ; or, again, into Land and
\Vat(;r l>irds. Such groups have a certain value as simidy artificial combi-
nations, l>ut we m\ist not be considered as thereby committing ourselves to
such a system as a natural one.

The time has scarcely amved to justify any system of classification
hitherto proposed, and we can only have a sure foundation after an exhaust-
ive study of the osteology, as well as the neurology and splanchnology, of the
various members. Enough, however, has already been done to convince us
that the subdivision of the class into Land and Water Birds does not express

xiv NORTH AMERICAX BIRDS.

the true relations of the members embraced under those lieads. Enough
has also been adduced to enable us to .«,touj) many forms into families and
somewhat more coni2»rehensive groups, detinable l>y osteologieal and other
characters. Sucli are the Chamdrimoiplue, ( ecomorpha*, Alectoromorpha?,
I'terucLnnorphiu, Peristeromorphie, Comcomorphie, C'ypselomorpha', Celeo-
morjjhu', Ai'tomorphie, and several othei-s. But it is very douljtful wliether
the true clew to the attinities of the groups thus determined has been found
in the relations of tlie vomer and contiguous bones. The families, too, have
beeji probably, in a number of cases, especially for the passerine birds, too
much circumscribed. The progress of systematic ornitliology, however, has
been so I'apid witliin tlie last few years, that we may ha allowed to hope that
in a second edition of this work the means may l)e furnislied for a strictly
scientific classification and se(pience of the families. (T. N. G.)

A primary division of recent birds may be made by separation of the
{(() Batitcv, or struthious birds and their allies, — in which the sternum has
no keel, is developed from lateral paired centres of ossification, and in which
there are numerous other structural peculiarities of high taxonomic import, —
from the (/>) Carinata., including all remaining ]>irds cf the present geologic
epocli. Other primary divisions, such as that into Alt rices and Pracoccs
of Bonaparte, or the corresponding yet somewhat modified and improved
Pi^Uopaah'.'i and PtiJopaides of Sundevall, are ojien to the serious objections
that they ignore tlie profound distinctions l»etween struthious and other
birds, require too numerous exceptions, cannot be primarily determined by
examination of adult specimens, and are based upon physiological considera-
tions not necessarily co-ordinate with actual physical structure.

In tlie following sclieme, without attempting to indicate positive taxo-
nomic rank, and without committing myself finally, I present a number
of liigher groups into which Carinate birds may be divided, capable of ap-
proximately exact definition, and apparently of a])proximately equivalent
taxonomic value. Points of the arrangement are freelv drawn from the
writings of various authors, as will be perceived by those competent to judge
without special references. I am particularly indebted, hcnvever, to the
late admirable and liighly inqiortant work of Professor Sundevall,^ from
which very many characters are directly borrowed. The arrangement, in
effect, is a modification of that adopted l)y me in the " Key to North Ameri-
can Birds,'' upon considerations similar to those herewith implied. The
njain points of difference are non-recognifion of three leading groups of
aerial, terrestrial, and natatorial birds, — groups without morphological l)asis,
resting simply uj)on teletdogical modification ; a general depreciation of the
taxonomic value of the several groups, conformably with the considerations
presented in the preceding pages of this work ; abolishing of the group
Oi'dllatvres ; and recognition of a primary group Sphemf^ci?

' }frthodl natnralh avium dlsjinnenrjarum frntamrn. Stockholm, 1872-73.

2 This group is insusceptible of definition. The wading bird.s, as usually allocated, do not

INTRODUCTION. XV

A» PASSERES.* Ilalliix iiivarial>ly pivseni, compleU-ly incuinl'«'iii. scpii-
ratclv iiiovublo by sjK'<-iali/.:ition of tht* jlKi'ir halhicis Unujas. \vitli i.'iilai,La'(l
base and its claw latyr than that of llic niiddh' digit. Xi'ithtT second nor
tbnrtli toe versatile; joints of toes always '1, .'>. 4. '). from lirst to fourth.
Wing-coverts comparatively short and lew : with the exception of the Irast
coverts upon the ]tllcn alaris. airangeil in only two series, the greater of
which do«'S not 'each beyond the middle of the sccon.d;iry rcmiges.' Jiee-
triees twelve (with rare anomalous exeopti(.>ns). Musical apj»aratus present
in L'leater or less development and complexit}'. Palate a'githognathous.
Stermnn of one particnlar mould, smgle-notched. Carotid single (sinistra).
Xature highly altrii.'ial and ]>silopiedie.

a. Oscines.^ Siiles of the tarsus covered in most or all of their extent
with two undivided horny plates meeting ojhind in a sharp ridge (ex-
cept in AhiHililce : one of the plates imperfectly divided in a few other
forms). Musical aj»paratus highly developed, consisting of several dis-
tinct pairs of syringeal mnsdes. Primaries nine only, or ten with the
first fre([nently spurious, rarely over two thirds the length of the
longest, never eunallinir the lonirest.

b. Clamatores.* Sides of the tarsus covered with <livided plates or
scales variously arranged, its hinder edge l>lunt. Musical apparatus
weak and imperfect, of few or incompletely distinguished syringeal
muscles (as far as known). Primaries ten with rare exceptions, the
fust usually ecpialling or exceeding the rest.

B. PICARTJE.^' Hallux inconsi<lerable, weak or Avanting. not always in-
cinnltent. not separately movable by <hst'nction of a special nujscle, its claw
not longer than that of the middle toe unless of exceptional shape (e. g. (^en-
tropiis). .Second or fourth toe frequently versatile; third and fourth fre-
quently with decreased mnnber of joints. Wing-coverts for the most part
larger anil in more immerous series than in Passeres, the greater series
reaching V)eyond the middle of the secondary quills (except in many Pici
and s(jme others). Rectrices commoidy ten (eight to twelve). Primaries
always ten, the first only excei)tionally short (.as in Pia'). Musical appara-
tus wanting, or consisting of a muscular mass, or of not more than three
pairs of svrinireal nniscles. Palate desmoirnathous or a'githosrnathous.
Sternum of non -passerine character, itis posterior border entire o • doubly
notched or fenestrate. Carotid single or douV>le. Nature completely al-
tricial, but young sometimes hatched with down' (e. g. Caprimidgid(E).

|)o.ssess in connnon one single character not also to be found in other groups, nor is the colloca-
tion of their characters peculiar.

1 CorresiKUKling closely with the Linniean and earlier Suudevallian acceptation of the term.
Kipiivalent to the later Osciiu\s of Sundevall.

'^ As remarked by Sundevall, exceptions to the diagnostic pertinence of these two characters
of hind claw and wing-coverts taken together are scarcely found. For, in those non-^wsserine
birds, as Raptorcs and some ILrodiows, in which the claw is enlarged, the wing-covt'rts are
otherwise disposed ; and similarly when, as in many Piri and elsewhere, the coverts are of a i>as-
serine character, the feet are highly diverse.

^ Lamin iplanta res o{^\\mV\A\\ \\\\% Aland iiJfr.

* Scufellijdanf'irrn of Sundevall minus Alotidiihr.

* Nearly equivalent to the Linuiean Pim\ Eipial to the late (1S73) Vnlucres of Sundevall.

® A polymorphic group, ]u'rfectly distinguished from Pasarres by the above characters in which,
for the most part, it approximates to one or another of the following lower groups, from which,
severally, it is distinguished by the inapplicability of the characters noted beyond. My divisions

Xvi NUliTll AMEIUCAN BIUD6.

a. Cypseli. I'alute ;i\irithogiiuthoiis. Wiriffs Iciijrthened in their ter-
luiiKii jxiiiions, .-ildtreviuUMl Itasally, with the lirst priinary not re(hn-c«l.
Tail of ten reetrices. Dill (issi rostral or tenuirostral. Feet never /ygo-
daetvlc no'' svn<laetvle, sniall, weak, seareelv titled for locomotion;
hallux often elevate«l or lateral or rev«'rse«l; front toes usually wehhed
at i>ase, or with aluiornial ratio of j)halantre.s in length ami ninnl»er. or
both. Sterninn deep-keeU'd, usually entin; or else doubly notched or
perforati'. Syrinirt'al niuseles not more than one })air.
h. Cuculi. Palate desmognatluMK. Wing-= not peculiar in brevity of
proximal or length of distal portions, and witli lirst primary not reduced.
Tail of eight to twelve reetrices. ]Jill of indeterminate form, never
cered ; tongue not extensile. Feet variously modilied by versatility
c>r reversion of either first, second, or f >urih toes, or l>y cohesion foi" a
great distance of third and fourth, or by absence or rudimentaiy condi-
tioTi of first oi- secontl ; often highly scansorial. rarely ambulatorial.
Syringeal muscles two pairs at most.

r. PicL Palate *" exhibitimr a siiui)lilication and tlegradatiou of the
a'githo<rnathous structure" (lluxlev): wimrs bearing out this i>asserine
alfmity in the eonmion reduction of the lirst primary and tin restriction
of the greater coverts. Tail of ten perfect re(!triees and usually a sup-
plementary pair. Itostrum hard, straight, narrow, sube([ual to head,
with commonlv extensile and verrnilltrm but not furcate tongue. Feet
highly scansorial. Fourth toe permanently reversed ; basal phalanges
of toes abbreviatetl. Sternum doubly notched. Salivary glands highly
developed. Ilyoidean apparatus peculiai-.

C. PSITTACL I»ill enormously thick, short, high, much arche«l from the
biise, the upper mantlible strongly hooked at the end, cered at base, and
freely movable by com})lete articulation with the ft)reliead, the under man-
dible with short, broad, truncate svmphvsis. Feet i>ermanentlv zvirodactvie
l>y reversion of the fourth toe, which articulates by a double facet. Tarsi
reticulate. Syrinx peculiarly constructed of three pairs of intrinsic nmsdes.
Tongue short, thick, tleshy. Sternum entire or ienestrate. Clavicles weak,
defective, or wanting. Orl>it more or less completed by approach or union
of postorbital piocess and lachrymal. Altricial; psilopanlic.

D. RAPTORES. Bill usually powerful, adapted for tearing ilesh, strongly
decurved and hooked at the end, fiirnished with a cere in which the nostrils
open. Feet strongly tlexible, with large, sharp, nuich curveil claws gradually
narrowed from base to tip, convex on the sides, that of the second toe larger
than that of the fourth toe, and the hinder not smaller than the second one.
FVet never permanently zygodactyle, though fourth toe often versatile ; an-
terior toes connnonly with one basal wel>: hallux considerable and com-
pletely incumbent (except Cathftrtklce). Legs feathered to the suflrago or
beyond. Reetrices twelve (with rare exceptions) ; primaries sinuate or
emarginate (with rare exce[)tions). Sternum singly or douldy notched or
fenestrate. Palate desmognathous. Carotids double. Syrinx wanting or
developed with only one pair of muscles. Altricial ; the young being weak
and helpless, yet ptilopjedic, being doAvny at birth.

E. COLUMBJES. Bill straight, compressed, horny at the vaulted tip, which
is separated by a constriction from the soft memliranous basal portion. Xos-

cf Pkaricc correspond respectively to the Cifpselonwrpha', Cot'qignmorphfc, and Cclcomorphai of
Huxley, from whom many of the charaotens are borrowed.

INTRODUCTION.

XVll

i^

-I

.'^

trils beneath a soft, tumid valve. Tomia of the mandiljles mutually apposed.
Frontal leathers sweej)in<jr in strouyly convex outline across base of upper
mandi!)le. Lc<;s feathered to the tarsus or iK-yond. Hallux incumbent (with
few exceptions), and front toes rarely webbed at l)ase. Tarsus with small
scutella in front, or ottener reticulate, the envelope rather membranous
than corneous. Head very small. Plumajre without aft(.'r-shafts. One })air
of syrincre.il muscles. Sternum doui)ly notched, or notched an<l ienestrate
on each side. Carotids double. Palate schi/.ognathoiis. Monogamous,
and hiirlily aliricial an<l psilopjedic.

F. QALLIN.2E. Bill rrenerally short, stoat, convex, with an obtuse
vaulted tip, corneous except in the nasal fossa, and without constriction in
it:5 contiiuiity. Nostrils scaled or feathered. Tomia of ujiper mamlible over-
lapping. Frontal feathers forming re-entrant outline at the Itase of upper
nuindible. Legs usually feathen'd to the tarsus or beyoml. Hallux ele-
vated, with few exce2)tions (e.g. CracitJcr and Mef/a/tndkla:), smaller than the
anterior toes, occasionally wanting (as in the Hemijiods). Tarsus, when not
feathered, generally broadly scutellate. Front toes conunonly webbed at
base. Claws blunt, little curved. Wings strong, short, and concavo-convex.
Rectrices conunonly more than tw«'lve. Head small. Plumage usually
after-shafted. Carotids doulde (except Turniciihr and MefjajKxlidd). No
intrinsic svriuireal muscles. Sternum verv deenlv. irenerallv doublv. notched.
Palate schizoguathous. Chiefly polygamous. Pnecocial and ptilopiedic.
G» LIMICOLiEi. Tibi.e bare of feathers for- a variable (sometimes ver;
sliijlit) ihstance above the suffrai^o. Lejjs conunonly lenijrthened. some-
times excessively so, and neck usually produced in corresponding ratio.
Tarsi scutellate or reticulate. Toes never coherent at l)ase; cleft, or united
for a short distance by one or two small movable l)asal webs ([»almate only
ill Rerurvirostra. lobate onlv in Phahtropodida). Hallux always reduced,
obviou>ly elevated and free, or wanting; giving a foot of cursorial char-
acter. Wings, with lew exceptions, lengthened, pointed, and flat; the inner
primaries and outer secondaries very short, forming a strong re-entrance on
the posterior Ijorder of the wing. Tail shorter than the wing, of simple
form, and of few feathers, except in certain Snipes. Head globose, sloping
rapidly down to the contracted base of the bill, completely feathered (except
Philomadius ^). Gape of bill short and constricted; tip usually obtuse;
bill weak and flexible. Rostrum conmionlv lencrthened, and more or less
terete and slender; meml»ranous wholly or in great part, without hard cut-
ting edges. Nostrils narrow, placed low down, entirely surrounded with
soft skin ; nasal fossie extensive. Palate schizoguathous. Sternum usually
doubly, sometimes singly, notched. Carotids double. Pterylosis of a par-
ticular pattern. Nature pnecocial and ptilopivdic. Comprising the '• Plover-
Snipe" group; species of medium and small size, with never extremely
compressed or depressed body ; more or less aquatic, living on plains and
in oi>en places, usually near \vater, nesting on the ground, where the young
run freely at birth.

H. HERODIONHS. Tibiae naked lielow. Legs and neck much length-
ened in corresponding ratio. Toes long, slender, never coherent at base,
where cleft, or with movable basal webbing. Hallux (ius compared with
that of the preceding and following group) lengthened, free, and either
perfectly incumbent or ])ut little elevated, with a large claw, giving a foot of
insessorial character. Wings commonly obtuse, but broad and ami>l(\ with-
out marked re-entrauce on posterior border, the intermediate remiijes not

Vol.. I. c

xviii NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS.

iK'iujjT nnjch iiMjreviaUMl. Tail short and fow-feathered. Head narrow, co-
nii'o-elongatod. gradually contrai-tiiig to the large, stout hase of the hill; the
It ral and orbital region, or the whole head. nake<l. Ga[»e of the bill deeply
fissure*!; tip usually aente; toniia hard ami euttiag. iJill eonivo-elongate,
always longer than the head, stout and firm. Nostrils small, placed high
u}), with entirt'ly Itoiiy and horny, (.r only slighily membranous, surround-
ings. rtervl<»sis marly peculiar in the presence, almost throughout the
group, of powder-down tra<ts. raiely Ibund elsewhere; pteryhc very narrow.
Palate desmo lathons Carotids double. Altricial. Comprising the Ileions,
Storks, Ibises, etc. (not Cranes). Species nsually of large stature, with con-
pressed bo<ly and very long S-bent neck; peivhing and nesting nsually in
trees, bushes, or other high places near water; young hatching weak, scarcely
feathered, and reare(l in the nest.

1. ALECTORIDES.* Tibiai naked below. Neck, legs, and feet much as
in the last grouj), but hallux reduced and obviou 'v elevated, with small
claw, the resulting foot cursorial (natatorial i\r<\ lobato in FuJirtty Wings
and tail commonly as in Herodlones. Head less narrowed and conic than in
the liist. fullv feathered or with extensive baldness (not with detinite naked-
ness of loral and orbital regions). IJill of various shape, nsually lengthened
and obtuse, never extensively membranous. Rictus moderate. Nostrils
lower than in Ilerodiones. Ptervlosis not i)eculiar. Palate schizoirnathous.
Carotids double. Nature pnecocial and ptilop:edic. Comprising the Cranes
and Rails and their allies; the former agreeing with the Herodioue.t super-
licially in statnre, etc., but highly diverse in the schizognathous palate,
[)raM-ocial nature, etc.

J. LAMELLIROSTRES. Feet palmate; tibi:u feathered (except Ph(e-
nirojtferiis). Legs near centre of equilibrium of the body, its axis horizontal
in walking ; not lengthened except in PhornicopferKs. Knee-joint rarely
exserted beyond general skin of the body. Wings moderate, reaching when
folded to, but not beyond, the nsually short and roundetl (exceptionally long
and cuncate; tail. Feet tetradactyle (except sometimes in PJucuicopterufi);
hallux reduced, elevated and free, often independently lobate. Bill lamel-
late, i. e., furnished along each commissural edge with a regular series of
mutually adapted laininaj or tooth-like processes, with which correspond
certain laciniate processes of the fleshy tongue, which ends in a horny tip.
Bill large, thick, high at base, dei)ressed towards the end. membranous to
the broad obtuse tip, which is occupied by a horny '• nail " of various shape.
Nostrils patent, never tubular; nasal fossa? slight. No gular pouch. Plu-
mage dense, to resist water. Eyes very small. Head high, comj)ressed,
with lengthened, sloping frontal region. Palate desmognathous. Repro-
duction pnecocial; young ptilopa^dic. Eggs numerous. Carotids double.
Sternum single-notched. Comprising Flamingoes and all the Anserine birds.
K. STEQANOPODES. Feet totipalmate ; hallux lengthened, nearly in-
cumbent, semilateral. completely united with the second toe by a full web.
Tibiu> feathered ; position of legs with reference to axis of body varial»le,
but generally far posterior ; knee-joint not free. Wings and tail variable.
Bill of very variable shape, never lamellate, wholly corneous; its tomia
often serrate; external nares ver}' small or finally abortive, A prominent
naked gular pouch. Tarsi reticulate. Sternum entire or nearly so; furcu-

1 r.roiips O., H., and I, are respectively equal to the Clin.rndriomorpha, Pelargamorphoe, and
Geranomorphcc of Huxley.

INTRODL'CTIUN.

XIX

j-^

m

lum conthicnt with its keel. Carotids double. Palate hij?lily desmofpia-
thous. lleiro'l';< lion alrricial; young psiloidedic or ptilopteJic. Eggs

three or tewt-r.

li. LONOIPBNNBS. (T«» most of the characters of the group here given
the ireuus llalodrnina is a signal ex<-tption, though un([uestionahly helong-
inir here.) Feet palmate. Til)i;e leatlieiiMl. Legs at or near centre ofeipii-
lihrium, allonling horizontal position «>}' axis of hotly in walking. Knee
scr.rcely buried in common integument; lioia sometimes with a long apo-
physis. Hallux elevated, free, functionless : \-xy small, rudimentary, or
wantinir. Rostrum of variable shape, usually compri-ssed ami straight to
the hooked en<l. sometimes entirely straight and acute, connnonly length-
ene<l. alwavs corneous, without serration or true lamelhe. Nt)strils of vari-
ous I'orms. tubular or simply fissured, never abortive. No gular pouch.
Wim;s very long and pointe«l, surpassing the base and often the end of the
larire, well-formed, f'W-feathered tail. Carotids double. Palate schizog-
nathous. Reproduction altricial; young ptilopicdic. Eggs three or fewer.
Habit highly volucral.

1?I. PTGOPODES. Feet palmate or lobate. Tibiie feathered, otlen with
a loni; apophysis, always buried in common integument nearly to the heel-
joint, necessitating a more or less erect posture of the body on land, where
progression is dilhcult. Hallux small, elevated or wanting; feet lobate or
palmate. Rill of indeterminate shape, wholly corneous, never lamellate or
serrate, nor with gular pouch. Nostrils not abortive. Wings very short,
reacliini; scarcely or not to the base, never to the tip, of the short, some-
times rudimentary, tail. Palate schizognathous. Carotid usually double,
sometimes single (in Poih'rejtti and Merguhis). Nature altricial or pnecocial;
vounir ptilopa'dic. Highly natatorial.

Hf. SPHENISCI. With general characters of the last group, but dis-
tini^'uished by unitpie ptilosis and wing-structure, etc. Plumage without
apteria, of singularly moditied scale-like feathers on m.ost parts; no devel-
oped remiges. Wings unfit for flight, insusceptible of perfect flexion or
extension, very short, with peculiarly flattened bones and stable articulations.
Skeleton non-i)neumatic. Many bones, terete in ordinary birds, here flattened.
Metatarsal bone flattened transversely, doubly fenestrate. Hallux elevated,
lateral, minute, free. No free pollex. Two anconal sesamoids ; patella
from double centres; tibia without apophysis; a free tarsal ossicle. Ster-
num with long lateral apophyses. Pelvic connections unstable. Caro-
tids double. Comprising only the Penguins. Confined to the Southern
Hemisphere.

Having thus presented and defined an arranfrement of the higher groups
into which recent Carinate birds are susceptible of division, I next proceed
to the consideration of the Xorth American Families of birds which tlie
authors of the present work have provisionally adopted as suitable to
the end they had in view. Professor Baird urges the caution that the
scheme is intended merely for the convenient determination of the Xorth
American species, aware that in many instances diagnoses or antitheses of
entire pertinence in such application would fail or be negatived by con-
sideration of the exotic forms. The arrangement of the families here
adopted is essentially that presented in 1858 in Professor Baird's " Birds of

XX XoKTir AMERICAN BIRDS.

North America," luodifie'l somewlmt in aoconlance with more recent views
of rrofessor Suiulcvall and others. Ilut lu'lore uroeeedini' to tlie anahsis
of the faniilit's, I will introihice an artiticial clew to the precedin,i; hi<:her
groups as adopted, so far as they are represented by Xortli American
species.

ARTIFICIAL KFA' TO THK F()i:K<;OIX(; HIGHER (JROUPS,

Bij means <•/ which amj North Juo rioin hird nun/ hr truilih/ ir/ernd to that ffroup to which it

in held to bcIoHf/.

I. Tws ;{ : -J in front, 1 iM-hind (P/e/) rir.vRi.E.

II. Tot'.s :{; all in front. Toe.s cloft or seniiiyalmatt' Limhoi„k.

To«'s palniatf. Nostrils tulmlar .... Lun(;ii'ennes,
Nostrils not tulmlar . . . Pykoi-odhs.

III. Tot's 4 ; 2 in front, 2 behind. I'.ill ccnMl and liookt-d I'sin acj.

liill ntitlicr n-nd nor hooked. {Curufi or Pici) PicARi.i:.

IV. Toes 4 : 3 in front, 1 Iwhind.

1. Toes syn<la(tyle {Cuciifi) Picarlf..

2. T<H\s totijialmate (all four full-wehhed) . . . . . . Stkganoi'odk.s.

3. Toes palmate. Hill eurved up LiMicoL-E.

Bill not eurved up : laniellatp . . Lamem-oiostres.

not lamellate ; hallux loltate . PY(;()p.ti)E.s.
hallux not lohate Longii'ENNe.k.

4. Toes lobate. Tail rudimentary Pyoopodes.

Tail i)erfec't. A horny frontal shield . Alectkkide.s.

No horny frontal .shield .... 7-.iMicoLiE.

5. Toes semipalmato ; joined by evident movable basal web (A).

6. Toes cleft to the base, or then* immovably coherent (B).
A* Hind toe elevated a1x)ve the level of the rest.

Tibije naked below. Nostiils jieiforate Alectorides.

Nostrils im[»erforate. Tarsi reticulate. Head bald . Herodioxes.

Head feathered LiMicoLiE.
Tarsi scutellate in front . . Limicol.e.

Tibiae feathered l)elow. Nostrils perforate Raptor. e.<j.

Nostrils imperforate. Gajie reaching? below eye. {Cifpseli} Picaui^.

Gape not reaching below eye . Galling.
AAa Hind toe inserted on the level of the rest.

Tibi.-B naked b<dow Herodioxes.

Tibiae feathered below. Rill cered and hooked Raptore.s.

Bill not cered. Nasal membrane .soft and tumid . ConMBJi:.
Na.sal scale hard and flat . . . Gallix.b.
B* Hind toe elevated almve the level of the re.st.

Gape reaching below eye (Cypsclt) Picarijb.

Gape not below eye. First priniary emarginate or about equal to 2d . . Limicol.e.

First i)rimary not emarginate and much shorter than 2d, Alectoeide.**.
BB* Hind toe inserted on the level of the rest.

Xo.strils o}>ening beneath soft .swollen membrane ...... CoLUMBiE.

Nostrils otherwise. Bill cered and hooked . . . • • Raptores.

Bill otlierwise. Secondaries only six . . (Ctfpscli) PicARi.*:.

Secondaries more than six (r/) . . . Passere.s.

(a) Primaries 10 ; the 1st more than .^ as long as the longest. (Clamatores) Passeres.

Primaries 10 : the 1st not § as long as the longest. ) ^^^.^^^^ ^ ^ PasseRES.

Primaries 9. J

INTRODUCTION. xxi

Hecurriiii,' now to consideration of tlic Xortli American Ffoni/us of tlir
fore-«»in- iii.t,'li('r ^urcmi).-, I take u]> tlie latter in the natural nr.U-r in which
tlicv have l)een prt'senteel, givini,' under head of each such ^qoui> an analysis
(»f the North American families by vhich it is represented, reiterating; the
caution that the characters are dra.vn up only with reterence to the North
American genera, and are, constM|uently, not necessarily or adways applicahle
ui)on wider considerations. These analyses are made as nearly natural as
tiie state of the case permits, but 1 seize up.»n any obvious external char-
acteis which may be afforded, without regard to their morphological sig-
nificance or taxonomic value.

AXALYSI? .:^ THE FaMH^IES OF PASSERES.

A. Oscines. Mu>ital apparatus highly developed, liaek of tarsus undivided,
orforint'd of a few setitella distinet from those hipping over the front. First
primary wanting, spurious, or at most not over two thirds the length of the

longest.

a. Eaeh side of tarsus covered with a plate imdivided in most or all of its
length, and meeting its fellt)W in a sharp ridge behind.
b. Primaries only nine.

c. Bill triangular, depressed, about as wide at base as long; the
gape twiee as long as the eiilmen. reaching to about opposite the
eves; tomia straight or gently eurvetl. No obvious rietal bristles.
Tarsi not longer than the lateral toe and elaw. "Wings long an<l
pointed, the first primary tipial to or longer than the second. Cen-
tral tail-teathers not half as long as the wing . . . Illrnndinidce.
cc. liiil variously eonico-elongate or slender, or. if depressed, with
long rietal bristles: gape not nearly twice as long as culmen ; tomia
straight or gently curved. Nostrils not obviously nearer eulmen
than tomia. Tarsus longer than lateral toe and claw.

Bill very slender, acute ; culmen rather concave at base. Lon-
gest secondary acuminate, nearly or quite equal to the primaries
in the closed wing. Hind claw little curved, about twiee as long
as the middle claw. Hind toe and claw longer than middle toe

and claw MotacilUdc.

Bill variously eonico-elongate and acute ; culnicn not concave
at base. Longest secondary not acuminate, falling far short of
primaries in the closed wing. Hind claw well curve<l. not nearly
twice as long as mitldle claw ; hind toe and claw not longer than
middle toe and claw. Gape ample; tongue slightly bifid or
brushy, if at all . . . . . . . . . SylvicoUdce.

Bill lengthened, very acute, even deeurved. Wings and feet as
in the last. Gape constricted; tongue generally deeply bifid

or brushy Carebidce.

ccc. Bill more or less truly conic, usually short, thick ; commissure
usually more or less evidently abruptly angulated near the base, or
with lobe or tooth further tbrward. Nostrils obvioush' nearer cul-
men than tomia. Tarsus longer than lateral toe and claw.*

1 In the tnie conirostral or fringillifomi genera the under mandible has high strong tomia, "bent
:it un angle near the base ; the corresponding portion of the up|H*r mandible is deep, so that the

xxii NOUTII AMKKK'AX DIUDS.

Bill stout, tiimitl, convex in nearly all its outlin«\<: tomia not
an^Milatt'il, luU with oni' or more lubes or nicks in advance of
the iiiuic. Nostrils placol very high. Other characters nuieh
wi'm Sijlrirolit/a. Odors chidly red and yellow. Une geini.s of Tannrpida.

liill truly conic, nnich shorter than head, usually with the an-
gulation evident; no lol.e along middle of tomia, l»ut usually a
notch at end. Nostrils placed very h'xh. liictal bristles usually
o^^'^^\^^ FnuyilUda.

Bill conic, hut lengthened, little if any shorter than head; the
angulation of the tomia evident ; no notch at end. Nostrils high.

No rictal bristles Ictenda.

bb. Primaries ten.

Otherwise with characters much as in Iderkhc . . . Sturni'da:.
d. Nostrils concealed with antrorse bristly feathers (except in
Psilor/tiiius ii\u\ (iyniHokittii)}

Base oi' bdl sheathed with antrorse bristlv feathers, havino'
lateral branches to their very ends; its tip mostly notched.
Basal joint of middle toe united only half-way to the lateral.
Sides, of tarsus oc»-upied by a lateral groove, mostly lille<l in
with small plates. First i)rimary more than half as long a.s

secontl. Large, — over seven inches Corvidce.

Base of bill with two tufts of bristly feathers, ending in sim-
plo fdaments without lateral branches, its tip mostl}- un-
notched. Basal joint of middle toe united nearly all its length
with the lateral. Sides of tarsus ungroove<l. First primary
leSvS than half as long jis second. Small, - - under seven inches. Parida}
dd. Nostrils exposed.

e. Tail scansorial, with rigid acute featheis. Whole bill
slender, compressed, acute, decurved. uiniotched, unbristled

Outer toe much longer than inner CertJiiidce.

ee. Tail not scnnsorial, graduated. First primary not less
(generally more) than half as long as the second, and inner
toe united to the middle by at least one half (usually more)
of the length of its basal joint.

Tarsus with few obscure scutella. Rictal bristles present.
Bill stout, but not tootiied nor hooked. Wing excessively
rounded Hifth, sixth, and seventh primaries longest), nuich
shorter than the long graduated tail. Size small. Plumage
brown, unhanded ....... ChamceadcB.

Tarsus distinctly scutellate. Nostrils wholly exposed,

nostrils are nearer the culmen than the tomia. The whole bill is more or less l)ent in its axis from
the axis of the eram'al base, so that the palate curves tlown, or is excavated or, as it wciv, is broken
into two planes nict-ting at an angle, — one plane the anterior hard imperforate roof of the mouth,
the other the l>aek palate where the internal nares are situate (Sumlevall). The single North
American genus of TmKnfriihc {P;irnn<i<i) is here conventionally ranged on account of its higli
nostiils and conic bill, although it does not sliow angulation of the tomia. The Icftrithr, with
oltviously angrdated t(»niia, shade into the Frutyinidiv in shovtiii'afi and thickness of bill, and into
other fannlies in its length and slenderness.

^ These two geneia, Psu'/orhiinis nnd Giimitol-'itta, of the family Corcidce, have naked nostrils,
as under dd, hut otherwise show the characters of Corridrr.

^ "With the P((ri<hc the authors of this work inelu<le the Nuthatches as a subfamily Sittincc,
which I prefer to dissociate and place as a group of e(iual grade next to Certhiida;.

IXTIlODrCTIOX.

XXUl

scalcfl. X»» rif'tal l>ristlfs, Uut loral ffatlicis with lui-tly
points. Bill slehtltT. imt ni>tclie<l nor liookid. Wiuj/'i
an<l tail nuMU'iatt Iv rouiKlnl : neither v» rv nuuh shorirr
than the otluT. Size small. Color Icown, t'tf.., the wing--
and tail hai red or undnlat*'*! ..... To >f/linfij tithe.

Tafsiis distinctly sentellate. Nostrils overhnnir (ii<>f con-
cealed) with hristly li-athcrs. liictal luistles present,
8tron<r. Bill powerful, «;onipressed, stronLdy notched,
toothed, and hooked. Wiipj-s ami tail moderate. Large.
Colors hhu^k. white, and !/ray ..... Liuiudcc.

tee. Tail not seansorial. First )>riinary less than halt' as long
as the second.' or a1»ont halt" as lontr. in whi'h case the inner
toe is cleft nearly to its l.ase ( ''and//*.

/ Basal joint of middK toe nniteti s(»m«' distance with
the inner, and for half or more of its lent^th with the
outer toe.

Basal Joint of mid«lle toe shorter than that of inner
toe, and w1m>11v adherent to hoth inner and outer toes.
Taisus l(»njrer than middle toe and claw, (jonys more
than half the length of the lower jaw. Bill stout, high,
compressed: notched and abru|»tly hooked at tij) . Vntomdce.
Basal joint of middle toe not shorter than that of
inner toe; united to the outer for about two third.s, to
the inner for about one half, its length. Tarsus not
longer than the middle toe and claw. Gonys less
than Iwilf the length of the under jaw. Bill triangular,
nmch depressed at base, moderately notched, and

hooked at tip' AmjieUda.

Basal joint of middle toe shorter than that of the
iimer toe, united to the outer for about two thirds, to
the inner for about one half, its length. Tarsus longer
tlian middle toe and claw. Gonys more than half the
length of the under jaw. Bill very weak and slen-
der, little decurved or notched at tip. Very small,
— under six inches long. (Tarsi booted in Regulus,
distinctly scutellat»> in Puliopfiln.) .... Sj/lviuice
//. Basal joint of middle toe rjuite free from the inner,
and not united with the outer more than half-way.
Nostrils linear, low. No bristles or bristly points
whatever about the mouth. Wings short, rounded,
concavo-convex. Tail very short, nearly concealed
by its coverts. Tar<i booted .... Cindklce.

Nostrils oval. Bristles or bristly points about the
mouth. Winers verv loner and pointed, reachinsr,
when folded, beyond the middle of the short, square,
or emargiuate tail, and one and a half times or more

1 In the genus Ampclis and part of the VirconkJrr it is so oxtrcniely short as to ajtpcar absent,
and is displaced, lying concealed outside the second (ai»pan'ntly first) primary, like one of the
primary coverts ; however, it may always be detected on close examination, ditlcring from the
covcils with which it is a.ssociated in some points of size and sha|H', if not also of color.

2 In AiUjX'Us then' is tendency to subdiWsion of the lateral plates ; in Myiadestcs the anterior
scut el la are obsolete.

xxiv NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS

the longlli of thi' hitter; tip formed In* second, third,
and Ibnrtli tinills; outer secondary reachinuf onlv
ahout two thirds ^vay to end of h^igest primary ;
spurious quill very short. Tarsi hooted . . SaxicoUdce,

Nostrils oval. Bristles or itristly points ahout the
mouth. AVinijs nuxlerate. not reaehinir. when fohled,
beyond the mitldle of the tail, and not over one an<l
a third times as lonijasthe lattei-; tij) formed l>y third
to sixth (|uill; outer secoixlary reaehinir in closed
winir three fourths or more the U'nufth of the lonjrest
primary. Spurious ([uill I )n;jfc'r. sometimes one half
the second. Tarsi seutellate in Miminrr. hooted in

Turdincr Tiirdida.

aa. Outside of tarsus covered with two series of scutella, — one h\\ n-

tireiy around in front, the other entirely around. Itehind. and meeting a
<rroove on the inside; hind edg-e hlunt. First primary spurious or apitarently
wanting-. Hind claw nuich leni,'thened. scarcely curved. Nt)strils with

antrorse bristly feathers. Bill conico-i-longate Alaudida.

B* Clamatores. Outside of tarsus covered with a series of plates variously
arranged, lapping entirely around in front and behind, to meet at a groove on
the inner side.

First primary lengthened, often longest, ft least over two thirds as long as the
longest. Bill broad at the base, much depressed, tapering to a fine point, which
is abruptly decnrved; cuhnen rounded or lattened; gonys llattened; commissure
straight, or nearly so, to the tij). Nostri. small, circular, basal; overhung, but
not concealed by bristles. Mouth capaci. is, wit'. ^»road and deeply fissured
rictus, beset with numerous long strong bii *''.s. Feet small, weak. Tail of
twelve feathers . . Tyrannidce.

Analysis of thk F'amujks of FICARIS.

Secondaries only six.

Bill tenuii'ostral. longer than head, nearly cylindrical. Gape constricted.
Tongue lilifoi-m, extensile. l)i-iubular. Wings long in terminal portion, ab-
breviated proximally, acut»'. riuniage compact, of metallic sheen. Size
smallest of all Itirds. (Hunnning-Birds.) . . , . . . TrochUidce.
Secondaries more than six. .

Feet syndactyle by connation of outer and middle toes.

Outer toe much longer than the inner, united for half its length with
the middle, forming ■ broad sole. Tibiie naked below. Bill longer
than head, straight, acute, with hard cutting edgi's and ample rictus.
Tongue rudimentary, fixed. Wings pointed, nuich longer than the short
square tail. Tail-leathers twelve. Plumage compact, oily. (King-
fishers.) . Alcedhiida:

Feet zygodactyle' by reversion of outer or fourth toe.

Not scansorial; tail of eight or ten long soft feathers. Bill with de-
curved tip. not fitted for hammering: rictus ami>le. Tongue not ex-
tensile nor vermiform nor barbed. Salivary glan<ls and hyoi<lean appa-
ratus not jieculiar. No nasal tuds of feathers. Arboreal and terrestrial.
(Cuckoo.s) CftcuJiait.

* Kx('c]»ting Plcoidis, in which the true hind toe (liallux) is wanting ; the outer or fourth toe
lu'iiig, liowever, reversed as usual, and taking the plaie of tlie hind toe.

INTKODrrTIoX.

XXV

PirHl(F.

Iliirlilv scansorial: tail ol'twdv.' riLM<l ariimiiiato loathors, wlicn-of tho
outer pair aic >\u>n ami >|ttiri(>us. »-i)nct'aK'<l i't'twi'di liases <»1 next two
l)airs. IJill st<.nt. straiu'lit. with tlu- tip tnin.-ate or a<-nte, not (lecurvfMl
— an rlVnient ciiiscl for liauinicrinL:- and I'orinir wooil. Toniruo vonui-
fonn. cxIcns'.U'.' and l»arl'fil. Salivary -lands iarui': liyoidean apparatus
pccnliar. Nasal tufts usually pn'soni. Arboreal. (Woodpeekers.) .
I-V'.'t ui'itlier s\!ida<tyle nor /yuodaetyle.

Feet seniipalniate. (.f n.>rnial ratio of plialaniros. Anterior toes eon-
jiertt'd at l-asr h\- inovaM*' wehl'inir. Hind toe very >niail. elevatt-d,
semilateral. Middle toe pnnlnerd, its larL'-<' claw pectinate. IJill fis>i-
rostral. with very small, triantrnlar. depressed lu>rny part and innnense
rii'tns, n-aehin.ir below the eyes, furnished with bristles, lialher larire.
riumaLre s»»ft and lax. mueh vari.'irated ..... ('(fjnu'nuihjiihv.

Feet seareelv or not seniii»ahnate. of frecpiently abnormal ratio of j»ha-
lam:«'s (middle or outer toe. or both, with fewer joints than usual anionir
bir<ls). Hallux very small, elevated, frequently lateral (»r versatile.
Middle toe not produeed nor its elM iiedinate. Bill niueh as in the
last, but rictus inibristled. Small. Pluiuage compact, of few simple
subdued colors Ci/pseliihc.

Family of PSITTACI.

To characters of Psi'ffaci add: Ore feathered, coneealimr the nostrils. Fi-et
L'ranular. rm^c-e. Wind's pointed. Tail euiieate, Plumatre coarse and dry.
Head teaihered. < 'olors green, with yellow ami blue . . , . Psittackhf.-

AxALVsi? OF Families of RAFTORES.

Feet liiL:Iiiy raptorial, with larire. stronjj:, sharp, curved, contractile claw.«;,
adapted for irrasitinu'. Ilalhix perfectly incumbent, lenirthened (laore than half lis
lonu" as the t'ourili toi-). with lari:-e claw. Front toes with sliuht basal weblnnjj:
liciwccn outer or middle t)nes, or nouc: outer toe oftiMi reversible. Nostrils im-
pcilbrate. IJill short, stout, not notaltly contracted in its eontiiuiity, with
stroiiuly hooked tip: tomia often once-twice toothetl or lobed. Head featheriMl
wholly or in <^reatest part, bower larynx doveU>ped with one j»air of nmscles.
IMumaiie with or without after-shafts. (\ec;v ]»resent, as a rule, if n«>t always.
IMiysio-iitMny pi^culiar by n-ason tif i.q'<'at lateral expansion and hMiirthwise
shorteniuu if the cranium, eausinir the <'yes to be ilirected forwartl. Eyes
surrounded liy a disc of radialinpf bristly feathers, in front eloseh' appressed
to ami hiilini;" the base of the bill, <'lsewhere bounded by a rim of dilVerently
formed feathers. Tomia ni'ver toothed or lobed. Nostrils usually at the edtre
of the cere, ( )utin- toe completely vrsatile. shorter than the imu'r toe. 1-Jasal
phalanx olnii<ldle toe not Ioniser than the secoml. and nuich shorter than the
next. I.eus commonly featheretl or bristly to or on the to(\s. PlumaLre
peculiarly soft and lax, without after-shafts; lli^ht perfectly noiseless. Cra-
nial walls widely separated liy intervention of sponury diploe. Stenuim

commonly doubly notched. Chii'lly nocturnal Sfrujidce.

Physioirnomy not peculiar in any lateral expansion ol' the cranium: the
eyes lateral in direction. No complete facial disc; base of l>ill not hidden by

^ Exccptini; S/)/ni)'npicuff, in which the tonpic is not nion^ pndnisiblc than in ordinary birds.
- Our species falls rather in a restricted fannly Aridr, as distinguished from Psiffoculcv proper,
vol.. I. d

xxvi NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS.

•

apprc'.«.«e<l bristles. Nostrils wholly in the core. Outer toe rarely versatile,
except Pandion, etc.; nut shorter than the inner. IJasal phalanx of middle
toe longer than the second. Legs connnonly naked and scutellate or reticu-
late in some portion of their length ; toes always bare and scaly. Plumage
compact, usually with after-shafts; flight audible. Cranial walls with little
diploc. Sternum connnonly single-notched or fenestrate, sometimes entire.

Diiunal Fakonidce.

Feet scarcely raptorial, with lengthened, little curved or contractile, weak, short
claws. Hallux elevated, shortened, not more than half as long as the fourth toe,
Avitli small claw. Front toes all wcbbcd at base: middle ti>e lengthened; outer
not reversible. Basal phalanx of midijle toe longer than either of the succeeding.
Nostrils perforate. Bill lengthened and comparatively weak, little hooked, con-
tracted in its continuity ; tomia not toothed or lolt«'d. Head naked of feathers
in greatest part ; si)arsely bristly. No lower larnyx developed. No C(eca.
After-shafts absent Cathartidce.

Family of COLUMBiE.

With characters essentially as in Cohimhai (exclusive of those peculiar to Di-
duncudidce and Didid(r). Plumage without after-shafts: the feathers with thick-
ened, spongy rhachis loosoly inserte<l in the skin. Head small, completely
feathered, excepting sometimes a cin-mnorltital >pace. Tarsi naked or only
feathered a little way above. Tail of twelve ti'athers. or Icngthenecl, cuneate. and
of fourteen. (Hallux not perfectly incumbent in Sf<irn(T)in>t.) . . , Cohmibidce.

AxALV,«is OF Families or GALLINiE.

Hind toe lengthened, insistent. Tail-feathers twelve. Sides of head and
throat with naked sjiaces. Color greenish ....... Cntcidce.

Hind toe shortened, elevated. Tail-feathers usually Iburteen or more. No
green.

Large. Tarsi, toes, an<l nasal fossic naked. Head bare of feathers, sparsely
bristly, with wattles and caruncles. A pectoral tuft of bristly feathers.
Tarsi usually spurred in the male. Plumage iridescent . . . MtJengrididcc.

Medium. Tarsi wholly or in great part, sometimes also the toes, and always
the nasal fossa\ feathered. Head completely feathered, excepting a definite
papillate strip over the eye. Tail-feathers sixteen or more. Sides of neck
usually with lengthened feathers, or a naked distensible area, or both. No
s{)urs. Plumage without iridescence ....... Tetraonidce.

Small. Tarsi, toes, and nasal fossa> naked. Head completely feathered.
No ])eculiar feathers or tympanum on sides of neck. No spurs. Plumage
not iridescent Perdkida.

Analysis of Families of LXMICOLiE.

Toes not lobate. Tarsi not notably compiessed.

Legs extremely long: the tarsus e(pialling or exceeding the tail, and feet
either four-toed and palmate (^RecurviroHtrd). or three-toed and semipal-
niatt' (Ilimautopxs); wiih the bill much longer than the head, very slender,
acute, and curved ujiward ........ Recurvirosirida.

Legs moderate, stout. Tarsus shorter than tail. Bill hard, more or less
contracted at base, with short nasal fossa, gonydeal angle, and ascending

INTRODUCTION.

XXVI I

ffonvs the tip either compressed and truncate or depressed and acute.
Feet three-toed and witli basal webbing {lice ma (op us), or ibur-toed and
cMt (Sfrepsilas) Jhetnatopodidce,

Leo-s moderate. Tarsus shorter than tail, reticulate. Hind toe wanting
(except in S<iuafar(}hi, where ve'V small, and in Aphriza). Bill short,
straight, — not exceeding the head (generally shorter), — shaped likt- a
pigeon's, with short, broad, soft nasal loss* separated by a constriction Irom
the enlargetl, obtuse, horny terminal part. Head large, globose, contracting
suddenly to the bill. Neck short . • ... • . • CharadriklcE.

Legs moderate. Tarsus shorter than tail, seutcHaie. Hind toe present.
Bill long, — equalling, or oftener exceeding, frequently several times longer
than, the head : sottish and memliranous to the very tip. without constric-
tion in its continuity ; straight or variously curved .... Scolojmcidce.
Toes lobate. Tarsi notably compressed.

General characters of Scohpacida. Body depressed; the under plumage
thickened, duck-like. Habits natatorial PhaJaropodidce.

Analysis of Families of HER0X>I0NES.

Hallux lengthened, perfectly incumbent, with large claw. Tarsi scutellate. Mid-
dle claw pectinate. Bill perfectly straight, tapering, acute. Loral region defi-
nitely naked, continuous with covering of the bill. Head narrow, elongate,
tapering .............. Ardeidce.

ILiUux somewhat reduced, less perfectly incum])ent. Tarsi commonly reticulate.
Midille claw not pectinate. Lores, gular space and usually more of the head,
naked. Bill variously curved or with expanded tip. (Genera Tantahis, Ibis.
Myclerittj and Phitalea.) ........... TantaJidce.

Analysis of Families of ALECTORIDES.

Of crreat stature, with extrenielv lontr neck and Iciifs. Part or all of the head
bare. Toes much shorter than the tarsi; with basal webbing, l>ut with<jut loba-
tion ; hallux very short, highly elevated. Bill equalling or exceeding the head,
compressed, perfectly straight, contracted about the middle, with enlarged acute
terminal portion; nasal fossie wide and deep, with large perforate nostrils . Gruldce.

Size moderate and small ; neck and legs comparatively short. Head com-
pletely feathered, excepting, in the Coots and Gallinules. a broad horny frontal
plate. Toes equalling or exeeeding the tarsi, simple or lobate. Bill not con-
stricted in the middle, rather shorter than the head, straight and (piite stout; or
much longer, retjularlv slender and decurved, with lonjr nasal fosste. Nostrils
incompletely or not perforate Rallidce,

Analysis of Families of LAMELLIROSTRES.

Of great stature, with extraordinarily lengthened neck and legs. Bill of unique
shape, bent abruj^tly down from the middle. Tibiic naked below. Hind toe
minute or absent. Wings rounded. Red the ehief color . . . PhirnkopterklcE.

Of moderate size : the neck short, or, when lengthened, not accompanied by
co-ordinately lengi hened legs, these being always shorter ^ian the wing. Bill
straight. Tibia? feathered below. Hind toe j)resent : well developed and func-
tional, though short Anatidce.

xxviii NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS.

Analysis of Familu:s of STUGANOPODES.

Bill rather longer than head, cleft to eyes, very stout at base, tapering to the
(lecurved, but not hooked, tip. Nostrils al>ortive. (rular sac niodr-rate, naked.
Wings rather long, pointed. Tail long, stitl', cuneate, twelve to Iburteen teathcrod.
Feet nearly beneath centie ot'eiiuiliijriuni. (feneral eonliguration goose-like . SuUdce.

Bill several times longer than hv>ad, slender but strong, de})ressed. [)ertectly
straight, with small distinct hooked nail at end. Nostrils very small. Oular sac
enormous. Mandibular rami meetinir onlv at ti|>. Wiuu's extremelv lon<^ with
upward of forty remiges. Tail short, numded. of twenty or more feathers.
Legs beneath centre of e<[uilil>riinn. extremely short and stout . . . Pelicanida.

Bill about as long as head, stout, straight, scarcely tapering, strongly hooked.
Nostrils al)ortive. Gular sac moderate, but evident: mostly naked. Wings
short. Tail large, fan-shape(l. scansorial, of twelve to fourteen ])ix»ad stilf feath-
ers, exposed to the l)ase. Legs inserte<l far behind centre of e(inilii)rium . firacididce.

Bill rather longer than head. slemU'r, perfectly straight, tapering to an acute
tip. Gular sac small. Nostrils minute. Wings and tail, and general configin-a-
tion, as in the last Phtklcc.

Bill much longer than head, straight, stout, strongly hooked. Nostrils very small.
Gular sac well developed. Wings exceedingly long, strong, and pointed. Tail
exceedingly long, deeply forked. Feet extraordinarily short ; tarsi partly feath-
ered .............. TachypeiidcE.

Bill about as long as head, straight, stout, tapering to an acute tip. Nostrils
small. Gular sac rudimentary, feathered. Wings modei-ate, pointed. Tail
short, but with two central feathers extraordinarily prolonged and filamentous.
Feet small, beneath centre of equilibriimi ....... PhcBthontida.

AxALYSis OF Famimks OF LONGIPENNES.

Nostrils not tubular, lateral. ]>crforatc. Bill -with <'ontinuous covering, or only
broken bv a sort of cere, hooked or straight to the en<l. Hallux small and ele-
vated, but .always present . . . . . . . . ... Laridce.

Nostrils tubular, disjoined and lateral, or oftenest superior and united in one
double-barrelled tube. Covering of bill in several pieces; bill always hooked.
ILdlux minute, rudimentarv, or absent . ... . . . Prorelhinidcu.

Analvsls of Families of PYGOPODES.

Feet four-toed, palmate. Hallux lobate, connected at base with l>ase of inner
toe. Tail perfect. Head closely and comiiletely featheri'd. Nostrils with a de-
pending lobe or thip. Bill straight, con-ijiressed. acute .... C*oJi/mhidfc.

Feet four-toed, lobate. ILdlux lobat(\ free. Tail rudimentary. Head with a
naked loral strip and bristly or variously lengthened feathers. Nostrils sim])le.
Bill straight or decurved at end. compressed, acute ..... Podicfjn'do'.

Feet three-toed. palmat(\ Hallux absent. Tail perfect. Head closely feathered
or variously crested. Nostrils simple. Bill of indeterminate shape . . . Alcida;.

xoRTH america:n^ birds.

Family TURDIDiE. — The Thrushes.

The Tiir(lidn\ with the Scwirolida^ and Clnclidcr, form a group closely
related, hy coininon characters, and appreciably diflerent from tlie other
Oxn'ncs with slender l>ills and specially insectivorous habits, having, like
them, ten primaries (the first much shorter than the second, but nearly
always ap]»reciable), and tlie nostrils uncovered. The great family of
SnlriroJ'uhr, with similar characters of the bill, never present more than
nine primaries. The most striking of these common characters is seen
in the deeply cleft toes, of which the outer is united V»y tlie basal joint
alone to tlie middle toe, while the inner is separated almost to the very
base of its first joint.^ The frontal feathers extend, with rare exceptions,
to the very nostrils. The bill is elongated and subulate, moderately slender,
and usually notched at tip ; the culmeii moderately curved from the base,
and the mouth well provided with bristles, except in a few cases. Usually
the scutellic covering the front and sides of the tarsus are fused into one
continuous plate, or else scarcely appreciable, except on the inner edge
onlv ; in the ^Fockini; Thrushes thev are, however, distinctly marked. The
lateral toes are nearly ecpial, the outer rather the longer. With these as
some of the principal characteristics, they may be distinguished from each
other as follows : —

XoTE. — In tlie prosont work the lencrth of tlio tail i« mcaenrfd from the coccyx, in«i<lo of the skin,
and not, as usnally the case, from the base of the quills at their insertiou. The wiugs are measured
from the carpal joint, with dividers.

1 In a perfectly freslj specimen of Tunhin mvfifeh'nux, the basal ha'Tof the first phalanx of the
inner tw is connected with the first joint of the middle toe by a membrane- which stretches
amoss to within two fifths of the <'nd of the latter ; there ap}>ears, however, to be no lii^amentous
adhesion. The basal joint of the outer toe is entiifly adher«'nt, and a membrane extends from
nearly the basal half of the second joint to the distal end of the fii-st ji»int of the mi«hlle toe.
"When this connecting membrane becomes diied the division of the toes api>ears consid»;ral)ly
f,'reater.

"Wlu'u the toes are all extended in line with the tarsus, the hind claw stretches a little lieyond
the lateml and scarcely reaches the base of the middle claw.

Tlii^ plates at the upper surface of the basal joints of tlie toes are quadrangular and opposite
each other.

ir'O'-

.„. BRAINY

2 NORTH AMKHTrAX BTUDS.

A* Nostrils oval. Loral and frontal foathers with bristly points, or intcrsprrsod with
bristles ; rictus with lonjrer or sliortor bristles.

Sazicolidse. Winjrs very long; and much pointed, reaching beyond the middle
of the siiort s<piare or emarjjinated tail, and one and a half times or more the
lenjrth of the latter. The si>urious priniary very short, the second quill lonp-r
than the fom-th. In the el<)se<l wing tlu; outer secondary reaches only about two
thirds the length of longest primary.

Turdidae. Wings moderate, more roundeil, not reaching beyond middle of the
el'ten loimded tail, an<l not more than one and a third the latter, usuallv nion*
nearly eipial. Spurious j>rimary sometinn'S half the Imgth of second quill ; the
second (piill shorter than the fourth. In the closed wing the outer secondary
reaches three fourths or more the length of longest primary.

B« Nostrils linear, in lower edge of nasal membrane. Loral and frontal feathers soft
and downy, and no bristles or bristly points whatever about the mouth.

Cinclidse. Body very short and broad. Wings short, rounded, and concave.

The American Si/Ini(I(r are in some respects very closely related to the
Sa,ri(oli(fa\ but may be distinj^uished by their nmcli smaller size, mure
slender and de[)ressed bill, more strongly bristled rictus, etc. ; on whicli
account they are more strictly " Hy -catchers," taking their prey in great
part on the wing.

Of the three families, the Turdida- contain a great variety of forms,
and exhibit widely difl'erent characters, rendering it exceedingly ditficult
to arrange them in any systematic or regular scMiuence, or to accurately
define their boundaries. In the Birds of North America, the Mocking
Tlirushes were placed .among the Wrens, on account of the distinct tarsal
scutelhe, and otlier cliaracters. We are now, however, inclined to believe,
with Dr. Sclater, that their place is with the recognized Tvrdida; and,
among other reasons, on the ground of their more deeply cleft toes, and
greater extension forward of frontal feathers. The i'ollowing synoi)sis of
the Nortli American forms will serve tlie })urpose c^f determining the genera,
even if these are not armnged or combined in a strictly natural manner.

A. Turdinse. — Tarsus covered anteriorly with a continuous plate without
scales.

Wings decidedly longer than the tail, w^hich is nearly even. Bill con-
siderably shorter than the hea<l.

First quill usually not one fourth the second. Wings pointed. Tarsus
hardly the length of head, but yet longer than middle toe ; outstretched
toes falling short of tip of tail Tardus.

B* Miminae. — Tarsi scutellate anteriorly ; scales seven.

Wings decidedly longer than the tail, which is nearly even. Tarsus as

long as the head.

Bill decidedly shorter than the head, scarcely notched ; wings pointed ;
first quill less than half the second , third and fourth longest. Claws
not peculiar. Bristles prominent. Tarsus considerably longer than
middle toe and claw Oreoscojttes

SINGING BIRDS — OSCINES. 3

"WiriiTs "Iciidrdly slioitiT tlian the tail, wliich is considcrablv frradnattM] ;
first quill iialfur iiiort.' than halt" the second.

JJill ncjtrhed at tip, shorter than head: straiLdit.

Seutelhe very distinct ; gonys strai<riit, or even deelinin;; at tip. Mimun.

Seutelhe more or less obsolete; gonys convex, ascending at tip. (r'lleosionfes.

Bill not notched at tip, lengthened; sometimes much decurvetl. Jlurp'n/iijuchus.

Note. — In the liiview of Ainerican Birds, I., May, l^tJ^), 409, I liave advaiKt'd the siiggt'stion
tliat till' X. American genus MijiaiUstis, nsually placed under the AmjHliihr, really Indongs under
'J'linliif'j: in a group Mijiadiisliuvc. The relationships are certainly very (dos**, as is shown hy the
characters <jiven Iwdow.

("oMMox CnAiiACTEKS. — Tarsi without regidar transverse scutell.x', except at lower end.
Wiuj^s acute, }M)i-.ited, as long as or longer than tail, which is hut sli<^htly gmduated. First
[•riniary rarely half second, which exce«'ds the secondaries. Base of i[uills buify yellow, as are
inner edges. Tail s[»otted or varied at the end. Young birds with many light si»ots. Very
melodious singers.

Myiadestinae. Bill .short, much di'pressed ; niouth deejdy cleft : width at base al)Out eipiai
to the distance from nostril to tii», or greater ; commissure more than twice distance from nostrils
to tij) of bill, and nearly two ami a half times length of g<)nys. Legs weak ; tarsi rather longer
than miildle tot; and claw. Tail feathers tajn'ring slightly from base to near tip, giving a slightly
euneate ap|M'arance to the tail.

Turdinse. Bill stouter, more lengthened ; narrow at base and more compressed ; width at
base less than distance from nostril to tijt ; comnnssure not more thaii twice disUmce from
nostrils to tip ->f bill, and about twice length of gonys.' Tarsi stouter, longer than nuddle to<'
and claw. Tail feathers widening slightly from base to near ti[t, giving a parallel-sided or
slightly fan-shaped appt'arance to the tail.

Tin Mniiiiitf diller, as already mentioned, in the scutellate tarsi : more rounded wings, etc. —
S. F B.

Subfamily TURDIN^.

There are several American genera of Turdlncc not found north of
^lexico as yet, althougli it is not impossible that one of these {Cathnrns)
may liereafter be detected within the limits of the United States. The
species of CathtiruH reseml>le the North American wood-thrushes {Hylocichla) ;
but the spurious or first jaimar}^ quill is longer (from one half to one tliird the
second <iuill), the wings are rounded, not pointed, the tarsus is longer than
the head, and tlie outstretched toes extend beyond the tail. The species to
l)e looked for are C. mclpomaic and occidcntalis}

The Xorth American species of Turdiiur, while IBffiiied under the single
,'eiui3 T Urdus, yet constitute several distinct groups, which we may call

subgenera.

Genus TURDXTS, Linn.eus.

Turdiis, LiXN^us, Syst. Nat., ed. 10, 17r.8, 108. (TyjK', Tunfits vm-ivoriis of EuroiK?.) —
Baird, Rev. Am. Birds,

Gex, Char. Bill conical, subulate, shorter than the head; the tip gently decnrved and
notched (except in Ilesperocichla) ; tiie rictus with moderate bristles ; the wiugs rather

* JSee Baii-d, Review American Biixis, I, 1864, 7, 8.

4 NOUTII AMEHICAX BIRDS.

long- and pointorl, with sm.ill first primary (U'ss tlian one foiirtli tho socond) ; winf]cs pon-
sidcralily lonp-r than thr tail, which is linn, nearly even, with hroad li'atln'rs. Tarsi
variabic-, scldctin as loiij; as tho skull, the sciitelhi' instil into a continuous plate, only in
rare individual instances showing indications oi" the lines ol' separation.

The genus Tnrdtfs is very cosiiiopolitiiii, occiinii'g nearly throughout the
glol)e, exee])ting in At(str<ilii(, and enihraces species of higliest perleetion
as singers. In the Lirge niunber of species known tliere are many varia-
tions in external form, but the transition from one to the other is so gradual
as to render it very ditticidt to separate them into diflerent genera. The
sections of the group we ado])t are the following : —

ikxcs similar.

Hylocichla. Smallest species. Hill short, hroad at base ; much depn-ssed. Tai-si long and
slender, longer than middle toe and i law, by the additional lenu'th of the elaw ; ontstretehed
legs reaching nearly to tip of tail. Bovly slender. Color : above olivaceous or reddish, bein*ath
whitish ; Ijreast spotted ; throat without sjKjts.

Turdus. Bill stouter and hi<dier. Tarsi stout and short, scaicelv lonifer than nuchlle toe and
(law. liody stout, generally whitish beneath and spotted. (Second tpiill longer than tifth i)

Flanesticus. Similar to preceding. (Second (piill shorter than lifth .') lieneath mostly
uni-colored ; unstreaked except the throat, which is whitish with dark streaks.

Sexes dissiiiiihtr.

Merula. Similar to TurihiH. Male usually more or less l.-Luk, especially on the head ;
females brownish, often with streake«l throats, liill distinctly notched.

Hesperocichla. Similar to Tardus. Male reddish beneati'j, with a black collar. Bill
without notch.

^

SuBonxus H7LOCICHLA, Raird.

HtjlocichJif, lUiui) (s. g.), Kev. Am. liinls, 1SG4, 1"2. (Type, Tardus viusfdinus.)

The essential characters of Hylocichla have already been given. The

siibuenus includes the small North
American si>ecies, with Turdus mus-
tclinus, Gm., at the head as type,
which are closelv connected on tlie
one side with CatharuA, by their
lengthened tarsi, and with Turdus
by the shape of the wing. The
bills are shorter, more dei>ressed,
and broader at base than in typi-
cal Turdus, so much so that the
species have fre([uently been de-
scribed under Muscicapa.

It is not at tdl improbable that

naturalists may ultimately conclude to consider the group as of generic

rank.

In this group there appears to be five well-marked forms or "species."

They are, mustclinus, Gm., 'palhisi, Cabau., fusccsccns, Steph., swainsoni.

Tardus mustelinus.

TUKD1D.E — THE TIIUUSIIES.

Caban., and alvirr, IJaiid. The first-immcMl is totally unlike the R.^t,
which are nioic tdosely related in ai>pearanee.

In studvini,^ carefully a very large series of specimens of all the species,
the l'on(nvini4 facts become evident : —

1. In autumn and winter the "olive" coh)r of the plumage assumes a
browner cast than at ot^er seasons ; this variation, however, is the same
in all the sjiecies (and varieties), so that in autunin and winter the several
species dilfer from each other as nuich as they do in spring and summer.

Of these five species, two only {palhisi
and siraiHsoni) inhabit the whole breadth
of the continent ; and they, in the three
?\uinal rnninces over which they ex-
tend, are moditied into "races" or "va-
rieties" characteristic of each region.
The first of these species, as the paJIcd
var. jiiillasi, extends westward to the
liocky Mountains, and migrates in winter
into the South ; specimens are very nuich
browner in the winter than in spring ;
but in the liocky ^lountain region is a
laruer, <;raver race, the var. ainltihoni.
This, in its migmtions, extends along the
central mountain region through ^lexico
to (ruatemala; sj)ecimens from the northern and southern extremes of this
range are identical in all the specific characters ; but the southern specimens,
being in the fall and winter dress, are brcjwner in color than northern ones
(spring birds) ; an autumnal example from Cantonment Ikirgwyn, X. M., is
as l>rown as any Central American specimen. Along the IVicific Province,
from Kodiak to Western ^lexico, and occasionally stra^nlinu: eastward toward
the Itockv Mountain svstem, there is the var. nanus, a race shmlln- than
tlie var. pallasi, and with much the same colors as var. ojidahoni, though the
rufous of the tail is deeper than in either of the other forms. In this race,
as in the others, there is no ditierence in size between si)ecimens liom
north and south extremes of its distribution, because the breeding-] dace
is in the Xorth, all Southern specimens being winter sojourners from their
Xorthern birthplace.

The T. sicaiiisoni is found in abundance westward to the western limit
of the liocky ^lountain system ; in the latter region specimens at all
seasons have the olive of a clearer, more greenish shade than in any P^asterii
examples; this clearer tint is analogous with that of the liocky ^lountain
form oi iKiUasi {aiuUihoni). In precisely the same region inhabited by the
pallasi var. nanus the sirainsoal also has a reju'esentafive form, — the var.
if sf I' /at us. This resembles in pattern the var. swainsom) but the olive above
is decidedly more rufescent, — much as in liocky ^b)uiitain specimens of

Turilus ustulatus.

g NOKTIl AMEiaCAN JUiiDS.

T. ftifu'mrnx ; tlu' s]M)ts on juijjuliiin ami bivasi arc alsn iiarrowor, as will
as lumlly ilaikt'r in tolui* than the back; and tlic tail is louj^cr than in
llocky Mountain sintinmni, in wliich latter it is longer than in Kiistcrn
examples. The remaining sj>ecies — ituis/cfinns, fits(rsrrn>i, and fdicia- —
extend no farther west than the Ilockv Mountains ; the first and last
only toward their eastern base, while the second Ijreeds abundantly as far
as the eastern limit of the (Jreat Basin.

The 7\ fa sr ('.sans, from the Itocky ^Fountains, is considerably darker in
color alM)\e, while the specks on the thn)at and jugular are sparser or more
obsolete than in Ejustern birds.

In T. nnusttlinKs, the only two Western specimens in the collection
(Mount Carroll, Ills., and Fort PieiTe) have the rump of a clearer grayish
than specimens from the Atlantic Coast ; in all other respt^cts, however,
they appear to be identical. Some Mexican specimens, being in winter
jdumage, have the breast more butfy than Northern (spring or summer)
examjdes, and the rufous of the head, etc. is somewhat brighter.

In alkicv, no difl'erence is observed between Kastern and Western birds;
the reason is, probaldy, that the breeding-ground of all is in one province,
though their migrations may extend over two. There is, however, a marked
difl'erence between the spring and autumn plumage ; the clear grayish of
the former being replaced, in the latter, by a snufly brown, or sepia tint,
— this especially noticeable on wings and tail.

The following synopsis is intended to show the charactei*s of the different
species and varieties.

1. Spots heneafh ronnded, con r in;/ breast and sides.

A* Rufous hrown above, becominir much brigliter towiird the bill, and more
olivaceous on the tail. Beneath white ; whole breast with rounded spots. Nest
on tree; eggs })ale l»lue.

1. T. mustelinua. Beneath nearly pure white, with rounded black-
ish spots over the whole breast, sides, and upper part of abdomen;
Aving. 4.2'); tail, 3.05; culmen, .80; tarsus, 1.20. Hub. Ejistern Prov-
ince United States, south to Guatemala and Honduras. Cuba and
Bermuda of West Indies.

2. Spots beneath triangular, on breast only.

B* Entirely uniform in color above, — olivaceous, varying to red«lish or
greenish with the sj)ecies. Beneath wliitish. with a wash of brownish across
the breast and along sides. Spots triangular, ami conlined to the breast. Nest
on trees or bushes ; eggs bhu; spotted with brownish ; except in T. fuscescens,
whiclj nests on the ground, and lays plain blue eggs.
a. A'b conspicnofis Jir/ht orbital ring.

2. T. fuscescens. Yellowish-rufous or olive-fulvous above ; a strong
wjish of pale fulvous across the throat and jugulum, where are very
indistinct cune&te spots of same shade as the back. Wing, 4.10 ; tail,
3.00; culmen, .70; tarsus, 1.15. Ilab. Eastern Province of North
America. North to Nova S<'otia and Fort Garry. West to Great Salt
Lake. South (in wintei) to Panama and Brazil. Cuba.

w

Trunm.K — TiiK Tiir.rsiiKs.

3. T. alicise. nravish <lovf-1)rowii al>ov«^ ; broast almost whifr. with
bread, l»lai-ki>li sjiots : whole si»K' of iicatl uuironii jriayish. Wmjr,
4/J(); tail, ^{.20; lulinni. .77; tarsus, l.l.'i. Ifnh. Knsivvn Proviii.-c
North AnuM-ica froiu short' of Arctic Ocean. Fort Viiktm, and Kodiak
to Costa Kica. West to Missmni River. Cuba.

b. A nni-i/n'rinius orbital rin'j *>/ buff.

4. T. swainsonL

Cireeiiish-olive alK)ve, brejv^t and sides of head stron^dy tin«red with
bull'. Spots «)!! breast broad, distinct, nearly black. Lenj;th,
7.00; win^', 3.;m); tail, 'J.'-H) ; euhnen, .<m ; tarsus, 1.10. llnb.
Eastern and Mithlle Trovinces of North America. N«»rth to
Slave Lake, south to Ecuador, west to East Humboldt Moun-
tains ^'»r. swainsoni.

Brownish-olive above, somewhat more rufesoent on wing; breast
and head strontrly washed with dilute rufous. Spots on breast
narrow, scarcely darker than ba<'k. Win^', 3.8'); tail, .'*.(«); eul-
men, .70; tiirsus, l.lO. J/ah. Pacific Province of Cnitetl States,

(fuatemala var. nstulatus.

C. Above olivaceous, bccominjjr abruptly more reddish on uj)per tail-coverts
and tail. Spots as in siniiusom', but lar«;«'r and less transverse, — more sharply
dehned. An orbital ring of pale buD". Nest on ground ; eggs blue, probably
unspotted.

T. pallasL
Olivaceous of ui>|)er parts like nsfiilafxs. Reddish of upper tail-
coverts invading lower part of rump; no marked diHerence in
tint between the tail and its upper coverts. Flanks and tibiiu
vellowisli olive-brown ; a faint tinge of bull* acri\ss the breast.
Eggs plain. Wing, 3,80; tail. 3.00; eulmen, .70; tarsus, 1.20.
Ifub. Eastern Province of Cnited States (only ?) . . \i\r. jtallus i .
Olivaceous of upper parts like sirduisimi. Reddish of tail not in-
vading the rumi), and the tail decidely more eastaneous than the
upjuT covert.s. Beneath almost pure white ; scarcely any bulT
tinge on breast ; flanks and tibiie grayish or plumbeous olive.
Size smaller than snuiinsoni ; bill depressed. Wing, 3.00; tail,
2.(50; culm«*n, .(10; tarsus, l.l."). J/ab. Western Province of North
America, from Kodiak to Cape St. Lucas. East to East Humboldt

Mountahis var. nanus.

Olivaceous abo\e, like preceding; the upper tail-coverts scarcely
difVcrent from the back. Tail yellowish-rufous. Beneath like
VON us. Size larger than su'ainsoui. Wing, 4.20; tail, 3.35; eul-
men, .80; tarsus, 1.30. Hah. Rocky Mountains. From Fort
Bridger, south (in winter) to Southern Mexico . . var. audubon i.

5.

Turdus mustelinus, (Imelin.

THE WOOD THBUSH.

Turdus vnistdhnts, Gmelin% Syst. Nat. I, 1788, 817. — Ai'dubon, Om. Biog. I, 1832, 372,
pi. 73. — Ib. Birds Am. Ill, 1841, 24, pL 144. — D'Okb. U Sagra's Cuba Ois. 1840,
49. — BAiKr>, Birds N.Am. 1858, 212. — Ib. Rev. Am. Birds, 1864, 13. — Sglatei:,
P. Z. S. 1856, 294, and 1859, 325. — JoxEs, Nat. iu Bermuda, 26. — Guxdlacu,

g NORTH AMKRICAX BIRDS.

Rt'lM-rtorio, 1865, 2*28. — M.\yn.\i:i». — Samt-kls, 14«». Ti'rdus virfn,h>s, W'li.s. Am.
Oiii. I, 1*08, a.'», i»l, ii, Tiirilns ihn.tiiK, IJunaI'. Coinptes lIomlu.s, XXVIII, lSii3, 2.
— In. N«»ti's Drlattiv, 1>.',4, 2«5 iThIkimo).
AtMitiunal ti;;iii»s : ViKii.i.or, Ois. Aiu. S«|>t. II, jil. l.vii. — WiLsos, Am. Orn. T, pi. ii.

Sp. Ciiau. A1»ov(' clf.ir ciniiamon-lnow!!. on the top of the hea«l bcconiiiiir more
rulons, nil th«' rump ami tail olivaceous. Tht- uiuler parts are dfar white, sometimes
tiii<r<'«l with l>utr on the hreast or anteriorly, an<l thickly marke«l ben<'ath. except on tiie
chin antl throat ami ahoiit the vent and tail-eovcrts. with suh-triauirnlar. shari>ly dclinccl
sj>ots of lilaekish. The sides of the head an* dark hrowii, streak«'d with white, a'ul there
is also a maxillary s«Mies of str«'aks on each side of the throat, the central portion of which
i^ometimes has indications of small spots. L«'ntrth, M.IO inches; winir, 4.2.'» : tail, 3.()'» ;
tarsus, \.2C}. Vouni: l»ird similar to adult, but with rusty yellow triangular spots in the
en<ls of the winjr coverts.

IIai!. U. S. east of Missouri plains, south to rruatemala. Bcnnuda (n<»t rare). Cuba,
La Sacra; Gi xni.Aeii. Honduras, Moouk, Cordova, Scl. Orizaba (winter), Simicup

Haiiit.s. The W(M)«l Thrush, witliout heiiifj anywhere a very ahtiiulaiit
sjiecies, is coininon thnm^diout iieaily every ]>nrti.)n of the Inited States
between tlie Mississi]*})! JJiver and the Athmtie. It laeeds in every
])nrti()n of the same e.xteniled a'ea, at least as far as (leorjjfia on the south
and Massaehiisetts on the north. I'evond the last-named State, it rarelv,
if ever, breeds on tlie coast. In the interior it lias a higlier raiiLje, ne.stinj^
around Hamilton, C. W. So far as I am aware it is uukiiowii, or very mre,
in the States of Vermont, New Hampshire, and Elaine.

It makes its a]>p(^'arance early in A])ril in the Middle States, hut in Xew
England not until four or five weeks later, appearing aljoiit tlie loth of May.
Their migrations in fall are more irregular, being aj»j)arently determined by
the abundance of their food. At times thev depart as early as the tirst
of Sej^tember, but sometimes not until the last of October, It winters
ill Central America, where it is quite abundant at that season.

The favorite localities of the AVood Thrush are the borders of dense
thickets, or low dami> Indlows shaded by large trees. Yet its habits are
by no means so retiring, or its nature po timid, as these jdaces of resort
would lead us to infer. A small grove in Iioxbury, now a part of r>oston,
in close proximity to a dwelling-house, was for many years the favorite
resort of these birds, where several pairs nested and reared their young,
rarelv even leaving their nests, which were mostly in low bushes, whollv
unmindfid of tlie curious children who were their frequent visitors. The
same fearless familiarity was observed at ^Mount Auburn, then tirst used
as a public cemetery. IJut in the latter instance the nest was always
placed high up on a branch of some sprea<ling tree, often in conspicuous
places, but out of reach. ^£r. J. A. Allen refers to several similar instances
where the Wood Thrush did not show^ itself to l>e such a recluse as many
describe it. In one case a pair built their ne.'it within the limits of a
thickly peopled \illage, where there were but few trees, and a scanty
undergrowth. In another a Wood Thrush lived for several successive
summers among the elms and maples of Court Square in the city of

TrKDIlLK — TI[K TIIUrsiIKS.

n

Sj>rin;rri('M, Mass., uiidisturlMil l>y the pa-<s«'rs 1»v' or tlie walkers iK-iieatli.
or the noise and rattle i\{' the vehicles «ni the e«»ntimious streets.

The soM^' u\' thi?^ thrush is one nf its most reniarkahle ami jdeasinLj
characteristies. No lover of swet't sounds ean have failed to notice it,
and, having (»t! e known its source, no one can fail to recognize it when
heard ai;ain. The nu'linly is <»ne of ^reat swtietness and power, and consists
of several })arts, the last note of which resenihles the tinkling of a small hell,
and seems to leave the conclusion suspended. Ejich part of its son*.,' seems
sweeter and richer than the ])recedin^^

The nest is usually huilt on the horizontal liranch of a small forest-tr«»e,
six or eij^dit feet from the pound, and, less frequently, in the fjrk of a hush.
The diameter is ahout '» inclu's, and the depth .*»J, with a cjivity avera^in^
3 inches across hy '2\ in de])th. They are firm, comjjact structures, chietly
composed of decayed (h^ciduous leaves, closely im])acted toj^a^ther, and ap-
jiarently thus ccnnhined when in a moistened condition, and afterwar«l
dried into a tirnuiess an<l strength like that of parchment. These are
intermingled with, and strengthened hy, a few dry twij.;s, and the whole
is lined with fine roots and a few fine drv «'ras.ses. Occasionally, instead
of the solid frame of impacted leaves, we find one of solidified mud.

The ei.ri:s of the Wood Thrush, usually four in nund>er, sometimes five,
are of a uniform deej)-hlue tint, witli hut a slight admi.xture of yellow,
which im})arts a greenish tinge. Their average measurements are l.UO hy

.to

inch.

Turdus fascescens, Stephens.

TAWHT THBUSH ; WILSON'S THBVSH.

Tnrrhis mu-iUlinns, Wilson, Aiikt. ()rnitholo«,'y, V, 1812, i»8, ]>!. 43 (not of Omfi.in).

Tiirf1unfKS4:es,-r,is, Stki'HKNs, Shaw's (m-ii. Zwl. Minis, X, i, 1817, 182. Tab. Jour. 1S.'>.5,
470 (Cuba). — B.vn:i», Binls X. Am. lSr)8, 214. — In. hVv. Am. R 18»)4, 17. — (irsiu..
Rrjjortorio, 18«.'), 22>'^ (Cuba, not ran'). Pklzkln, Oyw. IJias. ii, 1868, 02. (San
Vicente, linizil, l)ee.'mb.T.'> — Samckls, ir»U. — Sclatek, P. Z. S. 18,'>9, 326.— In.
Catul. Am. liinls, 1801, 2, No. 10. Tun/us siku.s, Vie:i,l. Eneydop. Meth. II, 1823,
647 (ba.s»'.l on T. itiu.'ifrlinKs, AVn.s.). Txnhfs trils,„iU, Hux. Or$s. Wils. 1825, Xo.
73. Tardus uiitwr, D'Okd. Lii Sagra's Cubii, (Jis. 1840, 47, pi. v (Cuba).

Sp. Char. Above, and on sides of head and net-k, nearly unifonn li;.dit red<]ish-hrown,
with a faint tendency to oranire «tn the crown and tail. Beneath, white; the fore part
of the breast and throat (paler on th.,' chin) tin<red vrith pale brownish-yellow, in decided
contrast to the white of the l)elly. The sides of the thr(»at and the fore part of the V)reast,
as colored, are niarked with small trianirnlar spots of liiriit brownish, nearly like the back,
but not well <lefined. There are a few obsolete blotches on the sides of the breast (in the
white) of pale olivaceous; the sides of tiie body tinsjed with the .same Tibi.c white.
The lower mandible is browjiish only at the tip. The lores are a.^h-colored, the orbital
region grayish. Length, 7..')0 ; wing. 4.2.'> ; tail, 3.20 ; tiirsns, 1.2(\

IIab. Eastern North America, Halifax to Fort Bridger, and north to Fort Garrv.
Cuba, Panama, and Brazil (winter). Orizaba (winter), Slmiciikast.

10 XORTII AMERICLX BIRDS.

Habits. Tliis species is one of tlie eommon liinls of Xew Enfjland, {ind is
probiil)ly al)uiuljuit in certain localities tlironghout all the couni.y east of the
Iiocky Mountains, as far to the north as the oOth parallel, and possibly
as far as the wooded country extends. Mr. M.aynard did not meet with
it in Xorthern New Hampshire. Mr. Wni. G. Winton obtained its nest
and eggs at Halifax, X. S. ; ^Ir. Boardman found them also on the (Julf
of St. Lawrence, and at St. Steplien's, N. B. ; Mr. Couper at Quebec ; ^Ir.
Krieghoff at Tliree llivers, Canada ; Donald Gunn at Selkirk and Ited
liiver ; and ^Ir. Kumlien and Dr. Hoy in Wisconsin. Mr. Mcllwraith
also gives it as connnon at Hamilton, West Canada. It breeds as far south
as Pennsylvania, and as far to the west as Utah, and occurs, in tlie breeding
season, throughout Maine, New Brunswick, Xova Scotia, and Canada.

Mr. Ilidgway found tliis thrush very abundant among the thickets in the
valleys of the Provo, Wel)er, and Bear rivei's, in Utah, and very character-
istic of those portions o*' the country.

It arrives in Massachusetts early in May, usually with the first blossoms
of the |)ear, ranging from the "jtli to the 2(lth. It is strictly of woodland
habits, found almost entirely among clumps of trees, and obtaining its food
from among their branches, or on the ground among the faUen leaves. It
moves south from the lOth to the 2r)th of September, rarely remaining till
the first week in October.

It is timid, distrustful, and retiring ; delighting in shady ravines, the edges
of thick close wooils, and occasionally the more retired parts of gardens;
where, if mmiolested, it will frequent the same locality year after year.

The song of this tlirush is ipiaint, but not unmusical ; variable in its
character, changing from a ])rolonged and monotonous whistle to (piick
and almost shrill notes at the close. Their melody is not unfrequently
prolonged until <piite late in the evening, and, in consecpience, in some
portions of Massachusetts these birds are distinguished with the name of
Nightingale, — a distinction due mther to the season than to the high quality
of their song. Yet Mr. Ilidgway regards it, as heard by himself in Utah,
as superior in some respects to that of all others of the genus, though far
surpassed in mellow richness of voice and depth of metallic tone by that of
the Wood Thrush {T. musfrlimts). To his ear there was a solemn harmony
and a lieautiful expression which combined to make the song of this surpass
that of fill the other American Wood Thrushes. The beauty of their notes
ai)i)earcd in his ears " really inspiring ; tlieir song consisting of an inex-
pressibly delicate metallic uttemnce of the syllables ta-iceei ah, ta-iced' ah,
tu'il' ah, twil' ah, acconqianied by a fine trill which renders it truly se-
ductive." The last two notes are said to be uttered in a soft and subdued
undertone, producing thereby, in effect, an echo of the others.

The ne.st is always placed near the ground, generally raised from it by
a thick bed of drv leaves or sticks ; sometimes amouix bushes, but never in
the fork of a ])ush or tree, or if .so, in very rare and exceptionol cases.

TURDID.E — THE THRUSHES.

11

When incubation liiis coinnK'nced, the fenuile is ruliu-tant to leave lier nest.
If driven off she utters no eoniplaint, but remains close at hanil and returns
at the tirst opportunity.

They construct tlieir nest early in ^lay, and the youn^' are hatched in the
latter part of that montli, or the first of June. They raise two l)ro«)ds in the
season. The nest, even more loosely put together tlian that of the Clround
Swamp Itobin {T. pallasi), is often witli ditticulty kept complete. It is
about 3 inches in height, 4i in diameter, with a cavity U inclies deep and
3 in width, and composed of dry bark, dead leaves, stems, and woody fibres,
intermingled with grasses, caricas, sedges, etc., and lined with soft skeleton
leaves. A nest from Wisconsin was composed entirely of a c^oarse species of
Spargan£um ; the dead stalks and leaves of which were interwoven with a

verv striking effect.

The eiTiXs, usuallv four, sometimes five in number, are of a uniform green
cohn-, with a sligiit tinge of blue, and average .*J4 by .GO of an inch in
diameter.

Turdus alicise, Baird.

OBAT-CHEEKED THRUSH; ALICE'S THRUSH.

Tardus aluur, Baiki>, Birds X. Am. IS.'.S, 217, plate 81, i. 2. — Ib. Rt-vicw Am. Birds, I,
1864, 21. —Corns, Pr. Ac. N. Sc. Aug. 1861, 217 (I^ibnidor). — In. Catal. Birds of
Washington. — (IrNDLACii, Ri'itcrtorio, 1865, 229 (Culia). — Lawu. Ann. X. Y. Lye.
IX, 91 (Costa Rica). — Dall and Banmstkii, Birds Alaska. — Riimjwav, Report.

Si'. CiiAK. Above nearly pure dark olive-green : sides of tiit- head svsh-gray ; the ehin,
tluoat, and under parts white; purest behind. Sides of throat and aeross the bre;ust with
arrow-shaped spots of dark plumbeous-brown. Sides of body and axilhiries dull grayish-
olivaeeous. Tibiie i)lunibeous; legs brown. Length, nearly 8 inches; wing, 4.20; tuil,
3.20; tarsus, l.l.x

Hab. Eastern North America to shores of Aretic Ocean, and along northern coast from
Labrador to Kodiak, breeding in immense lunnbers between the mouths of Mackenzie and
Coppermine. West to Fort Yukon ami Missouri River States. Winters south to Costa
Rica. Chiriqui, Salvix ; Cuba, Guxolach.

As originally described, this s^^ecies difiei's from sirniusoni in larger
size, longer bill, feet, and wings especially, straighter and narrower bill.
The back is of a greener olive. The breast and sides of the head are
entirely destitute of the buff tinge, or at best this is \ ory faintly indicated
on the upper part of the breast. The most characteristic features are seen
on the side of the head. Here tliere is no indication whatever of the light
line from nostril to eye, and scarcely any of a light ring round the eye, —
tlie whole region being grayish-olive, relieved slightly by whitish shaft-
streaks on the ear coverts. The sides of body, axi liars, and tibia^ are
olivaceous-gray, without any of the fulvous tinge seen in .walnsonL
The bill measures .40 from tip to nostril, sometimes more ; tarsi, 1.21 ;

12 XORTIl AMERRWX BIRDS.

win«^, 4.20; tail, 3.10, — total, aboiit 7.50. Some six'cimens slightly exceed
these dinieiisious ; few, if any, fall short of them.

In autumn the u^jper surface is somewhat different from that in spring,
being less grayish, and with a tinge of rich sepia or suuti-brown, this
becoming gradually more appreciable on the tail.

A specimen from Costa llica is undistinguishable from typical examples
from the Eastern United States.

Habits. Tins species, tii-st described in the ninth volume of the Pacific
Kailroad Surveys, beai-s so strong a resemblance to the Olive-backed Thrush
{T. swainsoui), that its value as a species has often been disputed. It was
first met with in Illinois. Since then numerous specimens have Ijeen ob-
tained from the District of Columbia, from Labr.idor, and the lower
Mackenzie IJiver. In the latter regions it Wiis found breeding abundantly.
It was also found in large numbers on the Anderson IJiver, but was rare
on the Yukon, as well as at Great Slave Lake, occurring there oidy as a
bird of passage to or from more northern breeding-grounds.

In regard to its general habits but little is known. Dr. Coues, who
found it in L'lbnidor, breeding abundantly, s})eaks of meeting with a family
of these birds in a deep an<' thickly wooded ravine. The young were just
about to fly. The parents evinced the greatest anxiety for the safety of
their brood, endeavoring to lead him from their vicinity by fluttering from
bush to bush, constantly uttering a melancholy phcrgh, in low whistling
tone. He mentions that all he saw uttered precisely the same note, and
were very timid, darting into the most impenetrable thickets.

This thrush is a regular visitant to ^lassachusetts, both in its spring and
in its fall migration. It arrives from alx)ut the first to the middle of ^lay,
and apparently remains about a week. It passes south about the first of
October. Occasionally it appears and is present in Massachusetts at the
same time with the Tnrdus svainsotii. From this species I hold it to be
unquestionably distinct, and in this opinion I am confirmed by the observa-
tions of two very careful and reliable ornithologists, Mr. William Brewster
of Cambridge, one of our most promising young naturalists, and Mr. George
O. Welch of Lynn, whose experience and observations in the field are
unsurpassed. They inform me that there are observable between these
two forms certain well-marked and constant differences, that never faD.
to indicate their distinctness with even greater precision than the constant
though less marked ditierences in their i)lumage.

The Turdns alicia' comes a few days the earlier, and is often in full song
when the T. sicainsoni is silent. The song of the former is not only
totally different from that of the latter, but also from that of all our
other Wood Thrushes. It most resembles the song of T. pallasi, but
differe in l)eing its exact inverse, for whereas the latter begins with its
lowest notes and proceeds on an ascending scale, the former begins with
its highest, and concludes with its low^est note. The song of the T. swain-

TUKDID.E — THE THiiUSHES.

13

soni, on the other hand, exhibits much less variation in the scale, all the
notes being of nearly the same altitude. *

I am also informed that while the T. sirainsoni is far from being a timid
species, but may be easily approached, and while it seems almost invariably
to prefer the edges of the pine woods, and is rarely observed in open grounds
or among the bare deciduous trees, tlie habits of the T. alicice are the exact
reverse in these respects. It is not to l)e founds in similar situations, but
almost always freciuents copses of hard wood, searching for its food among
their fallen leaves. It is extremely timid and dithcult to approach. As
it stands or as it moves upon the ground, it has a peculiar erectness of
bearing which at once indicates its true specific character so unmistakably
tliat any one once familiar with its appearance can never mistake it for
T. sivaimoni nor for any other bird.

The nests measure about 4 inches in diameter and 2 J in height. The
cavity is 2 inches deep, and its diameter 2 J inches. They are unusually
compact for the nest of a thrush, and are composed chiefly cf an elalxjrate
interweaving of fine sedges, leaves, stems of tlie more delicate Eqiiisdacccc,
dry grasses, strips of fine bark, and decayed leaves, the whole intermingled
with the paniculated inflorescence of grasses'. There is little or no lining
other than these materials. These nests were all found, with but few
exceptions, on the branches of low trees, from tw^o to seven feet from
the ground. In a few exceptional cases the nests were built on the
ground.

Occiisionally nests of tliis species are found constructed with the base
and sides of solid mud, as with the common Kobin {Turdm migrator im).
In these, as also in some other cases, their nests are usually found on or
near tlie ground. So far as I am aware neither its occasional position
on the ground, nor its mud frames, are peculiarities ever noticeable in
nests of T. swainsoiii.

The eggs were usually four in number. Their color is either a deep
green tint, or green slightly tinged with blue ; and they are marked wdth
spots of russet and yellow ish-brow^n, varying both in size and frecpiency.
Their mean length is .92 of an inch, and their mean breadth .64. The
maximum length is .94 and the minimum .88 of an inch. There is
apparently a constant variation from the eggs of the T. swahisoni ; those
of the alicice having a more distinctly blue groun(i color. The nests are
also quite different in their appearance and style of structure. The Hj/pnum
mosses, so marked a feature in the nests of T. swairisoni, as also in those of
T. iistulatus, are wholly wanting in tliose of T. alicice.

This bird and the robin are the only species of our thrushes that cross
the Arctic Circle to any distance, or reach the shore of tlie Arctic Ocean.
It occurs from Labrador, all round the American coast, to the Aleutian
Islands, everywhere bearing its specific character as indicated above. It is
extremely abundant on and near the Arctic coast, Ijetween the mouth of

14 NORTH AMERIC.VN BIRDS.

tlie I^fackeiizie Eiver ami the (Vjppenniiie, more than 200 specimens
(mostly with their ej^^gs) having been sent thence to the Smitlisonian
Institution hy Mr. MacFarlane. In all this number there was not a
single bird that had any approach to the characters of 1\ swainsoni, as
just given. From the Slave Lake region, on the other hand, T. swainsoni
was received in nearly the same abundance, and unmixed during the
breeding season with T. alicia'.

Turdus swainsoni, Cabams.

OLIVE-BACKED THBUSH; SWADTSOH'S THBUSH.

Turdus swainsoni. Cab. Tschudi, Fauna Peruana, 1844-40, 188. — ^Sclateh & Salvin,
Ibis, 1859, (! (Guatemala). —ScLATEii, P. Z. S. 1858, 451 (Kcuador) ; 185y, 326.—
In. Catal. 1861, 2, no. 11. — lUiiiD, Birds X. Am. 1858, 216; Rev. Am. B., 1864, 19.
— (JrNDL.vcii, Cab. Jour. 1861, 324 (Cuba). — Ib. Kei>ert. 1865, 229. — Pelzkln, Om.
Brazil, ii. 1868, 92 (Marambitanas, Feb. and March). — Lawk. X. Y. Lye, IX, 91
(Costa Riea). — Kidgway. — Maynaud. — Samuels, 152. — Cooper, Birds Cal. 6. —
Dall k Baxxisteu. Turdus minor, (Imelix, Syst. Xat. I, 1788, 809 (in part).
Turdus olivaceus, Gikauh, Birds L. Island, 1843-44, 92 (not of Lixx.). (/) Turdus
minimus, Lafresx.\ye, Rev. Zoiil. 1848, 5. — Sclater, P. Z. S. 1854, 111. — Bryaxt,
Pr. Best. See. VII, 1860, 226 (l3ogota). — Lawrexce, Ann. X. Y. Lye. 1863. (Birils
Panama, IV, no. 384.)

Sp. Char. Upper parts unilbrm olivaceous, with a decided shade of fjreen. The fore
part of breast, the throat and chin, pale brownish-yellow ; rest of lower parts white ;
the sides washed with brownish-olive. Sides of the throat and fore part of the breast
with sub-rounded spots of well-defined brown, darker than the back ; the rest of the
breast (except medially) with rather less distinct spots that are more olivaceous. Tibiie
yellowish-brown. Broad ring round the aye, loral region, and a general tinge on the
side of the head, clear reddish buff. Length, 7.00 ; wing. 4.1.3 ; tail, 3.10 ; tarsus, LIO.

Hab. Eastern North America ; westward to Humboldt Mountain an<l Upper Columbia;
perhaps occasionally straggling .as far as California; north to Slave Lake and Fort Yukon ;
south to Ecuador and Brazil. Cuba, Guxdlacii ; Costa Rica, Lawr.

Sjiecimens examined from the northern regions (Great Slave Lake, Mac-
kenzie Kiver, and Yukon) to Ouatemala; from Atlantic States to East
Humboldt IMountains, X^>^vada, and from intervening localities. Tlie ex-
tremes of variation are the hrov:nish-6\i\Q of eastern and the clear darl-
greenish-olive of remote western specimens. There is no observable dif-
ference between a Guatemalan skin and one from Fort Bridger, Utah.

Habits. The Olive-backed Thrush, or " Swamp Kobin," has very nearly
the same habitat during the breeding season as that of the kindred species
with which it was so long confounded. Although Wilson seems to have
found the nest and eggs among the high lands of Xorthern Georgia, it is yet
a somewhat more northern species. It does not breed so far south as
Massachusetts, or if so, the cases must l)e exceptional and very rare, nor
even in Western Maine, where the "Ground Swamp Robin" {T. pailasi) is
quite abundant. It only becomes common in the neighborhood of Calais.

TURDID^ — THE THRUSHES.

15

AT

It is, howTver, most widely distributed over nearly the entin^ continent,
l.reedini,' from latitude 44° to high Arctic regions. It winters in Guate-
mala and southward as far as Ecuador and Brazil.

In its habits tliis thrush is noticeably different from the T palloai, l)ein
nuu'h more arboreal, frequenting thick woods ; mrely seen, except during its
mi«a'ations, in open ground, and seeking its food more among the branches

of the trees.

^Ir. liidgwav found this species very abundant among the Wahsatch
^NFountains, where it was one of the most characteristic sununer birds of
that region. It was breeding plentifully in the canons, where its song
(!(>uhl be lieard almost continually. It inhabited an intermediate position
between T. audnhoni and T. fusccscem, delighting most in the shrubbery
along the streams of the canons and passes, leaving to the T. amJiihoni the
secluded ravines of the pine regions higher up, and to the T. fnmacens the
willow thickets of the river valleys. He did not meet with it farther west
tluin the East Humboldt Mountains. The song, in his opinion, resembles
that of the Wood Thrush {T. mmtcUnus) in modulations; but tlie notes
want the power, while they possess a finer and more silvery tone.

The song of this species has a certain resemblance to that of T. pnllad,
being yet quite distinct, and the differences readily recognized by a familiar
ear. It is more prolonged; the notes are more equal and rise witli more
regularity and more gradually, are richer, and each note is more coiuplete in
itself. Its song of lamentation when rol)bed of its young is full of inde-
scribable pathos and beauty, liaunting one who has once heard it long after.

When driven from the nest, the female always flies to a short distance
and conceals herself ; making no complaints, and offering no resistance.

These birds, in a single instance, have been known to reach Eastern
Massachusetts early in April, in an unusually early season, bnt they
generally pass north a few weeks later. They make no prolonged stay,
and are with us rarely more than three or four days. Their return in
the fall appears to be, at times, by a more inland route. They are then
not so numerous near the coast, but occasionally are abundant.

Their nests in Nova Scotia, wherever observed, were among the thick
woods, on horizontal branches of a forest-tree, usually about five feet from
the ground. Those observed in the Arctic regions by Mr. Kennicott were
frequently not more than two feet from the ground.

The nests average about four inches in diameter and two in height, the
cavity being three inches wide by about one and a half deep. They are
more elaborately and neatly constructed than those of any other of our
thrushes, except perhmts of T. ustitlafvji. Conspicuous among the materials
are the Hijpnnm mosses, which by their dark fibrous masses give a very
distinctive character to these nests, and distinguish them from all except
those of the T. mtuJatus, which they resemble. Besides these materials are
found fine sedges, leaves, stems of equisetaceous plants, red glossy vegetable

16 NOKTII aMKRICAN BIRDS.

fibres, the flowering stems of the Cladonia mosses, lichens, fine strips of
bark, etc.

The eggs, which are four or five in number, exhibit noticeable variations
in size, shape, and shades of coloring, bearing some resemblance to those
of T. ustulatm and to the eggs asserted to be those of T. nanus, but are
sufficiently distinct, and are still more so from those of T. alicicc. They
range in length from .83 to .94, with a mean of .88, their mean breadth
is .66, the maximum .69, and the minimum .63. Their ground color is
usually bluisli-green, sometimes liglit blue with hardly a tinge of green,
and the spots are of a yellowish-brown, or russet -brown, or a mixture of
both colore, more or less confluent, with marked variations in this resjiect.

Turdus swainsoni, var. ustulatus, Nuttall.

OBEOOH THBUSH.

Tttrdm ^istulntus, XrrrALL, Man. I, 1840, 400 (Columbia River). — Baihd, Binls N. Am.
1858. 215, pi. Ixxxi, fig. 1. — Ib. Kev. Am. B. 1864, 18. — Cooper & Suokley,
P. R. Rep. XII, II, 1860, 171. — Ridgway, Pr. A. N. S. Philad. 1869, 127. —
Dall & Banxistek, Tr. Chic. Acad. — Cooper, Birds Cal., 5,

Sp. Char. General appearance of fnscesrens, but with pattern of sicainsoni ; the bufl*
orbital ring as conspicuous as in latter. Tlie olive above is more brown than in this, and
less yellowish than in fiuscescens, becoming decidedly more rufescent on wings and less
observably so on tail. Pectoral aspect difterent from fuacescens, the spots narrower and
cuneate, sharply defined, and arranged in longitudinal series ; In color they are a little
darker than the crown. Length, 7.50; wing, 3.75; tail, 3.00; tarsus, 1.12.

Had. Pacific Province of United States. Tres Marias Isl., Guatemala (winter),
Mus. S. I.

Tliis well-marked race is to l)e compared with sirainsoni, not with
fi(scesc€)is, as has generally been done ; the latter, except in shade of
colors, it scarcely resembles at all ; still greater evidence that such is its
aflinity is that the T. ustulatus builds its nest on a tree, and lays a spotted
eg'^, like swainsoni, while fuscescens nests on or near the ground, perhaps
never in a tree, and lays a plain blue e^^g. The song of the present bird is
also scarcely distinguishable from that of swainsoni. Upon the whole, we
see no reason why this should not be considered as a Pacific Province form
of the Turdus swainsoni; at least it becomes necessary to do so, after
I'eferring to T. pallasi, as geographical races, the T. auduhoni and T. nanus.

Habits. So far as we are aware, this thrush has a very limited distribu-
tion, being mainly restricted to the Pacific coast region from California to
Alaska in the breeding season, though migrating southward in winter to
Guatemala. Dr. Kennerly found it in great abundance breeding at Chilo-
weyuck Depot, July 3, 1859. Dr. Cooper also found it one of the most
abundant of the summer residents in Washington Territory, arriving there

•rrRDID-E — TIIK THRISIIK.^.

17

in Mav and remaining until tlie l>ej;innin,i; of SeptemKu-. Tiiree spcciinens
ol' this thrush were obtained at Sitka, hy Mr. liisehotl". Mr. liid".;\vay met
with only a single specimen east of the Sierra Nevada, though on that range
lie found it an abundant summer bird.

In its gener.d aj)j)earance it has a marked resemblance to Wilson's Thrush
(T.fttscfsrfu.'i), but its ha])its and notes, as Mell as its nest and eggs, clearly
]>oiut its nearer atlinity to Swainson's Thrush (7' amtiusoni), its song l)eing
scarcely different from that « f the latter spn-ies. Like this species, it fre-
tiuents the thickets or brushwood along the mountain streams, and, except
just after its arrival, it is not at all shy. In crossing the Sierra Nevada in
Julv, 18G7, Mr. liidgway first met with this species. He describes it as an
exipiisite songster. At one of the canips, at an altitude of about r),()()() feet,
they were found unusually plentiful. He speaks of their song as consisting
of "ethereal warblings, — outbursts of wild meh)dy." " Altliough its carols
were heard everywhere in the depth of the ravine, scarcely one of the little
musicians could be seen." "The song of this thrush," he adds, "though
})0ssessing all the wild, solemn melody of that of the Wood Thrush {1\
miistGlinm) is weaker, but of a much finer or more silvery tone, and more
methodical delivery. It is much like that of the T. sivaiusoni, but in the
qualities menticuied is even superior."

Dr Coo})er found its nests with eggs about the middle of »Tune. These
were most usually built on a small horizontal branch, and were very strongly
constructed of twigs, grasses, roots, and leaves, usually covered on the outside
entirely with the bright green Hi/pnutn }^ :)sses peculiar to that region, wdiich
in the damp climate near the coast continue to grow in that position, and
form large masses. The nund>er of eggs is usually five.

Dr. C'ooper states that these thrushes sing most in the early morning and
in the evening, when numbers may be heard answering one another on all
sides. They do not affect the darkest tliickets so much as the Hermit
Thrush, but are often seen feeding in the gfirdens in the oi>en sunshine.

Dr. Suckley, who found them (juite abundant in the neighborhood of Fort
Steilacoom, on the edge of the forest, and in swam])y land, describes the song
as a low, soft, sad, and lively whistle, confined to one note, and repeateil at
regular intervals. Mr. Nuttall, the first to describe this form, speaks of
it as shy and retiring, and as in the habit of gathering insects from the
ground. His ear, so quick to appreciate the characteristics of the songs of
birds, which showed a close resemblance between the notes of this bird and
that of Wilson's Thrush {T. /I'sresiTUJi), enabled him to detect very distinct
and easily recognizable differences. It is nnich more inten-upted and is not
so prolonged. The warble of this bird he describes as resembling irit-icit
t'vi/lla, and wit-wit, t'viUia-t'villia. His call when surprised was wit-wit.

All the nests of this sj^ecies that have fallen under my observation are
large, compact, strongly constructed, and neat. They measure alMuit 5
inches in their external diameter, with a depth externally of 3 ; the cavity

3

18 iNORTII AMERICAN IJIHDS.

is comparfitively sluillow, Lfiii^ rnri'ly 2 inches in depth. The external
portions are constructed almost entirely of Hifi>niim mosses, matted to-
gether and sparingly interwoven with dry leaves and fine fibrous roots,
and are lined with finer materials of the same kind. Tliese nests most
nearly resemble in their material and in their i)0.sition those of »S\vaiuson's
Thrush.

Mr. Hepburn found these birds very abundant about Victoria. It does
not usually breed there Ixjfore the last of May, though in one exceptional
instance he found a nest with young birds on the 24th of that montli.

The eggs vary in size and shaiH3, ranging from .77 to .9-4 in length, and
from .()."> to .09 in breadth. They also vary in their ground color and in the
tints of the spots and markings. The ground color is light green or light
blue, and the markings are variously yellowish-browu and lilac, or dark
brown and slate.

Mr. Gmyson found this thrush very abundant in the month of January,
in tlie thickest of the woods, in the islands of tlie Three Marias, on the
Pacific coast of Mexico. They were very timid and shy, more so than any
bird that he saw on those islands. It fre<piently uttered a low plaintive
whistle, and seemed solitary in its habits.

Turdus pallasi, Cabams.

BV70U8-TAILSO THBITSH; HEBMIT THBU8H.

TurdiiH pallosii, Cabaxis, AViegmann's Arcliiv, 1847 (i>, 205. — Baird, Binls N. Am.

1858, 212. — Ib. \li\. Am. B. 1864, 14. — Sclateh, P. Z. 8. 18.09, 325 ??. — Ib. Catal.

1861, 2, No. 7. — KiiHiWAY. — Mavxaud. — Samikls, 148. Turdus solitarius,

Wilson, Amer. Oin. V, 1812, 05 (not ol LiNN.Er.s). — Sclateu, P. Z. S. 1857, 212.

Turdus minor. Box. Obs. Wilson, 1825, No. 72. Turdus yuHatus, C.VBAXi.s, T.schuili,

Fauna Peruana, 1844, 187 (not Mumcaim tjuWita of Pallas).
Additional figures : Aid. Birds Am. Ill, \\. e.xlvi. — Ib. Orn. Biog. I, pi. Iviii.

Sp. Char. Tail slipfhtly emaririnato. Above light olive-browii, with a scarcely per-
c(>j>til»le shade of reddish, passing, however, into decided rufous on the rump, upper tail-
j'overts, and tail, and to a less degree on the outer surface of the wings. Beneath whit*',
with a scarcely appreciable shade of pale buff across the fore part of the breast, and
sometimes on the throat ; the sides of the throat and the fore part of the breast with
rather sharply defined subtriangular spots of dark olive-biown ; the sides of the breast
with paler and less distinct spots of tlie same. Sides of the body under the wings of a
paler shade than the back. A whitish ring round the eye ; ear-coverts very obscurely
streaked with paler. Length, 7.50 inches; wing, 3.84; tail, 3.25; tarsus, I.IG; No. 2,092.

Hab. Eiistern Xorth America. Mexico ? Not lOund in Cuba, fide GuxDL.\cn.

In spring the olive above is very iimch tliat of eastern specimens of
svainsoni ; in winter specimens it is much browner, and almost as much
so as m fifscesvam. Yoinig ]»irds have the feathers of the head, back, and
wing coverts streaked centiidly with drop-sha})ed spots of rusty yellowish

Habits. Until quite recently the " Ground Swamp iJobin," or Hermit

TrKDID.E — THE TIIRCSIIES.

10

Tlinisli, lias not Ixm-ii distinuMiislied I'roiu the closely alliuil spocics 7'. sir,t;,i-
soni, uiul all ac*counts of \vritei>» have blemkMl l»<.th in sinj^nlar coiitusiun.
^Iv colloajj:ue, riolessor Jjaiid, in the summer of IS44, was the first to sui;-
«'est the tlistinc'tness of thi; two siieiies. Jiv tlie c«»mmon i»eonle of Maine
and the IJiitish Provinces this dilferenci; lias loni; heen u;ener.illy recoirni/«Ml,
this species hein;^' known as the "(iround Swamj) llohin," and the other as
the " Swamp Ilohin."

Tlie present species is found throujih.out Eastern \ortli America to tlie
^lississijjpi, and breeds from Massaciiusetts tt) higli arctic regions. It is
only occasionally found breeding so far south as Miussachusetts ; through
which State it passes in its s])ring migrations, sometimes as early as the lOth
of April ; usually reaching Calais, Maine, by the l')th of the same nu>nth.

It is a very al>undant bir<l throughout Maine, where it begins to breed
duriu" the last week of ^lav, and where it also i>robablv has two broo<ls
in a season.

The greater number ap]»ear to pass the winter in th'.» Southern States; it
being conunon in Fl(»rida, and even occasi<jnally seen during that season as
far n(uth as latitude 38' in Southern Illinois, according to Mr. llidgway.

It rarely, if ever, sings during its migration's ; appears in small straggling
companies, fre([uents both thickets and open fields, and is unsuspicious and
ejjsily approached.

The song of this species is very fine, having many of the chamcteristics
of that of the Wood Thrush {T. mttstt/imts). It is as sweet, has the same
tinkling sounds, as of a Ijell, but is neither so powerful nor so prolongeil,
and rises more rapidly in its intonations. It begins wiih low, sweet notes,
and ends abruptly with its highest, sharp ringing notes.

Taken from the nest they are easily tamed, and are quite lively and
])layful ; but their want of cleanliness renders them very undesirable pets.
When their nest is visited they make no complaints, but retire to a distance.
Xot so, however, when their natural enemy, the hawk, appears ; these they
at once assail and seek to drive away, uttering loud and clear chirps, and
})eculiar twittering sounds.

The nest of this thrush is always built on the ground, most generally
either under low bushes or in tlie open ground, rarely, if ever, among
thick trees, and for the most part in low swampy places. Both nest and
eggs closely resemble those of Wilson's Thrush {T. fnacescem). In Tars-
boro, Xova Scotia, I found one of the nests built in the very midst of the
village, close to a dwelling, though on a spot so marshy as to be almost
unapproachal)le. The nests are 3 inches in height and 5 in diameter, with
a cavity 3 J inches wide by IJ deep. They are composed of decayed decidu-
ous leaves, renmants of dried })lants, sedges and grasses, intermingled with
twigs, and lined with finer giiisses, sedges, and strips of l-irk.

The eggs are of a uniform bluish-gi-een color, and range iu length from .88
to .94, with au average of .03 of au inch.

90 XORTIT AMKRICAX IJIKDS.

Tiirdiis pallasi, var. nanus, Aldibon.

OWABF HEBMIT THXU8H.

Tardus nanus, Aid. Orii. liiog. V, 18;iH, 2<)1, pi. wi. — Haii:i», liirds N. A. 1858, 21?.;
Htv. Am. n. lSt)4, lii. — .Sl.vtei:, 1*. Z. S. I8r.9. — In. Catal. 1801. - Dam. & lUx-
MsiKK. — ('(MM'Kli, Minis ("ill., p. 4. Titidna jHtlhixi, var. nouns, KlimwAY, Kt'p.
Kinj,'s ExiM'd, V, 1872. .*' Tun/us aona/>i.s,/tk(c, iisiy.us, S. N. I, 1788, 8(»8. f^ Mi's,
cicajxi ijaffata, 1'aLLAS, Zoo^. Ht»s.s«j-A>iat. 11, l8ll, 4t»'i.

Sp. Char. Above with the clear dark olive of swainsoni, Imt thi.«< even purer and
more plumbeoiKs rpp<'r tail-eovort:* (but not lower part of rump) beeominjr more rufous,
the tail abruptly darker, rieher. and more pinpJi'sh-ru\\>u^, approachinir to chestnut. The
<-lear olive of the neck passes into brownish-y>/'///<ftef>//.s alon<r sides: pe<'toral spots more
si)ar.se and less pure black than in 7! jndfa.si. The white beneath is of an almost sn»>wy
purity, appreciably diircrent from the cottony-white of T. pafhisi. Wing, 3..'i0 ; tail. 3.<K);
bill, .30 ; tar.-ius. l.<>7.

A very tan;^ible and constant character possessed by this bird is the more slender and
dei)resseil bill, jus compared with that of T. j»ifhtsi. .Specimens vary only in intensity of
colors; these variation.'* very limited, and correspoiidinir with those of T. puJlusi. In all
ca.ses, however, their precise pattern and peculiar distribution is retained.

IIah. Western Province of North America, eastward from Kodiak to Cape St. Luca.s.
Arizona, Coiks.

Habits. Tlii.s small race of the Hermit Thrush was first noticed bv I>r.
Pickering, and de.sciil>ed by Mr. Audubon from an imperfect skin. It
has since been obtained abundantly on the Pacific slope, and Mr. Kidgway
procured a specimen as far east as the East Humboldt Mountains, which
he considers its eastern limit.

In its habits it is said to be, like T. palhm, almost exclusively terrestrial.
Dr. Heermann mentions finding it abundant in California, and breeding
among tlie stunted oaks covering the sand-hills of San Francisco. Dr.
Coues found it in Arizona, but speaks of it as rare and migratory, occurring
chiefly in spring and autumn, and as a shy and retiring species. Dr. Cooper,
in his Peport on the liirds of California, describes it as shy and timid, pre-
ferring dark and sliady thickets, feeding chiefly on the ground, running
rapidly, and searching for insects among the leaves.

Xear San Diego they began to sing about the 2r)th of April. The song,
consisting of a few low ringing notes, resembles that of Wilson's Thrush
{T./i'scesceiis), and also that of T. ndulntn^, but is not so loud. Their note
of alarm is a loud and ringing cliiri), rei)eated and answered by others at a
long distance.

At Santa Cruz, on tl:e first of June, Dr. Cooper met with several of their
nests, which, though prol>ably erroneously, he supposed to belong to the
Dwarf Hermit Thrush. They were all built in thickets under the shade
of cottonwood-trees. Each nest was about five feet from the ground, and
all contained eggs, from two to four in number, in differing stages of incuba-
tion. The nests were built of dry leaves, roots, fibres, grasses, and bark,

TT"RI)ID,K-THK TIIIirsHES.

21

without uny imul, uiid were lined witli decayed leaves. Tlieir hei.i,dit and ex-
ternal diameter measured 4 inches. Tlie diameter of the cavity was 2\ inches
and tlie dejith '2\. The e,i,'«;s measured .!M> hy ."0 of an inch. Tliey are of a
]ude bluish-green, sjHickled with cinnamon-brown, chietly at the larger end.

The nest, supposed to be of this sjxjcies, su^jplieil by Dr. Cooper, is large
for the bird; constructed of a l)ase loosely made up of mosses, lichens, and
coarse fibres of jdants. It is a strong and compact structure of matted
leaves, put together when in a moist and decaying comUtion ; witli these
tliere are interwoven roots, twigs, and strong til)res, surrounding the nest
witli a stout band and strengthening the rim. In fact, it corresi)onds so well
— as do the eggs also — with those of T. Ufitidatii>i, that it is extremely proba-
ble that they really l)elong to that species. The only observable difference
is the absence of the Ift/pnum mosses characteristic of northern tistnlntns.

Dall and Bannister mention in their list of Alaska birds that the species
is not common there. It was also taken at 8itka and Kodiak by Bischott'.

The liict that this thrush builds its nest above the ground, and lays
spotted eggs, if verified, Wijuld at once warrant our giving it independent
rank as a species, instead of considering it as a local mce {)i pallud.

Turdus pallasi, var. auduboni, Baird.

BOCKT XOTTNTAIH HEBXIT THBUSH.

TurduHnndiihovi, Baird, Rev. Am. Birds. 1864, 16. — Rid(jway, P. A. X. S. 1869, 129.—
Ki-LKtr, lUust. (tig.). Menilit silens, Swaixson, Philos, Mag. I, 1827, 369 (not Turdus
sileiis of ViElLLoT, Encycl. Meth, II, 1823, 647, based on T. mustdinas, WiLs. = T.
fumscfna). — Ib. Fauna Bor.-Amer. II, 1831, 186. — Baihd, Bird.s N. Amer. 1858,
213, an*l 922. — Sclater, P. Z. S. 1858, 325 (La Parada), and 1859, 325 (Oaxaca). —
Ib. Catal. Am. Birds, 1861, 2, no. 9.

Sp. Char. Colors iniich as in Turdns nanus, but the upper tail-coverti? scarcely diflerent
from the back. Tail yellowish-rufous. Length of wing, 4.18; tail, 3.(30; bill from nostril,
.45 : tarstjs. 1.2G.

IIab. Rocky ^Mountains, from Fort Bridger south into Mexico. Orizaba (Alpine regions),

SlMICHHAST.

This is a very distinct race of thru.shes, although it may be questioned
whether it be truly a species. It is, however, sufficiently di-stinct from the
eastern and western Hermit Thrushes to warrant our giving it a place of
some kind in the systems.

The young ])lumage differs from that of i^allad as do the adults of the
two, and in about the same way. The olive is very much purer, with a
greenish instead of a brownish cast, and the tail is very much lighter,
inclining to dull ochraceous instead of rufous ; this yellowish instead of
rufous cast is apparent on the wings also. The yellowish " drops *' on head,
back, etc., are very much narrower than in paUad, while the greater coverts,
instead of being distinctly tipped with yellowish, merely just perceptibly
fade in color at tips.

»>*)

NOI5TII AMtilllCAN IIIUDS.

Habits. At jnoseiit we liave hut little knowledge of the luihits of this fonn
of T. iHillasi, and no infnnnation whatever rej^ardiiij,' its iie.stiiij,' or e^j^'s.

In its distrihution it is confined to the central mn^e of mountains from
Fort liritlj^'er t(» Soutliern Mexico. Tliis species, there known as "Solitario,"
is common in the Alpine re^'ion of Vera Cruz (as well as in all the elevati'd
rej^ions of Centr.d Mexico), freipientinj^' tlie i>ine woods in the «listrict of
Orizalui. Mr. Sumichrast obtained it at all .seasons of tlie year at Moyoapam,
in that vicinity; a Locality tlie hei^^ht of whicli approximates 2,'>0() metres.
It is also found at a heii^ht of 1,200 metres, near the city of Orizaha.

Mr. liidi,'way calls this hird the " llocky Mountain Hermit Tlirush."
He states that he found it common in the Wahsatch Mountains, hut that,
on account of its retiring: hahits, it was seldom seen. It there lives
chieHy in the deep ravines in the pine re;.;ion, exhibiting' an attadiment to
these solitudes rather than to the tliickets along the watercourses lower
down; the latter it leaves to the T. niniiiiiioni. Owinj,' to the reserved
manners of this bird, as well as to the j^^reat ditticulty of reachinjx its abode,
there Mere few o|)portunities presented for learning much concerning its
habits, nor did he hear its song. In its Higlit the pale ochraceous band across
the bases of its quills was a very conspicuous feature in the apjK*arance of
its si)ecies, leading ^Ir. Kidgway to mistake it at first for the Mf/ifttfcstes
tinrnsvniUi, — also an inhabitant of the same localities, — so much did it
look like that bird, which it further resembled in its noiseless, gliding flight.

Subgenus TTTRDUS, T.ixx.

Of Tardus, iu its most restricted sense, we have no purely American

representatives, although it
belongs to the fauna of the
New World in consecpience
of one si)ecies occurring
in Greenland, that meet-
inij-<j;round of the birds
of America and Europe ;
which, howev(n', we include
in the present work, as
related much more closely
to the former.

This Greenland species,
Tvrdns iliacKs, is closely
related to T. viscirorus, the
type of the genus, and
comes much closer to the

1718

Turdus iliacus.

American TJobins {Planestievs) than to the Wood Thrushes {Hijloeiclda).

TrRDID.K — TIIK TiiursiiKs. »>:i

^•>

Turdus iliacus, Linn.

BZDWIHO THBXJ8H.

Tiirdna ilinnin, \.\ss. Syst. Nat. lOfh e<l. 17."»8, IfiS, nn<l of Kuropoan RUtliors. — Rkin-
iiAiinr, n»w, 1»61, G idrwnlaiKl). Baii:i», Ww. Aiu. 15. 1.^04, *J:M(li«'«iil;iml).

Si*. C'iivr. This siM'cies is sinalhT than our RoUiii (T. iuiifratorinn), but of a similar
«'ravi.'<h-oliv»' ahovc, iiichidiii^' tlie hfa<l. The uiuKt parts an- white; thi' fi-athrrs of tho
lower throat and I »rca.st streaked with l»rown. The sides, nxiUars, and inner win<r-e«>vert
are reddish-iinnainon. A eonspii iioiis white streak ovt-r the eye iuid extending' .is far
b;Mk as the iia{H*. iJill lilaek, yellow at hjise of lower jaw. Le;rs pale-colon'<l. Second
«|ijill lon<r«'r than fifth. Lenirth. about H.2."> ; winjr, 4.04 ; tail, :i.45 ; bill, from ^'ape, 1.07;
from nostril. .44 ; tarsus. l.KJ; mi<ldle toe and elaw. l.lo. Speeimen described: 1H,71S,
^. a r.ritish speeimen received frotn tlw Royal Artillery Institution, Woolwieh.

n.\». (Jreenland, in the New World.

The occtirrence of tliis wi'll-known Kuropoaii spocics in rfreenland l»rinj]fs
it witliin the limits of tlie AiiuTii-an Fiuiiia. Two (rreeuhuul specimens are
recorded l>y Dr. lieinhardt: one of them sliot at Frederickshuub, OctolH3r 20,
lS4r,.

Hahits. The Redwinj,' can probably only claim a place in the fauna of
Xorth America as an occasional visitant. Of the two siHicimens observed
in (lieenland, one was shot late in ()ctol»er. It is not known to breed there.

This s])ecies, during its breedinj^ season, is found oidyinthe more northern
p<»rti(>ns of P^urope ; only occasionally, and very rarely, breeding so fjir south
as England. It makes its appearance in that kingdom on its southern migra-
tions, coming in large flocks from Northern and Xorthefistern Europe, and
arrivin;; usuallv before the end of October. During their stay in England
they freipient parks and pleasure-grounds that are ornamented with clumps
of trees. During mild and open weather they seek their subsistence in
pasture lands and moist meadows, feeding principally on worms and snails.
In severe winters, when the groiuid is closed by frost or covered by snow,
the Uedwings are among the first birds to suffer, and often perish in large
uiimljers.

During the winter they extend their migrations to the more southern por-
tions of Euroi)e, to Sicily, Malta, and even to Sn)yrna. In early spring they
retiun to the more central portions of the continent, and leave in May for
their more northern places of resort.

They nest in trees in the moist woods of Norway and Sweden. Their
n(?sts resemble those of the common Fieldfare, T. pilark. The outside is
composed of sticks, weeds, and coarse grass, gathered wet, and matted with Ji
small quantity of moist clay. They are lined with a thick tel of fine gi-ass.

The Redwing is said to possess a delightful note, and is called the Night-
ingale of Norway. linnanis, speaking of this bird, claims that its high
and varied notes rival even those of that far-famed vocalist.

During the summer the Redwing advances to tl.*; extreme north, visiting

24

NORTH AMERICAN RIRDS.

tlie Faroe Islands, Ict'Lnul, and Xortlicrn IJnssia. Tlio LToncral character
of its food, its inability to feed exclusively on l>eiTies, and the fact that
it perishes from starvati«»n in severe wintei-s, would seem to prove that its
occun*ence in (Jreenland so late as October must have been ])urely acci-
dental. It is not probable that its presence in North America will be found
to Ix^ a common (!vent.

The eggs measure 1.00 inches in length by .81 in breadth. The ground
color is a light green with a bluish tinge tliickly covered with russet or
reddish-brown spots, continent at the larger end.

SrBOExuH FLANESTICUS, Honap.

r/inirsfit'us, Ijonai*. Coinptt's Ivt'iulus, 1854. (Ty|H' Turdn'i juiii'iirntsi^^ (tMKiJN.)

This section of the Thrushes is well represented in America, es]>ecially in
its middle and southern portions, and its members have a close resenddance

to tlie tyj)ical European
species in the full form,
stout legs, etc., as .already
stated. The s)>ots on the
throat, and their absence
elsewhere on the under
part of the body, are suf-
ficient t(^ distinguish them.
Of tlie two North Anier-
ican species one is the
well-known Ilobin, the
other a clo.selv related
form from Cape St. Lucas,
M'hich indeed is probably
onlv a local race or varietv. although notliing exactly like it has yet been
found away from Lower California. The following diagnosis may serve to
distinguish the two birds : —

Common Ciiahactkrs. Throat white with dark streaks. Rest of under parts,
iucliidinir liiiiiijr ol^vinL^ reddish or oehraceous; the anal region whitish; lower
eyelid white. Nest on tn-es. Etrirs plain hhie.

Above slaty-olive, approaehinpr to black on the head. Beneath rnfous-
ehestimt. Spot in lore and on npper eyelid of white. Tail. 4.2.'). Hah.
Whole of North Anieriea; Mexico, south to Oaxaca and Cordova; Cuba
(very rare) and Toba^jo, of West Indies .... var. migratorins.

Above <lull prrayish-a>li. not dark«'r on the hea«l. Beneath pale yellowish-
liufl': tins^fj'd with ashy across breast ; a ct>ntinuous white strijie from the
lores over and a (piarter of an inch behind the e^'e. More white on belly
and flanks than in T. vn'tjratoridx. Bill stouter; tail only 3.7'), while the
wing is the same. Hah. Cape St. Lucas, Lower California . . var. coufnix.

Turd us mis;rnt(irius.

TL'KDID.E — THE TTTRI'SIIES.

25

Turdus migratorius, var. migratorius, Linn.

BOBIH; AMEBICAH BEOBBEAST.

Tiirihis miffrftforhts, Lixx. S. X. 12th vd. ITBt!, 2l>2. - Sci-atki:, P. Z. S. 185fi, 294;

isr.l), :5:n ; 1S64, 172. - In. Ciital. Am. Birds, IStJl, 4. — Sri.vTKU & Salvin, Ibis,

isejo, ;i!>H (Cohan). -Haiui., Binls N. Am. 185S, 21S ; K.-v. Am. 15. 1SH4, 28. -

CooPKii & Si'j KLKY, p. K. R. R. XII, II, 18.V.», 172. - Dkksskk, Ihis, 1805, 475.

(T».\as, wintj'i). — r«»rK.s Pr. A. X. S. 18rtt>, iii (Arizona). — D all k Haxxlstkk

(Alaska). -Cooi'KK, Hinls C'al. — Samikls, 1.'>4.
Fignn's : Vikillot, Ois. Am. Sept. II, pi. Ix, l.xi. — Wilsox, Am. Orn. I, 18(XS, pi. ii. —

Doughty, ('ah. X. H. I, 1830, ]>1. xii. — Arnrnnx, Hinls Am. Ill, pi. cxlii ; Orn.

liiog. II, pi. fxxxi.

8p. Char. Tail sliirlitly nMindcd. .Vbovo olivo-srray ; top and sides of the head black.
Chin and tlin^at whitf, streakt-d M'itii black. Eyelids, and a spot above the eye anteriorly,
white. Tender parts and inside of the wiiiirs. chestnut-brown. The under tail-coverts and
anal region, with tibia', white, showing the plumbeous iiuier [)ortions of the feathers.
Wings tlark brown, the feathers all edged more or less with pale ash. Tail still darker,
the extreme f««athers tipped with whitr. Hill yellow, dusky along the ridge and at the
tip. Length. 9.7') ; wing, .').4.'> ; tail, 4.7') ; tarsus, l.'io.

ITah. Till' whole of Xorth America ; ^^exico, < )axaca, and Cordova ; Guatemala ; Cuba,
very rare, Guxni.Acn; Tobago. Kirk; Bernmda, Joxks; Orizaba (.Alpine regions, breeding
abundantly), Simichrast.

Young birds have transverse blackisli bars on tlie back, and bhickisli
spots beneath. The shafts of thi' lesser coverts are streaked with l>rownish-
vellow ; the back leathers with white.

There are some variations, both
of color and proportions, l)etween
eastern and western specimens of
the Jiobin. In the latter there is
a tendencv to a lonjjjer tail, though
the difference is not marked ; and,
as a rule, they slightly exceed east-
ern specimens in size. The broad
white tip to the later,al tail-feather
— so conspicuous a mark of east-
ern birds — is scarcely to be fcmnd
at all in any western ones ; and in
the latter the black of the head
is v(>rv sharply defined against the

lighter, clearer ash of the back, there hardly ever l>eing a tendency in it
to continue backward in the form of centrjd spots to the feathers, as is
almost constantly seen in eastern examples ; of western specimens, the
rufous, too, is appreciably lighter than in eastern. As regards the streaks
on the throat, the black or the white may either largely predominate in
specimens from one locality.

Turdus misratorius.

26 NORTH AMEHICAX IJIRDS.

Ill juitnniii and winter each rufous feather beneath is hordered by a more
or U^ss eoiispiciious crescent of white ; in addition to this, most of the lighter
individuals ( 9 0' *^^ ^'^'"^ season, have an ashy sutfusion over the breast and
flanks ; and tliis, we liave observed, is more general and more noticealile in
western than in eastern specimens. In tall and winter the color of the bill,
too, changes, l)ecomiiig at this season either partially or wholly dusky, instead
of almost entirely yellow, as seen in sjuiiig and summer examples.

Mexican specimens, found breeding in the Al[)iiie regions as far scutli
as Orizal)a and ^lirador, most resemble the western series ; one, however
(Xo. 38,1 20 (J, Orizaba), 1) .t in the autumnal plumage, and therefore
very possibly a migrant from the North, is hardly distinguishable from
No. 32,20(), (leorgia; it is about identical in proporti(Uis, and tlie rufous is
of a castaneous sliade, like the deepest colored eastern examples ; the white
tip to the outer tail-feather is as broad and conspicuous as is ever seen in
the latter.

Habits. Scarcely any American bird has a wider range of geographical
distribution, or is more numerous wherever found, than this thrush. From
Greenland on the extreme iiorthea.st to the plateau of Mexico, and from
the Atlantic to the Pacific, the Iiobin is everywhere a ver^^ abundant species.
Single specimens have been obtained as far south as Cobaii, Guatemala. Its
distribution in the breeding season is liardlv less restricted, occurring alike
on tlie shores of the Arctic Seas and on the liigh lands of Vera Cruz.
Ill the winter months it is most abundant in the Southern States, while
in the Middle and even the Northern States, in favorable h>calities, it
may be found throughout the year ; its mignitions being influenced more
by the question of food than of climate. In the valleys ' long the White
Mountains, where snow covers the ground from October to June, an<l where
the cold reaches the freezing-point of merer 'ks of the Ilobin remain

during the entire winter, attracted by the al>uii»> ue of berries.

On the Pacific Coast the Pobin is only a winter visitant in California ; a
very few remaining to breed, and tliose only among the hills. They reach
Vancouver Island early in ^larch, and are very abundant.

In New Phiglaiid, where the liobins are held in great esteem, and where
tliey exist under very favorable circumstances, tlieir numbers have very
laigely increased, especially in the villages. They cause not a little annoy-
ance to fruit cultivators by their depredations upon the lu-oductions of the
garden, especially cherricvS and strawberries. They are a voracious bii-d, and
no doubt destroy a large quantity of small fruit, but there is abundant evi-
dence that this is more than compensated ])y their destruction of the most
injurious insects, upon wliicli they wage an incessant war. Tlie investiga-
tions of Mr. J. W. P. Jenks and Professor Tread well establish conclusivelv
their great services in this direction.

Tlie ex])eriments of the latter gentleman show that the nestlings of the
Robin require a vast amount of animal food, forty j)er cent more than their

TUKDID.K — THE TIIKISIIKS.

27

own weif»lit hom^ consumed hy tlie youni]f bird witliin twenty-four hours,
and, what is more, demonstrated to be neeessarv to its existence.

In Massachusetts a tew Ilobins remain thronjj:hout the yea», hut the i^reater
proportion leave early in November, returning late in February or early in
March.

The song of the Kobin is deservedly popular. "While many of our birds
|X)s.sess far superior powers of melody, and exhibit a much u^reater variety in
their song, there are none tliat exceed it in its duration or extent. It is the
first bird in spring to open and one of the last to close the great concert of
Nature. Their song is earnest, simple, and thrilling, and is said by Audubon
to resemble that of tlie European lUackbird, Tunlm mcrula.

The llobin, wlien taken young, may l)e readily tamed, and soon becomes
contented and accustomed to confinement. They are devoted to their young,
watcliful, attentive, and provident. They begin to construct their nest in
early spring before the trees put forth tlieir leaves, and often in very exposed
positions. The size of the nest, in fact, makes concealment impossible.
These nests ai > sometimes placed in tpiite remarkable positions, such iis
the beams of a ship partly finislied, and where the carpentei-s were every
day at work, and similar situations indicating a great familiarity. Their
favorite ])lace is the horizontal branch of an apple-tree, about ten feet from
the ground.

The nest of the Itobin is a large and coarselv constructed combination of
rude materials. It is composed of a base of straw% leaves, mosses, stems,
and dry grasses, upon which a cup-shaped fabric of clay or mud is built.
The whole is lined with finer dry grasses and vegetable fibres. They
avemge 5 inch.es in lieight and the same in diameter. Their cavity is
2 J inches deep, with a diameter of 2 J, inches.

The eggs of the llobin, wliich are usually five and sometimes six in num-
ber, are of a uniform bright greenish-blue color, liable to fade when exposed
to light, but when fresh exliibiting a very distinct and bright tint. They
vary in size from 1.25 to 1.12 inches in lengtli, and in breadth from .88 to
.To of an inch. Their mean measurement is 1.18 by .81.

Turdus migratorius, var. confinis, Baird.

CAFE ST. LUCAS BOBIK.

Tardus confini^^ Baird, llt'V. Aiu. li. 18i)4, 29. — Elliut, Birds Aineiica. — Coopek, Birds
Cal., 9.

Sr. Char. No. 23,7S0. Ejitirc upper parts and sides of head and neck uniform jrrayish-
{ush, with perliaps a taint tiufje o[' olivaceous, less than in eastern specimens of T. migra-
torius. The central portions of the feathers of tht; top of head are rather <larker than the
ed^jcs, thoujrh almost inappreeiahly so, and not impartinj^ a <;eneral dusky appearance.
The chin and throat are white, streaked with ashy-brown. The ju<rulum and breast are

28

NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS.

pale yellowish-buff; the axillars. innor winjr-f'ovorts, and sides of tho breast similarly, but
rather more deeidedly oolortMl. The belly and edges of the crissal feathers are white, the
hinder parts of the tlanks ashy. There is a distinct whitish stripe from the lores over
and a quarter of an inch behind the eye ; the 1ow<m- eyelid is also white. The tail-feathers
are worn, but tiiere is an indication of a narrow white tip. The feathers of the jufru-
lum, espe«Mally of tlie sides, are tipped with a.shy like the back, as in innnature specimens
of T. migratorins. The trreater winjr-coverts are tipped with dtdl white. Tlie bill is yel-
lowish; the upper mandible and the tip of lower tinged with dusky. The feet are pale
brown.

The length cannot be given accurately, as the .«;kin is much drawn up. The wing, how-
ever, measures 5.10 inches, its tip reaching 1.40 beyond the longest secondary ; tail. 4.10 :
tarsus, 1.20; middle toe and claw, 1.07; exposed portion of culmen, .92; from tip to open
portion of nostrils, .00.

Hab, Todos Santos, Cape St. Lucas.

The specimen with a j^eneral resemblance to an immature T. miffratorivs
(especially the western variety) in the white siii)erciliary streak and general
markings, is much lighter beneath than in any of the many skins of T. mi-
yrutoriua examined ; there being none of the dark chestnut or cinnamon
shade, but rather a light buff ; the belly and flanks are much more purely
white. The superciliary strij)e extends farther behind the eye ; indeed, in
most specimens of mif/ratorius the white is nearly confined to the eyelids.
The bill and wings are mther longer than usual in miyratoriua ; tlie middle
toe, on the other hand, a[)pears shorter. Nothing is on record in regard to
the habits of tliis bird.

Subgenus HESFEROCICHLA, Baird.

Hefijyerna'chhi, 1>.\IR1), Rev. Am. Birds, I, 18(54, 12. (Tyi>«' Tardus mevim, Om.)

The single species of this subgenus differs in form from the Kobins (Fla-

Host lens), in the more awl-
shaped bill, the curved com-
missure, and the absence of
a notch at the end ; the long-
er, slenderer, and straighter
claws ; and in the dissimi-
larity in color of the sexes.
In the latter respects it
agrees with Meruhi of Eu-
rope and Middle America;
in which, however, the bill
is distinctly notched, and

less attenuated. The tail is

shorter and broader than in
Planfsticvs, more as in true Tnnhis or Hi/hciehla.

TrRDID.K — THE TIIRrSIIE.^.

29

Turdus nsBvius, (Imkl.

OBEOON BOBIH; VASIEO THBUSH.

Turdiis nwvitis, Gm. S. N. I, 1788, 817. — Sclateh, P. Z. S. 18r>7, 4; 1859, 331.—
Baikd, lUnls N. Am. 1858, 211) ; Kcv. Am. B. 18t>4, 32. — Coofku & Sickley, 1'. K,
R. K. XII, II, 1859, 172. —Corns, Pr. A. N. S. 1866, 65. (Quotes occunvnti- on
Colorado Kivcr, alnive Fort Mohaw, as t'Xcej)tional. ) — Maynaud (Massachusetts I). —
TinxBi'LL (X. Jt-rsey !). — Dall & Baxmstkr (Alaska). — Ct»«>PEU, Birds Cal. 10.
Orpheus mcrulnidis. Rich. F. B. A. II, 1831, 187, pi. x.Kxviii.

Other figures: Vikillot, Ois. Am. Sept. II, 1807, pi. Ixvi. — Aud. Oru. Biog, IV, 1838,
pi. ecclxix, and ccccxxxiii. — Ib. Birds Am. Ill, pi. exliii.

Sp. Char. Tail nearly oven ; the lateral feather shorter. Above, rather «lark bluish
slate ; un<ler parts generally, a pateli on the upper eyelids continuous with a stripe behind
it alon*; the side of the head and neek, the lower eyelids, two bands ai-ross the wing
coverts and the etlo^es of the <iuills. in l)art, rufous oranjre-brown : niichlle of belly white.
Sides of the head and neck, continuous with a broa<l pectoral transverse ban<l, black.
Most of tail featlu-rs with a terminal patch of brownish white. Bill l)lack. Feet yellow.
Female more olivaceous al)ove : the white of the abdomen more extend«'d ; the brown
beneath paler; the pectoral band obsolete. Lenji^th, 9.7.") inches; wing, 5.00; tail, 3.90 ;
tarsus, 1.25.

Young (45,897, Sitka. Aug, 18G0 ; F. Bischoff ). E.'factly resembling the adult female,
hm'ing no spots other than seen in the adult plumage ; but the pectoral collar is composed
only of badly defined blackish transverse crescents, and the upper parts ant<Mior to the
rump are of an umber brown tint. The markings about the head and on the wings are
precisely as in the adult.

This species does not appear to be liable to any noticeal)le variation.

Hab. West coast of North America, from Behring Straits to California: straggling to
Great Bear Lake. Accidental on Long Island (Cab. G. N. Lawrence), New Jeiscy (Cab,
Dr. Samuel Cabot), and Ipswich, Mass. (Cab. Boston Society Natural History) ; iowa
(Allex).

Habits. Tlie accidental occurrence of a few specimens of tliis
marked bird in the Eastern Stages * *

is its only claim to a place in that
fiuina, it being strictly a western
species, belonging to the Pacific
Coast. It was first discovered by
the naturalists of Captain C'ook's
expedition, who met with it as far
to the north as Xootka Sound. It
is only very recently that we have
become possessed of reliable infor-
mation in regard to its breeding
and its nest and eggs. Sir John
Richardson was informed that it
nested in bushes in a manner simi-
lar to that of the common robin. -nndus nrrvius.

Nuttall and Townsend found it abundant among the we.stern slopes of the

well-

30 NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS.

Tiocky ^lonntains, near tlie Columbia lliver, in October. In the winter it
became still more numerous, passing the season in that region as well as in
more southern localities, associating with the robin. From this bird it may
be readily distinguished by the difierence of its notes, which are louder,
sharper, and delivered with greater rajiidity. In the spring, before leaving
for their breeding-places, they are described as having a very sweet warljle.

On the Columbia Itiver they were not resident, arriving there in October,
continuing throughout the winter, and leaving early in May. During their
stay they moved through the forest in small flocks, frequenting low trees,
and ior the most part keeping perfect silence. They were timorous and diffi-
cult of approach.

Its habits are said to resemble those of the robin, but in some of them
the descriptions given appear to correspond more with tliose of the Fiehlfares
and Iledwings of Europe. Like those species it is a summer resident of
high northern latitudes, affects secluded forests and thickets bordering upon
streams, and is found only in unfre(piented localities.

Dr. Cooper was of the opinion tliat a few of these thrushes remained in
"Washington Territory throughout the summer, as he fre(iuently met with
them in the dark s})ruce forests of that region as late as June and July.
He describes the song as consisting of five or six notes in a minor key, and
in a scale regularly descending. It was heard continually throughout the
summer, among the tops of the trees, but only in the densest forests. Dr.
Suckley states that after a fall of suow they would be found along the sandy
beaches near the salt water, where they were both abundant and tame. AVe
are indebted to Mr. W. H. Dall for our first authentic knowledge of its
nest and eggs. The former measures 6 inches in diameter with a depth of
2h inches. It has but a very slight depression, apparently not more than
half an inch in depth. The original sha}>e of the nest had, however, been
somewhat flattei^d in tra^isportation. 'The materials •of which it was com-
I)osed were fine dry mosses and lichens impacted together, intermingled with
fmgments of dry stems of grasses.

A nest of this thrush obtained by Dr. Minor, in Alaska, is a much more
finished structure. Its base and ])eriphery are composed of an elalx)rate
basket-work of slender twigs. Within these is an inner nest consisting of
an interweaving of fine dry grasses and long gray lichens.

The eggs in size, shape, ground color, and markings are not distinguishable
from those of the Twdiis musicus of Europe. They measure 1.13 inches in
length by .80 in breadth, are of a light blue with a greenish shading, almost
exactly similar to the ground color of the T. mi/jratoriHs. They are very
distinctly marked and spotted with a dark umber-brown approacliing almost
to blackness.

Mr. Dall informs us that the nest found by him was built in a willow
bush, about two feet from the ground, and on the top of a large mass of
rubbish lodged there by siome previous inundation. Other nests of the

TURDID.E — THE THRUSHES.

31

same species were met with in several places ]>etweeii Fort Yukon and
Xulato, always on or near a river-))ank and in low and secluded localities.

They arrive at Xulato about May 15, and prefer the vicinity of water,
frequenting the banks of small streams in retired places. ^Ir. Dall states
tliat he has seen the male bird on a prostrate log near the nest, singing with
all his might, suddenly cease and run up and down the log for a few minutes,
struttuig in a singular manner, tlien stopping and singing again ; and keeping
up this curious performance. S[)eciinens were received from Sitka, Koiliak,
Cook's Inlet and Admiralty Islands.

SUBFAMHY MIMINiE.

I»irds of this section have a somewhat thrush-like appearance, but (except
in Orcosroptes) with longer, much more graduated, and broader tail ; short
concave wings, about equal to or sliorter than the tail, usually lengthened,
sometimes decurved bill without notch, and strongly marked scutellie on the
anterior face of the tarsus. The loral feathers are soft, and not ending in
bristly points. The colors are dull shades of brown, gray, or plumbeous.
Most of the species, in addition to a melodious native song, possess the
power of imitating the notes of other birds ; sometimes, as in the American
Mcjcking Bird, to an eminent degree. All are peculiar to the Xew World,
and the si)ecies are much less vagrant than those of the Turdincv, — those
of the United States scarcely going beyond its northern boundary ; others,
again, restricted to small islands in the West Indies or in the Pacific Ocean.

Genus OREOSCOFTES, Baird.

Oroscnpfes, Baikd, Birds N. Am. 18.^8, 346. (Type Orp/tcus viontanus, Towxs.)
Oreoscoptes, Baikd, Rev. Am. Birds, 42.

Sp. Char. Bill sliorter than the head, without distinct notch. Bristles prominent, their
tips reachinj,' beyond the nostrils. Winjjfs pointed, equal to, or a little longer than the
tail. First quill not half the second, about
two fifths the longest ; third, fourth, and
fifth (piills equal and longest ; second be-
tween sixth and seventh. Tail but slightly
gra<luated ; the feathers narrow. Tarsus
longer than midtUe toe and claw by an ad-
ditional claw ; scutellie distinct anteriorly.

Of this genus only one species is
at present known. This belongs to
the Middle and Western provinces
of tlie United States and extends
from the Pacific coast eastward to
Fort Laramie and the Black Hills
(in winter to San Antonio, Te.xas) ; south to Fort Yuma and CajMi St. Lucas.

t»129

Oreoscoptfs montanus.

32

NORTH AMKRICAN JJIUDS.

Oreoscoptes montanus, r>AiRi).

8A0E THSA8HEB; MOUHTAIH MOCXEB.

Orpheus 7nf>v fa Hits, Towxsexd, Jour. Aiatl. Nat. Sri. \*\\i\a.. VII, ii, 1837, 192. —Arn.
Birds Anur. II, 1841, 194, pi. cxx.xix. Titr>h(s inontmim, Arn. Orn. Bio;,'. IV, 1838,
437, pi. rcflxix, fig. 1. M hints viuahinus, Bonap. Consp. 1850, 276. Oratscoptt's
iiionf4iniis, Bviun, Binls N. Ainer. 1858, 347; Rt*v. Am. B. 1864, 42. — Sclatek,
r. Z. S. 1859, 340. — Ib. Catal. 1861, 8, no. 30. — CooPEU, Birds t'sil. I, 12.

Pp. (^iiar. First quill rathor shorter than the sixth. Tail slijjhtly graduated. Above
brownish-ash; each feather obsoletely darker in the centre. Beneath dull white, thickly
marked with trian<rular spots, except on the under tail-coverts and around tlie aini.s, which
regions are tinged with yellowish-brown. Wing-coverts an<l (piills edged with dull white.
Tail feathers brown ; the outer edge<I, antl all (except, perhaps, the middle) tipped with
white. Length, 8 inches; wing, 4.8.') ; tail. 4.00; tarsus, 1.21,

Young. Similar, but spots beneath less sharply defnied, and the upjxT parts quite
conspicuously streaked with dusky.

IIab. Rocky Mountains of United States, west to Pacific, south to Cape St. Lucas.

The careful observations of ^fr. Uohert Ridgway have led him to the con-
viction tliat the name be.stowed upon this species of " Mountain Mocking-
Bird " is doubly a misnomer. It is not at all imitative in its notes, and it is

almost exclusively a resident of the ar-
temisia ])lains. It seems to be chieflv
confined to the great central plateau of
North America, from Mexico almost to
Washington Teiritory. Specimens have
been procured from Cape St. Lucas, the
Lower Colorado, Mexico, and Texas, on
the south, and Xuttall met with it nearly
as far north as Walla- Walla. It proba-
bly occupies the whole extent of the
Great Basin.

Dr. Kennerly, who met with it while

crossing the arid mcms west of the Bio

Grande, says that while singing it was

usually lurched upon some bush or low tree. It was frequently seen

seeking its food upon the ground, and when approached, instead of flying

away, it ran very rapidly, and disappeared among the low bushes.

During the winter months it was observed near San Antonio, Texas, by
Mr. Dresser ; and was also found by him to l^e common al)out Eagle I*ass.
He noticed the same ^peculiarity of their running instead of their flying
away when disturbed. They preferred the flat, bush-covered plains. A few
remained to breed, as he obtained the eggs there, although he did not him-
self meet with one of the birds in summer.

It is generally I'epresented as keeping chiefly on the ground, and obtaining

OreoxojHes montanus.

TrilDID.K — TIIK THUrSIIES. 33

its fo(Kl ill thi.s iKJsitinii. (Jeiieral ('oiicli speaks of it as Sparrow-like in its
habits.

Mr. Nuttall de.scril>es its sonjij as cheeriii'j, and the notes of which it is
composed as decidedly resendding those of the Jirown Thrush {Hftrjut-
rhi/iirhits rtifvs). He claims for it some of the imitative powers of the
Mockin«^-I>ird {Mi mm pohitflottfiii), hut in this he is not supported by the
observations of others. He met with its nest in a wormwood (Arfanisio)
bush on the Umler of a ravine ; it contained four e«:«,'s of emerald green,
sjjotted with dark olive, the simts being large, roundish, and more numerous
at the larger end. The nest was composed of small twigs and rougli stalks,
and lined with strips of bark and bison-wool. The female flew off to a short
distance, and looked at her unwelcome visitors without uttering any com-
plaint.

The nests of tliis bird, so far as I have seen them, are all flat, shallow
structures, with very slight depression, and loosely and rudely constructed
of an intermingling of strips of bark with rootlets and the flner stems of her-
baceous ])lants. Their eggs, usually four in number, do not vary essentially
in size, shai)e, or marking. Tht\" measure 1 inch in length, and from .73 to
.75 in breadth. Tlieir ground color is a bright greenish-blue, marked with
deep olive-brown spots, intermingled with blotches of a light lilac. There
are slight variations in the j>roportion of green in the shade of the ground
color, and also in the number and size of the spots, but these variations are
unimportant.

The following are ^Ir. liidgway's observations uj)on the habits of this
species. They are full, valualjle, and very carefully made : —

The Oram'opU'n monttoms is a bird peculiar to the artemisia wastes of the
Great Basin, being a characteristic species of the region between the SieiTa
Nevada and the llocky Mountains. It is exclusively an inhabitant of the
*' sage brush," and is partial to the lower portions of the country, though
it is not unfrequent on the open slope of the mountains. A more unappro-
priate term than " Mountain Mocking- Bird " could hardly have been chosen
for this species, as its predilection for the valleys, and the fact that its song
is fntirch/ its own, will show. In my o[>inion, the term " Sage Thrasher "
would l»e more appropriate.

In the neighborhood of Carson City, Xe\ada, these birds arrived about the
24th of ^larch, and immediately upon their arrival began singing. At this
time, with the Starnclla iirf/hrfa and Poospiza helli, they made sweet music
in the afternoon and early morning, in the open wastes of "sage brush,"
around the city. The birds when singing were generally seen sitting upon
the summit of a " sage " bush, faintly warbling, in the course of the song
turning the head from side to side in a watchful manner. Upon being
approached, they would dart downward, seemingly diving into the bush upon
which they had perched, but u})on a close search the bird could not l»e
found, until it was heard again singing a hundred yards or more in the

5 '

34 NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS.

(liri'ctinn from wliiili I liad approached. This jx»ciiliar, lirciiitons, conccaltMl
tli-'lit is a verv cliaraiteristic trait of this hinl, and one sure to excite atteii-
tion.

As the season advanced, or ahout the lOtli of April, when the pairing
season was at hand, the son^ of the males l)ecame «j;reatly improved, increas-
ing in sweetness and vivacity, ami full of rai>turous emotion ; their manners,
also, Ik'came changed, for they had lost all their wariness. In ]>aying their
attentions to their mates, the males would tlv from Imsh to bush, M'ith a
])eculiar, tremulous fluttering of the wings, which, when the hird alighted,
were raised ahove the back apj)arently touching each other; all the while
vibrating with the emotion and ecstasy that a<jitated the singer.

The song of this bird, though very deficient in }M>wer, — in this resj>ect
equalling no other species of M'unina' with which I am acquainted, — is
nevertheless sui>erior to most of them in sweetness, vivacity, and variety.
It has a wonderful resemblance to the beautiful subtle warbling of the
liiijuhiH caliniJtila, having in fact very much the sr.me style, with much of
the tone, and about the power of the song of the Pi/nniffa rnbra.

When the birds are engaged in incubation, the males become very silent,
and one not familiar with their habits earlier in the season would think thev
never had a voice ; in fact, they make no i)rotestations even when the nest is
disturbed, for, while blowing the eggs, I have had the parent l>irds running
around me, in the manner of a robin, now and then halting, stretching for-
ward their heads, and eying iw in the most anxious manner, but remaining
I^erfectly silent. When the young are hatched the i)arents become more
solicitoiis, signifying their concern by a low, subdued diiick. At all times
when the nest is ap]n-oached, the bird generally leaves it slyly before one
approaches very near it.

The nest is very bulky, composed externally of rough sticks, principally
the thornv twigs of the various " sage bush " plants. Nearer the centre the
principal material is fine strips of inner bark of these jdants ; and the lining
consists of finer strips of bark, mingled with fine roots, and l)its of r.ildut
fur. The situation of the nest varies but little, being gener.dly placed
near the middle of a bush, that is, about eighteen inches from the ground.
It is generally suj)ported against the main trunk, upon a horizontal bmnch.
Several were found upon the ground beneath the bush, one, in fact, embedded
in the soil, like that of a Pipilo ; or as sometimes the Ciise with the Har-
j)orh)inchuii rvfns, others, again, were found in brush-heaps. In all cases,
the nest was very artfully conce.iled, the situation being so well selected.

This bird is almost Cipudly common in all parts of its habitat, within the
limits indicated. In June, we found it abundant on the large islands in the
Great Salt Lake, where many nests w^ere found.

In autumn, it feeds, in company with many other birds, upon berries,
" service berries " being its especial favorite.

TrUIIIU.K — Till-; TIIUI SIIKS.

35

Gexls

Cahamh.

llariiorUijuchiis ru/iis.

Tuxnstnmn, WAt;i,F:i:, Isis, 1S31, 528. iTyi**' '/'• letnlit, VVa<:l., not Tu.ro,<^ntiin , \\\v.

1»16.)
llariKs, (Ja.mhki,, Pr. A. X. S. Tliila. II. 1845, 'liW. {J\\n' /fmjHs irdicirus, (Jamu., not

ofCoi.DFi ss, 1S:{!». )
IfiirfKir/iiiinfiK.s, ('AiiAMs, Aivliiv f. Natur^'. 1848, i. i»S. iTvjm- I/hijms rniiricKs, Cxmu.)
McthiUtptiiiis, Kkk II. Av. Sy.st. Nat. 1850, \A. iv. (TyiH- sjii*! by (Iniy to l»t' II. I'uj'its.)

Okx. (-'iiAii. Bill from foiflicad as \o\\\i as. or inucli ]oii;„'fr tliaii tlu' lu'ad; lu'coiniiiL;
Mion' ami iiioiv »U'furv»'<l in Itotli jaws as It'iii^tlu'Ufd. No indiration t»t' a iu>tch. Kit-tiis
with the hristh'S ('xtt'iidin^' hi'voud
the nostrils. Tarsus lonir and stout,
appnciahly exceed inj,' the luitldlc
toe and elaw, stron<,'ly s<Mitellalc
anteriorly. Wings eonsidt-raltly
shorter than tail, much rounded ;
the tirst ([uill more than hall' the
.second ; fourth or tilth lonjjest.
Tail larjje, much <rraduated ; the
feathers liim.

Tlie s|)ecies of this genus

aiv all of lai"ge size, in fact,

enilmicing the laigt'.st of the

Anieiioan slender-billed os-

eine birds. All the species differ in structure, varying especially in tlie

length of the l»ill, Jis above stated.

It is useless to attempt a division of this genus, for tlun'e is such a gradual

chain of charactei"s between the two extremes of form (ntfifs and crissd/is),

that they even seem almost one species,
when the numerous intermediate forms,
shading so insensi]»ly into each other, are
considered. However, as this view would
be rather extreme, in view of the really
great difference of form between the species
mentioned, we may consider the following
as good species, several of them with one
or more varieties: rhfus, with long'uavda
and louijii'itstrU jis varieties, the former
scarcely appreciably ditferent, the latter
ranking as a permanent race ; oreUntus, ci-
nercifx, cHrvirosfri-^, the latter with one well-
marked variety, i^dhncri ; rnlivicns, with
most probably hcontei as a well-marked
variety, and crtssa/is.
The seasonal differences in the plumage often make it difficult to deter-
mine these several forms ; but if the following facts are borne in mind, the

Hwrjmrliynchus rufus.

36 XORTII AMKUK'AX lUUDS.

trouble will Ik' «,'r<*iitly lesseiitMl. In every s|>et'ies tliero is a iiion; or less
decided ocliniceous tin«;e to the crissal rej^ion (soinetimes extendiiij^ forward
over the Hanks) ; except in rrissn/is, in which the lower tail-coverts and anal
region are deep chestnut. In autumn and winter this ochmceous tint Vte-
conies very much «lee|>er, as well as more jaevalent, than in spring and
sunnuer; the whole plumage Inicomes s»)t"ter, the colors more j)ronounced,
and the markings more distinct, than when faded and worn in summer.

Synopsis of Species of Harporhynchus.

A* Spots Ix'ueath sharply tlctinoil aiul t*oiiS[)iciious, — iiiuch darkiT in color than
the upper parts.

1. H. ruf no. The markings lineo-cinu*ate : wiii^ hands sharply »lt'liruMl.

Above rufous; uiarkinjrs bolow tlark brown; outer tail-feathers dilutcil
at tip; winj^, 4.(K); tail, 5.20; bill hoin nostril, .71>, in-arly straij:ht ;
tarsus, l.oU; middle toe, .90 (1,^J77(J Carlisle, P<'nn.). Hub. Eastern
Province United States ........ var. ruf' us,

Winj,', -4.40; tail, .j.TO; bill, .70; tarsus, l.;].";; middle toe. .00 (o,r).Vj^
KeMubliean River). J/((b. Plains between Mis.-<ouri Itiver to Iloekv
Moimtains ........ var. lo ng ica n ihi .

Above lunber brown ; niarkin<j"s b«'neath black; tail-feathers not paler
at tip; wing, 3.00; tail, 4.00; liill, .S.'), sli;.d»tly curved; tarsus, 1.40;
middle toe, .94 (4,01()^ Brownsville, Tex.) JIuh. Kjuitern Mexico,
north to Rio Grande of Texas ..... var. long i ro.st r i s .

2. H. oceUatus.^ The markings circular ; wing l»ands conspicuous.

Above grayish-brown; markings beneath black; tail-feathers broadly
tipped with white; wing, 4.10; tail, fUJO; l»ill, from rictus, 1.50, mod-
erately curved : tarsus, 1.50. JInh. Oaxaca, Mex.

3. H. cinereua. The niarkings deltoid ; wing bands narrow, but sharjily
defined.

Above brownish-cinereous; markings beneath blackish-brown; tail-
feathers broadly tipped with white; wing, 4.00; tail, 4.(10; bill, .88,
much ^'urved; tarsus, 1.30; middle toe, .85 (12,000 ''9" — ^ ? Cape
St. Lucas). Ilab. Cape St. Lueas, Lower California.

Ba Spots beneath obsolete, not darker than the plumage above; roundish in

tbrni.

4. H. curvirostris.

Above cinereous; wing bands distinct; spots below distinct, upon a
white ground ; femoral rejjrion and crissum very pale ochraeeous; tail-feath-
er* broadly and sharply tijtped with pure white; wing, 4.30; tail, 4.50;
bill, 1 .00, stout, modeiately curved ; tai-sus. 1 .40 ; middle toe, 1.12 (7,200 ^
Ringgold Barrai'ks, Texas). Hub. from Rio Grande valley in Texas to
Cordova, Orizalia. Oaxaca. Colima, and Miizatlan . . var. curvirostr is.

Wing bands obsoh'te, and tiiil spot^ very narrow and obsolete; spot.s
V)elow just discernible upon a L'rayish groinid ; femoral region and
crissum dilute ochraceous-brown ; wing, 4.30 ; tail, 5.20 ; bill, 1.00,
slender, moderately curved; tarsus, 1.30; middle toe, 1.00 (8,128 ^J
'•Xew Mexico" — probably Eastern Arizona). Hub. Arizona (Camp
Grant) var. palmer i.

' Harporhifiu'hus ocelltttits, Sclatkk, P. Z. S. 1802, p. 18, pi. iii.

TriiDID.K — TllK TlIUrsiIKS. 37

C Eiitirrly uiispottetl bnuutli.

.'i. H. redivivus. Anal n-jrioii an<l 1«>v«t tail-oovcrts lijrht oclira^-oou.^.

AI>ovt* soft liro\viiisli-«'iiR'rt'oiis. tail coiisi<K'ral»ly darkt'r; wing haiuls
almost «)bsoU'lt', ami tail-lrathors nuTt'ly dilutfd at tips. iJtMU'ath paler
than above, — almost wliitr on tluoat an<l abdomen; aniil n'<,'i(»n Jimi
lower tail-eoverts yello\vish-«Khr5u»*ous. A distinct '"bridle" Ibrniejl
by the hair-like tips of the feathers, bordering the throat; maxillary
strijM.' white with transverse bars of ilusky; wing, 3.1it> ; tail, 'i.'2o: bill,
l.Oo, sleniler, moderately <-urved ; tarsus, 1.25 ; middle toe, .8(> (40,718 ^
HO miles from (\)lorado Kiver, near Fort Mojave). JIub. Arizona (Gila
Rivtr. Fort Yuma, and Fort Mojave) var. lecontei.

Above ashy drab, tail darker and more brownish ; wing bands ineon-
ispieuous, an«l tail-feathers hardly dilutetl at tips. iJeneath, the oehraee-
ous covers the abdomen, antl the throat inclines to the same. No
"bridle." Cheeks and ear-coverts blackish, with conspicuous shatl-
streaks of white; wing, 4.30; tail, o.GO; l)ill, 1.40, stout, very much
bowed, — the an'h regular; tarsu.-, Loo; mi<ldle toe, 1.00 (.■],y32^,
California), Iluh. Coast region of Calilbrnia . . . var. redivivus.
0. H. criBsalis. Anal region and lower tail-coverts deep chestnut.

Above, brownish-iushy with a slight purplish cast, tail not darker ;
no trace of wing bands ; tail-feathers <liluted, and tinged with rusty at
tips. Beneath, of a uniform, paler tint than the upper plumage, not
lighter medially ; throat white, with a conspicuous '' bridle ' ; from this
up to the eye whitish, with transversely angular bars of dusky; wing,
4.(K) ; tail, O.oO ; bill, 1.25, very slender, bowed from the middle ; tar-
sus, 1.30; middle toe, .90 (11,533^ Fort Yuma). Ifah. Region of
(rila River to Rocky Mountains ; north to Southern Utah (St. Georg**,
breeding; Dr. Pahuer).

Harporhjrnchus rufus, Cabams.

BROWH THBA8HEB.

Turdtis rufus, LiXN. Syst. Nat. loth cd. U'lS, 109, bused on C.vtf.sby, tab. 19. —1b.

Syst. Nat. I, 17t)0, 293. — Oatke, Nauniauuia, lS't», 4*24 (Heligoland, Oct. 1837).

UiiriH>rhijiichiis rufus, Caii. Mus. Hein. 1S;'»0, 82.— Baiup, liirds X. Am. 1858, 353.

— Id. Kev. Am. Buds, 44. — Sclateu, P. Z. S. 1859, 340. —1b. Catal. 1861, 8, no.

48. — Samtkls, 163. Mi mus rufus, Pu. Max. Cab. Jour. 1858, 180.
Figures : Vieillot, Ois. Am. Sept. 11, pi. lix. — Wilsox, Am. Oru. II, pi. xiv. — Ai'D.

Orn. Biog. pi. cxvi,

Sp. Char. Exposed portion of the l)ill shorter than the head. utline of lower man-
dible straight. Above light cinnamon-red; beneath pale rufous-AN Into with longitudinal
streaks of dark brown, excepting on the chin, throat, middle of the belly, and under tail-
coverts. These spots anteriorly are reddish-brown in their terminal portion. The inner
surface of the wing and the inner edges of the primaries are cinnamon ; the concealed
portion of the quills otherwise is dark brown. The median and greater wing-coverts
become blackish-brown towards the end, followed by white, producing two conspicuous
bands. The tail-feathers are all rufous, the external ones obscurely tipped with whitish ; the
shafts of the same color with the vanes. Length, 1 1.15 ; wing, 4.15 ; tail, 5.20 ; tarsus, 1..30.

Hab. Eastern North America to Missouri River, and perhaps to high central plains
United States, east of Rocky Mountains, north to Lake \Vinnipeg.

38 NOUTII AMKliK'AN BIKI)8.

As strtted in " Iiinls of X<iitli Aiiierie:i" some specimens (var. loiifficamla)
from Ix'Vontl the Missouri I liver are larj^er tlian eastern birds, with lonurer
tails, more rufous beneath ; tlie breast spots darker. lUit, in passing from
east to west, tlie change is so insensible that it is inipos><ible to divide the
series.

Habits. This Thrush is a common species throughout a widely extended
area, from the llockv ^bmntains to the Atlantic, and from the ]{ed Jliver
country, in Ihitish America, to the IJio (Irande. And nearly throughout
this entire territory it also resides and breeds, from Texas to the o-ltth paral-
lel of latitude.

It reaches New England early in May and leaves it in the latter part of
Septeml>er or the first week of October, its stay varying with the season
and the su])ply of its food. It is somewhat irregularly distributed, common
in some jjortions of this section, and rare or even unknown in others. It
is not found near the sea-coast beyond Massachusetts. It passes the winter
in the Southern States, even as lar to the north as Virginia, and is in full
song in the neighborhood of Sa.annah as early as the first of ^larch.

The song of this Thrush is one of great lieauty, and is much admired by
all who ap]>reciate woodland melody of t\\Q sweetest and liveliest type. It
is loud, clear, emphatic, full of variety and charm. Its notes are never imi-
tative and cannot be mistaken by any one who is familiar with them, for
those of any other bird, unless it may be some one of its western congenei's.
It is a very steady })erformer, singing for hours at a time. Its notes are
given in a loud tone, and its song may often be heard to (piite a distance.

In obtaining: its food the Ihown Thrush is at times almost rjisorial in its
habits. In the early spring it scratches among the leaver of the forest for
worms, coleo])terous grubs, and other forms of insect food. IJy some it
is charged with scratching ui> the hills of early corn, but this is not a well-
founded accusation. Berries of various kinds also form a large ])art of its
food, and among these the small fruit of our gardens must l)e included.

This Thrush is a very affectionate and devoted bird, especially to its young.
It is also j)rompt in go'""' to the assistance of others of its species when in
trouble. Whenever intruders a})proach their nests, especially if their young
are far advanced, they manifest the deepest anxiety, sometimes even making
a vigorous defence. The writer has a very distinct recollection of having
encountered, together with a younger brother, an ignominious defeat, when
making his fii-st attem])t to inspect the nest of one of these birds.

The Brown Thrush is jealous of the intrusion of other birds of its own
species to a too ch)se ])roximity to its nesting- jdace, and will assert its
love of seclusion by stout battles. In Louisiana the construction of the
nest is connnenced (piite early in ^larch ; in Pennsylvania, not until May ;
and in the Xew England States in the latter ])art of that month. The nest
is usuallv not more than two or three feet from the ground. It is built in a
low bush, on a cluster of briers or amon^ vines. I have known it to be

Tl'RDID.E — THE TIIUrSIIES. 31)

jjlaced in the interior of a heap of Imishwood loosely thrown to-^cther. I
have never met with the nest built upon the grounil, but in Sj»rinij:liehl, and
in other dry and sandy loealities, this is by no means an uncommon occur-
rence. These nests are fre([uently jdaced in close proximity to houses, and
sometimes in the very midst of viUaj^es.

The nest of the Thmsher is larue, and roughly but stromjly built. The
base is usually made of coarse twigs, sticks, and ends of branches, tirndy
interwoven. Within this is constructed an inner nest, c(mi])nscd of tlried
leaves, strips of bark, and strong black tibrous roots. These are lined
with finer roots, horse-hair, an occasional feather, etc.

The eLTiis are usually four, sometimes five, and r.irelv six, in number. They
vary both in the tints of the ground c(dor, in those of their markings, and
slightly in their shape. Their length varies from .99 to 1.12 inches, with a
mean of 1.05. Their breadth ranges fnmi .70 to .87 of an inch; mean
breadth, .81. The ground color is sometimes white, marked with tine reddish-
brown dots, continent at the Lirger end, or forming a broad ring around the
crown. In others tlie markings have a vellowish-brown tint. Sometimes the
ixround coh)r is a light green.

Haxporhynchus rufus, \ar. longirostris, cahan.

TEXAS THBASHEB.

Orphfm Jfniffirostris, Lafu. \\. Z. 18.38, :»'>. — In. Mai,', d." .^ool, 18:^0, Ois. pi. i. Toxor-
tomn loiiijii-Dsftr, Caij. Wicj^ni. Ari'h. 1847, i. -'tr. Mimu.^ lonrjimsfn's, Sci.atki:,
r. Z. S. l.s'»t), 21)4 (C«>rclova). llarjxtrhinichua fninjirosfris, Cah. Mus. Hciii. 18;i0, 81.
— Baiiu), Birds N. Am. 1858, 352, pi. lii. -In. luv. 44. — StL.\TEH, V. Z. i>. 1859,
339 ; Ib. 1864, 172 (City of Mcx.); lu. Catul. 1801, 8, no. 47.

pp. Char. Similar to FF. riifux, the rufous of back niucli darker. \Vinsrs inueli rouudcMl :
srcoiul <|uill shorttM* than the socomlarics. Exposed [)oi'ti»)i. ot'the hill as loiijr as tlu' heail ;
the lov.'er edirc* <lecidedly ileeiuved or eoiieave. Ahovc rather dark browiiish-i'ulons;
beneath pale nitoiis-white ; streake«l on the sides of the neck and body, and across the
hreast, with very dark brownish-hlaek, nearly uniform Ihi'i.ljjjhoiit, much darker than in
ni/ns. Two ratln'r narrow white hands on the wim^. t'he eonecaliMl portion of the
• luills dark hrowii. Lenufth, lU.'jO ; wing. 4.00; tail. .'> 00 : tarsus, 140.

Hah. Eastern Mexico; north to Rio Grande, Texa^. Cordova, Scl. Orizaba (tem-
})erate region), Scmicuuast.

Specimens from the Eio Grande to ^lirador and (Orizaba are quite identical,
witii, of coui*se, ditVerences among intlividuals. This "species" is not, in
our opinion, sej)aralKe from the //. rvfm specifically ; but is a race, repre-
senting the latter in the region given above, where the riifti>i itself is never
found. The relations of these two forms are exactly paralleled in the Thrijo-
ihoriiA huJoviriann,^ and T. hrrhtnrJicri, the latter being nothing more than
the darker Southern rejnvsentation of the former.

The Te.xas Thrasher appears to beh)ng only to the Avifauna of the South-

40 NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS.

west. It first appears as a bird of the valley of the Ilio Grande, and extends
from thence southward through Eastern Mexico to Cordova and Orizaba. In
Arizona it is replaced by //. 2)iu'))icri, IT. /cronfci, and ff. crissa/is, in Cali-
fornia by If. rcdirirns, and at Cape St. Lucas by H. cineyrus, while in the
United States east of the Iiocky Mountains it is represented by its nearer
ally If. rnfus.

Habits. The eggs of this species are hardly distinguishable from those
of the common Brown Thrasher {H. ri'J)(s), of the Atlantic States. The
color of their «.TOund is a gi'eenish-white, which is thickly, and usually com-
pletely, covered with fine markings of a yellowish-brown. They have an
average length of 1.13 inches, ])y .79 in breadth. So far as I have had an
opportunity of observing, they do not vary from these measurements more
than two per cent in length or one per cent in breadth. Their nests are
'=!ually a mere jdatform of small sticks or coarse stems, with little or no
'^sion or rim, and are placed in low bushes, usually above the upj>er
branches.

In regard to the distinctive habits of this species I have no information.

Harporhynchus cinereus, Xantus.

CAFE ST. LUCAS THSASHEB.

Harporlnnrrhus cinrrcua, Xaxtis, Pr. A. N. Se. 18oi>, 298. — Baird, IK, .303 ; Review, 46.
— ScLATEU, ratal. 1801, 8, no. 49. — Elliut, Illust., i. pi. i. — ('txu'EU, Hirils Cul. 1.
19.

Sp. Char. Bill as loni; as tho head ; all the lateral outlines frently decnrved from the
base. Bristles not very conspicuous, but reachinir to the nostrils. "Winj^s considerably
shorter than the tail, nuieh rounded. First primary broad, nearly half the lenjrth of the
second ; the third to the seventh quills nearly equal, their tips fonninjr the outline of a
jrentle curve ; the second quill shorter than the ninth. Tail considerably jj:raduate<l, the
lati'ral feathers more than an incii the shorter. Lejrs stout; tarsi longer than mirldle toe,
distinctly s<Mitellate, with seven scales.

Above ashy brown, with perhaps a tinire of rusty on the rump; beneaih fulvous-whito,
more fulvous on the flanks, inside of wiujr, ajid crissum. Beneath, except chin, throat,
an<l from middU; of abdomen to crissum, Avith well-de(hied V-shaped spots of dark brown
at the ends of the feathers. ' rtrest across the brea,st. Loral reirion hoarv. Win«?s with
two narrow whitish bands across the tips of prreater and middle coverts; the cpiills e«ljred
externally with paler. Outer three tail-fer.Uiers with a rather obsolete white patch in the
end of inner web. an<l across the tips of the outer.

Sprinjr specimens are of rather purer white beneath, with the spots more distinct than
as described.

Len^rth of 12,900 (skin), 10.00; wiuL'. 4.10; tail. 4.05; first primary, 1.00; second,
2.r>0; bill from irape, 1.40, from above, 1.1'), from nostril, .90; tarsus, 1.20; middle toe
and claw, 1.12 : claw alone, .'M).

IIab. Cape St. Lucas, Lower California.

Tliis species is curiously similar in coloration to Orcoscopfr.'i mnntnnus, from
which its much larger size, much longer and decurved bill, and the gradu-

TURDID.E — THE THRUSHES. 41

ated tail, of course readily distinguish it. It agrees in some respects with
H. rn/i's and //. longirostris, but is smaller, the bill longer and more curved ;
the u})per parts are ashy olivaceous-brown instead of rufous, etc.

Habits. So far as is at present known in regard to this species it appears
to be confined exclusively to the peninsula of Lower California. It has, at
least, been met with nowhere else. Mr. Xantus found it quite numerous
in the vicinity of Cape St. Lucas, in a region which, as he descriljes it, was
singularly unpropitious. This was a sandy sliore, extending about a quarter
of a mile inland, whence a cactus desert stretched about six miles up to a
hiffh rauijfe of mountains. Throu<j[hout this tract the «::round is covered with
a saline etHorescence. There is no fresh water within twenty-eight miles.

Mr. Xantus speaks of the habits of this bird as being similar to those of
the Oreoscoptcs motitanus. It was a very abundant species at this cape, where
he found it breeding among the cactus plants in large numbers. He men-
tions that £is early as the date of his arrival at the place, April 4, he found
them already with full-fledged young, and states that they continued to
breed until the middle of July.

He was of the impression that the eggs of this species more nearly re-
semble those of the common Mocking- r>ird than any others of this genus.
The aggravatingly brief notes that accompanied his collecti<jns show that the
geneml position of the nest of this species was on low trees, shrubs, and
most usually, cactus plants, and in no instance at a greater elevation from
the ground than four feet. Their nests were flat structures, having only a
very slight depression in or near their centre. They were about 5 inches
in diameter, and were very little more tlian a mere platform.

The eggs vary somewhat in their ground cohjr, but exhibit only slight
variations in size or shape. Their greatest length is 1.13 inches, and their
average 1.12 inches. Their mean l)readth is .77 inch, and their niaximun^
.70 inch. The ground color is a greenish-white, profusely marked w* .
spots of mingled purple and brown. In others Jie ground color is a . ' i-
green. In some sj)ecimens the spots are of a yellowish-brown, and jine
the markings are much lighter.

Harporhynchus curvirostris, Cab. ..

GBAT CTTBYE-BILL THSA8HEB.

Orphrm atrvirnsfrifi, Swainson, Philos. Mag. 1S27, 369 (Kastorn Mexico). — M'Call, Pr.
A. X. So. May, 1848, 63. MimKs itfrvirf>sfn'.'i, CtKAY, Oonera, 1844-49. Torosfonia
cw'cirosfris, BoNAi*. Cous|K?ctus, 18.'>0, 277. — Solateii, P. Z. S. 1857, 21'2. IlaifH)-
rhifnchiis curvirosfris, Car. Mus. Hriii. 1. 18."»0, 81. — Baiud, Birds N. Am. 1858,
351, pi. li. ; in. liev. 45. — Hekkmann, P. H. R. Kq). X, Parke's Uq». 1859, 11.—
ScLATEK, P. Z. S. 1859, 339: In.Catal. 1861, 7, no. 46. — Dkessei:, Tins, 1865, 483.
PuiimtorhiiiHS turdiiiHs, Temm. PI. (>ol. 441. .** Tuxostoma vdula, Waui.eu, Isd.s, 1831,
528.

6

42 NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS.

Sr. CnAR. Exposed j>ortion of the bill alioiit as long as the head; considerably
decurved. Above uniform jrrayish-brown, or light ash ; beneath dull white ; the anal
region and under tail-covert-s tinged with brownish-yellow. The under parts generally,
exeept the chin, throat, middle of the belly, and under coverts, with rounded sub-triangular,
quite well-detined spots, nmch like the back. These are quite conlluent on the breast.
Two narrow bands on the wing-coverts, and the edges of primaries and alula?, are white.
The tail-feathers, except the middle, are conspicuously tipped with white. Length of
female, 10 inches; wing, 4.00 ; tail, 4.55 ; tarsus, 1.20.

Hab. Adjacent regions of United States and Mexico, southward. Cordova, Orizaba,
Mirador; Mazatlan, Cohma, Oaxaca.

Specimens from the Rio Grande across to Mazatlan represent one species ;
but those from the latter locality are somewhat darker in colors, though this
"uay be owing, in part, to the fact that they are winter birds. Considerable
differences in proportions may often be noticed between individuals, but
nothing strikingly cliaracteristic of any particular i-egion.

The specimens of the Mazatlan series (37,326 (J, 51,523, and 51,525^)
have tails considerably longer than any of those from the Rio CJrande, the
excess amounting in the longest to nearly an inch ; but one from the same
locality has it shorter than any of the Texas specimens.

In its perfect plumage, this species has both rows of coverts distinctly
tipped with white ; but in the faded condition of midsummer, the bands
thus produced are hardly discernible, and the spots below become very
obsolete.

Habits. This interesting species appears to be common in AVestem Texas,
the vallev of the IMo Grande, and Western Mexico. It was met with in
these regions on the several railroad surveys, and is described by Dr. Heer-
mann as possessing musical powers surpassed by few other birds. When
alarmed it immediately hides itself in a thick covert of underbrush, whence
it is almost impossible to dislodge it. Its food consists of fruit and berries
when in their season, of insects and their larvae and of worms. These it
collects botli among the trees and from the ground, on the latter of which it
spends mucli of its time. Mr. J. H. Clark states that the nest of this bird
is very similar to that of the Mocking-Bird, but is finer and much more com-
pact. He adds that it is oftener found among the Opantia than elsewhere.
It is a quiet bird, rather shy, and keeps closely within the clumps of the
chaparral. For a bird of its size it makes an unusual noise in flying. At
Ringgold Barracks Mr. Clark's tent was pitched under a como-tree in which
there Mas a nest of these birds. They were at first shy and seemed quite
disposed to abandon their nest, buc, however, soon became accustomed to
their new neighbor, and went on with their parental duties. The position
of their nest had been ver}^ judiciously selected, for it was during the season
of the black fruit of the como, which is somewhat in the sha])e and size of
a thimble, with a ]»leasant milky pulp. These constituted their principal
f<>od. The eggs in this nest were five in number. Lieutenant Couch met
Avith it from Brownsville to Duranjro, where it had alreadv paired as earlv as

TUKDID.E — THE TIIRUSIlK- 43

Februriiy. He <lesr>ribes it as exceedingly taii.j aiid gentle in its habits, and
witli a song remarkably melodious and attractive. Perched on the topmost
bou'di ol' a tlowcring mimosa, in the presence of his consort, the male will
pour forth a volume of must enchanting music. Their nest is generally very
nearly flat, measuring nearly six inches in circumference., antl scarcely more
than an inch in its greatest thickness. It has hardly any distinct cavity,
and hollows but very slightly from the rim to the centre, its greatest depres-
sion having barely the deptli of half an inch. The nests are composed of
long coarse fibrous roots, rudely, but somewhat compactly interwoven. T\ir
inner framework is constructed of the same materials intermixed with ti:e
finer stems of grasses.

^Ir. H. E. Dresser states that in the vicinity of ^latamoras these birds are
fond of freiiuenting small villages, an<l that he fret^uently found their nests
within the gardens and court-ya^*ds of the hou.scs, and near the road.

The eggs of this Tlirush vary considerably in size, ranging from 1.20 to
1.03 inches in length, and from .84 to .77 of an inch in breadth. Their
mean length is 1.12 inches, and their avemge breadth .80. They have
a light green ground-color, generally, though not thickly, Ci>vered with fine
brown spots.

Harporhynchus curvirostris, var. palmeri, Kidgway.

PALMEB'S THRASHER.

Harporiojnchiis curvirostris, var. pctlmcri, Ridgway, Report King's Expedition, V, 1872.

Sp. Char. BiU slender, moderately curved ; fifth quill lonpfest ; fourth and sXnih just
perceptibly shorter, and equal; second equal to ninth; first 1.55 .shorter than longest-
General plumage uniform grayish-umber, paler behiw, becoming almost dirty whitish on
the throat and abdomen ; lower part of the breast and abdomen with a very few just
discernil>le irregular specks of a darker tint; lower tail-coverts dilute isabella-brown, more
ochraceous at their margins ; anal region and lower part of abdomen light ochraceous.
Xo bands on wings, and tail-feathers only diluted at the tips. Maxillary stripe whitish
with transverse bars of dusky. '* Iris orange."

^(Xo. 8,128, "Xew Mexico " = Arizona, Dr. Heermann) : wing, 4.3' ; tail, 5.00;
bill (from nostril), 1.00; tarsus, 1.30; middle toe (without claw), 1.00. 9(-;0,723, Camp
Grant, Tucson, Arizona, March 12, 18G7 ; Dr. E. Palmer; with eggs): wing, 4.15; tail,
4.85; bill, .95 ; tarsus, 1.25; middle toe, .90.

IIab. Eastern Arizona (Tucson).

This very curious race seems to unite the characters of currirostns and
lecoiifei ; in fact, it is so exactly intermediate between the two, that we are
almost in doubt as to which it is most nearly related. Having the stout form
and larger size, as well as the spots on the abdomen, of tlie former, it has also
the uniform colors and general appearance of leeotiki Were it not that the
nest and eggs, with the parent accompanying, had been received from I )r.
Palmer, we might be tempted to consider it a hybrid between these two

44 XORTII AMEIUCAX BIRDS.

s[jecies, its hal)itat l>ein«^' exactly between them, too. \Ve liave great pleasure
in dedicating this curious form to Dr. Edward Palmer, who luis added very
much to our knowledgvi of the Natural History of the interesting region
u here the present bird is found.

Desriipfiou of nest and eggs. — (13,311, Camp Grant, Arizona; Dr. E. Palnioi). Nest
very bulky. — 0 inclu-s in heijjrht l»y <> in width. Very elaborately constniotc*!. The true
nest, of svmnietrieal form, aiul composted of thin jmiss-stalks and flax-hke fibres, is
enclosed in an outer case of thorny sticks, thiidy but strongly put together. This inner
nest has a deep cavity measurinf^ 4 inches in diameter by 3 in depth.

Eggs (two in number) measure I.IG by .80 ; in sha])e exactly like those of C cnrriros-
tris ; pale blue (deeper than in curn'rosfris), rather thinly sprinkled with niimite, but
distinct dots of pale sepia-br«)wn. Markings more distinct than those o^curvi'roJris. R. R.

The nest was situated in a cactus- hush, four and a half feet alxive the
ground.

Dr. Palmer rememhers nothing special concerning its luibits, excei^t that
the bird was very shy, and kept much ou the ground, where it was seen
running beneath the bushes.

Harporhynchus redivivus, var. lecontei, P»()nap.

I1ECONTF8 THRASHEB.

Toxostoma hcontci, L.vwn. Ann. N. Y. Lyo. V, Sept. 1851, 109 (Fort Yuma). Ifar/M-
rhiimhus hcontci, lioN.VP. C. U. XXVIIl, 1854, 57. -lu. Notes Dclattre, 39.—
Baiud, Birds N. Am. 1858, 350, pi. 1 ; In. Review, 47. — CooI'ER, Birds Cal. I. 17.

Sp. Cn.vi: Bill much curved. Se(;ond quill about ecpial to the tenth ; exposed portion
of the first more than half the longest ; outer tail-feather an inch shortest. General color
above light grayish-ash, beneath much paler; the chin and throat above almost white;
the sides behind brownish-yellow or pale rusty-yellow ash, of which color is the crissum
and anal region. Tail-feathers rather dark l)rown on the under surfiice, lighter above;
the outer edges and tips of exterior ones obscurely j)aler. Quills nearly like t .e back.

H.\B. Gila River ; Fort Yuma ; Fort Mojave.

Since the description of the type, a second specimen (40,7 1H<J, Fort
^lojave, 20 miles from Colorado IJiver, Sept. 30, 1865) has been obtained
by Dr. Coues. This skin difi'ers slightly from the type in size, being
somewhat larger, measuring, wing 3.90, tail 5.30, bill (from nostril) 1.05 ;
while the other measures, wing 3.70, tail 4.70, bill .98. This ditference in
size very probably rei)resents that between the sexes, the type most likely
being a female, though the sex is not stated. Owing to the different seasons
in whicli the two specimens were obtained, they differ somewhat in plu-
mage also. Dr. Coues's specimen is somewiiat the darker, and the plumage
has a softer, more Vdended aspect, and a more ashy tinge of color ; tiie
ochraceous of the crissal region is also slightly deeper. No other differences
are appreciable.

Habits. Leconte's Thrasher is a new and comparatively little known

TL'UDID.E — THE TlIiiUSllES. 45

sj^)ecies. A siiij^le sjHieimeu was obtained by Dr. Leconte near Furt Yuma,
and described by Mr. Lawrence in 1831, and remained uni(|ue \'ov many
years, [n 1861 Dr. Cooper presented a paper to the California Academy
of Sciences, in which this bird is given among a list of tliose new to tluit
State. He then mentions that he found it common aljout the Mojave Kiver,
and that he procured two specimens.

Dr. Coues, in his valuable paper on the birds of Arizona, speaks of obtain-
ing, in 18G5, a specimen of this rare sjHicies on a dry plain covered thickly
witli mes(pii^e and cactus, near Fort Mojave. This bird was very shy and
restless, Huttered hurriedly from one cactus to another, until he at last shot
it w^here it seemed to fancy itself hidden among the thick fronds of a large
yucca. Its large stout feet admirably adapt it for its partially terrestrial
life, and it aj^parently spends much of its life upon the ground, where it
runs rapidly and easily. Its flight he descril)es as swift but desultory, and
accompanied by a constant flirting (jf the tail. He considers this species as
inhabiting the whole valley of the Colorado and Gila, and thinks that it
does not leave the vicinity of these streams for the mountains.

Dr. Coo})er found a nest f»f this species, but without eggs, built in a yucca,
and similar to that of H. rcdivivus. In his. Report on the Birds of Cali-
fornia, Dr. Cooper speaks of finding this bird common on the deserts, along
the route between the Colonido Valley, wherever there was a thicket of low
bushes surrounded by sand-hills. Its iK)tes, habits, and general appearance
were like those of H. redivicus.

Harporhynohus redivivus, c ab.vn.

CALIFOBNIA THBASBEB.

Harpm rcdivivd, (1.\mri:l, Pr. A. X. S. II, Aug. 1845, 264. Toxostoma rrdivivc, Gambel,
J. A. N. Sc. 2d MM. I, 1847, 42. — Ca.ssin, Illust. I, 1855, 260, pi. xlii. /fin-ftorJii/ii-
clttis raliviviui, Cabams, Aixhiv Naturg. 1848, US. — Haiud, Birds N. Am. 1858, 349 ;
Kev. 48. — ScLATEit, P. Z. S. 185}>, 339. — CooPEii, Birds Cal. I, 15.

.Sp. Chah. Winsr inucb. roiiiKleu ; the second quill shorter than the secondaries. Tail
much <rradiiate(l. Bill much dcci rved, lonirer than the head. Above hrownish-olive,
without any shade of oreen; beneath [tale rinnanion. li;rhtest on the throat, deej)enii.^-
gradually into a brownish-rufous on the under tail-coverts. The fore part of the breast
and sides of the body brown-olive. lii;hter than the back. An obscure ashy superciliary
stripe, and anoiher liuditer bi'neath the eye. Ear-coverts and an indistinct maxillary stripe
dark brown ; the shafts of the former whitish. Ends and tips of tail-feathers obsoletely
paler. Length. 11.50 inches ; wing, 4.20 ; tail, 5.75; tarsus, 1.55.

ILvB. Coast region of California.

Habits. The California Thrasher appears to have a somewiiat restricted
distribution, being confined to the coast region of California, where, however,
it is quite abundant. It was first met with by Dr. Gambel, near Monterey.
The specimens were obtained on t^e ground where they were searching for

46 NOUTII AMERICAN BIRDS.

coleopterous insects. Dr. Heennaiin afterwards found tliis bird abundant
in the southern part of California. It was ditticult of approach, diving into
the thick bushes, running some distance on tlie ground, and becoming aiter-
wards unapproacliable. He sjuiaks of its song as a flood of melody equalled
only by the song of the Mocking- Bird {Mimns poft/j/lottiu). Colonel McCall
also describes its song as of exquisite sweetness, " placing it almost beyond
rivalry among the countless songsters that enliven the woods of America."
He also states that it is as retiring and simple in its manners as it is brilliant
in song.

In the character of its flight it is said to strongly resemble the Brown
Thrasher (H. ru/m) of the Eastern States. Their harsh, scolding notes,
when their nest is approached, their motions and attitudes, are all very
similar to those of H. ritfiis under like circumstances. Colonel McCall
nniks the song of this species as far sui)erior to that of any other Thrush.
Without possessing the powerful voice or imitative faculties of the Mock-
ing-Bird, its notes are described as having a liquid mellowness of tone, with
a clearness of expression and volubility of utterance that cannot be sur-
passed.

A nest of this bird found by Dr. Heermann was com])osed of coarse twigs,
and lined with slender roots, and not very carefully constructed. ^Ir. Hep-
burn writes that a nest found by him was in a thick bush about five feet
from the ground. It was a very untidy affair, a mere platform of sticks,
almost as carelessly put together as that of a pigeon, in which, though not
in the centre, was a shallow depression about 4 inches in diameter, lined
with fine roots and grass. It contained two eggs with a blue ground thickly
covered witli soot-colored spots confluent at the larger end, and in coloring
not unlike those of tlie Turdm ustulatm. The eggs measured 1.19 inches
by .81 of an inch. Dr. Cooper gives their measurement as 1.10 of an inch
by .85. Two eggs belonging to the Smithsonian Institution (2,040, a and h)
measure, one 1.19 by .81, tlie other 1.14 by .9:3. The former has a bluish-
green ground sparsely spotted witli olive-brown markings ; the other has a
ground of a liglit yellowisli-green, with numerous spots of a russet brown.

The general character of their nest i>, .. described, a coarse, rudely con-
structed platform of sticks and coars** (niss and mosses, with but a very
slight depression. Occasionally, liowevcv, nests of this bird are more care-
fully and elaborately made. One (13,072) obtained near Monterey, by Dr.
Canfield, has a diameter of 6 inches, a height of 3, with an oblong-oval
cavity 2 inclies in de})th. Its outside was an interweaving of leaves, stems,
and mosses, and its lining fine long fibrous roots.

These birds are chiefly found frequenting the dense chaparral that lines
tlie hillsides of California valleys, forming thickets, composed of an almost
impenetrable growth of thorny shrubs, and afibrding an inviting shelter.
In such places they reside throughout the year, feeding upon insects, for
the procuring of which their long curved bills are admirably adapted, as

TrRDID.E — THE TITRUSnES. 47

also upon the berries whicli generally abound in these places. Their nests
usually contain three eggs. Dr. (.'ooper states that tlieir loud and varied
song is fre(iuently intermingled witli imitations of other ])irds, tliough the
geneml impression appears to he that they are not imitative, and do not
deserve to be called, as they often are, a mocking-bird.

Harporhynchus crissalis, Henry.

BED-VEHTED THBA8HEB.

Har})orh}nichus crissfifis, Hexuy, Pr. A. N. So. May, 1858. — B.xiun, Birds N. Am. 1858,
350, pi. Ixxxii ; Hevit-w, 47. — Cooper, IJirds Cal. i, 18.

Sp. Char. Soooinl quill about as loiifj Jis tho secornlarios. Bill much curved ; longer
than the head. Above olive hrown, witii a faint shade offrrav; beneath nearly uniform
b^o^vni!^h-i;ray, much paler than the back, i)assing insensibly into white on the chin ; but
the untler tail-coverts dark brownish-rulbus, and abruptly delined. There is a black
maxillary stripe cutting off a white one above it. There do not appear to be any other
stripes about the head. There are no V)ands on the wings, and the tips and outer edges
of the tail-feathers arc verj"^ inconspiciiously lighter than the remaining portion. Length,
11 inches; wing. 4.00; tail, 5.80; tarsus. 1.2.').

IIab. lii'gion of tho Gila Kiver, to Rocky Mountains ; Southern Utah (St. George,
Dr. Palmer).

A second specimen (11,53.3) of this rare species is larger than the type,
but otherwise agrees with it. Its dimensions are as follows : —

Length before skinning, 12..50; of skin, 12.50; wing, .3.00; tail, G.50 ; its graduation,
1.45; first quill, 1.50; second, .41; bill from forehead (chord of curve), 1. 05, from gape,
1.75, from nostril, l..'JO ; curve of culmen, 1.G2 ; height of bill at nostril, .22 ; tarsus,
1..30; middle toe and claw, 1.12.

The bill of this species, though not quite so long as in redirivna, when
most develo]x?d, is almost as much curved, and much more slender, — the
depth at nostrils being Imt .22 instead of .26. The size of this specimen is
equal to the largest of redirivifs (3,032) ; the tail absolutely longer. The
feet are, however, considerably smaller, the claws esi)ecially so ; the tarsus
measures but 1.30, instead of 1.52 ; the middle claw .29, instead of .36.
With these differences in form, however, it would be impossible to separate
the two generically.

A third specimen (So. 60,958 9 , St. George, Utah, June 9, 1870)^ with nest
and eggs, has recently been obtained by Dr. Palmer. This specimen, being
a female, is considerably smaller than the type, measuring only : wing, 3.90 ;
tail, 6.00 ; bill, from nostril, 1.15. The plumage is in the burnt summer
condition, and has a peculiar reddish cast.

Habits. Of this rave Thrush little is known. So far as observed, its
habits appear to be nearly identical with those of the Californian species
(H. ?rflirifus). It is found associated in the same localities with If. hronfri,
whicli also it appeal's to very closely resemble in all respects, so far as ob-

48

NORTH AMKKICAX IHRDS.

served. Tlie first s|XMMiiien was obtained hy Or. T. C Henry, near Mimbres,
and described by bini in Miy, 1858, in the Proceedinj^s of the IMiihideljdiia
Acad( ly ol' Sciences. A second specimen was obtained by H. II Miill-
hansen, at Fort Yuma, in 18G:>. Dr. Cones did not observe it at Fort
Whipple, but tliinks its range identical witli that of ff. Inontci.

Dr. Cooper foind this species quite common at F<jrt Mojave, Init so very
shy tliat he only succeeded in sliooting one, after much watching for it.
Their song, genen.l habits, and nest he si)eaks of as being in every way
similar to those of H. irdicicus.

The eggs remained unknown until Dr. E. l*almer had the good fortune to
find them at St. (Je( rge. Southern I'tah, June 8, 1870. The nest was an
oblong Hat structure, >.'()ntaining only a very slight de})ression. It was very
rudely constructed externally of coarse sticks quite hjoscly jmt together;
the inner nest is made of liner materials of tlie same. The base of this
nest was 12 inclies long, and 7 in breadth ; tlie inner nest is circular, with a
diameter of 4i inches.

The eggs are of an oblong-oval shai)e, one end being a little less obtuse
tlian the other. In leni^tb thev varvfrom 1.1 ~» to 1.12 inches,and in breadtli
from .84 to .82 of an inch. They are of a uniform blue color, similar to the
eggs of the common Ilobin (Titnhis nnfirdtorius), only a little paler or of a
lighter tint. In the total absence of markings they differ remarkably from
those of all other species of the genus.

Genus MIMXTS, Bote.

Mimvs, BoiE, Isis, O.t. 1826, 972. (Tvp' Tunhis jmhitjlnftus, Linn.)
Orpheus, SwAiN.soN, ZtMjI. Jour. Ill, 1S27, 1(>7. (Same typt'.)

Gen. Char. Bill not imicli more than half the length of the head ; jrontly decMirved

t'i*>ni the basse, notehed at tip;
eonnnissure curved. Gonys
sitraight, or sli<j;^htly concave.
Hictal bristles quite well de-
veloped. Wing.^ rather short-
er than the tail. First primary
about equal to, or rather more
than, half the second ; third,
fourth, and fifth < mills nearly
equal, sixth scarcely shorter.
Tail considerably graduated ;
the feathers stitV. rather nar-
row, especially the outer webs,
lateral feathers about thn-e

quarters of an inch the short-
Mimus polyi;lottiis. mi

er in the type. Tarsi longer
than middle toe and claw by rather less than an additional claw; tarei conspicuously an«l
strongly scutellate; broad plates seven.

TL'UmD.E — THE TllUL'.SlIES.

49

(^f tliis genus tliere are many .si>eeies in America, althon^Oi lait one occurs
within tlie limits of the Tnited States.

The single North American species M. poff/(//otf«fs is ashy hrown above,
white Ijeneath; wings and tail black, the former much varied with white.

Mimus polyglottus, 1>oik.

MOCXIHG-BnU).

Turdiis TH>ht<jlottm, Li\N. Syst. Nut. l(»th ed. 17r>8, !♦?!>; 12th od. 1766, 293. — J//wj //.<
p>/i/>jluttu.s, B..IK, Isis, 1S26, 972.— S< i.atki:, I'. Z. S. iS.jO, 212. — Ib. 1859, 340.—
In. C'atal. 1861, 8, no. 51. — Baiki*, Birds N. Am. 1858, 344. — In. Kev. 48.—
Samikls, 167. — I'oopEii, Birds Cal. I, 21. — (JrxDLArn, UcjH-rtorio, 1865, 230 (Cuba).
— DnKssKU, Ibis, 186.5, 230. — Coue-s Pr. A. X. Sc. 1866, 65 (Arizona), f Orjyheus
Inioififi rus, Vi(;oi;s, Z»m)1. Bt'iM-hcy, 1839.

Fi;,'un's : Wilson, Am. Orn. II, 1810, pi. x, tij,'. 1. — AUD. Orn. Biog. I, 1831, pi. xxi. —
III. Birds Anur. II, 1841, pi. 137.

Sr. C'liAiJ. Thinl and fourth quills lonirost ; second about e(iual to eighth ; the first
lialt'or more than half the second. Tail considerably <rradnated. Above ashy brown, the
tratln'is very obsolt'tcly darker centrally, and towards the light phunbeous downy basal
p«»rtion (scarcely ajiprecialde, except wiicn the fcatluTs are lifted). The under parts are
white, with a fiiint brownish tinge. excci)t on the chin, and with a shade of ash across
the breast. Tlicie is a pale snj>ereiliary stripe, but the lores are dusky. The wings and
tail are dark brown, nearly black, t'xcept the lesser wIng-coverts, which are like the back;
the middle and greater tipped with white, forming two bands; the basal portion of the
primaries white ; most extended on the inner primaries. The outer tail-feather is white,
sometimes a little mottled : the second is mostly white, except on the outer web and
towards the base: the third with a white spot on the end; the rest, except the middle,
very .slightly or not at all tipped with white. The bill and legs are black. Length, 9.50;
wing, 4..'>0 ; tail, .').(X).

Yountj. Similar, but distinctly spotted with
dusky on the l)re.iST, and obsoletelv on the back.

Hab. North America, from about 40° (rare
in Massachusetts. Samuels), south to Mexico.
Said to occur in Cuba.

The Mocking-Birds are closely allied,
requiring careful comparison to distin-
guish them. A near ally is J/, orphtts,
of Jamaica, but in this the outer feather
is white, and the 2d, :kl, and 4th tail-
feathers are marked like the 1st, 2d, and
,*5d {.){ poljitjlottna, respectively.

AVe have examined one hundred and
fourteen specimens, of the present species,
the series embracing large numbers from
Florida, the llio CJrande, Cape St. Lucas, and Mazatlan, and numerous

s}>ecimens from intermediate localities. The sliglit degree of variation

»"
t

Mimus polys:lottus.

50 NORlfT AMKRK'AX lURDS.

manifested in this iininonse series is really suquisin*,' ; we ran tliscover
no (liUeience of color tliat doi's not «le]M'n(l on a^'»», sex, season, or the
in<livi(lnal thouuli tlie variations of the latter kind are exceedin<dv rare,
and wIhmi noticed, very sli^jht). Althouudi the Jiver.ij^e of Western speci-
mens liave slijj;htly lonj^er tails than Kastern, a Florida example (Xo.
54,8r)(>,^, Knterprise, Feh. ID), has a tail as lonjjf as that of the hnij^est-
tailed Western one (Xo. 8,l()r>, Fort Ynma, (Jila lliver, Dec). Specimens
from ('(dima, Miradia-, Orizaba, and Mazatlan are (piite identical with
Xorthern ones.

Haihts. The Mockin^-P>ird is distrihnted on the Atlantic coast, from
Alassachnsetts to Florida, and is also found to the Pacific. On the latter
coast it exhibits certain variations in forms, but hardly enoujj;h to sei)arate it
as a distinct sj»ecies. It is by no means a conunon bird in N'^ew England,
but instances of its breeding,' as far north as Springfield, Mass , are of con-
stant occurrence, and a single individual was seen by ^fr. IJoardman near
Calais, ^fe. It is met with every year, more or less frejpiently, on Long
Island, and is more common, but bv no means abundant, in New Jersey. It
is found abundantly in every Southern State, and throughout Mexico. It
has also been taken near (Jrinnell, Tr)wa.

A warm climate, a low country, and the vicinity of the sea appear to be
most congenial to their nature. Wilson found tliem less numerous west of
the Alleghany than on the eastern side, in the same itarallels. Throughout
the winter he met with them in the Southern States, feeding on the hemes of
tlie red cedar, myrtle, holly, etc., with which the swampy thickets abounded.
Tliey feed also upon winged insects, which they are very expert in catching.
In Louisiana tliey remain throughout the entire year, Jipproaching farm-
houses and plantations in the winter, and living about the gardens and out-
honses. Tliey miiy l)e frequently seen perched upon the roofs of houses and
on the chimney-tops, and are always full of life and animation. AVhen the
weather is mild the old males may l)e heard singing with as much spirit as
in the spring or summer. They are much more familiar than in the more
northern States. In Georgia they do not begin to sing until February.

The yocal powers of the ]\Iocking-Bird exceed, both in their imitative
notes and in their natnral song, those of any other species. Their yoice is
full, strong, and musical, and capable of an almost endless variation in mod-
ulation. The wild scream of the Eagle and the soft notes of the Bluebird
are repeated with exactness and with api)arently eciual facility, while both in
force and sweetness the Blocking-Bird will often improve upon the original.

The song of the Mocking-Bird is not altogether imitative. His natural
notes are bold, rich, and full, and are varied almost without limitation.
They are frequently interspersed with imitations, and both are uttered with
a ra]>idity and emphasis that can hardly be equalled.

The BIockin«:-Bird readily becomes accustomed to confinement, and loses
little of the power, energy, or variety of its song, but often nnich of its sweet-

TURDID.E — TIIK TIIUUrfllES. 51

ness in a (loniMticatoil state. The miiii^'linjj; of uninusical s< unds, like the
cmwiiij^ of t'ocks, the tiuklin;^ of 1 iis, or the creaking of a whet 1 ha now,
while they add to the variety, necesiaarily detracts from the beauty of his

son.Lj.

The foml of the Mockin^'-liird is chieHy insects, their larvu', worms,
spi(U;rs, etc., and in the winter of l>erries, in <^M'eat variety. Tliey are said
t<) he very fond of the ^'nqn', antl to 1k3 very destructive to this fruit. Mr.
(f. C Tayhjr (Ihis, 1802, i». \'M>) mentions an instance that came to his
knowledj^e, of a ])erson living near St. Augu.stine, Florida, who shot no less
than eleven hundred Mocking-Birds in a single season, and buried them at
the roots of his <j:rape-vines.

Several successful attempts have been made t(j induce the Mocking-Bird
to rear their young in a state of continement, and it has been shown to be,
by proper management, perfectly practicable.

In Texas and Florida the Mocking-Bird nests early in March, young birds
api)earing early in A])ril. In (li'orgia and the Carolinas they are two weeks
later. In Pennsylvania they nest about the lt>th of May, and in New York
and New Kngland not until the second week of June. They select various
situations for the nest; solitary thorn-bushes, an almost impenetml»le thicket
of brambles, an or.inge-trec, or a holly-bush appear to b.' favorite localities.
They often build near the farm-houses, and the nest is rarely more than seven
feet from the grcjund. The base of the nest is usually a rudely constructed
platform of coarse sticks, often armed with formidable thorns surrounding
the nest with a barricade. The height is usually 5 inches, with a diameter of
«S. The cavity is 3 inches deep and 5 wide. Withui tl e external barricade
is an inner nest constructed of soft tine roots.

The eggs, from four to six in number, vary in length from .94 to 1.06
inches, with a mean length of .09. Their breadth varies from .81 to .00 (jf
an inch, mean breadth .7-"). They also exhibit great variations in the combi-
nations of markings and tints. The ground color is usuallv light greenish-
blue, varying in the depth of its shade from a very light tint to a distinct
blue, with a slight greenish tin^e. The markings consist of vellowish-brown
and purple, chocolate-brown, russet, and a very dark brown.

Gems GALEOSCOPTES, ( abanis.

Gitlcoscoptes, C'abams, Mus. Heiu, I, 1S50, 82. (Ty\H' MusciatjHi C(iroliMnsiSf li.)

Gen. Char. Bill shorter than the hejid. rather hroad at base. Rictwl bristles moderately
developed, reachiiifr to the nostrils. Wniirs a little shorter than the tail, rounded . secon-
daries well developed ; fourth and lifth quills lonirest : third and sixth little shorter ; first
and ninth about equal, and about the lentrth of secondaries ; first quill more than half the
second, about half the third. Tail jrraduated ; lateral feather about .70 shorter than the
middle. Tarsi loufrer than middle toe and claw by about an additional half-claw ; scutel-
late anteriorly, more or less distinctly in dillerent specimens ; .scutelku about seven.

52

NUKTII AMERICAN liUib^.

The conspicuous naked ni»'nil>ranous bonier round tlie eye of some Tlirus^hes;, with the
bare space bv'ljind it, not appreciable.

There is little dittcii'iice in form
between the single sj)ecies of Gnho-
scoptcs and Mi nuts j>o/i/i//itfftt.s^ beyond
the less dejj^ree of definition of the
tarsal phites ; and hut for the dif-
ference in ecdoratinn (unitnrni ])liini-
Leous instead of irrnv above and
white beneath), we would hardly be
inclined to distin«niish the two «i:e-

TlPril'lllv GaleascofiUs carolin. nsis.

The single sjiecies known is lead-colored, with black cap, and chestnut-
red under tail -coverts.

Galeoscoptes carolinensis, (\vran.

THE CATBIBD.

Muscicnpa enrolinfnsia, LlNX. Syst. Nat. 1, 17t)6, 'JiS. Turdns cnritUnensi.% Liciir.
Verz. 1823, 38. — D'Olinn.NV, La Sa«,'ni's Cuba, Oi.s. 1840, ;')1. Or/t/ons uiro/innhsis,
Jones, Nat. iMrinuda, 18.'»9, '27 ^bncds). Miums carol inensis, (JiiAY, Baiud, Birds
N. Am. IS')!*, 346. — r.iiYANi, Tr. Host. Soc lSr.7, 6!» <Ii. i^'ua). — Loud, Pr. K. Art.
lust. (Wt)(>hvi(li), IV, 1S()4, 117 (cast of Cascade Mts.K Gahosci>ittrs carol tnetiais. Cab.
Mus. Hi'in. i, ISaO, 82 (ty|H' of «;t'mis). — Ir.. Jour. Oni. 18r>r», 470(Cuba). — Orxi*-
LACH. Ifepert. 18«).">, 230 (Cub;i, very conunou). — Sclatkk, Catal. Birds, ISOl, 6, no.
3!>. — ScL. i^ Sai.v. j'r. 1S«!7, 278 (Mosijuito Coast). — Baikk, JJev. 18*U Ti ' —
Samuf.ls, 172. — CiMipKi;, Birds Cal. i. 23.

Figures: Arn. B. A. II, jd. 140. — In. Orn. Bioi;. II, pi. 28. — Vikii.lot, Oi.> wii. Sept.
II, pi. Ixvii. — Wilson, Am. Orn. II, pi. xiv, f. 3.

Sp. Char. Third i[uill lonuost : first shorter tlian sixth. Prevailinir color dark plumbe-
ous, IV "c ashy beneath. Crowti and nape dark sooty-brown. Wings dark brown, edtred
with plumbeous. Tail greenish-black; the lateral t'ealhers obscurely tipped with plund)c-
«»u.«. The under tail-coverts dark l)rownisli-chestinit. F«'niali' smaller. Lem^th, 8.8;") ;

wing, .».(•'); tail. 4.0<i; tarsus, X.O'u

Hai;. Tnited States, north to Lake Winnipi'g.
west U> head of Columbia, and Cascade Moun-
tains (Lord): soutli ti» Panama U. R.: Cuba:
JJahamas ; IJermuda (breeds). .\cci»lental in
Heligoland L<land. Europe. Oaxaca, Cordova,
and (luatemala, .S'Latkr ; Mo.sipiito Coast, Scl.
k S.vi.v ; Orizaba (winter), Scmichkast ; Yuca-
tan, Law it.

Western specimens have not apprecia-
blv longer tails than Eastern. Central
American examples, as a rule, have the

plumbeous of a imue bluish cast than is usually seen in North American

skins.

Tl'RDID.K — THE THRrsiIPX 53

Haiuts. The Catbird has a very extended «ie(>u;rjii»hical raiij^e. It is
ahiiiidaiit thr()Uj4;hout the Atlantic States, iVoni Floriila to Maine: in the
central ]>orti()n ot" the continent it is found as far north as Like Winnepei;.

On the Pacific coast it has been met with at Panama, and also on the
Colunihia Uiver. It is occasional in Cuba and the i>.wiamas, and in the Ber-
mudas is a permanent resident. It is also found durinu; the winter months
abundant in Central America. It breeds in all the Southern States with
])ossibly the exception of Florida. In Maine, aecordini,' to Professor Verrill,
it is as common as in ^lassachusetts, arriving in the former place about the
L'llth of May. about a week later than in the vicinity of Boston, and begin-
ning to d.'posit its eggs early in June. Near C\dais it is a less common

visitant.

The Northex.i \vik\r,'^^- of the Catbird commence early in February,
when they make tUe' o^-i.c ranee in Fh)rida, (ieorgia, and the Carolinas.
In April they reach ivuir.' , .'-id Pennsylvania, and New England from the
1st to the liith of ^lay. Their first appeamnce is usually coincident with
the blossoming of the pear-trees. It is not generally a ])opular or welcome
visitant, a ])rejudice more or less wide spread existing in regard to it. Yet
few birds more deserve kindness at our hands, or will better rei)ay it. Fr«»m
its first api)earauce among us, almost to the time of departure in early
fall, the air is vocal with the (piaiut but attractive melody, rendered all the
more interesting from the natuml song being often blended with notes im-
l^erfectly mimicked from the songs of other birds. The song, whether
natural or i»' 'tative, is always varied, attmctive, and beautiful.

The Catou'd, when once established as a welcome guest, soon makes
itself })eriectly at home. He is to be seen at all times, and is almost ever in
motion. Tliey become cpiite tame, and the male bird will frequently ap])ar-
ently delight to sing in the innuediate presence of man. Occasionally they
will build their nest in close proximity to a house, and appear unmindful of
the presence of the members of the family.

The Catbird's ])ower of miiiiicry, though limited and imperfectly exer-
cised, is fre(iuently very anm. ^. The more difficult notes it mrely attempts
to coj)y, and sigiially fails \vhcnever it does so. Tlie whistle of the Quail,
the cluck of a hen calling her brcjod, the answer of the young chicks, the
note of tlie Pewit Flycatcher, and tlie refrain of Towhee, the Catbird will
imitate with so much exactness as not to be distinguished from the original.

The Catbirds are devoted ])arents, sitting u|)on their eggs with great
closeness, fee«ling the young with assiduity, and accompanving them with
parental interest when they leave tlie nest, even long a! er they are able
to provide for themselves. Intruders from whom danger is a})preheneled
they will bohlly attack, attempting to drive away snakes, cats, dogs, and
sometimes ven man. If these fail tn .' resort to piteous cries and other
manifestations of their great distress.

Towards each other they are affectionate and devoted, mutually assisting

54 NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS.

in the construction of the nest; and as incul)ation progresses (he female, who
rarely leaves the nest, is supplied with food, and entertained from his ex-
haustless vocal >ulary of soni^, by her mate. When annoyed by an intruder
the cry of the Catbird is loud, harsh, and unpleasant, and is supposed to
resemble the outcry of a cat, and to this it owes its name. This note it
reiterates at the approach of any object of its dislike or fear.

The food of the Catbird is almost exclusively the larva) of the larger
insects. For these it searches both among the branches and the fallen
leaves, as well as the furrows of newly ploughed fields and cultivated gar-
dens. The benefit it thus confers ui)on the farmer and the horticulturist
is very great, and can hardly be overestimated.

The Catbird can with proj^er painstaking be raised from the nest, and
when this is successfully accomplished they become perfectly domesticated,
and are very amusing pets.

Thev construct their nests on clusters of vines or low^ bushes, on the
edges of small thickets, and in retired places, though almost always near
cultivated giound. The usual materials of their nests are dry leaves for the
base, slender strips of long dry blirk, small twigs, herbaceous plants, fine
roots, and finer stems. They are lined with fine dry grasses, and sedges.
Their nests average 4 inches in height by 5 in diameter. The diameter and
depth of the cavity are 3 J inches. The eggs are of a uniform deep bluish-
green, and measure .97 in length and .69 of an inch in breadth.

CIXCLID.E — THE DIPPERS.

00

Famit.y CINCLIDiE. — The Dippers.

On page 2 will be found the characteristics of tliis family, which need not
be here repeated. There is only a single genus, Cinclm, with four American
species, and several from Europe and Asia.

Genus CINCLUS, Bechstein.

Ififdrohnta, TiKii.LOT, Analyse, 1816 (Ag.). — Baird, B. N. A. 229.

Cuidus, BixHsTi-iN, vNinein. Naturg. 1802. (Not ol" Moehiing, 17r»2. Type Sfumus cin.
cIks, L.) — Salvix, Ibis, 18»)7, 109. (Moiiograi)h.)

(Ikn. Ciiau. Bill witliont any bristU-s at i\w base; slendiM-, subulate; the mandible
bent slightly upward; the cuhuen slightly concave to near the tip, which is much curved

and notched ; the commissural edges of the
bill finely nicked towards end. Feet large
and strong, the toes projecting considerably
beyond the tail ; the claws large. Lateral
toes eipial. Tail very short and even ; not
two thirds the wings, which are concave
and somewhat falcate. The first primary
io more than cue fourth the longest
white.

Eggs

Cinclus mexkanus.

The slightly upward bend of the
bill, somewhat as mAnthiu^, renders
the ciilmen concave, and the commissure slightly convex. The maxilla at
base is nearly as high as the man-

dible ; the whole bill is much com-
pressed and attenuated. The Lit-
eral claws barely reach the base of
the middle one, which is broad ;
the inner face extended into a
horny lamina, with one or two
notclies or pectinations somewhat
as in C(iprim}iJfjid(r. The stiffened
sub- falcate wings are quite re-
markable. The tail is so short that
the upj)er coverts extend nearly to

its tip. Cinclus mexicanus.

The species are all dull-colored birds, usually brown, sometimes varied
with white on the head, back, or throat. They inhabit mountainous sul>-
alpine regions abounding in rapid streams, and always attmct attention
by their habit of feeding under water, searching among the gravel and
stones for their insect prey.

56 NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS.

The only otlier species at all allied to the s'uv^le North Anieriean one
are the (/. anfrsMcifs ol' Central Anieriea, and (\ pullasi of Eastern Asia.
They may be easily distin»,niished by the lollowins; characters- —

Plumage beneath scarcely lighter than that above; head and neck brownish,
darkest above. Wing, 4.(K) ; tail, 2.1 o; 1)111, .r^O; tarsus, 1.20 ; niidd'e toe, .85.
Legs (in life), pinkish white (8,400 Fort Mass. N. M.). IIab. 2k[ountains of
Middle Province from Sitka, south to (luatt'niala . . . vjir. mexicanna.

Plumage beneath much lighter than that above, — very light along the median
line ; head not brownish, the contrast in shade between upper and lower sur-
faces very marked. Wing. :i.r)() : tail, 2.05; bill. .45; tarsu.s l.;}0; middle toe,
.1)0. Legs yellow. (42,788 <J Costa Rica). Hab. Guatemala and (\)sta Rica.

var. (f )• il e s i (I r u s .^

Plumage uniform dusky-brown, middle of belly V»lackish : harl- and nin^p stjnani-
atcd with black ; wings and tail blackish-brown. Total length. 8.00; winir,
4.00; tail, 2.50; tarsus, 1.25: bill (to ri«-tus|, l.lO (Salvin). Hab. Lake Baikal
to Kamtschatka : Amoorland; S. E. Sil»eria ; Japan (^Salvin) . . v:ir. p alia si.-

Cinclus mexicanus, Swains.

AHEBICAN DIFFEB; WATEB OUZEL.

Cinclus pnlhisi, Rox. Zocil. Jour. II, 1S27, 52 (not tlu' Asiatic sj>ccics). Cinchis incxicnnuSf
Sw. Phil. Mag. 1827, 3«>8. — Sclatki:, Catal. 18G1, 10. — Salvix, Ibis, 18(50, 190 ;
1867, 120 ((luatciiiala). — Haiiu), KNvicw, (iO. — Dall & Iianmstkr (.Vhiska). —
Cooi'EU, Birds Cal. I, 2.'). Ifif(fr<>/>,if,t me.cicana, Haiim), IJinls X. Am. 1858, 225». ^
CocU'EU & SrcKI.KV, Kcp. P. U. K. XII, II, 18.^i», 17') (ncst». rinrhis (niaricantis.
Rich. F. 1$. A. II. 18ol, 273. Cinclifs tnucvlor. Box. ; C. vmrfotii, T(»wxs. ; ('. toim-
soldi, "Al'D." Towxs.

Figtncs : BoXArAUTK, Am. Orn. II, 1828, pi. xvi, tig. 1. — Aid, Orn. Biog. pi. cccl.\.\,
435. — Ib. Birds Amcr. II, pi. cxxxvii.

Sp. Ch. Above dark jilumbeous, beneath paler: head and neck all roimd a shade of
ci«n-e or perhaps a light sooty-brown ; less conspicuous beneath. A concealed spot of
white al)ove the anterior comer of the eye and indications of the same .sometimes on the
lower eyelid. Immature specimens usually with the feathers beneath edged with grayish-
white : the greater and mid<lle wing-coverts and lesser (piills tipped with the same. The
colors more uniform. Length. 7.50 ; wing. 4.00; tail. 2.55.

Young. Similar to the adult, but nmch mixed with whitish medially beneath; this in
form of longiliulinal suffusions.

Autumnal and winter specimens have numerous transverse crescents of whitish on
lower parts and wings, — these very especially conspicuous posteriorly; the secondaries
are also conspicuously terminated with a white crescent. Hill brown, paler toward base
<»f lower mandible. In spring and sununer the bill entirely black, and the whitish
njarkings almost entirely disappear; the young bird has a greater amount of white be-
n(\'ith than the adult in winter dress, an<l this Avhite is disposed in longitudinal, not trans-
verse, sullusions. The color of the legs .appears to be the same at all season.s.

1 C, ardcsincva, SvLvrx, Ibis, N. S. Ill, 121, pi. ii.

2 r. pnlhisi, Tkmm. Man. cl'Orn. I, p. 177. — Salvix, Ibis, III, 1867, lli>. {SfKnn.-s cincr>rt,
var. Pallas, Zoogr. R. -A.s. I, 426.)

CINCLID.E — THK DIlM'KltS.

57

?>j)('cimons, of anv ajjo. fmin tlio coast of On-iron aii<l the (\i>< julc ^fountains, have the
111 ;nl niO'X' (licply l»rownish than those from otlici' rcirions.

II.VH. Found throu<rh the uiountainons rcjrion of the <'«>ntral an<l western part ofXorth
Anieriea, from Fort Ilalkett south into Mexico and (iiialemala. Ori/aha (Alpine re<ri<»n)
ScMicn. None received from the coast rei^'ion of Cahfornia. Abundant on the X. \V.
coast, Laramie Peak and Deer Creek, Neb.

This species has a wide ranire iiloiv^ tlie mountainous region of Xoitli and
^Middle America. Mexican s[)ecimens are darker.

IIaiuts. This interestino; bird inhal)its exclusively the mountainous por-
tions of North America west of the Mississipi>i fn^n Ahiska south to (luate-
mala. It does not appear to have been obtained on tlie coast of California,
nor in the valley of the ^Iississipj)i. In tlie IJritish Possessions specimens
have been procured on Fraser's IJiver, at Fort Halkett, and at Colville, At
the latter place ^Ir. J. K. Lord states that a few remain and i)ass the winter.
They are found among the mountain streams of Vera Cruz, and probably
througliout Mexico, and no doubt may be met with in all the highlands
between these extreme ])oints. Dr. Newberry met with it in the rai)id
streams of the Cascade Mountains. He describes it as Hitting along in the
bed of the stream, from time to time plunging' into the water and disa])pear-
iug, to appear again at a tlistant point, uj) or down the stream, skipping
about from stone to stone, constantly in motion, jerking its tail and moving
its bodv somewhat in the manner of a wivn.

Dr. Cooper ol)served tliis species botli on the Columbia and its tributaries,
and also among the mountain streams of the Coast Range west of Santa
Clam. At the Litter place he found a j)air mated as early as ^larch l(>th.
At simset he heard the male singing very melodiously, as it sat on one
of its favorite rocks in the middle of the foaming rapids, Uiuking its delight-
ful melody heiial for quite a long distance above the sound of the roaring
waters.

"This bird," adds Dr. Cooper, "combines the form of a sand] >iper, the song
of a canary, and the aii.atic lia])its of a duck. Its food consists almost
entirely of aquatic insects, and these it pursues under water, walking and
flying with perfect ease beneath a depth of several feet of water." He also
states that they do not swim on the surface, but dive, and sometimes Hy
across streams beneatli tlie surface ; that their fliglit is rapid and direct, like
that of a sandpiper ; also that tliey jerk their tails in a similar manner, and
generally alight on a rock or log.

Dr. Cooper on the oth of July found a nest of this bird at a saw-mill on
tlie Chehalis Eiver, built under the shelving roots of an enormous arljor-vitie
that had floated over, and rested in a sLmting i»osition against the dam. The
Hoor was of small twigs, the sides and roof arched over it like an oven, and
formed of moss, projecting so as to protect and shelter the opening, which
was large enough to admit the hand. Within this nest was a brood of half-
Hedged young. The parents were familiar and fearless, and had become

8

/jS north AMERICAN 13IRD.S.

arcustonuHl to the society of the millers. Tliey had jnxniously raised Jin-
other lnuod that season.

The same ohservaiit naturalist, some time afterwanls, in ^lay, found the
nest of another pair, a few miles north of Santa ( 'Lira. Tiiis was built near
the foot of a mill-dam, resting on a sliirht ledge under an overhanging rock,
from whicli water was continually dropping. It was, in shape, like an oven,
with a small doorway, and it was built externally of green moss, which, being
still living, prevented the easy il'scovery of the nest. It was lined with soft
grass, and contained young.

These birds are found singly or in pairs, and never more than two together.
They are never found near still water, and Impient only wild mountain-
streams, cascades, eddies, and swift currents.

According to ^Ir. Dall's observations in Alaska, the species is essentially
solitary. He obtained several specimens in January, February, and iVIarch,
always nt.nir some open, unfrozen spots in the Xulato IJiTer. It was only
found in the most retired spots, and almost invariably alone. When dis-
turbed, it would dive into the water, even in midwinter.

Mr. liidgway descnbes the Dipper as remarkably (piick, as well as odd, in
its movements, — whether v\alking in the shallow luid of the stream, or
standing on a stone along the edge, continually tilting up and down, now
chattering as it flies ra])idly ah>ng the stream, again alighting into the water,
in which it wades with the greatest facility. Its tliglit is remarkably swift
and well sustained, and in manner is very unusual, the bird propelling itself
by a rapid l)uzzing of the wings, following in its Hight every undulation in
the course of the stream into which it dro])s suddenlv. Its soni^ is described
as remarkablv sweet and livelv. in modulation resembling somewhat that of
the Hfrrporhynchus r/ffcs, but less powerful, though sweeter in effect.

Dr. E. Baldamus, of Halle, who possesses specimens of the eggs of this
species, describes them as pure white in color, oval in shape, and hardly
distinguishable from those of the European C. (iquaticiis.

A nest of this bird obtained b\ Mr. J. Stevenson, of Hayden's Expedition,
in Berthoud's Pass, Colorado, is a hemisphere of very utiiform contour bnilt
on a rock, on the edge of a : tream. Externally it was composed of green
moss, in a living state ; within is a strong, compactly built apartment,
arched over, and sup])orted by twigs, with a cup-like depression at the bot-
tom, hemisj Clerical and comj)osed of roots and twigs firmly VK)und together.
The structure is 7 inches in height externally, and has a diameter of \i)\
inches at the base. Within, the cavity has a depth of 6 inches ; th3
entmnce, which is on one side, is 3.V in breadth bv '11 in height. The ejijxs
were three in number, uniform, dull white, and uns[)otted. They measure
1.04 inches by .70. They have an elongated oval shape, and are much
pointed at one end.

SAXICOLID.E — THE SAXICOLAS.

59

Family SAXICOLIDiE.— The Saxi((^la.s.

The fi:eiieral characters of this faniily have aheady heeii ^iveu on p. '2,
as ilistiiij^'uislied from the Tardida: The U'latioiisliips are very close, liow-
ever, and hut little violence would be ihiiio by niakinj^ it a subfamily of
Ti(rdidtr or even a group of Tiirdiiuv, as wiis done in the " Birds of North
America."

While the ^rroup is very well rej)resented in the Old AV(jrld, An;erica has
but one peculiar genus Sicdia, and another Saiimhty represented l)y a single
s])ecies, a straggler, perhaps, from (rreenland on the one side and Si'ueria on the
other. Th(^ diagnostic characters of these are as follows, including I'lirdas
to show the relationships of the three genera: —

Turdus. Tarsi Iohl', cxceediutr the middle toe: wiuirs reacliiiiir to the middle of tin; tail,
whieh is about tour littlis the lenirth of the wiiij^s. bill stout; its upper outline con-
vex toward the base. Seeond quill shorter than lifth.

Sazicola. Tarsi consiilerably lonjjrer than the middle toe, whi.'h reaches nearly to the
tip of the tail. Tail short, even; two thirds as lon<^ sis the len^'thened wiuiis. whieh
reach beyond the middle of the tail. Seeond «iuill lonL'cr than tifth. Bill attenuated;
its upper outline concave towards the base.

Sialia. Tarsi .«hort; about equal to the middle toe. Wings reaching beyond the middle
of ihe tail. Bill thickened.

Genus SAXICOLA, Becustein.

Saxicola, Beciistkin, (Jemeinniitzigc Xaturg. 1802. (Tyiie, /^' (eimnthe.)

Gkx. Char, rouunissure slightly cin-ved to the well-notched tip. Culmen ooncave for
the basal half, then gently decurving. Gonys straight. Bill slender, attenuated; more

than half the length of head. Tail short,
broad, even. Legs considerably longer
than the head ; when outstretched reaching
nearly to the tip of tail. Thinl <iuill
longest: ?econ<l l)ut little shorter. Claws
long, slightly curved ; huid toe 'rather
elonjrated.

As already stated, America possess-
es but a single member of this group
of birds, so well rq)resented in the Old
World. The color is bliush-gray, with

wings, a stripe through the eye, and the middle of exposed tail-feathers

black.

Saxicula oenanlltf. Ik-« list.

GO

NORTH AMKRICAN BIRDS.

Saxicola cenanthe, P>k(iist.

THE WHEAT-EAB.

}fo(aci11n cennnthr, Linn. Syst. Nat. I, 1758, ISo. Sif-firoln (ennnthe, Beciist. "Gemein.
Natur<;. 1no-J," ami of KiiiMiHaii uutluus. — IloLitiu.L, Oni. (Iid'H. (I'aulstMi nl.), 1846,
•j:J ^(Jriiiiliiiul). — l>Aii;i», lUids N. Am. 1858, 2'20 (Eiuhih); UevifW, til, — Jonks,
Ni't. r>«nniula, 18:>1>, -Jn ^IVinnula). - C<tri:.s l»r. A. N. S. 1861, 218 (Uilmulor). —
liKiNHAiinr, Iliis, l>*»t)l, 5 liJivt'iilaiitl). — Dall & Hannistku (Alaska). Siwioila
iciuDithitltlt's, Vi<;<)i:s, Ztxil. Ulos-soiii, 1831», li* (N. W. America). — Cassin, 111. 1, 1854,
208, pi. xxxiv (Nova Srotia).

Sp. Char. (Description from European speeinien.) Male in sprinjr, foreliea<l, line over
the eye, and un<l«'r parts u'eiierally wiiite ; the latter tiiiired with pale yellowish-brown,
especially on the breast and throat, A stripe from the I»ill through, below, and Ijehind
tin' eye, with the winus. upper tail-coverts, bill and feet, black. Tail white, with an
abruj>t band of Itlack (al)out .(iO of an inch lonir) at the end, this color exten<ling finther
up on the middle feather. Rest of upper parts ash-<jrray ; (piilU and greater coverts
slightly edged with whitish. Length. O.OO : wing. .j.4.'» ; tail, li.oO ; tarsus, l.Oo.

Autuniw.il males are tinged with rusty ; the l)lack markings brown. The female in
s})ring is red«iish-gray : lores and checks brown ; the black markings generally brownish,
and not well defnicd. Eggs pale ligiit blue. Nest on ground.

Hab. An Old World species (Europe, Northern Alrica, and Asia). al»un«lant in Green-
land, found probably as an autumnal migrant in Labrador, Canada, Xova Scotia, Bermuda,
etc. Occurs also on Norton Sound, near Dehring's Straits. Very occasional in the East-
ern States: Long L>land.

This bird ai)i)eai*s to l)e aluuuljiut in Xcn'ton Suiiiid, from which region Mr.
Dall hiis recently brought specimens in lull s]>ring ])liimage. These are de-
cidedly smaller than birds
from Labrador and Green-
land, but not distinguishable,
and seem to agree precisely
with skins from Central Eu-
rope.

Habits. The well-known
Wheat-ear is entitled to a
place in our fauna, not only
as an accidental visitor, but
also as an occasional resi-
dent. Dr. H. li. Storer, of
Boston, found them breeding
in I^ibrador in the summer
of 1848, and procured speci-
mens of the young birds
which were fullv identified
by Dr. Samuel Cabot as Ijelonging to this species. In the following year
Andrew Downs, of Hahfax, gave me the si)ecimen described and figured

Saxicola ananthe.

SAXICOLID.E — THE SAX ICOLAS.

61

by Mr. Cassin. This was secured late in the summt'r near Cajn* Harrison,
L'lhrador, where it had evidently just reared its brood. In 1800 Mr. Klliott
Coues obtained another specimen on the ^oth of Au^'ust, at Henley Harbor.
It was in company witli two others, and was in innnature phiniaj^e. Its
occurrence in consi<leraV)le numbers on the coiist of I^ilmidor is further con-
firmed by a writer ("W. C") in " Tiie Field," for June 10, 1871, who states
that when in that region durini? tlie months of Mav and June lie saw a
nund»er of "White J^irs," the greater proportion of them Ixjin^' males. He
inferred from this that they breed in that country, the apparent scarcity
of females lieing due to their occupation in nesting. Mr. Lawrence has one
in his cabinet from Long Island, and the Smithsonian Institution one from
Quebec. Specimens have also been obtained in the Bermudas.

Holboll, in his paper on the fauna of (treeuland, is of the opinion that the
individuals of this species that occur there come from Kurope, make their
journey across the Atlantic!; without touching at Iceland, and arrive in
SouthCJreenlandas early in the season as it does at the former jdace, the first
of May. It reaches (Jodhaven a month later, at times when all is snow-
bound and the warmth has not yet released the insects on which it feeds.
It is found as far nortli as the 73d pamll'el, and even Iniyond. In Sep-
tend)er it puts on its winter dress and dej)arts.

Mr. Dall states that several large flocks of this species were seen at Nulato,
May 2.'> and 24, 18G8, and a numl)er of specimens obtained. They were
said to be abundant on the dry stony hill-tops, but were rare along the
river.

The Wheat-ear is one of the most common birds of Europe, and is found,
at different seasons, throughout that continent as well as in a large portion
of Western Asia. It breeds throughout the British Islands as well as iu the
whole of Xorthern Europe and Asia.

Its food is principally worms and insects, the latter of w^hich it takes npon
the wing, in the maimer of a fly-catcher. The male bird is said to sing
prettily, but not loudly, warbling even when on the wing, and hovering
over its nest or over its partner. In confinement its song is continued by
night as well as by day.

The Wheat-ear begins to make its nest in April, usually concealing it in
some deep recess beneath a huge stone, and often far beyond the reach of
the arm. Sometimes it is placed in old walls, and is usually large and
rudely constructed, made of dried bents, scraps of shreds, feathers, and
rubbish collected al)out the huts, generally containing four pale blue eggs,
uniform in color, and without spots, w^hich measure .81 of an inch iu length
by .09 iu breadth.

02

XOUTII AMKUICAN lURDa

Sin/in .Mnlis.

(JExrs SIALIA, Swainsox,

Sialid, SwAixsoN, Z<M>1. .Tour. Ill, Si-jit. 1>27, 173. (TyiH* Molncilln sinlis, L.>

Gen. Cuak. Hill short, stout, broailer tliiiu hijrii at the base, then eonip;ess«Ml ; slijrhtly

iu)t<he(l at tip. Rictus with short bristles.
Tarsi not lon^'»'r than the middle toe. Claws
considerablv curved. Win«rs nnich lonjjcr than
tlie tail; the hrst primary spurious, not one
fourth tlu' lonirest. Tail moderate; slightly
lorked. K;.'jrs plain blue. Nest in holes.

The species of tliis genus are uU well
mavketl, ami adult males are easily
disiin<;uishal>le. In all, blue forms a
prominent feature. Three well-marked
sjiecies are known, with a fourtli less
distinct. Tlie females are didler in
color than the males. The young are spotted and aireaked with wliite.

Synopsis of Species.

Common Characters. Rich blue above, duller in the I'eniale. IJeucath reddish
or blue in the male, reddish or liijrht drab in the ieiuale. Yoinig with winirs and
tails only blue, the head and anterior parts of" body with numerous whitish spots.
A* Hrensf reddish, or cJiestuut,

1. S. sialis. No chestnut on the back ; throat reddish; abdomen and
crissum white.

Blue of a ricli dark pm-plish shade. Tail about 2.75. llah. East-
ern Province I nited States, Cuba, and TJerumdas . . var. sialis.

Blue of a jrreenish shade. Tail about 3.20. /fah. East Mexico
and riuatcmala . var. aznrea.^

2. S. mezicana. Chestnut, in irrcater or less amount, on the back ;
throat blue ; abdomen and crissum blue, Jluh. W«'st and South Mid-
dle Province Cnited States, south to Jalapa, Cordova, and Colima.

B. Breast hlne (Jif/ht drah in 9).

3. S. arctica. Entirely rich frreenish-blue ; abdomen white. Jlab.
Middle l^rovincc United States; Fort Franklin, British America.

Sialia sialis, Baird.

EASTEBN BLXTEBISD.

Motacilla sialis, LiXX. S. N. iToS, 187 (based ou Catf.sby, I, pi. xlvii). Sudia sialis,
Baihi), Birds X. Am. 18.^8, 222; Rev. 62. — Boaki.max, Pr. Host. Soc 1862, 124
(Calais, Me.; very ran-). — Dkksskk, Ibis, 186r>, 46') (Texas, whiter). — Sami'ELs,
B. X. Kn«;., IT."). Siidia irilsimi, Swaixsun, Zoul. Jour. Ill, 1827, 173. — Cab. Jour.
18,"58, 120. — GuxDLAcii, Cab. Jour. 1861, 324 ; Hepertorio, 1865, 230. — JoNES,

1 i>. azania, Bahu), li«'v. Am. Birds, 1864, 62. {S. azurca, Swaixsox.)

SAXICOLID.E — TJIE SAXKOLAS.

03

Nat. li^Tiniula, lSr»!>, 2S, 66 (ri'sitU'tit in Hcriiiutlai. Siffviu si<iJis, \,\\\\. ; JmjMfi.i
si t/i.H, Nrrr. ; Ki ntlirnrii iril.stnii, S\V.
Fi<;ur<s : ViKiM.ur, (>is. Ain. St'j>t. II. \A. <i, cii, riii. -Wii.s. I, pi. iii. Am. nm.
Hiojr. II, j,l. cxiii. — ht. \\. A. !1, pi. ixx.viv. - l)(Mi;iri\, < "al>. 1, pi. xii.

Sr*. CiiAK. Eiitirc iip|»«'r parts iM<lii<lin<r wiii«,'s an*l tail. iKiitiniious jiikI uniroim aziiro-
MiH': rln' rln'<'ks<>f'a (liillcr tint ol' the saiiif. IJ«'ii«'ath HMMish-browii ; tlu' aluloiin'ii. anal
n*<;i<>n, ami nntlrr tail-coverts wliitc JJill an<l feet lijatk. Slialts of the (piills ami tail-
leathers l>la«k. Female with the lilne Uirhter, an-l tinj,'e«l with brown on the head and
l.a.'k. Lenirth. (;.7.'. : winjr. 4.(M>: tail, L'.!»(>.

Yonutj. ^[ales of the year dull Itrown on head and hack: and le.s.ser coverts streak«'<l,
except on head, with white. Throat and fore part of ltre:ist streaked with white. Tcrtials
edp'd with hrown. Hest of coloration somewhat like adnlt.

H.vn. Kastern I'liited States; west to Fort Laramie, Milk River: north to Lake Win-
mpe^'; resident in Bernuida ; Cuba (rare), Gixi>L.\<'ii.

A Specimen from (Jimteinala (.»0,41 1 <? , \';ui l*atteiij referrilde to the
var. (fznrcif i.s iiii(li.stin|L,aiislial>le in ('(dor from Xortli American examples;
tlie winj^s and tail are lon^'er, liowever, mea.snring respectively 4.20 and
.'^.(10.

Habits. The Bluebird is ahiindant throughout the eastern portion (.f
North America, breeding in nearly
every part, from Georgia and Louisi-
ana to the Arctic region.s, with only
this exception, that near the sea-
l)oard its migrations do not extend
so far to the north as in the interior.
It is very rartdy to be met with Ih3-
yond the Penobscot, althouj'h Pro-
fessor Verrill mentions it as very
conniion in the western part of Maine.
It is found throughout the year in the
Hermudas, and occasionally in Cid>{i.
The Selkirk Settlement is the most northern locality to which it has been
traced. It is not known to occur farther we.st than the highlands west of
the Mississijjpi.

Through all the Eastern States the Bluel)ird is one of the most familiar
and welcome of the earliest visitoi-s of spring, usually making its ap]iear-
ance as early as the first of March. In mild seasons they come in the latter
])art of February, long before there is any ai)])arent relaxation of the severity
of winter. In 1S.57, in conse(iuence of the unusual mildness of the season,
liluebirds appeared in large numbei-s as early as the loth of February,
and remained api)arently without suffering any inconvenience, although the
weather subsecpiently became (piite severe. In 18G9 their first appearance
was observed as early as the 28th of January, the earliest period of which
I can find any record.

In the Middle States, with every mild winter's day, the Bluel)irds come

Sia/ia sialis.

64 NORTH AMERICAN .BIRDS.

out from their retreats, and again disappear on the return of severer weather.
Later in the season, or early in March, they return and make a permanent
stay.

AVhen well treated, as the Bluebirds almost universally are, they return
year after year to the same box, coming always in pairs. The marked atten-
tions of the male bird are very striking, and have been noticed by all our
writei*s. He is very jealous of a rival, driving oft* every intruder of his own
species who ventures upon the domain he calls his own. Occasionally the
pair sufi'er great annoyance from vexatious interferences with their domestic
arrangements by the house wren, who unceremoniously enters their home-
stead, despoils it of its carefully selected materials, and departs. At other
times the wren will take possession of the premises and barricade the en-
trance, making the return of its riglitful owners impossible.

The song of the Bluebirds is a low warble, soft and agreeable, repeated
with great constancy and earnestness, and prolonged until quite late in the
season. Just before their departure, late in October, the sprightliness of
their song nearly ceases, and only a few plaintive notes are heard instead.

The food of the Bluebird consists principally of the smaller coleopterous
insects, also of the larvic of the smaller lepidoptera. In the early spring
they are very busy turning over the dry leaves, examining the trunks and
branches of trees, or ransacking posts and fences for the hiding-places of
their prey. In the fall their food partakes more of a vegetable character.

The Bluebird selects as a suitable place for its nest a hollow in the de-
cayed trunk of a tree, or boxes prepared for its use. Their early arrival
enables them to select their own site. The nest is loosely constructed of
soft materials, such as fine grasses, sedges, leaves, hair, feathei-s, etc. These
are rarely so well woven together as to bear removal. The eggs are usually
five and sometimes six in number. There are usually three broods in a
season. Before the first brood are able to provide for themselves, the female
repaii-s her nest and commences incubation for a second family. The young
birds are, however, bv no means left to shift for themselves. The male bird
now shows himself as devoted a ]>arent as in the earlier spring he had proved
himself an attentive mate. He watches over the brood even after the second
family appears and claims his attention. We often find him dividing his
cares in the latter part of the season with two broods, and at the same
time supplying his mate with food, and occasionally taking her place on
the nest.

The eggs of the Bluebird are of a uniform pale blue, measuring about .81
of an inch in length by .62 in breadth.

In Guatemala is found a local ra<'e differinjjj in its liditer under colors and
in the greenish tinting of its blue (>S^. aznrca). The S. siaiis is also found in
the more open districts of the elevated regions where it is numerous. It is
there known as *' El azidejo."

SAXICOLID.E — THE SAXICOLAS.

65

Sialia mexicana, Swains.

CALIFORNIA BLUEBIBB.

Sialia mcricmia, Sw. F. B. Am. U, 1831, 202. — Sclate::, P. Z. S. 185r,, 293 (roraova) ;
1857, 120 (California); IS'A 362 (Xalapa). — In. Catal. 18(51, 11, no. 06. — lUiun,
Birds X. Am. 1858, 223; Kevit-A-, 03. — Cooi-ku & Sr<KLi:Y, P. K. U. XII, ii, 1851),

173, f'ooPEU, Birds Cal. I, 28. Sialia oai'lndalui. Towns., Aud. ; Sialia atrulco-

coil is, ViooKs.

Figures: All). B. A. II, pi. cxxxv. — Ib. Orn, Biog. V, jd. cccxciii. — Vigou.s, Zool.
Beecdii^y's, Voy. 1839, pi. iii.

Sp. Char. Bill slonder. Head and neck all round, and nppor parts generally bright
azure blue. Interscapular regions, sides and lore part of the breast, and sides of the
bellv, dark reddish-brown. Rest of under parts (with tail-coverts) pale bluish, tinged with
grav about the anal region. Female duller above; the back brownish; the blue of the
throat replaced by ashy-l»rown, with a shade of blue. Length, 0.50 ; wing, 4.2.' ; tail .!»0.

Yoiutrj. Tail and wing as in adult; liead, neck, back, and breast, dull brown ach
feather, except on the cjown, streaked centrally with white.

Hah. "Western United States, from the Rocky Mountains to Pacific. Not noticed on
the Missouri plains. Central British America, or at Cape St. Lucas. Found at Xalapa and
Cordova, Mex., Sclater. Popocatapetl (Alpine regit)n), Sumichrast.

As in the others, the eoloi-s of this species are much duller in fall and
winter. No. o.3,:U0,<? (C\arson City, Xevada, Feb. 21) diflers from others in
the following resjiects : tliere is liardly any chestnut on the back, tliere being
only just a tinge along eacli side of the interscapular region ; that on the
breast is interrupted in the middle, and thrown into a patch on each side of
the breast, thus connecting the l)lue of the throat and abdomen ; the blue
of the tlu'oat is unusually deep.

Habits. This Bluel)ird belongs to western Xorth America, its proper
domain being between the Kockv Mountains and Pacitic, from Mexico to
Washington Territory. ^Ir. Xuttall lirst met with this species among the
small rocky ]>rairies of the Colund)ia. He speaks of its habits as exactly
similar to those of the common Bluebird. The male is equally tuneful
throuLihout the breeding-season, and liis somj is also verv similar. Like the
common species he is very devoted to his mate, alternately feeding and
caressing her and entertaining her with his song. This is a little more
varied, tender, and sweet than tliat of the Eastern species, and diti'ers in its
expressions.

Nuttall describes this as an exceedingly shy bird, so much so that he
found it verv difficidt to obtain a sight of it. This he attriV)Utes to the
great alnmdance of Ijirds of prey. Afterwards, in the vicinity of the village
of Santa Barbara, Mr. Xuttall again saw them in considerable numl;ers,
when they were t.ano and familiar.

Dr. (Jooper states that these liluebirds seem to prefer the knot-holes of
tVe oaks to the boxes provided for them. He loes not confirm Mr. Xuttall's
dcicriptiou of its song, whicli he regardb as neither so loud nor so sweet as

9

66 NORTH AMEKICAX lURDS.

tliatof thcKasteni species. He describes it as a curious pertnrmauce, sound-
in*^ as if two hirds were siii«qii<' at once and in difterent kevs.

Many of this sj>ecies remain in Wasliington Territory during tlie winter,
wliere Dr. Cooper met with them in December. Tliey associated in flocks,
freipiented roadsides and fences, and led upon insects and berries.

Dr. Gambel found this species throughout the liocky Mountains, and always
in company with the Siaiia ardira, being by tar the more abundant sjKicies.

Dr. Kemierly mentions finding this species very abundant during his
march up tlie llio (Tiiinde. Through the months of Xoveml)er, December,
and January they were always to be seen in large flocks near small streams.

The Western lUuebird constructs a nept usually of very loose materials,
consistiuLj: chiefly of fine drv grasses. These are not woven into an elaborate
nest, but are simply used to line tlie hollows in which the eggs are deposited.
Near San Francisco Mr. Hepburn found a pair making use of the nest of the
Hirundo lunifrons. On another occasion the Bluebirds had not only taken
possession of the nest of this swallow, but actually covered up two fresh eggs
with a lining of dry grasses, and laid her own above them.

Th» 'ggs, usually four in number, are of uniform pale blue of a slightly
deeper shade than that of the S. slalis. They measure .87 of an inch in
length by .09 in breadth.

Dr. Cooper's subsecpient observations of this species in California enabled
him to add to liis account of it in his report on the birds of that State. He
found it al)undant in all the wooded districts, except high in the mountains,
and thinks they reside through the summer even in the hot valley of the Eio
Grande, where he found them prejmring a nest in February. On the coast
they are numerous as far north as the -tDth parallel. He found a nest under
the porch of a dwelling-house at Santa Barbara, showing that, like our Eastern
species, they only need a little encouragement to l^ecome half domesticated.
They raise two broods in a season, the first being Jiatched early in April.

At Santa Cruz he found them even more conflding than the Eastern species,
building tlieir nests even in the noisiest streets. One brood came every day
during the grape season, at about noon, to pick up grape-skins thrown out
by his door, and was delightfully tame, sitting fearlessly within a few feet of
the open window.

In regard to their sf)ng Mr. Kidgway states that he did not hear, even
during the ]>airing season, any note approaching in sweetness, or indeed
similar to, the joyous spring warble which justly renders our Eastern Blue-
bird (*S^ sialh) so universal a favorite.

The two Western species of Siaiia, though associating during tlie winter
in the region along the eastern base of tlie Sierra XeNaila, are seldom seen
together during the breeding-season ; the S. urvtka returning to the liigher
portions of the thinly wooded desert mountains, while the aS'. me^vicana re-
mains in the lower districts, either among the cott(mwoods of tlie river
valleys or among the pines around the foot-hills of the Sierra.

SAXICOLID.K — THE SAXICULA.S.

67

Sialia arctica, swains.

BOCKT MOUNTAIN BLUEBIBO.

Eriffhraca (Slolin) nrdtoi. Swains. F. B. A. II, 1831, 209, pi. .\xxix. S'uilia ardkn,
Ni TTALL, Man. II, 1*32, 573. — Baiuu, Hirtls N. Am. 1858, •224 ; K.-v. 64. — Sclater,
Catiil. 1861, 11, no. 67. — Dresseu, Ibis, 186.5, 478. (T.-xas, winter, very abundant.)
— Cooper, Birds (*al. I, 29. S'udui macro^kra, Baird, Stansbury's Kept. 1852, 314
(larger race with longer wings).

Sp. Char. Greenish aztire-blue aliovc and brlow, l)rightest above; the belly and under
tail-covcrt.s white; the latter tinjjfed witli blue at the ends. Female showing blue only on
the rump, wings, and tail ; a white ring round the eye ; the lores and sometimes a narrow
front whitish; elsewhere replaced by brown. Length, G.2o ; wing, 4.30; tail, 3.00.

(1875.)

Yonnfj. Male birds are streaked with white, as in S. dalis, on the charaeteristie ground

of the adult.

Hab. Central tal)le-lands of North America, east to mouth of Yellowstone. One
intlividual collected at Fort Franklin, Great Bear Lake. Not conunon on the Pacific
slope ; the only specimens received coming from Simiahmoo, Fort Crook, and Sau Diego.
Not recorded as found in Mexico. W. Arizona, Coues.

As already stated, the blue of tliis species is greener, more smalt-like
than in sidlis. Tlie females are distinguished from those of the other
species by the greener blue, entire absence of rufous, and longer wings.

In autumn and winter tlie blue of the male is much soiled by amber-
brown edges to the feathers, this most cons})icuous on the breast, where
the blue is sometimes almost concealed ; the plumage of the female, too, at
this season is difterent from that of spring, the anterior lower parts being
soft isabella-color, much less grayish than in spring.

Habits. This Pduebird belongs chietly to the Central fauna, and occupies
a place in the Eastern only l)y its appearance on its borders. It was hrst
procured by Sir John Itichardson, at Fort Franklin, in July, 1825. It is
abundant throughout the central table-lands of Xortli America, between
the Pacific and the moutli of the Yellowstone, from Great Bear Lake to
the lower portions of California. In the latter State it is not common.

^Ir. Xuttall met with this species in the early part of June, northwest of
Laramie Fork. The female uttered a low^ complaint when lier nest was
ai)proached. This was constructed in a hole in a clay cliff. Another was
found in the trunk of a decayed cedar. In one of these the vountr were
already liatched. The nest was composed of dried grasses, but in very insig-
nificant quantity. ^Ir. Nuttall found them much more shy than the con>
mon species, and describes them as feeding in very nearly the same manner.
He afterwards found a nest of the same species in a cliff of the Sandy
Kiver, a branch of the Colorado. Both parents were feeding their brood.
The female was very uneasy at his approach, chiri)ing, and at intervals
uttering a plaintive cry. He states tliat the male l)ird has a more plaintive

68 North American birds.

and monotonous son<^ than that of the common BlueLird, and tliat it has the
same M'arblin*; tone and manner. He afterwards observed the same species
in tlie winter, at Fort Vancouver, associating,' with tlie Western Bhiebird.

Dr. Woodhouse found the Arctic I5hiel)ird (juite common in the vicinity
of Santa Fe, in New Mexico, where tliey breed about the houses in boxes put
up for them by tlie inhabitants for the purpose.

Mr. Townscnd found this species in the vicinity of the Platte TJiver, near
the Black Hills, and also on tlie banks of the Columbia. They confined
themselves to tlie fences in the nei<ihborhood of settlements, occasionally
lighting upon the ground and scratching for minute insects. He descril)es
their song as a delii^htful warlde. Its notes resemble tiiose of the common
Bluebird, but are so different as to be easily recognized ; they are ec^ually
sweet and clear, but have much less power.

Neither Dr. Gambel nor Dr. Heermann found this species in California
excepting during the winter, and were of the opinion that none remain there
to breed.

Dr. Kennerly observed them at different points among the Tiocky Moun-
tains, where they frecjuented the vicinity of his camp early in the morning,
at some times in i)airs and at others in flocks of four or five.

Mr. J. K. Lord states that he found this Bluebird very abundant between
the Cascades and the Itockv Mountains, where they arrive in June and leave
in September. After nesting they assembled in large flocks, and fed on the
open plains.

The eggs are of a very liglit blue, i)aler than those of the other species.
They measure .89 of an inch in length by .GO in breadth.

Mr. Ridgway states that he found the Bocky Mountain Bluebird nesting
in Virginia City in June. Its nests were built about the old buildings,
and occasionally in the unused excavations al>out the mines. At Austin he
also found it common in July, in similar localities. On the East Humboldt
Mountains it was very numerous, es])ecially on the more elevated portions,
wdiere it nested among the rocks and, though more rarely, in the deserted
excavations of wtKKlpeckei*s in the stunted pinon and cedar trees. He
describes it as generally very shy and difficult to obtain, seldom permitting
a very near api»roach. In its habits it is much less arboreal than either S.
mcxicana or X slid is, always preferring the open mountaui portions in the
higher ranges of the (Jreat Basin.

In regard to its notes ^Ir. Bid<» way savs : " The common note of this
species would, from its character, be at once recognized as that of a Blue-
bird. Its autumnal note, however, lacks entirely the peculiar plaintiveness
so characteristic of that of our Eastern species, and is much more feeble,
consisting of a simple w^ak chirp. Like the S. iiicjcieana, the S. anti/ia
was also never heard to give utterance to anything resembling the lovely
spring warbling of the S. aialisy

SYLVIID.E — THE SYLVIAS.

69

Family SYLVIIDiE. — The Sylvias.

Cr

I'nAR. Bill much shorter than head, slen«ler, broad, and depressed at the base, distinctly
notched and deeurved at the tip. Cidmen sharp-rid<red at base. Frontal feathers reachinj^
to the nostrils, which are oval, with membrane above, and overhunjr — not concealed —
by a few bristles or by a feather, Itictal bristles cxtendinjj beyond nostrils. Tarsi booted
or scutellate. Basal joint of middle toe attaeiied its whole length externally, half-way
internally. Primaries ten ; spurious primary about half the second, which is shorter than
the seventh. Lateral toes equal.

The birds of this family are readily distinguished from the ParUhv by the
slender bill, notched and deciirved at tip ; much bristled ga^^e, sharp-ridged
culmen, exposed oval nostrils, less adherent toes, etc. They are much smaller
than the TurdUlw and Saj-icolkicv, with much more slender, depressed bill,
longer rictal bristles, etc. The short outer primary, with the primaries ten
in number, distinguish them from the Si/lvieolida'.

The following synopsis will serve to characterize the American forms of
their res[)ective subfamilies. The species are all among the most diminutive
in size with the exception of the Humming-Birds : —

A. Wings long'T than the nearly even and emarginate tail. Scutella; of tarsus
scarcely or not at all appreciable. General color olivaceous above. Xo white on
tail.

Nostrils naked. ScutelUc distinct on inner n\ce of tarsus only. Head plain.

Sylviince.
Nostrils overhung by bristly feathers. Scutellae of tarsus not appreciable.
Head with a colored central crest Regulince.

B. Wings about equal to the graduated tail Tarsal scutellae distinct. Above
bluish ; tail with white spots or patches.

Nostrils uncovered. Head plain ; either bluish or black above. Poliojyf il ince.

Subfamily SYLVIINiE.

Char. Size and form of St/h-icolhicp, but with a spmious first primary about one thinl
the swond quill. Wings cons''derably longer than the nearly even or emarginate tail.
Feathers of frontal region with bristly points; but not covering the nostrils. Tarsi
scutellate anteriorly, but indistinct externally (Characters drawn with reference to tlie
American form.)

The introduction of this sul)f{imily into the jiresent work is required to
accommodate a species of PhjiIIoimcuMe collected on the Yukon by the Rus-
sian Telegraph Expedition, the first known instance of the existence in North
America of a group of birds characteristic of the northern parts of the Old
World. Among the smallest of the class, they are eminently sociable, and
feed entirely on insects, which they capture mostly 0:1 the whig, like fly-

70

NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS.

catchers. The nest is placed on the ground, and is of an oval or spherical
form with a round opening on one side. The sexes are similar, and tlie
young differ very little from the parents.

Gexus

Meyer & Wolf.

Phyllopncustc, Meyer & Wolf, Taschenbuth, 1S22. — Deulaxd et (Jerbe, Oniith. Europ.
1, 18t)7, 543.

Gen. Cuar. Bill shorter than the head; straight, slender, and depressed, notched

at tij). Nr>st rils open. Tarsi leiiirthened ;
exeee<ling the middle toe; seutellate an-
teriorly, but ^vith the plates indistinct,
claws short, much curved. Wings point-
ed, longer than tail, and reaching at
least to its middle; spurious quill ex-
tending farther than the upper covert.
Tail emarginate. 01ivae<'ous above ;
yellowish or whitish beneath.

43009

PhyVopnt iiste hortalis.

For the purpose of distinguishing this genus from any other Xorth
American, it is enough to say that, of the
general appearance of the warblers, it has
a short spurious first primary, as in the
Thrushes, and some Virconhlo'. The single
species found as yet within our limits re-
sembles at first sight an immature DoHlroica
a:sfiva, Init is easily distinguished l)y the
wing formula, the yellowish stripe over the
eye, and the brown tail-feathers.

Phyllopneuilt bun alis.

Phyllopneuste borealis, Blas.

ALASKA WILLOW WASBLEB.

PhtillopncuHte homilis, Blas. Ibis, 1862, 69. PhijUopiicustc, Kknn., Bairp, Trans. Chicago
Acad. Sci. I, ii, p. 313, pi. xxx, tig 2, 1869.

Sp. Char. (Description of specimen No. 45.000.) Plumage in August : above olive-
green, with a slight shade of lirown on top of head, rather lighter behind : beneath white,
tinircd with irreenish-vellow ; more olive on the throat and breast : and more yellow
behind, inside the wirg and on thighs; axillars purer yellow. A well-marked greenish-
yellow line from nostrils over the eye to the nape (extending behind the eye nearly as
far as from eye to tip of bill), beneath this an olivaceous streak ihrough the eye, running
into the mixed olive and yellowish of the checks. Quills and tail-feathers brown, edged
with olivaceous ; the outer edges of primaries more y«'llowish than those of secondaries ;
the greater coverts tipped externally with greenish-yellow, so as to form a distinct baud

.SVI.VIID.E — THE SVI.VIAS.

71

across tho winir. "Rill rather dark l.rown ; paler beneath. Le^rs dark olive ; t<ies not sen-
sihlv dillerent. Xest prohaMy <»n .^rouiul, and domed. Kirtrs white, spotted v ith pink.

Spnrious qnill in lenirtli ahuut one fonrth tho seeond, whieh u'^out equals the sixth, or
verv sliirhtly exceeds it ; third and fourth lonirest ; lifth a Httle shorter.

Dimensions (tVesii speeimeii before beinj_' skimied) : total lenirth. 4.75; expanse of
winirs, G.tM> ; winir from earpal joint, li.oO.

Dimensions (prepare<l speelmen) : total len,<rth, 4J)0; winir, 2.-40: tail. 2.00. Exposed
portion of fnst primary. 0.42: of .-^eeond. l.otj ; of lon<rest (measured from expos«'d base
of first primarv). l.S.'). liill : hMiirth from ab.)ve, 0.3S : from nostril, 0.2'.»; alonjr pape,
1..'m. Leirs: tarsus, 0.0(5: middh; toe and claw, 0.o.'> ; claw alone. O.KJ; hind toe and
elaw, (XMi; claw alone, 0.20.

Hah. Xt)rtheast Ashi (China, East Siberia) ; adjacent to Jiehring's Straits and Alaska.

This si)eeies, in geneml appearance, apparently ct»nie8 nearer to P. trovhifi's
than to any other of its congeners. It is, however, more olivaceoiis-green
above, and more yeHow heneath, and has a distinct hand across the Aving.
The superciliary light strij^e is more distinct and longer; the bill and legs
are darker, and the toes not sensibly ditlerent in color from the tarsus. The
proportion of the (piills is much the same, exce])t that the interval l>etween
the tips of the fifth and sixth (piills is greater, and the second is almost inap-
preciably longer than the latter, not reaching nearly midway between the
two. The first or sjmrious (piill is rather shcjrter.

A single specimen of this species was obtained August 16, 1866, on St.
Michael's Island, in Norton Sound, Alaska, by ^Mr. Charles Pease. Mr.
Uannister met with no other specimen in that locality, and from this it is
inferred that this is not an abiinihmt species there. It was described as a
new species under the name of R Irnnkottil (Baird), but has been ascer-
tained l)y Mr. Tristram, to whom it was sent for examination, (Ibis, 1871,
J). 231,) to be identical with P. horPtdU of Blasius.

Dr. Blasius also states (Xaumannia, 1858, \\ 303) that a s|>ecimen of this
si)ecies has been obtained on the island of Heligoland, showhig it to be also
an accidental visitant to Western P^urope.

HAiiiTs. Mr. K. Swinhoe, who describes this among the birds of Formosa
as P. si/lriciiUrir, states it to l)e a summer visitant to Southern China, passing
in large numbers through Amoy in its autumnal migrations southeastward,
probably to the Philippine Islands, touching at Southwestern Formosa and
Twaiwanfoo, where he foimd them abundant. This was for a few days in
October, but he neither saw anv before nor afterwards, nor did he meet with
any at Tamsiiy (Ibis, 18G3, p. 307). The same writer (Ibis, 1860, p. 53)
speaks of this bird as very abundant in Amoy during the months of April
and May, but passing farther north to breed.

We have no information in reference to its habits, and nothing farther in
regard to its distribution. As it l)ears a verv close resemblance to the Wil-
low Wren of Europe, P. trorhihis, it is (piite probable that its general ha])its,
nefjt, and eggs will be found to correspond very closely with those of that
bird.

72

NORTH AMERICAN lURDS.

The European warMers of tlie i^oims Phi/fhpnnisfr are all insect -eatincj
l)ircls, cai)turin«4 their ]>rey while on tlie win«;, and also feeding on their
larvie. Tliey fret^uent the woodlands dnring their breeding-season, but at
all other times are much more familiar, keeping al>out dwellings and sheep-
folds.

The P. trochilm is a resident tliroughout the entire vear in Southern
Europe and in Central Asia. That species builds at the foot of a bush on
the ground, and constructs a domed nest with the entmnce on one side.
Their eggs are five in number, have a i)inkish-white ground, and are spotted
witli well-define<l blotches of reddish-brown, measuring 0.G5 by 0.50 inch,
and are of a rounded oval shape.

SuBF.xMiLY REGULINiE.

Char. Wings longer than the cniarjiinated tail. Tarsi booted, or without .scutellar
divisions.

This subfamily embraces but a single well-defined North American
genus.

CiKsus RXjOXTLUS, Cuv.

licgulns, Cvv. "Leoons d'Anat. Conip. 1799, ISOO." (Type Motacilla rcgulus, LiNN.)
Rcfjuloide^y Blvth. lSi7. (TyjK' ''It. proregidus. Pall." Okay.)

Plnfllohnsihu.s, Cab. Mns. Heiii. I, 1850, 33. (Type Motacilla calendula^ LiXN.) — Cor-
thi/lio. Cab. Jour. Orn. I, 1853, 83. (Same type.)

Gen. Cuar. Bill slender, mueh shorter than the hea<l. depressed at base, but beconiini?

r.apidly compressed ; moderately notched at tip.
Cnlmen straijrht to near the tip, then gently
carved. Commissure straijrht ; .ffonys convex.
Rictus well provided with bristles ; nostril cov-
ered by a sinjrle bristly feather dire<-ted forwarls
(n«)t distinct in cahnduhi). Tarsi elonjjated. ex-
ceediuL' considerably the mi<Ulle toe, and without
scutelhe. Lateral trtes about equal ; hind toe with
the claw, lonjrer than the middle one by about
half the claw. Claws all much curved. First
primary about one third as lonjj as the lonijest;
second equal to fifth or sixth. Tail shorter than the wings, moderately forked, the feath-
ers acuminate. Colors olive-jrreen above, whitish beneath. Size very small.

AVe are unable to ap])reciate '^ny such difference between the common
North American Rcffvli as to warrant Cabanis in establishing a separate
genus for the calendula. The bristly feather over the nostril is perhaps less
compact and close, but it exists in a rudimentary condition.

RfSivlus satrapa.

SYl.VlID.i: — TIIK SYLVIAS.

73

The following synopsis will sfivi! as diagnoses of tin* s]HM'i(»s : - -

ITead with entire eap in adult plain olivaceous, with a coiu-caled i»at<li of ciiinson.

I!<t1>. Whole of Noitli Anifiifa: south t<Hiuali'inala; (ireeuland . . c(tlrtnltiln.

Ili-ad with Ibrelieail and lint- over the eye white. hordertMl insidt- l>y hlael-, and
within this aL'ain is yi'llow, cniluaeiug an orange patfh in tlie centre of the
erown. Ilah. Wiiole of North Anieriea stifnijHi.

Head with forehead and line throujrli the eye black, hordered inside i.y whitish,
and within this ajrain hy black, embracing an orange-retl patch in the centre of
the crown. Hub. lianks of Schuvlkill River, rennsylvaniu . . . cuvieri.

Begulus satrapa, Licht.

GOLDEN-CBOWKED XIH6LET.

Rajulns sntrapn. Lieu r. Verz. 18J:i, no. 410. — Dall & Banxister (Alaska). — Lokd
(VanL'ouvcr Isl.). — IJAiitn, lUrds N. Am. 1S55», 'I'll ; lievicw, 65. — ScLArni:, W Z. S.
l»r»7, 212 (Orizaba). — IJ.KUKKKi:, Cab. Jour. IV, 33, pi. i, fig. Js (»-ggs, from Labrador).
— Pk. Max. ( ab. Jour. \s',S, 111. —Cooper & Sucklev, V. \\. K. li. XII, ii, 1859,
174 (winters in W. Tnritory). — Lord, K. Art. Inst. Wool. lSt)4, 114 (nest?). —
Dresser, Ibis, 18t)5, 47»j (Texas, winter). -SAMrEL}*, UiK — Cooper, Birds Cal. I,
32. Siffviif reffithfs, Wils. ; Ilnjulua vristutns, ViElLL. ; li. fricohr, NlTT., Am.

figures: Aun. liirds Am. II, pi. cxxxii. — Ib. Oni. Biog. II, pi. ilxxxiii. — Vieii.l. Ois.
Am. Sept. M, pi. evi.

Sp. Char. Above olive-green, brightest on the outer edges of the wing: tail-feathers
tinged with brownish-gray towards the head. Foreliea<l, a line over the eye ami a space
beneath it, white. Exterior of the erown bt'fore and laterally black, embracing a central
patch of orange-red, encircled by gamboge-yellow. A dusky space around the eye.
Wing-coverts with two yellowish- white bands, the posterior covering a similar band on
the quills, succeeded l»y a broad dusky one. Tender parts dull whitish. Length under
4 inches; wing, 2.2r>: tail, L80. Female without the orange-red central patch. Young
birds without the colored crown.

IIab. North America generally. On the west coast, not recorded south of Fort Crook.
Orizaba, Sclater ; W. Arizona, Coues.

Specimens of this bird from the far West
are much brighter and more olivaceous above ;
the markings of the face are also somewhat
diHerent in showing less dusky al)Out the eye.
These may form a variety ofivaccus.

The Bi'fjnhoi crt'i^fafus of Europe, a close ally
of our bird, is distinguislied by having shorter
wings and longer bill; the llanie-color of the
liead is more extended, the black border is
almost wantin*.; anteriorly. The back and rump, too, are more yellow.

Habits. Tiie CI olden-crested Kinglet, or Wren, as it is often called, occurs
over nearly the whole of the North American continent. It is abundant
from the Atlantic to the Pacific, and throughout the British Provinces, where

10

Regulus satrapa.

74 NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS.

it chiefly occurs in its hreeding-season. In ^fassachusetts it is a winter
resident from October until AFay. In Maine it is met with in spring and
fall, chiefly as a migratory visitor; a few also remain, and prohahly hreed, in
the dense Tlnijn swamps of that State. Tliey are most abundant in April,
and again in Octolxr. In the viciiiitv of Calais tlie (Jolden-crest is a com-
nion summer resident, and, without doubt, breeds there.

Dr. Woodhouse mentions flntling this species in abundance in New Alexico
and Texas, associated witli Nuthatches and Titmice. Dr. Cooper found it
abundant in Washington Territory, particularly in the winter, and ascertained
jKisitively that they breed there, by seeing them feeding their young near
Puget Sound, in the montli of August. According to Mr. Itidgway it is
much less numerous in the Great IJasin than the II. caJvnduhi.

The food of tliis lively and attractive little Ijird duriui; the summer months
is almost exclusively the smaller winged insects, which it industriously pur-
sues amid the highest tree-to])s of the forest. At other seasons its hal)its
are more those of the titmice, necessity leading it to ransack the crevices of
the bark on the trunks and larger limbs of the forest-trees. It is an expert
fly-catcher, taking insects readily ujwn the wing.

But little is known with certainty regarding its breeding-habits, and its
nest and eggs have not yet been described. The presumi)tion, howexer, is
that it builds a pensile nest, not unlike the European congener, and lays
small eggs finely sprinkled with buff'-colored dots on a wliite gi'ound, and in
size nearly corresponding with those of our common Humming-Bird. We
must infer that it iiiises two broods in a season, from the fact that it spends
so long a period, from April to October, in its summer abode, and still more
because while Mr. Xuttall found them feeding their full-fledged young in
May, on the Columbia, Dr. (,'ooper, in the same locality, and Air. Audubon,
in Lal)rador, observed tliem doing the same thing in the month of August.

xVccording to the ol)servations of Air. J. K. Lord, this species is very com-
mon on Vancouver's Island and along the entire boundary line separating
Washington Territory from British Columbia, where he met with them at an
altitude of six thousand feet. He states that they build a pensile nest sus-
pended from the extreme end of a pine branch, and that they lay from five
to seven eggs. These he does not descrilje.

Most writers speak of this Kinglet as having no song, its only note
being a single chirp. But in this they are certainly greatly in error. AVith-
out having so loud or so powerful a note as the Kuby-crown {R. calcnduln),
for its song will admit of no comparison with the wonderful vocal powers
of that species, it yet has a quite distinctive and prolonged succession
of pleasing notes, which I have heard it pour forth in the midst of the
most inclement weather in February almost uninterruptedly, and for quite
an interval.

Bischoff" obtained a large nund)er of this species at Kodiak, and also at
Sitk. where it seemed to replace the Rul)y-crown.

SYLVIID/K — THE SYLVIAS.

75

Regulus cuvieri, Am.

CmnZB'S KIHOLET.

Regulus cue kri, Arn. Orn. Biog. I, 1832, 28b, pi. Iv, etc.
228 ; U«'V. Am. Birds, 06.

B-Vi UD, Birds N. Am. IS'iD,

Sp. Cn.vR. Size and jrenoral appoaraiice prohaMy that of R. sntrajta. A black band on
the fort'ln-ad passinj; ba<-k, throu«rh and Ix-hind tho eye, separated l>y a jrrayish biui<l from
another blaek band on the crown, which embraces in the ct-ntre of the crown an orange
patch. Length, 4.2.'> inches : extent of wings, G.

TLvB. -Banks of Schuylkill River. I'enn. June, 1812." Am.

Tliis species continues to be tinknown, excejjt from the description of Mr.
Audubon, as ([uoted above. It appears to ditler mainly from R. satrapa in
having two black bands (not one) on the crown anteriorly, separated by a
whitish one; the extreme forehead being black in.stead of white, as in
satrapa. The specimen was killed in June, 1812, on the banks of the
Schuylkill Kiver, in Pennsylvania.

Regulus calendula, Light.

BUBT-CBOWNED KINGLET.

MotaciUa calendula, Linn. Syst. Nat. I, 1766, 337. Regulus crtlcnihila, Licht. Verz. 1823,
no. 408. — Baihi), Bmls N. Am. 1858, 226; Kev. 66.— S( later P. Z. S. 18.^.7, 202.
— Ib. 1858, 300 (mountains of Oaxaca). — In. 1859, 362 (Xalapa). — Ib. 1864, 172
(City of Mex.). — Samcels, 178. — Dall & Bannister (Alaska). — Coopeu, Birds
Cal. I, 33. — Ib. Ibis, I, 1859, 8 (Guatemala). — Cooper & SrcKLEY, P. R. R. XII,
II, 1859, 174. ~ Reiniiai:i)T, Ibis, 1861, 5 (Cfieenlaml). — Dresser, Ibis, 1865, 475
(Texius, winter). Corthi/lio calendula. Cab. Jour. Orn. I, 1853, 83 (tyiMJ of g«;nus).
liegulus rubincus, Vieill. Ois. Am. Sept. II, 1807, 49, j»l. civ, cv.

Other figures : Wils. Am. Orn. I, 1808, pi. v, fig. 3. — Doughty, Cub. II, pi. vi. — AuD.
Orn. Biog. II, \}\. cxcv. — Ib. Birds Am. II, pi. cxxxiii.

Sp. Char. Above dark prreenish-oHvo, ])assing into bricrbt olive-green on the rump and
outer edges of the wings and tail. The under parts are grayish-white tinged with pule
olive-yellow, espeeially behind. A ring round the eye, two bauds on the wing-coverts,
and the exterior of the inner tertials white. Male. Crown with a large concealed patch
of scarlet feathers, which are white at the base. Female and young without the red on
the crown. Length, 4.50 ; wing, 2.33 ; tail, 1.85.

Had. Greenland ; whole of North America, and south to Guatemala. Oaxaca (high
region, November), Sci.ater. Xalapa and Guatemala, Sclater.

This species of Retjnlus appc >rs to lack the small feather which, in satrapa,
overlies and conceals the nost*.iis, which was probahly the reason with Cabanis
and Blyth for placing it in a different genus. There is no other very apparent
difference of form, however, although this furnishes a good character for dis-
tinguishing betw^een young specimens of the two species.

Habits. Much yet i-emaius to be learned as to the general habits, the

76 NUKTII AMEKU'AN lU Kl)8.

nestinj^', and distribution during the breedini;- season of the Ruby-crowned
Kinglet. It is found, at varying periods, in all parts of North America,
from ^lexico to the shores of the Arctic seas, and from the Atlantic to the
Pacific ; and, altliough its breeding-places are not known, its occurrence in
the more northern latitudes, from Maine to the extreme portions of the conti-
nent, during the season of reproduction, indicate pretty certainly its extended
distribution throughout all tlie forests from the 44th pamllel northward.
None of our American ornitholoi»ists are known to have met with either its
eggs or its nest, hut we may reasonably infer that its nest is pensile, like
that of its European kindred, and from being suspended from the higher
branches, from its 2)eculiar structure and position has thus far escaped
observation.

In the New England Stater '^^ev are most abundant in the months of
October and April. A few pr 3ly remain in the thick evergreen woods
throughout the winter, and in the northern parts of Maine they are occasion-
ally found in the summer, and, without doubt, breed there. In the damp
swampy woods of the islands in the Uay of Fundy, the writer heard their
remarkable song resouniling in all directions throughout the month of June.

The song of this bird is by far the most remarkable of its specific jjecu-
liarities. Its notes are clear, resonant, and high, and constitute a prolonged
series, varying from the lowest tones to the highest, terminating with tlie
latter. It may be heard at quite a distance, and in some respects bears
more resemljlance to the song of the English Skvlark than to that of the

O CI? */

Canary, to which Mr. Audubon comi)ares it.

Their food appears to be chiefly the smaller insects, in pursuit of which
they are very active, and at times appear to be so absorbed in their avocation
as to be unmindful of the near presence of the sportsman or collector, and
unwarned by the sound of the deadlv gun. Thev are also said by Wilson
to feed upon the stamens of the blossoms of the maple, the apple, peach, and
other trees. Like the other species, they are expert insect-takers, catching
them readily oji the wing. They are chiefly to be met with in the spring
among the tree-tops, where the insects they prefer abound among the
expanding buds. In the iall of the year, on their return, they are more
commonly met with among lower branches, and among bushes near the
ground.

Although presumed to be chiefly resident, during the summer months,
of high northern regions, Wilson met with specimens in Pennsylvania
during the breeding-season ; an(\ it is quite probable that they may occur,
here and there, among the high valleys in the midst of mountain ranges,
in different parts of the country.

In the winter it is most abundant in the Gulf States, and esj)ecially in
that of Louisiana. Dr. Woodhouse found it quite abundant throughout
Texas, New Mexico, and the Indian Territory. Dr. Cooper found it in
Washington Territory, but did not there meet with it in summer. Dr.

SYLVIID.E — THE SVI-VIAS.

77

Suckley, however, regarded it as a transient visitor, rather than a winter resi-
dent of that region, and far more abundant from ab(jut the 8th of April to
the 20th of May, when it seemed to be migrating, than at any other time.

I)r. Kennerly fonnd these birds in abundance near Espia, Mexico, and
afterwards, during January, among the Aztec Mountains, .and again, in
February, along the Bill Williams Fork. He describes them as lively,
active, and busy in the pursuit of their insect food. They seem to be
e(pially abundant at this season in California, Arizona, and Colorado.

Mr. Kidgway found them common in June and July among the coniferous
woods high upon the Wahsatch Mountains in Utah, and has no doubt that
thev breed there.

Mr. Dall found this species abundant at Nulato, Alaska, in the spring
of 1868, preferring the thickets and alder-bushes away from tlie river-bank.
They appeared very courageous. A pair that seemed about to commence
building a nest in a small clump of bushes tore to pieces one half finislied,
belonging to a pair of Scolccophagus fernujincuSy and, on the blackbirds'
return, attacked the female and drove her away. This was early in June,
and Mr. Dall was compelled to leave without being able to witness the
sequel of tlie contest.

A straggling specimen of this bird was taken in 1860 at Nenortatik, in
Greenland, and sent in the flesh to Copenliagen.

SUBFAMIT.V POLIOPTILIN^.

The characters of this subfamily will be found on page 61).

Gems POLIOPTILA, Sclat.

I'olioptlht, ScLATKU, Vy. Zool. Soc. 1855, 11. (Tyi»e, MotnciUa cocruhu.)

Char. Bill slender, attenuated, but depressed at the base ; nearly as long as the head,
distinctly notcluvl at the tip, and provided with
moderate rictal bristU's. Nostrils rather elon^-ated
not concealed, but anterior to the frontal feathers.
Tarsi lon<rer than the middle toe, distinctly scutellate;
the toes small ; the hinder one scarcely lonirer than
the lateral ; its claw scarcely lonjrcr than the middle.
Outer lateral toe longer than the inner. First pri-
mary about one third the longest; second equal to
the seventh. Tail a little longer than the wings,
moderately graduated; the feathers rounded. Xest
felted and covered with moss or lichens,
ish-white, spotted with purplish-brown.

The species all lead-color above : white beneath, and to a greater or less

Fggs gnnm-

PolioptUa citruka.

78 NORTH AMERICVN BIRDS.

extent on the exterior of the tail, tlie rest of which is hlack. Very diminu-
tive in size (but little over four inches long).

Synopsis of Species.

Top of h ead pJu m beo us.

Two outer tail-feathers entirely white. A narrow frontal line, extending back

over the eye, black. Jlub. North America ...... P. cceruha.

Outer tail-feather, with the whole of the outer web (only), white. No black on

the Ibrehead, but a stripe over the eye above one of whitish. Ilab. Arizona.

P. plunibea.
Top of head black.

Edge only of outer web of outer tail-feather white. Entire top of head from the

bill black. JIab. Rio Grande and Gila P. meJanura.

Species occur over the whole of America. One, r. Icmbi'i/i, is peculiar to
Cuba, and a close ally of P. candca.

Folioptila cseruleay Sclat.

BLTTE-OSAY 6NATCATCHEB; EASTEBN GNATCATCHEB.

Motacilla cocruleu, LiXN. Syst. Nat. I, 1766,* 337 {haaod on Motucil/a j)arm co:rulea, Edw.

tab. 302). Culicivora c(vru!e((. Cab. Jour. 185.'>, 471 (Cuba). — Guxdlacii, Report.

1865, 231. Pulioptilu civrulcn, Sclateu, P. Z. S. 1855, 11. — Baiud, Birds N. Am.

1858, 380. —Ib. Rev. 74. — Diiesseu, Ibis, 1865, 231. — CoopEit, Bird.s Cal. I, 35.

Motacilla cana, Gm. 8. N. I, 1788, 973. ? Culicivora mcvicana., Bon. Consp. 1850, 316

(not of Cassin), female. Polioptila mcxicana., Sclateii, P. Z. S. 1859, 363, TJ73.
Figures : Vieill. Ois. II, pi. Ixxxviii. — Wilson, Am. Orn. II, pi. xviil, tig. 3. — Aud.

Orn. Biog. I, pl. Ixxxiv ; Ib. Birds Am. I, pl. Ixx.

Sp. Char. Above grayish-blue, gradually becoming bright blue on the crown. A
narrow frontal band of black extending backwards over the eye. Under parts and lores
bluish-white tinged with lead-color on the sides. First and second tail-feathers white
except at the extreme base, which is black, the color exten<ling obli<|uely forward on
the inner web; third and fourth black, with white tip, very slight on the latter; lillh and
sixth entirely black. U}>per tail-coverts blackish-plumbeous. Quills edged externally
with pale bluish-gray, which is much broader and nearly white on the tertials. Female
without any black on the head. Length, 4..']0 ; wing, 2.15; tail, 2.2'). (Skin.)

Hab. Middle region of United States, from Atlantic to Pacific, and south to Guatemala ;
Cape St. Lucas. Cuba, Guxdlacii and Buvaxt. Bahamas, Bryaxt.

Habits. The Blue-gray Flycatcher is a common species from the Atlantic
to the Pacific coast, although not met with in the New England States. It
is loss ahundant on the coast than at a distance from it, and has a more
northern range in the interior, heing met with in Northern Ohio, Michigan,
and the British Provinces. SjK'cimens occur in the Smithsonian Institution
collection from New York to Mexico and Guatemala, and from Washington
Territory to California.

They appear in Pennsylvania early in May, and remain there until the
last of September. They are observed in Florida and Georgia early in

SYL''TTD.E — THE SYLVIAS.

79

Poliopt'rj rfprulfn.

^larch, but are not known to winter in that latitude. All the specimens
in the Smitlisonian collection were obtained between April and October,
except one from Southern California, wliich was taken in iJeceniber.

Near Washington, Dr. Coues states the Blue-gray Gnatcatcher to be a
summer resident, amving during the tirst week ot" April, and remaining
until the latter part of September, during which
time they are very abundant. They are said
to breed in high open woods, and, on their first
arrival, to frequent tall trees on the sides of
streams and in orchards.

In California and Arizona this species occurs,
but is, to some extent, replaced by a smaller
species, peculiarly western, P. mclanura. There
they seem to keep more about low bushes, hunt-
ing minute insects in small companies or in
l>airs, and their habits are hardly distinguish-
able from those of Warblers in most respects.

The food of this species is chiefly small winged insects and their larvte.
It is an expert insect-catcher, taking its- prey on the wing with great
celerity. All its movements are very rapid; the bird seeming to be con-
stantly in motion as if ever in quest of insects, moving from one part of
the tree to the otlier, but generally preferring tlie upper branches.

Xuttall and Audubon, copying Wilson, speak of the nest of this Gnat-
catcher as a very frail receptacle for its eggs, and as hardly strong enough to
bear the weight of the parent bird. This, however, all my observations
attest to be not the fact. The nest is, on the contrary, very elaborately and
carefully constructed ; large for the size of the bird, remarkably deep, and
with thick, w^arm walls composed of soft and downy materials, but abun-
dantly strong for its builder, who is one of our smallest birds both in size
and in weight. Like the nests of the Wood Pewee and the Humming-Bird,
they are models of architectural Ijeauty and ingenious design. With walls
made of a soft felted material, they are deep and purse-like. They are not
pensile, but are woven to small upright twigs, usually near the tree-top, and
sway witli each breeze, but the depth of the cavity and its small diameter
prevent the eggs from rolling out. Externally the nest is covered with a
beautiful periphery of gi\ay lichens, assimilating it to the bark of the decidu-
ous trees in which it is constructed.

Occasionally these nests have been found at the height of ten feet from
the ground, but they are more frequently built at a much greater eleva-
tion, even to the height of fifty feet or more. They are made in the shape
of a truncated cone, three inches in diameter at the base and but two at the
top, and three and a half inclies in height. - The diameter of tlie opening
is an inch and a half. In Northern Georgia they nest about the middle
of May, and are so abundant that the late Dr. Gerhardt would often find

80 NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS.

not less than five in a sini'le dav, and very i-arelv were any of them less
tlian sixty feet from the giound. Dr. (lerhardt, who was an accurate and
careful ohserver, speaks of these as the best built nests he had met with in
tliis country, both in re«^ard to strength and its ingeniously contrived aper-
ture, so narrowed at the top that it is impossiblr for tlie eggs to roll out even
in the sl 3rest wind. They have two broods in the season in the Southern
States, one in April and again in July.

This Flycatcher lays usually five eggs. These are of a short oval form,
somewhat pointed at one end and rounded at the other, and measure .56
of an inch in length by .44 in breadth. Their ground-color is a greenish-
wliite, marked and dotted with small blotches and spots of varying and
blending shades of reddish-brown, lilac, and slate.

Folioptila pliimbea, Baikd.

£EAIMX>LOB£D GNATCATCHEB; ARIZONA GNATCATCREB.

Polioptlla plumhca, Bairi>, Pr. A. N. So. VIT, June, 18."i4, 118. — Ib. Birds N. Am. 18r)8,
382, pi. xxxiii, tig. 1 ; Keview, 74. — Cooper, Birds Cal. I, 37.

Sp. Char. Above Iduish-frray ; the fon'head uniform with the crown. Eyehds white.
A pale irrayish-white lino over the eye, above which is another of Idaek, nnieh concealed
by the feathers, and which does not reach to the bill. Lower parts dull white, tinjired with
bluish on the sides and with bn»wnish behind. Tail-feathers black ; the first and second
edged and ti{>ped with white, involving the entire outer web ot" the first, and most of
that of the second ; the third with only a very faint edging of the same. Female duller,
without the black supercihary line. Length, 4.40; wing, 1.80; tail, 2.oO (7,189).

ILvB. Arizona.

This species differs from P. ccrrnJca, in having the ash aliove less bluish,
especially on the forehead ; the black superciliary streak is only a horizontal
bar, not reaching the bill, whereas in carufea it not only reaches the bill,
but also extends across the forehead ; the light superciliary stri[)e is more
distinct. The tail is entirely ditl'erent, the lateral feathers Ixjing ahnost
entiMy black, instead of the reverse.

From immature specimens of P. mclanura it may be distinguished by
larger size and purer white lower parts, and greater amount of white on
outer webs of lateral tail-feathei"S.

Habits. But little is known in regard to the distribution or history of
this species. It appears to be peculiar to Arizona and Mexico. There is no
good reason to suppose that it differs materially in any of its habits from
the other species of this genus. Dr. Cooper, who observed this species at
Fort Mqjave, states that it is a winter resident of that region in small
numljers ; and, so far as he observed, is undistinguishable either in habit or
general appearance from either of the other s]>ecies which at that season
are also found there. Its cry of alarm resembles that of the common wren.

SiaVlID.E — THE SYLVIAS.

81

Folioptila melanura, Lawk.

BLACK-CAPPED GHATCATCHER.

('ulin'roriialric/'filla, Lawijkn< i% Ann. N. Y. Lye. V, Sept. 1S.'»1, 124 (not of Swaiksox).
Culicivora mcrianin, Cassin, Illust. I, 1854, KU, pi. xxvii (not of lins.). Polutptihf,
melanura, jXWUKSce, Ann. N. Y. Lye. VI, Deo. 18.'»6, 168. — BAinn, Hinls N. Am.
1858, 382; Review, 68. — Heeu-Maxx, P. It. It. K. vol. X (Williamson), 1859, 39. —
Cooper, Birds Cal. I, 37.

8p. Char. Above phmiboous-blue. Whole «To\vn, to bill and eyes, with tail, lustrous
blue-black. Beneath pale blui.*ih-gray, almost whae on chin ami anal region ; the flanks
and crissum tinged with brown. Edge of eyelid.'^, and margin and tip of outer web of
tirst and second lateral tail-feathers, white. Female and young without the black of the
crown. Length, 4.15; wing, L85; tail, 2.10.

Had. San Diego to Fort Yuma and Cape St. Lucas. Arizona, Coles.

Specimens of this species from Cape St. Lucas differ from those of San
Diego described in the P. R. R. Report (7,191) in having the whole of the
outer web of the outer tail-feather white, and in a rather larger white tip.
The colors beneatli are a little less ashy, though not of a pure white. The
ash of the back is rather lighter and purer. The lores are rather lighter.
The first primary is a littlti larger and broader.

It is possible that the restriction of the white of the outer web of the
exterior tail-feather to tlie outer half only is an unusual circumstance, as
both Mr. Cassin and Mr. Lawrence, in their descriptions, speak of the entire
outer web being white, — the second feather being of tlie former character.
Under these circumstances there will be little specific difference between
the tails of P. melanura and plumhea. The female birds will then be
separated by the light superciliary line and much shorter tarsi of P.
plumhea, — the latter measuring .63 instead of nearly .70 of an inch.

Habits. This species was first noticed as belonging to the North
American fauna by Captain McCown, who obtained it near Ringgold Bar-
racks in 1850. It has since l)een noticed at Fort Yuma and at San Die^^o
and obtained in greater abundance at Cape St. Lucas. It is also found in
Mexico. Dr. Cooper says that it is common all winter both at San Diego
and at Fort Mohave. It has been traced as far nortli as latitude 30° in the
Sierra Nevada. Its song he describes as a harsh ditty of five parts, some-
thing like a wren's song, with notes like those of a swallow, and also closely
resembling the song of V^irco belli. Their scolding note, is a faint mew, like
that of a cat.

The habits of this species appear to be not unlike those of the peculiar
family to which it belongs. All its members are among our smallest birds,
are almost exclusively inhabitants of woods, and resemble the Beguli in
their restless activity in pursuit of the smallest insects on which they feed.
This bird is described as particularly active, quick in its movements, search-

11

82 NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS.

ing with great activity for its food, and preferring low trees and bushes.
At times it will dart almut in the air in pvirsuit of small insects.

Mr. John Xantus found these birds to be i|uite abundant at Cape St. Lucas,
and obtained several of their nests. They were generally built among tlie
interlacing tendrils of a wild vine {Antigonon leiytopii^^), and so closely inter-
woven with the smaller branches as to be iiiseparal)le. The nests, like those
of all this family, are structures of great beauty and delicacy. They have a
height and an external diameter of about 2\ inches. The cavity is H inches
wide at the rim, and fully two inches deep. This great proportionate d-ipth
of tlie nest seems to be characteristic of this genus. The external portion of
this nest is composed of a composite blending of various vegetable materials,
fine hempen fibres of plants, strips of delicate bark from smaller shrubs,
silken fragments of cocoons and downy cotton-like substance, all veiy
closely impacted and felted together, somewhat after the manner of the
Humming-Bird. The whole is very softly and warmly lined with a l)eauti-
fuUy interwoven and silky fabric composed of the soft down of various
plants.

The walls of the nest, though of the softest materials, are so thick and
so firmly impacted as to make it a structure remarkably firm and secure
against accidents. •

The eggs, four in number, measure .55 of an inch in length by .45 in
breadth. They are of an oblong-oval shape, their ground-color is a pale
greenish-white sprinkled over the entire surface with fine dottiugs of purple,
reddish-brown, and black.

CHAM.EAD.E — THE GROUND-TITS.

83

#A

Family CH AMiESADJE. — The Ground-Tits.

Char. Bill compressed, short, rather conical, not notched nor decurved. Culmen
sliarp-rid<«-ed. Nostrils linear, with an incumbent scale, llictal bristles reaching beyond
nostrils, which are scantily overhung by bristly leathers. Loral feathers bristly and
directed forwards. Tarsi booted, or covered with a continuous plate anteriorly, with
faint indications of scutella? on the inner side. Basal joint of middle toe attached for
about half its length on either side. Primaries ten; sixth quill longest. Plumage very lax.

We liave found it impossible to assign the genus Chamcea to any recog-
nized family of American birds, and have accordingly been obliged to give it
independent rank in this re-
spect, although it may prop-
erly belong to some Old
World group with which we
are not acquainted. In its
general appearance it ap-
proaches the Paridce in loose
plumage, bristly lores, want
of notch to bill, etc. ; but
differs in the very much
bristled rictus, sharp-ridged
culmen, linear nostrils, booted tarsi, less amount of adhesion of the toes, etc.

It approaclies the Sylviidce in the
sharp-ridged culmen and bristly gape,
but is otherwise very different. The
excessively rounded wing is a pecu-
liar feature, the sixth primary being
the longest.

The family may, perhaps, be best
placed between the Sylviidon and
Paridce.

This family has but one representa-
tive {Chcimcea fasciata), and this con-
fined to the coast region of California.
The characters of the genus are those
of the family.

Chamaafaseiata.

Chamtna fasciata .

Genus

Gambel.

rhnmmfi, Gambel, Pr. A. N. So. Phil. Ill, 1847, 154. (T\T)e, Parus fasciatus.)
But one s[)ecies of this genus has as yet l)een described.

84 NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS.

Chamfea fasciata, Gamb.

OBOXriTD-TIT ; WBEH-TIT.

Pariis fascintus, CIambel, Pr. A. X. So, Aug. 1845, 2U5 vCalifornia). Chamcea fasciatay
Gambel, Pr. A. N. Sc. Ill, 1847, 154. — le. J. A. X. Sc. 2d series, I, 1847, 34, pi. viii,
fig. 3. — Cabams, Wieginann's Anhiv, 1848, I, 102. — Cassis, Illust. I, 1853, 39,
pi. vii. — Baiud, Birds N. Am. 1858, 370. — Ib. Keview, 7t>. — Coopek, Birds Cal. I,

Sp. Char. Win«r.«! scarcely two thirds the lenfrth of the tail : both very much jfradu-
ated. Upper and out«r parts jrenerally (inclmling the whole tail) olivaceous-brown,
tinged with gray on the head; beneath pale brownish-cinnamon, with obsolete streaks
of dusky on the throat and breast. Sides and un«ler tail-coverts tinged with olive-brown.
Lores and a spot above the eye obscurely whitish. Tail-feathers with obsolete transverse
bars. Total length, G.20; wing, 2.30; Uiil, 3.50, graduation, 1.20; exposed portion of
first primary, .^b^ of second, 1.30, of longest, sixth (measricu from exposed base of first
primary), 1.80; length of bill from forehead, .52, from nostril, .30; along gape, .60;
tarsus, 1.05 ; middle toe and claw, .78 ; claw alone, .23 ; hind toe and claw, .55 ; claw
alone, .30. Eggs light blue, unspotted ; nest on low bushes.

Hab. Coast region of California.

Habits. This very interesting sj)ecies, which seems to combine within
itself the principal characteristics of the Wren and the Titmouse, was first
described by the late Dr. Gambel of Philadelpliia. So far as is now known,
it is confined to the coast country of California, from Fort Tejon to the shore
and from San Diego to the Sacramento. Dr. Gambel's attention was first
directed to it by the continued sound of a loud, crepitant, grating scold which
he was constantly hearing in fields of dead mustard-stalks and other similar
places. He at last discovered it to be this species, which from its peculiar
habits he called a Wren-tit. It kept close to the ground, was difficult to be
seen, and eluded pursuit by diving into the thickest bunches of weeds, utter-
ing, wlien approaclied, its peculiar grating wren-like notes. Wlien quietly
watched it could be seen to search for insects, climbing twigs and dry stalks
sideways, jerking its long tail, or holding it erect in the manner of a wren,
whicli, in this position, it very much resembles. He describes it as at times
uttering a slow, monotonous singing note like a chick-a-dee, represented by
pee-pce-pce-peep. At other times its song is a varied succession of whistling.
In spring it was heard, in pairs, calling and answering, in a less solemn
strain, and in a manner not unlike a sparrow, with a brief pit-pit-pit, ending
with a prolonged trill. If disturbed, they at once resumed their usual scold •
ing cries.

Mr. Bell found this species chiefiy frequenting damp places, and speaks
of it as of pert habit, and not easily frighteneil. Its white iris, when ob-
served in its native retreats, makes it easily recognized. This feature is as
conspicuous in this bird as it is in the Wliite-eyed Vireo. Its skin is re-
markably strong, the muscles of the thighs powerful and well developed,
and its whole muscular system exhibits an unusual strength and firmness.

CHAM^AD.E — THE GROUND-TITS.

85

Dr. Cooper's observations in I'egartl to this bird are a little different in
some respects. He found it common everywliere west of tlie Sierra Nevada
on dry plains ana hillsides, among the shnibby unde^^^rowth, but not in the
forests. Instead of preferring damp places, he found it living where there is
no water, except occasional fofxs, for six or eight months at a time. Their
movements can be observed by patient watching and keeping perfectly
tjuiet, when they seem attracted by curiosity to such a degree as to approach
one within a few feet, and fearlessly hop ound him as if fascinated.

Dr. Cooper found their nests near San Du^go built about three feet fi*om
the ground in low shrubs. They were comj)OSLd of straw and twigs mixed
with feathers and firmly interwoven. The cavity, about two inches wide
and an inch and three fourths deep, is lined with grass and hair. The eggs,
three or four in number, are of a pale greenish-blue, and measure .70 by .52
of an inch.

86 NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS.

Family PARIDiE. — The Titmice.

Char. Bill jrenprally short, roni<'.il, not notched nor decurved at tip. Culmen broad
and ronnde<l, not .^^harp-ridjied at haso. Nostrils roundi'd, basal, and concealed by dense
bristles or bristly feathers. Loral feathers rough and bristly, dire<'ted forwards. Tarsi
distinctly scutellate ; basal joints of anterior toes abbreviated, that of middle toe nnite«l
about eijually for three fourths its length to the lateral : in PnritKf forming a kind of palm
for grasping; outer lateral toe deeide«lly longer than the inner. Primaries ten, the first
nuich shorter than the second. Tail-feathers with soil tips. Nest in holes of trees ; eggs
white, spotted with reddish.

With Cabanis we include the Xutliatches in the same family with the
Titmice, and have prepared tlie alx)ve diagnosis to embrace l)Otli groups.
They agree in having a conical bill, not notched nor decurved, with much
rounded culmen, and nearly straight conmiissure, and rounded nostrils cov-
ered with dense bristles. These characters will readily distinguish them, in
connection with the ten primaries, and tai"si with scutellap on the anterior
half only (as compared with Alamlula), from any other American Oscims.

The two subfamilies may l)e tluis distinguished : —

Farinae. Body comprcvssed. Bill shorter than the head. Wings rounded, equal to or
shorter than the rountled tail. Second quill as short .as the tenth. Tarsus longer than
the middle toe and claw, which are about equal to the hinder ; soles of toes widened
into a palm. Plumage rather soft and lax.

Sittinae. Body depressed. Bill about e«[ual to or longer than the head. Wings much
pointed, much longer than the nearly even tail. Tarsus shorter than the middle toe
and claw, which are about equal to the hinder. Plumage more compact.

Subfamily PARINJE.

The character of the subfamily will be found sufficiently detailed above.
The genera are as follows : —

Bill with curved outlines.

Head with a long pointed crest. Wings and tail rounded.

Body full and large. Tail about equal to wings .... Lophnphanes.
Head with feathers full, but not crested. Wings and tail rounded.

Body full. Tail about equal to wings ; rounded Pants.

Body slender. Tail much longer than wings ; much graduated . Psaltripariis.

Bill with outlines nearly straight.

Head with com])act feathers. Wings pointed.

Body slender. Tail rather shorter than the wings ; nearly even . Auriparus.

Genus LOFHOPHANES, Kaup.

Lojihophanes, Kaup, Entw. Oesch. Europ. Thierwclt, 1829. (Tjtjc, Farm cristafus.)
Boeolophu^, Cabanis, Mus. Hein. 1850, 1851, 91. (Tyix*, Parus bicolor, L.)

PARin.E — THE TITMirE.

87

Gen. Char. Crown with ft oonsj^icnous rrost. Bill ronical ; both upper an<l lower
• MitliiH'S roMvex. Wings jrnvlnato»l ; lirst «iuill very short. Tail uioaerately lon^' and
roun.led. Nests in hollo'.- trees ; ej;j;s white with fine red tlottings.

Of tliis jjenus there are several Xorth Aineriean species, all a«,Mveiiij.^ in
ireneral chaiiictcrs. One of these,
the L. wo/lnrhfri, i.s given by Ca- ^
hanis as typical, while he sepa-
rates the L. hivolor generically
under tlie name of Bivolophcs,
as having a ratlier ditt'erent form
of crest, stouter hill tuul feci and
longer wings. All of our s[)ecies,
however, vary in these charac-
tei-s, each one showing a different
combination, so that we prefer to
consider all as belonging to tlie
same genus with P. rristatifs.

The species, all of which have the under parts uniform whitish, may be
arranged as follows : —

L. bicolor. Above plumbeous; forehead blaek ; erown much like the back. Ifah.
Eastern Province United States.

L. atricriBtatUB. Above plumbeous; forehead whitish; crown black. Jlab. East

Mexico, north to Rio Grande.

Ii. inornatus. Above oHvaceous; forehead and crown like the back. Ilab. South of
Mid«lle and Western Provinces of United Stiites.

If. woll^iweberi. Sides of head banded black and white ; crown ash ; throat black.
JIab. S. Ivocky Mountains of United States; Mexico to Oaxaca.

JjOjthojihanfS bicolor.

Lophophanes bicolor, Bonap.

TUFTED TmOUSE; BLACX-FBOITED TITXOUSE.

Panis bicolirr, LiNN. Syst, Nat. 12th ed. I, 1766, 340 (based on Pants cristatiut, Catesby,
I, pi. Ivii). — Pu. Max. Cub. Jour. VI, 1858, 118. LophopJunies bicolor. Box. IJst
Birds Europi', 1842. — Baiud, Hinls N. Am. 1858, 384; Review, 78. — Sclatek,
Catal. 1861, 14, no. 87. Bccolophns bicolor. Cab. Mus. Hein. I, 1850, 91 (typeof fjenus).
Lirphophitnes missmiricnsis, Baird, Birds N. Am. 1858, 384 (var. from Missouri River).

Figures: Wilson, Am. Om. I, pi. viii, tig. 5. — Am. Om. Biog. I, pi. ecci ; Ib. Birds
Am. II, pi. cxxv.

Sr. Char. Above ashy ; a black frontal band. Beneath <lull whiti.sh ; sides brownish-
chestnut, of more or less intensity. Lenjjth, 6.25 inches; wing, 3.17.
Hab. United States, from Missouri Valley etv<tward.

Feathers of the crown elongated into a flattened crest, which extends back
as far as the occiput. Bill conical; lower edge of upper mandible nearly-
straight at the base. Fourth and fifth quills equal ; third a little shorter

88

NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS.

Lophophanes inomatus.

the bill, which are blackish.

than seventh ; second rather shorter than the secondaries. Tail nearly even,
the outer alniut .20 of an inch shorter than the longest. Upper parts
ash-color, with a tinge of olivaceous. Forehead dark sooty-brown. The

feathers of the upper part of the head
and crest obscurely streaked with lighter
brown. Under parts of head and body,
sides of head ncluding auriculars, and a
narrow sjiace above the eye, dirty yellow-
ish-white, tinged with brown ; purest on
the side of head, the white very distinct
in tlie loral region, and including the tuft
of bristly feathers over the nostrils, ex-
cepting the tips of those in contact with
The sides of the bodv and the under tail-
coverts are tinged with yellowish-brown. The quills and tail-feathers are
edged with the color of the back, without any whitish. Bill black. Feet
lead-color.

Si>eciniens from the West are larger, the colors all more strongly
marked.

Habits. The Tufted Titmouse is a common and well-known species in
the Southern States, from the seaboard to the Kockv ^lountains. Its north-
em limits are in Pennsylvania, ^Missouri, and Kansas. Farther north than
this its occurrence ap[>ears to be only occasional and accidental. The state-
ment of Mr. Audubon that they are found in the Northern States, even to
Nova Scotia, was evidently a mistake. They do not occur in Massachusetts,
nor, so far as I am aware, have they been met with in any part of New
England.

They are abundant in Northern Georgia, where, according to the obser-
vations of Dr. Gerhardt, they are among the first birds to breed, having
fledglings fully grown as early as the first of May. Dr. Woodhouse found
them very common in the Indian Territory, but none of the other explor-
ing parties met with it farther west, where it is replaced by its kindred
species.

It is perhaps the most abundant bird in Southern Illinois, where it is resi-
dent, being excessively numerous in winter, and in that season often a posi-
tive nuisance from their impertinent vehement scolding as they appear to
follow the hunter in troops through the woods. In winter it is a constant
inhabitant of the door-yards and shrubbery, particularly fruit-trees in the
towns, where it is associated with the Carolina Chickadee {Parim caroH-
Qicnsis) and other winter birds, but exceeding them all in familiarity and
boldness. (Ridgway.)

Mr. Nuttall, who never met with this bird north of Pennsylvania, found
it very common in the winter and spring in the Southern States, where it
displayed aU the habits and uttered the usual notes of the family. In the

PARID/K — TIIK TITMICK. ^y

tireuiifst solitiuU's of tli*' J^^nutluTM Statt's tlicsr l>ii(ls were his constiint and
jiiiiusiiig eoinpanions. Tlicir .sjMi^rljtly iiioveiiieiits uu<l tlieir varitKl luusieal
talents niaile it even nnuv jn'culiarly inte resting at a time when all the other
tenants of the forest were >ileiit. The notes of this l»ir(l, whieh, when ex-
|iress»Ml hy this writer (»n jjaper, seem only jjuaint and eeeentrie artieulations,
were characterized l>v him as livelv, eheerin*', and varied, delivered with a
delicacy, ener^^y, pathos, and variety of exju'ession to which it was far l)eyond
the power of description to do justice.

Thes(! notes, at times, even parto(»k of the hi^di-echoin^ and clear tones
of the Oriole. The usual sonj^' of this Titmouse is presented hy Mr. Xuttall
hy the following,' char.icteristics : " jr/iijt-f(nn'/>i//t/'k{ff//-i/(lt/-ihli/-ifn-if-fshif'a-
(fee-ilaj' varied with " KoT-fn-iJ id-did-tf ul i' etc., etc. Later in the season,
under the milder iuHuences of sjuin^', these Titmice ])ursued the insects from
hranch to hranch, callinj^ ri'stle.ssly anil with loud anil echoing voices, peto-
]hfo-jyfi>, witli freipient quaint variations too numerous to be re{)eated.
Their song even consisted of successions of jdayful, jiathetic, or (juerulous
calls, never exhihiting any trills after the manner of the Warhlers, yet the
comi)a.ss and t<ines of their voice, their capricious variety, and their general
etlect are descriljed as quite as pleasing as the more exquisite notes of our
summer si»ngsters.

When wounded this Titmouse resists with great s])irit any attempt to take
him alive, hut soon becomes tame and familiar in confinement, subsisting on
seeds, broken nuts, etc. Impatient of restraint, it incessantly attempts to
work its wav out of its caufe.

The general habits of these birds correspond ch)selv with those of the lame
family to which they belong. They move usually in small flocks of from
live to ten through the branches of trees and bushes in quest of insects,
examine the cracks and crevices oi' the bark, hang on the under side of small
branches, move sideways around the trunks of trees, prol)e the openings in
acorns, pine-cones, nuts, etc., for its food, and retain apparently the family
gioup until the sja-ing, when they sei)arate into pairs.

One of these birds kept in confinement by Dr. Bachman of Charleston
was in the habit of hiding its food in the corner of its cage, in a small
crevice, and of creeping at night into a small box, where it lay doubled up
like a ball till the first light of the morning, when it resumed its restless
habits.

The Tufted Titmouse passes its nights and days, when the weather is in-
clement, in the hollows of decayed trees or the deserted holes of the wood-
peckers. In such places it also builds its nests. It has been known to exca-
vate a hole for itself even in hard sound wood. Its nest is simply a rude
lining of the selected cavity, composed of various soft and warm materials.
In this are deposited from six to eight eggs. But a single brood is raised in
a season. The young birds, as soon as they are fledged, hunt in company
with their parents, and remain associated with them until the following

12

90 NORTH AMKKICAX BIRDS.

spring. Tlie eg^rs of this bird have a h'ligth of .7.") of an inch and a breadth
of .50. They are of a rounded oval in shape, and are thickly sprinkled
with fine rust-colored dots, intermingled with a few larger markings of lilac,
on a white ground.

Lophophanes atricristatus, Cassin.

BLACK-TUFTED TITMOUSE; TEXAS TITMOUSE.

Parus atrkristatm, Cassix, Pr. A. N. Sc. Phil. V, 1850, liirj, pi. ii (Texas). Lophophnvrs
aln'crisfdfitu, Cajsmx, 111. liinls Texas, etc. 1, 1853, 13, pi. iii. — liAiKD, Birds N. Am.
1858, 385 ; Keview, 78. — CoiU'EU, IJirds Cal. I, 43.

Sp. Thau. Crest very lonj; and pointt'd (1.2o inches). Above asli-eolored. A broad
band t)n tlie forehead dirty white, rest of head above, with erest, bla(?k, tin ' ith ash
on the sides. Color of the b:K;k shadini; insensibly into th<* didl ashy-white of i mder
parts. Sides of body pale brownish-ehestnut. Female with the crest dnller blaek. Iris
dark brown. Lenirth, abont 5.2.") inehes ; win^r, '^OO.

IIab. Valley of Rio Grande, south, into Mexico. San Antonio. Texas, Vera Cruz,

SCLATER.

This species is not rare in Texas, where it has been noticed as far east as
San Antonio.

Habits. So far as known, the Black-crested Titmouse is restricted in its
distribution to the valley of the Ifio (Irande, including portions of Mexico
and Western Texas. It was first met with in the latter State by John W.
Audubon, and described by Mr. Cassin m the Troceedings of the Philadelphia
Academy.

In its general appearance and in all its habits it is mentioned as b.aving
so close a resemblance to the common Tufted Titmouse as to he hardly dis-
tinguishfible from that bird. Dr. Woodhouse met with this species near San
Antonio, Texas, in March, 1851. While his party was encamped on the Rio
Salado he observed these birds busily engaged in capturing insects among
the trees on the banks of the stream. Like all the members of this family,
it was incessantly in motion and very noisy. Later in the season, on the
8th of ^[ay, the same party, when encamped on the Quihi, again found this
species very abundant amo'ig the oaks. The young males, then fully grown,
closely resembled the adult females, both wanting the black crest that dis-
tinguishes the mature male. lie afterward noticed this species occurring at
intervals along his route as far as the head waters of the Rio San Francisco
in New Mexico. He observed it almost exclusively among the trees that
bordered streams of water. The females and the young males invariably had
crests of the same cinereous color as their general plumage, but in the latter
slightly tinged with l)rown. They occurred in small parties, w^ere very lively
and sociable in their habits, and in their general appearance and even in
their notes so very closely resembled the Eastern species as, at a short dia-
tance, to be liardly distinguishable from it.

PARID.E — TUE TITMICE. 91

Dr. Heermann, in his report on the birds of Lieutenant Parke's survey,
mentions having first observed this species near Fort Chirke, in Texas, wliere
it was very abundant He describes it as s})rightly and active in its move-
ments, searching with great assiduity for insects in the crevices of the bark
and among the branches of trees. While thus engaged it keeps up a chatter-
ing note, varied with an occasional low and plaintive whistle. Its habits
a])i)eared to him to resemble most those of the common Pants atricapillus.
Dr. Heennann states that it builds its nest in the hollow of trees, and that
it lays from twelve to sixteen eggs. He does not, however, say that he
ever met with its eggs, nor does he give any description of them. The nest,
he states, is comjuised of fine dry grasses, feathei'S, wool, mosses, etc.

General Couch's description of this species and its habits is very similar.
He observed it in the province of Xew Leon, in ^lexico, where he found it
xary abundant along the San Juan into the Sierra Madre. He describes it
as a very lively bird, with a very per**! ^'.t whistle of a single not^.

Mr. Henry A. Dresser sought very diligently for its nest and eggs near
San Antonio and Houston, in Texas, where he found the bird very common,
and where he was sure many pairs remained to breed, but its nest was very
hard to find, and the binls very wary. He succeeded in finding one nest,
in a hollow tree, near the head springs of the San Antonio River, but it
contained young. The nest he does not describe, nor does he mention the
number of young it contained.

Lophophanes inomatus, Cassix.

OSAT-TFFTEB TIT1I0U8E; CAUFOBHIA TITM0V8E.

Parus inornalus, Gamijel, Pr. A. N. Sc. Phil. Aug. 184.% 265 (UpixT California). — I b.
J. A. N. Sc. new ser. I, 1847, 3.'), pi, vii. Lt^phophiHOi inornatus, Cassix, 111. 1853,
19. — Baiiid, Birds N. Am. 1858, 386 ; Review, 78. — S(.later, Catal. 1861, 14, no.
88. — Elliot, lUust. I, pi. iii. —Cooper, Birds Cal. I. 42.

Sp. Char. Crest elongated. Color above olivaeeous-ashy, beneath whitish. Sides of
body and under tail-coverts very faiiiUy tinged with brownish, senrcely appreciable.
Sides of head scarcely diflerent from the crown. Forehead obscurely whitish. Length,
5 inches ; win*;, 2Si').

Hab. Southern United States, from Rocky Mountains to Pacitic ; Western Nevada
(Ridgway). W. Arizona (Coces).

The bill and feet of this species are lead-color. The third, fourth, and
fifth quills are longest ; the third and eighth about equal ; the second is
shorter than the shortest primaries. The lateral tail-feathers are a little
shorter than the others.

A specimen from Fort Thorn has the crest longer than in other specimens
before me, measuring 1.35 inches from base of bill to its tip. This may be a
chai-acteristic of the male, the sexes being otherwise alike.

92 NORTH AMKKIt'AN BIKD8.

Habits. The (Tray Titmouse belongs essentially to the Pacific coast,
coming eastward only as far as the banks of the Kio Grande in Texas. It
was first discovered and deseril»ed by Dr. Ganibel, in his Birds of California.
It has since been met with not only throughout California, but also in all
the southern portions of the Kocky ^lountains, in New Mexico, and from
Mimbres to the Kio Grande.

Dr. Woodhouse met with this sj)ecies in the San Francisco ]Mountains,
near the Little Coloi-ado Iliver, Xew Mexico. He found it very al»undant,
feeding among the tall pines in company with the Sitta pygmcea, S. aculcata,
and Par us 7nonta7iHs

Dr. Gambel first noticed this species near Monterey on the 20th of No-
vember. It was flitting actively about among the evergreen oaks of that
vicinity in company with large flocks of several kindred species. They
were all in restless activity, searching eveiy branch for insects. As well
as he could distinguish its notes among those of the busy throng in the
midst of which he observed it, they appeared to resemble veiy^ closely those
of the common /*. atrimpiUus. Upon his following it up, it would utter a
loud scolding outcry, erect its high and pointed crest, and appear as angry
as possible at the intrusion. He found it very common, frequenting tall
bushes in small flocks, searching branches of low trees, uttering weak and
slender cries, resembling the syllables tsee ihlji-ilay.

Dr. Heermann found it one of the most common of the birds of California,
where it is resident throui'hout the vear. He describes their notes as
possessing an almost endless variety, so much so that he was repeatedly
prompted to follow it as a new species. He met with a nest of this bird in
a deserted woodpecker's hole, which contained young.

Dr. Cooper has met with this species in Fel)ruary near San Diego, but
not on the Colorado. They seem to i»refer the evergreen-oak groves toward
the middle of the State, but are not found in the higher Sierra Nevada.
They are residents throughout the year in the evei"green oaks near San
Francisco. He adds that they are seen in small parties, scattered about
the trees, and calling to each other with a variety of sweet and loud notes,
some of which are said to equal those of our best singers. It also has
certain powers of imitation like the Eastern crested species and the same
cry of peto-peto.

It feeds on acorns as well as insects, and often goes to the ground in search
of them. It cmcks the acorns with its bill, and hammers at bark and de-
cayed wood with the industry of a w^oodpecker.

Air. Ridgway met with this species among tlie pines of the eastern slope
of the Sierra Nevada, but nowhere in abundance. Among the cedars it was
almost the only bird seen. He describes its manners as greatly resembling
those of the other species. Its notes, though differing from those of the
Eastern L. hlcolor, being weaker and less distinct, retain its vehement and
characteristic manner of utterance.

PARID.E — THE TITMICK. 93

Lophophanes woUweberi, Bonap.

WOLLWEBEE'S TITMOUSE; STSIPED-HEADEO TITMOUSE.

loph>t>hmies nollnubrri, Bon. C. K. XXXI, Se]>t. 1850, 478. — Westermann, Bijtlr. Bier-
kunJe, III, 1851, 15, plate. — Baiud, Birtls N. Am. 1858, 386, pi. liii, lis- 1 ; Keviow,
79. —ScLATEU, P. Z. S. 1858, 299 (Oaxaca, high lands). — Ib. Catal. I8t>l, 14, no. 89.
— CooPEK, BiriU I'al. I, 43. Panis auuexus, Cas.sin, Pr. A. N. Sc. V, Oct. 1850,
103, pi. i. Lojt/iop/uiiies (jaleatus^ t'AUANlb, Mus. Hein. 1850, 1851, 90.

Sp. Ciiak. Central portion of crest ash, encircleil by black, commencing as a frontal
band, and pacssing over the eye. Chin, throat, and a line from l)ehind the eye and curving
round tlie auriculars to the throat (bordered behind by white), as also some occipital
feathers, black. A white line from above the eye margining the crest, with the cheeks
below the eye and under parts generally wliite. A black half-collar on the nape. Upper
parts of body ashy Lengtii, about 4.50 ; wing, 2.'A).

Hab. Southern Rocky Mountains of United States, and along table-lands through
Mexico, to Oaxaca (high regions, Sclater). Orizaba (Alpine regions, Sum.).

Habits. Wollweber's Titmouse, so far as its distribution is known, is
a bird of Western Texas, the liigh table-lands of Mexico, and of the whole
of Xew Mexico. It was described l>y Bonaparte and by Cassin nearly simul-
taneously, in 1850. It bears a very close resemblance to the Lophophmies
ci'uitatus of Europe.

Although comparatively nothing is known in reference to the specific hab-
its of this species, they may be very readily inferred from those of the other
members of tliis genus, whose chai'acteristics are all so well marked and so
uniform. Dr. Kennerly is the only one of our naturalists who has men-
tioned meeting the species in its living form. In his Report upon the Birds
of Lieutenant Whipple's Survey he states that he found it in tlie thick l)ushes
along the Pueblo Creek. Wherever noticed it was constantly in motion,
hopping from twig to twig in search of its food. He also found it among
the pines of the Aztec Mountains. Xo mention is made of its nest or eggs,
and its niditication remains to be ascertained.

Genus PARX7S, Lixn\«us.

Parus, LixxjEUs, Syst. Nat. 1735. (Type, P. major.)

Gen. Char. Head not crested. Body and hea«l full. Tail moderately long, and slightly
rounded. Bill conical, not very stout; the upper and under outlines very gently and
slightly convex. Tarsus but little longer than mitldle toe. Head and neck generally black
or brown, with sides white. Nest in holes. Eggs white, sprinkled with red.

In the group, as defined above, are embraced several genera of modern
systematists. The true black-capped American Titmice belong to the section
Piecile of Kaup, and exhibit but three well-marked forms ; one, P. montanns,
with a white stripe over the eye; one, atricapilliis, without it, with black

94 NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS.

head; and one, hudsonmts, also without it, and with brown liead. The
species may be arranged as follows: —

1. Head and neck, above and beneath, black ; their sides white.

A* A broad white stripe above the eyt, meeting across forehead.

1. P. montanuB. Edges of wing-coverts, secondaries, and tail scarc<'ly
paler than general tint above. Beneath ashy-whitish, medially. Wing,
2.85 ; tail, 2.50 ; bill (along eulnieu), .50 ; tarsus, .69 ; middle toe, .43 ;
wing-formula, 4 = 5, 3 = 6, 7, 2 ; graduation of tail, .18. Mob. Moun-
tain regions of Middle and Western United States.

B« No white stripe above the eye.

a. Tail as long as, or longer than, wing. Conspicuous white edgings to
wing-coverts, secondaries, and tail-feathers.

2. P. atricapillus.

Dorsal region yellowish-cinereous, wings and tail purer ash ; sides light
ochraceous. White edgings of tail-feathers not margining their ends,
W^ing, 2.60; tail, 2.60; bill, .40; tarsus, .02; middle toe, 36; wing-
formula, 4, 5, 6, 3, 7, 8, 2 = 9 ; graduation of tail, .30. (12,851 <J,
Brooklyn, N. Y.) Ilab. Eastern Province of North America, north of
about 39° var. atricapillus.

Dorsal region and sides with scarcely a perceptible yellowish tinge;
white edgings of tail-feathers passing around their ends. ,Beneath
whitish. Wing, 2.75 ; tail, 2.80 ; culmen, .35 ; tarsus, .65 ; middle toe,
.40 ; wing-formula, 5, 4=6, 3=7, 8, 2 = 9; graduation of tail,
.50. (3704^? Salt Lake City, Utali.) //a6. Region of Missouri River
and Rocky Mountains var. septentrional is.

Colors as in atricapillus, but much darker. Beneath more ochraceous.
Wing, 2.40; tail, 2.50; culmen, .40; tarsus, .00; middle toe, .40; wing-
formula, 4th, 5th, and 6th equal, 3=7, 2 = 10; graduation of tail, .25.
(6762 (J ? Fort Vancouver, Washington Territory.) Hab, Pacific Prov-
ince of North America . . . . . . var. occidental is.

h. Tail shorter than wing ; no conspicuous white edgings to wings and tail.

3. P. meridionalis. ^ Beneath ashy (nearly dark as upper surface),
whitish medially. Wing, 2.60 ; tail, 2.20 ; culmen, .40 ; tarsus, .63 ;
middle toe, .40 ; wing-forraula, 4, 5, 6, 3 = 7, 2 = 10 ; graduation of
tail, .10. (10.203, Mexico.) Hab. Eastern Mexico.

4. P. carolinensis. Beneath pale soiled ochraceous-whitish, scarcely
lighter medially. Wing, 2.55 ; tail, 2.30 ; culmen, .35 ; tarsus, .53 ;
middle toe, .38 ; wing- formula, 5, 4, 6, 7, 3, 8, 2 = 9 ; graduation
of tail, .10. (706 <J, Washington, D. C.) Hab. Eastern Province of
United States, south of about 40°.

2. Head and neck, above and beneath, brown, the throat darkest; their sides white.

C Back, scapulars, rump, and sides rusty-chestnut.

5. P. rufescena. Side of neck pure white. Wing, 2.35 ; tail, 2.00 ;
tarsus, .61 ; middle toe, .40. Tail scarcely graduated. Hab. Pacific
coast of North America.

D« Back, etc., grayish or ochraceous brown.

6. P. hudsonicua. Side of neck grayish. Back, etc., smoky-gray.

1 rurus nieridianalis, Sclater, P. Z. S. 1856, 293. — Baird, Rev. 81.

PARID^— THE TITMICE. 95

Sides dark rusty-brown. Wing, 2.45 ; tail, 2.45 ; tarsus, .02 ; middle
toe, .35; graduation of tail, .30. (17,101, Halifax, N. S.) Ihh. Antic
America; south to northern boundary of the United States (except to

westwanl).

7. P. sibiricus.* Side of neck white. Back, etc., msty ochraceous-
gray. Sitles rusty ocliraceous. Wing, 2.70; tail, 2.80; tarsus, .00;
middle toe, .36; graduation of tail, .30. Hab. Europe.

Farus montanus, Gambel,

MOTJlTTAnr CHICKADEE: WHITS-BBOWED CEICXADEE.

Parm mmiianus, Gambel, Pr. A. N. S. Phila. April, 1843. 259 ; Joum. A. N. Sc. 2d
Seriis, I, 1847, 35. pi. viii, f. 1. -Baiud. B. N. A. 1858, 394 ; Review Am. B. I, 1864,
82. — Elliot. Illust. — C'oopeu, Birds Cal. I, 46.

Sp. Char. Head and neck above, with under part of head and throat, glossy black ;
forehead, stripe above the eye and band below it, involving the auriculars, white. These
stripes embracing between them a black band through the eye and confluent with the black
of the head. Above a;;hy; beneath similar, but paler; the upper part of breast and middle
line of belly white. Length about 5 inches ; wing, 2.60 ; tail, 2.40.

Hab. Mountain region of Middle and Western United States.

Habits. The Mountain Chickadee was first met with by Dr. Gambel in
journeying westward from Santa Fe, in Xew ^lexico, and from thence was
found in all the ranges of the Rocky
Mountains nearly to California. Its
notes and habits are said to closely
resemble those of the common Chick-
adee, but weaker and more varied. It
keeps more in low bushes, where it
moves from branch to branch with
untiring activity, searching each mi-
nutely for small insects. It also fre-
quently descends to the ground to
pick up small seeds. Wliile thus oc-
cupied it will occasionally stop, look
round, and, uttering a slender te-de-de, and then its usual note, to-de-de-dait,
will fly to another bush.

On the Rio Colorado they kept chiefly among the cotton-wood trees that
grew along its banks, and its familiar notes were almost the only sounds
heard. They were observed in large and busy flocks along the smaller
streams in company with the Least Tit and the Reguli. Dr. Gambel did
not find them, however, so abundant on the California sides of the ridge,
where other sj^ecies took their place.

Dr. Heermann found this Titmouse abundant among the mountains sur-

* Parus sibiriciis, Gmel. S. N. 1788, p. 1013.

Parux atrieetpiUus.

96 NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS.

rouiuling the Volcano in the southern mines, and suhsequently met with
them on the sunnnit of the Tejon Pass. He tliinks their notes and habits
very similar to those of the atrUainlhifi. Dr. Suckley obtained a single
specimen at Fort Dalles, but rejj^arded it as extremely mre in that locality.

_^ Dr. Woodhouse found it quite abundant

^^^^ ^ ^ ^ _ in the ISan Francisco Mountains of New

M/t^^^^^^- ~ Mexico, where it was feeding among the

^^j^^jl^^H^^^. tall pines in company with kindred

^^2£g^B^[^H^^^^^^ species.

^^^BKH^^^f ^^^^ Mr. Iiidgway found this species in

-^^^^^B^^ great abundance among the pines on

_%^Jfp»-_ J ^^ the eastern sloix; of the Sierra Nevada

^j|\ ^lountains, as well as in all the exten-

\ \ sive cedar-groves on the mountains to

parus Luanus. ^^^^ castward. Arouud C^irson City this

species was found throughout the win-
ter. In its manners and notes, particularly the latter, it was hardly distin-
guishable from P. carol iiioisis. The notes are described as louder and more
distinct, though their calls in spring are rather less clearly articulated.

Farus atricapillus, Lixn.

EASTERN CHICKABEE ; BLACK-CAPPED TITHOirSE.

Pnrus ntricopiViui, Lixx. Syst. Nat. I, 1766, 341 (based on Pants atricapillus cnnadeiisiSj
Brissox, III, .')i>3, tal). xxix, Rg. 1). — Baiud, Birds N. Am. 1858, 390; Review, 80.
— ScLATER, Catal. 1861, 13, no. SO. — Dall & Baxxister (Ala.ska). —Samuels, 182.
Pcecile alricapilla, B<»x. Consp. 1850, 230. Parus pal ustr is, NUTT. Mau. I, 1832, 79.

Figured hy ArnuBox, Wilsox, etc.

Sp. Char. Second i\\\\\\ as long as the secon<laries. Tail very slightly rounded ; lateral
feathers about .10 shorter than middle. Batk brownish-ashy. Top of head and throat
blac'k, sides of hea«l between them white. Beneath whitish; brownish-white on the sides.
Sides of outer tail-feathers, some of primaries, and secondaries conspicuously margined
with white. Length, 5.00; wing, 2.50; tail, 2.50.

Hab. Eastern North America, north of 31)th parallel.

In this species the first ([uill is spurious ; the fourth quill is longest ; the
fifth and sixth successively a little shorter ; the third is about ecpial to, or a
little shorter than, the eighth ; the second is a very little longer than the
secondaries. The tail is a little rounded, the innermost feather longest, the
rest successively a little shorter. The greatest difference in length of tail-
feathers amounts to .30 of an inch.

The entire crown, from the bill to the upper part of the back, coming
down on the sides to the lower level of the eye, is pure black, although the
edge alone of the lower eyelid is of this color. A second black patch begins

PAiUD.E — THE TITMICE. 97

at tlie lower man(lil)le and occupies the entire under surface of tlie head and
throat, but not extending as far hack witliin a (quarter of an inch as that on
the upper part of the neck. The space between these two patches, on tlie
sides of the head and neck, is white, this color extending along the black of
tlie back of the neck as far as its truncated extremity, but not bordering it
behind. The middle of the breast and belly, as far as the vent, is dull
white, that immediately behind the black of the throat a little clearer. The
sides of the breast and body under the wings, witli the under tail-coverts,
are pale, dull brownish-white. The back, rump, and upper tail-coverts are
of a dirty bluish-ash, washed with yellowish-brown, especially on the rump.
Tlie wings are brown ; the outer edges of the third to the seventh primaries
narrowly edged with whitish ; the innermost secondaries more broadly and
conspicuously edged with tlie same ; larger coverts edged with dirty whitish.
Outer webs of tail-feathers edged with white, purest and occupying half the
web in the external one, narrowing and less clear to the central feathers, the
basal portions, especially, assuming more the color of the back.

Habits. The common diickadee or Black-capped Titmouse is so well
known throughout the greater portion of the United States as to ha gen-
erally accepted, by common consent, as the typical representative of its
numerous family. Until recently it has been supposed to be nniversally
distributed over the continent, and while this is now «iuestioned, it is not
quite clear where its limits occur. In Eastern ^Maine the Parus hudsonicitJi
an«^ tiiis species meet. In the District of Columbia it crosses the northern
liijiits of P. caroIincmU, and in the northern ^lississipin Valley it mingles
wicli the var. septcntriomdix. It remains to be ascertained how far the
cpecies exceeds these bounds.

A few individuals of this species were observed by Mr. Dall, December
12, at Nulato, where, however, it Wiis not common. They were also ob-
tained by IJischoff at Sitka and Kodiak.

As in very many essential respects the whole family of Parido' are alike
in their characteristics of habits, their manner of collecting food, their rest-
less, uneasy movements, the similarity of their cries, their residence in hol-
low trees or brandies, and their nesting in similar jdaces, with the exception
only of a few species that construct their own pouch-like nests, we have
taken the best known as the common point of comparison. Except in the
variations in plumage, the points of difference are never great or very
noticeable.

In New England the Black-Cap is one of our most common and familiar
birds. In the vicinity of Calais, Mr. Boardman speaks of it as resident and
abundant. The writer did not meet with it in Xova Scotia, nor even in the
islands of the Bay of Fundy, where the liudmnicus is a common bird.

It is a resident species, nesting early in ^lay, and having full-iledged nest-
lings early in June. While it seems to ])refer the edges of wooils as best
affording the means of food and shelter, it by no means confines itself to

13

98 MHiTII AMERICAN BIRDS.

these lf)calities, not. only appoarinj:^ familiarly around the dwellings in the
winter season, but also occasionally breeding in oj)en and exi)osed places.
A hollow jjost of a fence in the midst of open cultivated fields, a decayed
stump near the side of a public highway, a hollow log in a frec^uented farm-
yard, and even the side of an inhabited dwelling, are localities these birds
have been known to select in which to rear their young. In the winter
they not unfreciuently extend their visits, in search of fooil, into the very
heart of-large and crowded cities, where they seem as much at home and as
free from alarm as in the seclusion of the forest, searching every crack where
insect larvie or eggs can be hid. On one occasion a pair had built its nest
over a covered well which connects with the dwelling by a side door, through
which water was drawn at all hours of the day by means of buckets and a
rope, the wheel for which was in close proximity to their nest. They mani-
fested, however, no uneasiness, and even after the young were ready to fly,
the whole family would return to the ])lace for shelter at night and during
inclement weather.

Their courage and devotion to their vouni? is a remarkable trait with the
whole race, and with none more than with the present species. On one
occasion a Black-Cap was seen to fly into a rotten stump near the roadside
in Brookline. The stump was so much decayed that its top was readily
broken off and the nest exj)osed. The mother refused to leave until forcibly
taken off by the hand, and twice returned to the nest when thus removed,
and it was only by holding her in the hand that an opportunity was given
to ascertain there were seven young birds in her nest. She made no com-
plaints, uttered no outcries, but resolutely and devotedly thrust herself be-
tween her nestlings and the seeming danger. When released she immedi-
ately flew back to them, covered them under her sheltering wings, and looked
up in the face of her tormentors ^vith a tj[uiet and resolute courage that could
not be surpassed.

The nest of the Chickadee is usually a warm and soft felted mass of the
hair and fur of the smaller (piadrupeds, dow^ny feathers, fine dry grasses and
mosses, lining the cavity in which it is placed and contracting it into a deep
and purse-like opening if the cavity be larger than is necessary. Usually the
site selected is already in existence, and only enlarged or altered to suit the
wishes of the pair. But not unfrequently, at some pains, they will exca-
vate an opening for themselves, not only in decaying wood, but even into
limbs or trunks that are entirely sound.

These birds in winter collect around the camps of the log-cutters, become
very tame, and seek on all occasions to share with their occupants their food,
often soliciting their portion with plaintive tones. Though nearly om-
nivorous in the matter of food, they prefer insects to everything else, and
the amount of good conferred by them on the farmers and the owners of
woodlands in the destruction of insects in all their forms — egg, cattirpillar,
larva, or imago — must be very great. No chrysalis is too large to resist

PARID.E — THE TITMICR 99

tlieir penetrating l»ill, and no eggs so well hidden that they cannot find them
out. I have known one to attack and Hy ofr with the chrysalis of a " Woolly-
bear" or salt-marsh caterj)illar {Lemarctia acrccu). When thus foraging for
their f(jod they seem totally unconscious of the near presence of man, and
unmindful of what is passing around tliem, so intent are they upon the
object of their pureuit.

The notes of the Chickadee exhibit a great variety of sounds and combi-
nations. As they roam through the country in small flocks in quest of food,
their refrain is a continued and lively succession of varying notes sounding
like a quaint chant. When annoyed bv anv intrusion, their crv is louder
and harsher. They are rarely thus disturljed by the presence of man, and
even when their nest is approached by him they jiresent only a passive and
silent resistance. Not so when a cat or a S([uirrel is observed in unwelcome
vicinity. These are pursued with great and noisy pertinacity and hoai-se
cries of ddij, ddy^ day, in which they are often joined by others of the same
species.

So far as we have observed them, they are apparently affectionate, gentle,
and loving to each other. We utterly discredit the accusation that they
will treacherouslv l^at out the brains of feeble birds of their own race. It
is unsupported by testimony, and in the instance cited by Wilson he gives
no evidence that this injury may not h^ve been done by some other species,
and not by one of its own kindred.

Their nest is usually near the ground, and the number of eggs rarely
if ever exceeds eight. They are said to have two broods in the season,
but this statement seems to be contradicted by their continued presence
after June in small flocks, evidently the parents and tlieir first and only
brood, who apparently remain togetlier nine or ten months.

The eggs of this species vary somewhat in regard to the distribution and
number of the reddish-brown markings with whicli their white ground is
more or less sprinkled. In some they are chiefly gathered in a ring about
the larger end ; in others they are distributed over the entire egg. Their
eggs are smaller and a little less spherical in shape than those of the septci-
trionalis, averaging .58 by .47 of an inch.

Parus atricapillus, var. septentrionalis, Harris.

LONG-TAILED CHICKADEE.

Parus scptcntrimuili% Haruis, Pr. A. X. So. 1 1, 1845, 300.— Cassin, lUust. I, 1853, 17,
80, pi. xiv. — Baiki), Birds X. Am. 1858, 389 ; Review, 79. — Sclater, Catal. 1861,
14, no. 82. Parus septentrionalis, var. albescens, Baikd, Birds N. Am. 1858, xxxvii.
/ Parus atricapillus, Pr. Max. Cab. Jour. VI, 1858, 119.

Sp. Char. Length about 5.50 inches; wing, 2.70; tail about 3 inches. Head above
and below black, separated by white on the .sides of the head; back brownish-ash. Be-

100 NORTH AMKrMCAXBIUDa

nrafh wliiti", tin«ri'<l witli palf lnowniiili-whito f»n the sides. Outer tail-lejithei^, primaries,
and secondaries broadly ed^'ed with while, iiivolvinj^ nearly the wh<»le outer web of outer
tail-t'eatlier. Tail inui h jrraduated ; the outer leather about ,oO of an inch shorttJr than
the midtlle. Second «iuill about as lonf; as the secondaries.
IIau. Kejjion of Missouri Uiver to Kt>cky Mountains.

This nice is very similar to tlie P. atricapiUm, but differs from it
somewhat as atrivapllhui does from caroliniiisis. Its size is much greater;
the tail proportionally longer, and much more graduated ; the white of
wing and tail purer and more extended. The bill appeal's to be stouter
and more conical. The back has, jHirhaps, a little more yellowish. The
spurious or tirst primary is larger.

It will be a ditticult matter to retain this as a species distinct from
atrirapillus, in view of the insensible gradation from one form to the other ;
and it may be looked upon, with scarcely a doubt, as simply a long-tailed
Western variety of the common species. P. occidental Is, and, probably, even
P. carol incnsix, may even fall under the same category, their peculiarities
of color and size being precisely such as would a priori be expected from
their geographical distribution.

Habits. The Long-tailed Titmouse appears to have an extended distribu-
tion between the Mississippi Valley and tlie IJocky Mountains, from Texas
into the British Possessions, specimens having been received from Fort
Simpson and Lake Winnipeg. Among the notes of the late Roljert Ken-
nicott is one dated Lake Winnipeg, June G, mentioning the dissection of a
female of this species found to contain a full-sized egg. A memorandum
made by Mr. Ross, dated at Fort William, May 15, speaks of this bird
as abundant at Fort Simpson, from August until November, the last having
been seen November 10. One was shot, June 2, on Winnipeg Kiver, "a
female, who was about to lay her ^^ji^^

In regard to its distinct individual history but little is as yet known. It
was discovered and fii*st described by the late Edward Harris, of New Jersey,
who accompanied Mr. Audulxju in his expedition to the upper branches of
the Missouri River, and who obtained this bird on the Yellowstone, about
thirty miles above its junction M'ith the ^Missouri, on the 26th of July. He
describes its notes as similar to those of the common atricapilhis, but less
harsh and quenilous, and more licpiid in their utterance. Subsequently
specimens were obtained by Mr. Kern, artist to the exploring expedition
under Fremont in 1846.

It is the largest species of this genus in America. In its breeding-habits
it is not different from the Eastern representatives. Mr. R. F. Goss found
this species breeding abundantly at Neosho Falls, in Kansas. They nest in
decayed stumps, hollow trees, branches, logs, etc., after the manner of the
atricapillas. The excavation is usually ten or twelve inches, and even
more, in depth. The nest is warmly made of a loose soft felt composed of
the fur find fine hair of small quadrupeds, feathers, and the finer mosses.

PARID.K — TIIK TITMICR 101

The egj^s, usually five, occjisioiuiUy ei^lit, in number, are of a roundeti
oval shape, measuring X>0 ])y .50 of an inch. They have a jaire «lull-wliitu
ground, and tlie entire egg is very uniformly and pretty thickly covered
witli tine markings and small blotches of red and redtlish-browu inter-
mingled with a few dots of purplish.

Farus atricapillus, var. occidentalis, Baird.

WE8TEBH CHICKADEE.

Farm oceiilenttflis, K\U'A\ Rirds N. Am. 18.'>8, .'JlH (W. Territory) ; Review, si. —SrLATEU,
fatal. 18dl, 14, no. 82. —Elliot, lllust. 1, pi. viii. — Coopku, Hinls Cul. I, 45.

Sp. Char. Tarsi lenfrthened. Tail ^raduatod; outer feather about .2'> of an inch shorter
than the middle. Above dark brownish-ash; head and neek above and below black, sepa-
ratetl on the sides by whitt? ; beneath liirht, dirty, rusty yt'IK)wish-brown, searcely whiter
alon** the middle of body. Tail and wings not tpiite so nmeh edged with whitish as in P.
atrirapilltis. Length about 4.7.'> ; wing, 2.40 ; tail. 2.40.

IIab. Northwest coast region of the United States.

This race is of the same size as P. atrirapillus, and resembles it in its
markings ; the ashy of the back is, however, washed with a darker shade
of yellowish-brown. The brown of the under parts is so much darker as to
cause the predominant color there to be a pale yellowish-brown, instead
of brownish-white. The fourtli quill is longest ; tlie fifth and sixth a little
shorter than the third ; the second is about as long as the secondaries. The
tail is rounded, rather more so than in most atricapillii.% the difference in the
lengths of the feathers amounting to about .25 of an inch. Tlie amount
of light margining to the quills and tail-feathers is much as in atricapillus,
but rather less, perhaps, on the tail.

This seems to be the Pacific coast representative of the P. atricapillus,
as septentrional is belongs to the middle region, corresponding in its differ-
ences with other Western representatives of Eastern species.

Habits. Dr. Cooper, in his Birds of Washington Territory, says of
this variety: "The common Black-capped Chickadee, so abundant in the
Eastern States, is, in Washington Territory, represented by tlie Western
Titmouse, freipienting the low thickets and trees, where it is always busily
employed seeking food." He observed its nest near Paget Sound, burrowed
in soft rotten w^ood. Dr. Suckley found it quite abundant in the valley of
the Willamette, and also at Fort Vancouver during winter. In habits it
closely resembles the Black-Cap of the Eastern States.

It is chiefly found in Oregon and Washington Territory, visiting the
northern part of California in winter, when it is also abundant near the
Columbia Hiver. At this season it is generallv found among the deciduous
trees along streams and oak groves, seeking its food among the branches.
It feeds on seeds and insects, and is very fond of fresh meat, fat, and crumbs

PRCV!NC!AL LIBRARY
VICTORiA. B.C.

102 NnllTII AMKRICAX lUKDS.

of bread. They inij^rate but little, remaining at the C'olnmbia Iliver even
when the j^round is covered with snow. The e^'«^3 are us yet unknown, but
without doubt they closely resemble those of the Eiisteru species.

Parus carolinensis, Audubon.

SOITTHEBV CHXCKAOBI.

Pnnis enrol hi r)i.<<i':i. Am. Orii. l>u>f*. II, 1834, 474, i»l. clx. — Ib. Binls Am. II, 1841, 1.'»'2,
|tl. txxvii. - r.AiKD, Hii.ls N. .\m. 18;kH, 31>2 ; KfvifW, 81. — Silatku, latul. ISGI,
13, no. 81. J'uxilc cai'utincnuint Bon. C'uii.sp. 18oU, 230.

pp. CiiAK. Soeond »[iull a|){>roLi;il»lv longer than secondaries. Tail very little n>un<le<l.
Lenirtli al)out 4..'»U inches; wing less than 2..')0 ; tail, 2.40. Back brownish-ayh. Head
al>ove, and throat, black, separated on sides of head by white. Beneath white; brownish-
white on sides. Outer tail-leathers, primaries, and s<H'on«laries, not edged with white.

IIab. South Atlantic and gulf region of United States, north to Washi!igt«)n, I). ('.
Texa.s and the Mississippi Valley ; north to Central Illinois ; the only species in the
southern portion of the latter State.

This species is, in general, rather smaller than P. atricapillits, although
the tail and wing appear to be of much the same size. The body and ieet
are, however, smaller, and the extt3nt of wing is three quarters of au inch
less. The bill is apparently shorter and stouter.

The primaries are proportionally and absolutely considerably longer than
the secondaries in the present si^ecies, the difference l»eing .00 of an inch,
instead of .45. The tail is rather more rounded, the feathei-s narrower.

The tail is considerably shorter than the w4ng, instead of longer ; the
black of the throat extends much farther back, is more dense and more
sharply defined behind, than in atrkapillus. Taking into view these dif-
ferences, and others of color, we feel justified in retaining this as a species
distinct from utrkapillus, and, in fact, having uieridioiialis as its nearest
relative (see Synoptical Table). Ik)th this s^xjcies and atrieapiUm are found
together in the Middle States, each preserving its characteristics.

Habits. South of the once tiimous line of Mason and Dixon this smaller
counterpart of the Chickadee seems to entirely replace it, iilthough in New
Jei-sey and Pennsylvania, and occasionally even as far to the north as New
York City, the two occur together. Its range is presumed to be all the
States south of the Potomac and the Ohio, as far to the west as the Kio
Grande. It was probably this species, and not the atricapiUiu% which was
met with by Dr. WixKlhouse in the Indian Territory. Without much doubt
it breeds in all the States south of Pennsylvania.

In Southern Illinois, as far north in the Wabash Valley as the mouth of
White Kiver, this is the only species, unless the P. atrkapillus occasionally
occurs in winter. Specimens from this region are undistinguishable from
those taken in Georgia and the extreme Southern States, and do not present
the peculiar features of P. otrkapilhts. It is a very abundant species,

rARTD.E — TITE TITMICK. 1Q3

and resident, Immiiu' iu winter one of the most comninn, as well jis one of
the most tiimiliar l»inls, inhaliiting nil localities, giving' jneferenee noithtr
to rwamjw woo<ls nor to do^jr-yards, tor it is as often seen in one phiee as
another. It is never jire^nirious, though many may often Ix; seen or iieard at
the same moment, it i>e«^ins incuUition early in April, genenilly selecting;
the wihl pliMi and red-hutl trees in tlie woods. This sjKH'ies very often
construets its own nestinj^i-places, and the soft wood of tliese trees is vmy
easily excavated. The excavation is j^enerally made in a horiz(»ntal dead
limb, with the oi>enin«; on the under side ; this is neat and rei^'ular, and as
elaborate as those of any of the woodpeckers. Sometimes, however, a
natund cavity is selected, fre<|uently in a jjrost rate stump or " snaj:;" The
nest is almost always a very elaborate structure, being a strong compact cup
or l)ed of "felt," whose main material is rabbit-fur and cow-hair.

In its habits it seems to resemble more closely the /'. jmlnstris of EuroiHi
than the utricapilhia, Injing generally found only in the immediate vicinity
of ponds and tleep, marshy, moist woods. It is Jilso rjirely found (»ther
than singly or in pairs, the parent birds, unlike most of this family, sepamt-
ing from their young soon after the latter are able to provide for themselves.
It rarely or never moves in Hocks.

Their notes are said to be less sonorous and less frequent than those of our
Black-capped Titmouse. In the winter a portion retire from the coast in
South Carolina into the interior of the State and into Florida, where Mr.
Audubon found them, in the winter of I80I and 1832, much more abun-
dant than he had ever seen them elsewhere. He found them breeding as
early as February, occasionally ii: the nests deserted by the IJrown-headeil
Nuthatch. A nest obtained by Dr. liachman from a hollow stump, about
four feet from the ground, was in form cup-shaped, measuring two inches
internally in diameter at the mouth, and three externally, with a dej)th
of two inches. It was constructed of cotton, tine wool, a few fibres of
plants, and so elaborately felted together as to be of uniform thickness
throughout.

Mr. Audubon was in error in regard to the eggs, which he describes as
pure white. Their ground-color is of pure crystalline whiteness, but they
are freely and boldly marked all over wlch deep reddish-brown and red s|xjts.
These, so tar as we have compared the eggs, ai*e larger, more numerous, and
more deeply marked than are any eggs of the atricajjillus we have ever met
with.

Acconling to the observations of the late Dr. Alexander Gerhardt of
WhitHeld County, Georgia, these birds usually breed in holes that have
l)een previously dug out by the Picua 2)uhesceih% or in decaying stumps not
more than five or six feet from the ground. He never met with its nest in
living trees. The eggs are from five to seven in number, and are usually
dej)osited in Georgia from the 10th to the last of April.

The eggs of this species are slightly larger than those of the ati^icapillvSy

104

NOUTU AMERICAN IJIUDS.

ami the rede lisli -brown blotclies witli which tliey are profusely covered are
much more distinctly marked. Tliey are of a splieroidal oval in shaiH3,
have a pure white ground, very uniformly and generally s])rinkled witli
blotches of a reddisli-brown. They meiusure .GO by .50 of an incli.

Parus rufescens, Towns.

CUESTH UT-BACJUSD CHICKADEE.

Parus rnfis»riij<, TowxsF.ND, J. A. N. Sc. Phil. VII, ii, 1837, 190. — Arn. Orn. Biog. TV,
IbliS, 371, i»l. cccliii. — Ib. Birds Am. 1841, 158, pi. cxxix. — Haiku, liinls N. Am.
IS'tS, 394; Keviow, 83. —Cooper & Sn klky, P. K. R. R<'i>. XII, ii, 1859, 194
^mstiiig). — ScLATER, Catal, ISGl, 14, no. 8(5. — Dall k Banmsteu (Alaska). —
CooTER, Birds Cal. 1, 47. Puici/c ru/cscens, BoNAP. Cousp. 1850, 230.

Sp. Chak. Whole hoatl and nock above, and throat from hill to upper part of breast,
sooty Maekish-browii. Sides of lu'iid and neck, upper part of breast, an<l middle of body,
Avhite; back and sides dark brownish-chestnut. Length, 475 inches j wing, 2.3l>; tail,
2.1().

Hab. Western United States, near Pacilic coast.

Habits. The Chestnut-backed Titmouse was first obtained by Townsend
on the banks of the C'oluml)ia lliver, and described in the Journal of the
IMiiladelphia Academy. It is a resident, throughout the year, of the forests
of the Columbia, and is found througbout California. Like all of this
familiar family, they may ])e seen in small flocks, of all ages, in the autumn
and winter, moving briskly about, uttering a number of feeble (querulous notes,
after the manner of the atricnpillufi, but never joining in anything like the
quaint and jingling song of that bird. They occasionally have a confused
warbling chatter. These busy little groups may be often seen in company
with the Pdn'fi ocriffenfahn and the JiCf/idus satrajia, moving through the
bushes and thickets, carefidly collecting insects, their larva? and eggs, for a
few moments, and then flying olf for some other place. They are supposed
to rear their young in the midst of the densest forests.

Mr. Nuttall states that when the gun tbins their ranks the survivors dis-
play surprising courage and solicitude, following their destroyer with wailing
cries, entreating for their companions.

D\\ Gambel found tlie young of this species in great abundance around
^lonterey in the fall and winter months. Dr. Heermann saw them in June,
1852, feeding tlieir young in the vicinity of San Francisco, where, hjwever,
they are rare.

In Washington Territorj'^, I )r. Cooper found this the most abundant species.
It preferred the dense evergreens, where large parties could be found at all
seasons busily seeking food among the leaves and branches, ascending even
to the highest tops. They were usually in company with the lleguli and
the other Titmice. Mr. Bischoff' found them abundant at Sitka.

PARID.K- TIIK TITMiriv 105

They nest, like all tlie otiiers of tins genus, in holes in soft tlecayed trunks
and large limbs of trees a few feet from tlie ground. Their eggs are not as
yet known.

Farus hudsonicus, Forst.

HUDSOSrS BAT CHICKADEE; BKOWN-CAPPED CHICKADEE.

Pariis fnttf»mu'iis, Foustek, Tliilos. Tmns. LXII, 1772, 38:J, 4oO. — Am. Orn. liiog. 11,
1834, 543, i>l. extiv. — In. Binls Am. II, 1841, 155, pi. rxxviii. — Baiui>, Mirds N.
Am. 1858, 31»5 ; Kevicw, 82. — Samikls, 185. — Dall & Haxmstkk ^Alaska). J'arus
hudsonmis var. litforalLs, Huyant, I'r. IJost. Soc. X. II. IX. 18d3, 368.

pp. CiiAH. Above yellowish olivareons-brown ; top of head purer brown, not very
dillerent in tint. Cliin and throat dark sooty-brown. Sides of liead white. Beneath
white; sides and anal rejjion lipfht brownish-ehestnut. No whitish on winjjs or tail.
Tail nearly even, or slightly eniar<rinate and rounded. Lateral feathers about .20 shortest.
Lenj^th about 5 inehes; wiiij;, 2.40 ; tail, 2.()(J.

IIaii. Northern portions of North Anieriea, from Atlantic to Pacific.

Specimens from the most nortliern locidities appear larger than those from
Maine and Xova Scotia {P. iitfornlin, Uuyaxt), witii proportionally longer
tails (3.00 inches, instead of 2.-1:0). We can, however, detect no other
difference.

The Parm sihiricus of Europe is very similar in coloration and chamcters
to the P. hndsonicHs. The principal dillerence is seen in the cheeks, which
in sibiricufi are pure wliite, this color extending along the entire side of the
neck, widening behind, and extending round towards the hack. In hudsoni-
cUrS the cheeks behind the eyes and sides of the neck are asli-gray, the white
being confine<l to tlie region below or near the eye. Tlie smoky-gmy of the
upper part of head and neck in .nbirlcdfi is in a stronger contrast with the
brighter rufescent-gray of the back, and is separated IVom it by an obscure,
concealetl, whitish dorsal half-collar, represented in Inuisonicus only by a dull
grayish shade in the plumage.

Habits. This interesting species, one of the liveliest and most animated
of its family, belongs to the northern and eastern sections of North America.
It is found in the eastern and northern jx)rtions of Maine, and probably also
in the northern parts of New Yt>rk, Vermont, and New Hampshire. In the
heavily wooded mountain-valley of Errol, in the lat*^ State, ^Fr. Maynard
met with this bird in the latter part of October, in company with the
comuKm atrica pill U.S. In the same month he also obtained two birds in
Albany, in the northwestern corner of Maine. A single si)ecimen was
taken at Concord, Massachusetts, ()ctol>er 21), by Mr. William Brewster.

Near Calais it is resident, but not common. It is more .abundant in the
islands of the Bay of Fundy, where it takes the place, almost exclusively,
of the atrieapilltts. The writer first met with these lively little wood-sprites

14

106 NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS.

in 1850, in the tliick swampy woods which cover one of the small islands
near Grand jMenau. Their general ai>j)eaiance as they tlitted thiongh the
woods, or rustled restlessly among the tangled debris of decaying trees and
underbrusli with wliich the forest was choked, was not uidike that of our
common lUack-Cap. Yet there was an indescribable something both in their
cries and in their manners that at once suggested a ditt'erence of species. To
my ear their cries were sharper, clearer, and a trifle harslier. There was
none of that resonant jingle so full of charm in the Chickadee. Their notes,
too, M'ere more articulate, more like distinct words, and were brought out at
certain times with an emphasis the elTect of which was very striking,
beginning with tscltd-dee, the dee-dee-dee was reiterated Mith an idmost
incessant volubility.

It seemed to bt». a more retiring bird, never frequenting the houses, but
keeping chjsely to thick and retired woods. Yet it is not a timid species, but
seemed entirely unmindful of our presence, or, when mindful of it, to resent
it as an impro[)riety, rather than to fear it as a danger. They apparently had
nests or young at the time of my visit, though I could not detect their local-
ity. One ])air became at last so annoyed at my prolonged presence as to
manifest their uneasiness by keeping within a few feet of my head, follow-
ing me wherever I went, and without ceasing from their close surveillance
until I finally left their grove and e .lerged into the open country. All the
time they brought out the cry of dee-dee with a clear, ringing emphasis that
was almost startling.

A few days later, being at Halifax, Mr. Andrew Downes, the naturalist,
took me to the nest of these birds in a small grove in the vicinity of that
city. Tlie nest was in a small beech-tree, and had been cut through the liv-
ing wood. The excavation, which was not more than two feet from the
ground, was about ten inches in depth, was in a liorizontal position only
about two inches, where it turned al)rui)tly downward, and from a width of
an inch and a half assumed a width of three, and a depth of seven or eight
inches. This was warmly lined with feathere and soft fur. The nest con-
tained young birds. These particulars we only ascertained when we had
laid bare the excavation by a sharp liatchet. Thougli disai)pointed in our
search for eggs, yet we witnessed a very touching manifestation of devotion
on the part of the j>a rents, and of neighborly solicitude in various other in-
mates of the grove, which was at once most interesting and a scene long to
be remembered.

With all tlie self-sacrificing devotion of the Black-Cap, these birds dis-
played a boldness and an aggressive intrepidity that at once commanded
our respect and admiration. I never witnessed anything quite equal to it.\
They flew at our faces, assailed our arms as we wielded the invading hatchet,
and it was difficult not to do them even unintentional injury without aban-
doning our purpose. Before we could examine the nest they had entei-ed,
and had to be again and again removed. As soon as we were satisfied that

PARID.E — THE TITMICE. 207

the nest of this heroic pair did not contain what we soii«:;ht, we left them, and
tnrned to look with e(|ual mhairation u])on the indignant asseinhly of feath-
ered remonstrants by which we were sun'oun<^ed. Tlie neighlMjring trees
swarmed with a varietv of birds, several of which we had never before seen
in their summer homes. There were tlie Ked-Poll Warbler, the lUack and
Yellow Warbler, and many others, all earnestly and eloquently crying out
sliame upon our proceedings.

Dr. Bryant, in his Notes on the Birds of Yarmouth, X. S., etc., mentions
finding quite a number of this species on Big Mud Island, near tliat place.
A pair of these birds with their young were seen by him near Yarmouth on
the 3d of July. Their habits seemed to him identical with those of the
Black-Cap. The young were fully grown and could fly with ease, yet tlieir
parents were so solicitous about their safety tliat lie could almost catch them
with his hand. Their notes appeared to him similar to those of our common
species, but sharper and more filing, and can be readily imitated by repeat-
ing', with one's front teeth shut tocjether, the syllables tzee-dee-dte-dee.

^Ir. Audubon found a nest of this Titmouse inl^brador. It was built in a
decayed stump about three feet fnjui the ground, was purse-shaped, eight
inches in depth, two in diameter, and its sides an-inch thick. It was entirely
composed of the finest fur of various quadrupeds, chiefly of the northern
hare, and all so thickly and ingeniously matted throughout as to seem as if
felted by the hand of man. It was wider at the bottom than at the top.
The birds vehemently assailed the party.

Mr. Ross, in notes communicated to the late Mr. Kennicott, mentions that
specimens of this species were shot at Fort Simpson, October 13, in com-
pany with P. seiitcntrionaUs, and others were afterwards seen towards the
mountains. The notes he describes as harsher tlian those of the acptrntrio-
nalk. Tlie Smithsonian museum contains specimens from Fort Yukon and
Great Slave I^ke, besides the localities already referred to. ^Ir. Dall found
it the commonest Titmouse at Nulato, abundant in the winter, but not pres-
ent in the spring.

The eggs of this species measure .56 by .47 of an inch, are of a rounded
oval shape, and with a white ground are somewhat sparingly marked with
a few reddish-brown spots. These are usually grouped in a ring around the
larger end.

Genus PSALTRXPARUS, Bonap.

Pmlfn'parus, Bonap. Comptes Rendus, XXXI, 1850, 478. (Type, P. mclanotis.)
^githalisens, Cabaxis, Museum Heineanum, 1851, 90. (Type, Farm erythroccphalus.)
Psaltria, Cassin, 111. N. Am. Birds, 1853, 19.

Gen. Char. Size very small and slender. Bill very small, short, compressed, and
witli its upper outline much curved for the terminal half. Uppei mandil)le much deeper
than under. Tail lonjr, slender, much jxraduated ; much lonjrer thun the win<ri*; the
feathers very narrow. Tarsi considerably longer than the middle toe. No black on the

108

NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS.

crown or throat. Eyes white in some specimens, browain others. Nest purse-shaped;
eggs unspotted, white.

No bird of this genus belongs to the eastern portion of the United States.
The three species may be defined as follows : —

A* Head striped witli black on the sides.

P. melanotia. The stripes passing un<ler the eye and uniting on the

occiput. Huh. Eastern Mexico
B* No stripes on the head.

P. minimuH. Back ashy ; crown light brown. Ilah. Pacific Province of

United States var. minimus.

Back and crown uniform ashy. Hob. Middle Province and southern Rocky

Mountains of United States var. plumbeus.

Psaltriparus melanotis, Bonap.

BLACK-EABED BUSH-TITKOUSE.

Parus melanotis, Hartlafb, Rev. Zool. 1844, 216. Poecile melanotis, Bp. Consp. 1850,
230. ^-Eyilluiliscus melanotis. Cab. Mus. Hein. I, 1850, 1851, 90. Psaltria melanotis,
Westermaxn, Bijd. Dierk. 1851, 16, plate. Psultriparus melanotis, BoxAP. C. R.
XXXVIII, 1854. — S» LATER, P. Z. S. 1858, 299. — Id. 1864, 172 (City Max.).—
Salvin, Ibis, 1866, 190 (Guatemala). — Baird, Birds N. Am. 1858, 386, pi. liii, fig.
3 ; Review, 84. Psaltriparus personatus, Bonaf. C. R. XXXI, Sept. 1850, 478.

Sp. Char. A black patch on each cheek, nearly meeting behind. Crown and edges of
the wing and tail ash-gray ; rest of upper parts yellowish-brown, lighter on the rump.
Beneath whitish ; anal region tinged with yellowish-brown. Length about 4 inches j
wing, 1.90 ; tail, 2.30.

Hab. Eastern Mexico; south to Guatemala; Oaxaca (high region), Sclater, East
Humboldt Mountains, Nevada ? Ridgway'.

Habits. In regard to the specific peculiarities and the distinct individual

habits of the members of this pretty little
si^cies, little is at present known. Its mode
of nesting has not been observed, and no
mention is made, by those who have met
with it, of its peculiarities of song, nor have
we any information in regard to any of its
habits. Its geographical distribution, so far
as ascertained, is from the south side of the
valley of the Rio Grande of Mexico to Gua-
temala, and there is no reliable evidence of
its crossing the United States boundary line, unless Mr. Ridgway is correct
in his assurance that he saw it in the East Humboldt Mountains of Nevada,
near Fort Ruby. It was first described from Guatemalan specimens. Mr.
O. Salvin (Ibis, 1866, p. 190) states that on more than one occasion he
observ^ed what he believed to be this species, in the pine-woods of the
mountains near Solola, and above the lake of Atitlan.

29711 8

Psaltriparus minimus.

PARID.E — THE TITMICE. IQU

Fsaltriparus minimus, var. minimus, Bonap.

LEAST BT78H-TIT1COUSE.

Pants minhmis, Towxmkxp, J. A. N. So. VII, ir, 1837, 100. — AuD. Orn. Biog. IV, 1838,
382, i»l. ccclxxxii, tigs. 5, 6. - Ib. Birds Am. II, 1841, 160, pi. cxxx. Pixcllc minima,
Bon. Consp. 1850, 230. P.-uiItria minima. Cassis, Illust. 1853, 20. Psaltriparus
minimm. Box. C. K. XXXVUI, 1854, 62. — B.vuiD, Birds X. \m. 1858, 397; He-
view, 84. — Cooper & Suckley, P. K. K. Kep. XII, ii, 1851), 195. — Cooper, Birds
Cal. I, 48.

Sp. Char. Tail long, feathers graduated. Above rather dark olivaceous-cinereous ;
top and sides of head smoky-brown. Beneath pale whitish-brown, darker on the sides.
Length about 4 inches ; wing, 1.90 ; tail, 2.25.

Hab. Pacific coast of United States.

There is quite an appreciable diftereiice between specimens of this species
from Washington Territory and California ; the latter are smaller, the under
parts paler. In the series before us, however, we see no grounds for
specific distinction.

Habits. This interesting little species was first added to our fauna by the
indefatigable Mr. Townsend in 1837. It
is abundant throughout the Pacific coast
from Fort Steilacoora to Fort Tejon. Dr.
Gambel found it exceedingly abundant
both in the Eocky Mountains and through-
out California. During the winter the
otherwise cheerless woods were alive with
the busy and noisy troops of these restless
and industrious birds, sleaninjT their scanty „ ,. .

' o o J Psaltriparus tntHitnus.

fare in company with the Reguli, in every

possible position and manner, from bush and tree. He describes their anx-
ious solicitous search for food as quite curious. They kept up a continual
twittering, and so intent were they in their employment that they appeared
to lose sight of all danger, and it was by no means unusual to be so sur-
rounded by a flock as almost to render it possible to catch them in the hand.
Dr. Cooper found this species abundant in Washington Territory', but
never met with it north of the Columliia River. Dr. Suckley says it is quite
common at Fort Steilacoom. He could not, however, detect any difference
in its habits from those of other species of this family. He saw none in
Washington Territory during the winter, and presumes tliey all migrate to
the South, though the rvfcsccns and the occidtntalis are found there through-
out the winter. Townsend, however, speaks of it as a constant resident
about the Columbia liiver, hopping around among the bushes, hanging from
the twigs in the manner of other Titmice, twittering all the while with a
rapid enunciation resembling the words thahish tshist-tscc-twce.

110 NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS.

Mr. Xuttall first observed their arrival on the banks of the Wahlamet Eiver
about the middle of ^lay. Tliey were very industriously engaged in quest
of insects, and were by no means shy, but kept always in the low bushes in
the skirts of the woods. On one occasion the male bird was so solicitous in
regard to the safety of the nest as to attract him to the place where, sus-
pended from a low bush, about four feet from the ground, hung their curious
liome. It was formed like a long pui-se, with a round hole for entrance near
tlie top, and made of moss, down, lint of plants, and lined with feathers.
The eggs were six in number, pure white, and already far gone toward hatch-
ing. In the following June, in a dark wood near Fort Vancouver, he saw
a Hock of about twelve, which, by imitating their chirping, he was able to
call around him, and which kept up an incessant and querulous chirping.

A nest of this bird presented by ^Ir. Xuttall to Audubon was cylindrical in
form, nine inches in length and three and a half in diameter. It was sus-
pended from tlie fork of a small twig, and was composed externally of hypnum,
lichens, and fibrous roots so interwoven as to present a smooth surface, with
a few stems of grasses and feathers intermingled. The aperture was at the
top, and did not exceed seven eighths of an inch in diameter. The diameter
of the internal j)assage for two thirds of its length was two inches. Tliis
was lined with the cottony down of willows and a vast quantity of soft
feathers. The eggs were nine in number, pure white, .56 of an inch by .44
in their measurement.

Dr. Cooper found them throughout the year near San Francisco. He
found one of their nests at San Diego as early as the first of March. The
nest is so large, compared with the size of the birds, as to suggest the idea
that the flock unite to build it. He gives the measurements as eight inches
in length and three in diameter, outside ; the cavity five inches long, one
and a half in diameter. It was cylindrical, and suspended by one end from
a low branch.

When one of these birds is killed. Dr. Cooper says that the others come
round it with great show of anxiety, and call plaintively until they find it
will not follow them, becoming so fearless as almost to allow of their being
taken by the hand.

Fsaltriparus minimus, var. plumbeus, Baird.

LEAO-COLOSED BVSH-TITMOUBE.

Psaltria plumbca^ Baird, Pr. A. N. S. VII, June, 1854, 118 (Little Colorailo). Psaltrij>nrus
phnnheufi, Baiiid, Birds N. Am. 1858, 398, j)l. xxxiii, tig. 2 ; Review, 84. — Sclater,
Catal. 1861, 398, no. 77. — Cooper, Birds Cal. I, 49.

Sp. Char. Tail long, feathers graduated. Above rather light olivaceous-cinereous.
Top of head rather clearer : forehead, chin, and sides of head, pale smoky-brown. Be-
neath brownish-white, scarcely darker on the sides. Length about 4.20 inches ; wing,
2.15 ; tail, 2.50.

PARID.E — THE TITMICE. HI

Had. Southern Rockv Mountain roirion of United States, from mountains of West
Arizona to Green River, Wyoming; we;;tto Carson City, Xevada (Ridgway).

This variety is very similar to the Psaltriimnts minimus of the west coast,
which it represents in the llocky ^luiintaiu region. It is, liowever, apprecia-
bly larger, the wings and tail proportionally longer. The top of the head is
plumbeous, uniform with the back, instead of smoky-brown. The back is a
paler ash, the under parts darker.

H.VB1TS. Of the history of this variety but little is known. It is found in
the southern portion of the Ifocky Mountain regions, within the United
States, in Arizona and New Mexico. The extent of its area of distribution
remains to be ascertained. \)v. Kennerly met with it on Little Colorado
liiver, where he observed it among the scattered bushes along the banks of
the river, occurring in large flocks. These passed rapidly from place to place,
uttering their short, quick notes. He afterward met with them along the
head waters of BiU Williams Fork, inhabiting the tops of the cotton-wood
trees. Wlien attracted to them by their notes, they could only be seen after
a very carefid search. Ho obtained no knowledge as to their mode of nest-
ing, and no information, so far as we are aware, has been obtained in regard
to their eggs. It may, however, be safely conjectured that they are white,
and hardly distinguishable from those of the minimus. Dr. Coues found
them common near Fort Whipple, Arizona.

Mr. liidgw^ay met with this bird in especial abundance among the canons
of West Humboldt ^lountains in September. H<* found it also in all suit-
able places westward to the very base of the Sierra Xevada ^lountains. It
was met with principally in the thick bnishwood bordering the streams, in
ever-restless companies, continually twittering as they flew from busli to
bush, in single rows. Mr. Kidgway^ describes these birds as remarkably
active in their movements. If unmolested, they were exceedingly unsus-
picious and familiar. During November he found them inhabiting the
cedars, always associating in scattered flocks.

Genus AUK1PARX7S, Baird.

Auriparus, Baird, Rev. Am. Birds, 1864, 85. (Tyi>e, ^Eijithaliis JUiviccps^ SuSD.)

Gen. Char. Form sylvicoline. Bill conical, nearly straight, and very acute ; the com-
missure very slightly and gently curved. Nostrils concealed by decumbent bristles.
Wings long, little rounded; the first quill half the second; third, fourth, and fifth quills
neaily equal, and longest Tail slightly graduated. Lateral toes equal, the anterior united
at the extreme base. Hind toe small, about equal to the lateral. Tarsus but little longer
than the middle toe.

This genus is closely allied to Paroidcs of Europe, as shown in Birds of
North America (p. 399), though sufficiently difterent. It is much more syl-
vicoline in appearance tlian the other American Faridce.

112

NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS.

Auriparus flaviceps, Laird.

TELLOW-HEAOSD BU8H-nTM0V8E ; YEBDHT.

^ffithalns flaricfps, Si'm.evali., OlVersigt af Vet. Ak. Foih. VII, v, 1850, 129. Psaltrm
Jltivicc/m, ScL. P. Z. S. XXIV, March, 1856, 37. Pmltrijxirus flaviaps, ScL. fatal.
Am. liinls, 1861, 13, no. 7l>. Puroidesffuviccps, Haird, liinls N. Am. 1858, 400, i»l.
liii, fig. 2. AKrqmruH fliivkeps, Baiud, Review, 1864, 85. —Cooper, Birds Cal. I,
51. Couirostrum omatum, Lawrence, Aun. N. Y. Lye. May, 1851, 113, pi. v, fig. 1
(Texas).

Sp. Char. Above rinereous; head, all round, yellow; les.«!er wing-coverts chestnut;
beneath brownish-white. Length, 4.50 inches; wing, 2.1C; tail, 2.35.
IIab. Valleys of the Rio Grande and Colorado ; Ca|>e St. Lucas.

Habits. This new and interesting little species was first added to our

fauna by ^Ir. Lawrence in 1851, only a year
after its first description as a bird of Mexico.
Notwithstanding the abundance in which it
has been in certain localities, less has been
developed in regard to its habits and specific
characteristics than we seem to have had a
right to anticipate.

It was found in Western Texas, in Mexico,
in the lower valleys of New Mexico and
Arizona, and is very abundant at Cape St.
Lucas. Of the eigliteen species of birds found by Mr. John Xantus breed-
ing in the last-named locality, this one w^as regarded as the most abundant.
In a letter from that gentleman, written in August, 1859, he mentioned
that he had collected over one hundred eggs of this species, during that
season, in the immediate vicinity of Cape St. Lucas.

Dr. Heermann, in his report on the birds observed in Lieutenant William-
son's explorations, states that he first discovered this species in Southern
California, at the terminus of the Mohave
River. Owing to their extreme wildness,
he was not able to obtain any specimens.
In searching for their food, he states that
they often remained suspended with their
backs downward, after the manner of the
Titmice. He found their nests quite
abundant, though from the lateness of
the season few of the birds were re-
maining, in the neighborhood of Fort

Auriparus flavicfps.

Auriparus flaviceps.

Yuma. Dr. Heermann describes their

nests as spherical, formed of twigs, and having the entrance on one side.

The interior was lined with dovm and feathei-s, and contained usually from

PARin.E — THE TITMirE. ^ 113

four to six e<,'<^s. Tliese lie describes as liaviiii:, when fresh, a groimd-cohir
of ])ale ])lue, dashed all over with small hlack spots.

J)r. Kennedy, in his lie]M)rt on the liirds of the Mexican I'xMindary Survey,
states that he met with this si)ecies in the vicinity of the llio (jrr.inde. They
were very wild, Hew rapidly, and to quite a distance before they alighted.
They seemed to frecjuent the low mezijuite-bushes on the hillsides.

Mr. Xantus found this species, when he tirst arrived at San Lucas, on the
4th of April, with young binls already fully Hedgeil, although others were
still breeding and continued to breed until the miihlle of July. Two fifths
of all the eggs he collected that season, he writes, were of this species. This
may, however, have been in part owing to the conspicuous prominence of
their nests, as w^ell as to their abundance. Xantus found the nest in va-
rious positions. In one instance it was suspended from a leafless branch
not three feet from the ground, with its entrance nearly to the ground. In
another instance it was on an acacia twenty feet from the ground. For
the most part they are hung from low acacia-tre&s, on the extreme out43r
bmnches. In all cases the entmnce to the nest was from the lower end, or
towards the ground.

Dr. J. G. Coojwjr, in liis History of the r>ird.s of California, speaks of find-
ing a large number of this beautiful little bird during the whole winter fre-
quenting the thickets of algarobia and other shrubs, and with habits inter-
mediate between those of Titmice and Warblers, corresponding with their
intermediate forin. Their song resembles that of the Chickadee, and they
also uttered a loud cry, as they sat on high twigs, with a triple lisping note
resembling tzec-tee-tee. Dr. Cooper found a pair building on the 10th of
March. They first formed a wall, nearly spherical in outline, of the thorny
twigs of the algarobia, in which tree the nest was usually built. They then
lined it with softer twigs, leaves, the do\vn of plants, and feathers. They
covered the outside with thorns, until it became a mass as large as a man's
head, or nine inches by five and a half on the outside. The cavity is four
and a half inches by two, with an opening on one side just large enough for
the bird to enter. On the 27th of March, Dr. Cooper found the first nest
containing eggs. These were in all instances four in number, pale blue,
w ith numei*ous small brown spots, chiefly near the larger end, though some
had very few spots and w^ere paler. Their size he gives as .60 by .44 of an
inch. In one nest, wiiich he closely observed, the eggs w^ere hatched after
about ten days* incubation, and in two weeks more the young were ready to
leave their nest.

Subfamily SITTINGS!.

The characters of the Sitting are expi-essed with sufticient detail on page
86. The section is represented in America by a single genus, confined
mainly to the northern portion.

15

114

XOKTH AMERICAN BIRDS.

Sitta enroUnetisis

(Jknujs sitta, Lixx.kls.

Sitta, Iass.va'h, Syst. Nat. 1735. (Agassi/.)

Oe.n. Char. Bill sul)ulatt', acutt-ly poinu-d, compressed, about a.*« long a.** the head;

eulnien and commissure nearly
■:^ '- -^^ -• — .^^ " ^r-.-:^;,:^-^:^^ straijfht ; j^'onys convex and as-
cending ; nostrils covered by a
tuil of bri.stles directed forward.
Tarsi stout, scutellate, about etjual
^^} the middle toe, nnich shorter
than the hinder, the claw of which
is half the t»»tal length. Outer
lateral toe nuich longer than in-
ner, and nearly ecjual to the mid-
dle. Tail very short, ijroad, and
nearly even ; the feathers soft and
truncate. Wings reaching nearly
to the end of the tail, long and

acute, the tiist primary one third of (or less) the third, or longest. Iris brown. Nest in

holes of trees. Eggs white, spottetl with reddish.

The North American species may be arranged as follows : —

A* Crown l)lack.

S. carolinensis. Belly white ; no black stripe through eye.

Bill, .70 long. .17 deep. Black spots on tertials sharply defim d.
Ilab. Eastern Province North America . . . var. ca roli n e it sis.
Bill, .80 long, .14 deep. Black spots on tertials obsolete Hah. Middle
and Western Province T'nited States, south to Cordova, Mexico, var. ac u! en fa.
S. canadensis. Belly brownish-rusty. A black stripe through eye. Hab.
Whole of North America.
B« Crown not black.

S. pusilla. Crown light hair-brown ; hind toe much longer than the
middle one. Ilah. South Atlantic and (Julf States.

S. pygmaea. (^-own greenish-plumbeous ; hind toe about equal to middle
one. JIab. Western and Middle Province United States, south to Xalapa.

Sitta carolinensis, var. carolinensis, Lath.

WHITE-BELLIEI) NUTHATCH.

SittA €urop(va, var. 7, carol incnsis, Gm. S. N. I, 1788, 440. Siif^ carolinensis, Lath. Ind.
Oni. I, 171*0, 262; also of all other Anieri«an writers. — Reichexb.uh, Handbuch,
Abh. II, 1853, 153, tab. dxiii, figs. 3563, 3564. — Baird, Birds N. Am. 1858, 374,
pi. .xxxiii, fig. 4 ; Review, 86. — Max. Cab. Jour. VI, 1858, 106. Sitta melanocepJuda,
ViEiLL. Gal. I, 1834, 171, pi. elxxi.

Other figures: Wilson, Am. Urn. 1, pi. ii, fig. 3. — Aud. Uru. Biog. II, pi. clii. — Ib.
B. A. IV, pi. cexlvii.

Sp. Char. Above ashy-blue. Top of head ami neck black. Under parts and sides of
head to a short distance above the eye white. Under tail-coverta and tibial feathers

TAIUD-K — TlIK TITMICE.

115

Silta aeultiUa.

l)rown ; conrralcMl primarirs whit*-. Bill stmit. Female with liluck of lie:iU jrlos;<eJ with
ashy. Lftij,'tli alioiit (i inclK's; \viti<r alnxit :{.7'>.

Hab. United States ; utl Hritisli l'rovin<:es : west to the Valley of the Missouri.

Habits. The coirinon White-l)ellitMl Xiithjitch lias an extemled distrilm-
tioii throughout m-arly the wliole of Kastern Xoitli America, from the Athm-
tic to tlie l{ocky Mountains. West of the great central plains it ia replaced
by the var. innU-ntd. It has not l)een
met with, so far as I am aware, farther
north than Nova Scotia. It is a resi-
lient of Eastern Elaine, and is ignite
common in the southern and western
portions of the same State. In Massa-
chusetts it is rather connuon than abun-
dant, and more plentiful in the western
than in the eastern portions of that
State.

The habits of this and the otlier species
of Nuthatches partake somewhat of those
of the smaller Woodpeckers and of the
Titmice. Without the noisv and restless
activity of the latter, they seek their food

in a similar manner, and not unfre(iuently do so in their company, moving up
or down the trunks and over or under the branches of trees, searching every
crack and crevice of the bark for insects, larvje, or eggs. Like the Woodpeck-
ers, they dig industriously into decayed branches for the hidden grub, and like
both Woodpeckers and Chickadees they industriously excavate for themselves
a place for their nests in the decayed trunks of forest trees. Their nest, how-
ever, is usually at a greater elevation, often some twenty or thirty feet from
the ground. The European Nuthatch is said to plaster up the entrance
to its nest, to contract its opening and lessen the dangers of unfriendly
intrusion. This habit has never been observed in any of the American
species.

All our ornithological writers have noticed the assiiluities of the male
bird to his sitting mate, and the attention with which he supplies her with
food. He keeps ever in the vicinity of the nest, calls her from time
to time to come to the mouth of the hole to take her food, or else to
receive his endearments and caresses, and at the approach of danger
fearlessly intervenes to warn her of it. When feeding together, the male
bird keeps up his peculiar nasal cry of hUnk-hdnk, repeating it from time
to time, as he moves around the trunk or over the branches.

Their favorite food is insects, in every condition. With this, when abun-
dant, they seem content, and mrely wander from their accustomed woods in
summer. In winter, when snow or ice covers the branches or closes against
them the trunks of trees, they seek the dwellings and out-houses for their

IIQ NOUTII AMElilCAN lilUOa

•

necessary foful, and will even Jilij^lit on the j;rountl in (juest of seeds. In
seareliin^ lor fooil ain<>n«,' the trees, lliey move iw readily with their heads
downward as in any other jxKsition. Their motion is a uniform and steady
l)roj^'ression, somewhat in the manner of a mouse, but never, like the Wood-
liecker, hy occasional ho|»s.

The EurojHian species collect and store away the fruit of the hazel and
other nut-l>earing trees. Our hird has been supposed to do the same thin*,',
but this is by no means an indisjiutable fact.

In some jMirts of the country absurd prejudices ])revail against these inter-
esting little birds. They are indiscriminately confounded with the smaller
Woodpeckers, called, with tiiem, Sap-Suckers, and because in the spring and
fall they fre(|uent old orchards are most nnwisely, as well as unjustly, i»erse-
cuted. Tliey are among the most active and serviceable of the fruit-grower's
benefactors. His worst enemies are their lavurite food. It is to be hopetl
that soon a better-informed public oj)inion will ]>revail, cherishing and pro-
tecting, rather than seeking to destroy, this useful, att'ectionate, and attractive
si)ecies.

Interesting accounts are given in English works of the confiding taraeness
of the Eurojiean species. When kindly treated, it will come regularly for
its food, approaching within a foot or two of the hand of its benefact(^)r,
and catching with its bill the food thrown to it before it can reach the
ground.

The pair work together in constructing the perforation in wiiich they make
their nest. When the excavation has been well begun, they relieve each
other at the task. The one not engaged in cutting attends upon its mate,
and carries out the chips as they are made. These nesting-places are often
quite deep, not unfrequently from fifteen to twenty inches. Audul)on states
that they build no nest, but this does not correspond with my observations.
In all the instances that have come to my knowledge, warm and soft nests
were found, composed of down, fur, hair, or feathers loosely thrown together,
and, though not large in bulk, yet sufficient for a lining for the enlarged
cavity that completes their excavation. Soon after they are hatched, the
young climb to the opening of the nest to receive their food, and, before
they are ready to fly, venture out upon the trunk to try their legs and claws
before their wings are prepared for use, retiring at night to their nest. In
the Southern States they are said to have two broods in a season.

The eggs of this Nuthatch measure .80 by .62 of an inch. Their ground-
color is white, but when the egg is fresh it has a beautiful roseate tinge, and
generally receives an apparently reddish hue from the very general distribu-
tion of the spots and blotches of rusty-brown and purplish with which the
eggs are so closely covered. These markings vary greatly in size, from fine
dots to well-marked blotches. Their color is usually a reddish-brown;
occasionally the markings are largely intermixed with purple.

PAUID.E-TUK TITMICE. 117

Sitta carolinensis, var. aculeata, Cass.

SLEVDEB-BILLEO HITTHATCH.

Slltii ocul«if>,. Cassis, l»r. A. N. S-. VIII, Oct. 1856, 2:>4. — Baiko, Birtls N. Am. 18r»S,
37.-., i.l. xxxiii, li;;. :{ ; U,.vi»\v, 8(5. — roof Kit, (►ni. <"iil. I, 1»70, i>A. f Sitta oiroli-
nru.sis, Sri.AiKU, l\ '/.. S. 1»:,(;, 2i»3 (Conlova) ; 18jH, \\m (Ouxucu); 183^, 3t)3 (XulajKi),
373 (Oaxiua).

Sp. Ciiah. Wry similar to curnliueuxln : '»ut n)tiK'r sccotHlariis with only ohsi-uro
))l!i(kish l>lotih«-s. jiisttNul of sliari)ly delined lougituUitiul spots of clear black. Bill sU-ii-
derer and more attiMiuati'il.

Hah. We«;t.'rn and Mi<Ml,> rroviuees of the United Slates, south to Cordova, Mex.
Orizaba (Alpine rf;.'ions), SrMirn.

The diameters ^^iven uln>ve express the essential ditlerences between this
and the hlastern race id" N. nn'o/imn.si'i. In the }»resent t'orni, the depth of the
hill opj)osite its luise is .14, the widtli .17, and .80 or more in length
from the forehea«l ; while' these same measurements in var. raroNncnsis
ai-e .17, .22, and .70. Tlie obsolete (haracter of the black si)ots on the
secondaries is a persistent feature in the var. acijlcata.

Haiuts. This bird chietly differs frrun its eastern congener in its more
slender bill. There apj)ears to Ik3 no difference in regard to their habits, at
leiist none have been noticed, and it is probable there is none other than
trivial changes caused by its oj»port unities of ]>rocuring food, and the kinds
upon which it subsists. It is sii]»posed to be distributed throughout Western
North America, from tlie Uritish Possessions to Mexico, though Dr. Coo])er
thinks that it is not a common bird south of San Francisco, and only to be
seen there in the colder months. It lias been met with at San Diego in Feb-
ruary. He did not observe any in tlie Coast Mountains, near Santa Cruz,
but northward they are numerous in the summer, frequenting chietly the
groves of the deciduous oaks, cree]>ing constantly about their trunks and
branches in search of insects, which they also occasionally seek on the roofs
and walls of houses. Their habits are similar to those of S. canadensis, but
their movements are said to be slower, and their note is a single harsh call,
uttered occasionally, and responded to by their comrades. Dr. Co(jper found
them quite common in Wasliiiigton Territory and at Puget Sound. Dr.
Suckley also mentions their great abundance.

Dr. Kennerly met with this species a Imndred miles west of AlbuquercT[ue,
New Mexico, and quite abundant among the pines of the SieiTa Madre. He
speaks of its note as being ])eculiar.

Mr. J. K. Lord states tliat this species remained about Colville during the
winter, when the thermometer was 30^ below zero. He also mentions that
he found them nesting, in June, in the branches of the tallest pine-trees, so
high up as to render the obtaining their eggs almost an impossibility.

Mr. liidgway found the Slender-billed Nuthatch abundant, throughout the

118 XOUTII AMERICAN IJIRDS.

•

year, in the vicinity of Carson City, among the pii. ? on the Siemi Nevada
Mountains. He noted its great similarity in manners to the raroliurnsis ; at
the same time the well-marked ditt'erence in the notes did not escape his
attention. These notes are nuich weaker, and are uttered in a finer tone, and
some of them are said to be entirely dilferent.

Sitta canadensis, Linn.

BED-BELLIEO NTTTHATCH.

Hiffx cn)iadaijfis, LiNN. Syst. Nat. I, UtUI, 177. — Ari>. Orn. Ring. II, 1834, pi. cviii. —
In. Rirds Am. IV, pi. ccxlviii. — Rehh. Ilaiidl). Abli. II, lsr)3, ir)2, tah. dxiii, figs.
;i:»(n, 3:»G2. — Haiku, liiids N. Am. 1858, :37t) ; IJovi.w, 87. — Sclatku, Catal.
18t>l, 15, no. J»l. — Cooi'KU, Oni. t'al. 1, 1870, 54. Hittu vuria, WiLs. Am. Urn. I,
1SU8, 40, pi. ii.

pp. CnAH. Abovo asliy-l)liu\ Top of head Mack ; a white line above and a black one
through the eye. Chin white ; rest ol" under parts brownisii-rusty. Length about 4.r>0
inches : wing. 2.(»(). Female with the black of head mixed with ashy ; beneath paler,
more of a muddy-white.

Hab. Whole United States and British Provinces. North to Lake Winnipeg.

Habits. The common Hed-bellied Nuthatch, though nowhere a very
abundant species, is found throughout tlie whole of North America, from
Florida to high northern regions, ami from ocean to ocean. The Smithsonian
Institution possesses specimens from Georgia, Selkirk Settlement, California,
and Washington Territurv. Mr. Gambel iound them (piite common in the
motmtains in the interior of California, in October, roving in company with
busy flocks of the Parm montamia.

Dr. Cooper Tuet with them abundantly in Washington Territory, where
they preferred the oaks and other deciduous trees, and never fre([uented the
interior of tlie dense forest. He observed this bird and the Slender-billed
Xutliiitch, along the 40th parallel, east of the Cascade ^loimtains, as late as
the middle of October. Dr. Suckley also met both birds west of the same
mountains.

Tliis Xuthatch was observed by Mr. Kidgway among the aspen groves bor-
dering the streams that flow from the East Humboldt Mountains. In that
locality it was c<immon through the month of September, though not abun-
dant. It was again seen in June among the pine-woods of the Wahsatch
Mountains, but it was not common.

While a few of these birds are resident of the Xorthern States, they are,
to a considerable extent, of migratory habits. Wilson observed them leaving
in large numl)ers for the Southern States in Octol)er, and returning again in
April. On the 'iOth of May, 18(17, the writer ob.served a vSmall flock in
Eastern ^lassachusetts, evidently just arrived from the South. They were
apparently fatigued and hungry, and ])aid no attention to the near presence

PARID.E -THE TITMICE. Ill)

of workmen enga,t;t'(l ii; suttiii",^ lieun-polrs. Tliey visited and carefully
examineil each pole, and bored holes into several in search of hidden larva',
often within a few feet of i>ersons at work.

While on the I'aeitic coast they are said to prefer tlie forests of deciduous
trees, and to Ik? r.nely found in the dark evergreen forests, in the Eastern
States they seem to Ixj particularly fond of the seeds of pine-trees, ami in
the winter are seldom found in tlie woods of deciduous trees.

They feed in pairs and climh about in all directions, usually in company
with the white-breasted species, Chickadees, and the smaller Woodpeckei-s.
They are restless and rapid in their motions, and have a voice at least an
octave higher than any other of this family. The note is a monotone, and is
unmusical. Mr. Xuttall represents their cry as consisting of three syllables,
represented by ddy-ddti-dait, and compares it to the sound of a child's
trumj)et.

Those wintering at the Xorth occasionallv visit farm-vards and orchards,
and examine the eaves of outbuildinijs for food.

Audubon found this species more plentiful in the woods of Maine and
Nova Scotia than anywhere else. He never met any south of Maryland,
saw none in Newfoundland, and onlv met with one in Labrador. At East-
port he found a pair breeding as early as the 19th of A])ril, before the
Bluebirds had made their aj)pearance, and while ice was still remaining on
the northern exposures. An excavation had been made in a low dead stump,
less than four feet from the ground, both male and female birds working
by turns until they had reached the depth of fourteen inches. The eggs,
four in numljer, were of a white ground-color, tinged with a deep blush
when fresh, and sprinkled with reddish dots. They raise but a single brood
in a season.

C. S. Paine, of East Bethel, Vt., found a nest of this species alx)ut the
middle of May, in a small beech-tree, the excavation having been made at
the height of twelve feet from the ground. The hole was al»out as large as
that made by the Downy Woodjjecker. When first noticed, the bird was
looking out of the hole. Having l)een started out, she flew to a limb close
by and watched the party some time. When she flew l>ack, she buzzed
before the hole in the manner of a Humming-Bird, and then darted in.
"While Mr. Paine was looking on, the male came several times to feed his
mate, who would meet him at the opening with a clamorous no. :.3, to receive
his bounty. The nest contained live eggs.

In Western Massachusetts, Mr. Allen speaks of this species as chiefly a
winter resident, appearing the tirst week in October, and leaving the last
of April.

The eggs of this species measure .02 by .48 of an inch, and are of an
oblong-oval shape. Their ground-color is a clear crystal white, marked
principally about the lai-ger end with a wreath of purple and roseate
markings.

120 NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS.

Sitta pygmsea, Vi<:.

PIOMT HTTTHATCH.

Sitia pyfjmmt, Vkjors, Zoiil. Beechey's Voy. 1839, 25, pi. iv, — Aun. Orn. Biog. V, 1839,
pi. ccccxv. — Ib. Birtls Arn. IV, pi. ccl. — Kkich. Haii«ll». 1853, 153, tjib. Jxiv, tigs.
3365, 3366. — Nfavherry, P. \\. K. Hep. VI, iv, 1857, 79. — Baihd, Birds N. Am.
1858, 378 ; Review, 88. — Sclatek, P. Z. S. 1859, 363 (Xalapa). — Ib. Catal. 1861,
15, no. 93. — CooPEK, Orn. Cal. I, 1870, 55.

Sp. Char. Above a.>jh y-blue ; head and upper part of neck greenish ashy-brown, its
lower border passing a little Ijelow the eye, where it is darker; nape with an obscure
whitish spot. Chin and throat whitish ; rest of lower parts brownish-white ; the sides
and behind like the ba(.'k, l»ut paler. Middle tail-feather like the back ; it*i biisal half with
a long white spot; its outer web edged with black at the base. Length about 4 inches;
winjr. 2.^0.

IIab. Western and Middle Provinces of United States ; south to Xalapa.

This species is closely related to Sitta jjmitta of the Southern States.
The brown of the head has, however, an olivaceous-green tinge not seen
in the other; the white spot on the nape less distinct. The middle tail-
feather has its basal half white and the outer w^eb edged with black at the
base. This black edging is never seen in the other, and the white patch is
reduced to a faint trace, only visible in very hitdily plumaged specimens.

Habits. This diminutive species of Nuthatch is found throughout our
Pacific coast and on tlie western slope of the liocky Mountains, from Wash-
ington Territorv to Southern California. It is also to be found in New
Mexico, and specimens have been procured from Mexico.

Dr. Kennerly found them quite abundant in the Sierra Madre and San
Francisco Mountains, even as high up as the snow-line, seekiii_ iheir insect
food among the to})s of the lofty pines. Dr. Newbeirv frequently met with
these Nuthatches in the most wooded places on 1 ^e, wliere water was

near and any considerable amount of animal life \ isible. He, however,
never met w4th them in the forests of yellow pines. Dr. Gambel mentions
their almost extraordinary abundance, in the winter months, in Upper Cali-
fornia. Around Monterey, at times, the trees appeared almost alive with
them, as they ran up and down and around the branches and trunks, utter-
ing their monotonous and querulous cries. Their note he describes as a
repeated whistling icU-vjit. When one utters this cry, the rest join in.
They also have a whistling trill while tliey are busily searching the tree in
every part, and they never leave till tliey have pretty thoroughly searched
every crack.

Dr. Cooper only met with this Nuthatch in the open pine-forests about
Fort Colville, near the 49th parallel. They were associated in small flocks
about the 20th of October, when there were heavy frosts at night. The
chirping noise they made resembled the cries of young chickens. Their
liabits were very similar to those of the Pmltriparus minimus.

PARID.E — THE TITMICE. 121

Mr. J. K. Lord found tliis Nuthatch an ahundant bird along the entire
length of the huundaiy line from the coast to the llocky Mountains. It was
also common on Vancouver Island. They were seen in large flocks in com-
pany witli the Chickadees, except during the nesting-time, vv Inch is in June.
A few were winter residents at Colville, hut the greater number left in
November. He descriljes it as a very active bird, always on the move.
After nesting thev con«aet'ate in lar^e flocks and move al)Out from tree to
tree, twittering a low sweet note as if singing to tliemselves, now climbing
back downwards along the under sides of the topmost branches of tall pines,
searching into every crevice for insects, or, descending to the ground, cling-
ing to the slender Hower-stalks for other insects. They nest in June, make
a hole in the dead l>ranch of a pine, and deposit their eggs on the bare chips
of the wood. Tliis account does not agree with the experience of California
ornithologists, who have found a loose nest within the excavation.

Mr. Piidgway found this Nuthatch abundant among the pines of the Sierra
Nevada, in the vicinity of Carson City. They were found generally in pairs.
Its note is said to greatly resend>le the vociferous peeping of some of the
small Sandpipers, being sharp, loud, and distinct, and vigorously and continu-
ously uttered, whether climbing or Hying. He found it exceedingly hard to
discover this bird among the branches, or even when flying, owing to the
swiftness and irregularity of its flight. When the female of a pair had been
killed, the male bird was extremely loud in his lamentations. Diminutive
as this bird is, Mr. Kidgway states that it is also the noisiest of all the feath-
ered inhabitants of the pines, tliough it is less active in the pursuit of insects
than the larger species.

Nests of this bird obtained near Monterey appear to be as well made as
those of any of this genus, lining the cavity in which they are placed and
conforming to it in size and shape, the materials sufficiently interwoven to
permit removal and preservation, and warndy constructed of feathers, wool,
vegetable down, hair, and the silky ettlorescence of seeds.

Their eggs, seven in number, resemble tliose of the *S*. cfrnadensis, but are
of smaller size and a little more pointed at one end. Their ground-color
is crystalline-white. This is covered more or less thickly with red spots, most
numerous at the larger end. Their measure varies from .65 by .50 to .GO by
.47 of an inch. The first eu:us of this bird broui»ht to the notice of natural-
ists were procured at Fort Crook on the Upper Sacr.imento of California, and
not far from Mount Shasta, by Sergeant John Feilner, U. S. A., forming part
of a very extensive collection of birds and eggs transmitted by him to the
Smiths'inian Institution. Promoted to a lieutenancy for gallant conduct,
this gentleman finally attained the rank of ca])tain of cavalry, and was killed
by the Sioux during an exi>loring expedition into Dacotah under General
Sully.

16

122 NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS.

Sitta pusilla, Lath.

BSOWK-HEADEO NTTTHATCH.

Sittapusilla, Lath. Ind. Om. I, 1790, 263. — Wils. Am. Orn. II, 1810, 105, pi. xv. —
Am. Om. Biog. II, 1834, \A. exxv. — Ib. Birds Am. IV, pi. ccxlix. — Reich. Handb.
1853, 153, tab. dxiv, tigs. 3567, 3508. — Baird. Birds X, Am. 1858, 377; Review, 88.
— ScLATEU, Catal. Ib^l, 15.

Sp. Char. Above atshy-blne ; top of head and upper part of neck rather hght hair-
brown, divided on the nape by white. Eye involved in tlie brown, which is deeper on
the lower border. Beneath muddy-whitish ; sides and behind paler th.an the back.
Middle tail-feathers almost entirely like the back. Length of female, 4 inches ; wing, 2.50,

Hab South Atlantic and Gulf States. Ohio! Kirtland.

Habits. The Brown-headed Nuthatch has a much more restricted distri-
bution than the other inemljers of this family in this country. The speci-
mens in the Smithsonian Museum are chiefly from Georjjia. Wilson met
with it in Virginia, and states that it is found in the other Southern States.
I have received its eggs from Cheraw, S. C, and from Florida.

Wilson's descripion of its habits makes them almost identical with those
of Sitta canadensis, while its notes are more shrill and chirping. Like that
bird, it is veiy fond of the seeds of the pines. Wherever found, it is a con-
stant resident, and does not migrate.

Audubon states that this bird never goes farther north than Maryland,
and that it is the most abundant in Florida, Georgia, and the Carolinas.
In Louisiana it is rare, and it is not found in Kentucky. Its notes,
he states, are several octaves higher than those of the caroline?isis, and
more shrill, and at least an octave and a half higher than those of the
canadensis.

Although apparently preferring pines and pine barrens, it by no means
confines itself to them, but is not uni'requently seen on low trees and fences,
mounting, descending, and turning in every direction, and with-so much quick-
ness of motion as to render it difficult to shoot it. It examines every hole
and every crevice in the bark of trees, as well as their leaves and twigs,
among wliich it finds abundance of food at all seasons. During the breeding-
season they go about in pairs and are very noisy. Their only note is a mo-
notonous cry, described as ressmblinj dend, dend. Mr. Audubon further
states that when the first brood lea\ i the nest, the young birds keep to-
gether, moving from tree to tree with all the activity of their parents, who
join them when the second brood is al)le to keep them company. In Florida
they i^air in the beginning of February, having eggs as earW as the middle
of that month. In South Carolina they breed one month later. Their nest
is usually excavated by the birds themselves in the dead portion of a low
stump or sapling, sometimes only a few feet from the groimd, but not unfre-
quently at the height of tliirty or forty feet. Both birds are said to work in

PARID^ — THE TITMICE. 123

concert with great earnestness for several days, until the hole, which is r^and,
and not larger at the entmnce than the body of the bird, is dug ten or twelve
inches deep, widening at the bottom. The eggs, according to Mr. Audubon,
are laid on the bare wood. This, however, is probably not tlieir constant
Iiabit. The eggs, from four to six in number, and not much larger than those
ot the Hununing-J]iicl, have a white ground, tliickly sprinkled with tine red-
dish-brown dots. Tliey are said to raise two, and even three, broods in a
season. According to the observations of the late Dr. Gerhardt of Northern
Georgia, the Brown-headed Xuthatch breeds in that part of the country about
the 19th of April.

The eggs of this Xuthatch are of a rounded oval sliape, measuring .60 by
.oO ol an inch. Their white ground-color is so completely overlaid by a pro-
lusion of fine dottings of a dark purplish-brown as to be entirely concealed,
and the egg appears almost as if a unilbrm chocolate or brown color.

124

NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS.

Family CERTHIAD^. — Tuh Ckeepers.

Guar. Primaries! ten ; first very short ; less than half the second. Tail long, wedge-
shaped, the leathers stiftened and acute. Bill slender, much compressed and curved.
Outer lateral toe much longest ; hind toe exceeding both the middle toe and the tarsus,
which is scutellute anteriorly and very short. Entire basal joint of middle toe united to
tlie lateriiL

Certhin nymricann.

Oexus CERTHIA, Linn.

Ccrthut, LissJEVs, Syst. Nat. ed. 10th, 1758, 112. {Tyye, C. familiaris.) (See Reichex-
UAcu, Handbuch, I, ii, 1853, 256, for a monograph of the genus.)

Gen. Char. Plumage soft and loose. Bill as long as head, not notched, compressed ;

all its lateral outlines decurved. Nostrils not
overhung by feathers, linear, with an incum-
bent thickened scale, as in Troglodytes. No
rictal bristlCvS and the loral and frontal feathers
smooth, without bristly shafts. Tarsus scutel-
late anteriorly, shorter than middle toe, which
again is shorter than hind toe. All claws very
long, much curved and compressed ; outer lat-
eral toe much the longer; basal joint of mi«ldle
toe entirely adherent to adjacent ones. Wings
rather pointed, about equal to the tail, the
leathers of which are much pointed, with

stiffened shafts. Primaries ten; lirst less than half the second. Nest in holes of trees;

eggs white, sprinkled with reddish.

Of the Certhiadce but one c^eniis T)e-
lougs to America, — Certhia, with its one
small spe ies of contviderable vaiiability
with locality. The characters above
given include both family and generic
characters, derived from tliis one genus.
This is readily distinguished by the de-
curved, compressed bill ; absence of
notch and bristles; exposed linear nos- ^
trils with incumbent scales ; connate
middle toe, very long claws, short tarsi,
pointed and stiffened tail-feathers, etc.

The American and European varieties (they can scarcely be called species)
resemble each other very cLjsely, though they appear to be distinguished by
such ditl'erences as the following : —

The two European races, C. familiaris and C. costce, both differ from all
the American varieties in having the crissum scarcely tinged with yellowish.

Ctrthia amerieatuu

CEHTHIAJJ.K — TIIK CUEErEKS. 125

C. familiar is is more ashy l»eneath than any others, and C. cosfee is purest
white l)eneath of all. XtMiest Cfumilidris, in the American series, as rej^anls
tints of the ujijHir parts, are the racitic coast specimens of (\ mnrrimun, —
while the latter are most like the Atlantic rej^ion specimens of the same.
C meArana is to 1k3 compared only with the North American forms, though
it is the only one approaching^ /c^//?///V/ /'As' in the ashy h)wer parts.

C. familiar IS is at once separated from the rest by having the tail shorter
than the wing.

C. eoatn: is almost precisely like ilastern specimens of C. americana in
colors, but is absolutely pure white Ixdow, and without the distinctly yellow-
ish crissum of the American bird. The bill and claws, however, are consid-
erably longer than in Kastern americana, though their size is alnn»st ec^ualled
by those of Western sj^ecimens ; the colors are, however, more decidedly
different.

There is never any deviation from the generic pattern of coloration ; but
the variation, ainony indivitliials of each form, in length of the bill and claws,
as well as the tail, is remarkable.

Certhia familiaris, var. americana, P>nNAp.

BBOWN CHEEPER.

Certhia fuscn, Bauton, Fragments of the Natural History of Pennsylvania, 1799, 11. C(?r-
fhia /(i)iiiliiirLs, ViKiLL. Uis. Am. Sept. II, 1807, 70 (not the European bird); also of
Wilson and Aununns. — Mayxaud, Birds E. Mass. 1870, 93. Certhia nmericaiut,
BnXAP. ("omp. List. is:i8. — Kekii. Handb. I, IS.'ia, 'id.'^ pi. dcxv, figs. 4102, 4103.
— Baiuis Birds N. Am. 1858, 372; Review, 89. — Max. Cab. Jour. 1858, 105.—
CooiKU&SnKi.KV, P. K. R. Kep. XII, ii, 1859, 192. — Hamlin, Pr. Best. Soc. N. H.
1864 -6G, 80. Certhia mejicana, CooPEli, Urn. Cal. I, 1870, oS.

^i\ Char. Bill about the^ length of tin : head. Above dark brown, with a slightly
rufous shade, each leather streak«'<l centrally, but not abruptly, with whitish; rump rusty.
Beneath almost silkv-white ; the under tail-coverts with a faint rustv tinge. A white
streak over the eye ; the ear-coverts streaked with whitish. Tail-feathers brown cen-
trally, the edges paler yellowish-brown. Wings with a transverse bar of pale reddish-
white across both webs. Length, r,..jO ; wing. 'i.OO ; tail, 2.90. (Xo. 827.)

Young. (5945, Steilaeooni, W. T. ; Dr. J. S. (^o.»per.) Resembling the adult, but
streaks above in<listinct, and the feathers there tijiped indistinctly with blackish : the
rulous restricted to tin; upper tail-coverts. Breast .and juguluni with very minute blackish
wavings or indistinct bars.

Hab. Whole of United States, to Red River Settlenjent.

Specimens from the far west are purer white beneath, much as in eosto',
but those from the northwest coast have the white tinged with light rustv.
Though purer white below, these specimens are much browner above than
Eastern ones, — sometimes more so than in familiaris, but then there is
the yellowish crissum never seen in this ** species," and the proportions are
i^uite ditlerent. Thus it will be seen the 0. americana may always be dis-

126 NORTH AMERICAN IJIRDa

tiiij^'uished from tlie otlier forms ; when most resembliiij^ losta: in the grayish
tints of the up^ier phimage (as in Eiistem examples), the h)\ver parts are less
purely white, and the hill and claws smaller; when like it in the projMjrtions
and ]>ure white of the h)wer parts (as in Western specimens), the colors ahove
are altogetlier more hrown. The yellowish crissum of americanus will
also distinguish them. Though often resemhling familiaris in the colors of
the uj^per parts, the latter may always be distinguislu^d by its ashy lower
parts witliout yellowish crissum, the shorter tail, with its less acute feathers,
and stouter bill

C. mixicaiiHs is still more different in colors, for which see that variety.

Haiuts. Our common Creeper, so closely resembling the Creeper of Eu-
rope as by many to be sujjposed identical with it, is distributed over the
whole of Xorth America, from the Gulf of ^lexico to high northern latitudes.
At different seasons it may be found in every one of the several States and
Territories, yet it is never very abundant. Tlie Smithsonian possesses speci-
mens from various parts of the country, from (leorgia to Fort Steilacoom on
the Pacific, but of these none appear t(j have been secured during the period
of reproiluction. Dr. Heermann found them very common in the more
mountainous districts of California. Dr. Cooper found these birds abundant
in the forests of Washington Territory, but difficult to detect from the simi-
larity of their color to that of the bark over which they crept. They were
apparently constant residents in that Territory. Dr. Suckley, who ol)tained
several specimens of this species in the oak groves in the vicinity of Fort
Steilacoom, states that in their habits the Western bu'ds resemble those of the
Atlantic States.

Mr. Ridgw^ay found this Creeper inhabiting both the pine forests of the
Sierra Nevada, where it was tlie more connuon, and also, in winter, among
tlie willows of the river vallevs. He did not meet with it east of the Truckee
Itiver, nor until he liad reached the Wahsatch ^fountains.

Dr. Woodhouse found the Brown Creeper generally distributed throughout
the Indian Territory, Texas, New Mexico, and California, and adds that it
was esi^cially abundant in the San Francisco ^lountains of Xew^ Mexico.

Dr. Cooi:>er states that he has met with this form in the winter through-
out the higher mountains and among the Coast Range as far south as Santa
Cruz. He found them chiefly frecjuenting the coniferous trees, creeping up
and down their trunks and branches, searching for insects in their crevices,
and so nearly resembling the bark in their general color, that they can be
detected only with great difficulty, except when in motion.

He adds that their notes are shrill and wiry, and are often heard \vhen the
bird is scarcely visible, without a careful search, their cry appearing to be
from a greater distance than the real performer. In March, Dr. Cooper heard
them giving out a faint but sharp-toned song, resembling that of a Wren.
If Dr. Cooper is correct in his account of the notes, they do not correspond
with those of our Eastern bird.

CERTIIIAD.E — THE CRB:EPEK8. 127

Dr. Kenncrly, iii hia Heport on tlie ])ir(ls observed by him near the 3r»th
par.illel, states that lie found our eoniniou ('ree|>er very abundant amonj( the
rou<:jli-barked eedars in the Aztec >rountains. It upsially attractetl notice,
and its j»hice of retreat wjis discovered, by l»is hearing' its (juick and sharp
notes. A ch»se and careful search j^'enerally enabknl him to perceive? it pro-
ceedinj^ U^isurely upward and downward, in straight or spiral lines, toward
the top of the tree, dodj;in<^' dexterously to the opposite side from the ob-
server, and only resuming its occupation when assured of solitude and safety.

The observations of Dr. Kennerly, if they are to be received as char.icter-
istic of the Western (.'reepers, do not corres|Mind with those of our Eastern
birds, as far as we have observed them. None of our birds are more easilv
approached, and when they are pursuing their search, for focul, none are more
regardless of observation. The statement tliat our ( 'reeper, when watched,
moves to the opposite side of the tree from the looker-on, luvs found a certain
currency in our books. We are, however, of the opinion that this is owing
to its restless activity, i)rompting it to constant changes of place and position,
and not to its timidity or caution. We have uniformly found them either
unconscious or regardless of our near presence.

They are solitary in their habits, and frequent, especially in the summer,
deep woods, searching for their favorite food in high places where it is ditti-
cult to reach them, but this is no necessary evidence of their shyness. They
often hunt for their food in very exposed places, with equal courage and
recklessness. It is an active, restless bird, associating with Titmice and the
smaller Woodpeckers, moving with great rapidity from side to side and from
jdace to place. They breed in hollow trees, in the deserted holes of the Wood-
peckers, and in the decayed stumj)s and branches of trees. Their nest is a
loose aggregation of soft, warm materials, not interwoven, but simply col-
lected with regard to no other reipiisite than warmth.

In the summer of 1851 our party, in their visit to one of the smaller
Grand Menan Islands, was so fortunate as to meet with the nest of this bird.
It was built in a decaveil birch-tree, onlv a few feet from the jn'ound. and
contained five eggs nearly ready to hatch. This was on the 20th of June.
The nest was an intermingling of decayed wood, the fur of small quadrupeds,
and feathers, but with so little adherence or consistency of form that it was
impossible to retain the materials in |X)sition aft^r removal.

So far from evincing any timidity, the birds refused to leave their nest, and
could hardly be prevented from following it when removed from the woods
to a house on the island. One of our companions, returning to the woods in
order to secure the birds for the sake of identification, found the pair still
lingering round the place of their rifled nest. Upon his approach they began
to circle round his head with reproachful cries, and continued to keep so
close to him that it was impossible to shoot one without mutilating it. At
length one of the birds alighted on a small branch held over his head by
a lad who accompanied him, and in this position was secured by shooting it

128 NOkTH AMKKK'AX lURD.S.

witli a pistol loadeil with the finest sliot. Its niat«» couhl liave been secured,
ivs she persisted in imrsuiii'jj them, hut she was not molested. Throuj^hout
there w.is not a trace of timidity on the part of eitlier hird, hut the most
reckless and daring devotion.

J^sides the single call-note or the sharp outcry with which the C'reejuTs
signalize their movements, and which they utter from time to time as they
rai)idly and husily move up and down the trunks tind limhs, or tlit from tree
to tree, they have heen generally regarded as having no song. But this is not
the fact. The careful oh.servations of ^^r. William I>rewster of Cambridge
have satisfied him that these hirds have a very tlistinct and varied song. Dur-
ing the winter these hirds are not uncommon in the vicinity of Uoston, coming
al)out the houses with all the tameness antl confidence of the /V/v^.s- ntncapil-
Ills, and i)ermit a very near approach. They are very easily attracted by sus-
pending from a jiiazza a piece of fat neat. Mr. Hrewster has observed them
commence singing as early as the 14th of March. Their notes are varied
and warbling and somewhat confused ; some of them are loiul, powerful, and
surpassingly sweet, others are more feeble and jdaintive ; their song usually
ends with their accustomed cry, which may l>e represented hy cree-cree-
cre-ep. Mr. IJrewster, l>esides rej)eate<lly hearing them sing in Massachusetts
in the early spring, has also listened to their song in Maine in the month of
June.

Their eggs are small in proportion to the size of the bird, are nearly oval
in shaj^e, with a grayish-white ground, sparingly sprinkled with small, fine,
red and reddish-brown spots. They measure .bo by A'^ of an inch.

Certhia familiaris, var. mexicana, Glog.

MEXICAN CSEEFEB.

Ccrthin mcricana, "Glooek, Handbuch," REirHExnArn, Hamlbiuh, I, 1853, 265, pi.
dlxii, tigs. 3841, 3842. — Sclater, P. Z. S. 1856, 290; 1858, 297; 1859, 362, 372.
— Salvix, Ibis, 1866, 190 (Volcan de Fuego, Gnat.). — Baikd, Birds N. Am. 1858,
373 (under C. americami), pi. Ixxxiii, fig. 2 : Review, 90.

Sp. Char. Ground-color above very dark sopia-brown, each feather with a sharply
defined medial streak of grayish-white, thejte streaks becoming broader posteriorly, where
they are discontinued at the lieginning of the rump. Whole rump and upper tail-coverts
chestnut-rufous. Beneath pale ashy, becoming almost white on the throat ; crissal feath-
ers deep ochraceous except at the tips, which are whitish. Markings of the wings as
usual. Measurements (8176, Mexico) : wing, 2.50 ; tail, 2.70 ; bill (from nostril), .48 ;
hind claw, ..30.

Hab. Guatemala and Mexico; probably extending along the table-lands into the
United States.

This is one of the best marked of the various races that have been dis-
cussed (see p. 124). The ground-color of the upper parts is altogether darker
than in any of the others, and the streaks are more sharply defined and nar-

CERTIIIAD.E — THE CREEPERS. 129

rower ; the nifous of tlie rump is of a castaneous, instead of yellf>wis]i cast ;
the \vin<;s api»ear more unifonn with the Iwick, owing to the dark color of the
latter, and their pale markinj,'s have little of that yellowish tin«;e so notice-
able in the others. In the ashy tinge of the lower parts there is a resem-
blance to/rtwt/iV/m of Eurojie ; but the latter has not the ochraceous cris-
8um so noticeable in the present bird. There is little resemblance to Western
and Rocky Mountain S})ecimens of the C. mneriruuii ; and if these are to
lie considered as separable from the Eastern (which, however, would not, in
our opinion, be advisable) they must not be referred to wr.draiia.

The Mexican Creei)er is introduced here on account of the jn-oljability of
its (X'currence in the Southern lJ(x.'ky Mountains.

Habits. Mr. Salvin found the Mexican Tree-Creeper by no means un-
common in the pine forests of the up[)er zone of the Volcan (ie Fuego. He
also observed it frequenting pine-trees in the district of Chilasco, Vera Paz,
at about 6,000 feet above the sea.

17

130 NORTH AMKHirAN lURDS.

Family TROGLODYTEDiB. — The Wren

s.

TnAR. Rif'tal J)ristl»'s wantinjr; ♦Ik' loial Iratlicrs with luistly points; the I'rontal
feathers jreiieraily not rea<-hin^ to nostrils. Nostrils varuil, exposed or not coverejl by
leathers, and <rent'rally overiiunj; by a seale-lik»' iiienibrant'. Hill usually without noteh
(except in some Middle Ainerieau «jen«'ra). Wind's nnieh rounded, about ('(pial to tjiil,
whieh is ^Maduated. I'rituaries ten, the first jjfenerally about half tlu; sceoml. l»asal joint
of middle toe usually uuiti-d to half the basal joint of itUK-r, and the whole of that of the
outer, or more. Lateral toes about etpial, or tin* outer a little tlu' ItJUfrer. Tarsi scutellate.

Tlie imj)(»ssibility of detiiiiujr any large grouj) of animals, so as to separate
it stringently ami abriii)tly from all others, is well understood among natu-
ralists ; and the Tvoijlo^hit ultv form no exception to the rule. Some U-ar so
close a resemblance to the Mocking Thrushes as to have been combined with
them; while others again exhil)it a close approximation to other subfamilies.
The general attinities of the family, however, appear to be to the TnnUda\
and one of the best charactei'S for separating the two families a]>pears to exist
in the stnicture of the feet.

In the Turd id a' the basal joint of the outer lateral toe is united to the
middle toe, sometimes only a part of it ; and the inner toe is cleft almost to
its very l)ase, so as to l>e opposable to the hind toe, sepamte from the others.
In the Tro(/lod//fid(t\ on the contrary, tlie inner toe is united by half its basal
joint to the middle toe, sometimes by the whole of this joint ; and the second
joint of the outer toe enters wholly or ])artially into this union, instead of
the basal joint only. In addition to this character, the open, exposed nos-
trils, the usually lengthened bill, the generally eipial lateral toes, the short
rounded wings, the graduated tail, etc., furnish points of distinction.

Genera.

A* Lateral toes very unequal.

a. Culmen depressed basally, the interval between the nostrils wider than
the much compressed anterior half of the bill. Plate on the posterior half
of the tarsus continuous. Cathexpes.

h. Culmen compressed basally, the interval between the nostrils narrower
than the rather depressed anterior half of the bill. Plate on the posterior
half of the tarsus broken into smaller scales. Salpinctes.

B* Lateral toes eqiud.

c. Lenjrth about 8 inches. CampylorhynchtiB.

d. Lenjjth less than 6 inches.

Bill abruptly decurved or hooked at the tip. Outstretched feet not

reachiufr near to end of tail. Thryothorus.

Tail longer than the wing, the feathers black, variegated terminally

with whitish Subgenus Thryomaner..

Tail shorter than the wmg, the feathers rusty, not variegated with
whitish Sul)genus Thr if oth or us.

Bill only gently curved at the tip. Outstretched feet reaching nearly to

or bevond the end of the tail.

tu(m;m)I)Ytid.k — thk wkkns.

131

FJack without stroaks. Xo rlistinct sii|>orriliary stripo. Troglodyte*.

Itillcurvfd. sul>-coni<'al. Tail as lojij^as winj?. Siil)^a'niis Trutj hxl ijteH.
Bill straifrlit, sulmlate. Tail much shorter ihaii witi^'.

Siil»}.'fnus ^l north II I'll.

Bjiok stroakrd with Mack and white, Cifttothorua.

Bill short, stout ; its (h'j>th e<iual to one half its length from
the nostril ; gonys straiglit or «'ven eonvex, ai>een<lin<r. Crown
streaked ; no distinct superciliary strif»e. Subgenus (Ux tothnr n s.

Bill elongated, sK'uder ; its depth less than one third its length
from the nostril ; gonys slightly concave, declining. Crown not
streaked; a consj)icuous superciliary stripe. Subgenus Tt-hnatodyten.

Oknus CAMPYLORHYNCHT7S, ^v\\.

Campylorh>inrhm, Spix, Av. Bms. I, 1824, 77.
varieffuttus, (iMKL. )

(Tyi»e, i'. mt/ujMiceuj*, Spix = Tunlusi

Gex. Char. Bill st(.ut, compressed, as long as, or longer than the head, without notch
or rictal bristles; culnan and com-
missure curved ; gonys nearly straight.
Nostrils in the antero-inferior part ot"
nasal groove, in advance of the frontal
feathers, with an overhanging scale
with thickened edge, as in Tlinjotho-
rus : gometimes, as in the type, re-
duced to a slight ridge along the upper
side of the nasal groove. Lateral sep-
tum not projecting below or anterior-
ly into the nasal cavity, but concealed
by the nasal scale. Tarsus a little
longer than middle toe and claw ;
claws strong, much curved, and very
sharp ; middle toe with basal joint
adherent almost throughout. WmgS Campyhrhynchm bmnneieapiUus.

and tail about equal, the latter graduated ; the exterior webs of lateral feathers broad.

This genus embraces the larjjest species of the family, Jind is well re])-
resented in Middle and South America, two species only reaching into
North America, which mav be distinguished as follows : —

Top of he.id and post-ocular stripe red<lish-brown : back streaked longitudi-
nally and linearly with white. A'.l the feathers IxMieath cons, uously spotted.
Crissum and Hanks with rounded or elongated spots. Iris r ddish. Nostrils
inferior, linear, overhung by a scale. Nests large and purse-shaped ; eggs white,
profusely marked with salmon-colored or reddish spots.

a. Spots much larger on throat and jugulum than elsewhere. Inner webs
of second to fifth tail-feathers (between middle and outer feaiiiers) black,
except at tips. Length, 8.00; wing, 3.40;, tail, S.-V). Ilah. Adjacent bor-
ders of United States and Mexico bmnneicapiUiis.

b. Spots on throat and jugulum little larger than elsewhere. InniT webs of
intermediate tail-f«'athers banded with white like the outer. Length, 7.50,

Hah. Cape St. Lucas . . . . affinis.

132

NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS.

Campylorhynchus brunneicapillus. Okay.

CACTUS WBEH.

I'imlapfrs hnnnifirapilhts, I.afrf.sxaye, Ma|;. de Zool. 1835, 61, pi. xl .i. — Lawr. Ann.
X. Y. Ly(. Y, ISal, 114. — (Assiv, Hirds I'al. Tox. 18.54, 1;'.(5, pi. xxv. — Hkkkmann',
J. A. N. So. II, 18.'.3, 263. C. hrunnckapiUus, (Jray, Genera, I, 1847, 159. — Bp.
Consp. 1S.50, 223. — i>( L. P. A. N. S. 1.56, 264. — Baiud, Birds N. Am. 1858, 355 :
Pr. Phil. Acad. 1851», 3, etc. ; Rev. 99. — Hef.r.mann, P. R. R. X, 1859. — Duessek,
ll»is, 1865, 482 (Texas). — Cdopek, Orn. Cal. I, 1870, dl.

Sp. Chah. Bill as lonj; us the head. Above brown ; darkest on the liead, whieh is
unspotted. Feathers on the baik streaked eentrally with white. Beneath whiti.sh, tinj^ed
with rusty on the belly ; tiie leathers of the throat and upper parts, and under tail-coverts,
with larire. rounded black spots; those of the remain in jj: inider parts with smaller, more
linear ones, rhin and line over the eye whit*\ Tail-feathers black beneath, barre<l subter-
Uiinallv (the outer one throujrhotit) with white. Iris, redilish-yellow. Len«,'th, 8 inches;
win<r, 3.40 ; tail, 3..V).

Hab. Adjacent borders of the T'"nited iStates and Mexico, from the mouth of the Rio
Crande to the Valley of the C't»lorado, ;». d to the Pacitic coast of Southern California.
Replaced at Cajie St. Lucas by C. ojfiuis.

This species is fouiul abundantly along the line of the Iiio Orande and
Gila, extending northward some distance, and everywhere conspicuous by
its wren-like habits and enormous nest.

Habits. The Brown-headed Creeper is a comparatively recent addition

to the fauna of the United States,
but aj)pears to Ikj common along
the southwestern borders of the
United States, from the valley of
the liio (Jrande to San Diego, in
Ualifornia. In Lower C^alifornia
it is rejdaced by the C. ajfinis.

It was first added to our avi-
fauna by Mr. Lawrence in 1851,
on the strength of a specimen
obtained in Texas by Captain
McCown.

Dr. Heermann, in his paper on
the Birds of California, speaks
of linding it in the arid country l»ack of (Juymas, on the Gidf of Cali-
fornia. This country, presenting only broken surfaces and a confused
mass of volcanic rocks, covered by a scanty vegetation of thorny bushes
and cacti, among other interesting birds, was found to contain this species
in abundance. He describes it as a lively, sprightly species, uttering, at
intervals, clear, loud, ringing notes. Its nest, composed of grasses and lined
with feathers, was in the shape of a long purse, enormous for the size of the
bird, and laid Hat between the forks or on the branches of a cactus. Tlie

Camjr'lorhynchus brunneicuinllus.

TKOGLODYTIDJ:. THE \VKEX8. J 33

entmiiee was a covered jtassuixe, varying from six to ten inches in lenj^th.
The eggs, six in nnnil)er, he descrihed as being of a delicate salnion-cohir,
very pale, and often so thickly speckled with ash antl darker salnion-ccdoriMl
spots as to give (jnite a rich cast to the whole surface of the egg.

Lieutenant Couch met with these birds near Monterey. He states tliat
they have a rich, powerful song. Of tlie nest he gives substantially the
same description as that furnished by Dr. Heermann.

Tlie eggs are of an oblong-oval slu^pe, slightly more pointt"d at one end,
and are so equally and generally covered, over a white ground, with tine
salmon-colored spots, as to present a uniform and almost homogeneous
api)earance. They vaiy in length from an inch to 1.02 inches, and have
au average breadth of .08 of an inch.

Campylorhynchus affinis, Xantus.

THE CAPE CACTUS WBEH.

Campiflorhi/ncfius (fjfitii.% .Xantcs, Pr. A. X. So. lJ>r»l», 'iVKS v<'apeSt. Luoiis). — IJAiim, Tr.

A. N. S.-. ISr.y, 30;i : i:.'v. 100. - Sn,. Cital.. 18«51, 17, 110. 108. — Ellii.t, lllust.

B. N. A. I, IV. — Cuoi'KK, Orn. Cal. I, 1870, 152.

Sf. Char. Cap of head rt'ddisli-ljiowii ; the conccali'd ctMitros of fi'athors dusky.
Rest of iinjH'r parts irrayish-l>ro\vn. all the tVatln-rs of Ixxly and st-ajudars with bn)ad cen-
tral or shaft streaks of whitish edited with Mack: the streaks irreirular in ontline, on some
feathers nearly linear, in others widenini; at int«'rvals aU)ni«' the shaft. Onter wel)s of the
wing-feathers crossed by abont seven rows of whitish setnicircular spots, with correspond-
ing series of more eircnlar ones on the inner web. Tail-feathers black, all of them with a
series of about eight quadrate white spots on each web, \\ hich arc alternate to each other,
not opposite, an«l extend from t)r near the lilack shall to the edge: tin; extreme ti|»s of the
feathers black ; the two central feathers, however, more like the liack. with irre'nilar mot-
tling of grayish and black. UppiT tail-coverts l)arred transversely with black.

Under parts white, faintly tinged with rusty posteriorly ; each feather spotted with
black, excepting on the innnaenlate chin. These spots are rather larger and more (piad-
rate on the Jugtdum, where they are sometimes on the sides of the feathers (on one
or both sitles) ; posteriorly, however, they are elongated or tear-shaped, and strung along
the shaft, one or two on each. On the crissum they are large and nmch round«Ml. three or
four on ea«-h longer feather. Legs rather dusky. Bill lead-color, palt; at the biise bdow :
iris reddish-brown. A broad white stripe from bill over the e^^e and nape: i-dged
above an<l below with black; line behind the eye like the crown , cheek-feathers white,
edged with blackish.

Innuature specimens exhibit a tendency to a whitish spotting in the ends of the feathers
of the cap. A veiy young bird does nt>t, however, diller materially, excej)t in having the
siK>ts less distinct beneath, the whit<» streaks less conspicuous above, the white of the
wings soiled with rufous. Specimens vaiy considerably in the proportional ;us well as
absolute thickness and length of the bill ; thus. No. 32,107 nie;usures .80 from nostril to end
of bill, instead of .00, as given below for No. l2,!M;r).

rj.ytJo. Total length, 7.50; wing, .J.-JO; tail. .{.40; its graduation. .45; expos«'d portion
of first primary, 1.42, of second, 2.1'), of longest, or fourth (measuretl from exposed biiso of
first primary), 2.4."); length of bill from forehead, .1)0, from nostril, .00; along gape, 1.07;

134 XOHTH AMKUICAX IJIKDS.

tarsus, 1.02; middlf toe and i*law. .00; claw alone, .25; hind toe an<l claw, .70: claw
alon«'. ..">.').

Hau. Only obscrvt'd at Caju' St. Lucas, Lower California.

This sj)ecies is most ne.irly allied to C. hrunmicttpi/iifs ; the most apparent
difl'erence at tii^st sijjjht heing in tlie <^reater concentration of Mack on the
throat and jugiilum in hrunneimpillus, and the much smaller size of the
remaining spoti; on the under parts, with the decided light-cinnamon of
tlie peisterior portion of the Ijody. The outer and centitJ tail-feathers alone
are marked as in C nffink, the intermediate ones being entirely black, with
the exception of a white subterminal band.

This is one of the most characteristic birds constituting the isolated fauna

of Cape St. Lucas. Like nearly all the species peculiar to this remarkable

locality, it is exceedingly abundant, breeding in immense numbers. It lias

v^et ])een detected elsewhere, though it may possibly be found on the

Lo 'olorado.

Habits. This recently described species was first discovered by ^Ir.
Xantus, and has, so far as is known, a somewhat restricted locality, having
been met with only at the southern extremity of Lower California, wliere it
is an exceedingly abundant bird. Mr. Xantus has published no observations
in regard to its habits, which, l»owever, are probably very nearly identical
with tliose of the more common species. From tlie brief memoranda given
by him in the general register of his collections, made at Cape St. Lucas, we
gather that their nests were built almost exclusively in opuntias, cacti, and
the prickly pear, and were generally only four or five feet from the ground,
but occasionally at the height of ten feet.

The nests are large purse-shaped collections of twigs and coarse grasses,
very similar to, and hardly distinguishable in any re8i)ect from, those of the
more northern species. The eggs vary from 1.0') to 1 inch in length, and
from .05 to .70 of an inch in breadth, and have a reddish-white ground very
uniformly dotted with fine markings of reddish-brown, purple, and slate.

Subgenus SALPINCTES, C a ban is.

SiiJpincfen, Cabaxis, Wiegu.^iui's Archiv, 18i7, i, 323. (Type, Troglodytes oltsohtus.
Say.)

Gen. Char. Bill as long as the bead ; all the outlines nearly straijifht to the tip, then
decurved; nostrils oval. Feet weak : tarsi decideilly louirer than the mi<ldli' toe; outer
lateral toe mucli lonpT. icailiinL'" t*) the base of the middle claw, and etpial to the hinder.
Win^s aliout «me filth lon_L'er than the tail : the exposed portion of tin* first ])riinary about
half that of the stM-<»nd, an«l two fifths that of the fourtli and fifth. Tail-ft-athers very
broad, plane, nearly even or sli<rhtly rounded ; the lateral moderately ^Taduated.

Of this genus but one s])ecies is so far known in the United States, the
Keck Wren of the earlier ornithologists. It is peculiar among its cognate

TiiO( ;lodytid.e — the wrens.

135

genera by having the two continuous plates on each side the tarsus divided
into seven or more smaller plates, with a naked interval l>etween them and
the anterior scutella'. ( )ther characters will be found detailed in the Iteview
of American Birds, p. 109.

Salpinctes obsoletus, Caban.

BOCKWBEN.

Trotjhnlijtts obsohtm. Say, Lcnig's EximhI. II, 1823, 4 (south fork of Platte). —Am, Oiii.
Biog. IV, pi. Kclx. - Ib. B. a. II, pi. c.wi. — Newbekky, V. K. K. K«'p. VI, iv,
1857, 80. — Hkkumann, P. 1{. W. Utp. X, 1S59, 41. Snlpindcs obxi>htus, Cab. Wieg-
inaiin's Aivhiv, 1S47, i, 32:3. - lUiiri), Birds N. Am. 1858, 357 ; Rev. 110. — Sclateu,
P. Z. S. 1859, 371 (OaxacaK — Cool'KK, Orn. Cal. I, 1870, 64. ? Trwjloilijtes laHs-
fusciatus, 'jcUT. Pnis-Verzcich. 1831, no. 82.

Sp. Char. Pluinagi' very soft aii<l lax. Bill about as long as the head. Upper parts
brownish-jifray. each teatlicr with a central
line and (except on the head) transverse l»ars
of diiskv, and a snial' dull brownisii-whiti!
spot at the end (seen also on the tips of the
secondaries). Runi{), sides of the body, and
posterior ])art of belly and under tail-coverts
dull cinnamon, darker above. Rest of under
parts (Hrty white: feathers of throat and
breaf.t with dusky central streaks. Lower
tail-coverts banded broadly with black. In-
ner tail-feathers like the ba<-k, the cithers
with a broad black bar near the end ; the
tips cinnamon ; the outer on each sidi; alter-
nately banded with this color and black.
A dull white line above and behind the eye. Tris brown. Length, 5.70; wing, 2.82;
2.40. Young not rnarke<l or banded beneatii. p]ggs white, spotte<i with red.

IIab. Central regions of the United States, to >rexico, east to mouth of "*' '' ^on
River. Cajjc St. Lucas. Not recordeil from Paeilio slope. W. Arizona, Couf ..^a^a,

SCL.\TER.

Habits. The TJock Wren, so far as its distribution is knov is principally
restricted to the high central plains of the Ilocky Mounta' , t'rom Nebraska
to the coast ranges near the PaciHc, and from (Oregon t( .\re.xico and Lower
California. According to Or. Cooper it is an abundai species throughout
the dry, rocky, and barren districts of California, espec.a ly in the southern
portions, where it comes nearer the coast. They are numerous among the
])lains on both sides of the llocky Mountains. Tlieir favorite places are
aniony: the rtjcks, where they are alwavs busilv enijaged in hunting for insects
in the crevices. Dr. Co(»}»er found nests at San Diego in cavities under the
tiled roofs of houses, but tliev all contained voung as earlv as Alav. At
Fort Mojave they began to sing in February, and their soifg continued
throughout the spring. They range to a Ingli elevation among the moun-

Salpinctts obsoUtus.

136

NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS.

Snfpinetfs ohsoUtus.

tains, having been found by Dr. Xewljerry at Klamath Lake in Oregon. Dr.
Coo])€r does not describe their song, but Dr. Heennann speaKS of it as only a
very weak trill. The latter met with them in the mountainous districts of

California, where thev were searching
for their food among the crevices of
the rocks. He afterwards met with
them in New Mexico and Texas.
They were quite abundant in the Te-
jon Valley, j)assing in and out, among
and under the boulders prof usely scat-
tered over the mountains, searching
for spiders, worms, and small insects,
in pursuit of wliich they uttered at
intervals a loud and (juick note of a
peculiarly thrilling chai-acter. Lieu-
tenant Couch found them in the sand-
stone ranges near Patos, in the province of Coahuila Some of their habits
are spoken of as sparrow-like, and, while they have the usual wTen-like
grating noises, they also possess a song of great variety and sweetness.

Dr. Kennerly met with them among the bushes in the vicinity of the Eio
Grande. Their flight he describes as short, the bird generally soon alighting
on the gi'ound and running off very rapidly.

This Wren was first discovered bv Mr. Sav near the Arkansas River, inhab-
iting a sterile district devoid of trees, hopping along the ground or flitting
through the low, stunted junipers on the banks of the river, usually in small
flocks of five or six. Nuttall afterwards found them in July on the Western
Colorado. The note of the female was ehorr-cJiarr-tc-aigh, with a strong
guttural accent, and with a shrill call similar to the note of the Carolina
Wren. The old birds were feeding a brood of five young, which, though full
grown, were cherished with querulous assiduity. He found them nesting
among the rocky ledges, in the crevices of which they hide themselves
when disturbed. Mr. Nuttall also met with this species near Fort Van-
couver. Mr. Salvin states that in several instances it has been met with in
Guatemala.

The eggs of this Wren obtained by Dr. Palmer in Arizona have a clear
white ground, sparingly spotted with well-defined, distinct dottings of brown-
ish-red. These are chiefly distributed around the larger end. They vary
somewhat in size and sha])e, some being of a more rounded foi*m, though all
have one end more ])ointed than the other. The length is pretty uniform,
.77 of an hich. The brcmdth varies from .60 to .66 of an inch. They are
larger and more oblong than the eggs of any other Wren,, except perhaps the
mcxicanm, and bear little resemltlance to any other eggs of this family with
which I am acquainted, except those of the Winter W>en, and the egg at-
tributed to T. amrriranus.

TKmCLoDVTFD.K — TilK Wl . >. 137

Tli(! Jiv.si is liomou'riMMuis in struct. % c» '»seii eiitirtdy of thin strips of
rtMl«lisli-(.'oluh'(l l);iik anil line lonts, intei-speistMl with u few snuiU l»its •»!'
wool. It is (.lisioitcil hy ]»jickin«<, so that nu asurenients of it woukl Ije
vahieless ; its dimensions in its ])R'sse<l condition are: diameter, "> inches ;
depth, 2 indies. TIk* cavity is sliaUow and saucer-shaped.

From ^Ir. llidgway we k^arn that from the sunnnit of the Sieri-a Nevada
eastward, as far as tlit* party exph;red, lie found tliis Wren universally dis-
triluited. In the middle j>rovinces of the liocky Mountains it was the most
ahundant species of the family, hut was not so ahuniUmt in the Wahsatcli
Mountains. Tlie general resort of tliis sjjecies was among rocky or st ):iy
hill-slopes, though it was not confined to sucli localities. At Carson C ity
he found it particularly partial to the ruhhish of the decaying j)ine-logs. At
Virginia City it was the only Wren seen fre([uenting the old huildings a!id
ahandoned mining-shafts, in its predilection for such j)laces reminding liim
very much of the Thri/otJiorHf, lndoi'irii(iti(s, which in its manners it very
strongly resembles.

Mr. liidgway noticed a wonderful variety in the notes of this W^-en. Its
peculiarly guttural turee was repeateilly heard, and its song in spring had
a slight resendjlance in modulation to that , of the Carolina Wren, though
altogether lacking the power and richness so characteristic of the superb song
of that bird. Fre<|uently its song was changed into a prohniged monotonous
trill, similar to the tremuh)us sja-ing-call of the Jciuo hi/iiaulis.

This species is not so wary as the Cathctyt's iiujuuHnnfi. Upon suddenly
starting up an indiviilual of this kind, he would Hy to the nearest boulder,
turn with his breast towards the party, swing oddly from side to side, all the
while ludicrously bowing and scolding the intruder with his peculiar sharp
expressions of displeasure.

Dr. Cooper, in his paper on the Fauna of the Territory of ^lontana, states
that he observed this bird occasi(»nallv throu'di the main IJockv Mountain
chain to near the crossing of the Bitterroot, but it was less common than
among the cliffs and rocks of the barren plain along their eastern slope.
Though he did not find it in the western j/art of Washington Territory, he
has no doul^t that it frecjuents parts of the rocky (canons of the Columbia
Plain. A nest with nine eggs wits found in a log-cabin below V'ort Benton.

Genus CATHERPES, BAmn.

Catherpcs, BAiun, Birds N. Am. iSoft, ',\:u. (Type, Thriiofhorus ladicanm, Sw.^

Ges. Char. Billloiifrer than the hca*!, sh-udcr : all the outlint's nearly straight to tho
tip, then gently decnived. }ron3's least so : nostrils hnear; tarsus short, about equal to the
middle toe, whieh reaehes to the middle of the middle claw. Outer toe considerably
longer than the inner, ri'aehing Iteyond the base of the middle elaw. Wings a little longer
than the tail ; the exjKtsed portion of the lirst primary about half that of the fourth and

18

138

XOIITII AMERICAN JHRDS.

fifth. Tail-feathers very broad and perfectly plane ; tail nearly even ; the two lateral
graduated j the outer about eleven tvvellllis of th»' middle.

This genus agrees with Salpinctes in
the broad, plane tail-leathers, but the
bill is rauuli longer, the nostrils linear,
not oval, the feet much stouter, the
outer toe rather longer; the tarsus short-
er, being equal to the middle toe, not
longer ; the hind toe much longer than
the outer lateral, instead of ecjual to it.
The wings are but little longer tlian the
tail, and shorter than in Salpinctes.

This ijenus is confined to the western

Catherpes mexicanus.

portions, where a single species, 6'. 7ni:,cicamis, occurs in two well-marked
varieties: —

C. mezicanns.

Culmen almost straight, the tip deenrs^ed, jronys straight. Above blackish-
brown ; wings and back sparsely sprinkled with minute white specks; no such
markings on head or neck. Bars on tail very broad, .12 in width on outer
feathers. ^Ving, 2.84 ; tail, 2.40 ; culmen, .OG ; tarsus, .75 ; middle toe, .08 ;
posterior, .47 ; outer, ,52 : inner, .49 (52,791. Mazatlan, Mexico). Hah. Mex-
ico var. mexicanus.

Culmen and gonys both gently curved, the latter somewhat concave. Above
cinnamon-ashy, more reddish on rump and wings ; head and neck above with
numerous dots of white ; very few of these on back and wings. Tail-bars
very narrow and thread-like. ^Ving, 2.48; tail, 2.12 : culmen, .83; tarsus, .50;
middle toe, . _' ; posterior, .35 ; outer, .44 ; inner, .30 (53,425 ^, Fort Churchill,
Nevada;. Hah. Middle (and Pacific ?J Province of United States, xar. conspersus.

In var. mexicaniifi the white of throat is more abniptly defined against the
rufous of abdomen than in var. ron-
sper><vs, in which the transition is very
gradual. The hitter has the seconda-
ries rufous with narrow isolated bars
of black ; the former has them black-
ish, indented on lower webs with dark
rufous. In merieanus the feet are
very stout, and dark brown ; in con-
S2'>ersm they are much wxniker, and
dee]) black.

All specimens from south of the
United States (including Giraud's type
of Cert Ilia alhifrona) belong to the re-
stricted mexicanus, while all from the
United States are of the var. ronspei-sits.

Catherpes mericanus.

TKOGLODYTID.E — THE WKEXS. 139

Catherpes mexicanus, var. conspersus, Ridgv. ay.

CAllOir WBEH; WHITE-THBOATEO BOCK WSEN.

Triyjlnfli/fcs hir.ricnnn.s, HKKit.MANN, J. A. N. Sc. 2«l ser. II, 1853, tWi. — In. P. R. R. R»'p.
X, l,sr)l», 41. — Cassin, lllust. Birds Tal. I, 18;>4, 173, I>1. xxx. Cathcr/M:s mcjcicauus,
Baii:i>, Binls N. Am. 18'i8, 356 (in part) ; Kev. Ill (in part). — CooFEU, Orii. Cal. I,
187o, Gt). CdfJitrjKs t.iMicamis var. couftjKrsus, Ridgway.

Sp. Char. (Xo. 53,425 ^. m-ar Fort rimrchill, Xovada. December 7, 1807; R. Ridg-
way). Above, brownish-asby on tbe anterior, and bright cinnanion-rulbn.s on the pos-
terior half, the two colors shadinjj insensibly together. The anterior, or grayish portion
thickly sprinklfd with nnnierous .s-mall (.irenlar dots of white, each preceded by a smaller
speck of du.'^ky ; a few of these dots on the rump. Wings with obsolete, ragged, narrow,
isolated bars of dusky, these most sharply d('fine<l on the secondaries. Tail clear rufous,
crosscMl with about nine very narrow, thread-like, somewhat zigzag bars of black, — these
about .02 wide on the middle, and .07 on the outer feather. Beneath, anterior third, pure
silky-wliite, shading itisensihly into soft oehraceous on the breast, this soon darkening into
deep ferruginous, the ctjlor of all the posterior lower j)arts; the whole of this ferruginous
surface, with very obsolete transverse spots of white, each preceded by a narrower dusky
one. Length, 5.75 ; extent of wings, 7.50 (fresh); wing, 2.48; tail, 2.1.3; culmen, .83 ;
tarsus, .50, Bill deep slate, paler, and with lilaceou* tinge, at base of lower mandible;
iris umber ; tarsi and toes black (fresh colors),

Hab. Central region of X^orth America, fiom boundary of United States northward.
Extends up Valley of Colorado. Western Xevada, resident ; Ridgway.

The above characters apply to all specimens of Catherpes from north of
Mexico, as substantiat »d by a sutticient series in the collection. It is a
reniarknl le fact that this northern race should be so raucli smaller tlian the
Mexican one, especially in view of the fact that it is a resident bird in even
the most northern parts of its ascertained habitat.

Habits. The geographical distribution of this race of the White-throated
Wren, so far as known, is confined to the line of the United States and
Mexican boundarv, extending northward up the Valley of the Colorado, as
far as Western Nevada. The corresponding Mexican race reaches some
(hstance southward, but has not yet been detected beyond the limits of
Mexico. The habits of both races, however, are quite similar, as far as
known.

Dr. Heermann firsc met with this Wren in the spring of IvSol, o". the
Cosumnes Kiver. In the fon(>v.ing year lie procured three specimens on the
Calaveras Kiver. He descriljes it as an active, sprightly bird, having a loud
and pleasing song that may be heard a great distance, and which it repeats
at short intervals. Wlien found, it was occupied with searching for insects,
between and under the large boulders of rock that, in some portions of the
river, are thrown together in coi. fused masses, as if by some terrific convul-
sion of nature.

Dr. Kennerly also met with this species in similar localities among the
hills bordering upon the Bi; Sandy, where the rocks are also described

140 Nnirni AMKKICAX niHDS.

as i)ile(l up thick and liigli. Tlioy were ilartiu^' from rock to rock aiul
cret*j>iii«^ among the (devices witli gn?at activity, constantly rej>cating their
]>eculiar an<l singuUir note. The great rapidity of their motions rendered
it ditticnlt to procure a sj»ecimen. He did not observe this bird anywliere
else.

Their occurrence ecjually in such wild and desolate regions and in tlie midst
of crowded cities indicates that tlie abundance of their food in either place,
and not the absence or jnesence of man, determines this dioice of residence.
When first observed they were sui)pose<l to nest exclusively in deep and in-
accessible crevices of rocks, where they were not likely to be traced. ^Ir.
H. E. Dresser afterwards met with its nest and eggs in Western Texas, though
lie gives no description of eitlier. He found this spetMcs rather common near
San Antonio, wliere it remained to breed. One i)air frecpiented a printing-
office at that j)lace, an old lialf-ruined building, where their familiar habits
made them great favorites with the workmen, wlio informed him that the
previous spring they had built a nest and reared their young in an old wall
close by, and that they became very tame. At Dr. Heermann's ranclio on
the Medina he procured the eggs of this bird, as well as those of tlie
Louisiana and Bewick's Wren, by nailing up cigar-l)oxes, with holes cut in
front, wherever these birds were likely to build.

Mr. Sumichrast describes its nest^ as very skilfully wrought with spiders'
wel)S, and built in the crevices oi' old walls, or in the interstices between the
tiles under the roofs of the hou.ses. A nest with four eggs, supposed to be
those of this species, was obtained in Western Texas by ^Ir. J. H. Clark ; it
was cup-shaped, not large, and with only a slight depression. The eggs,
four in number, were unusually oblong and jKjinted for eggs of this family,
and measured .80 by .0(1 c»f an inch, with a crystalline-white ground, pro-
fusely covered with numerous and large blotches of a reddish or cinnauKJii
brown.

So far as the observations of Mr. Kidgway enabled him to notice this bird,
he found it much less common than the Sft/pinrfts olso/ctHs, and inhabiting
only the most secluded and rocky reces.ses of tlie mountains. Its common
note of alarm is descril>ed as a ]ieculiarly ringir-'^ i/hd: It has a remark-
ably odd and indescribably singular chant, ut^ v; ' unlike anything else Mr.
Iiidgway ever heard. This consisted of a '-^iif of detached whistles, be-
ginning in a high fine key, every note clear, smooth, and of equal length,
each in succession l)eing a degree lower than the ])receding one, and <mly
ending when the bottom of the scale is reached. The tone is soft, rich,
and silvery, resembling somewhat the whistling of the Cardinal Gros-
beak.

It was oft^n seen to fly nearly perpendicularly up the face of a rocky wall,
and was also noticed to cling to the roof of a cave with all the facility of a
true Creeper.

^ Tills i-einark applies to the M»'xi<au nu'«'.

TK< K JLODVTID.K — THK WUEXS.

141

(iKM S

V I BILL.

Thr,,nthorux, ViKii,i,oT. Analys.-, 181H, 45. (Type, Trnqlodytrs nrundinaenis, " Tr^njl^yte
lbs i:„s,,n,.r," \iK\u.. Ois, Aiii. Sti»t. II, 1807, 55 = aylt'ui ludoviciana. Lath.)

Gkv. Cii.vii. IJill (•nm])ri-ssr(l, ratlu-r slender; height about one fourth the length ahove.
Ciihnen and <(.niniissure gently curved throughout: g(.nys straight; tip very ob.soletely
notched. Nostrils in the lov.er <?dge of anterior
extremity of the nasal groove, nanowly elliptical,
overhung by a stiff scale-like roof of the thickened
membrane of the upper part of the njij;al groove, the
cre.seentic edge r<»un(U-d. The septum of nostrils
imperforate; the posterior i)art of the nasal cavity
with a short septum projecting into it parallel with
the central, not pcrjx iidicular as in Microrercnlus.
Wings and tail about equal, the hitter moderately
rounded ; th»' first primary more than half the
second, about half the longest. Tarsi rather short,
scarcely exceeding middle toe Anterior scutelhe Thryothorus luttovincianus.

distinct, rest of each side of tarsi in a continuous plate. Lateral toes equal.

The diagnoses of the North American species are as follows : —

Species and Varieties.

Common CiiARACTEi{.«i. Head above, and back, of much the same color. Cris-
sum barred transversely ; rest of under parts j)lain. Upper tail-coverts ami ex-
posed surface of wings barred. Iris hazel. Nest in holes or with an arched
covering. Eggs reddish-white, spotted with red and purple.

o. Thn/ofhnrns.

T. ludovicianus. Tail-feathers reddish-brown, barred with black. Greater
wing-coverts spotted with whitish.

Beneath yellow-whitish, washed occasionally with nisty. Sides plain.
Bill from nostril, .4o. Leuirth, (J.OU. IIuIk Eastern Province United

States var. ludovicianna.

Beneath rufous: lighter on throat and along median line. Sides
obsoletely barred with dusky. Bill from nostril, .oG. Length, 5.25.
JLih. Lower Kio Grande. var. berlaudieri.

h. Tebnnfndiffes.

T. be^^ckii. Tail-feathers, except central, black: the exposed surface and
tips only varied with white. Length, 5.50.

Above dark rufous-brown; beneath plumbeous-white; flanks tinge<l
with brown. Kump and (Exposed seccnularies distinctly banded. Quills
and middle tail-feathers brownish-black. Length from nostril, .31);
along gape, .70. Iftd). Eastern Province United States. var. bew ickii.

Above ashy-brown ; beneath, including flanks, clear white ; rump
ashy, an<i, like secon«laries, very ol)Soletely barred. Quills an<l middle
tail-feathers grayish-brown. Ilab. Southern border of United States,
into Mexico var. leucogast er.

Colors intermediate between the two last. Bill longer, from nostril,
.50, from gape, .81. Hub. Pacific Province .... var. spilurmi.

142

NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS.

SrucjEvus THRYOTHORUS, Vieill

Thryoihorus ludovicianus, vnr. ludovicianus, Bonap.

OBEAT CABOLIHA WBEH.

Siflvin huhtviciuivif I.ATII. Iiul. Orn. II, 1790, 54S. Ti'Mjfodifff.s hnlovicinnus, LiniT.
ViTz. 1^J;3, 35 ; jil>o of BoNAi'AUTE, AiDi'BctN, iiiid I'uixcE Max. Thrtjothorus lu-
doruinnns, I$«»x, Li.t. 183», etc. — Baikd, Birds N. Am. 18r>8, 361; Rev. 123,
Tr<Kf/i)tfitfi:t annidiiHicms, ViEiLL. Ois, Am. St-pt. II, 1807, 55, \\. oviii. (CVrtainly
this .s|K'rif.s ; tilt* habits thost* of f.'. pulustris.) Crrthia owolinuiim, WiLsuv, Am.
Orn. II, 1M(», 01, i»l. xii, Jig. 5. ThnjoOutrus littoral is, Viku.l. Nouv. Diet. XXXIV.
1819, 56. Tluf/nt/innis loin'siinteF, Lesson, Kev. Zoi»l. 1840, 262.

Additional ligures : AuD. Oiu. Biog. I, 1831, pi. Lxxvii. — Ib. Birds Am. II, 1841, pi.
cxvii.

Sp. Char. Exposed portion of tlie bill shorter tlian the head. Above reddish-brown,
most vivid on the rump. A whitish streak ovrr the eye. bordered above with dark brown.
Throat whitish ; rest of under parts pale yellow-rusty, darkest towards the under tail-
eoverts, which are conspicuously barred with black. Expose<l surface of the wings and
tail (including the upper coverts) barred throughout with brown, the outer edges of tail-
feathers and quills showing series of alternating whitish and dusky spots. Legs flesh-
colored. Length, G inches ; wing, 2.G0 ; tail, 2.4o.

IIab. Eastern Province of United States, from New York southward to the Gulf.

Habits. The Great Carolina or ^fockinjj Wren is found in all the South-
eastern and Southern States from Florida to ^larvland, and from the Atlantic
to Kansas and the Valley of the liio (Jraiide. It is not common about Wash-
ington, but is nmch more abundant in the Southern States. Occasionally it

has been found as far north as Philadelphia,
and in one or two instances near Xew York,
where Air. Lawrence has twice seen it, and
where on one occasion it appeared to be breed-
ing. Dr. Woodliouse found it very abundant
throuixhout Texas and the Indian TerritoiT.
It is also abundant, and resident, in Southern
Illinois, as far north as latitude 38° 20' 20".
The habits and movements of this species,
as described by those who have had the
best opportunities for observing it, corre-
spond with those of tlie whole family of
Wrens. Its flight is usually only in short
distances, and is accompanied with short flap-
pings of the wings, and violent jerkings of
the body and the tail. The latter is usually kept erect. It moves with
quick jerks, and with sharp, rapid notes uttered as if in anger. It is in sight
one moment and out the next, passes in at one place and out at another

Thryothorvs bttcickii.

TROGLODYTID.E — THE WRENS. 143

with the rapidity of thouirht. Mr. Authibou often saw it sinu'in.i: from the
roof of un uluiiidoned Hat-lKiiit, near New Orleans, and when its snn«; was
ended it would creep from one hoard to the next, enter an aujjjur-Iiole at
one place to reappear at anotlier, catching numerous spiders and other in-
sects all the while.

Occasionally its movements are like those of a Creeper, ascendinjjj to the
upl)er bi-anches of trees of a moderate lieight, or climbing a grapevine,
searcliing diligently among the leaves and in the crevices of the bark for
insects.

This species possesses a great variety and power of song. It is also said
to have and to exliibit remarkable powei-s of imitation, with a great variety
in its appropriated notes of other birds, giving, with modulations, the hoarse
rattle of the Kingtislier, the lively notes of tiie Tufted Titmouse, the simple
refrain of tlie Ground llol)in, with those of the Grakles, the Meadow Lark,
the Bluebird, and others. Like the common Wren, the Carolina generally
builds its nest in the hollow of some tree or stump, or any other convenient
cavity. At other times it constructs its own habitation without any other
protection than the thick br.uiches of a vine or shrub. In these s'tuations
they are long and deep, and liave an artificial rooting, often separate from the
nest itself. Tfie materials employed in their construction are hay, grasses,
leaves, feathers, horse-liair, and dry fibres of the long Spanish moss. They
are softly and warndy lined with fur, hair, and feathers. The nest is not
iinfrequently five or six inches in depth, while the opening is not large
enough to admit more than one l)ird at a time. They sometimes mise three
broods in a season.

It breeds as far north as Philadelphia, Mr. Audulx)n having found its nest
in a swamp in Xew Jersey, opi)osite that city.

Although seemingly studious of concealment, and sliy and retiring in its
habits, Nuttall frequently observed it in Tuscaloosa and other large towns
in Alabama, appearing on the tops of barns and out-houses, singing with
great energy.

Dr. Cooper, who enjoyed a favorable opportunity of watching these birds
in Florida, in the spring and summer of 1859, found a nest of this Wren in
the middle of March. It was built in a small box on a shelf in a mill, and
was about four feet from the ground. It was arched over at the top, though
this was not necessary to shelter it. This covering was formed of shavings,
with a few small sticks and straws. Four eggs were laid. The birds were
very tame, and were not alarmed by the loud noise of the mill, nor by a cat
almost always present. Another nest found by Dr. Cooper was built in a
small hole in the trunk of a tree, not more than six inches from the ground.
This nest was not arched over. Its close proximity to a dwelling-house
alone protected it from wild animals.

The eggs of this Wren are usiuiUy six or seven in number, and vary in size
and shape. They are for the most part of a spheroidal-oval shape, though

144

NOKTII AMKUICAN lilKD.S.

soiuH are more nhloii^' than otluTs. Their length varies tnnii .7.") to .7(> of an
inch, ami their j;reatest hreadth from JiU to .»).'>. The ground -color is a red-
dish-white, ijrot'usely covered with blotches of purple, slate, reddish-brtiwn,
and red. These are genemlly and j)retty etiually ditliised, and are not more
abundant at the lai-ger end than elsewhere.

Thryothorus ludovicianus, var. berlandieri, cnrcH.

BSBLAVDIER'S WBEH.

Thrf/ofhorm hrhindifri, C'orni, R\iiti>, Birds N. Am. 185», 362, pi. Ixxxiii, tig. 1 (New
\a'o\\) ; Ktv. 1J4.

Sp. Chak. Kx[»os('»1 itoition of l>ill lu-.-irly as loiiir as the lu-ad. Abovf dark rusty-
browii, most vivid on the ruiup. A whitish streak over the eye, bordered above with
brown. Chin white ; rest of under parts dark brownish-red: the un<ler tail-eoverts and
sides of the bo<ly barred with dusky. F^xposcd surface of wings and tail V)arred throujjh-
out with dusky. Lejrs tlesh-eolor. Lenjrth, 5.*J") ; wing, 'J/Jo ; tail, 2.12.

IIab. Valley of Kio Grande.

The distinctive features of this race will be found indicated on page 141.
This form bears to the T. itK/oriritniits about the same relation that Harpo-
rht/nchus lowjiroatris does to H. rufus ; and is hardly to be considered a dis-
tinct " species " from it. It should be noted that in both cases the length-
ened bill and deej)er color l)elong to the Kio Grande. It has not yet been
met with north of tlie Kio Urande, but doubtless extends into Texas. Noth-
ing is known of its habits.

SuBGExus THR70MANES, Sclat.

Thn/nimnns, Sclateu, Catal. Am. Birds?, 1861, 21. (Type Trofjlodtjtcs bewickii.)

There are three strongly marked geographi-
cal varieties of ' Bewick's Wren," separable
by quite constant characters. Of these the
Alexican (leftwf/astcr) and the typical form
from eastern North America (bnrirh'i) dififer
most in coloration, while the western (spiia'
ru.s) is intermediate in this respect, but with
a longer bill than in the other two. The ])e-
culiarities of the three forms are expressed
on page 141.

Thryothorus bewickiL

Tli()(JL()DYTll).K-TIlK WKENS. I4.3

Thryothorus bewickii, vai bewickii, \V)s\i\

BEWICK'8 WBEV; LOVO-TAILEO HOUSE WBEH.

TrnffloiliihsfH-irH-;;^ Ai i». Om. Vao**. I, is:n, !»6, i»l, xviii. - In. Birds Am. II, 1S41, \10,
1>1. ixviii, Thriintlinnis hiirickil, Wss.w. List, l^:i^i. - H.viKi*, Uinls N. Am. IH.'i.S,
36:J. T'/i,i, If, „/,/(,.•, /„iri,ln, (AI!. Mus. Htiu. 1, ISiiO, 78. Thrijothorm hetrUkii^ vur.
heirickU, U.VIUU, Uev. Am. I'.. 1804, 12«>.

Sp. riiAH. Altovr (lark nituus-l»r<)\vn : iiiiiip ami mi<Ml<' tail-t«'atlu'r.«j sorni'timos a littlo
iialcr, ami vrrv sliirlitlv tin</«'«l with "-rav, ami tct'TtluT with the «'.\iM»st»(l .-.iniiuM <»f sec-
omlaiics <listinctly l>arivii witli <lii>kv. Bem-ath soiletl jihmilM'ou.s-whitish ; Hanks Itrowii.
Ciissuni liaml(Ml; ^'louml-color (»!' <|nills ami tail-t'eatliers hrowiiish-hlaok. Len^'tli, iViO;
wiujr, 2.2'): tail. '1'*^). Lemrth liom nostril, ;j!»; al<>ii<r gape, 7<>.

Hab. Eastern I'roviticf of ruift-d States.

Habits, Tliis interest intr .si»ei it-s uf Wren wits first met with l»v Aiulubon
ill Ujuisianii. A nunil»er of individuals were observed at the time, hut notli-
iiijj of its history was known for several years afterward. In shai)e, eolor,
and hahits it most resemhle«l the Carolina Wren, hut wa.s le.s.s rapid in move-
ment, and not s«> lively. Fourteen years later I)r. Hachman a^ain met with
hirds of this species, in is;)."*, at the Salt Sul]>hur Sprin«i;s of Virginia. They
eomj)ri.sed a family of two }>arents ami five young, nearly full gi'own. Their
notes were like th<»se of the Winter Wren, neither louder nor more conneeted.
They seemed of restless hal»it, creeping actively among fence.s, stumps, and
logs. One ascended an oak, nearly to the to]), in the manner of a Creeper.
This species proved to he (piite common in that locality, and to be the
only Wren abundant among the mountains. Dr. (libbs detected it near
Columl)ia, i C, and Dr. Trudeau afterwards found it quite common in
L(juisiana.

It w^as first <»bserved breeding by l*rofessor I5aird in Carlisle, Penn.,
in 1844. In all respects the nests and their location corresiwnded with
those of the common Wren. I>r. Woodhouse found it very abundant in the
Indian Tenitory, and descrilK's its habits as similar to those of other Wrens.
Lieutenant Couch observed this Wren at Santa llosalio in Mexico, earlv in
^larch. It was seeking its food among the low prickly-pears. He w^as
informed that they deposited their eggs wherever they couhl do so without
making much of a nest, inside the cal)ins under the rafters, but in Xew
Leon he found one of its nests quite elaborately constructed in a thatched
i-oof. He describes the song as quite varied, and one of the sweetest that
he heard in that country.

The late IJr. Gerhardt of ^'arnel^s Station, Ga., met with this species
among the mountaiuotis ])ortions of Northern Georgia, where it generally
nested in holes in stumps. In one instance the nest was constructed five
inches in length, and four in diameter, with a cavity two inches in depth, and

the w^alls of great proportionate thickness, made externally of coarse roots,

19

146 NOHTII AMKinCAX JMHDS.

finer on tlie insi(U», nn<l lint'd witli vari<»ns kinds nt iininial fur -iuul witli
I't'iitluns. iMitli Itirds worked tom'tlit'r in ronstnuting tlieir ne-st, beiiinninii'
on the lltli of Ajnil, and on the 27th of the same month tliis eontained
seven e^Lis. The nest was in>t covered at the toj), in the manner of tlie
Carolina Wren. In the foUowinjj; season another i>aii' eomnieneed hnildinjjf
tlieir nest in his lied, in a loii-honse. Driven fr«»m tliese ini|»ossil»h' (|uarters,
they tried the same experinuMit in various other ]»arts (jf the liouse, l»ut (»nly
to ahai:d«>n it, and at hist finished Ity making a sueeessful attenijit in the
hay-loft. Their visits to that ]tortion of (Jeor.uia, he informed me, were
irregular and onlv oeeasional. In 1S.~>!) he had not met with anv birds of
this species for the sj»ace of iive years.

Tlie euus measure .(57 by .')(> of an inch in their averiiiie proportions,
resemlilinu somewhat those of the Carolina Wren, but havin'4 a li'diter
j^TOund, with fewer ami finer markings of slate and reddish-brown. The
p'ound-color is of a ]iinkish-white.

^Ir. A. Uoucard obtained sju'cimens of these birds in the winter months,
in the State of Oaxaca, Me.xico, probalily of the var. /i (trof/«{sfi r.

We learn from Mr. IJidyway tliat in Soutliern Illinois (as far north as lati-
tude .*>S'' 20' 20") this Wren is very abundant, and the most familiar s]>ecies
of the family. In certain localities (as in the Valley of the Wabash) it
entirely re]»laces the 7\-(>i//oif//f<s adon, the latter beini^ wholly unknown. In
its habits it is even m<»re familiar than that species, always preierrin^i^
the out-lmildin|L;s, even in larue towns, to the neighborlaxKl of the woods,
and still further increases its attractions bv i>ossessinif a charming sontr,
a real sony, of sweet n<»tes finely motlulated, and utliMed, generally, as
the bird perches up(»n a fenct; or the stable roof, its head thrown bac?
and its h»ng tail pemlent as it sings. The confused, gabbling s]' ter o;
T. (liloii, uttered as it ]>auses Just for an instant in its restless .ii>j>ping
through the ivy. cann(tt be compared t<» the t bant of licpiid musical notes
of this -jH'cies, which resembles more nearly, both in modulation and j>ower,
that of the Song Sparr»»w Mdospim uuUxlui), though iar su]»erior to it.
On ordinary occasions the note of Hewick's Wren is a soft, low yV//, \ittered
as the bird ho]»s about the fence or stable, its long tail carried upright, and
jerked to one sioe at each ho]>. In its movements it is altogether more ^
dadiberate and less restless than the T. Iiidorir'nnnis, or Tnxilodi/hs (tilmi,
neithei" of which it much resendtles in motion, and still less in notes. The
nest of this Wren is usually built about the out-houses, a moitise-hok' or
some W(dl-conceal(Ml corner being generallv selected. Old stables and ash-
hop])''rs are esjteciallv fre«[uented as nestih;'^-]»lac<'s. Mr. IJidgway found one
in the bottom o^" the conical ]>ortion of a qanil- jet which Mas hung up in a
shed, and another in a j>iece oi' stove-i»i])e which lay horizontally in the gar-
ret of a smoke-h(»use ; another resteil u}»on a flat boanl over the do(»r of an
out-hous(% while a fourth \\a^ ]>laced behind the weather-boarding of a buihl-
ing. The nest is gener;dly very bulky, though the ladk is ii'gulated to suit

TlfOCJl.ODVTID.K — TIIK \VKi:XS. I47

the size of tlic cavity in wliicli tlu; nest is jjlaccd. Its inatoriiils are usually
sticks, straws, coarse featlicrs, tine cliijjs, {'.U\, exteiiorly t'astene<l tiv^ether
with masses of s]U(U'r's-wel»s, tiie lininn' heinii' of tiner and more ilownv mate-
rials, nenerally soft spider's-welts, tow, and especially the downy feathers of
harnvar<l fowls.

Thryothorus bewickii, var. leucogaster, (Umlv.

Ti'oijhnhif»:s leiiciiijiisfrd, Ccti.n, 1'. Z. S. 1S:!(>, 8I> (TiiiiiaiilipusK - - Box. Notes Dclattrc,
lvS')4, 4:5. ' T]iriit>fhi>r)is hnrlri;;^ ScLATKi:, V. A. S. hS.'.U, :J72 (Oaxaca). Thriiiilh>>n>s
bi'i-ir/.-ii, v;ir. fi iinK/iisf, ,; liAii:!*, iJrv. Am. 15. rJ7.

8p. Chaij. ..1<'Vi* r.: v-i>i-(>\vii : rinii|» ami iiiiiliilc tail-t'catht-is l>r(>\viiisli-ash. llu' liti-
luci' ncaily |>ur«* . 'viiK p, i]t|ii(tialilt' t>ais: liars ou st'coiidarJi's <)l)sol«'t^'. Briifatli.

iiK-lutlinjjf iiisiijr of v n. jUisi' i'liitc, with iittlf or m* lnowiii.-li (»ii the .-ides. Cris^uni
I'aiHiod; <rrouinl-f()I .. M'ti: ■ ■. "Is and tail-U'atlicrs u'iayisli-l>rtt\vii. Size <>l" var. /h'"-/'/.-//'.

IIab. Soiitlicrn Itorilfi's df I'liitftl Statt-s. iiii<» Mt.'.\ir<».

Habits. Xotliinu' is on record of the hahits of tiiis \ariety as «listin-
•^uislied from var. hi iruLH.

Thryothorus bewickii, \ar spilurus, Vkiors

Tro(jJinhifrx ^pilnriis, Vli;i»i:s, Zoi.]. Hn'.-licyV Voyaijc, 1S:',0. IS, pi. iv. fi;,'. 1 (('alitoriiiiO.
y 'iitf/iiinis sjiihiri's, ( "iiui'Ki:, Orn. ("al. I, 187<>, ♦■••.♦. Trdiihxhifcxhrtrirkii, Ni"Avr.r.ia:Y,
1. U. 1{. IJ.-pt. VI, IV, 1>.')7, 80. — Cuoi'Ki; c<c Si. Kii.v, il-. XII, n, 18H0, liMi. 77////-
ofJionis bill- ilk a, Sci.ATi.i:, (':ital. Jstil, 'I'l, nt». 141 (in [>art). T/tr;/othonis l/tirukci,
var. sju'laru^, Wxinu, Ifcv. ri(>.

Sp. Char. Siiniljir to heirirlii in color, the l)ill con.sideraMy lonu'er. Lcnirth from nos-
tril, .50, ^apo, .SI, instead ot" ..)!> and .7<>.
IIab. Pari tic slope of l"niti'(l States.

YounLj hirds from all the localities ditler from adults merely in having the
feathers of th* throat a^. In-east very narrowly and inconsi)icuously edj4ed
with Mackisii.

H.viJiTs. This varit'ty of l>ewick's Wren is exclusively an inhabitant of
the Western ci»ast. According to Dr. ('oo]>er, they ahound throuuhout the
wooded |»arts of California and northward, frequenting the densest forests
as well as the open i^roves. During the winter they wt»re found in the vicin-
ity of Fort ]\Iojave, hut left in April, j)rohahly for the mountains. They also
winter throuLrhont the mild retiions towards the coast (s far north as Puiict
Sound. They are knt»wn as Mockinix-WnMis, thout^h Dr. Cooper thinks they
do not n>ally imitate other hirds, hut ratlier have a ureat variety of their own
notes, some of which n*semhle thos_ of otiier hirds and are well calculated
to deceive one unaccustomed to th(Mn. Tie was often led to search in vain
for some new form, which he tlaaiiiht he Iniird singing, only to tinil it to be

148 NoRTir AMKinc AN niiipa

a bird <•!' this species. Xear San Dieji^n, in Ajnil, 18r»2, lie discovered one
of its nests built in a low l»usli, only three feet from the ground. It Wiis
quite open above, formed of twigs, grass, etc., and ccnitained live eggs just
ready to hatch, described as white with brown specks near the larger end.

Messi-s. Xuttall and Townsend o])served these l)irds in the marshy meadows
of the Wahlamet, accompanied l>y their young, as early as May. They seemed
to have all the habits of Marsh Wrens. Drs. (lamljel and Heermann, who
observed them in California, describe them as keeping in h)w bushes and
piles of brush, as well as about old dead trees and logs, over and around
wiiich ihey were flitting with the greatest activity, uttering, when aj>proached,
the usual grating scold of the Wrens.

Ill Washington Territory 1 )r. ('o«)i>er states that this and the Winter Wren
are among the few birds that enliven tlie long rainy seas(»n with their .songs,
which were as constantly heard in the dullest weather as in the sunny spring.
The young broods make their first a]»[)earance there in June. Dr. Suckley
found this species very abundant at I'uget Sound, where it is a constant
resident throughout the vear. On sunnv davs in Januarv and in February
it was found among low thickets in com])any with the smaller species. At
this season they were very tame, allowing a person to ai»i)roach them without
apparent fear. He s])eaks of the voice of the male as being harsh and loud
during the breeding-season, and not unlike that of the common House Wren.

Genus TROGLODYTES, Vieill.

Tro(jlo(hiteSt Vieillot, Ois. Am. f>tpt. II, li>07, .'j2. CryiK', Tnifffntfiffes (rdou.)

Tlie characters of this genus are sufficiently indicated in the synopsis on
])age lol. They c»)me very close to tho.se of T/in/of/tonts, the nostrils, es-
j»ecially, being linear and overhung by a .scale. In this respect both differ
from Tltrifophihiii of Middle America. The bill is .shorter or not longer than
the head ; straight, slender, and without notch. The tail is grjiduated, and
shorter than tho much rounded wings, the feaJiers narrow. The light super-
ciliary line of llu'jiothurnii is almost entirely wanting.

Species and Varieties.

n. Trnijlodjifes.
Tail and wiiiir.^ about oqual.

T. aedon. Beneath irrayisli-wliito. riissmn and (ianks tlLstinotly liarrod.

Winir-covcrts spotted with whidsh. Dark l)ars »tl' tail ahoiit hall" the width

of their inter!«[>a(res.

Fir.^t primary nearly half the l;)nirP<t. Color ahuve dark-brown, rufous

towards tail. Iloh. Ea.stern Province f'nitod States . . . xiw. (f.don.

Wing .similar. Above paler brown. Hah. Eastein Mexii-o. froiu Ilio

Grande southward ........ \:w. (t zt^'cns.

First primary half the second. Above paler i>rown. Ilnh. ^fiddle

and Western Province United States . . . . mw. do rkiu o v n i .

TR( KiLODYTID.K — THE WRENS.

149

a I (I .s c e ti >• ! s" .

h. Aiiorthnra.

Tail vorv short : on'v alxmt two thirds the wing.
T. hyemalis.
'/. Si/.f i>[' ,1,/,,/, i-x.-.'pt for .sliortcr tail, winir ulumt 2.1)0; j'liliueu very

stnii<j;lit. //ah. Aleutian I.>laii<ls ^

/'. Much sMialltT than o'dint, wing about 1.75.

Pale r.'ddish-hrown : dusky bars of upper part.^ witli wliitisli spots or iii-
terspaee^*. Ilah. Eastern I rovince United States ; Cordova ? var. h y e m a I i s- .

Dark rufous above and below; upper parts with few or almost no
whitish spots. Hub. I'aeilie Province North AuK'rica. \in: j>u c i/i c " s.

Troglod3rtes sedon, Vieill.

HOUSE WBEK; WOOD WBEH.

Tr,>iil,„h,i.s ,n}n,i, ViKiM.. (>is. Aui. Sept. II, 1807, 5-2, pi. cvii. — 1r. Nouv. Diet. XXXIV,
1M'.». "»(•(;. r.AiiM., iJir.ls N. Am. 1858, btJG ; Kev. i:J8. — S. l.vteu, C'utal. 18tjl, 22,
iin. 14'.. Mavnaiu., I'>. K. Mass. lliikiaathroas ccdon, <'ab. Jour. IStiO, 4n7. Syli'ui
dnnusliai, Wilson, Am. Orn. I, 1808, 12t», pi. vii. Troylodtjtrs fnlvus, NuTT. Man.
I, 1>:{2, 422. ' Trn,fI.../!/frso,iuri<-'niu.s, Aru. Orn. Biog. II, 18:J4, 4;>2 ; V, 1839, 46l»,
1.1. .ixxix. - in. Uirds Am. II, 1841, 123, pi. txi-v, — Haikd, Birds N. Am. 1858, 368 ;
lUv. 1, 141.

Other figures : An.. Orn. I'.iog. 1, 1831, pi. Lxx.viii. — Ib. Buds Am. II, 1841, pi. c.xx.

Sp. Chah. Tail and wings about erpial. Pill shorter than the head. Above reddisli-
brown. darker towards the hea<l, bright«-r on the rump. The feathers everywhere, except
on the head and neck, barred with dusky: obscurely .<o on the back, and still less on the
rump. All the tail-feathers barred from the base : the contrast more vivid on the exterior
one. B»'neath pale fulvous-white, tin,ue«l with light brownish rcross the breast; the ])0s-
terior parts rather dark brown, obscurely banded. Fiider tail-coverts whitish, wnth du.sky
burs. An indistinct line over the eye. eyelids, and loral region, whitish. Cheeks brown,
streaked with whitish. Length, 4.00 ; wing. 'J.ilS: tail. 2.00.

IIab. Eastern Province of the Cnited States, from Atlantic to the Missouri River.

In the Iieview of American P>irils y\K l.*>9), I Imve esta])lislied a variety,
aztrnfs, to enil»i-.ice si)eciniens from Mexico })aler than arlon, and with a
brownish tinge on the brea.st, and smaller size.

There can scarcely be any doubt that the 7\ nnnr'naan^i of Andnbon is
nothing more than this s])ecies in dark, accidentally soiled jdnmage (from
charcoal of burnt trees, etc.V

Habits. Tlie connnon House Wren is found
throughout the United States, from the Atlantii-
to the Jiockv Mountahis, though it is not everv-
where etiually abundant. Thus, Avhile in some
parts of Massachusetts it occurs in consider-
able n umbel's every year, in other ]M»rtions not
twenty miles distant it is never .seen. West oi'
the Kocky Mountains it is rei)lacetl bv Park-
man's Wren, which is rather a race than a dis-

'Vroii,Uulylt!. uilini

L'iO

>I()RTII AMIJUICAN BIRDS.

Tro^lodiitm fP'ton.

tijict species, the ditlercnces in pluiiiuiife beiiii; very slii^lit, and in lial»it.s,
nest, anil eiriis nut aj»{ne(ial>le, thoii«4;li I )r. Cooper tliinks there is a diller-
enee in tlu-ir son^. Anotlicr race or a ('l(»sely allied species, T. aztecun, is
found in ^lexico, near the l)orders of the Tnited States, Init does not have
an extended rani^e. It is found in tlie winter in (Juatemala,

This s})ecies does not appear to he found Iniyond the southwestern portion
of Maine and the soutliern portions of New Hampshire and Vermont. It
makes its tirst appearance in Washinuton early in A] nil, and for a while is

v«'rv alanidant, visitin«^ verv familiar-
ly the public grounds of the ca})itol,
l»rivate gardens, out-l)uildin<,^s, and the
eaves of dwellings. It does not ap-
]»ear in the New England States until
after the tirst Meek in May, and leaves
f<tr the South ahout the last of Sep-
tember. It is not observed in any
]tortion of the Ignited States after the
first of November.

The hollows of tlecaying trees, (crev-
ices in rocks, oi* the centre of meshes
of interlacing vines, are their natural
resorts. Tliese they readily relinijuish
for the facilities offered in the societv
of man. They are bold, sociable, confiding birds, and will enter into the
closest relations with those wlio cultivate their ac»iuaintance, building
their nests from ]treference under the eaves of houses, in corners of the
wooi'-shed, a (dothes-line box, olive-jars, martin-boxes, open gourds, an
old iiat, the skull of an ox placed on a [wde, the pocket of a carriage,
or even the sleeve of an old coat left hanging in an out-building. In the
spring of ISo.") a ]iair of these Wrens nested within the luaise and over
the door of the room of the late IJobert Kennic<»tt, where tliey raised
their brctods in safety They built a secon<l nest im a .shelf in the same
room, which thev entered throuuh a knot-hole in the unceiled wall. At
first siiy, tliey soon became (piite tame, and did not regard the presence
of nieml)ers of the familv. The male bird was more shv tlian his mate,
and though eipially industrious in collecting in.sects woidd rarely bring
tliem nt'arer than the knot-hole, where the female would receive them.
The female with her brood was destroyed by a cat, but this did not deter
the male bird from a]>pearing the following season with another mate and
buihling their nest in the same place. Another instance of a singular selec-
tion of a bre(Mling-place has been given l»y the same authority. Dr. Kenni-
C(»tt, the father of Kobeit, a country physician, ilrove an old two-wheeled
o])en gig, in the back of which was a box, a foot in length by three inches
in wi»lth, open at the top. In this a pair of Wrens insisted, time after time,

TU()(;h()I)VTlI).K- TliK WKKNS. li^l

in IjuiMiiii; tlicir lust. TlioiiLili removed t'acli time the veliide was used, tlie
pair fur a liuii; whiU' peisisted in tlieir attempts in make use nf tliis place, at
liist even depositini^- tlieir e^^irs on tlie l>are 1 nttom of the Itox. It was two
or tliree weeks Ix^fore tliev finally desisted from their vain attt'm])ts.

Sometimes tliis l»ird will build a nest in a lar^e cavity, holdin;^ ])erliaps a
Imshel. Iiefore the cup of the nest is comjfleted, the ])irds will generally
endeavor to till the entire space with sticks and various other convenient
substances. Wher** the entranci; is uiuiccessarilv Iar«je tlu'V will uenerallv
contnu't it by buildiuLr abv.ut it a barricade of sticks, leavinjj; only a inall
entrance. In the midst of tiiese masses of material thev construct a com-
]y,\rt, cujHshaped, inner nest, hcmis)>herical in sha|»e, composed of finer ma-
ti'rial^. and warndy lined with the tur iA' small (piadru]>eds, and with s(»ft
feathers. If the eii''s are taken as the feniale is deoositinii- them, she will
continue to lay (piite a Ioul:; while. In one instance eighteen were taken,
after which the birds were let alone and raised a br»x»d of seven.

Durini^ the months of May and dune the male is a constant and remark-
able siniijer. His smi^ is loud, (dear, and shrill, uiven with Ljreat animati(»n
and ra])idity, the ]>erformer evincing i:reat jealousy of any interruption, often
leaving off abruptly in the midst of his song to literally " pitch in " ujjon
Jiny rival wlio niay presume to compete with him.

If a cat or an}' unwelcome visitor ap]»roacli the nest, angry vociferations
succeed to his sprightly song, and he will swoo}» in rapid flights across the
head or back of the intruder, even at the apjuirent risk of his life.

Where several ])airs occujiy the same gar<len, their contests are freijuent,
iioisv, and uenerallv «iuite amusinii. In their H«dits with other birds for the
possessirm of a coveted hollow, their skill at barricriding freiiuently enables
the AVrens to kee[> triumphant jMjssession against birds much more powerful
than themselves.

Their food is exclusively inst'ctiv(.>r(»us, and of a (dass of destructi\e in-
sects that render them great benefactors to the farmer. Mr. Kennicott
ascertained that a single ^air of Wrens carried to their voung about a thou-
sand insects in a single (h\\.

The young, when they leave their nest, kee]) togt'ther for some tinu\ mov-
ing about, an interesting, sociable, and iictive groujt, under the ( barge (►f their
mother, but industrious in su]»]»lying their own wants.

The eggs of the Wren, usually fi'om seven to nine in number, are of a
rounded-oval sha]»e, at times nearly as broad as long. Their ground-color is
white, l»ut they are so thickly studded with markings and tine spots of red-
dish-brown, with a few occasional points of pur)»lish-slate, as to conceal their
ground. Their shaj»e varies from nearly spherical to an oblong-oval, .some
measuring .<>() by ..").") of an inch, others with the same breadth having a
length of .()7 of an inch.

Under the name of T/f)f/h>t/f/fis mnrrirfttii's. or Wood Wren. Air. Audubon
figured and described as a distinct .species what is imtbably only a somewhat

152 NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS.

liir«,^er and (lnrk<T form of tlie present .species, liardly distinct enouijli to lie
treated even as a race. Mr. AiuIhIkui nu?t witli an individual near Kast)>ort
in 18:^)2. Tlie younjjj were following; their ])arents through the tanjjfled re-
ces.ses of a dark forest, in search of fiMul. Others were obtained in the same
l)art of Elaine, near Dennisville, where Mr. Lincoln informed Mr. Audiihon
tliat this bird was the common Wren of the neij^hhorliood, and that they bred
in hollow logs in the woods, but seldom a})i>roac]ied farm-houses.

In the winter tbllowing, at Charleston, S. C, Mr. Audubon again met indi-
viduals of tliis suj)])osed s|)ecies, sliowing tlie same habits as in Maine, re-
maining in thick hedges, along ditches in the woods, not far from }>lantations.
The notes are described Jis differing considerably fr(>m those of the House
Wren. It has not been seen by Mr. Doardman, tliough resicUng in tlie
region where it is said to be tlie common Wren. l*rofessor Verrill mentions
it as a rare bird in Western Elaine.

Mr. Charles S. Paine, of liandolph, Vt., is the only natumlist who has
met with what he suj)i)oses were its nest and eggs. The following is his
account, communicated bv letter.

" The Wood Wren comes among us in the spring about the l()tli or loth
of April, and sings habitually as it skips among the brush and logs and
under the roots and stamps of trees. In erne instance I have known it to
make its a]>pearance in midwinter, and to be al>out the house and barn some
time. It is only occasionally that they spend the snnnner here (Central
Vermont). The ne.st from which I obtained the egg y(m now have, I found
about the f rst of duly, just as the young were about to fly. There were five
young birds and one egg. The nest was Imilt on the hanging bark of a de-
caying beech-log, close under the h)g. A great quantity of moss and rotten
wood had been collected and filled in around the nest, and a little round hole
left for the entrance. The nest was lined with a soft, downv sul)stance. I
have no doubt that they sometimes commence to breed as early as the middle
of May, as I have seen their young out in early June."

Mr. Paine discredits the statement that tliev build their nests in holes in
the ground. The egg leferred to by Mr. Paine is oval in shape, slightly more
pointed at one end, measuring .To of an inch in length by .53 in breadth.
The ground is a dead chalky-wlii.2, over which are sprinkled a few very fine
d(»ts of a light yellowish-brown, slightly more numerous al the larger end.
This ^<y^, while it bears some resemblance to that of the Winter Wren, is
totally unlike that of the House Wren.

TU<)(rL()DVTID.E — THE WUEXS. 153

Troglodytes 8Ddon, vai. parkmanni, Aud.

FABKXAN'8 WBEK ; WESTEBK WOOD WREN.

TroffhnhfUn IMtrkmnnni, Ari>. 0\\\. Bioj^. V, 1839, 310. — Ib. Synopsis, 1830, 76. — In.
Birds Am. 11, 1841, 133, j.l. cxxii. - lUiun, Hinls N. Am. 1N.>8, 3«;7 ; KNv. 140. -

C«.01'KU& SrCKLEY, r. 1?. I{. \U\}. Xll, II, 18»50, 1«>1 (lU'st). — Sci.ATKK, ( "iltill. \^i\\,

23, no. 146. — ('<m>i'Ki:, C-rn. (*al. I, 187<'. 71. Tn>ij!i whites sijhratris <Jamijkl, I'r. A.
N. Sc. HI, 1846, 113 (California, quotes erroneously Aid. T. anieriaiuas).

IlAn. Wostorn and Middle Provinces of United States. East to the Missouri River.
Western Arizona, C'orE.>4.

Altlioiigli the difterences between the ea.stern aud western House Wrens,
as stated in the Birds of North An)erica, are not very appreciable, yet
a comparison of an extensive series shows that they can hardly be consiil-
ered as identical. The "general color oi pnrl'maaiii above is i)aler and grayer,
and there is little or none of the rufous of the lower back and rump. The
bars on the upi»er surface are rather more distinct. The under parts are
more alike, as, while adon sometimes has flanks pnd crissum strongly tinged
witli rufous, other s})ecimens are as pale as in T. pftrlmanni.

Perhaps the most a])]>reciablo ditt'erences between the two are to be found
in the size and projiortions of wing and tail. The wing in parhnrnini is
quite decidedly longer than in (n/o.-i, measuring, in males, 2.12 to 2.15, in-
stead of 2.00 to 2 ur>. This is due not so much to a larger size as to a greater
development of the primaries. The first (piill is eiiual to or barely more
than half tlie .second '\\\ pavknidnni ; and the ditterence between the longest
primary and the tenth amounts to .:>2 of an inch, instead of about .20 in
a (Ion, where the tii"st ([uill is nearly half the length of the third, and much
more than half the length of the .second.

Haiuts. This western form, hardly distinguishable from the common
House Wren of the Kastern States, if recognized as a distinct species,
is its complete analogue in regard to habits, ne.st, eggs, etc. It was first
obtained by Townsend on the ('(dinnbia Iliver, and descril)ed by Audul)on in
IS.*)!). It has since been observed in various parts of the country, from the
]\Iississip])i Valley to the Pacific Coast, and from ('a])e St. Lucas to Oregon.

Dr. t'oo]>er, in his liirds of Washington Territory, sjieaks of this Wren as
common about Puget St)untl, wliere it appeared to be much less familiar than
our common Wren, tliough its habits and soni,' seemed to be verv similar. It
there tmiuented chiefiy the vicinity of woods and piles of h)gs^ neither
seeking nor dwelling in the vicinity of lumses. It arrives there about the
2()th of April. As observed al)out Vancouver in IS").'!, its song appeared to
Dr. C<»oper difierent from that of the T. arhn. He found one of their nests
built in a horse's skull that had been stuck upon a fence. Dr. Sucklev, who
observed these birds about Fort Steilacoom, describes their voice as harsh

and umnusical.

20

154 NUKTII A-MKKICAN IJlKp^.

Dr. Coo]>ei' has .since oliseivt'd them in ralitninia, and in tlie winter, in
the ('(»L»ra(l(> Valh'V, where thev roo.sted at ni«dit under the eave.s of the jxar-
ri.son l)uihlin«,^s. Tliey make their ai»j»earance at San Franci.scn us early
Its March 1(>, and nest at San Dii'i^ii in Ajtril. He has found their nests
in huHow trees at various heii^ljts, Irom tive to hnty feet, all composed of a
floor and liarricade «)f long dry twigs, grass, and hark, loosely placed, but so
interwoven as to leave only just s[)ace for the birds to .s«pi"eze in over them.
They are warndy lined with a large (juanlity of feathei-s. Their eggs he
• dves as from tive t(» nine in number.

The late Mr. Hepburn has furnished more full and exact information in
regard to this species. We give it in his own words.

"The T. jKirhinnnni is the common wren of Vancouver Island, far more
so than of California, where 1 have found the IV'wick's Wren (7'. hiridii)
nnich more numerous. Tarkman's Wren builds its nest in hollow trees in
Vancouver Island, about the middle of May, forming it of small sticks laid
at the bottom of the hole, neatly and comfortably lining it on the inside with
feathers that arch over the eggs. It will also readily avail itself of any
similar an»i eijually convenient cavity. I have known the.st' birds to laiild
under the roof of a fmme house, entering by a hole between the toj)most
board an(^ the shingles ; also in a hole in a gate-jmst, through which gate
peo])le were continually passing ; and also over a doorway, getting in by a
loose board, in a ])lace where the nest ci>uld be readied by the hand. In
lSr>2 I put a cigar-box, with a hole cut in one end, Itetween the forks of a
tree in a garden at Victoria. A ]>air of Wrens speedily took possession of
it and formed their nest therein, laying seven eggs, the first on the ISth of
May. The eggs of this Wren are white, thickly freckled with pink spots,
.so much so in some specimens as to give a general j»ink a]»pearance to the
euy; itself, but formiui; a zone of a tinker hue near the larger end. They
are .HI (tf an inch in length bv .."iO in width."

Their eggs resemble those of the T. adon so as to be hardly distinguish-
able, yet on comparing several sets of eacli there seem to be these constant
ditferences. The spots of the western species are finer, less marked, more
numerous, and of a pinker shade of reddish-brown. The eggs, too, range a
little smaller in size, though exhibiting great variations. In one nest the
average measurement of its seven eggs is .(10 by .50, that of another .set of
the same number .70 by .."*() of an inch.

In all resjjects, habits, manners, and notes, Tarkman's Wren is a ])eHect
cf>unt^r[>art of the eastern House Wren. In the country east of the Sierra
Nevada it almost wholly replaces the western Bewick's Wren (Thr/fofliuros
hcn'ickii, vnY.spi/uri's), and inhabits any wooded localities, as little preference
being given to the cottonwoods of the river valleys as to the aspen groves
high up in the mountains.

TK(HiL(H)VTIlXK — THK WKKNS. jij^

Troglodytes parvulus, nu hyemalis, Vikiil

WINTEB WHEN.

StfJviii fr<Hffin/ii/,'s, \yi\.sos. Am. Om. I, l.sos, ]:\9, j)l. viii, f. •». Ti-ntflt>,fiff,s fiitfiiifth's,
ViKiLLuT, Xouv. Diet. XXXIV, 1M'.», :.14. -An.. Uin. Hi.)-,'. IV, \s:\S, 4\io, pi.
cctlx. — Ii;. IJinls Am. II, l.s41, VIS, pi. <\xi. r..MKi», UinU N. Am. lfs:.8, 'MVJ ;
II.'V. H4. — Sn.AlKl;, 1'. /. S. IS.'.C, 2l»U (Coniovii, M<x.). — lu. ("atal. IStll. '_':{, no,
l.'>2. — Dai.l & H.VNMsTKU (AluskiiK — Cooi'Ki:, ihu. i'n\. i, l.s7<», 7.J.

Sp. rii.vK. liill very straiirlit, slciitkr, an<l nuiiral ; sliort«T than tin- li<a<l. Tail i.'oii-
.^iflcraMy .-hoiti-r ihau tli*- wiiiLfs, which n-acii to its iui<i<ll»'. I'iukt pails n-iMish-brown;
hecoinin<f l>ri*htfr to the nimp aii«l tail; everywhere. e.\ee[»t (Hi tlie head aiitl iij»i)er part
of the l>a<'k. witii transvt r.ve hms «.f dusky ami <>|" litrhter. S<'apulars ami winj^-coverts
with .spots of white. Heiieath pale redtiish-hrown, Itarred <»ii the posterior half of tlie
body with «liisky and whitish, and s|)otted wiih white more anteriorly; outer weh of
priniarie.s similarly spotle<l with pale hrowni.^h-white. An iiidi.stiiK.-t pale line over the eye.
Length, about 4 inehes; wing, lAHi: tail, I.*J(),

IIab. North Anieiit-a p-nerally. Sonth to Cordova, ^[ox.

Western s])eciiiieii.s may be .se})arate(l as a variety parifirns (B.\iRn, liev.
Am. Birds, 1S()4, 14.")), liased on the much darker colors and the almost entire
absence of the whitish spots amonj,^ the dark bars. The under parts are more
rufous ; the tarsi are shorter, the chiws laru:er, the bill strai^'hter and more
slender.

Tlie Winter Wren is very closely relattMl to the common Wrtm (T. parrn-
li's, Koch) of Europe, .so nmcli so, in fact, that the two almost seem to be
varieties of one species. T! e ditl'erences, as shown in a lari^e series from
both continents, are the following: In T. p<trntlns there is a tendency to
more uniform sliades ; and the prevailing tint anteriorly, beneath, is a pale
yellowish-ash, almost immacuhite, instead of brov.nish-ochraceous, showing
minute specks and darker edges to the feathers. In extreme specimens of
T. panwJvA the bars even on the tail and wings (except ]>riniaries, where
they are always distinct) are very obsolete, while on the lower ])arts they are
ccmfined to the flanks and crissum. Sometimes, however, specimens of the
two are found which are almost undistinguishable from each other. In
fact, it is only by taking tlie ]>lainer Euro[)ean birds and comi)aring them
with the darker American examples ironi the northwest coast, that the dif-
ference between T. porrtf./ns and 7\ /iz/cuKdis is readily ajipreciaVde.

HAiiiTs. The Winter Wren, nowhere very abundant, seems to be dis-
tributed over the whole of Xorth America. Hardly di.stinguishable from
the common Wren of pAirope, it can scarcely be considered as distinct.
The habits of our s])ecies certainly seem to be very different from those
assigned to the Eurftj)ean bird, which in England ai)])ears to l)e as common
and as familiar a bird as even the Kedbreasi. The small size and retiring
habits of our s])ecies, as well as its nnfrequent occurrence, and only in wild
places, combine to keej[> its history in doul)t and obscurity. It is supposed

loG NOUTll AMKIilCAX JilKUS.

tu \te iiurtheru in its distrilMitinii (liiiiii«' the brei'diim-soason, v^ot only Ji
siiij^le sjKiciineii was olaaiiUMl l>y Sir .lohii liieliardson, and tliat on the
n(Hthein shures of Like llunui.

On tlie I'aritic eoast I)r. Coojht re«^arde<l tlie Winter Wren as the most
common sjjeeies in the forests of Washin,i::ton Territory, where it frequented
even the densest jMjrticjns, and wliere its lively son<,' was alnuKst the oidy
sound to be heard. It was most commonly seen in winter, retirim: in sum-
mer to the mountains to l)reed. He observed young birds on the Coast
Mountains in July.

Dr. Suekley also states that this Wren was f<»und at Fort Steilacoom more
almndantly in the winter than any other sjuicies. It was very unsuspicious,
allowing a very near approach. The dense fir forests, among fallen logs,
were its usual places of resort during the long, damp, and dreary winters
of Oregon. J)r. Suekley regarded the habits of this species and those of
the Parknian Wren as nearly identical. Mr. liischotl" obtained lour sjieci-
mens in Sitka.

Mr. Audubon found this species at Eiistport, on the 9th of May, in full
song and (juite abundant. A niontli later he found them e(iually ])lentiful
in the Magdalen Islands, and afterwards, aljout the middle of July, in Lai)-
rador. He described its song as ex(ellin<» that of anv bird of its size with
which he was acipiainted, being full of cadence, energy, and melody, and as
truly musical. Its jxjwer of ontinuance is saiil to be very surprising.

The characteristics of the Winter Wren are those of the whole family.
They moves with rapidity and juecision from place to place, in short, sudden
liojjs and tlights, bending downward and keej)ing their tails erect. They
will run under a large root, through a hollow stum]) or log, or between the
interstices of rocks, more in the manner of a mouse than of a bird.

The writer lias several times <>l)served these Wrens on the steep sides of
Blount Washington, in the month of June, moving about in active unrest,
disapi)earing and reap]>earing among the broken masses of granite with
which these sloi)es are strewn. This was even in the most thickly wooded
portions. Thougli they evidently had nests in the neighborhood, they couhl
not be discovered. They were unsus]>icious, could be ai)proached within a
few feet, but uttered (querulous com])laints if one persisted in searching too
long in the places they entered.

This Wren, as I am informed by Mr. P>oardman, is a c«)mmon summer resi-
dent near Calais, Me.

Mr. Audubon met with its nest in a thick forest in Pennsylvania. He
followed a j>air of these birds until tliey disappeared in the hollow of a protu-
berance, covered with moss and lichens, resembling the excrescences often
seen on forest trees. The aperture was ])erfectly nmnded and (piite smooth.
He put in his finger and felt the pecking of the bird's bill and heard its
querulous cry. He was obliged to remove the parent bird in order to see the
eggs, which were six in nund»er. The parent birds made a great clamor as

TUociLoDVTID.K -THE WKKNS. ir)7

he was e.\aiiiiniii«^^ them. The nest was seven inches in h-njith and ionr and a
half in hreadth. Its walls wei-e eonHM>se«l of mosses and liehens, and were
nearly two inches in tliickness. The cavity was very warndy lined with the
fnr of the American iiare and a few soft feathers. Anotlier nest found on
the Mohawk, in New York, was similar, hut smaller, and huilt a;^ainst the
side of a rock near its Itottom.

^Ir. William F. Hall met with the nest and e;4^s of this hird at C'am]»
SelM»is in the central eastern }»f»rtion of Maine. It was l»uilt in an unoccujaed
lo^'-hut, amonu the tir-leaves and mosses in a crevice l>etween the lo^s. It
was hirj^e and hulky, conijiosed externally of mosses an<l lined with the fur
of hed«^e-ho,i;s, and the feathers of the spruce partridj^e ami other hirds. It
was in the shapes of a j»ouch, an«l the entrance was neatly frameil with tine
pine sticks. The eji^rs were six in nund»er, and somewhat resend>led those of
the Pon/s nfrint/n'/ins. The female was seen and fully identitied.

In this nest, wliich measuR-d hve and three (piarters inches hy five in
breadth, the size, solidity, and stren^ith, in view of the diminutive ]»roportions
of its tiny architect, are (piite remarkahle. The walls were two inches in
thickness anjl verv stron<jlv im])acte(l and interwoven. The cavitv was an
inch and a (juarter wide and four inches deep. Its hendock framework had
l>ee!i made of j^neeii materials, and their strong and aj,n'eeal»le odor j>ervaded
the structure. The eir^'s measured .()."> l»y .4S of an inch, and were s])otted
with a hrij.;ht reddish-hrown and a few pale markin^s of pur] dish-slate, on a
pure white pound. Com] tared with the e<x;j;s of the Kuro])oan AVren their
eu^'s are larger, less oval in sha]»e, and the sjxits much more marked in
their character and distinctness.

TroglodjTtes parvulus, var. alascensis, Baiud.

ALASKA WBEH.

Trotjhnbttai ahisci lists, Baikd, Trans. Chirajjo A»a«l. S«'. I, ii, 315, pi. xxx, fig. 3, 1869. —
Dam. vt P>A.\NisTKU (Ala.ska). ^ FkiKscH, Oinith. X. W. Aim'iika.s, 1872, 30.

Sp. Chak. $ ad.. »)1,:3-J9, Aiuaknak Island, I'lialasi-hka, Oct. 'Jl. 1S71 ; W. II. Dall.
Al»ove niiiUei-l)r<)\vii, iiioro nifi'sccnt on tli*- wiiitrs. nuiip. and tail; sccuudarics and tail-
feathers sliowiniL' indistint-t transverse dnskv liars: ])riniaries alumt ei|ii;illy l»arred with
blackish and dilute uniher or l>n»\vnish-\vhil<' ; nuddle-c«>verts tipped with a sjnall white
dot, preceded hy a hla«-k <tne. Lower |>art, inclndinir a rather distinct sujtciciliary stripe,
pale oehraceous-uniher ; sides, llanks. ahdoint'U. and crissuni distinctly barred with dusky
and whitish on a rusty irroun«l; crissuni with sagittate t;pots of white. Wing, 2.20; tail,
l.fiO ; culnien, .05 ; tarsus. .75.

Hab. Aleutian an<l Pribylow Islands, Alaska.

The specimen above described re]iresents about the averatre of a larjjje
series obtained on Amaknak Island bv Mr. Dall. Thev vary somewhat
amon'C themselves as re«;ards dimensions, lait all are verv much laruer than

158

NORTH AMERICAN BIRD>?.

any specimens of T. la/t mnlU, from which it also (litters in longer, straighter,
and more subulate bill (tlie gonys slightly ascending). The type sj)ecimen
from St. (Jeorge's Island was innnature, and we embr.ice the oi)portunity of
giving the description of an adult sent down with several others in the
autumn of 1871 by Mr. Dall from Unalasclika.

This form l)ears the same relati<jn to T. h}/*nnali>i that Mr/ospiza mia-
/((sc/il'ensi.^ does to J/, ladodia ; T. pacijicus, like M. riijina, being an inter-
mediate form.

Habits. Of this new variety, the Alaska Wren, but little is as yet
known as to its personal history. Mr. Dall states that it is foinid in abun-
dance all the year round on St. George's Island, and that it breeds in May,
building a nest of moss in the crevices of the rocks, and, according t(j the
Aleuts, lays six eggs. Mr. Dall sul)se(iuently found it quite common at
Unalasclika in the summer of 1871.

Genus CISTOTHORUS, Cahan.

Cisfofhonis, Cabanis, Mus. Ht-in, IS.'.O, 1851, 77. (Type, Tnxjlodtthji alclhiris.)
TiJiimfnihitrs, Cauanis, Mus. Hein. 1850, 1851, 78. (Ty|H', Ccrthln pahisfris.)
Thryothoms, Vieillut, Analyse, 1816, according to G. K. Gray.

Gkn'. Char. Bill about as loiiGr as the head or much
short«*r. much compressed, not notched, gently decurved
fioni the middle: the jronys sliirhtly concave or straight.
Toes reaching to the end of the tail. Tarsus longer than
the middle toe. Hind toe longer than the lateral, shorter
than the middle. Lateral toes about equal. Ilind toe
longer than or t-qua' to its digit. Wings rather longer
than the tail, all the leathers of which ; e nnjch gradu-
ated ; the lateral only two thirds the middle. The
feathers narrow. Back black, conspicuously streaked
with white.

Cistot/iorus paliistris.

Of this genus there are two sections, Cutothorns proper and Tthnntodiftrs,
the diagnoses of which have already been given. The two Xorth American
species present the feature, unii^ue among our Wrens, of white streaks on
the back.

A. Cisto thorns. Pill half length of head. No white superciliary streak. Head

and rump and back streaked with white. Tail dusky. l>arred with brown. C steUan's.

B. Telmatodytes. Bill length of head. A white superciliary stripe. Back

alone streaked with white. Tail-feathers black, barred with whitish . C. pahisfris.

TKOGLODYTID.K-TJLE WKEXS. 1.3<J

Cistothorus stellaris, Caban.

SHOBT-BILLED MAKSH-WBEN.

Troijliuhjh.s sUlhiris, "LiciiT." Naimann, Vogt-l l)«'Uts<;hl:in<ls, III, 182.'^, 724 (Tarolina).
Cisf of/torus sftlla/Ls, (ad. Mus. Htiu. 77. — 1»aiui». IJirds N. Am. 1S58, '3Gr> ; IWv.
146. — ScLATEli, Catal. 22, no. 142 (in part). TrofjI„t/i/fis hnvimstris, NrxT. Man. I,
1832, 436. -Am. Om. Ww^. II, 1834. 427, 1>1. « Ixxv. — Ib. IJirds Am. II, 1841, 138,
1»1. cxxiv. C. ikijans, SjLATKU & .Salvin, Ibis, 1851», 8.

f^p. CnAi{. r>ill verv .^short. scarci'ly half the kMi<rth of the head. "Win*,' and tail about
tMlual. lIiii(U'r part of tho (tdwii and thf scapular and interscapular region of the back and
nnn[» almost black, stn-akcd with white. Tail dusky, the leathers barred throughout with
brown (the color grayish on the under surface). IJcncath white; the sides, upper part of
breast, and under tail-eoverts reddish-brown. L'j>pi'r partes, with the exceptions men-
tii)ned. reddish-brown. Length, 4. oO; wing. 1.7.'); tail, 1.7o.

IIab. Eastern Province of Tnited States, west to Louj) Fork of Platte.

TIrtc* is a closely iillied vjiriety from ^lexico and (riiiiteniala (C. degnns,
ScLATKii & Salvin, Pr. Z. 8., 18.jU, 8) wlikli ditiers iii the cLamcters stated
behnv.

White dorsal streaks extending to the rump, v.hich is' eon.spicuously ban<led with
brown, and somewhat spotted with whitish. Beneath, including lining of
wings, light eimuunon-brown ; throat and belly paler, almost white ; sides and
crissmn very obsoletely ])arred with darker, and faintly sjjotted with whitish.
Feathers of jugnluni like sides, but with the color obscured by the paler edges.
Tarsus, .Go long. JIuh. Eastc^rn Province of United States . . . C. stellaris.

Streaks on back confined to interscapular region : rump and upper tail-coverts
almost plain reddish-brown. Beneath much paler than iti ,sfellaris^ witliout any
appreciaV)le indication of bars or spots on sides and crissum, or of the fulvous
of the jugular feathers. Inside of wings snowy-white. Tarsus, .72 long.
Mab. Mexico and Guatenmla ; Brazil ?....... C eltfjuns.

The ditlereiices between these two varieties are just barely a])i>reciable
when specimens of the two, of corresi)onding seasons, are compared. Two
Mexican examples (elff/ans) ditl'er more from each other tlian one does
from North American specimens ; because one (a typical sj)ecinien received
from Salvin) is in the worn, faded, midsummer plumaue, and the other in the
perfect autunmal dress. liesides the longer tarsi of these Mexican birds,
their tails, and even their bills, are longer than seen in Xorth American skins.
IJut while these dill'erences between the Xorth American and ^lexican birds
are just apj)reciable, there is one from lirazil (51,017, Sr. Don Fred. Allm-
(pier«[ue) wliich is exactly interme^liate between these two varieties in color,
while in size it is even smaller than the North American ones, measuring as
follows: wing, 1.6(1; tail, !.()(>; culmen, .4.", tarsus, .01.

Even if recognizable as belonging to different varieties, these specimens
are ceHainly all referable to one S2)ecies.

Ha 'ITS. The Short-billed Marsh Wren is very irregularly distributed
throughout the United States, being found from Georgia to the British

100

NOIITJI AMKItlCAX KIRDS.

Cistotliorus pn' '"-is.

into an anjjfiv and petulant cyv.

Provinrt's, and from tlic Atlantic to Ww Tapper Missouri. It is nowhere
al)undant, and in many lavi^^e [>ortions of intervening territory has never
been found.

It is exchisively an inhabitant of h>w, fresh-water marslies, open swamps,

and nuiuhjws, is never found on hiizh
iiround, and is verv shv an<l dittieult of
jipprnaeh. It makes its fii-st appearanee
in Massachusetts earlvin Mav, and h'aves
I'arly in September. In winter it has
U'en found in all the (Julf States, from
Florida to Texas.

According to Xuttall, this Wren has a
lively an<l tjuaint soni;, delivered ear-
nestlv and as if in haste, and at short
intervals, eitlier from a tuft of sedge or
from a low bush on tlie edixe of a marsh.
When apj>roaehed, the song becomes
liarsher and more hurried, and rises
In the early part of the season the male is
quite lively and nmsical. These Wrens spend their time chiefly in the long,
rank grass of the swamps and meadows searching for insects, their favorite
food.

Their nest is constructed in the midst of a tussock of coarse hiiih crrass,
the to[)s of which are ingeniously interwoven into a coarse and strong cover-
ing, spherical in sha})e and closed on every side, except one small aperture
left f(»r an entrance. The strong wiry grass of the tussock is also interwoven
witli tiner materials, making the wliole impervious to the weather. The
inner nest is composed (»f grasses and finer sedges, and lined with soft, vege-
table (h)wn. The eggs are nine in nundier, ]»ure wliite, and rather small for
tlu^ l)ird. Thev are exceedinglv delicate and frauile. more so than is usual
even in the eggs of Humming- liirds. They are of an oval shape, and measure
.Go bv .4.") of an inch.

^Ir. Xuttall conjectured that occasionally two females occu]»ied the same
nest, and states that he has known the male bird to busy itself in construct-
ing seveml nests, not more than one of which would be used. As these birds
rear a second brood, it is [)rol)able that these nests are built from an in-
stinctive desire to have a new (me in readiness for the second brood. This
peculiarity has l)een noticed in other Wrens, where the female sometimes
tul;es possession of the new abode, lays jind sits uj)on her second set of eggs
before her first brood are ready to fly, which are left to tlie charge of her
matt?.

^Ir. Audulton found this Wren bleeding in Texas. Dr. Trudeau met tiiem
on the marshes of the Delaware IJiver, and their nest and eggs have been
sen.t to us from the Koskonong marshes of Wisconsin. It has also been found

TROGLODYTID.E — THE WRENS. IfJ

ill the marshes of C'oniiec ticut Iliver, near TTarttV.rd ; and in Illinois Mr. Ken-
nicott found it anion.i,' the Ioii^l,' grasses bordering on the prairie .sloughs.

In Ma.s.saehusetts I have occasionally met with tlieir nests, hut only late
in July when the rank grass of the low meadows lias heen cnit. Tiiese
were probahly their .second hrood. The nest being built chj.se to the ground,
and made of the living gr«is.ses externally, the> are not distinguishable from
tlie unoccuj.ied tussocks that surround them.

Cistothorus palustris, Baird.

LOKO-BILLED MABSH WHEN.

Var. palustiis.

Certhia palnstris, Wilson, Am. <)m. II 1810, 58, pi. xii, tig. 4 (Penua). Troglodi/tct, jxt-
liustris, Hon. Ohs. Wils. 1824, uo. ♦!(). — Am. Orn. Biog. I, 1831, 500, pi. c. — 1b.
Birds Am. II, 1841, 1:35, pi. cvxiii. — 1{kinhaui)T, IbLs, 1861, 5 ((iodtluuib, Green-
land). Tfinjofhortus jhiliistns, Nnr. Man. I, 18:32, 4:39. Vistothorus {Tclmt(tod)jtcs)
pnhistrift, Hahu), Birds N. Am. 1858, :3t)4 ; Kev. 147. — Sci.atku, Catal. IStJl, 22.
Thnjothoiuit animUiOHi ks, V'ikii.Lot, Nouv. Diet. XXXIV, 1819, 58 (not Trmj.
arundinncruti, VlKil.Lor). TJiriioflmrns arundiiKictiis, Bon. C'onsp. 1850, 220. Td-
nmtodytea arundiaactiis, Cab. Mas. Ili-in. 1850; 78.

Hab. Eastern Tnitod States. iVoni the Missouri River; Greenland? Rkinharut ;
Mexico, and Guatemala? Cor(U)va. Sci.atku.

Var. paludicola.

Cistothorn.'i pt'Iustris, var. jKihidivoln, Baii;i>, Rev. Am. B. 1864, 148. Troffhd>ft>\s jhiIus-
tris, Newb. p. K. Hep. VI, iv, 1857, 80 (ra<iti<t region). CisMhorus jMflufitn.s, Cooi'KU
& Sn-KLF.Y, P. K. Rep. X, ii, 1859, 190 (W. T.) — Coofkh, Orn. L'al. I. 1870, 75.
Ccrfhia pilK.sfi'is, Loun, Pr. R. Art. Inst. IV, 117.

Sp. Char. Bill about as? long as head. Tail and wing nearly e([\ial. Tpper parts of a
dull reddish-brown, except on tiie erown, interscapular region, outer surface of tertials,
and tail-feathers, which are almost black: the first Avitii a median pat«h like the groun<i-
color ; the second with short streaks of wiiite, extending round on the sides of the neck :
the third intlented with brown ; the fourth barred with whitish, decreasing in amount
from the outer feather, which is marked fioni the base to th<^ tifth. where it is contined to
the tips; the two middle feathers above like the back, an<l barred throughout with dusky.
Beneath rather pure white, the sides an<l under tail-coverts of a lighter shad<^ of brown than
the back ; a white streak over th<_' eye. Length. "\.")0 ; wing, 2.08; tail, 2.00. (1,4.'>4.)

Hab. Paeitic Coast and Miildle Province of rniteil States.

In comparing a series of Marsh Wrens of eastern North America with
vvcstern, we find that they dilf«*r very appreciably in certain characteristics,
which may be expressed l)y the following diagnoses: —

Bill lengthened, e«pu\l to tarsus. Tad-coverts above and below either perfectly
plain, or with very obsolete l)ands. leduced to obscure spots beiu-ath. Bands
on tail broken ; .scarcely appreciable on the middle feathers . . yar. pn h> st r i s .

Bill shorter than tarsus. Tail-eov«'rts distinctly banded all across. Bands on tail

quite distinct ; appreciable on the central leathers . , . , \i\r. pal u di cola ,

21

162 NORTH AMKKICAN JilliDS.

Tlie ditt'ereiices betwet-n thl^'<e two mces is iniicli more appreciable than
tliose between Trwilndutes (rtlon and 1\ *' pKrk/na /mi" ; the must striking
chameter is the much k)nLi:er bill of the var. iKilnstrU.

Specimens of the var. palHilintIo from the interior are ])aler and more
• Tavish-brown alK»ve, and have h^ss distinct bai*s on the tail-coverts and tail,
than in Pacitic coast specimens, while on the crown the brown, instead of
the black, largely predomiu.ites.

Habits. The common ^Marsh Wren ap])ears to have a nearly unrestricted
range throughout North America. It occurs on the AtLmtic coast from ^las-
sachusetts to Florida, and from the Atlantic to the Pacific, and as tar north
as Washington Territory on the west coast. A single specimen was procured
in (ireenland. It is not, however, at all common in these more northern
latitudes. Mr. Drummiuid, of Sir John Iiichardscn's ]»arty, met with it in
the ooth pamllel on the eastern declivity of the IJocky Mountains and in the
Saskatchewan Vallev. Dr. CV)o])er found it earlv in ^larch in the salt marshes
along the coast of Washington Territory, and tlunks it winters in that section.
On the Eastern coast it is not common as far north as Massachusetts, a few
being found at CVnnbridge and in I5arnstable ( 'ounty. It is abundant near
Washington, I). C, and throughout the country in all suitable locations south
and west from Pennsylvania. Mr. Pidgway found it plentiful in Utah.

They frequent low marshy grounds, whether near the sea or in the inte-
rior, and builu in low bushes, a few feet from the ground, a well-cf»nstructed
globular nest. On the Potomac, wliere the river is subject to irregular tides,
they are generally not less than five feet from the ground.

These uests are nearly spherical, and both in size and shape resemble a
cocoanut. Thev are made externallv of coarse sedges tirndv interwoven,
the intei^tices being cemented with chiy or nnul, and are impervious to
the weather. A small round orifice is left on one side for entrance, the up-
per side of wliich is also protected from the rain l)y a ]>rojecting edge. The
inside is lined with fine gmsses, feathers, the down of the silk-weed, and
other soft and Marni vewtable substances. These birds arrive in the Middle
States early in May and leave early in Se})tember. Tliey have two broods
in the season, and each time construct and occupy a new nest.

Audubon describes its nest as built among sedges, and as usually partly
constructed of the sedges among which the nest is built. This is the usual
manner in which the V. sfelhris builds its nest, but I have never kiiown
one of the present s])ecies building in this manner, and in the localities in
Mhich they la-eed, near the coast, being subject to irregular lieights of tides,
it could not be done with safety.

The note of the Marsh Wren is a low, hai*sh, grating cry, neither hnul nor
musical, and n'ore resembling the noise of an insect than the vocal utter-
ances of a bird.

Their food consists chietly of small atjuatic insects, nunute nitdlusks,
and the like, and thes*^ they are very expert in securing.

TROGLODVTID.K-TIIE WKKNS. l(\?,

Tlio e<:<:^ of tins sju'cit's avt-ri^ue .Or» of an iiu^li in lenj^jtli and .HO in
breadth, fljcy are, in c«)l(»r, in striking contrast with those of the C. ste/-
i<n-i.-i, being so tliiekly marked with Idotches and spots of a deep cliocolate-
brown as to be almost of one uniform cidor in appearance. They are of an
ovid shape, at times almost splieroidal, one end being but slightly more
pointed than tlie other. They number from six to nine.

In a few instances e*i^fi of tliis species from the Mississip])i Valley and
from California are of a light ashy-gray color, the markings being smaller
and of a much lighter color.

"We have thus completed the account of the Oscine Singing-Birds with
slencka- bills not hooked at tlie end, and whicli have ten distinct primaries;
the first or outer one, however, either (juite small ov else considerably shorter
than tlie second. We now come to a series with only nine primaries, the
first being entirely wanting, and the second, now the outermost, nearly or
unite as long as the third. In the [)reliminary tables of general arrange-
ment will be found the comparative cliaracters of the different families
of Oscincii, but the diagnosis of the series refeiTcd to is presented here, as
folhjws : —

Common" Ciiaracteks. Primaries nine: the first quill nearly as \onfr as the second or
third. Tarsi distinctly soutellato tlu' whole lenj^th anteriorly. Bill conical, but slender or
dej)ressed, usually, exce{)t in ( '(trebuhc, half the lentrth of the head; more or less bristled,
or noteiie<l. Nostrils oval or rounded. Lateral toes nearly or quite equal, and shorter
than the middle ; the basal joint of the middle free nearly to its base externally, united
for about half internally.

Motacillidae. IJill slender. Culmeii sliu^htly concave at base. Lei^'s lonjr ; claws but
little curved. Hind toe considfrably lonirer than the middle one; its claw much loiiufcr
(twice) than the middle claw ; all the claws but slightly curved, [nnermost secondaries
(so-called tertials) elouiratcd, nnich longer than the outer secondaries; and the fifth pri-
mary emargiuated at end. Nest on g-rouml.

Sylvicolidae. JJill rather slender, conical, or depressed. Culmen straight or convex.
Hind toe shortor than the middle: the »-laws all nuich curved. Hind claw not conspie-
uouslv lonirer than the mid<lle one. When the hin<l toe is Icnirthened, it is usuallv in the
di'jfit, not the claw. Tertials trenerallv not lonjrer than the secondaries, and not emargi-
nated. Gape wiile : tongue slightly split at end. Nest vari(tusly placed.

Caerebidae. Similar to Sifln'ru/itla: Bill generally longer: ecjual to head or more.
Gape of mouth narrow ; tongue generally mu(;h fringed at the end. Nest on trees.

The Ttrnaffn'thr, the Frin<iilli(hr, and even the Lit riihr, come very near
these families, as will be ex])lained farther on, all agreeing in having the
nine primaries, and in many other characters.

164 NORTH AMHKICAN TUKDS^

Family MOTACILLID-ffi. — The AVa(;tails.

Char. Bill slender, conioal. nearly as hiirh .is wi<le at ihe base, with flight notch at the
tiji ; the euhnen sli^'-htly eonrave above the anterior extremity of the nostrils; siiort bris-
tles at gajK', wiiieh, however, <lo nut extend foiward to nostrils. Loral feathers actd and
dense, but with bristly points; nasal jrroove lilled with nuked membrane, with the elon-
jjated nostrils in lower edi^e ; the tVontal leathers cominfr n[> to the aj)erture, but not direc'te«l
tbrwanl nor overhanjj^injr ii. Win^s len*:thened an<l sliar{)-pointed ; the jtrimaries nine
(without s[»urious first), of which the first three to five, eonsid«'rably lonjjer than the
sueeeedin<r, form the tip; the exterior seeondaries «renerally much «'mar<iinated at the
ends; the inner se<-ondaries (so-calleil tertials) nearly etpial to the lonjjest primaries. The
tail rather narrow, emartrinate. Tarsi lenirthened, scntellate anteriorlv only, the hind elaw
usually very lonjjr. acute, and but slii^hily curved (except in Moforiffa). Iimer toe cleft
almost to the very bjise. outer adherent for basal ioint onlv.

The combination of naked nostrils, notcliecl l)ill, and nine primaries, with
the tarsi scuteUate anteriorlv onlv, will at once distinmiish the Antliina' of
this family from the Ahaidnlrv, which they so closely resemVde in c<doration,
habits, and lengthened hind claw. The lengthened, sli^ditly curved hind
claw, much ]>ointed wini^s, emarijfinated secondaries, — the inner ones nearly
as long as the primaries, — distinguish the family from the SylviwUda', with
which also it has near relationships.

Subfamilies and Genera.

Motacillinse. Tail lonjrer than or ecpial to wiui^s : the two central feathers rather
lon.L'er than lateral ; the feathers broadest in middle, whence they taper jjradually
to the rounded tip. Colors uniform: jrray, Itlack, yellowish ; without pale edges
to feathers above, or streaks below.

Tail from cocevx considerably lonirer tlian the winirs, doubly forked. Ilind

claw shorter than the toe; decidedly < urved MofaeiUa.

Tail from coccyx equal t(» the win^rs. sliirhtly graduated. Iliud claw de-
cidedly lonirer than the toe, sliirhtly ciuved B'i<Jijfes.

Anthinae. Tail short<T than the wintrs, <'maririnate at end, the two central
.shorter than lateral ; the feathers l)njadest near the end, and roundmsr rapidly at
end. Above irravish-brown. the feathers edire«l with paler. Under parts streaked.
Wintrs nmch pointed and lenjrthened.

Hind toe and elaw shorter than tarsus: outstret<-lu'd toes fallinof short

oftipoftail \iithur..

Hind toe and claw lonirer than tarsus; outstretched toes ex teiidiuL' be-
yond tip of tail Xeocorys.

Winprs short and roimded.

Point of wiiiirs formed by o.itL'r four primaries of nearly equal

lentrth Xotiocorijs.^

Point of win<r formed by outer five i»rimaries, the first shorter than
tJie third Pediocorys}

J y. rnfh, Baird. {Ala win nifn, (JmI':mx, Syst. Nat. f, 1788, 798.)

- P. bvyutcHsis, BAii:i». {Anf/ms hiKfofeu.sis, ScLATKii, P. Z. S. 1855, 109, }>1. ei.)

MOTACILLID.K THE WAGTAILS.

16"]

siBFAMiiY MOTACILLIN^

Oenus MOTACILLA, Linn.

Motacilla, Linn. Syst. Nat. (TyiH-, MoUicilla albn.)

Tlie (liajriiosis already uiven of Motticillu will serve to define it. Tlu^
genus is an Old World one, represented by several species, only one of which
(J/, alhu) is entitled to a place here from occurring in Greenland.

Motacilla alba, Linn.

WHITE WAGTAIL.

MoUicillii idhi,, Linn. Syst. Nut. I'itli mL 17(>0, :J:31. —Keys. & Blas. "\Viil». Europ. 1840,
xUx, and 174. — Dkulaxd, Orn. Eiiioi». L ls4y, 4:53. — Rkinhakdt, Ibis, 1861, 6
(Grfeiilan.l). — Nkwton, Haring-GouM's livlaiul, 18G:3, \\)\}. ("rather pli-ntiful"). —
BAiitn, K.>v. Am. H. ISfU, l.o2.

Figim* : Gould, Binls EurDix', 143.

Sp. Ciiah. (JX410 (J, Nurnlx'iy). Ftirchead as far back as abovo tho e\'os, with si(h'S
of head and mrk, white ; the remaining portion of head and neek above and below
to the jngnhnn, Uack ; the rest
of under parts white. Up-
per parts ashy-gray, including
rump ; the upper tail-coverts
tinged with black. "Wings
with two conspicuous bands
and the outer ed^'cs of the sec-
ondaries white. Tail-feathers
black ; the outei- two white,
edged with black internally.
Bill and legs black. Ti[) of
winjjf formed by outer three
j)rimaries ; the distance be-
tween the third and fourth
about one third that between

the fourth and fifth. Tarsi lenjrthened ; claw small ; hintl toe and claw shorter than the
middle, its claw short, considerably curved, less than the toe alone ; lateral toes nearly
equal. Lt'ugth, 7.30 ; wing, 3.45 ; tail, 3.90 ; bill from nostril, .37 ; tarsus, .80; lund toe
and claw, .50.

IIab. (\)ntinental Ein-op(\ rarer in Enirland; Iceland; ( J reenland (only two spet'imens
seen); Siberia; Syria; Nubia, etc.

MotaciUa yarrrUi, a closely allied species, by some considered a variety
only, differs in having the rump black, the ashy of the back glossed with
blackish, t'<nd with the black edging of the lateral tail-feathers broader.

Habits. The common White Wagtail of P^urope claims a place in the

Motarlfln alba.

l(i(i xonrii amf:ki('an bikds.

Xorth American fauna as an (H'oasional visitant of ( Jicenland, wliere in two
instances .single sjjecinims have l>een procurcil. It is found in all ]»ortions

of the Eui()i)ean Continent, from the
islands of the Mediterranean as far north
as the .Vrctic rei,'ions. It appears in Swe-
den in Aj)ril, and leaves there in Octoher.
Mr. (lould states also that it is found ill
the northern portions of Africa, and in
the liijL,dilands of India. It also occui-s,
though less fre(iuently, in England, where
it is replaced by a local race, or an allied
S])ecies, Mntinilhi //</>•/•</// of (lould. The
M(>ffiri//a aiha is said l>y Temminck tt> in-
hahit meadows in the vicinity of streams
of water, villages, and old houses. Its food is chietly insects in various stages
and of difl'erent kinds.

I^ builds its nest on the ground anion*'; the grass of the meadow, in fissures
ill rocks or decayed buildings, among the roots of trees, on the banks of
streams, in ))iles of wood and fagots, or under the arch of a bridge. The
nests are somewhat coarsely constructed of interwoven dry l>ent stems of
plants and reeds, with a finer lining of the same. The eggs, six in number,
are of a bluish-white ground thickly sprinkled with tine clottings, which are
most usually of a bhickish- brown color, sometimes ashy-gray or reddish-
brown.

The Pied Wagtail, J/. ;/<'?vr///, Degland and (Jerbe regard as a race, and
not a species. It has a limited habitat, ccjiitiiu I to Norway, Sweden, and
the IiHtish Islands, in the latter of which it is a resident throughout the
year. Besides their ditt'erence in jdumage, Mr. Varrell has noticed certain
ilitferences also of habit. The olhn is said not to be so paitial to water as
the pied species, and though often found near ploughed land, does not, like
its kindred s])ecies, follow the plough in search of insects. Mr. Hewitson also
states tliat it has a hoarser voice.

Like all the birds of this family, the Wagtail is much admired for the ele-
gance of its form, its activity, and the airy lightness of its motions. It seems
ever on the move, runs with great ra])iditv a <juick succession of stei)S in
pursuit of its food, and goes from jdace to place in short undulating Hights.
It has a cheeiful chir]>ing iK>te which it uttei's while on the wing. When it
alights, it gives a graceful fanning movement with its tail, fioiu which it
derives its name.

The Pie<l Wagtail, whose hal>its have been mo.e closelv observed by Eng-
lish naturalists, has frecjuently been seen to wade into the water in search of
aquatic insects, and probably also of small fish, as in confinement they have
been known to catch and feed on minnows in a fountain in the centre of their
aviary. It is ])robable that the habits of the White Wagtail are not dissimilar.

M( n-ACILLID^K - TilK WAiiTAILS.

ir.7

Tlu'v It'Jivu their laeeiliiig-plsufs in Octolnii-, collecting and niuviiig in
small tlncks.

Their (-gs measure .7t> of an incli in length and .o'.l in hreadth. Tlie
•'roiuid-eolor is of a izravish-white so thiekly llceked with tint; asli-eol(»i('il
and hlaek dots as to give tlie entire egg the elfeet of a uniform dark ashen
hue.

CUVIER.

^Typc, Mof.acilhi fliivfi , LiNN.^

(iK.MS
Bf'rfi/fes, CrVIEK, K. A. 1817

The recenl diseovery of a speeies
<»f vellow-ltellie«l Wagtail in Norton
Sound, l»y the naturalists of the IIus-
sian Telegraph F^xiMMlition, adds an-
other niemher of an Old World fam-
ily to the list of American hirds.
Much confusion exists as to the pre-
cise iHimher of si>ecie8 in the genus,
some grouping together as varieties
what others consider as distinct spe-
cies. There is an unusual degree of
variation with age, sex, and season,
and this, cond)ined with strongly
marked geographical peculiarities, ren-
ders the proper solution of the prohlem impossibhi to any but those hav
ing access to large series.

45912

Budytes flava.

Budytes flava, I.ixn.

YELLOW WAGTAIL.

Motar HI n flava, LiNN. Syst. Xat. I (17»)6), 33. — FiNscii & TI.M:TL\rB, Vitriol Ostafrikas,
2<tS. BidltfUs fl4tri>, Ron. (183S). — MiDDKNOnnKF, snuristhr IJrisf, 11, ii (1852),
1«>8. — Dkoi.am) iS: (;eiibk, Oniith. Kuro]). I (ISH"), 37<). — r>Ainn, Trans, riiicafro
Acaul. S.i. I, ii, p. :31-2, j»l. xxx, fi<,'. 1 ; l.sc»i». Dall k Banmsikh, Tr. Ch. Ac. I,
18t>i>, 127. -Tkistkam, Uiis, 1871, 2:31. — Fins< n, 1872.

Sp. Ciiak. Description of sj>ccinuMi No. 4r).or2. taken at St. Michael's, Norton Sound,
June 0, 180(5, V)y H. M. Bannister. \bove, ineUniinfr ediro.*? of upper tail-coverts, rich
olive-jrreon, the top an<l sides ol" the head an<l neck pure ash-irray ; chin and well-marked
stripe from nostrils over the eye tf) tlie nape, Avhite; all under parts rich yellow, tinged with
olive on the sides. Strijie from corner of ujouth throng', the eye^ antl involving the car-
coverts, blackish-ash. Feathers of wings and tail dark brown ; the coverts and .seconda-
ries edged with olive (showing the obscure light wing-bars), the longest of the latter
edged externally with white; inj.erniost quills edged externally with white. Outer three
tpiills nearly equal an<i longest (the prolonged secondaries as long), the oth«'rs giaduating
less. Outer tail-feathers and shaft white ; the inner web edged externally with dusky,

1C8 NORTH AMKlMfAN IJIUIW.

wiiicli. hrtriimitiL' at th«' l»asr. luii^ <»ut irra<lually to tlic «'»ljr«', .il)ont luilfaii inch from tip
olfeatluTs; st-coiul iV-athtT with raflicr Itv^s wliitt*, ai.tl with a iiartuw hue of brown aloufj

the out»'r .«i<h' i>f thr >hat"t t<t within half
/^v an ini'ij i»f th«' tij>. iJill an«l U'j^'s Markish.

Dininisions (|trrj»;n»<l sjK'tinicn). To-
tal Ifngth. «;.<»(>: win,L'. iJ.OO ; tail. ;{.IM);
«'Xjm»s«m1 {Htrtion of lijst ]>ri!nary, 2.30.
iJill : k'ntrtli from forehead, (►..'jj^; fntni
nostril, ()M'>\ alonj; irapo, (>..")7. T^',ir< :
tarsus, 0.01 : niidille to«' and daw. 0.70;
claw aloiu', O.IO; hind toe and elaw, (►.(*.');
claw alone, o.;;»i.

A second speeinnii (No. 4.">.!H0) differs
in having ashy color of head obscured
Bu,h,u.s flava ^^''^^* olivai.-eous-hrown ; and the yellow

on breast showing' bi-ownish bjuses. Tiie
lipht markin<jrs on the wind's more clistinel and whit«T.

Another bird (Xo. 4'».0i;}). taken on shipb(»ard. about ninety miles we.«!t of St. Mat-
thew's Island. Hehriuir's Sea. Aui^ust lo. 18<»(J. apj)ears to be of the same species, in
autunnial dress. Hcrr tin- uj»per colors are more brown ; the lower parts ydlowi.sh-white
tin-red with browni.sh-fulvous across the breast and think. Kanitsehatkan .specimens of the
same staL'c of plumaire are very similar.

I am unable to distin«;iiish tliis sj^ecies from the Protean Bvih/te>i flava of
Europe and Asia. Many different races ai)pear to be found throughout this
wide circle of distribution, many of them more or less h>cal, but the jjropor-
tions and general character are the same in all, and the general tendency
appears to be to unite all into one sj)ecies. The sexes and ages of all the
species, real or sui>i)osed, vary very much, and, in tlie absence of a large
series, I can throw no light u})on the obscurities of the subject. I cite
above the latest general work on the birds of Europe, m which will be
found the principal synonymes.

The specimens from Alaska subnutted for examination to Mr. H. B. Tris-
tram were identified bv him as the B. tlava.

Haiuts. The Gray-headed Wagtail of Europe finds a place in the fauna
of Xorth America as a bird of Alaska, where specimens have l)een obtained,
and where it is, at least, an occasional visitant. It is not a common bird of
the British Islands, where it is replaced by a closely allied species. Only
seven or eight instances of its occurrence were known to Mr. YaiTell.

On the continent of Europe it isipiite an abundant s])ecies, inhabiting wet
springy ] daces in moist meadows, and frecptenting the vicinity^ of water and
the gravelly eilges of rivei*s. It is numerous in all the central portions of
Europe. It has also an extensive northern and eastern geographical range,
ajipearing in Norway and Sweden as early as April and remaining there
until Septeml)er. Linnteus met with it in Lapland on the 22d of May. It
occurs in Algeria. "Vubia, and Egypt. Mr. Oould has received it from the
Himalayas, and Temminck gives it as a bird of Japan.

Aecoi*ding to Degland, this bird is a very abundant species in France,

MoTACILLUKK — Tin: WACJTAILS. H](J

wlirrc it ii(">;ts (•!» the ^inund in the (.'orntioMs, in ojtcn ti(,'l«ls, meadows, antl
aniiil.i the .stan«lini4: uiain. It lays from lour to six cj^gs, of a l>ro\vnish-\H'l-
l<»\v on a rcdtlisli-whito ground, protustdy covered with tine dots of reildisli-
gray. wiiicli art^ more or h?ss eonthient. A few zigzag liiu's oi' (hirk hrown
or hlaek are found on tlie hirger end. They measure .♦l."'* of ar inch in h'ngtli
and .."»,"» in ])nadtli. It.s food is tlies, moths, small green caterpiUars, and
a«[uatic insects.

Hay's Wagtail, recognized hy some auth(»rs as a distinct sj)ecie.s, is proba-
hly only an insular race, chiefly found in the liritish Lshmds and in Western
-bVanct;. in the latter place hoth l>irds occur, and here also they have been
known to matt; the one with the other. Their nests and eggs are so alike
as not to be distinguishable. The former are constructe(l of tine fibrous
ro(»ts and tine stems of grasses, and are lined with hair.

Th 'se birds are remarkably social, collecting in small flocks soon after
leaving their nests, and until their autumnal migrations following the older
birds in (pie.st of food. They have two call-notes which are (piite shrill, and
are repeated in succession, the second being lower in tone. Xo menti<jn is
made by the naturalists of the Telegraph Ext>editi(>n of their having any song
other than these notes.

Mr. liannister first observed this species at St. Miciiael's, on the 9th or lOth
of June, and from that time until late in August they were among the most
abundant of the land-l>irds. l)uring the month of June he observed them
in flocks of twenty or thirty individuals. It seemed to be a ratli ,'r shy bird.
He described its flight as like that of our common (loldfinch, rising with a
few strokes of its wings, then closing them and describing a sort of paral>o-
loidal curve in tlie air. The only note wliich he hoard and identified as
uttered by this vSpecies was a kind of faint chirp, hardly to be called a song.
These birds seemed to prefer the open country, and were rarely observed in
the low brush, the only ai)i>roacli to woods found on the island.

SUIJFAMILY ANTHINiE.

The characters of this subfamily have already been detailed. The Ameri-
can sections mav be defined as follows, although whether entitled to rank as
genera may be (tuestioned : —

Common Characters. Tail deoidodly shorter than the wiuirj;: less than half the
vhole lonirth of bird; simply eniaririnate and rouuiknl. Hind claw lenirthened ;
onl}' shghtly curved. Feathers of back with paler edges ; l»reast streaked with
dnsky. Nest on the ground ; ecrgs finely nmttled so as almost to be unilbrm dark
brown (hi North American species).

a. Whifj-'i iyi'ich pointed, niiff /enr/fJiened.

Point of winir formed by four outer |>riniaries, of whiih the fourth some-
times a little .shorter than the third. Hind toe and claw as long os middle,
shorter than tarsus, the claw alone usually a little longer than the toe itself,
22

170

NUKTIl AMKlilCAX lUlJDS,

and sliLrlitly r-urvcil ; iinuT tin: ami rlaw loiiirer than tho (Uitcr; outstrt'tflicd

toi's lalliu;;: short olihr tip ol' tail ; hind tut' an«l i-htw shoitt-r than tarsus Aufhus.

Point of Avin^s fonned hy lour onti-r primaries, the lirst longest, or as long
as others. Leir^* stout, the outstretehed toes reaehini: almost to tip ol' tail.
Hind toe and <;law long'er than tarsus, the claw very long, but equal to the
toe pioj)er Xeoconjs.

h. ]Vi)ifjs s/iorf. roiDided.

Point of wings formed by lour outer primaries of nearly equal length . Xofiocon/s.^
Point of wings formed by live outer primaries, the lirst shorter than
third ............. Pediocon/s.-

Genus ANTHUS,

^HST.

Anthas, Bechst. Geiuein. Naturg. Deutschl. 1802. (,Tyix', Aluada spinolcUa.)

Char. Bill slender, much attenuated, and distinctly notched. A few short bristles at

the base. Culmen concave at the base. Tarsi
(piite tlistinctly seutellate; longer than the middle
toe: inner lateral toe the longer. Hind toe rather
shorter than the tarsus, V»nt longer than the middle
toe, owing to the long, attenuated, and moderately
curve<l hin<l claw, which is considerably more
than half the total lengtii of the toe. Tail rather
long, emarginate. Wing very long. consi«lerably
lonirer than the leuirthened tail, reachin}:: to its
middle. The first primary nearly equal to the
longest. The tertials almost as long as the prima-
ries.

Anthus lufioi-irianus.

But one species of this genus belongs
properly to Xorth America, although a sec-
ond is accidental in Greenland and Alaska. The diagnoses are as follows : —

Bill and feet blackish. Prevailing color above olive-brown. Beneath buff. Edge
and inside of wings white. Shafts of middle tail-feathers above dark brown

.1. hidoricianita.

Bill and feet dusky flesh-color. Prevailing color above olive-green : more <lis-
linctly streaked. Beneath greenish-white. Edge and inside of wings green-
ish-yellow. Shafts of middle tail-feathers above whitish . . . A. j^i'uten.si's.

Zander (Cahanis Journal, Extraheft T, l(Sr):>. (U) states that Anthifs ccr-
vin us, Pallas, is found in the Aleutian Islands. It is described as having

The feet yellowish-brown ; the two longest under tail-coverts with a blackish longitudi-
nal spot ; the longest tertial almost equal to the longest primary ; the shall of the first
tail-feather mostly w liite ; no green on the plumage ; the throat rust-color.

J Antlntfi {Xofim-onjs) rvfiis, B.\iun, Rev. Am. Biixls, 1864, 156 {Ahiuda rnfa, Gm.). 1Iid>.
Isthmus of Panama.

•^ Anthus {Ptdiitain/s) h^ffofcnsis, B.viKD, Hev. Am. Birds, lb64, 157 {AiUhun bogoteiusis, SCLA-
TEK). Hah. Ecuador, Colombia.

M(/rACI JJD.E— TIIK WACJTAILS.

171

Balpamus (Xaumaniiia, ISoT, 202) says he has received An f Juts aqna-
tirus ami its eugs fmin Liltr.uUir. This statement, however, vei|iiires veri-
ficatiuii.

Anthus ludovicianus, Lk itt.

TITLABK ; AMEBICAN PIPIT.

Alamhi huhn-icianii, (Jm. S. N. I, 17SS, 7i>3. Anthus Itnhn-icinnus, LirilT. Vcrz. 1823,
'M : alsi. of Ari>riJoN iS. Uonapautk. — Haii:i», liinls N. Am. I808, 232; Rev. ir>3. —
Vm-Ks, Vr. A. N. S. 18G1, 220 (Labrador). — SrLATEH, P. Z. S. 1S5«). 296 (Conlova).
— In. Catul. 1861, 24, no. ir)3. S( L. & Salv. Ibis, 18.')1>, !) (Guatemala). — Jones, Nat.
ill H<rmu<la, is.',i), 21», autiiinn. — Blaki.ston, IbLs, 1802, i iSaskiiUht-wau). — Dall
cS: nANMMKi:, Tr. ("hie. Ac I, 1SG1>, 277. —Cooper, Orn. Cal. I, 1870, 78. Ahnulu
rubra, (Jm. ; Almiibt rii/n, WiLs. ; Aiuhiis f^pimdrtta, Bo\., Ari>. ; AhudUi jMnmsi/f-
vaniai, Bitiss. ; f Alamltt pciiiisfflvunU'n, Bonn. KMfVcl. Mt'tli. I, 1790, 319. ^ Motn-
cifhi huiiiouuii. Lath. Iml. Oin. II, 1790, r)(t3. — Vieillot, Eiicvcl. Mt-th. II, 1823,
447. ^i )ifh US pr.nn.siflnnik'n, ZxsvKli ; Anf/tus nt/inificus, Ai'D. ; A iif/t )^^^ pipicns, Avi). ;
Aiif/ius rubi'ii.'i, Merkem ; .Inf/nis r'iiihnriltii, Iliii.BoLL, Kainia (Jioiilaiids (t'tl. Paul-
s«'nK 1846, -1') ((Jn-enlaiKlK

Fififiires : Aid. Birds Am. Ill, ]•!. rxl. - In. Om. Bio<,'. 1, pi. Lxxx. — Wilson, \. pi. Ixx.vix.

Sp. Ciiah. (Ff'UHile, m .<|)rin_ir.) Above (»live-brown, each feather slijrhtly darker to-
wards the central portion; beneath pale dnll-bulV. cir y«>llo\vish-bro\vn. with a nia.\illary
series of dark-brown spots and streaks across the breast and alonsx sides. Ring round the
eye, and superciliary stripe, yellowish. Central tail-feathers like the back, others dark
blackish-brown; the external one white, except at the base within ; a white spot at the
end of the second. Primaries edtjed with whitish, other ([uills with i>ale brownish.
Len<;th, G.oO ; win<r, 3.45 ; tail, 2.0.'),

Hab. Whole of North America; Greenland: Bermuda; south to Orizaba, Guatemala,
and even Peru? HeliiToland, Europe. (Gatkk.) Not noted in West Indies.

Spring s})eeimens from Labrador, collected hy Dr. Cones, have the upper
parts ashy without any tin^e of
olive, almost bluish on the head ;
the lower parts deeper and more
reddish-buff than in autunmal
and winter specimens. Tarsi
black in spring, brown in win-
ter; toes alwavs black.

Habits. At diflerent seasons
of the year the Brow^n Titlark
is found throughout the conti-
nent, and abundant for the time
in the seveml parts of the coun-
tr}', chietiy frequenting the least
cultivated i)()rtious and appar- '*'"'"" ^"'^^'••"«»"*-

ently preferring the sterile and least attractive regions. It is one of the
most extensively tlistributed of all our Xorth American birds, being found

172 NORTH AMEIilCAX lURDS.-

in iinniense numbers over tlie whole length and breadth of Xorth America.
Gambel met them in lar^e numbers in New Mexico and California ; Jiich-
ardson found tliem on tlie ]>lains of the Saskatchewjin ; it is abundant in
tlie Arctic re^nons from Ahiy to October, and is eciually common on the
coast of l^ibrador ; Mr. Dall found it universal from JJritish Columbia north.
It is also found in Florida, Cape St. Lucas, Mexico, and Central America.
Accidental sj>ecimens have occurred ii^ Kurojie.

This lark is a bird of easy and beautiful Higlit, passing and rej Kissing
through the air with graceful evcjlutions, and when moving to new localities,
sweeping over the i)lace several times before alighting. It also moves
nij)idly on the ground and after tlie manner of the true larks, jerking the
tail like our Water-Thrushes and tlie P2uro])ean AVagtails.

When feeding on the open ground in the interior, their food is chiefly in-
sects and small seetls. On the banks of rivers and on the seashore they are
fond of running along the edge of the water, searching among the drift for
insects, small shells, and crustaceans. Near New Orleans and Charleston, in
the winter, Mr. Audubon found them feeding, in com])any with the Turkey
Buzzard, nj)on garbnge.

Dr. Cones found the Titlark abundant in every locality visited by liim in
Labrador, giving him an ample opportunity to observe its habits during the
breeding-season. He found them on some of the most rocky and barren
islands along the coast. They fie<[ueiited only the open, bare, and exposed
situations, such as that coast everywhere aiforded, and were never found in
wooded localities. The nests of this species found by him were identical in
situation, form, and construction, ])laced on the sides of steep, precij)itous
chasms, in small cavities in the earth, into which dry moss had been intro-
duced to keep the nest from the damp ground. They vrere composed entirely
of coarse, dry grasses huisely put together, without any lining. Their exter-
nal diameter was six inches, and the depth of the cavity two inches.

Dr. C<»ues describes the song of the male bird as very sweet and pleasant
^[r. Audubon speaks of it as consisting of a few clear and mellow notes
when on the wing, and when standing erect on the rocks it produces a clearer
and louder song.

Dr. Cones speaks of their flight as undulating and unsteady, and never pro-
tracted to any great distance. They never aliuht on bushes, but always on
the ground, where they run with great e.'ise and rajadity. At low tides they
resorted to the muddy flats, where they mn about upon the eel-grass, search-
ing for their food in com])any with the small Sandpipers and in a similar
manner, finding there an abuTidance of food. At all times they exhibited a
heedless familiarity and an entire want of fear of man, feeding nnconcern-
edly around the doors of the houses, and searching for their insect food ou
the roofs of the sheds and dwellinus.

Both birds incubate and sit so closely that they may almost 1k3 trodden
upon before they are willing to leave their nest, and even then only flutter

MOTACILLID.E—niE WAGTAILS. I73

off to a short distance, with loud crit's «»t' distress tliat soon bring the mate
and other i)airs of the same s|>eeie8 to jt»in in the lamentations. Tliev liover
over the lieads of the intruders, at times ai)i»roaching within a few feet, ex-
pressiuLj their (Hstress hy the most jtlaintive cries, and even when tlie in-
truders withdraw followinu tlieni to a ('onsi(U*ral»le distance.

All the ne.sts of this lark that I liave seen are remarkable for the thickness
of then- walls, and tlie stren<j;th, com]>actness, and ehdMmite care with which
the materials are put together, i)aiticularly for nests built on the ground.
Thev are well suited to inotect their eontents from the cold, damp ground
on which they are jdaced ; and their u])])er p()rtions are ccmiposed rf stout
vegetable stems, lichens, and grasses strongly interwoven, and forming a
strong rim around the u}»i)er part of the nest.

Dr. Coues describes their eggs as of a dark chocolate-color, indistinctly
markeil witli numerous small lines and streaks of l»lack. Au(hd)on describes
them as having a ground-color of a deep reddish-chestnuT:, darkened l»y nu-
merous dots of deei)er re(klish-l»rown and lines of various sizes, esi)ecially
toward the larger end. Those in my i)ossession, received from Liibrador by
Tliienemann, measure from .7.") to .7^ of an inch in length, and from .51)
to ,<J2 in breadtli, and liave a light-brown or clay-colored ground, so thickly
covered with st)ots as to he almost conceahid. These spots are of a purplish
chocolate-brown, with occasional darker lines about the larger end. In
others the markings are bolder and larger ami of brighter hues. Like the
eggs of the Antkm arhurcm of Europe, it is probable that those of this
Titlark exhil»it great variations, both in ground-color and in the shades of
their markings.

Anthus pratensis, IU-chst.

EXmOPEAH PIPIT,

Alaudu pmteims, LiXN. Syst. Nat. 17»>(), 2S7. .lutlms fmitmsis, Bf.ciist, Deutscli. Viigcl,
111,1807, 732. — Kkys. & r>i..\..s. Wiib. Euioiias, lS4(i, 172. - Zandki:. C'u1». Jour. I,
t'Xtrahcft, 1853, (>(•. — P.vilskn, cd. Hiii.iuiLL, Fauu. (lit.nlamls, 184t5, 24, — Ukin-
HAKDT, Ibis, 18G1, tj. — NkWTon, li.VItlNG-tlori.D's Iceland, 1803. — Daiiid, Kev.
Am. H. 18t)4, 1. -».'..

Figures : Oould's Birds Kurope, pi, cxxxvi,

ITab. Europe genoruUy ; couniioii in Lapland : accidental in Greenland ; St. Michael's,
Norton Soun<l.

This sj)ecies in general form resendiles the A. ludoriciftnua, the tilth
primary in both being abruptly and considera])ly shorter than the outer four;
the bill and legs (juite similar. The average size appears much the same.
The upper parts are, however (especially the head a.nd back), more distinctly
streaked with dusky; the edge and inside of wing greenish-yeUow, not
white, and the upper jdumage and outer edges of the quills decidtMlly olive-
green. The shafts of the middle tail-feathers above are whitish, not dark

174 Noirrii AMKiacAX juhds.

l)i()wii : the nn<U»r ])ai'ts trreenisli-wliito, conspicuously streaked with dark
brown. Tlie hill is dusky, the hase and edges ]»aler ; t lie legs dusky Hesh-
color, nut dark lirown.

The occurrence of this species in CJreenhind was noticed ir the Review ;
and since the ]»uhlication of that work a sj)ecinien lias heen '»l)tained at St.
Michael's, in Alaskii, 1)V Mr. W. H. Dall, and is n(»w in t'le Smithsonian
collection. The specimen in i|uestinn ai>])ears to l»e tlie trna jutdctisui.

Habits, This European s])ecies claims a ])lace in the Xortli American
fauna on tlie ground of a fdngle specimen having heen found in (Ireenland,
in lS4o, and one at St. Michaels, Norton Sound. In the Old World it is
the count erjiart of our hnhn iritinu>>, wjiich, in all resj)ects, it closely resem-
hles. It is the most common and the best known of Euro})ean Titlarks. In
(rreat Initain, where it is found throughout the year, it a})])ears to prefer the
uncultivated districts, inhabiting commons and waste lands, and in the more
northern ])arts fretpienting the moors. It is also found in meadows and
marsh lands, in winter seeking more sheltered places. It is r.irely seen to
alight on a branch or to sit on a rail. Its song is soft and musical, and is
usually uttered when on the wing or when vibrating over its nest. It seeks
its food altogether on the ground, running nimbly in jmrsuit of insects, slugs,
and worms. According to Yarrell its nest is built on the ground, generally
among the grass. It is conij)Osed externally of dried sedges, lined with finer
materials and some hair. The eggs are six in number, of a reddish-brown
color, mottled over with darker shades of the same, and measure .80 by .GO
of an inch.

According to the observations of English natundists, this bird reports to
various ingenious devices to conceal its nest, or to draw aside attention from
it, such as feigning lameness when it is a])proached, and concealing it by
artificial covering when it has been once discovered.

The Mea(h)w I*i]tit is connnon during the summer months in Denmark,
Sweden, and Xorwav, visiting also the Faroe Islands and Icelan«l. It in-
habits the whole continent of Euroj)e as far south as Spain, Italy, and Sicily.
It has also been found in Northern Africa, and, according to (Jould, in West-
ern Asia. Temminck also states it to be among the birds of Ja])an.

According to Degland these larks, after the l)reeding-seas(»n, unite in small
flocks, probably families, and fretjuent low and damj) localities. In summer
they are more often found on high and dry mountain plains. Their fiesh is
said to be delicious.

Genus NEOCORYS, S( latkr.

XiiK'orifs, 8< i.ATKi:, Pr. Zoijl. >m)c. Loinl. 1857, 5. (Tv|m', Alando sprtiguii, Ari>.)

Char. Bill half as long a.<? tlu- hoad : the cnlmen conravo at the base, slightly deeurved
at the tij). Rictus without l>iistl«>s. Legs stout; tarsi distinctly scutellate. longer than
the middle toe. Hind toe very long. e(|ual to the tarsus, niueh longer than the middle toe;

MOTACILI.ID.E — THE WAGTAILS.

175

its (law but sliuhtly ctirv<Ml, and aV»ont half the total length. Inner lateral toe rather lonp^t/r
than outer. \Vin<i.s inuih lonirtr than tail: Ihst qnill lonjrest. Terlials eonsideraMy lon^tT
tlian s<'eon<laries. Tail rathci' sliort, «'niar<rinate.

TJiit one .species of tliis yeiius is known, it being peculiar to the Western
plains.

Neocorys spraguei, s« lat.

XI8S0TJBI SKTLARK; SFBAGUFS PIPIT

AJnufhi sprngnei, At'P. Birds Am. VII, 1843, 335, i>\. cceclxxxvi. A<jrii(1ittun s-prngitri.
BAiiin, Stanshnry's Kep. 1J>."»2, 329. X'oon'ffs sjn-affi'ri, Sii.atki!, P. Z. S. ls.">7, 5. —
Baiki*, Birds N. Am. 1858, 234. — Blakiston, Ihis, 1>»;2, 4 (S;i.>kateh»'\van). — rooPEK.
Orn. Cal. I, 1S70, 80. Aiithms {Xtucunjs) ttjjiV'juei, Baij:i>, Itev. 155.

Sp. Ciiah. Above wood-brown, all the leather.'^ ed,i,a'd with paler, especially on the
neck, where there is a brownish-yellow tinge. The under parts are dull white, with a
collar of sharjily defined narrow brown streaks across the forepart and along the sides of
the breast. Lore.s and a superciliary lint' whitish. Tail-feathers, except the middle ones,
dark brown; the outer one white, tlie second white, with the inner margin brown. The
outer priiuaiy is e<lged with white, and there arc two dull whitish bands across the wino-s.
Bill .and feet yellow, th»? former brown above. Length (female), o.To ; win"-, 3.35;
tail, 2.0O.

Had. Plains of Yellowstone and Uppei- Missouri to Saskatchewan ; Nebraska.

This little-known s})ecies has the oeneral appearance of a Titlark, but is
readily distinj^uished from AntJnis lu-
do vie ill Has by the i>iirer white of its
under parts, the nnich darker centres
and much paler margins to the feathers
above, the entirely white external tail-
feather, and the yellow le«4s and bill, as
well as by its generic peculiarities. In
its song and genenil habits it approaches
nearer the Euroi)ean Skylark than any
biixl belonniiio- to our fauna.

Habits. This interesting species was
first described by Audubon, in tlie sup-
plementary portion of his 1 >irds of Ameri-
ca. It was obtained bv the partv which
accompanied him to the Ui>])tr ^lissouri in 1843. It was first met with on
the 19th of Jiuie near Fort l^nion, in Dacotah Territory. It has since been
found on the fork of the Saskatchewan, but little additional information
respecting its habits has fjeen obtained since its first disc(n-ery.

It seems to more nearly approach, in its habits, the Kuropean Skylark
than anv other of our North American birds. Mr. Edward Harris was com-
pletely misled, at fii*st, by the sound of their song, so that on several occa-
sions he sought for them on the ground. Their voices ai»peared to come to

Neocorys sprnstifi.

176 NOHTII AMKiaCAX BIKDa

Iiini frnin tlie earth's surfaic. Aftor Iiaviiig travclltMl in (piest of tliom, to
no purpose, to many distant ]>arts of the prairies, he at last diseovereil tliat

these sounds proeee<led from seveml
. of these l)irds soaring at so «/reat an
( levation as to make them dittieuU to
tliseowr by the eye, even in the tmns-
parent atmosi)here o^ tliat eountry.

They are described as runninj; ixia^^e-
fully on the <iround, • t times sipiat-
ting to observe the nu>vement5 of the
intruders, and a^ain elevating their
yroror,,s spra^uei. hoiVw^^ as if to uicet their approach.

Iiising from the ground, they tly in an umbdatinu manner, so that it is
extremely ditlicult to she,»t them on tlie win.Lr. They continue thus to fly
in increasing circles until about a hundred yards high, when they begin to
sing. After a while, suddenly closing their wings, they drop to the ground.
Tliey could be easily ap]»roached in a light wagon, and in this manner
several specimens were obtained.

Captain Blakiston (litis, V. ill) found this Skylark common on the prairies
of the Saskatcliewan during the breed ing-sc'as(»n. He first met with it on
the 6th of May, near Fort Carlton. AVhen disturbed from the grass, its
usual haunt, it utters a single chirp, and innnediately mounts in the air by
a circuitous course, with a very undulating flight, to a great height, where
with outstretched wings it soars in a peculiar manner, and utters a very
striking song. This is descrilted as consisting of a (piick succession of
notes, in a descen«ling scale, each note being lower than the preceding. The
bird then descends to the ground with great rapidity, almost like a stone,
and somewhat in the manner of a hawk swooj)ing on its prey. It was
difficult of approach, and not easily kilknl. He also observed these birds in
Northern Minnesota, May 4, LS.")!).

A nest of this bird was built on the ground and jdaced in a hollow. It
was made of fine grasses interwoven into a circular form, but without any
lining. The eggs were four or live in nund)er, an ol)long oval in shape, much
pointed at one end, and measuring .87 of an inch in length by .63 in breadth.
Their ground-color was a dull white, so minutely dotte<l with a grayish-
purj)le as to give the wlude v^^g a homogeneous appearance, as of that
uniform color.

The young larks, soon after being hatched, followed their parents on the
ground, and were fed with seeds of the smaller plants and with insects.
Tliev had already l)egun to associate in small flocks of from eijjrht to a dozen
before the party left, and on the 10th of August had connnenced their
southern migrations.

SYLVICOLin.K — THK WAUHLKUS. 177

Family SYLVICOLIDiE. — Tmk WA^nLKits.

The Si/Iri'oh'<h' are essentially eliaraeterized among tin Oscines with nine
]niniaiies, by their siuall size, the usually sleniler antl eonieal inse- tivorous
hill, shorter than the head, without angle in the gape near the hase ; the toes
deeply cleft so as to leave the inner one tree almost to its very hase (exee}>t
in Mniutiltia), etc. Tlie shalh)w notch at the end of the tongue, instead of
a deeply fissured tip, distinguishes the family from the Vcrrchida , to sonu* of
which there is otherwise so great a resemblance. The absence of abrupt
hook and notch in both mandibles sei»arates it from such of the ViironiiUv
as have nine ])rimaries.

The American Mof<nilU(he are distinguished from the S/fh'icoh'ffrr by
the emargination of the outer and the great elongation of the inner sec-
ondaries, as well as by other features referred to under that family.
Anfhus, in particular, differs in the lengthened and sligiitly curved hind
claw. There is little dithcultv in distinguishing the tS///riivlfihr, however,
from any families excepting the slender-billed f«>rms of the T((nuijrida\ as
ChlorosiriiKjus, Nemosia, Chlorochrf/HU, etc., and the conirostral Carchida\
In fact, some ornithohjgists are inclined to include all three of the families
thus mentioned in one, from the ditliculty of marking their boundaries
respectively.

In fact, we are of the opinion that no violence would be done by adopt-
ing this view, and would even include with the above-mentioned families
the Frinijillida- also. The order of their relation to cii^^ another would be
thus : Frinrji'llida', Tano(jrida\ JS//1 viral Ida', Ca'nhida ; there being scarcely
any break in the transition l)etween the two extremes, unless there are
many genera refened to the wrong family, as seems very likely U) be the case
with many included in the Tinuujrida. The friuf/Ulun' forms of the latter
family are such genem as Bnarremon and Arremon, they being so ch)selv
related to ^oxwefriiKjillliu' genera by so many features — as rounded concave
wing, lax plumage, and spizine cohmitiim — as to be scarcely .separable.
Either these two families are ccmnected so perfectly by intermediate forms
as to be inseparable, (»r the term Ttfinff/ridfr covers too great a diversity of
forms. With the same regularity that we proceed I'rom the FrinyilJidiv to
the typical forms of the TiriuHjrida' {Punonja, Tan^nfru, Cidli.^tc, etc.), we
pass down the scale from these to the Sj/lciwlida' ; while between many
genera of the latter family, and othei's referred to the Cmrhida', no diifer-
ence in external anatomy can be discovered, nmch less expressed in a
descri})tion.

In the following synopsis we attempt to define the higher groups of the
Si/li'iro/ida', although in the large number of species and their close relation-
ships it is very ditticult to express clearly their distinctive features.

23

178 NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS.

Subfamilies.

At Bill conical, its bristles verv weak, or wanting.

a. Bill sul»-conical, the cnlnien and cfunnnssiire nearly straijrht.

Sylvicolinae. Feet wt-ak, not reachinj; near the en;l of the tail. Wing

pointed, et»nj;ideral>lv longer than the nearly even or sli>rhtlv einarn"i-

nated tail. Feet dark-colo'-«'d '^exc^'nt in I/fhniffierus, Ilelinaia, and

Parnlit'). Arboreal.

Geothlypinae. Feet strong, reaching nearly to «'nd of the tail. Wing

ronnde«l. F«.'et })inkish-white. Tcrrestrinl.
h. Bill high an<l conipres.«jfd, the culmen an«l conimi.«Jsnrc much curved.

Icterianae. Bill without notch or rietal bristles ; wing much rounded,

shorter than the tail.
B* Bill depres.sed. its bristles strong.

Setophagiuae. Bill, ti/nnniine. considerably broader than high, the tip

more or less hooked, and with a distinet notch. Rictal bristles reaching

halt-way, or more, to the tip.

Sections and Oenera.

SVI.VICOI.IN.K.

1. Middle toe, with claw, longer than tarsui*.

Mniotilteae. Bill nnich compressed for terminal half, the lateral outline
de<;idedly concave : culmen and gonys decidedh' convex ; connnissure
moderately concave. Rictal bristles vt-ry in(.'onsj)icuous ; notcii just
pen-eptible Mniotilta.

2. Middle toe. with claw, not longer than tarsus.

Vermivoreae. Bill without a distinct notch, or lacking it entirely : rictal
l>ristles wanting, or very minute; culmen and gonys nearly straight; bill
only very moderately compres.«<ed.
a. ^liddle toe and claw about equal to tarsus.

Bill not acute ; ctdnien and gonys decidedly convex ; notch just

perceptible ; bristles apparent Protonotaria.

Bill moderately acute, robust; no notch; culmen straight, its base
elevated and slightly arched ; bristles not apparent . . Helinnin.

Bill moderately acute ; robust ; no notch ; culmen convex, it«- base

not elevated ; bristles apparent Nefmif herns.

h. Middle toe and claw^ considerably shorter than tarsus.

Bill very acute, its outlines nearly straight; notch not perceptible;

bristles not apparent H^lminthophaija.

Bill very acute, its outlines nearly straight; notch just pc rcei>t ible ;
bristles strong . . ....... Piiru/a.

Sylvicoleae. Bill distinctly notched; rictal bristles strong; outlines
generally slightly curved.

Bill acute, gonys slightly concave Perissoglossa.

Bill not acute, gonys convex Dendroicu.

GEOTIILYPIN.E.

3. Wings pointed, longer than the nearly even tail.

Seiureae.

A l)ove olive-brown ; beneath white with dark streaks . . Seiurus.

A l)ov<' olive-gr»*en : beneath yellow without streaks . . Oporornis.

SYLVIC(JLII).K_T11E WAUBLEKS. 179

4. Wings rouudfd, •shorter fliau the griuhuited tail.

Oeothlypeae.

Above olive-trreeu; beneath yellow, without streaks . . Ocothli/jn's.

ICTKRIAN.K,

5. Bill very deep and eonipressed; tail gra.uated ; outer toe deeply cleft.

Icterieae.

< )Hve-<rreen above; brijjrht yellow anteri<?lv beneath. Upper nian-
dibli* deeper than the l(»wer ... .... Icteria.

IMumbeuus-blue abi)ve ; red, black, and whi. beneath. I'pper
niandil>le not so deep as the l<»wer ...... Oranntellus.

G. Bill slender, sub-conical, but curved; tail nearly even; outer toe adherent
for basal half.

Teretristeae.

Al) >ve olive-gray : beneath whitish posteriorly, and yellow an-
teriorly . . . . . • . . . . Terefristi's.

SETOPHAiilX.K.

7. Bill tyrnnnine. Tail broad, equal to or lontrer than the wing, and much
rounded.

Setopliageae. Colors mainly l)lack. red, and whit«\

Tail not longer than the wing. Above black, wing variegated Setophagd.
Tail longer than the wing. Above [)hnnljeous, wing unvariegated Mywborus.

8. Bill syh'icoliiie. Tail narrow, almost even ; shorter than the wing.

Myiodioctese. Colors yellow beneath, olive-green or ashy above.

Black markings about the head in the ^ . » . . Myiodioden.

9. Bill ^omewhat panne. Tail etpnd to the wing, almost even.

Cardellineae. Colors mainly red, or red, a.shy, and white.

Bill weak, almost cylindrical ; wings rounded, the quills broad and
sod at ends. Tail sli^jhtly rounded, the leathers soft. Colors mainly
red. . . . . . * . . . . . Eryafkiis.

Bill stout, the culmen and gonys very convex; wings pointed,
the quills emarginated and hard at ends. Tail even, the feathers
hard. Color ashy above ; rump and beneath white. Head red and
black. ........... CardeJJina.

Of the above, GranateUus, Mi/iohorft^, Errjnficas, and Carddlina belong t )
Central and South America, Terdristis to Cuba.

Subfamily SYLVICOLIN-ffi.

Section M N I O T I LT E>E .

Char. Bill slightly notched some distance from the tip. Rictal bristles minute. Hind
toe considerably developed, longer than the lateral toe; its claw decidedly longer than
its digit. First quill nearly or quite .as long as the second. Wings long, pointed ; much
longer than the tail, which is nearly even. Tail-leathers with white spots. Bill much
compressed for terminal half, the connnissure and lateral outlines decidedly concave ; the
culmen and gonys convex.

180

NORTH AMKHKWN HUll)^.

(JExrs MNIOTILTA, Vikim.ot.

Mnidtiltii, ViKii.i.or, AnalvM-, 1M(>, \o. ^TyiH', Mittniilln nn-in, L.)

Gkn. CuAK. (Iciu'ial lorm ^ylvicoliiit- ; lull ralhrr lonijr, compressed, shorter than the
head, w itli verv shvtit liflal l»risiles aii«l a shallow notch. Wiutrs consitU'ialilv louj/er than
the tail, which is slifrhtly rotiiided ; lirst quill shorter than second and third. Taisi rather
short; toes lon^'. middle one t'liMai to the tarsus: hind toe marly as l«)n^', the claw con-
siderahly shorter than its dij^'it. Color white, streaked Avith bUick. Xest on ground; eggs
white. bloCehed with red.

This j^eiHis (litlei-s from other Sylvicoline.s in the elongation of the toes,
esjH'cially tlie hinder one, ])y means of which the sj)ecies is enahleil to move
np and ih>\vn the trunks of trees, like the true Creepers. But one species is
reeoonized as North American, altliough Nuttall descrihes a second.

Mniotilta varia, Vikill.

BLACK AND WHITE CSEEFIKO WABBLEB.

Motncilhi vnriii. Linn. S. N. 1, 170(5, :3:Vi. L'trthia Vfiitn, Vif.ii.lot: Ai'DUbox. MniolilUi
rarin, Vikillot, (Jul. «>is. 1, 1>34, 270, \\. clxix. - Arnrnox. — Baikd, Birds N.
Am. 1>:»S, -235; litv. 1*;7. — SiLATKii, 1'. Z. S. ISoS, -298 (Oaxaca, Xalaiw) ; 1859,
363 (Xalaiui) ; 18:»5, 14:J (pMJgota) ; 18:»»», -ii'l (Cordova) ; 18«)4, 172 (City ofMix.). --
In. Catal. lS»n, 2.'», no. 1«;2. — Scl. & .*^ vi.v. Ihis, 1>.".1>, 1(> ^(luateniala). — NewT(»n,
litis, 18.')1>, \\.\ (Santa Cm/; \viiit<rK — I'ai;. Jour. Ill, 47.'» (Cuba; winter). — Buy-
ant, Pr. Bost. S«M-. IS')!* (Bahamas: April 2U). — (Jossk, Birds Jam. 1:54 (Jamaica;
winter). — h>NEs, Xat. IVrmuda, 1>.'.!». 29 i(>it<)lMr>. - Cab. Jour. 18(»0, 328 (Costa
Ricak — I.AWi;r.N( K, Ann. N. V. Ly* . IsOl. 322 (Tanama li. H. ; winter). — Gi'ndl.
Cal>. J<»urn. IStJl, 32»> (Cuba; vi-ry common). (Vrthia macu/nfti, Wii-S. Mniofilhi
horcnlis, Xi'TT. MitintiUti rarin, var. hnnjirof^ris, B.vikd, Birds N. Am. 18."<8, xxxi,
no. 1«">7. — in. Catal. in 8vo, 18fi9. no. 1«>7.

Figures: Arn. Orn. Biog. V, pi. xc : Birds Am. II, i»l. oxiv. — Wilsun, Am. Orn. Ill,
1>1. xix.

Sp. Char. Rill with the upper man(hble consiih^rably decurved. the lower straight.

General color of the male black, the feathers broadly
edged with white; the head all round black, with a
median stripe in the crown and neck above, a super-
ciliary and a nnixillarv one of white. Middle of belly,
two conspicuous bands on the wing.s outer edges of
tertials and inner of all the wing and tail feathers, and
a spot on the inner webs of the outer two tail-feathers,
whiti'. Uunip and upper tail-coverts black, edged ex-
ternally with white. Female similar ; the under parts
white, obsoletely streaked with black on the sides and
un<ler tail-coverts. Length, 5 inches ; wing. 2.8') ;

Mniotilta varia, Wv'iW. , ., , .,_

X.i\\\. '1.1^.

Hab. Eastern Province of North America, and north to Fort Simpson. Both coasts
of Mexico (as far north as Mazatlan, on west side), and southward to Bogota. Whole
of West Indies and Bermuda.

SYLVKOLID.K -TllK WAUIU.KKS.

ISl

Loralifit's unntetl. IJahaiiia.- ; llcrnnnla; ('ul»a; .laiiiaica : Santa Cni/ ; \V«'st Iii<lirs;
ConNna. Xalapa. Maxara. Mt-x. ; ( iiiafi-iiiala ; raiiaiiia 11. II.; I>i>^nfa.

SjKMiuR'iis Int't'diiiLj in tlie SoiitluTn States dilVm' in r.ither Innjirr bill and
less amount of Idack, l»ut are otheiwist' undistini;uislial»le.

Haiuts. Tlie lUack and White ("reei»er, nowhere an alaindant sjuM-ies, is
met with in various sections ot' the country. It uccurs in all jtarls of New
Eu'dand and Xew York, and has l»een found in the interior as far north as
Fort Simpson. It has been met with on thi' Tacitic coast only at Ma/at-
lan, is common in tlu* liaiiamas and most of the West India Islands, t;en-
erally a8 a nii«,n-ant. It lias al. j been found in Texas, in the Indian Terri-
tory, antl in Mexico, and thn»u<j:hout Central America. In the last-named
rej^ion Mr. Salvin states it to be pretty iM^ually and generally spread over
the whole country. It is tlu-re mi^ratorv, leavin-j iu siuinif. It was also
detected in Colombia, South America, by Mr.
C. W. Wyatt. Mr. Xewton also met with it
as a winter visitant in St. Croix, leaving that
island at the end of March. He regards this
species as almost a thorough Creeper in habits.
In Jamaica a few are resident thrcuighout the
year, according to the observations of Mr.
March, and though its nests have never been
found there, a son of Mr. March saw^ a ]»air
carrying materials with which to construct
one.

Dr. Coues states that this Warbler is a very
common summer resident near Washington,

but is more abundant tluMc in the spring and in the fall, ihe greater number
going farther north to breed. They arrive in Washington during the tirst
week in April, and are exceedingly numerous until May. He adds that they
are generally foinul in high o])en woods, and that thev"bned in holes in
trees." This is probably an error, or, if ever known t(j i»ccur, an entirely
exceptional case.

Our bird is also a common summer visitant at Calais, arriving there about
the 1st of May, and by the 10th becoming rather abundant. Mr. I>oardman
has frequently found their nests there, and always on the ground, in rocky
places and usually under small trees.

It does not apjR'ar to have been met with on the Pacific coast north of
Mazatlan, nor in any portion of AVestern North America, l>eyond the valleys
of the Mississip])i and the Kio (Jrande.

In its habits this bird seems to be more of a Cree])er than a Warbler.
It is an ex})ert and nimble climb(»r, and rarely, if ever, ])erches on the bninch
of a tree or shrub. In the manner of the smaller Woodpeckers, the Creep-
ers, Xuthatches, and Titmice, it moves rapitUy around the trunks and larger
limbs of the trees of the forest in search of small insects and their larvie.

Mtiiotilta varia

■IS2 NoiM'll AMKUUAN lUKDS.-

It is ^M-Mcfful aiu! r.ii>i<l in uinvi'inciit, and is ol'trn so intent niM»n its Imnt
as to !•(' iinniiiitltul of the uvnv jucstMicc of man.

It is found cliit'tlv in thirkt'ts, l»ut this is |»idi»al>ly owin^' to the fact tliat then*
its food is jtrincijially to Ik* ol»tain«'d. It is occasionally seen in more open
country, and has lu-en know n t«> hreed in the immediate vicinity ». a dwellinLT.

Wilson leLjarde* I this hird as a true Creeper, and uhjected to its Ijeinj,'
elasse • \Vail»h'r. He even ilenied to it the possession of any sonjjf. In

tliis lie was «|uite mistaken. Though never loud, ju'olonged, or ])o\verful, the
sung of this Warhler is vi'rv sweet and pleasing. It hegins to sing from its
first ai>pearance in May, and continues to repeat its hrief retrain at intervals
alnu»st until its tleparture in Atigusl and Septend»er. Xuttall speaks of it
as bein</ at tiist a monot«»nous dittv, and as uttered in a stnuii; hut shrill and
filing tone. These notes, he ad<ls, as the season advances, l»ee«»nie mon» mel-
low* and warlding, and, though feehle, are ]»leasing, and are similar to those
of the Kedstart. Uut this statement does not do full justice to the varied
and agreeable notes with which, in early spring, these hirds accompany their
lively hunt for fo-nl among the tops of the forest trees. They are diver-
sified and sweet, and seem suggestive of a genial and haj)j>y nature.

These birds make their api»earance in New Kngland early in May, and
remain there, among the thick woods, until the middle of October, and in the
Soutlu-rn States until the verge of winter.

Their movements in search of h»od an* like those of the Titmice, keeping
the feet together and moving in a suci'essi{ni of short rai)id hojts up the
trunks of trees and along the lind>s, i>assing again to the bottom by longer
tlinhts than in the ascent. Thev make l>ut short flights from tree to tree,
but are aj>])arently not inca})able of more proh»nged ones.

So far as I know, these birds always build their nests on the ground. Mr.
Xuttall found one in IJoxburv containing young about a week rid. The nest
was on the ground, on the surface of a shehing rock, made of coarse strips
of the inner bark of the Abies nmffdnisi.s externally, and internally of soft
decayed leaves and dry grasses, and lined with a thin layer of black hair.
The parents fed their young in his jiresence with atlecti»Miate attention, and
manifested no uneasiness, ereej>ing, head downward, about the trunks of the
iiei«diborin<^ trees, carrvimj; kuLre smooth cateritillars to their young. The
nests of this bird are strongly and com])actly built, externally of coarse strips
of yarious kinds of bark, and lined within with hair and fine stems of grasses.
In several instances I have known them to be roofed over at the top, in the
manner of the (Jolden-crowned Thrush. They measure about three inches
in their external diameter, and are equally deep.

The nests a])pear to be a favorite rece]>tacle for the parasitic eggs of the
Cow-Pmnting. Mr. IJobert IJidi^way obtained a nest at Mt. Carmel, III.,
in which were four eggs of the MolotJirvx and only two of tlu' parent birds ;
and ^Ir. T. M. Trii>pe, of Orange, X. Y., also found a nest of this Creeper
in w hich were but three of its ow n and five of the parasite.

SVLVICnI.IIM:- TIIK WAIilU.KKS.

18:i

TIkm'^'j^s vary in s!iap<' tVniii a inn.ulril tn an nlilmiiLi; (»\al. ainl in si/«» iVniii
.r>!» tn .7'"» n| an inch in lrn;^lli, an<l tVoni ..'»| tn .r»:l nl an iinli in l>na«ltli.
Tln'ir ,i,Mnnntl-(«>lnr is a «iramy-\vliitc. tn wliicli tlu' tU'cp icti niaikiiiLis ini|»art
an apparently pinkisli tinu<' Tlicy are njark«'il nmn- or less prnlnscly witli
l>ri«;lit red «lnts, pnints, and Idntilas. Tlicse \ary in nuniln*r and in distrilm-
tinn. In snmc tlicy arc very tine, ami j.rt' tliit'tly cnntiiHMl tn tin* lar^^fr end.
In ntla-rs tlicv ar»' larger, nmri' ditVusod, and nccasiniially tlirn* arc intcr-
nun<j:l«'d marks and ltl«)t(ln's (»t slatt-cnlnr. Tlu' t'tli-ft nf tlit'se variations
is, at tinu'S, to yivo tlic appfarance of j^reatcr dinVrcncrs to tlu'so i'.u'l:^ than
really exists, the ixround-cnlor and the shade of ihe red niarkinj^'s really pre-
senting hut little niodiU'-ations.

The color of the vounu nestling's is eloselv a.ssinuhitetl to that of the
ohjects that usually surround the nest, and helps to conceal them. Mr.
r>urrou_uhs once came accidentally upon a nest with younn of this species.
He says: "A lUack an<l White C'reepini; Warhler suthU-nlv hecann' nnich
alarnurd as I appnuuhcd a cnnnhlin^ old stumj) iji a dense ]iart of the forest.
He alighted upon it, ehirpeil sharjdy, ran uj» and down its sides, and finally
left it with nuu'h reluctanee. The ui'st, which contained three younuf hirds
nearly tledn"d, was jdaced upon the Liroun<l at the foot of the stump, au«l in
such a ]»osition that tlu^ coh^r of the younu: harmonized juniectly with the
bits of hark, sticks, etc., lyini; ahout. My eye rested upon them for the
second time hefore I made them out. Thev hu'_j!ie*l the nest verv closely,
hut as I put down my hand they all scampered olf with loud cries for help,
^yhicll caused the parent hirds to place themselves alnntst within my reach."

Skction VERMiVORE>E.

Gkni s PROTONOTARIA, Rairu.

Profiiiiofun'd, H.\iui>, liinls N. Am. 18')S, •_':{".». (Tvjh-, M,>t,niUn citreu, I^onn.)

(iKN. Char. Char.ictciizcd l»y its loiiir. distincdy notolied l>ill, and loiii; wiiiLfs, wliirh are
ail iiu-h li)ni,'er than the slij.ditly irradnatrd tail ;tli«!
latfial ffatluTs; alunit .1*2 of an inch shortt-r). The
uiuKt tail-coverts are very lonir. reachinij within half
an inch of the tip of tlu' tail. Tlu' tarsi ami hind toe
are proportionally lonirer than in the true Warhlcrs.
The notch an<l jrreat si/o of th»> hill distin<rnish it
from the Swamp Warhlers. Nest in holes; rjrijrs much
l>lot(hcd with reddish.

The oidy Xortli American sjiocies l)elonu-
ing to the <^oup appears to 1x3 the old Si/hna
profoHotarid of (imelin.

J^ttlonM'iria citreu, Biiird.

184

Nomil AMKIIir.VX JilKDS.

Protonotaria citrea, Haikd.

PBOTHONOTABT WABBLEB ; GOLDEN SWAMP WABBLEB.

MfltaciJhi lUrtu, IViUD. Taltl. ^7^.■{ (I'l. «'iil, 704, fi;;. 2>. Protonotaria n'trea, HAfKn, Rinls
N. Am. !>.>, 2:'.!> ; 1{«'V. 17:{. S( latki:, Catal. 18rtl, 26, no. Ititi. - (Utndl. Cab.
.I«mr. 18«)1, ;{24 ^Ciil>a ; v»'rv laif). UiluiiiithiifiluKia cifrt'n, ("alt. .Kmr. Usoi, 85 ^i'o.sta
Kii-a). Mofncif/'i priitininturias, (Jm. Sijh'ia prof. Laiii. — ViF.iLL. Ois. Am. St-pt.
II, i»l. Ixx.xiii. -WiixtN, Am. Orii. Ill, pi. xxiv. ti<;. 2. — Ari>. Orii. iiiog. II, j>l.
iii. I'lrmifora pro! . IJos. Iltlinnia /truf. Ari». HclmitJuras prot. Box. Cowp-
tiotliliipis prot. Cab. .lour. Motiuilhi nnriml/is, Gmkl. I, 17S8, 984. Si/liua aur.
Laiii., etc-, ^ltas(•(l on Li- Urami Fi'jniir )tii ('(ninthi, Hkisson, Ois. Ill, 1760, 508, |)1.
xxvi, ti«,'. 1». Frinak'. Sylvicohi nur. Xirr. Man. 1, 1840, 431.

Sp. Tiiak. Hill vciv larirt': a.>< lonjr as tlu' lu-a*!. Iload and neck all round, with the
t'litiiv niidrr parts. iinlii(Uiitr \\\v \\\n\v. rit li yellow, exot'jitinjr the anal region and under
tail-j-overts, which are whit.-. Hack dark olive-green, with ii tinge of yellow; ruinj>,
up[»er tail-cuvcrt.s, wings, and tail above, hluisli ash-eolor. Inner margin of quills and the
tail-leathers (fxeejit the innermost) white; the outer webs and tips like the back. Length,
5.40; wing. !.'.!•<»: tail. *J.2.").

Hais. Eastern l*roviiie<' of Tuited States (Southerii region); Cuba, Costa Ric.i, and
Panama H. \\. Xot recoiiletl from Mexico <»r (luatemala. Accidental in New Brunswick
(G. A. lioAHi»MAN in letter). Vu<*atan (Lawkkxck).

"^^^is is one of the vory liandsomest of American Warl»lers, the yellow of the
hena .nul lower parts lieinu: <»t a imreiies.s ami mellowness scarcely approached
by anv other siu'cies. In a hiurhly colored male from Southern Illinois (No.
1(>,111, Missi.s.sii)]>i Bottom, Union (V)., April 23 ; li. Kennicott) it is stained
in sjxits, i>articularly oyer the eyes and on the neck, with a beautiful cad-
mium-oranw.

Habits. In reiiard to the habits of tliis beautiful and interesting Warbler

we receive but little light from the ob-
servations of ohler ornithological writers.
^ J^HMT Its geogra])hical distribution is some-

what erratic and irregidar. It does not
ap])oar to be distributed oyer a very
wide rai LC. It occurs as a migrant in
the West Indies and in Central Ameri-
ca. In the I'nited States it is found
in the Southern ivgion, but farther west
the rjinge widens, and in the Mississippi
Valley it is found as f . north as Kansas,
Southern and Central Illinois, and ^Fissouri. Accidental specimens have been
obtained as far to the nortlieast as Calais, though unknown to all the Eiistern
States as far south as Southern Virginia. It was met with by non'^ of the goy-
ernment ])arties except by I)r. Woodhouse, who found it abundant in Texas.
Mr. Audubon observed them, near Louisville, Kentucky, frequenting creeks
and lagoons overshadowed ]»y large trees. These were their favorite places

^rr\

r^.i*'.

Prnfonofnria citrra

V-'

SVLVirnLlD.K Till-: WAUIIi.KltS. ]^So

of lusort. Tlu'V iilsn |)it'i"t'i'it'(l the holders of sheets ol" water to tlu' inleiior
nf the lori'st. Tliey return in s|»rin.:^' to the Soullicrn Stales early in Mareli,
hut to Kentueky not l>elore tlie last of April. Tlu'V leave in Octohi'r, and
raise hut a single hrood in a season. Autluhon deserihes their nest, hut it
it ditleiN so essentially tVoni their kn«)\vn ukkU' ot" hreedinii, that he was
evidently in error in regard to his supifosed identitieation of the nest ot"
this sjieeies.

I)r. I»aehnian, who often met them on the horders of small streams near
Charleston, was eonlident that they hreed in that State, ami noticed ii pair
with ft»ur younijj hirds as early as Aiiur 1, in iS.Sd.

IJeeently more lit;ht has heen thrown upon tiieir hahits hy Mr. !». F.
(loss, who, in May, 1S(»:5, found them hreediui; near Neosho Falls, in Kansas.
The nest was huilt within ;i Woodpee': rs hole in the stump of a tree^
not more than three feet hii;h. TIm' nest was not rounded in sha])e, hut
made U) eonform to the irregular eavitv in whieh it was huilt. It was
of ohloni; shape, and its cavity was dee]>est, not in the centre, hut at one
end, upon a closely impacted hase made up of fragments of dried leaves,
hroken hits of i^rasses, stems, mosses, and lichens, decayed wood, and other
niJiterial, the uj>per ]»ortion consistiuLi of an interweavin;^ of fine roots of
wooded plants, \aryin,i; in si/.e, 'out all strong, wiry, and slender. It was
lined with hair.

Other nests since discovered are of more uniform forms, circular in sha]>e,
and of coarser materials, and all are huilt with unusual slrennth and care for
a nest occui»vin!J a sheltered eavitv.

In one instance their nest was huilt in a hraci'-hole within a mill, where
the liirds coidd he closely watched as they carried in the materials, and the
parent was afterward taken hy lunid hy Mr. (loss from its nest. It was
([uite tame, and a]>]>roached within two yards of him.

Since then Mr. Kidgway has ohtained a nest at Mt. Carmel, 111. It was
Imilt in a hoUow snag, ahout five feet from the ground, in the river hot-
tom. So far from heing noisv and v«>ciferous, as its n;;me would seem to
imi>lv, Mr. I{id«iw.»v descrihes it as one of the shvest and most silent of all
the AVarhlers.

The eggs of this Warhler have an average hreadth of .."if) of an inch and a
length varying from A)'} to .7<' of an inch. They are of a rounded-oval form,
one end heing hut slightly less rouitletl than the other. Their ground-color
is a yellowish or creamy white, more or less ]trofusely marked over their
entire surface with lilac, ])urple, and a dark piirplish-hrown.

jNIr. Kidgway states that it is always an ahundant summer hird in the
Wahash hottoms, where it inhahits jtriiicipally hushy swamps and the wil-
lows arouiul the horders of stagnant lagoons or " ponds " near the river, and
in such localities, in company with the White-hellied Swallow (Ifirtnnfn
hirofor), takes ]>ossession of the holes of the Downy Wotulpecker (Pirns
jHfhrsccns) and Chickadee (/V/■/^^' onvluK n.sis), in which to huild its nest.

186

NOUTH AMKRICAN JJIRDS.

Mr. Kidi'wav adds that in its movements tliis WarMer is slow and delib-
crate, like tlie Hihnitltcnifi nrntirortts, strikiniily ditlerent in this respect
from the spri«j^htly, active D« luh-oaa: Its common note is a sharp ^> ?)>/<, re-
markably like tlie winter note of tlie Zonntrickut o/biroilis.

It has been taken as tar north as IJo'^k Island, III, and Dr. Cones men-
tions tlie occuiTence of one individual near Washin«,^ton, 1). C, seen in a
swampy brier-patcli, ^lay 2, 18G1. Tiiis was perliajis c!»ly an accidental
visitor. If regularly found there, it is probably exceedingly rare. It has not
been met with l^etween Washington and St. Stephens, New IJrunswick, where
its occurrence was unquestionably i)urely accidental.

Genus

, Raf.

Helmitherm, Rafinf.sque, Journal de Physi<iue, LXXXVIII, 1819, 417. (Tj-pe, Motacilla

vcnnivnro.)
Vermivtira, Swainson, Zoiil. .Tour. IV. lh'27, 170 (not ot^MKYEi:, 1822).
Helinaiity AuD. SyiiopsLs, 1839, (Jti. (Tyi»e, Sylvia siraiusoui, AuD.)

Gkn. Char. Bill large and stout, compressed, almost tanajrrine; nearly or quite as long

as the head. Culmen very slightly curved;
gonys straight; no notch in the bill; rictal
Itristles wanting. Tarsi short, but little longer,
if any, than the middle toe. Tail considera-
bly shorter than the wings; rather rounded.
Wings rather long, the lirst quill a little shorter
than the second and third.

The birds of this division are very
plain in their colors, more so than any
n,imitherusv^rmiroriis,i\,.nn'. otlicr Amcrican Warblcrs. There are
but two species referable to the genus, of which the If. sicainsoni differs
from the type in having a considembly
longer and more compressed bill, the
ridge of wliich is compressed, elevated,
and appears to extend backwards on
the forehead, as well as to be in a
straight line with the upper part of
tlie head. The wings are longer ; the
tail forked, not rounded; the feathers
narrower and more pointed ; the tarsi
shorter than in the type. It appears
to l)e at least a distinct subgenus to
which the name Hclmaia, AuD., is to
be applied.

Helmithfnts vermivorus.

SYLVICOLID.E — THE WAKULERS. I87

Species.

Common Characters. Colors itlaiii, Abc)ve <^livaceous, beneath nearly white.
No spots or bands on w'uv^ or tail.

H. vermivonu. Abovt- olive-green. Head yellowish, with a black stripe
above and one behind ea«'h eye. Tail rountled. Huh. Eiistern Province of
United States; south U) C<.)sta Uiea ; Cnba. {Ildinlthenis.')
H. sw^aunsoni Above <lull olive-green, tinged with brown. Stripes on
the head somewhat as in the hu^t, but re<idish-l"-own : the median light
stripe on the erown scarcely visible. Tail slightly forked. Hub. South
CaroUua and Georgia; Cuba (very rare). (^Iltliitnia.)

Helmitherus vermivorus, Bonap.

WOBM-EATIHO SWAMP WABBLEB.

Motacilla vcrmivora, CiMKL. Syst. Nat. I, 1788, 9.')1. i Sijlvia vci'iaivont, Lath. Ind. Om.
II, 1790, 499. — WiLs. Ill, pi. xxiv, fig. 4. — Ari». Orn. liiog. I, jd. xxxiv. Sylvkolu
vennii'oru, Kicu. Uclintiia cennivnrd, Ai i». Birds Am. 11, j>l. i;v. — Lembkye, Av. Cuba,
1850, 35, pi. vi, tig. 4. Ilehnithtrus ortnimras, IloN. ; <'ai!. ; Baikd, Uirds N. Am.
1858, 252; Ktv. 179. — Sclatkk, P. Z. -S. l.s:>i», :i(;:} (Xaiapa). — lu. Catal. 1861, 28,
no. 175. — ScLATKU & Salvin, n»is, I, 1859, 11 ((iuatfiiiala) ; I'ab. Jom*. 1860, 329
(Costa Riia) ; lb. 1856 (CiibaK — GrNDLAcii, Cab. Jour. 1861, 326 (Cuba; somewhat
rare). Vcrmivora pcnnsylvanicd. Box., G(»ssK, B. Jamaica, 1847, 150. Helmitherus
viiyraturius, IIaf. J. de Phys. 88, 1819, 417. — Hartlaub ; Verrnicora fulvicapilla,
SwAiNSox, Birds, II, 1837, 245.

Sp. Char. Bill nearly as long as the head : upper parts generally rather clear olive-
green. Head with ft)ur l)lack stripes and three brownish-yellow ones, namely, a black one
on each side of the crown and one from behind the eye (extending, in fact, a little anterior
to it), a broader median yellow one on the crown, and a superciliary from the bill. Under
parts pale brownish-yellow, tinged with butV across the breast and with olivaceous on the
sides Tail unspotted. Female nearly similar. Length, 5.50 ; wing, 3.00 ; tail, 2.35.

In autnmnal specinnMis the light stripes on the head arc deeper buff than in spring.

Hab. Eastern Province of United States (rather Southern) ; Southeastern Mexico; Gua-
temala; Cuba; Costa Rica; Vt:agua; Orizaba (winter, Sl-michrast) ; Yucatan (Lawrkxce).

Habits. Much remains to be a.«?certaiiied in rej^^ard to the history, habits, and
distribution of this interesting species. So far as is now known it is hardly
anywhere very common during the breeding-season. Yet its abundance and
wide distribution as a migrant (hiring the winter months in various extended
locaUties appear to warrant the behef that it must l)e corresptuidingly abun-
dant in summer in k:>calities that have escaped our attention. Tt has been oc-
casionally met with in the Central and Southern States, as far west as Eastern
Mexico, and as far to the north as Southeastern Xew Y'ork. Specimens have
been procured from Cuba, Mexico, Centml America, and the northern portions
of South America. It is a regidar winter visitant of Jamaica, whither it goes
in the autumn in considerable numbers, and is verv widelv diffused.

It reaches Pennsylvania about the middle of May, and leaves in Septem-
ber. Wilson noticed a pair feeding their young about the 25th of June.

188 Noirni AMKIilCAN IJlKhS.

He supposed this l»ir<l to liave a more northern (hstrilniti<»n tlian helcnigs to
it. In the interior they are met wiih, a(c«>nlinn to Auihihon, as far north as
the southern sliores of Like Krie, where lie found them in the autumn. ^Fr.
Auihihon found them more numerous in Xew Jersey than anywhere else. In
Ohio and Kentueky they are eomitaratively rare. Mr. IJidLiway informs me
that this is a rather eonniion species in Southern Illinois in the thickest
dumj* wonds in the hottom-lands alon;^ the Wal>ash Iliver.

Aeeordinu' to AVilson, these hirds are amoni; the nind)lest of its family, and
are remarkahly fond of s])ider.s, jlartini; ahout wherever there is a ]»rohahility
of finding; these insects. Where branches are liroken and the leaves withered,
it searches amon'4 them in preference, making a <Teat rustliuL' as it hunts for
its l>rey. Their stomachs are uenerally found full of spitlers and cater}»illars.

These hirds are aihoreal in their }»references, residinn in the interior of
woods, and are seldom seen in the ojten tields. They resort to the ground
and turn over the dry leaves in (piest of insects. They are very unsuspi-
cious and easy of apjn-oach.

Xuttall describes their notes and their habits as resemblinu; the conmion
Parvs atricapUJua, and remarks that they are constantly utterin*^ a com-
plaining call, soundinix like ts/ie-(/e-<fe.

Until (piite recently, nothing has been positively known in reijard to its
nestiuijj. Audubon has described its nest as made of drv mosses and the
fallen bloom of the hickory and the chestnut, and as built in bu.shes several
feet from the ground. He describes the eu:irs as cream-colored, marked about
the larger end with reddish-ltrown. These descriptions have not l)een con-
firmed, and all our information has led us to look for its nest on the ground.

Mr. Trij>pe states that it is found, but is not at all common, near Orange,
X. y., where it arrives about the middle of ^lay. It has, at that time, a
ra])id, chattering note, and it always, he says, kee})s near the ground, and,
l)esides its chatterinij sonii;, has in June a series of odd notes, much like
those of the White-breasted Nuthatch, but more varied and musical, yet
hardly entitled to be called a song.

Mr. T. H. Jackson of Westchester, Penn., in the American Naturalist for
December, 18^9, mentions finding the nest and eggs of this l)ird. We give
his account in his own words: " On the (>th of June, 18()1>, I found a ne.st
of this s])ecies containing five eggs. It was placed in a hollow on the ground,
much like the nests of the Oven-Bird (*SV^/^;v^s^ nwonipiUns), and was hidden
from sight by the dry leaves that lay thickly around. The nest was com-
posed externally of dead leaves, mostly those of the beech, while the inte-
rior was prettily lined with the fine, thread-like stalks of the hair-moss,
{Poh/frichivrn). Altogether it was a very neat structure, and looked to me as
though the owner was habituallv a «j:round nester. The ei^gs most nearly
resemble those of the White-bellied Nuthatch (Sittn enrol incnsU), though the
markings are fewer and less distinct. So close did the female sit that I
captured her without difticulty by placing my hat over the nest."

SVLVICOLID.K — THE WAPJILKR.S. 189

The same (»bservin«' uniitliolojist informs me tliat this AVail>h'r arrives in
reniisylvaiiia eailv in Mav, and makes the most solitary i>art of the woods
its home, ontside <»f whicli it is rarely seen. True to its name, it is ever
husy hunting out and devouring the worms that lurk among the forest foli-
age, pui-suing its avoeation in silence, with the exception oi' a faint note
uttered oceasionallv. This si>eeies is not as shy as many of our Warl tiers that
fre([uent the woods. Towards the latter part of ^Fay they eonunence con-
structing their nests. Mr. Jackson adds that the nest above referred to was
found on a thickly wooded hillside, a few yards above a runninjij stream. So
neatly was it embedded in the grouml and covered with dry leaves, that
discovery wouhl have l>een imi)ossiI»le had not the female betrayed its

•-'1 *■

position. Both birds exhibited the greatest alarm at his presence, but on
his retiring to a short distance the female returned to the nest, where she
was easily captured. The base and peri])hery of the nest were com})osed
of dry beech-leaves, while the inner lining was made of tine hair-mosses
(Po/i/frirlutnii).

In the latter part of June, 1871, Mr. Jackson found another nest of this
species, containing five young birds about half grown. He was seated on
a log, resting altera hard trani]), when a AVorm-eating Warbler alighted near
him, havii!"' a lar-jje »»reen worm in its beak. After at first manifestin*^ much
uneasiness, and scolding as well as she could, she suddenly became silent and
Hew to the gTound. On his going to the spot both parents Hew from the
nest. It was in all respects, in regard to materials, manner of construction,
and situation, the exact counterpart of the other. IJoth were placed on steep,
wooded hillsides, facing the east.

Two of the eggs of this Warbler thus identified by Mr. Jackson, and kindly
loaned to me by him, are of a somewhat roumled-oval sha}»e, less obtuse at
one end. They have a clear, crystal-white ground, and are sj>otted with
minute dottimjs of a briuht red-l)rown. These are much more numerous in
one than in the other, and in both are conHuent at the larger end, where
they are beautifully intermingled with cloudings of lilac-brown. These eggs
measure, the one .78 by .GO of an inch ; the other, .7(' by .')(} of an inch.

Another nest of this species, found by Mr. Joseph H. Batty of Xew York,
on the side of a hill near Montclair, X. J., was also built on the ground, in
a part of the woo<ls where there was no underbrush, and was placed in a
slight hollow, with dry oak-leaves collected around it, and }>artly covering it.
The nest was made of dry leaves, and lined with grasses and fine roots. It
contained four eggs, alike in their marking, and corresponding exactly with
those obtained by Mr. Jackson. Mr. Batty nearly stepped on the bird with-
out her leaving the nest.

Dr. Cones found the Worm-eating Warbler a rather uncommon summer
resident near Washington, breeding there but sparingly. It arrives there
during the fii-st week in ^lay, and remains until the third week in !Sei»tember.
He describes it as slow and sedate in its movements.

190 NORTH AMP:RirAX BIRRS.

Helmitherus swainsoni, Aid.

SWAINSOrS SWAMP WABBLEB.

Si/h'ia sivainsotti, Ari>. Orn. Hiog. II, 1834, 5t)3, pi. cxtviii. Si/lvicolu sic. liicn. Vcnni-
vara tar. Hon. Heliiuiin sir. AuD. liinls Am. II, 1841, pi. civ (typt* of genus), lid-
VI it her us SIC . Ii«»N. ; Cau. ; Baikd, Birds N. Am. 1858, 'lit'l; Uov. 180.

Sp. Char. Rill jis lontr as the lit'jul. T'ppor part.s dull olive-green, tinged with reddish-
brown on thewingv and tstiil more on the erown and nape; a superciliary stripe and the
under parts of the hedy are white, tinged with yellow, but palest on the tail-coverts; the
sides pale olive-brown. Tliere is an obscure indication of a median yellowish stripe on
the ibrehead. The lores are dusky. Xo spots nor bands on wings or tail. Length, o.GO ;
wing. 2.8o ; tail. 2.20.

Had. Coast of South Carolina and Georgia ; Cuba (very rare).

A younjT bird (Xo. 32,241 Liberty Co., Ge(»rj;ia) is very similar to the adult
described, but diti'ers in the foUowing: respects: the lower parts have a de-
cided soiled, sulphur-yellow tiuge, while the brown of the ui)per parts is
much more reddish, there bi^ng; no difference in tint between the crown
and back ; also the sui»erciliary stripe is more sliarply defined.

Habits. This species is comparatively rare, and, so far as is know^n, has a
very restricted distriljution. It was first discovered by Kev. Dr. Bachman,
in the vicinity of Charleston, S. C., near the banks of the Edisto Itiver.
This w^as in the spring of 18:^2. He was first attracted by the novelty of its
notes, wjiich were four or five in number and repeated at intervals of a few
minutes. Tliese notes were loud and clear, and more like a whistle than a
song. They re.sembled the sounds of some extraordinary ventrilocpiist, — so
much so that he at first supi)osed the bird to be much fartlier otf than it
really w^as. He was so fortunate as to secure it. The shape of the bill he
at once noticed as being ilili'erent from that of any other American bird then
known to him. In the course of that season he obtained two other specimens.
Toward the close of the same season he saw an old female, accompanied by
its four young. One of the latter, which he procured, did not dift'er materi-
allv from the old birds.

He met with them only in swam]»y and muddy places, and when oj)ened,
he always found their stomachs filled with fragmtmts of coleopterous insects,
as well as small green worms, such as are common on water-jdants. The
habits of this species most resemble those of the Prothonotaiy Warlder,
as the latter skij)S among the low bushes growing about ponds or in marshy
places. It is seldom seen on high trees. Nothing is known as to their
nesting or eggs.

SYLVICOLTD.E — THE WARBLERS.

191

Gemh HELMINTHOPHAGA, Cahan.

Ildminthopliaija, Cabaxis, Mils, llein. 1850, 1851, 20, (Tyi>o, Sylvia ruficnpillay Wils.)

Gen. Char. Bill olonfrattMJ, conitiil, very acute; the outlines very nearly straiirlit.
soinetiines .<liirhtly deeiirved ; no trace ot" notch at

the ti[>, nor ofhristles on the rietns. Winirs long and ^ 'EF-r-^^

pointed; the first quill nearly or quite the lonirest. \j\~c-r-^^
Tail nearly even or slijrhtly emaririnate ; short and

rather slender. Tarsi lon*^er than the middle toe and "-— ^^^ l:C^^^---^~^

S«38

claw, . . ^^^^

The sj^ecies of this section are well char- lA
acteiized by the atteiiiiatiou and acuteness X \ ^
of the bill, and the absence of anv notch.
There are, however, considerable subordinate
differences in the ditl'erent species. In some the bill is larger and more
acute than others ; in one species, the H. iKrajrina, the wings are unusually
lengthened, the tail being only alxnit seven twelfths as l(jn«

Kfltniiitho/ihii^a riificapiUa.

^.^'•

Species and Varieties.

CoM.M'W Characters. Iris brown. Length about 5.00. Nest on the crround,
in prra?8 or dead leaves. Eggs clear white, thickcvst at end, with minute dots of
brc »vn of various shades and faint purple.
A* Tad with a conspicuous patch of white.

a. A black patch covering throat and breast.

1. chrysoptera. Al>ove ash, beneath white. Forehead and a patch
on the winir vellow. ILih. Eastern Province of United States, south to
Bogota : Cuba.

2. bachmani. Above olive-green ; beneath, with forehead, yellow ;
crown ash, bounile<l anteriorlv with a black bar. No vellow on winjr.
Hah. South Carolina and Georgia. Cuba in winter.

6. No black on throat or breast.

3. pinuB. Above olive-green ; beneath, with forehead, yellow ; wings
ash, with two white bands ; lores black. Ilab. Eastern Province of
United States, south into Guatemala.

B* Tail without a conspicuous white patch.

c. Crown with a concealed patch of rufous (obsolete in 9)-

4. ruficapilla. Above olive-green ; head ashy ; beneath continuous
yellow ; a light orbital ring. Ilah, North America (very rare in Middle
and Western Provinces) ; Greenland. Sotith to Southern Mexico (Oax-
aca, Cordova, Orizaba).

Yellow of throat spreading over cheeks, and staining lores and
eyelids. At'anti<^ States. (Carlisle. Pcnn., specimens.) var. /• nfi c a p i IJn .

Yellow of throat confined within the maxilla' ; lores and eyelids
clear white. Mississippi Valley. (Chicago specimens.) var. oculdris,

Yellow of throat restricted to a medial stri{)e, leaving its sides
ashy. Middle Province. (Specimen from Fort Tejon, Cal.. and
East Humboldt Mountains, Nevada.) . . . var. gutt ii r a I is

192

NUKTll AMEKICAN lUlJDS.

.'). virginiae. Abovt* usU to tin* nmijt. Itciiratli wliitf. A patcli on tlir
jiiiriiliiiii, with tlic upper ami lower tail-e»»vei i.-, mHow. JInh. lloeky
Moiiiitaiii.'^ ul' I'liited States, west to Ea.<t IIuiul>oltlt .Moinitaiii>.
(». luciae. AI»oVe ash, heiieath eoiitiimoiis white. Ipper luil-eoverts
eliestiiut. /J>th. Coloratlo reirion of Middle I'roviiiee.
7. celata. Above eontiimous oHve-greeii, below coiUiuuoiis pale yel-
low. (( >ranire on erowii ill ^ only?)

Aliove ashy-olive, beneath yellowish olivaeeons-white ; itnier
wel'S of tuil-teathers broadly edged with white. (Middle regions

of North America; Mexico.) * . var. celatu

Above greenish-olive, beneath bright gicenish-yellow ; white
edges to inner webs oi' tail-feathers ob.-^olete. (Paeilic Province
of North Amerieu. ) ....... var. I n test- c it s

Similar to var, cehita, but plumage darker and more dingy. No
white edgings to tail-leathers, and apj»ar»'ntly no ruhxis on the
crow 11 in either sex. (Georgia. Florida, I'tc.) . . var. nbsr ti m
d. No rutous on crown.

•'*'. peregrina. Ab(n(M)live-green ; head and neck pure ash: beneath
continuous white, ll'ib. Easti-rn Province of North America north to
Fort Simpson, II. B. T south to Panama. Cuba (rare).

Helminthophaga chrysoptera, ( abax.

GOLDEN-WINGED WABBLEB.

Mofacilht chriianpfiifi, Linn. S. Nat. I, 17<>H, :{:53. SffJvut chr. TiATii. — Wils. Am. Om.
II, jtl. XV. tig. 5. — Hon. .Siflciciihi chr. 1»on. lit lino in chr. All), liinls Am. II, i»l.
evii. Hrlmithrus chr. Bon. — ^ScLAThli, V. Z. 8. 1^5^), 143 (llogota). Jltliiiiiifhoph'nja
chnjsDpkra, C'ah. Mux. Hiin ; .b>urn. f. Oni. 1>"S»)0, ;}2>> <('osta liica). — IJAiiin, Birds
N. Am. 1858, 255; IJcv. 175. — Sclati.k iS: Salvin, Ibis, II, 1,*<(J0, 3'J7 (Choctun),
tiuatcmala). — Salvin, 1807, 135.^ — Duksskh, Il>is, 18(>.'>, 477 (San Antonio). — Law-
RKNCE, Ann. N. V. Lye. VII, IStJl, 293 (Panama). — GiNni.. C'al). .bmrn. 1801, 320
(Cuba, ran). .Mufacilld Jiaci/run.s, Gmklis. Siilciti Jl<ti'ijrons, Lath.

Sp. Char. Upper parts unilbrm bluish-gray; the head above and a large patch on the

wings yelh^w. A l)road streak from the l>ill

through and behind the eye, with the chin,

throat, and fore})art of the brea-^t, black. The

external i'iV^i* of the yellow crown continuous

with a broad patch on the side of the occiput

above the auriculars. a broad maxillary stripe

widening on the side oi the neck, the under parts

generally, with most of the inner webs of the

outer three tail-feathers, white; the sides of the

body pale ash-color. Female similar, but duller.

Length about ."> inches ; wing. 2.(5') ; tail, 2.25.

IIab. Eastern Province of United Slates, San

Antonio (Dkesskh) ; Cuba (rare) ; Guatemala; Costa Rica ; Panama: Bogota. Recorded

in West Indies from Cuba only; not from Mexico. Veragua; Chiriqui (Salvin).

Habits. So lar as our present knowledge of this Warhler extends, it is
nowhere a comniou sj^>ecies, and is distributed over a compamtively small

hfelminthophas^a relnta.

SYLVR'OLID.E -TIIK WAUDLEliS. Jy^

extent <>t tiTiitrny. AVilsou met witli it in I'ennsylvaniji diirinj: tlie last nf
Aju'il and the first of Afay, l»elie\ intjj it to he only a niij^rant sju'cies on its
way to more nnrtliern re^nons. Xnttall was seeptieal of these conelusions,
as he never met with the species in the New Kn^hmd States. A»uhih»>n
observed these hirds in their mii^rations throui^Mi Louisiana, which State they
entered from Texas in the month of A}>ril. He procured several specimens
in Louisiana and Kentucky, and one in New Jers(?v. Hi* knew nothin«' as
to its l»ree<lini,', and seems to have accepted Wilson's inferences in regard to
its northern mi;^rations. He never met with this l»ird in the fall, when, if a
Xorthern species, it should be returning south, and thence inferred that it
migrated by ni^lit.

Professor Uaird has nbtaini'd this bird near Carlisle, l*enn., in July,
rentlering pr(»bable its breeding in that vicinity. \V. S. Wood met with
it near St. Louis, May lo, IX'tT, and two days ]Htviously in the same
year Mr. Kennicott procured an individual in Soutiiern Illinois. Occa-
sionally specimens have been obtained in Massachusetts, and of late these
occuiTences have become mon* frecpient or more observed. It was first
noticeil near Boston by .]. Kliot Cabot, Ksip, who shot one in May, 1S:».S,
near Fresh I'oud. This was, he thinks,' on the 'JOth of that month. Since
then Mr. J. A. Allen has known of several specimens taken within the
State. Mr. Jillson has observe<l it s]»ending the sunnner in liolton, and
evidently breeding, as has also ^Ir. Allen at Springfield, and Mr. IJennett at
Holyoke. In the summer of 1S70, Mr. Maynard obtained its nest and eggs
in Newton.

The late Dr. (Jerhardt found it breeiling among the high grounds of North-
ern Georgia. It has also V>een taken at IJacine, Wis., by Dr. Hoy, and in
Ohio. These data seem to show that it is sparinulv found from (teoi-jria to
iMassachusetts, and from New Jersey to Missouri and Wisconsin. Its west-
ern limits may be m(a*e extended. It was not met with by any of the ex-
ploring ]>arties Ix^yond St. Louis, but its retiring habits and its sparse distri-
bution may account for this.

Dr. Samuel Cabot was the fii*st naturalist to meet with the nest and e«rfrs
of this bird. This was in ^lay, 18:»7, in (Ireenbrier County, Va. The nest
was constructed in the midst of a low bush on high ground, and contained
four eggs.

The late Dr. Alexander Gerluirdt found the nest and eggs of this W^arbler
in the spring of 1850, in Whitfiehl County, Ga. It contained four eggs, and
was built on the ground. It was very large for the bird, being five inches in
height and four in diameter. The cavity was also quite large and deep for
so small a bird, exceeding three inches both in depth and in diameter. The
outer and nnder portions of this nest were almost entirely composed of the
dry leaves of several kinds of deciduous trees. The.se were interwoven with
and strongly bound together by black vegetable roots, dry sedges, and fine
strips of pliant bark, and the whole line*! with a close network of fine

25

194 ^UUTII AMEUU'AN JJIUIJS.

k'lives, (Irv gmsses, .iiul ti])r(ui.s i(X)t.s. Dr. (Jorlumlt informed me tliat these
birds usually liuilil on or near the ground, under tussocks of grass, in clumps
of bushes, or jMne-brush, and that they lay from four to live eggs, from the
Hth to the ir)th of May.

The eggs of this st>ecies are of a Ijeautiful, clear crystal-white, with a few
bright reddish -brown spots around the larger end. Kggs from llacine, Wis.,
and fnnn Northern (leorgia, diller greatly in their relative size. The for-
mer measure .70 of an inch in length and .00 in breadth ; the latter, .G.'5
bv .41 ».

«

A single specimen of this species was obtained by Mr. Salvin, at C'hoctum,
in Guatemala.

Helminthophaga bachmani, C ah.vn.

BACHMATS WABBLEB.

S;ilvm hiichmnni, Ari). Orn. liio",'. II, 1834, 4S:3, pi. clxxxiii. Sjilrknln h. Rich. Vcrmi-
vora h. Bon. Hdumin I. All). Syii. Birds Am. II, 1841, l»3, pi. cviii. — Lf.mbeve,
Av C'uIki, 1850, 3tJ, pi. vi. fig. 1. Httniithmis h. Hon. Udiniulhtpluiga b. Cab.
.Tour. Ill, 1855, 475 (Cuba, iu winttr). — Baikis Binls N. Aui. 1858, 255; Hev. 175.
— GrNi.LArH, Cab, .Jour. 1861, 32(5 (Cuba, ran) ; KeiK'rt. (55, 232.

Sp. Char. Above olive-frreen, as also are the sides of the head and neck. Hind
head tinpred with ash. A broad patch on the forehead, bonlert'd behind by black; chin,
stripe from this along the side of the throat, and the entire under parts, deep yellow.
Throat and forepart of breast black. A ])at<'h on the inner wch of tlie outer two tail-
feathers near the end white. Lent:th. 4.')«> ; wiiiir, 2..'J."); tail, 2.0.'). Female w'xih merely
a patch of dusky on tlu' jiiirulum. ;nnl with the lilack bar on vertex obsolete.

Hab. Coikjt of South Carolina and Georgia ; Cuba in winter.

Habits. Bnchman's Warbler is a comparatively new and but little known
species of this interesting grou]). It was first discovered, 'Tuly, 1833, by Kev.
Dr. John Bachman, a few miles from Charleston, S. C, and in the same vi-
cinity he afterwards discovered a few others of both sexes. He described it
as a lively, active bird, gliding among the branches of the thick bushes, occa-
sionally mounting on the wing and seizing insects in the air, in the manner
of a Flycatcher. The individual first obtained ^^as an old female which
had, to all appearances, just reared a brood of young. With this partial ex-
ception, nothing is known in relation to its habits. As all the species of this
genus, without any at present known exception, construct their nests upon
the ground, it is a natural inference that it probably nests in a similar situa-
tion.

The Smithsonian Institution possesses but a single specimen of this bird,
obtained near Charleston, S. C. It was not observed l)y any naturalist of
the several governmental exjdoring expeditions, and, so far as we are at
present informed, its only known places of abode are South Carolina and
Cuba, where it is extremely rare. Its nest and eggs still remain unknown.

SYLVK'OUD.E — THE WARnT.EHS. 105

Helminthophaga pinus, r>Aiui>.

BLUE-WIHOED YELLOW WABBLEB.

Certhin pinus, Linn. Syst. Xat. I, 17fi6, 1S7. SiiJein phius. Lath., Vikiij.. (n«»t of ^VlI,-
soN). /fif,iiliif/ii'/i/iinftij)iiiiis, Maiiii>, Uiuls N. Am. 1^.'»8, '234; Hfv. 174. — SrL.vrKi;
Si Salvin, litis, 1, 1«;V.», 11 ((luiitriiiala). Sti.ATKK, C'atal. l^«il, •li<, no. 17t). Siilcin
solitiirin, Wii.soN, Am. Orn. II, |»1. xv. — ^ Ari». nm. Hioj^. I, pi. xx. SjilcU-oln sol.
KUH. fennuDi'if sij. S\v. ILllmiia snl. A( l». Uinls Am. II, pi. rxi. llclinUhci us
futl. W)S. — SiLAlEi:, r. Z. S. l^.'.t}, •J'.>1 ^Conlova). JIi/iiuiifJn>jfhtiiju sol. Cab.

Sp. Char. Upjx'r parts and rliecks oliv«'-<rre»'n, bri<jht«'st on the rump; the wimrj*, tail,
and upper tail-coverts, in part, bhiish-j/ray. An intensely bhu-k pat<li IVoin the blu«'-bUuk
bill to the eye, eontiniietl a short distance behind it. t'rown, except behind, and the under
parts i_a'nerally, rich oranp'-yellt>\v. Thi- imici- win;: and under tail-cuv«'its white. Eye-
lids, and a short line above and bt;hiinl the eye. biii^ditei- yellow. Wini; with two white
bands. Two outer tail-teat hers with most ol' the iinier web, third one with a spot at the
end, white. Female and fioumj .similar, duller, w ith ujore olivaceou.s on the crown. Length,
4.r>0; win^', 2.4M; tail, 2.10.

Hah. Eastern Enited States and Mexico to Guatemala (Cordova; Cohan). Not
noted Irom West Imlie.s.

Habits. The Blue-wiiijred Yellow WaiMcr is not known so far to the
nortli as New En^hiiul, and is rare even in Eastern and Sonthern New York.
It seems to be distributed throui^li tlie Enited States trcnn Eenn.sylvania to
Elorida, and from the Mississij>j)i Yalley eastwartl. It has also been taken
in Central America. Mr. Tri]>i>e states that it breeds in the vicinity of
Orange, X. Y. Mr. Audubon found it abundant in the barrens of Ken-
tucky, and as far north on the Mississipjd as St. (lenevieve.

In regard to the .song of tliis Idrd, Mr. Tripi>e states tli.at its notes are very
forcible and characteristic. Once heard, thev will alwavs be remembered.
He describes them as a rapid chirrup resendding rhndchich, k'-a-re-rrr'/r,
uttered very ([uickly. According to ]\Ir. Eidgway, they are wonderfully
similar to the rude lisping cliirrup of the Cot iirnicidus pa.sst'rin us.

Wilson says that these Warblers come from the South early in May, fre-
quenting thickets and shrubberies in search of insects, which they seek in
the branches. They are also fond of visiting gardens and orchards, gleaning
for insects among the low bushes. They generally build their nests on the
edge of se(iuestered woods. These ]\Ir. Wilson states to have been, in every
instance observed by him, fixed on the ground, in a thick tussock of long
grass, and built in the form of an inverted cone, the sides being formed
of the dry bark of strong fil)rous weeds lined with fine dry gi"asses. These
materials, he remarks, are not arranged in the usual circular manner, but
shelve downward from the top, the mouth being wide and the bottom narrow.
He describes the eggs as five in number, pure white, with a few faint dots
of reddish near the larger end. The young appear the first week in June.
The nests were always in an o])en but retired ])art of the woods, and were
all as thus described.

190 NOKTII AMKIilCAN JUUDS.

Accorclini^ to Mr. AudulMni its sonjj; consists ofu tew \v«*ak notes that are
l)y no means interesting;. His (les<*ri]»tion ot" its nest aj^jrees witli that ot"
Wilson. He states that it usually has two broods in the season, one in May,
the other in July. The yuun;,' disperse as sonn as they are ahle to provide lor
themselves.

He deseril>es them as of solitary hahits, anil adds that they leave Louisi-
ana lor the South early in ( )etoher. Its tli^dit is short, undetermine<l, and
j)errormed in ziji/a*,' lines. It will ascend twenty or thirty yards in the
air as if about to jjjo to a peater distance, when, suddenly turnini; round, it
will descend to the place from which it set f>ut. It rarely jau-sues insects
on the winir, feeding; chiefly on the snmller kind of s])iders, and seizing,' other
insects as thev come within its reach.

The alcove accounts of its hreedini;, and es]>ecially of its nest, do not cor-
res]>ond with the observations of Mr. Ifid^way, near Mt. Carmel, III, where
the bird is abundant. A ne.st collected by him is a verv h)ose open struc-
ture, composed chietly of broad, thin, and flexible strips (»f the inner bark
of deciduous trees, chiefly the bass-wood. It c(jntained five e^ijs, and was
obtained Mav S. It was first discovered bv noticing' the bird with mate-
rials in her bill. The situation of this nest " was in uo wise," says Mr. liidjx-
way, "as described by \Vils«jn, not haviuLj any covered cntmnce." The nest
was veiy bulky, and so loosely made that only the inner portion couhl be
secured. "I have found other nests,'" adds Mr. liid^'way, *' all correspoml-
ing with this one. There can be no doubt as to its identity, as the birds
were seen building the nest, and were closely watched in their movements.
Both male and female were seen several times." (No. 1(),14U, Smith. Coll.)

The egi^s of this si)ecies measure .70 of an inch in length by .5:) in breiulth.
Their «^oun(I-color is white, sprinkled with a few reddish-brown spots.

Helmintliophaga mficapilla, Batrd.

NASHVILLE WABBLER.

Syh'itt rujiniftiUa, WiLs. Am. Oni. Ill, 1811, 120, pi. xxWi, fig. 3. — Aud. Oni. Biog. I,
1832, 450, pi. Ixxxix. HelmuUlwphaga ruficopilla, Baikd, Birds N. Am. 1858, 256;
K«'V. 175. — .S< LATF.i:, r. Z. S, 1859, 373 (Xalajui). — Duh>sKU, Ibis, 65, 477 (Tt-xus). —
(Mui'Kit, Orii. ('al. I, 1S7<>, 82. Sijh-hi ruhricupilhi, WiLs. Am. Orn. VI, 1S12, 1.5,
Gcm'ral Iiidrx. — Xi'tt., Bon. Sifh'imla ruh. Kiph. J't'iiiicnrt' riih. Bon — Hkin-
HAki»T, Vid. Mfd. for 18,53, 1854, 82 ((Int'iiland). — Bkkwkk, Pr. Bost. S<>c. N. H.
VI, 1856, 4 (m*st and ('ji^s). Hdinnln r<//>. Aid. Birds Am. II, pi. cxiii. IhJiiilthrrvH
ruh. Bon. — S«L. P. Z. S. 1856, 201 (Cordova) ; 1859, 363 (.Xalapa). JfeluioiffiopJuKja
ruh. Cab. — Sci.ATKi:, P. Z. S. 1858, 298 (Oaxaca ; FeK aud Aug.). M, tint Ufa ruh.
REiNirAUDT, Ibis, 1861, 6 (Gr«'enlaml). Sulvia kucofffistni, Shaw, Creii. Zool. X, ii,
1817, 622. *^ Siflvoi wishviUei," Vieillut. — Gkay. Sulcin niexiaiiui, Holboll.

8p. Char. Ileal and neck al)Ove and on sides ash-prray, the crown with a patch of
concealed dark brownish-oranire Im^IiUmi by ashy tips to the feathers. Up|)er parts olive-
green, bri<rhtest on the rump. Tnder parts jrenerally, with the edge of the wing, deep

SVLVirol.lh.K — TIIK WAIMILKUS. IJjy

yellow; the anal rt'iLrioii paler ; the siilrs tiii;r«'<l with olive. A hr(»a<l y«'llowish-whit»'
ring rouini the ••vr ; tin- jorrs y«llo\vi-li ; no sii|M'n'ihary strijM'. The imier «m|^m's <»f' the
tiiii-featliers iiiaij^Miitd with iliill wliitr. AV/«ri/»' similar, luit tliillfr; the mi<lrr jKirts piiler,
ami with more while; Init little traee of the retl of the crown. Lengtii, -!.*».'» ; wiiip", 'J.4*J ;
tail. •-'.0.').

IIai!. Eastern Provinee of North AnuTiea; rare in the Mi<Mle Province (Fort Tejofj,
Cal., and Kast IIuml«»l<hMoimtain>, Nev.) ; (Jreeiilaml ( IlKiNHAiinr) ; Oaxaea (Fel.niary
an<l An^'Ust, S<i..\tkk); Xalapa and (Ninlova (ScLATtu; ; Orizaba (winter. Si'mk mhast).
Nol reeonh'd fiom \Ve<t Indies.

It is an intt'ivstiiio; t'iut, tliat, in tlii.s sjn'cies, we fintl in tlit* yt*lh»w a ti*n-
tU'ncy to iKiconiu more and nioi't; rL'slricttMl as we pa.s.s westward. In adult
spring' males from the Atlantie States this cnlor inva(h;s the eheeks, and
even stains the h)res and eyelids. In two adult sjtrin^' males from Chica^ij
it is contined within the maxilhe, the eheeks l>eini4 clear ash, and the loral
streak and orbital rinu- juire white ; wlnle in an adult male (autumnal, how-
ever) from the Kast Humholdt ^loiintains (Nevada, No. 5.*{,.S."i4, U. S. (Ie«d.
K.xpl., 4()th par.) the yelhtw is restrieted to a medial stri]>, even the sides
of the throat Kdnu; ashy; the ash invades the baek too, almost to the rump,
while in Kastern s})eeimens it extends rio farther haek than the nape. A
male (Xo. ln,«ir>G, J. Xantusj from Fort Tejon, Cal, is mueh like the Xe-
vada speeimen, though the peeuliar features of the remote Western form are
less exa^'j^erated ; it is about intermediate between the other speeimen and
the sjHicimens from Chieago. As there is not, unfortunately, a sutlieiently
large series of these birds l>efore us, we eannot say to what extent these
variations with loiij^itude are eonstant.

Habits. The X'ashville Warbler appears to be a species of somewhat
irregular oeeurrenee ; at one time it will be rather abundant, though never
very numerous, ami at another time eomparatively rare. For a long while our
older naturalists regarded it as a very rare speeies, and knew nothing as to
its habits or distribution. Wilson, who first met with it in IS 11, never found
more than three specimens, which he procured near Xashville, Tenn. Audu-
bon only met with three or four, and these he obtained in Lmisiana and
Kentucky. These and a few others in Titian Peale's collection, supposed to
have been obtained in Pennsvlvania, were all he ever saw. Mr. X^uttall at
first regarded it as very r.ire, and as a Southern species. In that writer's later
edition he speaks of it as a bird having a X'orthern distribution as far as
Liibrador. Dr. Kichardson records the occurrence of a single stniuiiler in the
fur countrv. So far as known, it occurs as a miurant in all the States
east of the Missouri, and is a summer resident north of the 4(>th parallel.
It probably breeds in the high ground of Pennsylvania, though this fact is
inferred rather than known. It breeds in Connecticut and ^lassachusetts,
and in Maine in the vicinity of Calais, being more abundant there than any-
where else, as far as has been ascertained.

Two individuals of this species have been taken in Greenland : one at
Godthaab, in 1885 ; and the other at Fiskemesset, August M, 184U.

IDS NORTH AMKHICAX BIRDS.

In ]\ In ssai'lm setts it has so far Ihhmi toiiiul in oiilv a tew restricted loeali
ties, Aiidnver, Lynn, and Hudson, tli(»u«;li it iindonl»tedly occurs clsewlu*re.
About the time Wilson obtained his first sjucinien, a livinj,' bird of tliis
s])ecies Hew into the ]>arlor of the Lite ('(»h>nel Thomas H. Perkins of lirook-
line, and is now in the collection of his grandson. Dr. Cabot. The latter
iientleman states that when he tirst began making collections this War-
bler wjis a verv rare visitant to his nei<dd)orhood, but has of late l)ecome
much more common, tlunigh vai-ving greatlv in this resi)ect in ditVerent
seasons. S])ccimens have l>een (►btained in Western Iowa by Mr. 11. W.
Parker, of (Irinnell.

A few instances of its occurrence west of the Mississippi \'allev are known.
One of these was by Xantus near Fort Tejon ; another near Like Taht)e, in tlie
Sierra Xevaila, by Mr. (rrul>er; and in the East Hundnddt Mountains, Nevada,
bv Mr. liidirwav. Specimens of this Warbler were obtained in the winter by
]\I. Pxmcanl at Oaxaca, Mexico.

In the summer of 18r>4, Mr. Charles S. Paine found it breeding in Ran-
dolph, Vt., but was unable t«> discover the nest. "They spend the sum-
mer," he wrote, "among low bushes, and ja-obably build their nests among
the thickets. 1 have watched their movements on sever.d occasions. Once
1 detected an old bird with food in her bill about to feed her young. I could
hear the young birds, yet was unable to find the nest." Two years later,
Mr. Oeorge O. Widch, of Lynn, found the nest of this Warbler on the
ground in a small thicket. It contained young i)artially Hedged, and one
egg unhatched. The nest was built in a slight de]>re.ssion, in a dry place,
among fallen leaves and in the shelter of a tidcket of young oak-trees.
This egg in shai>e was of a rounded oval, and measured .r»l> by .oO of an inch ;
one end was slightly more jjointed than the other. The ground-i'tdor was
white, slightly tinged with ]>ink, and marked over the entire surface with
puri>lish-brown dots. Around the larger end these spots form a lieautiful
wreath of contluent markings. Since then other nests have l)een found in
the same locality, all on the ground and l)uilt in like situations. They have
a diameter of four and a height of two inches. The cavity has a diameter
of two and a depth of one and a (quarter inches. The outer jjortions are
built of dry mosses, intermingled with strips of the bark of the wihl grape
and the red cedar and a few herbaceous twigs, and lined with a thick layer
of dried carices, small leaves of the white pine, and tine grasses. The whole
structure is loosely jnit together. The nests are generally concealed by over-
arching leaves, which, however, form no part of the nest itself.

The late Elijah P. Parrow, of Andover, Mjuss., a yonng naturalist of much
jiromise, found sever.il nests of this nne Warl)ier, all of which were con-
cealed by grjiss. The eggs he found varied in length from .59 to .01 of an
inch, and in breadtli from .50 to .51 of an inch. Both jmrents, as observed
by him, ^vere entirely silent.

The Nashville Warbler has been said to be a comparatively silent and

SVLVICOLin.K — TIIK WArtnLKlIS.

IDU

soiinlcss l)ir(l, rai'i'ly .uiviuij loitli any souiuls, nud llics*' art' i(>m]>anMl l»y l>r.
IJiclianlsoii to tlic civakiiii; iioiso iiuuU' l»v tliu \vlu'ltiii«j <>!' a saw. Wilson
coinpaivs tlicsf sniuuls to the (Mackiiiii of dry i\\''\*xs or Ww strikinj^ tom-tlu'r
of small }n'l>l>K's. Mr. »f. A. Allen sjR'aks »>f its sow^ as bt'ini; similar to that
(»f tlu' ('hcstnnt-sidtHl AVarl»lt'r, which hitter bird, as is well known, has notes
so chjsely ivsemblinL; th(»se of the Siininier Vellow-hird that it is ditlicult t(»
distinijjuish (»ne from the other by their note?. Mr. T. M. Trijipe states, also,
that this Warbler has a very tine son'j;, reseniblinii that of the Summer Yel-
low-l>ird more nearly than any other.

These Warblers arrive in Massachusetts about Jio tii-st of May, and remain
about three weeks, when the larger ]>(ution nun<' farther north.

More reientlv Mr. I'aine writes nie that the Nashville Warbler has of
late years become a eonnnon bird in certain L»cjilities in Central Vermont.
They come and keep eoni])any with the Canada Warbler, but are more rest-
less than that species at the time of their first a]H)ear.ince. They always
in the breed in jj^-season take up their abode in thickets, where there art; also
tall trees. Mr. Paine adds that their son^ consists of repetiti(»ns of single
notes, the last terminatiui*' somewhat abniptlv. Their son*' ceases bv the
loth of June. After their young are ready to tly, they disperse about the
woods and tields, and are then not readily discovered.

Helminthophaga virginise, Wxinw

BOCKT MOUNTAIir WABBLEB; VIBOIKIA'S WABBLEB.

Hdminthophnijii n'nfim'tr, 1V\ii!i>, Birds X. Am. innlcr «'X|»lanatioii of plates, 1S60, xi,
pi. Ixxix, li^'. 1 (Fort Hur^wYii, N. M.) ; K»'V. 177. ~- Coofeij, Oiii. Cal. I, 1S70, ^'k

Sr. CuAK. Sonu'what like //. rnjirapilfn. Male. Top and sides of head, l)ack, and
\viu}X< li^dit asliy-plinulMMms : t|iiil)s and taii-H'atlu'is l>n>\vn, cdj^eil with pure ashy-pluni-
IxMMus, the latt<»r indistinctly and narrowly mari,Mncd with whitish int«rnally and at tlu' end.
Rump, with upper an«l h)wer tail-coverts, bright ydhnv, in vivid contrast with the rest of
the hody. Crown with a concealed pat<*h of rich chestinit. Rest of under parts brownish-
white, with a patch of rich yellow on the juguluni. Inside ot' wings and axillars pure white,
A white ring round the eye. Bill and legs <lusky. Th»> c(»lors much duller in autumn.

Female, xitninj. Similar to the male, but chestnut s|)ot on crown obsolete, the yellow
jugular patcli less distinct, the upper tail-coverts more greenish, and the lower less rich
yellow.

Length. r».(M> ; extent, 7.2.'); wing, 2.50 when frosh. Drie«l skin: length, 4 00; wing,
2.50 ; tail, 2.20; tarsus, .(»7.

Il.Ms. SoutluMU Rocky Mountains (MithlU- Province of I'nited States) ; Eju^t Ibnnboldt,
Wahsatch, and lintah Mountains.

A young bird (Xo. T) :?,:>.">,'), Kast Humboldt Mountains, Nevada, August o)
is olive-gmy above, becoming green on the runij) and upper tail-coverts ; the
middle and seeondary coverts narrowly tip|)ed with pale gTayish-butI', ]>ro-
ducing two indistinct bands. The lower parts are pale dirty-butl', except the

200 NORTH AMERICAX -IJIRDS.

lowtT tail-coverts, \vhi«h aiv Iciiion-vellow ; there is scjircelv a tini'e of yellow
on the ju^uluii), ami in>t a trace of chestnut on the crown.

Haiuts. IJut little is a.s vet known in reijard to tlie liabits and distribution
of this soniewliat rare and recently discovered species. It was first met with
hy Dr. W. W. Anderson, at Fort l>uri,^wyn in New Mexico, and described
l)y Professor liaird in ISOO, in a note to the exj)lanation of Vol. II. of the
IJirds of North America. It was named in honor of Mrs. Virginia Ander-
son, tlie wife of its discoverer. An immature individual of this species was
obtained August ir>, 1804, by Dr. Coues, at Fort Whipple, near Prescott, in
the Territory of Arizona. As it beai-s a close resend dance to the H^hnin-
thitphaffii riificivpiUa, it is not improbable that its liabits bear a very close
resemblance to those of that species.

In the sunnner of 18IJ1|, Mr. Kobert Kidg.vay was so fortunate as to meet
with the nest and e«r<xs of this bird near Salt Liike, Utah (Smith. Coll.
15,2ol>). This was June 9. The nest was embedded in the deixisits of
dead or decaying- leaves, on ground covered l)y dense oak-brush. Its rim
was just even with the surface. It was built on the side of a narrow ravine
at the bottom of which was a small sticam. The ne.st itself is two inches
in de])tli by three and a half in diamci r. It consists of a loose but intri-
cate interweaving of fine strips of the inner bark of the mountain mahog-
any, fine stems of grasses, roots, and mosses, and is lined with the same
with the addition of the fur and hair of the smaller animals.

The eggs were four in number, and measure SA by .47 of an inch. Tliey
are of a rounded-ovoid shape, have a white ground with a slightly roseate
tinge, and are profusely spotted with numerous small blotches and dots of
purplish-brown and lilac, forming a crown arountl the larger end.

This l>ird was first observed by Mr. Pidgwav among the cedars and pines
of the East Hund)oldt ^lountains, where in duly it was (piite common. It
was very abundant in the Wahsatch Mountains near Salt Lake ('ity, through-
out the sunnnor chiefly inhabiting the thickets of scrub-oak on the slopes of
the canons in which they nested, and where they were daily seen, but where,
owing to the thickness of the bushes, they were with ditticulty obtained. He
descriljcs its song as almost exactly like that of Dcndroica astiva. The
usual note is a soft i)if, (juite ditlereut from the sharp cliij) of //. nlata.

Helminthophaga lucise, Cooper.

LVCTS WAEBLEB.

Ildmiufhophnffa Iwia', ^'norEU, Pr. Cal. Acad. July, 1861, 120 (Fort Moharc). — Baiud,
Kt'v. Am. IJ. 18t)4, 17». — Elliot, Illust. Binls N. Am. I, v. — Cooper, Oni. Tal. I,
1870, 84.

Sp. Char. GoiutuI fonn and size that of //. rutirapilJa. Ahovo liirht-cinon'ous; lu'iieath
white, having a soiled, wry pale buti", almost white tinge on the th.'oat, breast, and Hanks.

SYLVICOLID.E — THE WAUIJLEKS. 201

A patch on the vortox, as in //. rufirapiUa, and the npyr tail-covorts, dark ch«'stniit-
browij. Lores to nostrils and rc^'ion r<»uiid the eye, likt- the throat, in rather decided con-
trast to the a^^h of the crown. Quills and tail-teat hers brown, narrowly ed;^ed externally
with crray. An obsolet*' terminal white patch on the inner web of the outer feather; this
web in inj)st of the other tail-leathers likewise narrowly edirt.'d with white. Axillais and
inner face of wings white. Iris brown. Tarsi blue. Length, in life, 4.40; extent, (i.JMJ;
wing, 2.40. Length of skin, 3."J0 ; wing, 2M'o ; tail, L{S(j ; tarsus, .04; middle too and
claw, .r>0 ; bill above, .3r>; gai)e, .;"»0.

Hab. Fort Mohave, Colorado Kiver (Middle Province of United States) ; Fort Whipple,
Arizona.

Habits. This is also a new or recently discoAered species of this interest-
ing group of Warblers. In regard to its nest and eggs nothing is positively
ascertained, yet as all the birds of tliis gentis are known to bnihl on the
ground, and to have a great uniformity in the characteristics of their eggs, it
seems to be a matter of natural inference that this species also is a ground
builder, and has eugs similar to those of the Xashville Warbler. For the
little we know in regard to its lial)its and distribution, we are indebted to
the observations of Dr. J. G. Cooper of California, who first discovered it,
and to Dr. Cones, who has since met witli it in Arizona.

Dr. Cooper first o])served this species near Fort Mohave, where it made its
appearance about the last of ^Farch. His attention was called to it by its
pecidiar notes, resendding those of some Dc/idroica', Ijut lixinter. After con-
siderable watching and scr.imbling through dense mez(|uite thickets in its
pursuit, he succeeded in shooting one, and found it to be a new species.
Afterwards they became more numerous, fre«|uenting the tops of the mez-
quite-trees in pui-suit of insects, and constantly uttering their short but
pleasing notes. About ten days after the first appearance of the males, Dr.
Coo[)€i obtained the first female, and thinks that without doubt they are
much later in their migrations, as is the case with other Warblers. Ho
was not able to discover their nest, having to leave tlie vallev late in
IMay.

Mr. Holden obtained other specimens of this bird, near the *Uth parallel,
in March of 1863.

Dr. Coues met with three individuals of this species near Fort Whipple,
where it is a summer resident. It arrives there between the 15tli and the
20th of April, and remains until the latter j)art of September. It mates
about the last of April, and the young birds api)ejir early in June.

Dr. Coues regards its habits as more like those of the true Ground War-
blers than those of the other sj^ecies of this group. It shows a decided
preference for thickets and copses, rather than for high open woods, and is
also an exceetlingly shy and retiring species. To the extreme ditticulty of
observing or procuring it Dr. Coues attributes its having so long remained
unnoticed.

It is described as exceedingly active in all its motions, and quite as rest-
less as a PoUoptila, to which class, in its colors, it also bears a close resem-

20

202 NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS.

blance. The only note Dr. Cones ever heard it utter was a quick and often
repeated tsip, as slender and as wiry as that of a (Jnatiutcher. Dr. Cooper,
however, has described its song as rich and pleasing, the little performer be-
ing mounted on the top of some mezquite or other bush. Dr. Cooper supposes
this species to breed, not in the Colorado Valley, but in the more mountain-
ous regions.

Dr. Cones hazards the conjecture that this bird builds in low bushes.
Should it prove so, it would in this respect difl'er from all the other menil)ers
of this well-marked group, and from the other Ground Warblers, which, in its
general habits, it so much resembles.

Helminthophaga celata, var. celata, Daird.

OSANGE-CBOWNED WASBLEB.

Sylvia cclata, Say, Long's Exp. R, Mts. I, 1823, 169. — Box. Am. Om. I, pi. v, fig. 2. —
Aui>. Oni. Biog. II, \\. clxxviii. Sijlvicohi eel. Ilicii. Vcrmivora eel. Jai:d, Hclinnia
eel. Aid. Birds Am. II, pi. cxii. Hihuithrrns ccl. Bos.- Sclatei;, P. Z. S. 1857,
212 (Orizaba). Helmiuthoplunja eel. Baikp, Birds N. Am. 18.58, 257 ; liev. Am. Birds,
I, 1865, 176 (in jwrt). — Dali. & Baxxisteu (Alaska). — Sclater, P. Z. S. 1858, 298
(Oaxaca, DeecmlMr) ; 1859, 373 ; 1862, 19 (La Parada). H. cdata, var. celaUi, RiDuw.
Rept. U. S. Geol. Kxpl. 40th Par.

Sp. Cn.vR. Above jrrayish olivo-jjreen, rather brighter on the rump. Beneath entirely
grocnisli yellow iiili- white, except a little whitish about the anus; the sides tinged with
grayish-olivaceous. A concealed patch of pale orange-rufous on the crown, hi<ldcn by
the grayish tips to the feathers. Eyelids and an obscure superciliary line yellowish-white,
a duskv obscure streak through the eve. Inner webs of tail-feathers V)roadlv edired with
white. Female with little or none of the orange on the crown, and the white edgings to
inner webs of tail-featiiers. Yomuj lacking the orange entirely, and with two fulvous-
whitish bands on the wing. Length, 4.70; wing, 2.2o; tail, 2.00.

Hab. Middle Province of North America; Yukon and McKenzie River district. Very
rare in the Eastern Province of United States; Mexico in winter; Oaxaca, La Parada,
(Sclater) ; Orizaba, winter (Sl'.micurast).

This variety inhabits the interior regions of North America, from the
Yukon southward into Mexico ; westward, its range meets that of the var.
hdcsceas at about the meridian of 11 G°, while eastward it extends beyond the
Mississippi, tliough rare east of the latter region. Specimens from Southern
Illinois (where it is abundant in its migrations) and from Wisconsin are pi\*-
cisely like Kocky Mountain examples ; but several in the collection before us
from the South Atlantic States (Florida, Georgia, etc.) are so different as almost
to warrant their sei)ai"ation as a different variety. These individuals are most
like the style of the interior, — var. celata, — but are even less yellowish, and
the whole plumage is very dark and dingy ; all of them, too, lack any trace
whatever of orange on the crown. Should all specimens from this region
agree in tlie latter respect, the series from the Southeastern States is certainly
entitled to recognition as a variety, for which we pro^xise the name ohi^ciira.

SYLVICULIDJ!: — THE WAKliLEUS. 203

Habits. Tlie geoi:rra])liic5il distrilmtion of H. rchita is involved in some
doubt, owini,' probably to its irreguliirity of migration. In a few nccasionul
instances this species has been ol (served in the Atlantic States. Several liave
been obtained near Philadelphia. Mr. Au«hibon attirms to having seen it in
the Middle States about the loth of Mav, and in Maine later in the month.
Beyond tliat lie did not trace it. Mr. J. A. Allen procured one si)ecimen of
this bird in Springfield, Mass., May 15, 18b3. There were quite a uundjer
among the fruit-trees of the garden and orchard, then in bloom, and, mis-
taking them for ILIininthophafja rujimpilla, he at first neglected to shoot any,
until, being in doubt, he procured one, and found it the Orange-Crown. The
group passed on, and one was all he obtained. It is not given by Mr.
Turnbull as one of the birds of Xew Jersey and Pennsvlvania, nor by Mr.
Boardman or Professor Verrill as occuriing in Maine. I am informed by
Mr. Ridgway that it is a regular spring and autumn migrant in Southern
Illinois, and in some seasons is (piite connnon.

It was taken as a migmtory species at Oaxaca, ^lexico, during the winter
months, by M. A. Boucard.

Mr. Audubon's account of the habits and movements of this species must
be received with much caution. His description of its nest is entirely inac-
curate, and nuich that he attributes to this s^^ecies we have reason to believe
relates to the habits of other birds.

On the Pacific coast it seems to be quite abundant, at different seasons,
from Cai^)e St. Lucas to the arctic regiiais, where it breeds. Mr. Kennicott
obtained several specimens at Fort Yukon and at Fort Kesolution, and Mr.
Itoss met with them at Fort Simpson. Xantus obtained these birds both at
Fort Tejon and at Cape St. Lucas. It is common in Southern California
during the winter, freiiuenting low bushes and the margins of streams. Dr.
Gambel met with it in early spring on the island of Santa Catalina, where
!ie had an o])portunity of listening to its simple and lively song. Tliis he
describes as commencing in a low, sweet trill, and ending in fshv-up. It
is sometimes considerably varied, but is described as genei-ally resembling
er-r,r,r,r-she-iip.

Dr. Cooj>er speaks of this Warbler as an abundant and constant resident
of California, near the coast, and found in summer throughout the Sierra
Nevada. In March they begin to sing their simple trill, which, he says, is
rather nmsical, and audible for a long distance.

Dr. Coues met with this Warbler in Arizona, at Fort Yuma, Sept^mlier 17,
at Fort Mohave, October 1, and also at the liead-\vaters of Bill Williams
Iliver. Lieutenant C aich found it at Brownsville, Tex., seeking its food
and making its home among the low shrul)bery.

Dr. Suckley found it very abundant at Fort Steilacoom, in Washington
Territory, where it kept in shady places among thick brush, generally in the
vicinity of watercourses. Dr. Heermann found a few pairs incubating near
the summits of the highest moimtains on the Colorado Iliver. The nestvs of

204 NORTH AMERICAN HIRDS.

tliis species, seen l»y ^Ir. Keiinicott, were unilormly on the ground, generally
among 'j1iuiii>s ot low bushes, olten in the side of a bank, and usually liidden
by the dry leaves among which they were jJaced. He met with tlic^se nests
in the middle of June in the vicinity of CJreat Slave Lake. They were large
for the size of the bird, having an external diameter of four inclies, and a
height of two and a lialf. and api^earing as if made of two or three dis-
tinct fabrics, one within the (jther, of nearly the same materials. The ex-
ternal portions of these nests were com})osed almost entirely of long, coarse
strii>s of bark loosely interwoven with a few dry grasses and stems of jJants.
Within it is a more elaborately interwoven structure of finer dry gmsses and
mosses. Tliese are softlv and warmlv lined with hair and fur of small
animals.

Nests from more arctic regions are of a different style of structure, homo-
geneous in materials, — which are chiefly stems of small plants and the finer
grasses, — and are of a UKjre compact make and smaller in size.

Their eggs are from four to six in number, and vary in length from .70
to .0(1 of an inch, and in breadth from .50 to .45 of an inch. They have
a clear white ground, marked with spots and small blotches of reddish-
brown and fainter marking of purplish-slate. Tiie number of spots varies
greatly, some eggs being nearly unspotted, others jn-ofusely covered.

Mr. liidgway met with this Warbler in great abundance during its autum-
nal migration among the shrubbery along the streams of the Sierra Nevada,
at all altitudes. In sunnner it was only seen among the high aspen woods
on the Wahsatch Mountains. Fully Hedged young birds were numerous in
July and August. Their usual note was a sharp chip.

This bird was found breeding near Fort licsolution, on the Yukon, at
Fort Rae, and at Fort Anderson.

The notice of geogra])hieal distribution of the different races, at tlie begin-
ning of the article, will serve to show to what varieties the precechng re:narks
severally belong.

Helminthophaga celata, var. lutescens, Ktdgwat.

PACinC OSANOE-CBOWHED WABBLEB.

nchnintlwpluifjn cchta, CoorKR & Sucklky, P. R. R. XII, ii, 1859, 178. — Loud, Tr. K.
Art. Inst. Woolwich, IV, 18G4, 11.'). — Haiud, Rev. Am. Birds, I, 1865, 170 (in part).
— CoopEi:, Orn. Cal. I, 1870, 83. U. celaUt, var. lukscem, Ridgvvay, Rei>ort U. S.
Geol. Expl. 40th Par.

Sp. Char. }fale. Upper surface continuous bright olive-green. Whole lower parts,
including; superciliary stripe and eyelids, bright yellow, almost gamboge ; abdomen some-
what whitish. Inner webs of tail-feathers just perceptibly ed,2re<l with white. Whole
crown hrio-ht orange-rufous, scarcely concealed. Wing, 2.40; tail, 1.90; bill, .40; tarsus,
.G7 : miildle toe, .45. Winjj-formula, 2, 3, 1, 4. Female. Similar, but oranjre of crown
almost obsolete. Wing, 2.30 ; tail, 1.90. Young of the year. Similar to adult, but with

SYLVICOLlD^ii: — THE WARBLERS. 205

a brownish tinpjo abov«> ; middle and secondary coverts tippe<l with dull fulvous, Curry, in-
conspicuous l)ands. Xo trace of oranire on the crown.

Had. Pacilic Province of X<jrth Aiuerica, from Alaska to Cape St. Lucas. Stragi:linj^
eastward to about the llGth meridian. Not found in Mexico?

The differences Ijetween tlie Pacific coast specimens of the H. alofn and
those from the interior regions — tirst [)ointed out in the Iteview of Ameri-
can Birds — are very readily appreciahle upon a comi)ari.son of specimens.
Tlie present bird is a coast variety, entirely replacing the true cduta (var.
cclata) iu the region above indicated.

Helminthophaga peregrina, Caban.

TENNESSEE WASBLEB.

Sylvia j*crefjn'tM, "Wils. Am. Orn. IV, 1811, 83, pi. xxv, fig. 2. — AuD. Orn. Biog. II, pi.
cliv. Sylvicolti per. Rich. Vcrhkivom pet'. Hon. Hclinuia j)cr. Am. Birds Am. II,
pi. ex. HclmUheriui pt.r. Box. ffrhiiiiifhtphaija jter. Cab. Mus. llein. — In. Jour.
Oni. 1861, 85 (Costa Kica). — Baiijd, Birds N. Am. 1858, 258; Rev. 178. ~ Sclater
& Salvix, Ibis, 18t)0, 31 (Guatemala). — Sclateii, P. Z. S. 185S>, 373 (Oaxaoa) ; Catal.
18«J1, 29, no. 180. — Lawuence, Ann. N. Y. Lye. 1861, 322 (Panama). - Oindlach,
Cab. Jour. 1861, 326 (Cuba, very rare). Sijlvht tenucsfuci, Vieillot, Eutvcl. Meth.
II, 1823, 452. f' Syhia missuriensis, Max. Cab. Jour. VI, 1858, 117.

Sp. Char. Top and sides of the head and neck ash-prray ; rest of upper parts olive-
green, lirightest on the rump. Beneath «lull white, faintly tinged in places, especially on
the sides, with yellowish-olive. P^yelids and a stripe over the eye wliitish ; a dusky line
from the eye to the bill. Outer tail-feather with a white spot along the inner edge near
the tip. Feimth with the ash of the head less conspicuous ; the under partes more tinged
with olive-yellow. Length, 4..")0 ; wing, 2.75 ; tail, 1.8o.

Hab. Eastern Province of North America ; Calais, Me. ; north to Fort Simpson. IT. B.
T. ; Mexico; Oaxaca? Guatemala; Costa Rica; Panama R. R. Very rare in Cuba.
Veragua (Salvix). Chiriiiui (Lawrexce).

Autumnal specimens and young birds are sometimes so strongly tinged
with greenish-yellow as to be scarcely distinguisliable from H. cclata. The
wing is, however, always longer, and the obscure whitish patch on the
inner edge of the exterior tail-feather, near its tip, is almost always a])-
precial)le. In cc/ata this edge is very narrowly and unitbrndy margined
with whitish.

A young bird of the year, from Fort Simpson (27,228), has two distinct
greenish-white bands on the wings, and the forehead and cheeks greenish-
yellow. A con'esponding age of If. cclata has the wing-bands more reddish-
browTi, the wings shorter, and no white patch on the outer tail-feather.

Habits. Like the Nashville Warbler the present species has received a
name inappropriate to one with so northern a distribution. It was first ob-
tained on the banks of the Cuml)erland Kiver by Wilson, and has since been
known as the Tennessee Warbler. But two siX5cimens were ever obtained
by him, and he regarded it as a very rare species. He found them hunting

206 NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS.

nimbly anions; the yoiinfj leaves, and thought they possessed many of the
habits of the Titmice. Their notes he descril)ed jis few and weak, and in
their stomaclis he found, upon dissection, small green caterpillars and a few
winged insects.

Mr. Audubon also regarded it as a mre si)ecies, and only three specimens
ever fell within his observations. These were obtained in Louisiana and at
Key West. He describes them as appearing to he nimble, active birds, ex-
pert catcliers of Hies, and fond of hanging to the extremities of brandies,
utterimj a single mellow tweet as thev tiv from branch to bmnch in search of
food, or while on the wing.

Mr. Nuttall appears not to have met with it. Dr. Richardson procured
only a single specimen at Cumberland House, in the latter juirt of May.
This was in a dense thicket of small trees, and was flying about among the
lower bmnches. He was unable to discover its nest, or to learn anything in
regard to its habits.

A little more light has since then l^een given both as to its geographical
distribution and its mode of nesting. Specimens of this species have l)een
obtained in Costa Rica, Guatemala, Oaxaca, Mexico, and Panama. A speci-
men of this species was also taken in Colombia, S. A., by Mr. C. W. Wyatt.
Dr. Gundlach mentions it as occasionally found in Cuba. Mr. Drexler
secured specimens of it at Moose Factory and at Fort CJeoi-ge in tlie arctic
regions. Specimens w^ere taken by Mr. Bernard II. Ross at Fort Simpson.
Mr. Robert Kennicott met with it on the northern shores of Lake Winni-
peg, June 6. They were then abundant, and had already mated. He again
met with them at Fort Resolution, and Mr. Clarke found them at Fort Rae,
Mr. W. F. Hall in Elaine, Mr. Bell on the Upper Missouri, and Professor
Baird in Pennsylvania. ^Ir. Ridgway has obtained it both in sj)ring and in
fall in Southern Illinois, where it is abundant in some seasons. It does not
appear to occur on tlie Pacific coast.

Mr. Boardman writes that the Tennessee Warbler is, in the summer time,
quite a common bird in St. Stephens and vicinity. Its notes, he adds, re-
sendjle the low, subdued whistle of the common Summer Yellow-Bird.

Mr. Maynard found this Warbler very common near Lake Umbagog dur-
ing the breeding-season. It was found in all the wooded localities in the
regions north of the neighboring mountains. Its song, he states, resembles
that of H. rnjicapilla, the notes of the lii"st part l)eing more divided, while
the latter part is shriller.

A nest of this Warbler (Smith. Coll., 3470), obtained on the northern shore
of Lake Superior by ^Ir. George Barnston, is but little more than a nearly flat
bed of dry, matted stems of grass, and is less tlian an inch in thickness, with
a diameter of about three inches. It is not circular in shape, and its width
is not uniform. Its position must have been on some flat surface, probably
the ground. The eggs resemble those of all the family in having a white
ground, over which are profusely distril)uted numerous small dots and points

SYLVICOLin.E — THE WARBLERS. 207

of a reddish-ltrown, and a few of a purplish-slate. Tliey are of an oblong-
oval sliajK;, and measure .08 by •">'> of an inch.

A nest from near Sprin«,'field, Mjuss., obtained ])y Professor Horsford, the
pareiK' bird having been secured, was built in a low clunn) of bushes, just
above the ground. It is well made, woven of fine liempen fibres of vege-
tables, slender stems of grass, delicate mosses, and other like materials, and
very thoroughly lined with liair. It mea.-'ures two and tliree fourths inches
in diameter and two in height. The cavity is two inches ^wide and one and
three fourths deep. The eggs measure .00 by .50 of an inch, are oblong-
oval in sliape, their ground-color a j)early white, marked in a corona, about
the larger end, with brown and purplish-brown spots.

Genus PARUIiA. Bonap.

Chlon's, BoiE, Isis, 1826, 972 (not of Mwhriiiff, 17.'>2), (Typr, Parus nmcricamts.)
Si/lvivuia, JSwAiNsiiN, Zoiil, .lourn. Ill, July, 1827, 160. (Not of Huniphny, Mus. Calon-

iiianum, 1707, 60 ; ^enus of hind niollusks.) (Same tyi>€.)
Paruht, BoxAF. (t«'o<;. k (Vnnp. List, 1838. (Same type.)
Compsothlypis, Cabaxis, Mus. Hein. 1850, 1851, 20. (Same tyi»e.)

Gex. Ciiak. In the sp',»cies of this jrt'nns tho bill is conical and acute ; the culmen
very {gently curved from the base ; the commissure sli*rhtly concave. The notch when
visii)le is further from the tip than in Dendroica, but usually is either obsolete or entirely
wantinpf. Bristles weak. Tho tarsi are longer than the middle toe. The tail is nearly
even, and considerately shorter than the winj;. Color, blue above, with a trianj^ular patch
of preen on the back ; anterior lower parts yellow.

Two species — one with three varieties — of this genus, .as lately restricted,
are known in America, only one, however, has as yet been detected watliin
the limits of the United States. They may be distinguished as follows : —

P. americana. Eyelids white. Yellow beneath restricted to anterior half.

Two white bands on wing ; a dusky collar across the jugulum. -Hah. East-
em Province of United States, south to Guatemala ; Bahamas ; Cuba ;
Jamaica ; St. Croix ; St. Thomas.

P. pitiayuini. Eyelids dusky. Yellow beneath, extending back along sides to

the crissum.

Tii'O white hands on whig.

Above plumbeous-l)lue; lores and eyelids deep black. Abdomen wholly
yellow. Wing, 2.20; tail, 1.7'). Hah. South America from Bogota to
Paraguay var. pit i ay u m i }

Above ashy-blue; lores and eyelids scarcely darker. Abdomen Avholly
white. Wing, 2.35 ; tail, 2.05. Ilah. Tres Marias Islands, Western Mex-
ico var. insular is?

1 Sylvia pitiaijiimi, Vieill. Nouv. Diet. II, 1816, 276. Parula pit. Sclat. Catal. 26, no.
165. — Baird, Rev. Am. Birds, I, 1865, 170.
* Pontla insulaHs, Lawr. Ann. N. Y. Lye. X, Feb. 1871.

208

NUUTH AMKIUCAN tilUDi^.

0)Jif n (I'tire of irhite on wiinj!*, or none at all.

AUovc iii(li<^o-Mue. Winjjr, 2.10; tail, 1.70. Hub. CojiUi Kica and (Juji-
teiiiiila vur. iuornata}

Comj^xothh/pis fjutturnlis, Caranis (Pftrt/h fivf., r>AirvT), "Rev. Am. R), and

Co/fi/Vsfrt'/H sttjurri/iosum, HahtLAIB {PaniJn
sujH'rrihOso, J»All{l>, llev.), liave l»etMi refeiTed
by lattT systeiiiatists to this ^'eims ; Imt tlu'y
are much mow closely related to Cofu'rosfrum,
— a j^eiuis usually assigned to the Cunhithr.
The " P." (inthiralia is confined to Costa llica;
but " /V sf'jH'rri/ufSK is a species of the
table-lands of Mexico, and likelv to be de-
i^,r«Ar «,«.nm««, Buuap. tcctcd iu Arizoua or Xcw Mcxico. The char-

acters of this species are as follows : —

Conirotiti'iim svpern'Jiosnm, IIartl. R. Z. 1S44, 215. Whole dorsal roirion, includinpf
rump. olivf-LMcoii ; rt-.^t of u]»|>or jtarts ashy. Aiitt'rior hall' boiirath yellow, with a crcs-
cetitic bar ot'clu'stnut-hrowu across the jiiuuliim ; i»nsteri«M- lower parts white, ashy later-
ally. A conspicuous suju'rciliary stripe of white. Wing, 2.00 ; tail, 2.10.

Farula americana, Bunap.

BLUE TELLOW-BACXED WABBLEB.

Parus nnicricnnus, Lisx. Syst. Nat. loth od. 1, 17.'*^, VMK Motrfrilla am. Omf.lin. Siflcia
am. Lath., Aid. Sifhicola am. Rich., Aid. — Jonf.s, Nat. iu H«'niuida, 18.31», 59.
Porula am. Bon. List Birds N. Am. 1838. — Gosse, lUrds.Tain. 1847, 151 ^Jamaica). — ■
IJaiiio, Birds N. Am. 1858, 238 ; llcv. 1«>9. — Sclatki;, P. Z. S. 1857, 202 (Xalapa). —
Ir. llus, 1859, 10 (Guatemala). — Ib. Catal. 1801, 2<), ltJ3. — Nkwtox, Il.is, 18.51>, 143
(Santa Cruz ; winter). — Cassis, Pr. A. N. S. 18r»0, 37t> (St. Thoma.s). — Gi'ni)LA<ii,
Cab. Jour. 18(51, 326 (Cuba ; vt'iy common). Comjf.sof/tlifpu'i am. Cab. Mus. llciu.
1850,20. — I B. Jour. Ill, 1855, 476 (CubiO. Fioilula Jialociciana, Bliis.soN. Muta-
cilhi lad. Gm. MotiH-iUii equrs. Bono. S>jlcia forquata, ViEiLL. Thrnothorus torq.
Stkfiikn.s. Sifh'ia pusiUa, Wils. Siflciotla pas. i>\VAiss.

Figures : AuD. Om. Biofj. I, pi. xv. — Ib. Birds Am. II, pi. xci. — Vieill. Ois. Am. II,
jil. xcix. — Wils. Am. Oni. IV, pi. xxviii. — Buffox, pi. cnl. decxxxi, lig. 1 ; dicix,
% 1.

Sp. Char. Above blue, the middle of the back with a patch of yellowish-green. Be-
neath yellow anteriorh', Avhite behiiul. A red<lish-brown tinge across the breast. Lores
and space round the eye dusky ; a small white spot on either eyelid ; sides of head and
neck like the crown. Two conspicuous white bands on the wings. Outer two tail-feath-
ers with a conspicuous spot of whitr. Female similar, with less brown on the breast.
Length, 4.7o ; wing, 2.;>4 ; tail, 1.90, Xest of long moss.

Hab. Eastern Province of United States, north to the Lakes ("Greenland"), west to
the Missouri Valley ; in wintt'r. south to Guatemala (not seen on the west coast of Mexico).
West Indies; Baham.as ; Cuba; Jamaica; St. Croix; St. Thomas; Jalapa, Guatemala
(Sclater) ; Orizaba, winter (Sumichrast) ; Yucatan (Lawrence) ; Porto Rico and Liagua
(Brvaxt).

1 Pariila inornnta, Baikd, Rev. Am. Birds, I, ISO,'), 171.

SYLVICOLID.E — THE WAHBLERS. OQO

Autuninal nuiles are browner on tlie cliin, yellower on the throat and
jnguluni. Head tinned with greenish ; secondaries edged with greenish-yel-
low. Autumnal females are light greeu-
ish-olive above, dirty-white l)eneath.

In very brightly colored spring males,
there is frequently (as in ."iS,; ).*?'>, Phila-
delphia) a well-defined, broatl blackish
band across the jugulum, anterior to an
equally distinct and mther broader one
across the breast, of a brown tint, six)tte<l
with black, while the sides are much
spotted with chestnut-brown ; the blue

above is very [)ure, and the green patch on the back very sharply de-
fined.

Habits. Tlie Blue Yellow-I>ack is one of our most interesting and attrac-
tive AVarblers. Nowhere very abundant, it hiis a well-marked and restricted
tarea within which it is sparingly distributed. It is found from the Missis-
sippi Valley to the Atlantic, and from Canada southward. In its winter
migrations it visits the West Indies, the Bahamas, and Central and South
America. Halifax on the east, and Platte liiver on the west, appear to be
the northern limit of its distrilnition. Dr. Woodhouse met with it in the
Indian Territory during the breeding-season. Mr. Alfred Newton found this
species, apparently only a winter visitant, in tlie island of St. Croix. Most
of the birds left about the middle of March, though a few remained until
early in ^lay.

A single sj)ecimen of this species was taken at South Greenland in
1857.

This Warbler has been found breeding as far to the south as Tuckertown,
N. J., by Mr. W. S. Wood ; and at Cape May, in the same State, by Mr.
John Krider. At Washington, Dr. Coues found it only a spring and autunm
visitant, exceedingly abundant from April 25 to May 15. Possibly a
few remained to breed, as he met with them in the first week of August.
In the fall they were again abundant from August 25 to the second week in
October. He found them inhabiting exclusively high open woods, and
usually seen in the tops of the trees, or at the extremities of the branches,
in the tufts of leaves and blossoms.

Even wdiere most conmicm it is not an abundant si)ecies,and is to be found
only in certain localities, somewhat open and swampy thickets, usually not
of great extent, and prefers those well covered with the long gray lichens
known as Spanish moss. In such localities only, so far as I know, do they
breed.

This Warbler has also been ascertained to breed in Southern Illinois, where
Mr. Ridgway found it in July, engaged in feeding fully Hedged young birds.
It is there most common in spring and fall.

27

210 NOKTir AMKRK'AX HIRDS.

A true WarbltT in most of its jittrilmtos, this \nn\ luia many of tlie luibits of
Titmice. Like these it lVe(|uents the tups of tiie tiiUer trees, feeilin<^ on the
small winged inst'cts anil cateijiillars that ah<»und among tiie young leaves
and blossoms. It has no s«»ng, in-o}>eily so called, its notea u»"^j feeble and
few, and can be heard only a shdit distance.

The song of this species is said by Mr. Trippe, of Onmge, X. Y., to
be a somewhat sharp ami lisping, yet (piite varied and pleasing, .series of
notes.

Mr. Audnl)on sj)eaks of this sjiecies as breeding in Louisiana, but his
descri]»tion of the nest dittei's so entirely from such as are met with in Mas-
sachusetts as to suggest doubts as to the coiTeetness of the identification.
He describes them as Hitting over (himp places, the edges of ]x)nds and
streams, and pursuing their prey with great activity. They resort to the
woods as soon as the foliage api)eai-s on the forest trees, and glean among the
leaves for the smaller winged insects.

The nests of this Warbler, so far as has fallen under my observation, have
always been made of long gniy lichens still attached to the trees on which
they grow. With great skill do these tiny architects gather up, fasten
together, and interweave, one with the other, the hanging ends and longer
branches. By an elabonite intertwining of these long fibres they form the
principal part, sometimes the whole, of their nests. These structures are at
once simple, beautiful, ingenious, and skilfully wrought. When first made,
they are somewhat rude and unfinished, but as their family are gathered,
the eggs dejK)sited, incubated, and hatched, a change has been going on. Lit-
tle by little has the male bird busied himself, when not procuring foo<l for
his mate, in imi)roving, strengthening, and enlarging the nest. These same
acts of improvement upon the original nests are noticed with llumming-
Birds, Vireos, and a few other birds.

The nests are sometimes constructed on the sides of trunks of trees, when
covered with the long gray lichens, but are more freipiently found hanging
from branches usually not more than six or eight feet from the ground.
Thus surrounded by long hanging mos.ses in clumps not distinguishable from
the nests themselves, they would not Ixj readily recognized were it not that
those familiar with the habits of the bird may be readily guided to the spot
by the artless movements of the unsuspecting parents.

These birds are confiding, easily approached, and rarely exhibit any signs of
alarm. Even when their nest is disturbed they make but little complaint, and
do not manifest any very great signs of emotion. When built against a trunk
these nests consist only of an interweaving of the moss above and below a
very small oi)ening, within whicdi a small cup-shaped Hooring has been made
of the same material, and usually caimot be removed without destroying all
semblance of a nest. When jxjnsile they are imperfectly circular in shape,
with an entrance on one side, and rarely with any lining. Occasionally they
are models of synnnetrv and beauty.

SYLVICOLID.E — THE WAUHLKIiS.

211

Tlie c^'if^, four or fivo in immlH'r, have a clear wliito |u'r<»ini(l, aiul an* spar-
iii;,'ly .s|M)tte(l witli inarkin^^s of H'ddisli-lnowii, slat«s purpk*, ami lilar. In
H«»nic the tirst predouiinate, in otlKi-s the last three shades are nmre ahundant,
anil usually form a conHuent ring around the hirj^er end. They measure from
.02 to .G.'> of uu inch in length, and from .4'J to .50 in brea<lth.

Section SYLVICOLE^.

This section has been alreailv characterized as havinir a distinctly iu>tched
lull, well pn)vided with bristles. Of the two j^enera one, Pt'}'iss(njlo.s.sii, has
the bill slender, acute, somethinj^ like Iff/miuthojtkttua, and with the t(m<;ue
lengthened and much lacerated at end ; the other, Vcmlroica, with less acute
bill and tongue shorter, merely notched at tip, and a little fringed only.

Genus PERISSOGLOSSA, BAmn.

Perissoghtssa, BAniu, Rev. Am. Birds, 1864, 181. (Type, Motacilla tigriua, Gm.)

Gen. Cn.vR. Form of Detidmim, but bill sleinler, .icntc, with very obsolcto notch ; the
conuiiifwuro gently archod or carved from the base ;
the gonj's also straight, or even sligiitly concave.
Tongue lengthened, narrow, deeply bilid (for one
third), and deeply lacerated or fringed externally
at the end ; the edge along the median portion folded
over on the uj)per surface, but not adherent.

The curvature of the bill in PcrU^ofilosisa
tigrina is quite peculiar among the Siflvi- y
coHd(r with notched bills. Some Hclmin-
thophagas (without notch) approximate this PerUso8io.Mi nirrina, Baini.

character, though in none, excepting H. hachmani, is it in eipial amount, —
all the others having the gonys very slightly convex, instead of straight, oi
even slightly concave.

It is most probable that the Helinaia carhonata of Auduhon belongs here,
as it appears very closely allied to the type of this genus. The two species
may be distinguished as follows : —

Common Characters, Afale. Top of head black. Above olive, becoming yel-
lowish on rump. Head, neck, and lower parts bright yellow, becoming whitish
posteriorly. Dorsal feathers with black centres ; breast and sides streaked with
black. A black streak through the eye.

P. tigrina. Large white patches on inner webs of tail-feathers.

Sides of head and mid<lle of throat tinged with chestnut. One large
white patch on wing, covering both rows of cover*:. Outer web of
lateral tail-feather blackish.

212 XORTII AMERICA. n' IHUDS.

P. carbonata. No white patclies on tail-feadiers.

No clitstiiut sibout lu'iul. Two bam Is on tlio winjr, tlu» antorior one
white, the posterior yellow. Outer web ol" lateral tail-leather whitish.

Perissoglossa tigrina, hxini).

CAPE MAT WABBLEB.

MotticiUutigrhui, Gmklin, Syn. Nat. 1, 1788, OS.^i. Sijlria tig. Lath. Denilroka fiij. Baiui>,
Minis N. Am. 18r.8, 28t5. — StLATKU, ratal. 18(51, :J3, no. 1!>8 ; P. Z. S. 1861, 71
(Jamaiia, April). — Mahch, Pr. An. Sc. 1863, 293 (Janiaiia ; hn-tuls). — A. & E. Nkw-
Tox, IbLs 1859, 144 (St. Croix. Notes on anatomy of ton<?iie). — (Jinklach, Cab.
Jour. 1861, 326 (Cuba; not rare). —Samuels, 240. Pfrisfuxj/os.'ni tltjrimi, lUiuD, Kt*v.
Am. Birds, 1864, 181. .SV/'i/<r hutritiina, Wil.sox, Am. Orn. VI, 1812, 99, pi. liv,
tig. 3. — Box. ; NiTT. ; Arn. Oni. Biog. V, pi. ('(('ixiv. — D'C^itn. La Sagni's Cub.
1840, 70, pi. X. Siflvii-ola mar. Jakd., Box., Aud. Birds Am. II, pi. ixxxv. (Vrthi-
ola mar. CossE, Birds Jam. 1847, 81. — Ib. Illust. Khimamphus mar. Cab. Jour.
Ill, 1855, 474 ^Cuba.)

Sp. Char. Bill very acute, conical, and decidedly curved. Rill and feet black. Upper
part of liead dull black, some of the feathers iiiiiitly margined with li<j:ht yellowish-brown.
Collar scarcely meeting behind ; munp and under parts generally rich yellow. Throat, fore-
part of breast, and sides, streaked with black. Abdomen and lower tail-coverts pale yel-
low, brighter about the vent. Ear-coverts light reddish-cliestnut. Back part of a yellow
line from m^strils over the eye of this same color ; chin and throat tinged also with it. A
black line from connnissure through the eye, and ruiming into the chestnut of the ear-
coverts. Back, shoulder, edges of the wing and tail, y«'llowish-olive : the former spotted
with duskv. One row of small coverts, and outer bases of the secondary coverts, form a
large patch of white, tinged with pale y»'llow. Tertials rather broadly edged with brown-
ish-white. Quills and tail dark brown, the three outer feathers of the latter largely marked
with white on the inner web ; ei\»:e of the outer wel) of the outer feathers white, more
perceptible towards the base. T^ength, 5.2.") ; wing, 2.84 ; tail, 2.15.

Female. Above olivaceous-ash, most yellowish on rump ; no black nor chestnut on
head. Wing-coverts inconspicuously edged with whitish. Tail-spots very inconspicuous.
Beneath dull white tinge*! with yellowish ou the breast, and streaked as in the male,
but witli dusky grayish instead of black.

IIab. Eastern Province of United States, north to Lake Winnipeg and Moose Factory ;
all the West Indies to St. Croix. Breed.s in Jamaica. Not recorded from Mexico or Cen-
tral America.

The chestnut about the head in adult males varies in amount with the
individual; sometimes (as in 20,033, May, Moose Factory, Hudson's liay Ter-
ritory) there is an oblong spot of chestnut in the middle of the crown, but
generally this is absent. Very fret^uently tlie chestnut tinges the tliroat. All
variations in these res])ects appear, however, to be individual, and not de-
pendent at all on locality. West Indian specimens appear to be absolutely
identical witli tliose from Xortli America.

Autumnal specimens are browner, the cliestnut markings nnicli obscured.

Habits. This somewhat rare species, so far as its history and distribution
are known with certainty, is migratory in the principal jwrtions of the United

SYLVICOLID.E — THE VVARBLKIIS. 213

States, in tlie spring and tall passing to the north of the 4*J»l parallel to
breed. The first sj)ecinien was obtained near the extreme southern point of
Xew Jersey by Geor«^'e Ord, in ISll, and described and figured V>y Wilson.
From this accidental circumstance it derives its inappropriate name of Cape
i\Iay Warl)ler. Wilson never met with a second specimen, and Mr. Xuttall
Wiis wholly unaccpiainted witii it. Mr. Audubon also never met with a speci-
men in all his wanderings, and was able to add nothing to its history. Those
figured by him were procured by Mr. Edward Harris, near Pliiladelphia,
through which region these birds appear to pass rapidly in their northern
migrations.

Mr. J. A. Allen obtained a specimen near Springfiehl, Mass., May 15,
I8G0, and specimens have also been procured at East Windsor Hill, Conn.,
by Dr. Wood. It was not met with in Western Maine by Mr. Verrill, but in
Eiisteru Maine and in New Hrunswick Mr. Bt)ardman has found it a not un-
common sunnner visitant, though of irregular frequency. He has no doubt
that they remain there to breed. They reach Calais as early as the second
week in May, or as early as their ap])earance usually in the neighborhood of
Philadelphia has been noticed. Mr. Kumlien has also obtained specimens
from year to year, al)Out the niidiUe of May, in Southern Wisconsin, where
they do not remain to breed, and Mr. llidgway has taken them in the
beginning of May in Southern Illinois.

It is also by no means uncommon in Cuba ; was met by the Xewtons as
a migrant in St. Croix, and is not only one of the birds of Jamaica, but is
resident and breeds in the highlands of that island. It is not known to
occur in Central America, Mexico, or west of the Mississippi lliver. S^KJci-
mens were procured at Moose Factory about May 28.

Its nests and eggs have not been, with certainty, obtained in the United
States, though an egg obtained in Coventry, Vt., in 183l), and attributed at
the time to this bird, closely resembles its identified eggs from Jamaica.
Specimens of the l)ird, as well as its nests and eggs, have also been received
from St. Domingo by Mr. Turnl)ull of Philadel})hia. In the summer of
ISTl a nest of this species was found by Mr. II. B. Bailey on the IJichard-
son I^ikes, in the extreme northwestern juirt of Maine. Tlie nest was in a
low spruce-tree, less than five feet from the ground, and when found con-
tained only a single ^^^^. l^n fortunately it was loft until more eggs were
deposited, and in the mean while the tree was cut, aiul the nest and eggs were
destroyed.

Mr. W. T. March of Jamaica, in his notes on the birds of that island,
states that this species may always be found, in its various chanj:*es of jdu-
mage, about the mangrove swam])S and river-banks. During the sunnner
months it was connnon about Healtlishire and (Ireat Salt Bond, and at other
times very generally distributeil over the island. He also met with seversil
sjiecimens of its nests and eggs, but their position was not stated. The nests
had apparently been taken from a bush or tree, were tlnee and one fourth

214 NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS.

inches in diameter by two and one half in lieight, with cavities unusually
large and deep for the size of the nests. They were wrought almost entirely
of long strips of thin flexible bark, strongly and firmly interwoven. The
outer portions consisted of coarser and longer strips, the inner being much
finer and more delicate. With the outer portions were also interwoven bits
of mosses, lichens, and the outer bark of deciduous trees. The entire fabric
was a remarkable one.

The eggs measure .70 jy .55 of an inch, have a pinkish-white ground,
blotched with purple and brown of various shades and tmts. They are dis-
posed chiefly about the larger end, usually in a ring. The eggs are oval in
shape and slightly pointed at one end.

Ferissoglossa carbonata, Baird.

CASBONATEO WABBLEB.

Sylvia carbonata, Arp. Orn. Biog. I, 1831, 308, pi. Ix (Kentucky). — Xrrr. Hclinaia
carbonata, Am. Syn. — Ib. Birds Am. II, 1841, 95, pi. cix. Deudroica carbonata,
Bauid, Birds N. Am. 1858, 287 ; Rev. Am. Bii-ds, 207.

Sp. Char. Bill brownish-black al)Ove, light blue beneath. Iris hazel. Feet light flesh-
color. Upper part of the head black. Forepart of the back, lesser wing-coverts, and
sides dusky, spotted with black. Lower back dull yt'llowish-gn'en, as is the tail, of
which the outer web of the outer feather is whitish. Tip of the second row of coverts
white, of the first row yellow ; quills dusky, their outer webs tinged with yellow. A line
from the lore over the eye ; sides of the neck and the throat bright yellow. A (ln-k}' line
behind the eye. The rest of the under parts dull yellow, excepting the sides. Lc..-th, 4.75
inches ; bill above, 4.42 ; tarsus, .75. (Audubon).

Hab. Kentucky.

This species continues to be known only by the descrij)tion and figure of
Audulx)n.

Judging from the description, this si>ecies is closely related to P. tir/nna,
but seems to be distinct in the pure black of the top of the head, the absence
of orange-brown on the cheeks, the white of the wing being on the middle
covei-ts instead of the greater, and the tail-feathers being yellowish-green ;
the outer web of outer feather white, instead of a large spot on the inner
web, etc. The back appears more distinctly streaked.

Habits. Two specimens of this Warbler, obtained near Henderson, Ky.,
May, 1811, by Mr. Audubon, are all its claim to be recognized as a good
species. None have since been seen. These birds are described as having
been busily engaged in collecting insects among the branches of a dogwood
tree. Their motions were like those of other Warblei*s. This is all we as
yet know as to the history of this si>ecies, and its claims to be regarded as
a good aud distinct species are involved in doubt.

8YLVIC0LID.E — THE WARBLERS.

215

Dendroica roronata.

Genus DENDROICA, Gray.

Siflvicoln, CfUAY, Oenora Birds, 2<l tnl. 1841, 32. (Xot of Humphreys nor Swainson.)
Dcnifroira, (Jkay, Crnera Binls, ApiK'ndix, 1842, 8.

Jihi>na))iphu,f, Haktlauu, Ki'V. Zool. 184."), 342. (Not of Rafines<jue, Am. Monthly Maj».
1818, and Jour, de Phys. 1819.)

Gex. Char. Bill conical, attenuated, iloprcssed at the base, where it is, however, scarcely
broader than high, compressed from the mid-
dle. Culmen straiijht for the basal half, then
rather rapidly curving, the lower edge of up-
per mandible also concave. Gonys slighlly
convex and ascending. A distinct notch near
the end of the bill. Bristles, though short,
generally quite distim-t at the base of the bill.
Tarsi long ; deci<ledly longer than middle
toe, which is longer than the hinder one ;
the claws ratht small and much curved;
the hind claw nearly as long as its digit.
The wings long and pointed ; the second quill
usually a very little longer than the first. The tail slightly rounded and emarginate.

Colors. Tail always witli a white or yellow spot; its ground-color never clear olive-
green. In D. (psfiva edged internally with yellow.

Eggs usually with a white or a bluish-white ground, marked with purplish-brown and
obscure lilac ; in some, mingled with varying shades of sienna-brown. Nest, so far as
known, in bushes and trees, except D. palmarum^ which is on the ground.

The genus Dendroica is one of the most extensive as to species of any in
North America, and scarcely admits of any subdivision. There is a little vari-
ation in the bill, wings, etc., the chief peculiarities being in D. casta nca and
pennsylvanica, in which the bill is broader, and more depressed, with longer
bristles ; in D. striata, where the bill is narrow with scarcely any bristles ; and
in D. palmar um and kirtlaiidi, where the wings are very short, scarcely

longer than the tail. D. palmarum has
the tarsus unusually long. The colors
in all are strongly marked, and the spe-
cies are among the most beautiful of
all belonging to our fauna, and are the
most conspicuous for their numbers and
in their migrations.

The difference in manners between
certain members of this genus is re-
markable ; thus, the D. palmarinn is
very terrestrial in its habits, walking
upon the ground with the ease and
grace of a Titlark (Anthus), and, like
these birds, it has a wagging motion

Dmdroirn niidiiboni.

of the tail. On the other hand, the Dendroica dominica is as much a

216 NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS.

Creei>er as is the Mniotiltn rarin ; creepins? not only along tlie branches, but
the cornices and lattices of buildings, with the facility of a Nuthatcli (Sifftf).
IJoth tliese species, however, may often be seen hopping among the foliage
of the trees, now and then snapping an insect on the wing, in the manner
of others of the family.

Species and Varieties.

Inner webs of tail-feathers with a lurj^e patch, or broad edge, of yellow . Gnorp A.
Inner \vel)s of tail-li-athers with a large patch, or broad edge, of white.

Wings with conspicuons white markings Grocp R.

Whigs without conspicuous white markings* Group C.

Group A. — Golden Warblers.

Rump and erissnm without rufous markings Series I.

Rump and crissum with rufous markings Se7'ies II.

tSeries I.

Prevailing color rich yellow, shaded on upper parts with olive-green. ^ with
streaks of chestnut across the breast and along the sides, and with or witlumt
a greater or less tinge of tlie same on the crown. 9 with the streaks beneath
obsolete or endrely wanting; no rufous on crown. Juv. paler and duller than
the 9 . sometimes quite ashy.

A* Tarsus less than .Go of an inch. Outer webs of tail-feathers with yellow pre-
dominating.

1, D. sestiva. Crown generally pure yellow, sometimes with only a
tinge of rufous; lower webs of wing-coverts and tertials pure yellow ;
rump and upper taiW-overts much mixed with the same. Wing-
formnla,' 1 = 2, 3 ; wing. 2.(50 ; tail, 2.05 ; bill, from nostril, ..'50 ; tarsus,

02. Ilab. Entire continent of North America ; in winter south to
Bogota and Cayenne; Trinidad (only lo<'ality in West Indies).

B. Tarsus not less than .70 of an inch. Outer webs of tail-feathers with dusky
predominating.

a. Crown witliout any rufous, or with only a tinge.

2. D. petechia. Xajte oJire-tjreen (except in /'"'.) ^ sitUx sfrfiked (ex;
eept in j'(v.). Crown greenish, sometimes tinged with orange-rufous
anteriorly ; lower webs of wing-coverts, etc., not pure yellow, and rump
and unper tail-coverts with(»ut any admixture of yellow. Hnh. West
Indies (except Barbadoes and Trinidad) ; not on the Continent.

Lower part of throat sireaked ; outer webs of wing-coverts
hanlly appreciably different from the general surface. Above
golden yellowish-olive; crown generall without a trace of rufous.
Wing-fornmla, 2 = 3, 4, 1, 5; wing. 2..>r> ; tail, 2.10; bill, .30;
tarsus, .80. Hah. Cuba and the Bahamas . . var. gun dl arh i :'

Lower part of throat not streaked ; outer webs of wing-coverts
decidedly yellowish, and quite diflferent from the general surface.
Above greenish yellow-olive ; crown almost always strongly tinged

1 Or if with white markings, the prevailing color yellow, as in D. pinus, in which only the
adult (J has the wing-bauds ashy-white.

'^ The wing-fonnula, though varying among individuals, is nevertheless in a measure charac-
teristic. An average specimen is in each case chosen.

* />, gundlachi, Baihd, Review Am. B. I, 1S65, 197.

SVLVICOLID.E — THE WARBL?:RS. 217

with rufous. Wiiig-fornuila, 4, 3, 2, 5, 1, G; witiir, 2.70; tail.

2.25; bill, .3.") ; tarsus, .71). Jlnh. Jamaica and Hay ti ? \ni: pet ecJu'n }

r. Whole throat souietiuies streaked; baek also sometimes with

streaks of dark eastaneous; greeu above lighter than in var. peferhiu,

the rump sometimes tin.ixed with yellow. Wing-formula, 2, '.i, and

4 equal, ') = 1 ; wing, 2.50 ; tail, 2.00 ; l)ill, .34 ; tarsus, .78. Ilnh.

Porto Rico, St. Thomas, St. Croix, and St. Bartholomew.

var. r ufi ra p iJ I n .*

3. D. aureola.' Najte ahcfti/.s nshi/ : snlei^ never str^a/i-ed. Abdomen, anal
region, and axillars nearly white: forehead and crown strongly tinged
with rufous; naj)e dark ashy. Wing-formula, 2, 3, and 4 eijual, 5, 1 = 0;
wing, 2.55 ; tail, 2.00 ; bill, .32 ; tarsus, .75. JIab. Galapagos Islands.

b. Crown with only a sharply defined ovate patch of dark purplish-rufous.

4. D. capitalis.* A broad superciliary stripe of pure yellow ; wing-
fonnula, 3 = 4, 2, 1 = 5; wing, 2.30; tail, 2.00; bill, .30; tarsus, .70.
(9 distinguishable from that of the varieties of petechia by the dis-
tinctly yellow upper eyelid, and considerably shorter tarsus.) Ilab. Bar-
badoes Island, West Indies.

c. Head all round rufous.

5. D. vieilloti. (9 not distinguishable from that of other species.)
Hab. Continental Middle America.

Breast and shies with broad streaks of rufous ; outer icebs of wing-
coverts and tertials pure yellow.

Rufous of the throat with the posterior outline; sharply defined
against yellow of jugulum. Wing-fornuda, 3, 4, 2, 1, 5 ; wing,
2.75 ; tail, 2.10 ; bill, .34 ; tarsus, .75. Ilab. New Granada (Car-
thagena, etc.) ........ var. vieilloti}

Rufous of the throat covering the jugulum and blending with
the streaks of the brejist. Wing-fonnula. 3, 2, 4, 1, 5 ; wing,
2.45 ; tail, 2.05 ; bill, .27 ; tarsus, .G4. Ilab. Isthmus of Panama.

var. r ufigula*

* 1 Dendroica petechia^ Baird, Review, 199. (MofaciJIa jiefcchia, Lixx. 1766.)

A specimen from Port au Prince is smaller, measuring, wing, 2.50 ; tail, 2.10 ; hill, ..31 ;
tarsus, .7-1. It is iwrhaps lighter green above than Jamaicau specimens. These features may
only lie characteristic of the particular individual.

2 D. ruficapillay Baiud, Rev. 201.

A single specimen from Porto Rico ditl'ers in some r»*spects from the average of a series from
the other islands named. The chief differemes are, less thickly streaked throat, and distinct
shaft-streaks of dark chestnut on the Kick. However, one or two s|>ecin>ens of true rnficapilla
from St. Thomas have the upjH'r part of the throat streaked, and one of them has the streaks on
the back. In all probability other specimens from Porto Rico would Ik- more like typical species
of this race as seen in th- majority of those from St. Thonias aiul St. Bartholomew.

« D. aureola, Baiud, Rev. 194. {Stdvicoln a. (lorLD, Voyage Beagle, 1841, 86.)

* D. capitalis, Lawii. Pr. Phila. Acad. 1868, 359. Biirbadtx's. Dcndroica, Baiud, Rev. 201.
fi D. vieilloti, Cassix, Pr. A. N. S. May, 1860, 192. (Panama, Carthagena.) — Baird, Rev.

203.

* D. rufiffula, Baird, Rev. p. 204. The habitat as Martini<pie, W. I., was there queried, but
without any reason for so doing other than that this was the locality of Vieillot's st)ecies, with
which the type tlescribed in Review nearly sigreed. Shouhl Vieillofs sjH'cies be really from Marti-
nique, in all probability the present bird will be found to b<* ditferent, and therefore not entitled to
the name here given. Provided such is the case, the name **rujia'ps," Cabanis, cannot with

28

218 NORTH AMERICAN MRDS.

Breast and sides tn'fh ouhj very narrow or scarrely appreciable streaks of
rufous ; outer webs of triiKj-corerts, etc., scarcely different from general
surface.

RufDiis of the lit-ad confined to it, and abruptly defined all round.
Wing-formula, 3. 2 = 4, 1, o; win<r, 2.70; tail, 2.2.'); hill. .M ;
tarsus, .72. llab. Mexico (from Honduras and Yucatan to Ma-
zatlan) ......... var. hr y a n t i }

Series IT.

Prevailing color yellow; crown, rump, and crissum with spots of iiilous; a
band of the same on the side of the head, from bill (meeting both on forehead
and on chin) an)und eye and over ear-coverts.
I). D. eoa.* Hab. Jamaica (Gosse).

Group B.

Base of primaries with white patch.

Two white bands on wing Senes J,

No white bands on wing . . . Series II.

Base of primaries without white j)atch.
Rump yellow.

Crown with a yell«jw spot Series III.

Crown without a yellow spot . . . . . . . Series IV.

Rump not yellow.

Throat white (with black streaks in striata and pJiaretra) . . Series V.

Throat yellow or orange ........ Series VI.

Throat black, or mixed with black Series VII

Series I.

7. D. olivacea. ^. Hend and neck, all round, fine light orange-
rufous ; a broad blat-k " spectaele " along side of .the head. 9 • I*'''»d
yellowish,-tlusky on top ; spectacle obsolete. Hab. Whole of Eastern
Mexico ; Guatemala.

Series IT.

8. D. cserulescens. ^. Head dark blue above and black imdemeath ;
a black patch covering whole lateral and under side of head and lateral
lower parts. Rest of upper parts dark blue; bases of primaries and
abdomen pure white. 9 • Above olive, with a light superciliary stripe ;
beneath wholly light greenish-buft*; base of primaries white. Hab.
Eastern Province of United States ; in winter south into Cuba, Jamaica,
and St. Domingo.

propriety be used, as under that head he includes specimens from Carthagena (true vieiUoti),
Costa Rica, and Mexico (the latter hryanti).

1 D. vicdloti, var. brifnnfi, Ridoway.

2 Sylvicdla C(M(, GossE, Birds of Jamaica, 1847, 158; Illustrations Birds Jam. Den d mica coo,
Baiud, Rev. 195. The true i>osition of this si)ecies is very uncertain, owing to the imixirfect
description, or nither the incomplete plumage, of the ty[>es. There is no <loubt, liowever, that it
is entirely different from any other, ami in its liaving, as expressly stated, the inner webs yellow,
thus bringing it into «"los<* relation with the "(iolden Warblers."

SYLVICOLID.E — THE WARBLERS. 219

Series III.

9. D. coronata. A yellow patch on each side of the breast ; above
ashy 5itrcak<'<l with black : belly white. ^. Breast more or less black;
upper parts ash with a bluish tinge. 9 • Breast only streake<l with black ;
ash ofupptT part grayish or brownish.

Throat white ; a white superciliary streak ; two white bands on
wing. ILiJi. Eastern Province of Xorth America, north to Alaska
anil Greenland ; in winter south to Panama and West Indies (resi-
dent in Jamaica!) \av. coronata.

Throat yellow ; no white .superciliary streak ; one white patch
formed by the fusion of the two bands on the wing. Hah. Western
Provin(;e of Xorth America from British Columbi:i, south to Cape
St. Lucas and Jalisco, Western Mexico ; east to Rocky Mountains.

var. audubon i.
Series IV.

10. D. maculosa. Whole lower parts bright yellow ; black streaks
acro.ss breast and along sides ; crown ash ; lores, auriculars, and back
black. 9 scarcely dilferent. Ilah. Eastern Province of North Amer-
ica, from Fort Simpson to Panama ; Cuba and Bahamas.

Series V.
A* Above ashv-blue, or soft bluish-jrreen.

11. D. caenilea. Lower parts pure white or greenish-white; with or
without a narrow band across the breast ; above tine ashy-blue, or soil
bluish-gn'en ; if blue (<J), the back and crown streaked with black;
if green (9 and y>a\), these streaks ol)solete. Hub. Eastern Province
of United States (rare northward except in Mississippi Valley), south to
Bogota in winter; Culia.

B. Above not ashy-bliie nor bluish-green, but streaked with black upon an
a.shy greenish-olive or yellowish gromid, or else bright olive-green.

a. Sides more or less rufous, and without black or dusky streaks on under
surljKies.

12. D. penniylvanica*. ^. Crown pure yellow ; throat and auriculars
pure white ; 9 "'^- similar, but crown greenish, and more or less streaked.
Jxv. Above bright olive-green, nearly grass-green, vifhont streaks except
on the back; side of head, and sides, clear ashy, the latter with or without
a trace of chestimt ; eyelids and medial lower parts pine white. Ilab.
Eastern Province of United States, south to Panama; Bahamas.

13. D. castanea. (J. Crown reddish-chestnut; throat and sides rufous ;
ainiculars black. 9 *=iiiiilar, but crown thickly streaked, sometimes with-
out a trace of rufous ; jugulum and throat only tinged with rufous. Juv.
Above greenish-olive, streaks obsolete ; beneath, including lower tail-
roverts, pale greenish-butf. or whitish-bulf, and without any trace of
streaks on the sides (distinction from 9 ^^ ^' striata) the sides usually
with a tinge of chestnut. Ilab. Eastern Province of North America,
from Hudson's Bay Territory to New Granada.

b. Sides without any ruibus, and with black or dusky streaks.

Medial lower parts not streaked : inner vebs of tail-feathers loith broad

patch of n-hite.

14. D. striata. ^. Crown deep black ; auriculars and lower parts
white ; throat with two series of black streaks, converging and forming
an angle on the chin. Above ashy streaked with black. 9 sirai'ar,

220 NOUTH AMERICAN BIRDS.

but frown greenish streaketl with black ; lower parts tingred with green-
ish. Jhv. Above greenish-olive, the streaks obsolete ; Ijeneath pale
greenish-yellow; the lower taif-coverts pare white. Ilab. Eastern Prov-
ince of North Anu*riea, north to Greenland and Kotliak, south to Bogota,
Cuba, and Bahamas.

Medial lower imrts streaked with black ; inner webs of tail-feathers merely

edged with white.

15. D. pharetra.* <J. Above grayish-white, with broad streaks of

black ; posteriorly, plain brownish-gray ; lower parts with euneate spots

of black. Hub. Jamaica.

Series VI.

A« A black " mask " around the eye and on amicnlars, and extending down the

side of the throat ; a light superciliary stripe continued back into a large space, of

similar color, on side of neck.

16. D. blackbumise. Crown with an orange or yellowish spot (ex-
posed or concLiilt'd) ; suj>erciliary stripe, side of neck and throat, intense
orange-red (^ ad.), or varying from this to pale buff (J'ir.). ^ intense
black above; back streaked with white or yellowish. 9 olive-gray .above,
streaked with black. Jtiv. olive-gray above without distinct streaks.
Hab. Eastern Province of United States, south to Ecuador; Bahamas.

17. D. dominica. Crown without an orange or yellowish spot; super-
cihary stripe and side of neck pure white; throat gamboge-yellow;
above ash, without streaks.

Superciliary stripe bright yellow anterior to the eye. Bill, .45 ;
tarsus, .GO ; wing, 2.60 ; tail, 2.00. JJab. Atlantic United States
and West Indies ....... var. d o m inica.

Superciliary stripe pure white anterior to the eye. Bill, .35;
tarsus, .60 ; wing, 2.70 ; tail, 2.20. Hab. Mississippi region of
United States; Mexico (Yucatan on east coast, andColima on west
coast); Guatemala and Honduras .... var. albilor a .

B« No black *' mask." Suj>erriliary strij>e scarcely, reaching behind the eye.
Sides of neck ashy like the back.

18. D. graciae. Auriculars, neck, crown, and upper parts generally,
ashy ; a supra-loral stripe, a crescent on the lower eyelid, and the anterior
lower parts gamboge-yellow. Crissum white.

Back and sides streaked with black ; abdomen white.

Yellow of throat terminating abrujttly at the jugulum; supra-
loral stripe extending about .20 of an inch p.ist the eye, this portion
of it white; dorsal streaks broad. Wing, 2.60; tail, 2.20. llab.
Arizona (Fort Whipple) ....... var. gracin .

Yellow of throat covering whole jugulum, and not ending abrupt-
ly ; supra-loral stripe scarcely passing the eye, and wholly yellow ;
dorsal streaks narrow. Wing, 2.20 ; tail, 1.95. Hab. British Hon-
duras (Belize) var. decora.

linck and sides not streaked with black ; abdomen yellow.

Yellow of throat extending Vjack to the crissum ; supra-loral
stripe as in the last ; dorsal streaks wanting. Wing, 2.10 ; t^iil, 1.95.
Hab. Porto Rico . . . . . . . var. adelaida:.*

1 D.pharetra, Baird, Rev. 192. (Sylvicola pharetra^ Gosse, Birds Jam. 1847, 163.)
'•* D. adelaidce, Baiku, Rev. April, 1865, 212.

SYLVICOTJD.E — THE WAKlil.KKS. 221

Senes VTl
Throat black in ^, mixed with black in 9*
A. Sitles stifukc'd; bhuk of throat with its posterior outline concave.

a. Side of head ■white and black.

1!). D. nigrescens. A small yellow spot over the lore ; above ash ; be-
neath white. ^. Whole crown, uiiifortn jj^lossy black ; back streaked
with black. 9 . Crown ash streaked with black ; throat tnixed with white
anteriorly. Jnv. Crown and cheeks a.-:hy ; throat nio.^tly white; back
without streaks. Hah. Western and Middle Province of United States,
south, in winter, into Western Mexico (C)axaca).

b. Side of head yellow and black, or yellow and olive.

Black of throat corerinf/jntjuhnit ; a hidden yellow spot in middle of forehead,

20. D. chrysopareia. Black al»ove, pure white below ; no tinjj:e of yel-
low behind the black juL'ular patch. Hub. Eastern Middle America,
from (jruatemala to Texas (San Antonio).

21. D. virens. 01ive-«rreen above, the crown and back without streaks ;
beneath white, the breast and anal re;riou tintrcd with black. Hah.
Eiustern Province of North America, from Greenland to Panama; Cuba;
Oaxaca; Helig:oland, Europe!

Black of throat confined anteriorly to thejvqnlum ; no yellow spot on forehead.

22. D. tO'VTnsendi. Above olive-jrrccn, the crown and back with con-
spicuous black streaks ; beneath yellow anteriorly, and white posteriorly.
9? black of throat mixed with yellow; juv.^ no black on throat, and
streaks on back obsolete. Hah. North and Middle Province of United
States, south, in winter, into Guatemala.

B« Sides not streaked ; black of throat with its posterior outline convex.

23. D. occidentalis. Above ash tinged with oUve ; beneath white.
Head nearly all yellow. $. Top of head yellow with a few small
black spots ; nape black ; back streakt.'d with black ; sides pure white.
(9 not seen.) Juv. Yellow of crown overlaid by ohve ; above green-
ish-plumbeous, without any black on nape or back ; throat yellowish-
whitish ; sides tinged with ashy. Hah. ^^ ester n and Middle Province
of United States, south to Guatemala.

Group C.

A* Above ash ; no supra-loral stripe ; eyelids not yellow.

24. D. kirtlaudl Above, including side of heail and neck, bluish-ash;
crown and back streaked with black ; beneath (except crissum) pale yel-
low ; breast speckled, and sides streaked with l>lack ; lores and orbital
region, black ; eyelids white. Hah. Eastern Province of United States
(Cleveland, Ohio), and Bahanuis.

25. D. pityophila*^ Above, including side of head and neck, dull .ash;
the forehead and crown olive-green; crown and back not streaked;
beneath white ; the throat and jugulum yellow ; sides ashy ; no specks
on breast, nor streaks on sides, but a few along side of neck, between the
ash and yellow. Hah. Cuba.

B* Olive-green or brown above ; a supra-loral stripe of yellow ; eyelids yellow.
a. Above olive-green, without streaks ; crissum white j sides of brea.st with
obsolete grayish streaks.

* D. pUyophila, Bairi>, Rev. 208. {Sylvicola p. GrxDL. Ann. N. Y. Lye. Oct. 1855, 100.

222 XUKTII AMKKICAX iHilDS.

•_Mi. D. pinua. Fori'lu'jul and car-covcrtsolivr; alxlomt'ii white ; yellow
supra-loral stripe not eoutinued liehind the eye. 9 "•<"'<' irrayish ; Jnv.
above umber, l)enoath lii^'ht irrayish-browii, tiu^'eil witli yellow. Huh,
Kiistern Provime of rnited Stati's ; JJahanuis.

? *J7. D. montana. Forehead and ear-eoverts yellow ; abdomen yellow;
yellow supra-jural stripe continued past the eye into the yellow ol" the
aurieulars. (9 and other staires unknown.) JInb. '• Blue Mountains of
Virjrinia."

h. Above olive-groen. the back streaked with chestnut; crissum yellow;

streaks of blaek on sides.

'28. D. discolor. Bri^dit g:ambo<re-yellow beneath : streak on lores
ami along side of neek, as well as alonir sides and Hanks, deep black;
dorsal feathers chestnut me<lially. 9 duller, l>ut >imilar; Jiti\ not seen.
Ilab. Eastern Province of L'nited ^States ; in winter, throutrhout West
Indies.

r. Above olive-brown, the back not streaked ; crissum gambojjfe-yellow ;

streaks of reddish-ehesinut on sides.

20. D. palxnarum. .!</. Forehead and crown deej> rufous ; superciliary
stripe brij:fht }"ellow, continued ba<'k over aurieulars; sexes alike, Jui\
and fl(7. in winter. (Vown brownish, streaked with dusky; streaks on
sides more dusky. I/ah. Eastern Province of North America, north
to Fort Simj>s()n and lludson'v^ t»iiy ; liahamas; Cuba, St. Domingo,
and Jamaica, in winter.

Dendroica sDstiva, Baird.

YELLOW WABBLEB; 8TTMMEB TELLOW-BIBD.

Motiicllhi ffsfivit. Cm. Syst. Xat. 1, 17S8, 996. —Si/fcht os/ivn, La in. ; Vif.ii.l. II, pi. xcv.
— Arn. Oni. Biog. I, pi. xxxv. 93. Sjih-imhi nut. Swains. — Aii». Birds. Am. II, pi.
Ixxxviii. Jill hii<ih\phus erst. BoN. ; Cab. Jour. Ill, 472 (ruba). Dendroica icst. Baiki»,
r>irds N. Am. 18r.8, 282; lU-v. 195. — iS«LA rnu, Catal. IJM!], 32, no. 194 (Kcuador,
Cayt'nno, X. Granada). — Tayi.ok, Ibis, 1864, 81 (Trinidad). —Cooper & Sicklkv,
P. IJ. K. XII, 11, 18.'.9, 181 (X. W. cojist). — Samuels, 237. — Dall & Banmstki:,
(.Maska). — ('t)OPEK, Orn. Cal. I, 1870, 87. .S'///r/</ caro/i,hirsis. Lath. ind. Orn. II,
1790, 551. > Sijh'ia Jfiivn, Vieillot, II, 1807, 31, pl. Ixxxi. Siflcin citriiulla, Wii.s.
II, pl. XV, fig. 5. S'l/fcia childraii, Arn. Orn. Biog. I, 1831, pl. xxxv (young). .' Sijl-
rill irifhbiniiit, Arn. Orn. Biog. I, 1831, pl. Ixv. Siilvicola r. Aid. Birds Am. II, pl.
l.xxxix. M<incilln rubiijinosfi, Palla.s, Zoog. Ko.sso-.\.siat. I, 1831, 496 (Kodiak). JUiL-
tmnnphuJt chriiseohis. Box. Bull. Soo. Linn. Caen, II, 1851, 32 (/>. cesticu: from South
America ; Cayenne).

Other localities: Xnhipa, Sclatek, P. Z. S. 1859,363. Guatemala, Sclater k Sai.vin,
Ibis, 1859, page 11. Panama, winter, Lawr. Ann. X. Y. Lye. 1861, 322. Turlm,
X. Granada, Cass. Pr. A. N. Sc. 1860, 191. Boyuta, ScLATEU, Pr. 1855, 143. City
of Mexico, Ib. 1864, 172.

Sp. Char. Bill lead-color. Head all round, and under parts generally, bright yellow ;
rest of upper ]>arts ydlow-olivaceous, brightest on the rump. Back with obsolete .streaks
of dusky reddi.sh-brown. Fore breast and sides of the bodv streaked with brownish-red.
Tail-feathers bright yellow ; the outer wel)S and tips, with the whole upper surfaces of the
innermost one, brown ; extreme outer edges of wing and tail-fcathert: olivaceous like the
back ; the middle and greater coverts and tertials edged with yellow, forming two bands
on the wings. Female similar, with tlie crovvu olivaceous like the back, and the streaks

SVLMCOMD.K — THE WAIIBLKKS. 223

wantinj? on tho bar-k, and nim'h rrstricttMl on the under parts. Tail witli m<iro hrown.
L«'ii<.'tli ot luale, ."i.'J.'); wini,', '2M*>\ tail. 'J.'J'j. (No. J)40.) i'om,,/. Dull hrowiiisli-olive
above; pale orhraeroiis-yellow beiicath, with the throat niori" whitish; the yrllow of tail
restricted to inner half of inner webs. The latter feature will serve to distinguish it from
any other Xorth American species.

JIah, Entire North Americ;i, and in winter into South Am«'rica as far as Ecuador,
Cayenne, and Trinidad. Not recorded from West Indies, where replaced by allied species.

In the j^Teat almiKlanco of this species and its wide ran,f,'e of distribution,
there are many variations in size and color, thoui,di none that are not readily
understood. In youn^' birds tlie yellow of the tail-feathers is more restricted,
Sometimes contineil to the edj^^e of the inner webs. In adults there is occa-
sionally a tinge of orange in the forehead.

*S///rm ndhhotiia of Amlubon is described with even tail, and tlie tail-feath-
ers brown, edged externally with yellow ; the reverse of adica. It is gt le-
rally, however, considered u synonyme.

I5irds of this type (" (T(dden Warblei*s ") of six or eight additional species
are known ti» occtir in the West Indies, the Galapagos, and in Middle America;
one of them, D. hrfiauti, possibly to be met with in Sou hern Arizona. (See
Baird, Ifeview Am. Jiirds, llK'l.)

After comi)aring a series of about one hundred and twenty Xorth and
Central American specimens (the latter being winter visitors to the region
where r'V»tained), nothing really characteristic of any particular region can
be detected. Si)ecimens from the Pacific coast of the United States are per-
fectly identical in colors with those from the Atlantic States ; and they agree
in size and proportions, except of the bill, which is appreciably longer and
broader in the Eastern than in the Western birds. The most highlv col-
ored examples are from the interior regions, along the Mississippi Valley from
I^uisiana to Xorthern Illinois, and over the plains north to Fort Simpson.
The majority of the specimens from this region are just api>reciably diflerent
from others, in having the yellow more intense and prevalent, almost sub-
duing the olive shades above ; the crown more tinged with orange. Some-
times (as in Xo. 4,o<)l, Calcasieu Pass, I^.) the rump and upper tail-coverts
are absolutely inur yellow, only a medial stripe on the feathers being oliva-
ceous like the back. The orange-rufous tinge on the crown is deej)est in
Xos. 4,665, Fort Lookout, and 4,.*)no, Calcasieu Pass.

Three adult summer males from Alaska (Xos. 54,429, Kodiak ; 54,425,
Yukon IJiver ; and 27,207, Fort Yukon), as well as one from Maine (52,378,
Calais), diH'er from others in having the olive pervading the whole surface
above, even to the bill, the forehead being oidy tinged with yellow, and the
edges of wing-coverts merely inclining to this color. The lower parts are
much as in Southern s])ecimens, though the yellow is less intense.

Females from Arizona (as 49,712, Canjp Crant, May ; 40,604, Fort Whip-
ple, May ; and 34,o4(), Los Pinos, Xew Mexico, June) differ from others in
very bleached plumage, the lower ])arts being almost white, and the upper

224 NUUTH AMERICAN BIUDS.

surface (juite ashy. lint this is, in i'liot, an actual hU'aching, frequently to be
seen in birds from that region.

Haiuts. The geographical range of the connnon Summer Vellow-P.ird is
very nearly c(»extensive with North America. In its nortliern distribution
it is found as far toward the arctic sliores as anvof our land birds. Kichanl-
son speaks of it as well known throughout the fur countries as far as the
M-oods extend, and mentions meeting with it among the earliest arrivals in
spring, coming in com])any with the equally well-known llobin and the
CJrakle. At Fort Franklin, latitude (\iV\ he saw it tlie lotli of Mav, alnuit
the time of its first appearance in New England. Tliis was supposed to he
the limit of its northern range, but more recent observations give abundant
evidence of its presence, in considerable numl)ers, to the very shores of the
Arctic Ocean. The late Mr. Hepburn, in manuscript notes, states it to be a
common summer visitant lx)th of California and Vancouver's Island, and that
along the coast he has traced it as far north as tlie frontier line of 54° 40',
wliere it arrives at the beginning of May, but does not nest until the end of
the month.

Mr. I)all, in his notes on the birds of .Alaska, states that this Warbler is a
rather common bird all through that territory, and gives its arrival as aljout
the 10th of May.

Its extreme southern limit is not so distinctlv traced, but is at least as far
as the northern portions of South America, inclusive of Cayenne and »'uador.
In all of the West Indies except Trinidad it is replaced by seveml closely
allied species or local races. In Trinidad, Mr. E. C. Taylor states that he
found this species common, and could perceive no diH'erence from North
American specimens. In Guatemala it is abundant in the winter.

Dr. Cones found this WarVder abundant in Arizona, where it is a summer
resident, from April 125 to the middle of Septemlier. There, as elsewliere,
its preference for watercourses was noticed. AVherever found, it is always
most abundant in alluvial meadows, and more rare in other localities.

Dr. Samuel CalK)t found this Warbler common in Central America, and
Dr. Cragin, of Surinam, sent the B(^ston Society several specimens from
Guiana. Dr. Woodhouse found it abundant in Texas and New ^lexico,
as did Drs. Suckley and Coo])er in Washington Territory and California. It
breeds over the whole area of North America, from (Jeorgia on tlie southeast
and from Mexico, northward. Dr. Sumichrast found it, only as a migratory
bird, abundant on the jdains of ^Fexico.

The notes of Mr. Kennicott and the memoranda of Messrs. McFarlane,
Ross, and Lockhart attest the extreme abundance of this species in the farthest
Arctic regions. In nearly every ii stance the nests were placed in willows
from two to five feet from the grou\d, and near water. In one instance Mr.
Iioss found the eggs of this .species in the nest of Tunlns .wninsoni, which
had either been deserted or the parent killed, as the eggs were in it, and would
probably have been hatched by the Warbler with her own.

SVLVU'ULID.K — TIIK WAKIJLKIIS. 9or,

J)r. ( oojKT fouinl this WarMer vi*rv altinulant in Wasliin«;t(»ii TiTvitorv,
and notiti'il tlnMr arrival in large nunilters al tlie Straits oi b'uca as uarly
as April S.

The Sunnncr Yellow- I'ird arrives in Xew Knjjjland with u^reat iinitorniity
from the first to the niitldle ot May. Its ooniinLj is usually the harl»iui,^'r ot"
the opeiiin;^ summer au«l expanding; leaves, lidike most ol" its family, it is
eontidini,' and familiar, easily encouraued, hy attention to its wants, to eultivate
the society of man. It jontitlini,dy huilds its nest in gardens, oltiMi in elo.se
vicinity to dwellinjjjs, and in the midst of lart^'e villaues and citit's, amonj^ the
shruhhery of fre(|uented ]>arks. This \Varl>ler, soon after its arrival, l»ei;ins
the construction of its nest. It is usually placed in low bushes, three or four
feet from the ground. Occasionally verv ilitferent ijositions are cho.sen.
Hedj^es of hucktluun and hawthorn, l>arherry-l>ushes, and other low shruhs,
are their favorite places of resort. On one occasion the nest was ]»laced
some forty feet from the ground, in the top of a horse-chestnut tree over-
hanging the main street of a village. Such high positions are, however,
not verv conuiion.

The nest is invariably fastened to several twigs with givat tirniness, and
with a remarkable neatness and skill. A great variety of materials is em-
]>loyed in the constructi<»n (»f their nests, though not often in the same nest,
which is usually ([uitt; homogeneous. The more common materials are the
hempen fibres of ]>lants, filirous strips of bark, slender stems of plants and
leaves, and down «»f ascle]tias. Interwoven with these, forming the inner
materials, are the down from willow catkins, the woolly furze from fern-stalks
anil the Eriophonun vin/inin'/n, antl similar substances. These are lined with
soft, fine gras.ses, hair, feathers, and other warm material.>. Cotton, where
procurable, is a favorite material ; as also is wool, where abundant. 1 have
known instances where nests were Imilt almost exclusively of one or the
other material. A ]»air of the.se birds, in 1S:>(», built their nest under a par-
lor window in IJoxburv, where all their operations could be clt»sely watched.
When discovered, only the framework, the fastening to the sui>])orting twigs,
had been erected. The work of completion was sim])le and rapid. The
female was the chief buihler, taking her ]>osiiion in the centre of the nest
and arranging the materials in their ])laces as her mate b? ^ught them to her.
Occasionally, with outstretched wings and ex])anded tai she would whirl
herself round, giving to the soft and yielding materials their hemispherical
form. At intervals she arrested her revolutions to stop and reguLite with
her bill some unyielding portiiui. When her mate was dilatory, she made
brief excursions and collected material for herself, and when the materials
bn^ui^ht her were deemed unsuitable, they were rejected in a most sunnnarv
and amusing manner. The imjMUtant part of the tail-feathers in shaping the
nest and jdacing the materials in position was a striking feature in this in-
teresting performance. The greater portion of the nest wa.s thus constructeil

in a single day.

29

22G NOKTII AMKKICAN IHRDS.

The woiiiU'itul sntiacitv disijlawd bv this Wiirhh'i' in avoidinu: the disa-
ijreeabh' alternative ot" eitlier havinij tn altandon its own nest or nt' rearini:
the yonnu of the intrusive ('«»\v lilaekliird. wlien one of these ei,'«^s is dro})]»ed
in lier nest, was lirsl notieed hv Mr. Nuttall. The e^i; of the i»ara.site. heinu
too Liri^e for ejeitnii'nt, is ingeniously inearei'rated in the bottom of the nest,
and a new lininu huilt over it. Oeeasionallv, either hv aeeident or desii^n,
the intrusive eu;^ has heen fraetureil. Mr. Nuttall states that where the
parasitie eyi; is laid after her own. the Sunnner Velh»w-l)ird aets faithfully
the i>art of a foster-])arent. This, however, is not aeeordinu; to my olt.serva-
tions. In several instances I have known the Summer Vellifw-Uird utterly
refuse to act the part of a foster-]»arent, and, rather than do so, sacrifice her
own ejij^s. So far as I know, this \Varl»ler will never sit upon or hatch out
the e«j;g of the Cowliird, under any circumstances. Some ])owerful instinct,
honlerinn clost'lv uimn reason, seems to teach these intelligent Warhlers the
character of the intrudi-r, and thev sacrifice their own emjjs rather than rear
the parasite. In this dihMuma they wili always, so far as I know, incarcer-
ate their own eiigs with the ('owhird's and reconstruct the nest ai>ove them.
In one instance the same pair of Vellow-Uirds twice, in the same nest, cov-
ered u]) alien ej^ujs in this maimer, luiildini;, in fact, three nests one above
the other, between the walls of which had l»een successively included two
egjis of the C'owbird. This three-storied nest measured seven inches in
len^^th, and was built almost exclusively of raw cotton. The coverin<^ of the
imprisoned eijiis was about two thirds of an inch thick. In both instances
the Cowbinl's e^us had beiMi broken, a])]»arently by desiLiu.

So far as I am aware this Warbler raises but one brood in Massachusetts
in a season. In IVnn.sylvania it is said to raise two, and even three. The
e«r«js are usually five and occasionally si.\ in nundier.

This Warbler is eonspieuous in its devotion to its vounj'", evincini; a stronu
attachment and an an.xiety in regard even to an un«)ccuj)ied nest, and be-
trayin*^ the site by this solicitude. They will also resort to various exi>edi-
ents to draw one away from their nest, by feinned lameness and other strata-
gems and manieuvres.

The sonu: of the Summer Yellow- liird is sim])le but ]ileasint:, and is easily
reco«4nized when o»ieo known, thou'di liable to be confounded with that of the
]\Iaryland YeUow-Thniat, and also said to resemble the song of several other
Warblers.

In confinement they usually })ecome very tame, confidin«j, and reconciled
to their imprisonment, and have been known to perch on an outstretched
fintrer, and to catcii Hies in a room.

Their etyrs vary in leni]:th from .01 to .70 of an inch, and in breadth from
.49 to .02. They have a ground-color of a light green. Their dots and
blotches yary i^reatlv in numb(q-. size, and nsanner of distribution. Their
colors are light purjjle, ilarker ]>urj)lish-brown, and other shades of brown
and lilac.

8VLV1('()L1D.E — TIIK WAliULEKS.

Dendroica coronata, ('rav.

TELLOW-BUMF WABBLER; MTBTLE WABBLEB.

Moti'cilhi cnroivttd, \ass. Syst. Nat. I, 17«">«>. •?;»•?. Siilrln rnroinifii, Lath. ; Vir.ll.l.nr;
Wii„s. ; NiTT. ; Aii>. (hii. Wu*'^. II, |il. tliii. Si/Zritd/n curi'ii'ifii. Swains, ; liox. ; Ari>.
Birds, Am. 11, pi. I\xvi.-. Funks, Nat. iMTmiKla, ,"►!> (alminiaiit in .\jnil). Ihmlroiai
coroimdi, (Jkay, (Itiuia. 1S42, 2. — Baikp, liinls N. Ain. IS.'iS, •111; \W\ . INJ. —
Maiuii, r. A. N. Sf. 1^^5.•{, "Jl^'J t.Iainaica, in suniiiicr : hrcttlini,'*. (!iM>i,. tab. .lour.
18<il, :V2«) (Culia : coniiiuiii). — ('oun:i: A: Sii kiky. 1*. If. \\. XII, ii, lS.".>t, lSO(Pu;,'t't
Souiul). — Samiki.s, -Jli^J. — Dai.L it IJannisikk ^Alaska). CtMUKU, Din. fal. I,
1870, M>. /,'/iii/i<ni/>/uis III/-. CaI!. .I«»ur. 1S."».">, tT.". (Culia). .\/nf,ni//ii <;iiitiif) usis, LiNN.
12tli I'll. 17»>t>, '.\'\\ {Fi-rddld iiiiiiiih iisis ii,i< ri-,), \\\. HI, .'(24, j>l. .\.\vii, li<^. 1). /'urits
vii'ijiitutiiK^, Linn. 12tli <■(!. Syst. X;it. I, 17t>tt. :?t2. Mtiftul/fn uinhrid, cincta, jtiinjuis,
(»M. Siflritt .nnif/io/ni'ii'i, Vir.n.l.. Siilrix .rinithi^rnii, Vii.ii. I..

Lotalitcs (piotcd : S. (,'r'-r,i/,nitf, l{i.iNMAi:i»r, Ihis, 1S»;1, ."i. ('onfnni, Sci.. P. Z. S.
1850, 2*J1. Xii/(ij),f, In. 1S.'»1>, :'>t;:5. liiditinm!,!, ii.i\.. ii. Salv. iN.'iH, 11. ramuaa.
Lawk. Ann. N. Y. Lye. VIII, »>:5. ruhii, winter, Cak. .lour. Ill, 473. liuhnmts,
winti'r, IJiiYANT, I»i>st. Vv. V!l, l.s.M». Juiniiioi, (iossi:, llirds .Iain. !.'».'). St. Ihnniu-
go, Sali-k, I'. Z. S. 18.')7, 2;il. (.«/</ L'iia, La%vk. OrizolHi, wiutor, SiMiriiKA.sr.

Sp. Ciiak. Al'ovc 1»liiisli-asli, sfrcalo'd witli IHack. riidfr parts \vliit»\ The foivitart
of" broast aiul tlio sides black, tlic ti-atlu-rs mostly t'dpcd iianowly \Yith Avliitf. Crown,
niinj), and sitb's ot* breast yellow. Cheeks and lores blaek. The «'yelidsand a siipereiliaiy
stripe, two baiuls on the winLT and s]>ots on the outer three tail-teat hers, whit<'. Fcinalt
of duller pliiinair*' and browner above. Li'iii^th, ">,«>."); winir, o.Oth tail, 2.')0.

IIaii. Eastern Proviiu-t^ of Nortli AiiK-riea, and northward, exteiidinir spars(»ly aloni*'
United Stat«'s boundary to Paeitie Oeean ; Denver City, Colorado; Port Yukon; (Jreeiiland;
Eastern Me.xieo to Panama R. K, ; Western West Indies and Bermuda. Preeds in .lainaica!

Autnuinal and wiiitor ]»inls aiv vorv luiicli duller and nioiv obscuivly col-
ored, the ui»per ])arts of an uuiIkt ca-st with the streaks almost ohscdete ; the
blaek of the breast wantinu: <>r but just indicated, and the yeUow patches on
crown almost concealed by the brown tips to the feathers, and those on side
of breast ([uite dull.

A sprinij male (r)2,283) from Washinuton is remarkable in having the
adjoininu series of feathers down the mitUUe of the back with their inner
webs broadly ed^ed with yellow. In this respect it ditlers from all others
that we have noticed.

H.viUTs. The Vellow-crowned Wood Warbler is one of the most connnon
species of this genus, as well as one of the most witlely tlistributed. It is
found, at ditlerent seasons, throughout the eastern ])art of the continent, as
far west as the Great Plains, extendimj: at the far north to the Pacitic Ocean.
It has been found in (Ireenhind, three specimens havini»" been taken within
twenty years, and on the shores of the Arctic Ocean, and diiriui; the winter
in the West India Islands, Mexico, and Centra! America. Specimens from
Florida and Fort Steilacoom, Panama, Ouatemala, and Jamaica, and from Fcut
Hae. Andersvm Piver, and the Vuknn, in the collection of the Smithsonian In-
stitution, attest its wi<l«' distriluition. In Jamaica, in the neighborhood of

228 Nuirrii amekican biuds.

Spanislitt)wii. tliis species has l>een known to breed. In view of the fact that
tills hircl is re^avdccl, with ij^ood reason, as one of our most northern sj>ecies,
l»recdin«4 to the very shores of the frozen seas, the occurrence seems err.itic
and remarkalJe. Yet it is not without corresjxMidini,' vagaries in other spe-
cies, the (iarult6Ciiis breeding in Cuba and the tujrina in St. Domingo and
Jamaica.

^Ir. I'aine, of East Iian(h)li.h, Vt., states that these Warbh'rs arrive in his
vicinity about tlie iirst (I" May, and remain there nearly two weeks, .iiid then
all pass north. They d( not return on their southern lliglit until the last
of September, when tliey remain about three weeks. It is a very active, rest-
less bird, chirjung continually and very shaqdy as it flies around in search
of insects, but lias not, so far as he knows, any song.

la Southern Illinois, as Mr. liidgway informs me, this bird is a common
winter ^ 'ler, remaining kite in sjning with tlie migratory species. It is

very abundant throui,diout the winter in woods, orcliards, and door-vards.

Mr. Salvin found this species fre(|Ueiitiiig the more o})en districts about
Dueuiis, Guatemala, apparently preferring scattered bushes to the denser un-
derwood, and was an abundant s})ecies there throughout the winter season.

It is but quite recently that we have known with certainty its place and
manner of breeding. Neither Wilson, Xuttall, nor Audubon appear to have
met with its nest, though the hitter received one from Professor McC'ulloch
of Halifax.

In the summer of IS.'*;"), early in July, I obtained a nest of this sj»ecies
in Parsboro', Nova Scotia. It was built in a low bush, in the midst of d
small village, and contained six eggs. The i>arents were very shy, and it
was with great ditliculty that one of them was secured for identification.
Though late in the season, incubation had Itut just commenced.

The nest was built on a horizontal branch, the smaller twigs of which were
so interlaced as to admit of its being built ujkhi them, though their extremi-
ties were interwcjven into its rim. The nest was small for the bird, being
only two inches in depth and four and a half in diameter. The cavity
is one and a half inches (U'C]) and two and a half wide. Its Itase and exter-
nal })ortioiis consist of fine, light, dry stalks of wild grasses, and slender
twigs and roots. Of the last the firm, strong rim of the nest is exclu-
sively woven. Within, the nest is composed of soft, fine gi-asses, downy
feathers, and the fine hair of the smaller mammals.

Mr. Audubon, Avho observed very closely the liabits of these birds durimj: a
winter in Florida, describes them as very social among themselves, ski]»]ting
along the i)iazza, balancing themselves in the air o]>])osite the sides of the
house in search of s])ideis and insects, divinu throuuh the low bushes of the
garden after larva' and worms, ami at night roosting among the orange-
trees. In his visit to Maine he found them very abundant in earlv May.
The woods seemed alive with them, and wherever he landed, on his way to
Labrador, he found them in great numbers.

SYLVICOLID.E — TIIK WARBLERS. 229

This AVarbler is an expert flycatcher, feeds chieHy on insects, and is a great
devuurer of small cateri>illars ; hut in the winter its food is hirLjely c(>iii|k)sc(1
of ])erries, especially those of the Mjirini nri/tra. It will also feed on «,'rass-
seeds. In tlie warmer wintry days in Fhnida, when insects are almndant,
Mr. Audubon states that these birds are i)arlicularly active in their pursuit,
and the trees seem full of them. At this time they emit, at each movement,
a single note, ticetty so very peculiar that tliey may be at once rec<jgnized by
the cry.

Wilson states that these War1)lers a]>pear in Pennsylvania, from the Xorth,
early in October, and stay there several weeks. Some of them remain in
the Southern States all winter. They feed with great avidity u2)ou the ber-
ries of the red cedar.

In Western ^lassachusetts it is a very almndant spring and autumn visit-
ant, making but a brief stay ii si)ring, but passing northward in large num-
bers. In autunni it remains longer, and passes south more leisurely. ^Ir.
B. P.Mann found its nest and eggs in Concord, but tliis was ])rol»ablv an ex-
ceptional instance. In P^astern Maine it arrives May 25, and, as Mr. Board-
man thinks, remains to breed. Both Dr. Suckley and l)r. Cooper met with
this species in Washington Territory, wheie it is very rare.

Xo writers have observed or noted the song of tliis bird, except Mr. T. M.
Trippe (American Xat., II. p. 171), who states that during its spring migra-
tions it has a vorv sweet song or warble, uttered at short intervals.

It reaches the high northern latitudes late in Mav, and leaves that region
in Septend)er. The observations of Mr. McFarlane show that the nests of
this bird are moderately common at Anderson Biver, and are generally built
in low spruce-trees four or five feet from tlie ground. In one or two
instances it was placed on the ground.

The eggs of this Warbler vary from .72 to .(SO of an inch in length, ar
from .50 to .5") in breadth. Their ground-color Is white, often tinged . ' i
bluish shade, and blotched and si)otted witli reddish-brown, [airple, an*' Ker
shades of brown. They are of a rounded oval shape.

Dendroica auduboni, P>aikd.

AUDUBON'S WABBLER; WISTEBN YELLOW- BUM k

Sijliua nutJt(hm!, Townskxd, J. A. X. Sc. VII, ii, 1S:J7. — In. Nan-ativo, 1839, 342.—
Aru. Oru. |Ji.>^'. V, ls:5y, r»-2, \A. trix<v. Snlck-nla nndiihnii, P>«>n. List. 1S:J8. — Am.
Birds Am. 11, 1841, 2<), ]>I. Ixxvii. Itnidrnira mnlnlMnii, Haiki*, Uirds N. Am. IS.'.S,
273; Kov. 188. — ScLAiri:, P. Z. S. 18.')8, 2;>S (Oaxii.-a : ()»-tol..T) ; 1860, 2ri(h(MizahiO.
— S(i.ATKn& Salvin, Iliis, isr.d, 273 (Siui (itroniTiio, (Jnat.). -("<><hm;k i^ Sn klkv,
I'. K. W. i;.'i). XII, II, 18r)<>, 181. -S< L.VTEI:, P. Z. «. 18t)4, 172 (City of Mo.xico). —
t'ooi'Kii, Orn. Cal. I, 1870, 88.

Sp. Char. Above l»biish-ash, stivakod with l»l:u'k. most markjMl on tlie initMle of the
back ; on the head and neck bhnsh-a.<li. Middk' of crown, nimi). chin, and throat, and a

230 NnKTll AMKUICAN lijKDS.

patcli on th«' tsi.lc of thv Itn-ast, irainl>oir«'-yt'llow : space IxMirath and anterior !> tlu» eyes,
forepart of hrejust ami sidfs, hhu.-k ; tliis eolur exten<lini,' lieliind on tin- siiK's in streaks.
Muklle of l)elly. un<ler tail-rov«'rts. a j»ortion of npper and lower eyelids, and a l»roa<l l>and
on the winjrs, Avith a spot on each of ilu- foin* or five «'Xterior tail-teathers. Avliitr: rest
of tail-ft-atlicrs Ith'rk. Fniwle l)rown aliovc : the oila'r inarkinirs less eunspicnons and less
black. Length, ').'J'); a\ itiirs, 3.*J0 ; tail, li. 'Jo. Yo>intf. first phnnauc whoU* l»ody, inelud-
mg head all ronnd and rnn]j». ronspienously streaked with slaty-Ulack n}»on an ashy jrroiujd
ahove and white helow. No yellow on crown, rump, brejist, or throat. Vrings and tail as
in autunnial adult.

I! All. Western and Middle Provinces <»f the Tnited States; Cape St. Lucas; Western
Mexieo and Orizaba? Oaxaca (cold re<rions, Hctitber, Sclatku) ; (Jnatemala (Salvix).

This l»ird is very closely allied to D. arroudta, but is distinj^^iislied by the
yellow (i)ot white) throat ; the absence of a sin)erciliary white stripe (the
eyelids white, however) ; the restriction of the black of the face U) the hires,
and to a suffusion round the eye ; and the presence of one broad bami on the
win^s, instead of two narrow ones.

Habits. This beautiful Warlder, so strikingly simulating the D. coronata
in the diameter of its markings, and n(jw so well known as a connnon species
on the Pacific coast, wjis first met witli by Mr. Townsend near the Columbia
liiver, where he found it verv abundant. His account of its habits is incon-
sistent, and pndjaljly not reliable. Mr. Xuttall, who was with Mr. Townsend,
differs, also, essentially in his account. He states that he first saw them abuut
the middle of April, and that their song bore a very close resemblance to that
of the D. asfica, Init was delivered in a much su]»erior style. They remained
his sunnner companions, breeding amnng the shady firs on the borders of
prairie oj)enings, where there was an abundant sii}»ply of insect food. I>y the
8th of June he found their young already out, in small and busy Hocks, so-
licitously attended by their i)arents. They greatly resembled the young of
the coronain. These birds fretpiented large trees, particularly the water-oaks,
and the lower branches of gigantic firs.

Dr. C'oopjer found this Warbler one of the most abundant s])ecies of Wash-
ington Territory, and believed them to l)e, to some extent, a resident species,
as he met them about the Straits of Fuca in March. He s])eaks «)f its song
as lively, and heard everywhere >n the borders (d' the woods, even near the
coast, where few of the smaller s}>ecies ever visit. In the fall he noticed
straggling flocks of the young wandering about the low shrul)bery in large
numbers. The same writer also states that this species is in winter a very
abundant bird in the southern part of California, Hitting about among the
bushes and low trees. The males are then in the didl plumage of the females,
and do not put on their richer hues until ^bircli or April. He saw nou'.;
south of Sj^n Francisco after ^biy 1, but they began to reappear in Se]>tend)er.
As he found newly Hedged young near Lake Tahoe, he thinks they lireed
throughout the higher Sierra Xevada. At the sea level in latitude 37° they
appear late in September, and remain until ^larch 2t>.

Dr. Suckley regarded this bird as the most abundant species visiting the

SYLVICOLID.E — T "■. W/ "HLEilS* 231

western portion of WashinLjtnn Teiiitoiv. Xcai Fort Steilaeooni it was
found princi] tally anions: the oak-trees on the plains.

Dr. AVoodhouse I'muihI it alnimlant in New Mexico, j'ontinini,^ itself tr» the
timbered and mountainous districts, and es])ecially plentiful amouL,' tli.' San
Francisco Mountains, feedinjjj aniouLT the tall j)ines. Dr. Coues found it ex-
ceedingly comm(»n in Arizona, where some spend the winter, and a few pos-
sibly remain in the summer to breed.

Dr. Heermann found them nunaininfj in the Sacramento Vallev throuirhout
tlie winter, and quotes Dr. Kennerly as tinding these birds on the Iioca
Grande nmX at ditlerent points in Sonora. Mr. (lambel found these AVarblei*s
on all his route from Xew Mexico to California in great abundance, their
habits givatly resend)ling those of the I), corona t^t. They display a givat deal
of familiarity, entering the towns, resorting to the gardens and lu'dge-rows,
and even the corrals of the houses, descending also to the ground in c(»m[)any
with Blackbirds and Sparrows.

This "Warbler is thus shown to have a very extended distribution. It is
now known to be found, at diiferent seasons, from Central America to British
Columbia, and from Xew Mexico to the Pacific.

We are inde!)te(l to the late Mr. Hepburn for all the knowledge we possess
in reference to its nests, eggs, and breeding-habits. He i)rocured their nests
and eggs in Vancouver's Island. Tliev were built in the forkeil br.inches of
small shrubs. Anmnd these the materials of which they were built were
strongly bound, and to it the nests were thus securely fastened. Thev Mere
quite long an<l large for the bird, being four inches in height, and three and
a half in diameter. The cavity is small, but deep. The external peri-
phery of the ucNt is made of coarst; stri])s of bark, long dry kaves of wild
grasses, and strong stalks of [dants, internnngled with finer gras.ses, pieces of
cotton cL»th,and other materials. Tlie inner nest is also a singular cond»ina-
tion of various materials, yet carefully and elaborately put together. It is
made u]) of fine grasses, feathers, lichens, mosses, fine roots, etc.. all felte«l to-
gether and lined with a warm bedding of fur and feathers. Mr. IIv;i>burn's
observatitms, so far as they go, seem to show that this bird does not usually
build in sucii lofty positions as Xuttall and others (jonjectared.

According to Mr. Hepburn, they arrive in Vancouver's Island in the middle
of Aprd, and generally fre<[uent Ingh trees, constructing their nests in the
u})per branches, though also fre([uently building in low bushes, a few feet
from the ground. The nund)er »)f tlieir eggs is four. These, he states, have
a pure white ground, ami are spotted, usually chiefly about the larger end,
with red markinu:s.

^Ir. Salvin met with both this sjiecies and the D. roronafa at San (Jeroni-
mo, Xovend)er, ISol). They congregated together on the ground, where they
principally obtained their food.

Dr. Coo]>er, in his paper on the fauna of Montana, mentions this Warbler
as the only one of the genus seen by him between Fort Benton and Fort

2.S2 NORTH AMERICAN RIRIX^.

Vancouver. It was very cnimnon tlirouirlmiit tlie iiKumlains, and lie t'oiuul it
in every portion of the country west of them, even wliere scarcely a bush
was to be seen.

Accordinj^ to the careful observations of ^Fr. TJolnat IJidi^^way, this War-
bler, during the sununer months, in the (rreat lijisin, chiefly inhabits the
])ines of the hiuh mountain ranges, as well as the cedar and pincm woods of
the desert mountains. In winter it descends to the lower i)ortions. bein<'
then found among tlie willow^, or, in small roving comj)anies, hopping among
the tree-topt. [^ tJie river valleys. In manners it is said by him to resemble
the Lorondta, but in their notes they differ verv widely. A nest, containin*'
three young, was found by Mr. llidgway near the extremity of a horizonttd
branch of a pine-tree, about ten feet from the ground.

The eggs of the Audubon Warbler do not resend)le those of any Dendroivn
with which T am accpuunted, but are most like those of the Hooded War-
bler. They measure .70 bv .oO of an inch, have a reddish or pinkish white
ground, and are sparingly marked with tine brown markings, tinted with a
crimson shading.

Dendroica maculosa, r>AiHi>.

BLACK AND YELLOW WABBLEB.

MotaciUa mncnloa^i, Om. Syst. Nat. I, ITSs, i>84. Siflri" m. Lath. ; Vif.ii.l. ; lios. ;
Ni'TT. ; Ari). C>ni. liiog. 1, II, V, pi. 1. 12:5. tijilcU-nln m. Swains. ; Box. ; Aid.
Binls Am.II, |>1. xivi. llhiinniiphKxv). V\\\. ^owyAW, 18r)."», -irilCulia). Dnulrniot m.
Baii:d, liinls X. Am. l.'?38, 284; IJ.vi.-w, "iOt;. _ Sri,ATKi:, P. Z. S. 1^,'.S», ritilJ, :{73
(Xalapa). 1 vant, Pr. Best. Soc. VII. 1S.".«» (Baliaina.**). — Sn.ATKU & Salvin, litis,
18r)y, 11 (Oiiattniala). — La'.vuknck, .Ann. X. Y. Lye. 18r,l, :522 (Panama; wintiM). —
GrNi>LA< 11, Cab. .lour. ISt?!, :32<5 ^("uba ; vtiy ran). — Samiels, 238. Siilviu rmnjintUay
AViLS. Ill, pi. xxiii, lig. 3.

Pr. CiiAH. }fale, in spring. Pill dark Muisli-lilark. ralliiM' liL'litcr lit'iu^ath. Tail dusky.
Top of licail liulit irrayisli-l»!iio. Front, lore, dieok, and a stripe innler the eye. Mack, runiiinj;
into a larp' trianiriilar patch on the l»a<-k between the winirs, which is also black Evi-lids
and a strijK' from the eye aloiiir tlie head white. rp|i«'r tail-covt-rts black, some of the
feathers tipped with irray sh. Abdomen and lower tail-coverts white. Rmnj) and under
parts, except as described, yellow. Lower throat, breast, and snles str«'akeil with black;
the streaks closer on the lowei- throat and for(> breast. Lesser win<;-eoverts. and ed<rcs of
the winir and tail, l»luish-i:ray, the Ibrmer .spotted with black. <^>uills aiul tail almost black ;
tlie latter with a stpiare patch of white on the inner webs of all the tail-feathers (but the
two imier) beyond the middle of the tail. Two white Itands across the' wini;s (sometinu-s
coaleseecl into one) foi-med by the nuddle and secondary coverts. Part of the <'due of
the iimer webs of the (phlls white. Feathers mari:inintr the black patch on the back
behind and on the sides tinired with Lni'eiiish. Lenu'th, ;") inches; win.ir. 2.50 ; tail, 2.2').
Autumnal males diller in absence of black of back, front, sides of head, and to a consider-
able <U\i^ree l>eneath. and in mnch less white on the winjrs and head.

Female in sprinf/. Similar, but all the colors duller. Plack of the ba»'k restricted to a
central triangnlar patch.

IIab. Eastern Province of North America to Fort Simpson; Ea.stcni ^Ie.\ico to Guate-
mala ai.d Panama; Bahamas; Cuba (very rare).

i^YLVK'MLID.K — THE WAKHLEIIS. 933

Habits. The lilack and Yellow Warbler, one of the most l)eautitul of this
attractive faniily, was .sujti)osiMl ]>y our earlier writers to he exeeedingiy rare.
Wilson never met with more than two specimens, — one in Ohio, the other
on the Mississi]>]>i, — and spoke of it as a very scarce species. In regard to
its song he was «[uite at fault, denying to it any notes deserving the name
of .song. Xuttall, who had only .seen it occasionally in Massachusetts, in
the middh^ ni' ^lay, regarded it as rare, and was unac([uainted with its
notes. Its history is now much lietter known, and neither its great rarity
nor its deficiency as to melody can any longer 1h^ admitted.

At certain seasons and in particular places it is a very common species.
It may he found during the breed ing-sea.son throughout Xorth America east
of tlie (Jreat Plains, between hititude 44' and Fort Sim}>son in the fur
country. During its migrations it may be met with in UKJSt of the Eastern
States, in Eastern Mexico, and tl'e northern portions of South America. It
has been found in the I>ahamas, and also in Cuba, where it is not common.
Specimens have been received from Mexico, (luatemala, and l*anama, and
from Fort IJesolution, liupert House, and Fort Simpson, in Arctic America,
and as far to the west as the mouth of Vermilion River. Dr. J>ryant
met with it in the Bahamas as early as the ITtli of ^larch, where it was
(piite connnon. M. Boucard found it at Playa Vicente, in the hot portion
of the State of Oaxaca, Mexico.

In Western Ma.ssachusetts, ^Ir. Allen found it a common spring and
autumn visitor, occurring i'» its nortiiern flights from the mi(hlle of May to
the first of June, and in the autumn as late as Sej^tembcr 2(1. I'rcjfessor
Verrill found it in Western Maine, but not common, both in s])ring and fall,
but had no rea.^on to believe tliat it bred there. ^Ir. lioardman does not
include it in his list of C'ahiis bir<ls, and I did not find it amonij the islands
in the P>ay of Fundy. In the vicinity of Halifax, during the months f)f
June and July, it is on t oi the most common of the Warblers, occurring in
every direction.

Mr. Audubon ob.served these Wavblei*s in Louisijina, in their migmtions, as
early as the mi«ldle of March ; lait its apjiearance there, as well as in Kentucky
and Ohio, api)eared to be occasional and accidental. In autunni he has met
with them in lari>e numl)e-'s amon<4 the mountains of Xorthern Pennsvlvanip
Tlun' were ])assing southward with their voung. While on his wav to Lab-
rador he notu'e<l them in Elaine, near Eastport, in May, very alauidant along
the roads, the fields, and the low woods, as well as in the orchards and gar-
dens. The season was then not advanced, the weather coid ; and these birds
sheltered themselves l)y night among the evergreens, and were oft^n so chilled
as to be readily taken l)y the hand. He also met them wherevCi' he landed
in the neighboring islands in the P»av of Fundv and at Labrador.

The song of this Warbler is clear and sweetly modulated, and surpasses

that of most of this family. It s- ems to prefer the interior of low woods,

where its notes may chieHy be heard during the early summer, as it sings

30

234 NORTH A^^ERICAN BIRDS.

while it is searchinjj; for its fond among the hnniclies, in the manner of the
Vireos.

Like nearly all the momln^rs of this family, in its search for food it hlends
the ha])its of the ('ree2K3rs witli tliose of the Flyeatchers, feeding upon
insects in tlieir every form, running up and down tlie trunks for tlie ova,
larva', and pui)a', expertly catching tlie insect on the wing, aiid etpially
skilful in hovering over the ex}>anded bud and searching the oj)ening le.ives.

Mr. Audubon found its nest placed deep among the branches of low fir-
trees, sup]K)rted by horizontal twigs, constructed of moss and lichens, and
lined with fibrous roots and feathers. One found in Labrador, in the ln'^in-
ning of July, contained five eggs, small and rather more elongated than is
common in this genus. They were white, and sja-inkled witli reddish dots at
the lai*ger end. The female fluttered among the br.mches, spreading her
wings and tail in great distress, and returning to her nest as soon as the in-
truders were a few yards off. In x\ugust he saw a numlier of their young
already following their parents and moving southward. In his expetlition
to Texas, Mr. Audubon a«^ain met this bird, in considerable numbei-s, earlv
in Ai:>ril. Their eggs, he states, measure three fourths of an incli in length
by nine sixteenths in breadth. In some the ground-color, instead of pure
white, is of a yellowish tinge.

The writer found tins Warbler abundant near Halifjix in the early sum-
mer of 1850, freipienting the thick hemlock woods, confiding in its habits,
unsuspicious, and easily approached. The distress, as described by Audulx)n,
manifested in behalf of its own young, it is as ready to exhibit Mhen the
nest of a feathered neighbor is disturbed. A pair of Hudson's Bay Titmice,
protesting against the invasion of their home, by their outcries brought a pair
of these Warblers to their sympathetic assistance ; and the latter manifested,
in a more gentle way, <|uite as much distress and anxiety as tlie real parents.
With expanded tail and half-extended wings they fluttered overhead anumg
the branches, approaching us almost within reach, uttering the most piteous
outcries.

Sir John Richardson found this Warbler as common and as familiar as
the D. a:stira on the Saskatchewan, and greatly :>sembling it in habits,
though "ifted with a much more varied and agrr'^ji't'V song.

Mr. Kennicott met this Warbler on (ireat ►Slave Lake, June 12, 18G0,
where he obtained a female, nest, and five eggs. The nest, loosely built, was
placed in a small spruce about two feet from the grountl, and in thick
woods. The bird was rather bold, coming to her nest while he stood by it.
This nest was only one and a half inches deep, with a diameter of three and
a half inches ; the cavity only one inch deep, with a ilianieter of two and a
half inches. It was made almo.st entirely of fine stems of plants and slender
grasses, and a few mosses. The cavity was lined with finer stems, and fine
black roots of herbaceous plants.

The eggs of this Warbler are, in shape, a rounded oval, one end being but

SYLV1CUL1D.E — THE WAUliLEUS. 2o.")

sli^'litly more poiiited tlian the other. They measure .62 of an inch in
It'ii^tli and .41> in breailtli. Their ground-color is a light aslnjn hue, or a
thill wliite, an<l this is more or less sprinkled with tine dots and hlotLhes
of a light hrnwn. For the most part these are grouped in a rinj^ about
the larger end.

Mr. 11. Deane, of ('aml)ridge, foinid this hird breeding near Lake Umbi -
gog. Its nest was in the l«»rk <»f a low spruce about three feet from the
ground. The nest contained four eggs, and was made of ilry grasses, sinuce
twills, and r()otlets. Tt was lined with tine black roots, being a ratliev coarse
structure for a Warbler. The eggs were nearly spherical, avcmgiiig .02 by
.51 of an inch. Their ground-color was a creamy- white, spauel} marked
with a few lai'ge blotches of lilac and umber.

Dendroica cserulea, Rurd.

CJESULEAN WABBLEB; WHITE-THROATED BLUE WABBLEB.

Sijh'iacarulm, Wii.s. Am. Orn. II, 1810, 141, pi. .xvii, fig. 5. Siih-lcohf c. Swains, : .TAitn. ;

Rich.; Hon. ; .Vrn. (>ru. Bidj^. 1, \\. xli.v ;• Nrrr. Ikndroiai c. Baiuh, Hinls N. Am.

1858, 280 ; KfV. li)l. — Gunul. i'uh. .Jour. 18»)1, 32»» ^ruki ; very nil*). — Samiels,

57l». Sijlcid rai'ii, WiL.suN, II, \\. x.wii, tig. 2. — Bt»s. ; Aru. Orn. Biog. 1, \A. xli.v.

Slilci'f azure4i, Stkimi. Sliaw, Zo«)I. X, 1^17. — Bon, Am. Orn. II, 1828, pi. xxvii (9).

— Ai'D. Oni. Biog. I, pi. xlviii, xlix : Nun". Sfflcin biju-schtfn. Say, Long's Exind.

I, 1823, 170. S'tfrlc pujutlnram, Vieill. Kncyc. Meth. II, 1823, 449 (from Wilson).
Otlicr localities : linffuht, Sclatek, P. Z. S. 1857, 18. Pumnna li. Ji., Lawrence, Ann.

N. Y. Lye. 1801, 322. Vi(caian, Lawk. Vcnujua, Salv.

Sp. Char. Afale. Above bright blue, darkest on the crown, tinged with ash on the
rump; niitMk* of bark, scapulars, upper tail-coverts, and sides of the crown, streaked with
black. Beneath white ; a collar across the bre;ist, and streaks on the sides, dusky-blue.
Lores, and a hue through and behiufl tlie eye (where it is l)ordered above by whitish),
dusky-blue; paler on the checks. Two white bands on the wings. All the tail-feathers
except the innermost with a white patch on the inner web near the end. Female, green-
ish-blue above, brightest on the crown ; beneath white, tinged with greenish-yellow, and
obsoleti'ly streaked on the sides ; eyelitls and a superciliary line greenish-white. Length,
4.25; wing, 2.G."i; tail, l.!)0.

Had. f]astern Fnite*! States, north to Niagara Falls ; Cuba (very rare) ; Guatemala ;
Veragua, Panama, and Bogota. Not recorded from Mexico (except Yucatan), or West
Indies (except Cul)a).

The antnnmal adult plumage of both .sexes is, in even^ respect, exactly-
like the spring dress. Young males in late summer are very similar to adult
females, but are purer white l)elow, and less uniform greenish-blue above, the
dark stri])es on sides of the crown and black centres to scapulars being quite
conspicuous ; the young female, at the .same season, is similar in pattern to
the adult, but is dull green above, without any tinge of blue, and light butiy-
yellow below.

There is considerable variation in adult males, especially in the width of

280 Noirrii AMKKicAN nii:i)s.

tlu' pectorjil collar; one (\o. (►(►.STT, Alt. ('anin*l, Wal»asli To., Til., Aujj:. 0)
has this <»ntir' Iv iiitcnnpttMl. In this indiviilual tiieie is no trace (»!' a
wliitish sii|n-a-..iiiit iilar stnak; while otlieis tVoni the same locality, and
obtained j.t the same ilate, liave the band across the ju^uluni contium)U.s, and
a unite distinct w liite streak over the ear-coverts.

Haiuts. Of tliis somewhat rare \Var)>ler very little is as yet \vell known.
Its habits and distrildition durin^j; tlie breed in jj^-seasou need more li^ht tlian
we now jKKsess to enal>le us to give its story with any decree of exactness.
Its appearance in i'ennsylvania, Oliio, Illinois, and Missouri early in May,
when Warl>lers tliat j^o north to breed are on their way, at first sui;j;ested its
l)elon,ii:inj; to that class. It is not known to proceed any fartlier north, ex-
cept in accith'utal instances; tliouu;h the writer has been assured, and has no
reason to (h»ul)t the fact, that it abounds and breeds in the nei,L;hborlu»od
of Niagara Falls. I can find no good evidence that it ever occurs in Massa-
chusetts. Individuals have been olitainetl in northern South America, I'ana-
ma, and Cuba. Dr. Woodhouse describi's it as (piite common in Te.xas jind
in the Indian Territory, where it breeds, as he obtained both tlie (dd and the
young birds. It was also abundant among the tinil>ered lands of the Arkan-
sas and its tributaries. It was not obtained in any other of the government
expeditions, n(»r was it found in Ariztuia l)y Dr. C'oues. Mr. T. M. Tri]»})e
noticed a single individual near Orange, X. Y. Wilson sup])osed them to
breed in Pennsvlvania, tliouuli he was never able to find their nests. He
usually met with these birds in marshes or on the borders of streams among
the branches of poplars. Their habits were those of tlie Flycatchers. He
saw none later than the 20th of August. Describing this species as the lilue-
green Warbler, as met with bv him on the banks of the Cumberland earlv in
April, he mentions its gleaning for food among the upper brandies of the
tallest trees, rendering it difficult to l»e procured. Its resend»lance, in habits,
to Flycatchers, he again remarks. Its only note was a feeble chirp.

According to AucUibon, tliis Warbler appears in Louisiana, where it also
breeds early in spring, and leaves tlie first of October. Like all its family, it
is (jiiite lively, has a similar Higiit, moves sideways up and down the Itranches,
and hangs from tlie ends of the twigs in its search for in.sects.

Air. Audubon also states that the liveliness of the notes of this Warbler
renders it conspicuous in the forests, the skirts of M'hich it frtMpients. Its
song, though neither loud nor of long continuance, he speaks of as extremely
sweet and mellow. He found it as numerous in the State of Louisiana as
any other Warbler, so that he could sometimes obtain five or six in a single
^valk.

The nest he describes as placed in the forks of a low tree or bush, partly
pensile, projecting a little above the twigs to which it is attached, and ex-
tending below them nearly two inches. The outer part is composed of the
fibres of vines and the stalks of herbaceous jdants, with slender roots ar-
ranged in a circular manner. The nest is lined with fine dry fibres of the

SVLVICULID.E — TlIK WAKBLKRS. 237

Spaiiisli moss. The i^'irs are five in nuinU'r, of u pure white with a few red-
dish spots aljoiit the hir;,'er end. When distuil»e<l (hiring inruhatinn, the
fenude is said t«» trail ah)n^' tlie l>raiulies with (h«iopin«^' win;;s and phiintive
notes, in the niaiuier of // irstini. After tlie young have left the nest, they
move and liunt together, in conijiany witli their parents, evincing great activ-
itv in tlie ]>ursuit of insects. Thev are also said to liave a great i>artialitv
for trees the tops of which are thickly covered with gi-.ipevines, and to occa-
sionally alight on tall weeds, feeding upon their seeils.

In his visit to Texas, Mr. Auduhon met a large numher of these birds
apparently coming from Mexico. On one occasion he encountereil a large
fiock on a small island.

Mr. Xuttall mentions finding these hirds very ahundant in Tennessee, and
also in West Florida.

In onlv a sin«rle instance has the writer met with this Warlder. This was
ahout the middle (»f June, at the Fairnmunt Water Works in the city of Thila-
delj)hia, where, among the tops of the trees, a single individual was busily
engaged in hunting insects, undisturbed by tiiv* large numbers and vicinity
of visitors to the grounds, lb kept in the tops of the trees, moving about
with great agility.

^Ir. llidgway gives the Ca^rulean Warbler as the most abundant species
of its genus in the Lower Wabash Valley, not only during the sj^ring and
fall migrations, but also in the summer, when it breeds more plentifully even
than the D. a.sfira. It inhabits, however, only the deep woods of the bot-
tom lands, where it is seldom seen, and «»nly to be distinguished by the nat-
uralist. Inhabiting, mostly, the tree-tops, it is an incons])icuous bird, and
thus one that easily escapes notice. In its haoits it is ])erhaps less interest-
ing than others of its genus, being so retired, and possessing only the most
feeble notes.

Dendroica blackbumisB, Hviiin.

BLACKBUSNIAN WARBLEB; 0BAV6E-THB0ATEB WABBLEB.

MoUicilhi hhickbui'Hur, Gmelin, Syst. Nat. I, 1788, 977. Siilvia hi. Lath. ; WiL.soy, III.
1>1. x.xiii. — NuTT. ; Ari». Orn. Bi»>ii. II, V. ]•]. cx.xxv, cooxcix. Siilvirola hf. Jaud. ;
Kicn. ; Am. Ilinis Am. II, ]•!. Ixxxvii. L'/nitn'iijthifM U. V\w. Miis. Iltiii. 18'»ti, 19.
Ikiidroica f>L IVviKD, Binls X. Am. 18.">8, 274: luv. 1S<». — Silaiki: it Salvin, Il.is,
1859, 11 ((Imitemala). — Sclatki:, 1'. Z. S. Lsr.9, 30:? (.Xalapa) ; Il». lh»JO, 04 (>Aua<lor).

— Ib. C'atal. 1801, :30, no. 187 (I'allatan'^'a and Xam'ual, Kciuulor). — Samckls, 227.

— SUNDEVALL, < >tV. 1809, Oil. - DliF.s.^F.li, Ibi.s, 1805, 478. ! Miitoc'dhi rhrifsocejdtrd't^
(Jmelin, I, 1788, 971 (Fiifi't'cr onm'je if F. etrauijer. Huff. V, 313, pi. Iviii, fig. 3,
(•iiiana). Si/h'ui pnrus, AVii.s. V, }»1. xliv, H<;. 3. — Aui». (^rn. Biog. II, pi. exxxiv.
i>t(/ricola p<irufi, AcD. Birds .\m. II, j>l. Ixxxiii. Si/ln'(r lifi'ralis, Steph. f Mofocilla
iiu-iiii'i, Gmel. I, 178^, 970. Si/froi iiicinitt, Lath. ; Vieill. f Sijh'ic uhdanorfuHy,
Vnii.L. Xouv. Diit. XI. 1817, IM) (Maitini.|m'). — In. Eneycl. Meth. II, 444.

Localities quoted : IJoifoff, Sclatek, P. Z. S. 185.'*, 14:5. Panama, Lawr. Ann. X. Y.
Lye. VII, 62. Cofsfa Riax, Cap.. J<mr. 1S«;0, 328. P.nhin\a>i, Bkyant, IWt. Tr. Vll,
1659. VcrayuUf Salvix. Orizaba (winter ; rare), SuMiciiK.isT.

2:)8 NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS.

•

Sp. Char. r[>iM'r parts iicurly imiforrn >>liu'k, with a wljitish srapiilar strip*' atid a larp*
white palili ill ihf iiii<Mlt,' of tiif \viii<.'-<-ovt'rts. An ohlttiij; patch in ihf mitldU' of the
iTtiwii, auii tlii* I'litiiv si«l»' of thf Uviul aii<I uvrk (iiH-linhii;/ a sup* rciUarv strip*' lioni the
nostrils), thi" chin, throat, and li»n'piirt of the Itn-ast. Initrht oran;ji'-rt'<l. A hlark strip*'
froiu thi' foiniiiissinv pa>siii!.' aroiiii»l th«- lower haH'ol'the eye. and iiuliuhn^' the ear-eoverts;
with, how«'Ver, an oraiiire ereseent in it, just hcjow the i'Ve, the e.xtrenu' lid hcin^' hhvek.
Rfst of under parts wiiite, stroii^rly tinpd with yellow i>h-oran<.''e «)n the hreast atid hi-lly,
and streaked with hlack on thesiiles. Outer three tail-feathers white, the shatis and tips
darkhrown; the fouith and fifth spotted much with whit*-; the other tail-featlu'rs and
tpiills almost l»lack. Ffiniile similar; the colors diillei ; the feathers of the upper part.s
witli olivaceous ed;res. Lenj.'th, r),r>0 ; win^', li.So : tail, 2.25.

Had. Eastern Province of L'nited States; Eastern Mixico, and south to IJojiota and
Ecuador; Uahamas alone of West Indies with eerlainty.

Autumnal males re.scmlde tlie femalos. They have two white bands in-
stead of one ; tlie hlaek sti ipt'S on the sides are larger ; under parts yellowisli ;
the throat yeUowish, passing into purer yellow l>ehiud.

Autumnal young Idrds have the .same jKittern of coh)ration, but the dark
jjortions are dull grayi.sh-umlier, with the streaks very obs(dete,and the light
parts dull bufCy-wliite, tinged witli yeUow on the jugidum ; tliere is neither
clear black, briglit yellow, nor pure white on the plumage, except the latter
on the wing-bands and tail-i)atches.

Habits. Tliis somewhat rare and ver\' beautiful Warbler retpiires addi-
tional investigation into its liabits before its liistory ean be regarded as satis-
factorily known. Save in reference to its wider distribution during its south-
ern migrations, little more is known as to its habits than where Amlubon
left its history nearly thirty years since. The Smitlisonian collection has
s])ecimens from Pennsylvania, Ohio, Wisconsin, Missouri, Illinois, and from
Central America. Mr. Sclater luis received specimens Iroiii Mexico, and from
Ecuador in South America. Other writers mention having specimens from
Guiana, Martinitpie, and Panama, and Dr. Ihyant found it in the Pahamas.
It is thus known to have a wide distribution from the Atlantic to the Mis-
sissippi Kiver, as far to the north proluddy as Ddn-adin*. Its area of repro-
duction is not known with exactness, but the southern limit is sujjposed to
be the high wooded districts of Pennsylvania, New York, and Xew England.
A young bird was taken by Holbidl, October IG, 1845, at Frederikshaab,
(Greenland. In 1837 an q\i^)^ was sent me from Coventry, Vt, which pur-
ported to Ijehmg to this bird ; and in the following summer its nest and eggs
were procured in a wild, secluded ])art of Pox bury, Mass. In neither case
was the identification entirely free from doubt.

Dr. Pachman states that when a resident of Lansingl)urg, N. Y., in 1833,
he saw a i)air of these birds in the act of constructing their nest. Mr. Alien
has no doidit that a few Ineed in the vicinity of Springfield, ^lass., as he has
obtained them as late as June 24. He found it most common in mixed or
hard- wood forests. It arrives about the middle of May. Professor Verrill
gi\es it as a summer resident of Western Maine, though rarely seen on

SYLVICnUn.E — THE WARBLKUS. 23U

account of its habit nf k«'('|tiiii^' mnccaltMl aiiinii<4 tlic tlnisr fnliaj^'c. Mr.
luianhuaii ^ivcs tin? same acctmiit ot* its ivsjiilciue ill suiiimfr in the iu'i)4;h-
horhoo<l of < alais.

Mr. AihIuImui did not rci,'anl tliis l)ir(l and his " Hemlock Waihlei" as the
same species, Imt j^ave distinct and ditVerent accounts «»f their hal>its. Wt»
have therefore to receive witli caution tliese records of jkm uliarities. He
found the r»lackl»urnian \Varlth*r lueidinij: in Xortlieastern Maine, in Xew
llrunswick, in the Ma^nhdeine Islan<ls, aud in Ldaador and Newfoundland.
He states, correctly, that it has a very sweet soni; of five or six notes, much
louder than seemed jtossihle from the size of the hird. It }>ursues its
insect i»rey amonj^ the hranches of the tir-tiees, moving' along after the man-
ner of the common fledstart.

^Fr. McCuUoch, of Halifax, gave Mr. Audul)on a nest of this hird with
three eggs. The nest was formed externally of dilVerent textures, lined
with fine delicate strijis of hark and a thick hed t>f feathers and horse-hair.
The egj^s were small, (tonical, with a white ground s]»ottcd with liglit red
at the lari^er end. The nest was in the small fork of a tree five fei't from
the ground, and near a hrook.

The nest obtained in Koxhury was in a hush, a few feet from the ground,
in a very wild region of forest and rocks. Externally, except in its length,
which was less, it resembled a nest of the d. trirlm^i, being made of coarse,
dry grasses. Internally it was much more warmly lined with feathers and
soft fur than is the case in iie^ts of the Yellow-Throat. The eggs were of
a crystal whiteness, marked at th»*ir hugiT end with dark puri>le, and but
for their smaller size might have been mistaken for th<»se of (}. frichas.
The position of <^he nest, however, was conclusive in regard to this ])oint.
The egg from ^' .. 3ntry was substantially similar, except that reddish-brown
dots were mingled with the pur^Je markings, in the form of a wreath around
the larger end.

AVilson descril)es this Warl)ler as songless, but attributes to its counter-
part, the Hemlock Warbler, a very sweet song of a few low notes, — a very
ditt'erent account from that given bv Audubon of the song of the Black-
burnian.

Mr. Paine states that this species is resident during the summer months in
liandol})h, Vt. It is, he says, a very close comj)anion of the D. riim.'i, arriv-
ing at the same time with it even to a dav, or about the Itltli of ^lav. Its
drv chiri)ing song mav then be heard in striking contrast with the sweet
notes of the rirnis. He was not able to find its nest.

Mr. C. W. Wyatt met with this species as a winter resident at Alto, in (Co-
lombia, South America. Its upward range seemed to l)e terminated only by
the paramos. Among the oaks on the Pamplona road he found it very com-
mon just under the paramo, the bright orange throat of the male making it
a very conspicuous bird. He was led to believe that they were not found
there at a lower elevation than five thousand feet.

240 NORTH AMEIMCAX IJIROS.

Dendroica dominica, Wmkd.

YELLOW-THBOATED 6BAT WABBLEB.

^fofiicilhr dominic'i, I.. Syst. Xat, I'Jtli id. 17»><;, ;{:U (Ficcifitfa domhiico cinrrert, r>Kiss.
Ill, frJO, i»l. xxvii, Ii.l;. :\). Ikinlniiai i/ouutn'cu, Wumu, luv. Am. lUnls, '2oiK Mitta.
cilftf ffujDiri/iiisti, lluniw.KT, Tiililcau I'l. fiil. »»,sr), H^. 1^ 17^:5. />nitfn>i(ii mi/,, triliosft,
I>An:i>, r.inls X Am. IS.'.S, -Jhi). — S( i,ati:ii (Xalajta, Oaxaca, Jamaica, Mrxi«<iV -
bci.AiKi: »v Sai.vin, ll.is, Lsdd, 274 iDiniias, Cuat. ; S.|ii.K - Mai:» n. Vr. A. X. S<-.
18(!:{, 'Ji'Ji (.lamaiia). — ( Jindlach. (ali. .laiir, 1M>1, o'Jti ^('uba ; v«iy «'<>n»moii>. J/o-
tiuilht tfin-iaillis, (Jmki.in. Syst. Xat. 1, 1788, 1>'»5). Si/fn'n ff. I.ATlI. ; Wll.s. II, j»l.
xii, tij;. <5. Mi>t(u:in>i iHii.-^tlis, (Jmi-i.in, Syst. Xat. I, 1788, (>«>«». Siilria fi. Latii. ;
ViKii.i,. (St, Domingo). - lioN. ; Arn. nni. r»ii><,'. I, pi. Ix.x.xv ; Xirr. SiilricDla jh-us.
Kicii ; Bon. ; Ain. Hinl.s Am. II, |il. Ixxix. — (Ju.s.sf, liinls Jam. 1847, 150 (.lamaica).
Ji/iiiiiiiitji/ttis jifiis. Cai;. .Ikiu. Ill, 474 ^('uliaK
OtliiT lotalitifs : Cunfom, Sci.a n.i:. V. Z. S. IS.'.t'., l"J1. .S7. Doiiiimjo, SALLl^, P. Z. S.
18rj7, "HI. Jainidcit, (Jus.si;, lUrils ,);'.m. l.'»t).

Sr. CiiAH. rpjKT part ; uniforiii ijrayi.>h-lilii('. Cliiii aii<l tlin^it luight wIIdw ; uikUt
parts white. Foit'lu'ad, ami souit'tiiiu's most ol' crown, loics and rluvks, .sidfs of throat,
and numerous streaks on the sides of the breast. Mack. A strij>e from the nostrils over and
behind the eye, a erescent on the lower eyelid, the sidi's of tiie nec-k behind the blaek eiieek-
pateii, an<l two eonspieuous bands o\\ the a\ ini:s. white. Terminal half of the outer wel»s
of the ouitT two, and terminal third of the thiid tail-tealhers. white. Fnmtle almost
preci.sely similar. L«'nirth, ."hlo ; winL^ I'.tiO: tail. 'J.i'.O. (:>.;>*J2.)

IIaf;. Eastern l*n»viiieeof I'nited States, north to \VashinL:ton and Cleveland; in win-
ter abundant in Cul'a; St. DoniiiiLi-o and Jamaiea ; Me.\ie(» (Colima «.n west eoast), and
Guatemala. liesident in Jamaiea?

An mitiimii;!! male (Xo. 1,(>0S, Wasbiu^toii, O. 0.) lias tlu> Miiish-a.^V
above ohscuretl hy a wash ol" luown : tin* black ' iiia.sk " less sharply detinei ,
the streaks (ni forehead want inn : tiie yellow paler and didler, and the wliiie
l>eneath soik'd with brownish.

Tn oeneral ^.attern of e(>loratioii tliis species resembles two others ; one
IVoni Arizona, the otlier from Porto Rico. The (baj^noses are as follows: —

Common Chauactkij.s. rp[>«'r parts ash-ur.'.y. the (l)rehead and sides of vertex
blaek. A line from nostril to above (ye (passinL' int«> whitt' behind), ehin, and
throat, yellow. njar<rined laterally with blackish; crissum, inside of wings, a.villars.
and two bands on winir-s, whit(\

Su]tereiliary line extendimr to the nape, and white, exeeptini,^ sometimes
anterior to the eye. Cheeks black, separated from the ash ol' the tieck by
a white patch. Eyelids and infra-ocular crescent white. iJack not streaked.
Bill lon.uth- ncd, jrouys almost concave.

Yelktw ef>nfin<'d to jutrulum ; rest of uniK-r parts w.iite; the sides
streaked with black . ... ..... (lominiiti.

Superciliarv line .scarcely extetidiiiL: beyond the eye. and yellow. e\c<'j»tinLr
at extreme end. Cheeks ashy, like sides of neck ; dusky oidy near the eye,
and not l»ordere<l on side of neck behind by whit«-. Kyelids an<l infra-
o«-ular (jreseent yellow. Back streaked. Bill short, gony.s sliirhtly convex.

.SVLVICOLID.K— TIIK WAKHLKUS. 241

Vclliiw {>{' iiirU-r parts <'(»nliiK'd to jii^Miliiin ; rest of iniilcr parts Avliitc ;
the sides St icakctl with Itlack ........ i/nirin.

Yi'Uow ofiunh'r paitti extemUi.g ti) rrissuin. SiiU's scarcely stivakiMl.

)l)/i llliihl . *

III tlie lioview (p. 200) several variatinns in this species are noted ; l»nt at
that time there was not a siitHeient niniiher of specimens to warrant our
coming to a cone liisi«>n as to their value. Now, however, we have hetter
material hel'ore us, and upon the examination of Jilxnit tliirty s})eeiniens, in-
chuHnu two series of nearly equal numbers, — one from tlie Atlantic States
and the West Indies, the other from tiie Mis.sissippi region and Middle
America, — tind that there are two appreciably different races, to be distin-
guished from eacl ■■^inKi ' ^«oints of constant ditference. All birds of tlu;
tiist series have tii '; i 1 " ;- ■ tlmn any of the latter, the ditference in a
majority of the s]»ecime i , 'tij' very considerable ; they also have the super-
ciliary stripe briLi^^ht yciu:". .^^; ,nlv, while amonu the latter there is never
more than a trace of yellow over the lores, and even this minimum amount
is discernible onlv in one or two individuals. The West Indian form is, of
course, the true (huniitlni, and t«» be distinguished as var. doiniiurn ; as none
of the synonymes of this species were fouiuleii u]>on the Mexican one, how-
ever, it will be necessary to propose a new name ; accordiuLjly, the term var.
albi/ofif is selected as beinu most descriptive of its j)eculiar features.

The folh)wini; synopsis, taken from typical specimens, shows the dilfer-
ences between these two races : —

(No. .'{.^J'i'i. (J, I.iiKMty Coiuiiy, (leoiiria.) Uill (li-oin nostril). .1.'); tarsus. .(Ji) ;

wiuLi-. 'J.t>0; tail, 'J. 00. SiipfrciMary stripe, anterior ttM've. wholly l>ri.uht yellow;

velK)W of ejiin and inaxiihe extendinu' to the hill. /Inh. In summer, .\tlantic

States of L'nited State.s north to Washinirton. In winter, and possihly all

the yt'ar, in Cuha. Santo Domingo, and .lamaiea . . . . var. il o in i n ir n .

( No. ()l,i;5<». ^, I>eli/.e, Honduras.) Kill (t'roiii no.vtril). ..■'..'• : tarsus .*»'►; wiuL',
2.70; tail. "J. 'JO. Superciliary stripe wlit>lly white; yellow of chin and maxilla'
bordered narrowly next tlu' hill with white. Unh. In summer, the Mi><issippi
region of United States, north t<. 'ike Krie; conwnon in South Illinois. In
winter, and i>ossil)ly • ' the year, in . (ixico, south to tJuatemala, Yucatan on
the Atlantic, and Colima on the I*a<-ilic side ..... var. n Ih i 1 1> r n .

Hahits. The historv <d" the Yellow-throated Wtn'bler is verv imiu'rfeitlv
known. Its geoorapbicid distribution is irreuuhir and ;i]t])arcntly eccentric.
Found occasionally, rather than fre([Ueutly, in the Sotithern Atlantic and (lulf
States, it oc«'uvs irrenidarly us far nortb as Washiniiton, Xev York (Mty,
( 'leveland, ()., rniou County. 111., and Kansas. In the last ]..ace it is sup-
po.sed also occtisionally to breetl. \Yest of this it has not been traced in iiiiy
portion of the l'nited States. It was obtaine«l in Tamaidi])as, Mexiccr, by
laeutenant Co ch, and on the western c(»a. Mr. Xantus found it at Colima.
Mr. Sclater has also procureil it from other portions of Mexico, and M. l)ou-

* Ikadroitd mlrhtiih^-, !i.VllM>, luv. ]>»).'», 'IVl. :' <>> roito Kit'o,

242 Noirni American ijiiuks.

card took it at Oaxaca. Tt ]»as been olitaiiied in Guatemala and Jamaica. In
the latter jdace it is found tlie I'ntiie season. In Cuba, in the winter, it is
([uite common. It has also been I'ound in St. ])omini;;o, and probiibly in the
otlier AVest India Islands. Mr. (io-sse states that these birds do not a])i)ear in
Jamaica before the lOtli of Auj^ust, and that they leave by the first of A]>ril.
On the other liand, M'- March, in his notes on the birds of that island, states
that on the 8th of Aui^qist he ol>tained an old bird and two young, the latter
of which he was conti»lent had been hatched on the island, and his son had
met witli the birds all through the summer, and had jn-ocured a si)ecimen on
the 4th of June.

Wils(»ii states that the habits of this sj>ecies ]>artake more of those of the
Creeper than of the true Warl)ler. He met with it in (Jeorgia in the month
of Fel»ruary. He speaks of its notes as loud, and as resembling those of the
Indigo-IJird. It leniained .some time creeping around the brandies of the
same pine, in the manner of a Porns, uttering its song every few minutes.
AVhen it flew to another tree, it would aliuht on the trunk and run nimblv
up and down in search of insects. Tliey are said to arrive in (leorgia in
Februarv, after an absence of onlv three montlis. AVilson states that tliev
occur as iar north as Pennsylvania, but does not give his authority. The
food of this species ap]»eai's to be larva* and jaqta', ratiier than winged insects.
Tho.se dissected l>y Mr. (Jos.se in Jamaica were found to have quite large
stomachs, containing cateri)illars of various kinds.

Xuttall and Audubon are ver\' contradictorv in tlieir statements touching
its nestinir, and it is not i»robable that the accounts yiven bv either are
founded upon any reliable authorities. The former describes a nest remark-
able l)oth for structure and situation, said t(» have been found in West Flor-
ida, sus]»ended by a kind of rojje from the end of brandies over a -itream
or a ravine. This nest, entirely pensile, is imj)ervious to rain, and with an
entrance at the Ijottoin. Fie ijives a verv full and minute description of tips
nest, but nives no authoritv antl no data to establish its autheiitic-ity. We
can therefore only di.^mi.ss it as jirobably erronecms.

On the other hand, Mr. Audul)on claims to have seen its nest, of which he
gives a very ditferent account. He describes it as very })rettily constructed,
like the nests of any other of this genus, its outer parts made of dry lichens
and .soft mosses, the inner of silky substances and fibres of the S]»anish ukkss.
The eu^is are said to be four in numl>er, with a white i-round-color and a few
]>ur]»le dots near the larger end. He thinks they raise two ]»roods in a sea-
son in Louisiana. These nests are not pensile, lait are ]daced on the iiori/mi-
tal branch of the cypress, from twenty to fifty feet al»ov(» the ground. It
closelv Hisemldes a knot or a tuft of moss, and therefore is not easilv discov-
ered frtnii fjelow.

A nest containing a single e«j;g, found by Mr. (Josse near Xeoslio Falls, and
su])j>f».sed to belong to tliis s]>ecies, luit not fully identified, was Imilt in a low
sa]tling a few feet from the ground, and is a very neat structure, sncli as is

SYLVK'OLID.K — THE WAliULKKS. 24o

(lescrilxHl ))>' AikIuImui. The efjj,' is pure crvstal-wlii to, oltlonji: and pointed,
and maikeil with piiiph' and lauwn.

My. llid.^wav infoini.s me that in Southern Illinni.s, at least in the valley
of the Lower AVabasli,t lie VeU(»w-tlir(»ated \Varl>lir may he said to heat least
a re.ij;uhir, tliuu^i^h not turinion, sumnK-r sojourner. Tliou,L,h it inhabits ehielly
the swampy portions of the hottv ni-lands, it makes tVetiuent visits to the or-
chards and door-yards, h'ss often, however, in the hreedin^ than in the mi-
liTatinu; season. In its manners it is almost as much ul' a Creeper as the
Miiinfiitu r/'/'/V/, V>einn fretpiently seen creeping; not only aloni^ the branches
of trees, but over the eaves and cornices of Imildinus, with all the facility
of a Nuthatch.

K^^'i's su})])osed to ;:<' of this s])ecies, taken near Wilmin<j:ton, X. (A, by
Mr. Norwood (iiles (1(),U»'.>, Smith, (nil.), have a '^round-color of dull ashy-
white, with a livid tinge. They are thickly sj>eckled, chietly around the
laruer end, with irrej^ular markings of rufous, and fainter ones of lilac in-
terspersed with a very few minute s])ecks of black. They are broadly ovate
in form, and measure .7n by .5o of an inch.

Dendroica graclse, toies.

ASIZONA WABBLEB.

Lkmh-okn ffr.'<-i(c {VovF.s), 1Jam;i), lu'V. Am. I>ii»ls, I, .Vi>ril, l^tJo ; \>. 21i>. — Elliot, Ilhist.
Birds N. Am. I, vi. — Coupku, Oni. 'Aii. I, lb7u, OGo lAjipendix).

Sp. Cf'AR. Ailnlf male. fXo. 4U.GS0, Muy 1. ISc;."). Dr. K. Cones). Whole upper parts,
inoludinir (.'ar-<M)vert.s and sides of iictk. a<li-L:i;i_v ; siuall fiiiiraTt.' streaks over the crown,
coalesct'd laterally into a hroad stripe oneaeli side, with lartior cinieate streaks on thcinter-
seapnlai' region, and ineonspieuous liue.-r streaks o. upjier tail-eoverts. black. Two eon-
spieuons white hands aeross the wint:. loiined Ity the tij>s ol" middle and seeondary eoverts;
seeondaries passinu- externally into liifjit a>h. lia'eral tail-leather entirely white, except
about the l)asal third t>r the inner web (the dusky running' some distanee toward the end
alo!io; the edire). and a broad sti'eak coverin*;" most ot'tln- tei'minal I'ourth of tlie outer web,
whieh are clear dusky ; the next feathei" has tl>e outer web exactly the same. V)ut almost
the basal half of the inner is <lusky ; on the next the white is eonliiu'«l to an obloncr spot Cnot
touohinjjf the inner edire) on about the terminal third, while the outer web is only e<l^'«-d
with white; the i-est have n<» white at aU. A supereiliaiy stripe extendimr about .'JU of
an ineh behind the eye (that portion behind tlie eye wh'le). Mie lower eyi'lid, maxilhe,
chin, throat, and jutiulum j>uie <:anibo!re-yellow. liest ot' lower parts. ineludiuL^ lininir <>f
winti", pure wiiite; the sides eonspieuously >treaked with black; lores, and a lew obsolete
streaks aloui,' the junetion of the asli and yellow, dusky. Wir.ir, 2.<)0 ; tail, 2.20: bill (from
nostril). .^Ji>; tarsus. .(JO. Affnff ft'innh (40.«)S.'). May 24). Similar to the male. l)ut colors
duller, and markinirs less sharply defuieil. \Vinu^ 2.4') : tail, 2.0(). Yonntj {^.M\W.yl. Au<rust
11). Above brownish-^'iay n-itiKnit sfrenLs. ]>eneath ochraceous-white, obsoletely streaked
along the sides. Yellow supei.-iliar\' strij»e not well detined, ami only a tiujre of yellow
on the jujrulum, the throat beinir _<r ray ish- white. Wintrs and tail nearly as in the adult.
The youn»r in autumnal pluniatrt* is similar, but the yeli<»w occupies its usual area: it is,
however, much duller, as well as litrhter. than in the adult.

Hab. Fort Whipple, near Pre.^cott. Arizona, iieli/.e. British Honduras (var. dectfnt).

244 NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS.

This s]H'cics is m(»st closely related t«» D. luhJnliJa , from Porto TJico ; but
in the hitter the yellow beneath extends back tc» tlie erissuni, eoverin*!: even
the sides ; tliere are also no streaks on the sides nr back ; the proportions,
too, are (piite dillerent, the win^s and tail l)ein<j: scarcely three fourths as huiir,
M'hile the bill and feet are nuich tlie same si>5e, the tarsi even niucli sliorter.
A specimen (Xo. 41,8U8 $) from IJelize, Honduras, ditlers so essentially from
the Fort WIiipi)le sj)ecimens, thjit it is, beyond doubt, entitled to a distinc-
tive name. Tht; iHtferences between tliese two very well marked races can
best be expressed in a table, as foUows : —

(40.080. ^, K(.it Wliipple. Arizona). Kill (rK»ni nostril). .DO; tarsus. .00; win.«j-,
li.UO ; tail, 'J.liO. SinxTciliarv strip** extending .*J(» lu'liind the oyt'. that portion
behind the eyt' white ; ydlow of jn<rnlinn not spieading over l)rea.st (ending
1.35 from the hill). Streaks of crown coalesced inro a broad stripe on each
side; those of bjick broad, and those on np|»er tail-coverts almost c»bsoletc.
Wing-bands, .2(> wide. Lore duskv-gra\ ish. Hah, Fort \Vhij»ple, near Pres-
cott, Arizona ; aliundaut, bree<ling (Coi'Ks) ..... \nv. ;/ ra r i a .

(41,S08, (J, Belize). Bill. .;50: tarsus, .(50; wing. 2.20; tail, 1.05. Superciliary
stripe scarcelv itassinir the eve, whollv yellow: vellow of jUL'ulum spreailinu"
over breast (ending l.OO from the bill). Streaks i»f the crown scarcely coalesced
along its sides; those on back not longer than those on crown, and those on
upper tail-coverts very conspicuous. Wing-bands, .10 ^\ ide. Lore deep black.
Ildfi. Belize, Honduras, resident ? ....... var. decora.

H.VBIT8. We are indebted to Dr. Elliott Coues for all that we at present
know in reference to this recently discovered sjjecies. He first met with it
Julv 2, lS«i4, in the Territory of Arizona. I)r. Cones tir.st noticed this
bird anion*.! the pine woods coverinji the summit of Whipjde's Pass of the
Iiockv Mountains. He saw no more in liis journey into C entral Arizona
until he Mas a«4ain anionu the pines at Fort Whipple. Tliere he again
found it, and it proved to be a very common bird. Dr. ('(mes antici]»ates
that this s|)ecies will yet be found to occur in the forests of the San Fran-
cisco Mountains, and that its ran«je will be a.scertained to include all the
i»iiie tracts oi' Xew Mexico and Arizona, from the vallev of the Bio Grande
to that of the (Ireat Colorado Biver. He also has no doubt that it breeds
near and around Fort AVhi])])le.

Specimens found at Belize, first believed to be identical with those from
Arizona, are now referred to a race called throra.

Accordinu' to Dr. Coues's observations, the Warbler arrive.s at Fort Whip-
ple about the 2nth (jf April, and remains in that neighborhood until the third
week in September. It is found alnujst exclusively in j»ine woods, is active,
industrious, and noisy, and ])osses.ses very marked tlycatching habits, Hying
out from its ])erch to catch ]tassing insects. It has been, so fur, found almost
exclusively among the tallest trees.

In regard to the song of this s]>ecies. Dr. Coues states that it ap])ears t«)
have several different notes. One of these is the ordinary As/y^, given out at
all times by both old and young of all kinds of small insectivorous birds.

SYLVICOLID.E — THE WAKBLEIiS. 240

Its true soni;, honnl only in sju-in^, nmsists of two or three loud sweet whis-
tles, sometimes slurri'd, t'ollnWL'il by several continuous notes, n-scmltlinn-
chir-r-r, in Ji wiry l)ut eluur tone. Their notes are of ijreat [tower forth*'
size of the bird. It also has another aud ([uite dilferent s^mLt, which Dr.
Coues thought greatly resembled the notes of the ((nnmon American Ited-
start.

As all the birds he noticed had mated by the first of May, he has no doubt
that they raise two Inoods in a season; and the fact that h^ found newly
Hedi^ed voung as late as tlie middle of AuLfust seems to corrol»oiate the cor-
rectness of his sujjposition. In regard to the eggs, uest, or breeding-habits
of this species, we have as yet no iidbrmatiou.

Dendroica pennsylvanica, P.aiivD.

CHESTNTJT-SIDED WA3BLEB

Midiirilhi jwrniftiih-anico, LiNN. Syst. Xat. I, T'lti, -V-V'', no. 1S> ; (Imf.lin. Siffvia ]>. Lath. ;

Wii.soN, I, jil. xiv, lig. :>. It. inlrnin, /,. liAii:!', lUnl.s N. Aiii. 1S5S, 27i> ; Ktv. I'.tl.

— Sii,AiKR& Salmn, litis, 1s.j!», 11 ; iS'.d, 'I'W (C'«)baii, (Juat. ; Nowmber). — Sami-

KLs, 231. Siih-l't irf<rort/>/ii'l'i, Lat!I. liul. Oiii. II, 1790, 538. — ViKli.L. ; B(»N. ;

Ari». <Mii. Biog. I, pi. lix. Sitlriinln l,f. .Swains. ; .Iai:i>. ; Ari>. Binls Am. II, pi.

Ixxxi. Dendroica ict. Si LATi.i;, 1*. Z. S. l,s.'>9, 3G3 (Xalapa), 373 (Oaxaca).
Otlur localities : Buhniuis, IiKyam, I'l-. Bost. .Soc. VII, ls..'»9. ('usta Rio(, Cab. Jour.

1860, 328. rananui, wiuttT, Lawk, Ann. N. V. Lye 18*51, 322. Vucatan, Lawu.

Veragua, Salv.

Sp. Char. M((h'. I'ppor parts stn-aktMl wiri'. Mack aii<l pale bliiisli-trrav, which boconn^s
nearly white on the forepart of the liack ; tin- niiiMIc of thf hack irlossinl with irreenish-
yellow. The erown is continuous yellow, liortlcrcd hy a lii-iital aud superciliary band, and
behind by a scpiare spot (f white. Loial region Mack, scudiiiii- otf a line over the «ye. and
another below it. Ear-coveits and lower <yeli<l anil entire undei' parts pure white, a pur-
plish-chestnut .stripe starlinjr «»n each side in a line with the black naistache. and ex-
tending back to the thigiis. Win<r an<l tail-ft-athers <laik brown, edp'd with bluish-L'ray,
except the secondaries and tertials, which are bordered with li^ht yellowish-trreen. Tlu*
shoulders with two Ln-ecnish-white bands. Three outer tail-feathers with white patches
near the end of the inner webs.

Female like the male, except that the up)»er parts are yellowi>h-i:'reen. streaked with
black; the black niustaclie scarcely appreciable, ricnuth. .'>.(><►; winjj. li.oO ; tail, 'i.'JO.

IIah. East«'rn I'n^vinee of the liiited States; Bahamas; Guatann-la to Costa Itica
and Panama R. U. Not recorded from Mexico i>ro[K'r or West Indies, exce[>t liuhama-s.

The young in autumn is very dilferent from eitlu^r male or female in
spring. Tlie entire upper parts are of a continuous light olive-green; the
under ]>arts white ; the siiles of the head, neck, and breast ash-gray, shading
in.seiisiblv into ami tin^eiuL: the wiiite of tlie chin ami throat. Xo black
streaks are visible above or on the cheeks, and tlie eve is surrounded bv a
continuous ring of v.hite not seen in s]»ring. In this plumage it has fre-
quently been cimsidered as a distinct species.

The male in this plumai;e mav usuallv be distinguished from the female

246 NORTH AMKKICAN 151 HIK^.

l>y possessiiiLj a trace, or a distinct stripe, of chestnut on the flanks, the
voiini; female at least lackin<4 it.

Habits. The ^eom-aphical distrilmtidn of tin's common s])ecies durinj^' its
season of rejimduction is inferretl rather than jmsitively known. So far
as I am aware, it is not known to hreed farther south than Massachusetts.
Vet it is prohahle that, when wc know its history more exactly, it will he
fouuil durinu tlie hreedin^^-season in dift'erent suitahlc localities from IVnn-
sylvania to Canada. Mr. H. \V. I'ark'V, «>f (Irinnell, Iowa, mentions this
bird as common in that nei<.;hl»orho<id.

I'ntil recently it Mas regarded as a rather rare s]>ecies, and to a larj^e ex-
tent it had escaped the notice of our (dder ornithological writers. Wilson
could liive hut little account of its hahits. It ]>assed rajtidly hy him in its
sprinj^^ niijjjrations. He did not regard it as common, ]>resumed tluit it has
no sonii, and r.earlv all that he savs in re<:ard to it is conjectural. ^Ir. An-
dul)on met with this sju'cies hut once, and knew nothing as to its liahits
or distribution. ^Ir. Xuttall, who oltscrxed it in Massachusetts, where it is
now known to bt; not uncommon in certain localities, also regarded it as very
rare. His account of it is somewhat hyjxjtluitical and inexact. Its song he
very accurately describes as similar to that of the /). (fstira, oid\ less of a
whistle and somewhat louder. He re]>resents it as ex] tressed by fsh-fsh-tsh-
tsln/i(i, given at intervals itf half a minute, and often answered by its mate
from her nest. Its lay is eharacterized as simj)le and lively. Late in June,
lS.Sl,lie observed a ]>air collecting food lor their young on the margin of the
Fresh pond swamps in Cambridge.

Mr. Allen has found this species cjuite conniion in Western ^lassachusetts,
arriving there about tlie !>tii of May, and remaining through the summer to
breed. He states — and his observations in this resjtect corresjiond with my
own — that during the breeding-season they freijuent low woods and swam])V
thickets, nesting in bushes, and adds that they are rarely found among high
trees. Thev leave there earlv in September.

rrofess(»r Verrill found this AVarbler a common summer visitant in West-
ern ]\Iaine, arriving ;d>out tiu* second week in May, and remaining there to
breed. Mr. lioaidman thinks it reacli 's Eastern Elaine about tlie middle
of May, and is a common summer resident. I did not meet this species
either in New Ihunswick or Nova Scotia, nor wjis I)r. Bryant more for-
tunate, but Lieutenant lUand gives it in his manuscript list of the birds
found in the neighborhood t)f Halifax.

Mr. iJidgway informs me that tliis species breeds in the oak o]K'nings and
amoTig the ]>rairie thickets of Soutliein Illinois,

During the eight months that are n(»t included in tlieir season of repro-
duction, this s]>ecies is scattered over a vide extent of territory. Their
earliest a])j»earance in the Northern States fat riattesmouth) is Ajtril 2(',anu
they all disa]>pear early in Sej)tend>(^r. At other times they have been met
\vith in the Bahamas, in Mexico, (Juatemala, Costa liica,and Panama. It has

SVLVICOLID.K — THK WARUKKKi^. 247

not yet been dotoctcd in tli.' Wrst Indies. M. iMmcanl nljtaiiicMl specinu'ns
lit riava Vicente, in tin* hot cDuntrv of Oaxaca, Mexico.

In the neinhhoihood of Calais, Mr. IJoaidnian informs me that tliis Wiir-
l»ler is eumnion, and that its h;il>its reseml)h' those of the I'lack-poll Warhlt-r
m(»rc tlian those of any other of the Lrenus. It always nests in bushes or in
low trees, an«l in the vicinity of swami>s.

Anioni; the memoranda furnisl»ed to tlie late "Mr. Kennicott by Mr. IJoss
is one to the elfect that the ( 'hestnut— sidcl Warlder was (»bserved at Lake
of the Woods, May 2"J. How common it is at this point is not stated.

^Ir. (\ S. Taine rej^ards tlie Cliestnut-sided Warbler as one of the sweetest
singers that visit Vermont. He describes it as very contiding" and gentle in
its habits It is chiefly ibiind inhabiting low bushes, in the neighborhood
of tidier trees, and it always builds its nest in the tVak of a low bush, not niijre
than from three to five feet from the giound. He has seen many of their
nests, and they have all been in similar situations. They will jjermit a very
near ajjproach without leaving their nests. These are constructed about the
last<»f May. Their son<j continues until about the last of June. After this
they are seldom heard.

J. Klliot Cabot, Ks(|., had the g0(Kl fortune to be the first of our natural-
ists to discover in June, 1S:IU, the nest and eggs of this AVarbler. It was
fixed on the horizontal forked bianch of an oak sai>ling, in I>rookline, Ma.ss.
The female remained sitting on her nest until so idosely aj»|»roaclu d as to be
distinctly seen. The nest was of stri]»s of retl-i-edar bark, and well linetl
with coarsj' hair, and was comi)act, elastic, and shallow. It contained four
eggs, the ground color of which was white, over which wen* distributed
luimerous distinct sjMits of und)er-bn)wii. These were of different sizes,
more numerous towards the lar<_n'r end.

In regard to their l»reeding in Pennsylvania, Mr. Xuttall mentions in the
second etlition of his work that he met them anionii the Alleuhanies at Far-
ranville in full song, and had no doubt that they were nesting there at the
time.

The Chestnut-sided Warbler usually constructs its nest in locidities a])art
from cultivated grounds, on the edges of low and swampy woods, but in jdaces
more or less o])en. (^)uite a number ol their nests have been met with by Mr.
George O. Welch, of Lynn, Mas.s. Their more connii(»n situation has been
barberry-bushes. The nests vary from al>out two and a half to three and a
half inches in external lieight, and have a diameter of from three to four
inches. The cavity is ai»out two inches deep. They are usually composed
externallv of looselv intertwined strips of the bark of the smaller vegetables,
strengthened by a few stems and bits of dry grasses, and lined with woolly
vegetable fibres and a few soft hairs of the smaller animals. They are usually
very firmly boun<l to the smaller 1 tranches by silky fibres from the cocoons
of various insects. These nests were all found in open places, in low, wild
marshy lo(\alities, but none far from a ladtivated neighborhood, and the

248 NOIITTI AMERrCAX IJIRDS.

sitiijitinns chosoii for tin* iiosts <1(» imt «liller injitcriallv from thnso usiuiUv
selt'cU'tl l>y till' ((Uiiuum // nsfivn.

The eii^s nl this WiiiMtT ure of an ol)loiii;-oval sliapc, liavo Ji ^Toin id-color
of a rich crcaiuv-whitc, and arc hcautifullv si»ntt«'d, chic v al>out the lari/cr
end, witli two shades of [jurple and piirplish-ijrown. Tiiey measure .(jf) by
.49 of an incli.

Dendroica striata, DAiiiD.

BLACK-POLL WABBLEB.

Miisi'icnpn striiitn, FousrKK, Phil. Trans. LXIl, ;{;^3, 42s. M<>tii<-iJIii s. Gmf.lin. Sfflvin s.
Lath.; Vikii.i.ut; Whs.; Umn. ; Nrn. ; Aid. Oin. Bio-^. 11, pi. . xx.xiii. — Lkm-
BKYK, Av. ('ul»a, ISfiM. ly.i. Silh-tinjti s. SUAINSON; BoN. ; An». Bini.s .Vin. II, ]>1.
Ixxviii. — Hkinhauht, Vid. M<»1. for lsr>:>, iSfii, 7'-'> (iUn'uhiwh. — Max. (^':i]». Jour.
VI, !>.'»>, ll:j. Mnindltii s. Kkinh. ll>is, l>r>l, (> ((;r('t'iil.iinl). Hkinuinphns s. Cah.
.Four. Ill, 47") (Culia). Dcndroirn s. Baikd, Bir.ls N. Am. IS.'kS, 2S(» ; lUv. 192. —
i'urKs, I'r. A. N. Sc ISHl, 22(» (I-altra«lor >oast). — tJi.NKL. Cal). Jour. iMJl, 320
((.'ul>a ; nin). — Samckl-s 233. - 1) all A: Banmstku (Alaska). > IK ntrirapilh,
Lam»i;k<k, A'ifffmann's Anliiv, lJ>t»4, r»G ((hiK-).

Other loialitics <|nott'«l : JJoyufHf 8(L.vtki:, I*. Z. S. lS5a, 143. liithiimns, BuvANr, Tr.
liost. 8oo. VII, 1»39.

Sp. CiiAit. }r<ile. C'rowii, nape, and nppor lialfof the lieml Mack: the lower half, in-
chKliiiu" the ear-t-t'ViTt.s wliite, tlit- .^cpaiating line passi!i<.j tln-ouirh th<' middle of the eye.
Rost «»t' upp<'r parts grayish-asli, titigtMl with lirown. and coiK-ipicnoiisly .<troaked with itlark.
Wing and tail-lratlnTs brown, cdgt'd ext»'rnally (cxci'pt tin' inni;r tail-lcalher.s) wirh dull
oliv«'-gre»>n. Two c'on.<pirMiou.'< l>ar.« of white on the win'^-cov«>rts, the tertials I'llged with
the same. Under parts white, with a narrow line on each side of tlu? throat from the chin
to the si»les of the lieek. wliere it runs into a close patch of black streaks continued along
the Itreast and sides to the root of the tail. Out<-r two tail-feathers with an oblicpie patch
on the inner web near the end; the others eilged iniernally with white. F<in((le similar,
except that the upper |>arts are olivaceou.s, and. evt-ii on the crown, streaked with black ;
the white on the sides and acro.«s tin; lueast tinged with ycllowi.sh ; a ring of the same
round the eve eut bv a duskv line throui^h it. LeUL^th of male. '>.7">; winir. o.OO; tail, 2.25.

Hai!. Eastern Province ot' all North Ameri<;a to Arctic ( >cean; Alasl^a; Greenland;
Cuba, in winter (rare); Bahamas; Bogota. 011110/ Xot recorded from intcrinvliatt;
localities.

The autumnal dress of younj^' birds is very difl'erent from that of spring.
Tlie u]>]K'r ])arts arc light nlivc-grecn, <d»solctcly streaked with brown ; be-
neatli oreeiiish-yellow, (di.soletcly streaked on tlie breast and sides, the under
tnil-covcrts jmre white, ji ytdL)wish ring round the eye, and a su|)erciliaiy
one of the same color. In tliis dress it is sc.nccly ])ossiine to di.stinguish it
from tli(^ immature J), nhstftiwa. The ditferences, as far as tangible, will be
found (h'tailcil under the licad of the latter species.

The yomig bird in its first dress is also quite different, again, from tlie
autuninal-i)luniaged birds. The upper ]»arts are lioary-grayish, tlie lower
white ; each feather of the wliole Ixulv, except lower tail-coverts, with a ter-
minal V' 'T or tr.insveisc spot of blackish, those on the ujjper parts approach-

SVI.\ iroIJD.K TIIK W AKIM.KKS. 04*)

inn tlio ])as«' of tlic tcatlnTs '.\\ou)j^ the shaft. \Viii.ij:s aiul tail iinuh as in tho
autumnal ])lunia,L:(.'.

IfAHlTs. 'I'hc aj)|X'aranr(' nf this beautiful and familiar WaiMer in Xew
Eni^land is the sure hai'l)inner of the summer. The last of the migrants that
do not tariv, it lMin;4s u]> the rear of the hosts f»f liy]>eri)orean visitors. This
species ranges over th(i whole extent of eastern North Ameri(;a, from Mexieo
to the Aretie seas. It has n(»t i>een found farther west than thedreat Plains
and the llio (irando. Wiierever found it is ahuntlaiit, and its lively and
attraetive manners and apju-aranee ren«ler it a jdeasin*,' feature. It is not
known to stop to breed in Massachusetts, hut it linuers with us till the last
hh)ssom of the apjtle falls, and until the lUuehird and the liohin have already
well-Hedged broods, sometimes as late as the K^th of June, and then sud-
deidy disap]>ears.

Dr. W(K»dhouse found it abundant in Texas and the Indian Territory, and
individuals have been procured in Missouri and Xtd»raska. It has been found
abundant in the Arctic reuions, around Fort Anderson, Fort Yukon, and Fort
(lood Hope. A sinuli' specimen was taken near («(»dhaab, (Ireenland, in
18r);3, as recorded bv Prcifessor IJeinhardt. I)r. F.rvant met with it in the
Bahamas, in the s])rini,' of IS.Ili, where it was abundant from the 1st to the
Kith of May. He de.scrilies its habits as similar to those of the }fniotilta
luiria, clind)inu ai'ound the trunks of trees in search of insects with the
same facility. Single sj)ecimens have been i)rocured from (Ireenland on the
northeast, and from I»oi;ota and Cuba. I)r. Cones found it ai»undant in
Labrador in all well-wooded situatio is, and describes it as a most exj)ert lly-
oatcher, takinj^' insects on the wing in the manner of the (\mfi>ini.^ r'nnt.s.

Mr. Allen has never noted the arrival of this bird in Western Mas.sachusetts
before the 2(lth of ^lav, nor later than the 1st of June. Thev ajrain become
abundant the last of September, and remain into October. In Kastern Main<*
^Ir. Boardman reports them abundant, and as remaining t(^ breed. They are
there more numerous ab<»ut ojten pastures than most Warblers. They nest
in low trees, about swam]»y })laces.

In Central Vermont, Mr. Paine states, the I>lack-Poll is the last of all the
migrant l>irds that c<»me from the South, and is .seen only a few days in the
lirst of June. It seldom stays more than a day or two, and then ])asses
nortii. It aitpears singula; that a bird cominu- so late should i»o vet farther
north to breed. He states that its song consists only of a few low. lis]>ing
peeps. It may usually be seen wandering over tields in which there are a
lew scattered trees, and seems to l)e a very active, restless bird.

The writer also met with them in great abundance alK)ut F^astport, and in
the islands of the (Jrand Menan group. It was the most common Warlder
in that locality. The h)w swampy woods seemed tilled with them, and were
vocal with their ]»eculiar love-notes.

Wilson states that he occasi<>nally found this Warbler in Pennsylvania and
Xew Jersey, and was c«»ntident they would 1k3 found to breed in those States,

.•J2

25(> XUKTH AMKIJICAX JUKDS.

Imt tliis lias never 1mm*ii contiiine*!. He rci^MnaMl it as a silent l)ir(l, and
Mr. Au(lul»nn ddes not cnnijdinient its vnejil powers. Vet it is a plcasinj^
and varied, if not a iMKvert'ul sin;,'er. Mr. Trippe s|)eak.s of its song as faint
and lisping', and as eonsistini^ of fonr or live syllaliles.

X<»ne »»f onr liirds, U'fore its history was well known, has been made the
occasion for more ill-foun(K'd eonjeetnres than the lllaek-roll. Wilson was at
fault as to its song and its Southern hreedinj^, and iina;4ined it would he iound
to nest in hi.i:h tree-t(»ps, so as not to l>e readily detected. Xuttall, on the
other hand, predicted that it would l>e found t«> )»reeilon the grcaind, after the
manner of the MniotUtdr, or else in hollow trees Mr. Auduhon, tintlinj,' its
nest in Lahrador, inthd^es in rlights of fancy ovt*r its sujij^ised rarity, which,
seen in the li;j;ht of «»ur jnesent knowledge, as an alnnidant hird in the local-
itv where his expedition was fitted <Mit. are somewhat amusin«;. Tiiat nest

f I o

was in a thicket of low trees, contained four eggs, and was placed ahout four
feet from the ground, in the fork f>t a small hranch, close to the main stem
of a tir-tree. Its internal diameter was two inches, and its depth one and
a half. It was formed, externally, of green and wliite moss and lichens, in-
termingled with coarse dry grasses. It was lined, with great care, with fine,
dry, dark -colored mosses. ?-esem]jling horse-hair, with a thick bed of S(ift
feathers of ducks and willow grouse.

In passing north, these Warhlers, says Audul»on, reach Louisiana early in
Feltruarv, where they glean their food among the ujjper branches of the trees
overham^ing the water. He never met with them in maritime parts of the
South, yet they are abundant in the State of New Jersey near the sea-shore.
As they pass northwanl their habits seem to undergo a change, and to par-
take more (»f the nature of ('ree])ers. They move along the trunks and lower
lind)S, searching in their chinks for larva* and ])Upie. Later in tlie season, in
more northern htcalities, we again find them ex]>ert flycatchers, darting after
insects in all directions, chasing them while on the wing, and making the
clicking sound of the true Flycatcher.

Thev usually reach Massachusetts after tlie middle of ^lav, ami their stay
varies from one, usually, to nearly four weeks, esjtecially when their insect-
food is abundant. In our orc-hards they feed eagerly upon the canker-worm,
which is just a]>])earing as they pass through.

Around Kastjxut and at (Irand Menan they confine themselves to the thick
swamiA' «j;roves of everj^reens, where they breed on the e<lues of the woods.
All of the sever.d nests I met with in these localities were built in thick
s}>ruce-tr{»es, about eight feet from the ground, and in the midst of foliage so
dense as hardly to be noticeable. Yet the nests were large and bulky for so
small a bird, being nearly five inches in diamet<;r and three in height. The
cavity is, however, small, being only two inches in diameter, and one and a
fourth to (ine and a half in dei)th. Tliev were constructed chiefly of a
collection of slench-r young en«ls of branches of ]»ines, firs, and spnice,
interwoven with and tied together by long bran( hes of the dmhntvt lichens.

SVLVICOLIILE — THE NVAUIJLEIIM. 2^')!

slnuU'r lu'iltaccnus roots. juhI fiiior st'd^cs. Tin' nests were stronulv Imilt,
rnmpact and liniiini:< nmus, and wen* t'lalinratclv lined with tine panicles of
glasses and tini* straw. In all tiie nests t'onnd, the nnnd»er ot e;4iis was live.

It is a somewhat nnticealde tact, that thon.Lih this species is seen in New
Knuland onlv l»v the middle of Mav, otlieis of its Kind have lon'4 heloie
reached lii^di Arctic localities. Jiiciiards(»n records its |iresence at the Cnm-
berland House in Mav, ami En<:ineer Cantonment hv the L^Tith of April. Mr.
Eoekhart jM-ocured a nest and live e^^j^s at Fort Yukon,.hnu^ '.). All the nests
taken in these localities were of smaller size, were laiilt within two feet
of the «jround, an<l all were nmch moi«' warmlv lined than were those from
(irand ^Fenan. In a few instances Mr. McFarlane found the nests of this
S|>ecies actnally huilt upon the ground. This, however, is an ahnormal j)osi-
tion, and only occasioned i>y the want of uitalde situations in jtrotected lo-
calities. In on«^ instance a nest was taken on the Hrst (►f dune, ciMitaining
well-developed emhryos. Vet this same species has tre<piently l>een observed
lin^crini,' in Massachusetts a week (tr more after others of its si)ecies have
already huilt their nests and heuun hatchinu.

The e,U!j:s of this species measure .7- hy .">'> «»f an inch. Their shaj>e is an
ohloni^^-nval. Their jjjround-c«dor is a l»eautiful white, with a slij^lit tin<4e of
]»ink, when fresh. They are hlotche<l and (lotted (tver the entire surface
with profuse markiniis of a subdued lavender, and deeper markings of a dark
pm-jjle intermixed with lighter spots of reddish-brown. The usual uumber
is live, though six are occasionallv found in a nest.

Dendroica castanea, Batted.

BAT-BBEASTEO WABBLEB.

Siffrio crififfimfi, Wn.s. Am. (hn. II, ISlo, 97, \A. xiv, tig. 4. — Box. ; Xrir. ; Arn. Orii.
IJiog. I, pi. l.xi.v. Sijli'lcnhi castiincn. Swains. ; .!.\iti>. ; Rk n, ; Bon. ; Ari). Binls
Am. II, j>l. Ixxx. RhiiDirnphmcnsfaiictifi, ('.vn. Driidrnicii oishnifn, Baiki», Binls >«.
Am. isr>,s, 276 ; Rev. 18l». — SiLATKi: & Sai.vix, This, 1S.V.>. 11 (Cuat.'miila). — Cassis,
V\. A. X. Sc. 18t>(», UK} (Isthmus Daii.n ; \vint<rK— LAWiiKNti., Ann. X. Y. Lvc ISiH,
;i2-J (I.sthmus ramiina; winter). —Samt'ki.s, 228. Stih'ii oaf am na I in, AViLS. Ill, pi.
xxiii, tig. 2. —Aid. Ovu. Biog. I, pi. Ixxxviii.

Sp. (jiau. Mfile. Cnnvn <lark icddisli-chostnut : r<>n'h(\'\<l and ('h('ok.<. inr-lndincr n
space alH)V«' th.' »•>»•. l.Jack: a patch ..f Uutr-vrllow l.ehind tlio chefks. Host of upper
parts hli'.isii-gray stivaktMJ with Mark, the edges of the iiiterscai>ulars tinged with yellow-
ish, of the .scapulars with olixaceous. Pninaries and tail-feathers edge<l externally with
Mulsh-gray, the extrotne outer ones Avith white: the seeon<larios edged with olivaceou.s.
Two l>ands on the wing and the edges of the tortials white. The under parts are whitish
with a tinge of luifl'; the chin, throat, forejtart of l.rejist. and the sides, ehe.stnut-hrown.
lighter than the crown. Two outer tail-feathers with a patch of white on the inner web
near the end; the others e<lgcd internally with the same. Femnfe with the upper parts
olive, .streaked throughout with Mack, and an occasional tinge of chestnut on the crown.
Lower parts with traces of chestnut, but no stripes. Length of male, 5.00 ; wing, 3.05 ;
tail, 2.40.

952 NollTlI AMKRK'AX lURD.^.

IIaf.. East«Mn Proviiiot* ofXortli America to IIii<lson's IJay : (^natciiiala, sotitli to I-sth-
mus of Daricii. Xut rcci iidcd from M»'xic(» ov Wot J!i<lit\v.

The female and immature males of this species differ much from tlie
spriiiii^ males, and are olteii confounded vvitli other species, esi>eeially with /A
sfrt'tff/i. A carcfid comparison <jf an extensive series of immature s]>ecimens
(»f the two s]>ecies sliows tliat in nfsfanrft the cider ])arts are seldom washed
uniformly on tlie tliroat and breast with yellowish-ureen, hut while this
may l>e seen on tlie sides of the neck and breast, (jr even across the latter,
the cliin and throat are nearly white, the sides tini^ed with dirtv brown,
even if the (generally in-esentj trace of chestnut be wjintinu on the sides.
There is a butf tinL,^e to the under tail-coverts ; the quills are iibruptly mar-
gined with white, and there are no traces ('h(»wever obsolete) (»f streaks (m
the breast. In I), strintn the under parts are (piite uniforndy washed with
greenish-yelhiw lU'arly as far back as the vent, the sides of the breast and
sometimes of the bellv with obsolete streaks : no trace of the uniform dirtv
reddish-brown on the sides ; the under tail-coverts are pure white. The
quills are only gradually j)aler towards the inner edije, instead of being
rather abru])tly white.

Haiuts. The Uay-breasted Warbler is one of the many s]»ecies belong-
in*' to this i^^enus whose history is yet very imneriectlv known. Everywhere
quite rare, it is yet distributed from the Atlantic to the (ireat Plains, and
from the Gulf of ^Mexico far into the Hudson Uay Territory. In the winter
it is known to extend its migrations as far to the south as the northern por-
tions of South America. It has not Iteen traced to Mexico nor to the West
India Islands, but has been procured by Mr. Salvin in (Guatemala. Nearly
all the specimens obtained in the United States have either been taken
liefore the 12th of May or in the autunni, indicative of a more northern
breeding-] dace. In Kastern ^lassachusctts it is exc(^edingly rare, passing
through alter the middle of May and returning in Septemlter. Mr. May-
nard has ol»tained a specimen as late as dune 11|, which, th(tugh not neces-
sarily ])roving that any breed there, indicates that the line of their area of
re]»roduction cannot be distant. In the western part of the same State, Mr.
Allen has found it from May I'd to the 2r>th, and has obtained one specimen
in July. In Western Maine, ^Ir. Veirill has noted it^ occurrence from the
middle of May to June, but it is very rare; and ^Ir. Pioardman reports the
same for Eastern Elaine, where it is a summer resident. He writes that he
has several times shot specimens in the early summer, but that he could
never find the nest. It is also given by Lieutenant lUand as one of the birds
found in the vicinity of Halifax. It was not obseryed by any of the gov-
ernmental exploring ex])editions, nor -bund in Arizona by Dr. Coues. ^Ir.
Lawrence has received sj.ecimens fnmi Tiinama, obtained in winter, Mr.
Cassin from J)arien, and Mr. Sclater from (Juatemala.

This species so far eluded the ' .. -^e of Mr. Audubon as to prevent him
from giving any account of its hh'^it He only mentions its occasional

SYLVlCoLID.K — THE W AHP.LKltS. 2-")o

arrivcil in Pennsylvania and New Jersey early in April, and its ulniost
inniiediate and sudden disaitju'aninre. He several times nlitained tliciii at
tliat iteriitd, and yet lias alsit shot them in Louisiana as late as .June, while
husily searching tor food amuui; the l)h»ssoni8 uf the cotton-plant.

Wilson also ivirarded this s]>eeies as very rare, lie rejiorts it as ]>assini,^
through Pennsylvania alxait the middle of May, hut soon disa[tj>earinL;. He
descril>es these hirds as having many of tlie habits of Titmice, and dis-
]»layini; all their activity. It hau^s about the extremity of the twij^s, and
darts about from place to i)lace w ith restless diligence in search of various
kinds of larvae Wilson never met with it in tlie summer, and very rarely
in the fall.

^Ir. Xuttall noticed this s]iecies passing through Massachusetts about the
15th of April. He regarded it as an active insect-hunter, keeping in the tops
of the hijjhest trees, dartinii about with ureat activitv, and hanuinu" from the
twigs with fluttering wiugs. One of these i»irds that had been vv funded
soon liecame reconciled to its confinement, and greedily caught and
devoured the Hies that were otiered. In its habits and manners it .seemed
to him to ureatly resemble the Chestnut-sided Warbler.

Mr. T. M. Tripi)e speaks of this Warbler as one of the last to arrive near
Orange, X. Y. ( )wing to the fact that at that time the foliage is ju'etty dense,
and that it makes but a short stay, it is not ofteu seen. Ht? S])eaks of it as
nut (piite so active as the other Warblers, kee]>ing more on the h»wer boughs,
and seldom ascending to the to}»s of the trees.

Mr. ('. W. Wyatt met with this species at Xaranjo, in Colombia, South
America.

K«»<:s of this bird ol)tained by Mr. (Jeorue P)Ush i;t Coldwater, near
Lake Su[)erior, are of an ol>long-oval shape, measuring .To by ~)'l of an inch,
and except in their su]>erior size and fewer markings might be mistaken for
eggs of D. ostlva. Their ground-color is a l>luish or gTeenish white. The
maikings are very few and fine, except those in the (^rown around the larger
end, and there the l>lotches are deeper and more numerous. Their colors are
dark reddisli-br(»wn and purple.

Mr. Maynard foiuid this s])ecies the most abundant of the Sf/h-imh'Jir ui
Lake Undtagog, where it fneeds. Tw<> nests were taken in dune. One was
found June ^), in a tree l»y the side of a cart-]iath in the woods, just com-
pleted. It was built in the horizoutal branch of a heudock, twenty feet
from the ground, and five or six from the trunk of the tree. P»y the 8th of
June it contained three fresh eggs. The other was laiilt in a similar situa-
tiou, tiftee:! feet from the <»round, and contained two fresh euus.

These nests were large for Lhe bird, and resendtled those of the Purple
Finch. They were ctrmp(»sed outwardly of tine twigs of the hackmatack,
with which was mingled some of the long hanging Usuva mosses. They were
very smoothly and neatly lined with black tibrous roots, the seed-stalks of
Clmloiiia mosses, and a few hairs. They iiad a diameter of about six inches,

20-4 NOUTIl AMEIHCAX IJIUDS.

and a hciij^lit of aKout two and a half inclu's. The cavity was three inches
wide and an inch ami a (luartcr dee]). The e^Lj^s varied in length from .71
to .')") of an inch, and in hn*a(hh from ."»•> to .')(>. Their gnnuid-c.olor
was a liluish-green, tiiiekly spotted witli hrown, and generally with a ring
of continent blotches of l»r(>\vn and lilac aronnd the larger end. Occasion-
ally the spots proved to he more or less of an nmher-brown, and in some
specimens the spots were less nnmerons tiian in others.

These hirds were fonnd in all the wooded sections of tliat rc'non, where
they fretpiented the tops of tall trees. Tlieir song, he states, in its opening, is
like that of the Jilack-roll, with a terminal warble similar to that of tlie
liedstart, but given with less energy.

Dendroica csemlescens, r.AiRD.

BLACK-THROATED BLUE WABBLEB.

Motacilht crn'iidcnsis, Linn. Syst. Nat. I, 17i>«?, .33r) (not p. 3:U, wliich is 7>. corou/itx).
Sijh'iii 'iiadiriisis, Lath.: AVilson. — Am. Om. r»i*»^'. II, i>L cxlviii, civ. — S.VLLI^,
r. Z. >. 18r)7, 231 (St. Dniiiiii^oK Sifin'ro/if Of III" f> II. sis, Swains. ; .1ai:i>. ; Bon. ;
Afi>. I)ir<ls .Vm. II, i»l. x<v. lihiiniiiifhuH enn. Cab. Dendroka coionUn.sis, liAiiiit,
IJir.ls N. Am. isr)8, 271. — Ir.. V. Z. S. is»il, 7(t (.Taniaita). — Grxi>L. Cab. Jour. 18t>l,
320 (Cuba ; v«'iv t'ounnon). -Samikls, 224. Mufuci/fit at rii/rscnis, (Jm. S. Xat. I,
17SS, SMio. Siilvi'i CI r. Lai II. : Vikii.l. li, ]tl. Ixxx. — D'Oiin. Sa>rva"s Cuba, Ois.
184(t, 03, ].l. ix. fi^s. 1. 2. Ikiidroien car. IJaikd, Kcv. Am. H. 1804, ISO. Si/lcin
pvsiUn, Wii.s. V, i»l. xliii, tig. 3 (.Tuv.). Sif/ria hncopUrn, Wii.s. Sjilcin jnihijitri>i,
Stei'II. Sifh'in macrof his, V IK] llot. Siffrin .sjihaijuusa, Bon. ; NrrT.VLL ; Aun. Si/l-
vicola jHumosa, Gu.ssi;, Birds Jam. 1847, 102 ^female). — lu. Ulust. no. 37.

Pp. CfiAK. Abovo uniform ooiitinuous "■rayish-bluo. iiu-lndinir the outer e^L^es of the
quill uimI tail-tcathers. A narrow frontal line, the entire side.*; of head and nrck. chin and
throat, lustrous blaek : this color extending in a liroad lateral stripe to the tail, liest of
under parts, inclndiiiir 'he axillary region, white. Wings and tail black above, the t'ornier
with a conspicuous white i)atch fornu'd l»y the bases of ail the primaries (excei)t the lirst):
the inner webs of the secondaries and tertials with similar ]>atch«'s towards the bas<> and
along the inner margin. All the tail-leathers, except the innermost, with a white patch on
the imier Web near the end. Length. o.oO : wing. 2.<in ; tail. 2.*2;').

Feutah\ olive-green above and dull yellow beneath. Sides of head dusky olive, the eye-
lids and a superciliary stripe wliitish. Traces of the while patches at the base ol" the j»ri-
niaries and of the tail.

TLvn. Kastern Province of United States: Jamaica. Cuba, and St. D<Mningo in winte.';
very abundant ; Bahamas inKYANT). Not recorded liom M<'xico or Central America.

The white patch at the base of the primary, together with the total ab-
sence of outer markings on the wings, is ]»ecidiar to this s])ecies, and is found
in botli sexes. The female is more different from the male than that of any
other s])ecies.

The plumage of the male in autumn is similar to the spring dress, hut
the back and wings are washed with greenish, and the luack of the
ilii'oat variegated with white edges to the feathers. A younger male (788,

SVLVICOLIIhE THE WAKlJLEi:S. 255

OctnlH'i 10, r'ailislc, rtMiii.) (liflt'is in liaviii,^' the Mack apiu-nrinix in putclu's,
tliij throat being nu.stly wiiitc; thiirc Is also a narrow white superciliary
stripe.

IIaiuts. The Hlack-tln-oated I'lne Warhler, at diiVereiit seasons of tlie
year, is lUstributed (»ver neailv tlie wliohj eastern ixMtinn nt" North America.
Ahiinihint in tlie We.st Indies in winter, as also in tlie South Atlantic States
in early sprin.!^ and late in fall, it is found during the hreeding-sea.soii from
Northern New York and New Kn^lant] nearly to tlu; Arctic re^'ions. A few
]»rnhalily stoj* to hreed in the hinh j.nrtions ol" Massachusetts, and in late
sea.sons they lini^^er ahout the orchards until dune. They undt»ul»tedly hreed
in Verninnt, New Haniijshire, and Maine.

Dr. Woudhouse states that he fouiul it abundant in Texas ; hut this is tiie
only instance, so far as is known, of its occurring west of the Mississipi>i
Valley.

Towards the close of the remarkaltly mild winter of IcSOO, a ])air of these
birds were observed for several tlays in a slieltered p«»rtion of littston. They
were in excellent condition, and were very busily employed hunting for the
larvie and eggs of insects and spiders in the corners and crevices of the walls
of houses and out-l»uildings, evidently obtaining a full supply. In Soulliern
Illinois, Mr. liidgway cites this Warbler as one of the least common of the
spring and fall visitants.

Audubon h»und this species in neai-ly every Situthern and Southwestern
State duriuii tiieir migrations. Thev arrive in South Carolina late in Marcli,
are most abundant in A]>ril, and leave early in May. They keej) in the deep
woods, ]»assing aunuig the branches about twenty feet from the ground, lie
traced them as far nortli as the Magdaleine Islands, but found none in New-
foundland, dud but a single specimen in Laljrador. They breed in Nova
Scotia, and a nest was given him found near Halifax by Dr. MacCulh^h.
These were said to be usually placed on the horizontal Immch of a tir-tree,
seven or eight feet from the ground, and to l)e com))osed of Hne strips of bark,
mosses, and fibrous roots, and lined with tine grasses and a warm bed of
feathers. The eggs, live in number, were white, with a rosy tint, and sprin-
kled with reddish-l^rown dots, chietiy at the larger end.

This AVarbler is an expert cati'her of the smaller winged insects, pui'suing
them cpiite a distance, and, when seizing them, making the clicking .sound of
the true Flycatcher. So lar as they haye l)een observed, they have no song,
oidy a monotonous and sad-sounding rlnrjK

Nuttall, in the second edition of his Manual, mentions having observed
several ])airs near Farranville, Tenn., on the Susqut'hanna, and among -I j
Alleghanies. Iv was in May, and in a thick .uid shady wood of hendock.
They were busy forauing for food, and were uttering what he describes as
slender, \viry notes.

In Western Massachusv?tts, Mr. Allen states it to he common from the loth
to the 2r)th of May, and again in Se])teml)er. They were found by Mr. (A W.

256 NOKTll AMKIMCAM JilKDS.

TViiiictt on ]\r<)Uiit Hdlyukr duiiiiLi: tin* lnccdiiiL^-senson, and by Mr. !>. TTos-
turd on llic western ri<l<^i's during; the sanic ])ei'iod. 'riu-y arc common, Mr.
Jioardman staU's, in tlie thick wood.s alM»ut Calais, tlnoniili all the lavcding-
season.

In rJamaica, durinu" tin* winter, it exclusively t're([uents the edi^es of tall
wchkIs in unlKMjuentcd mountainous localities. They are found in that island
from OctolM'r 7 until the '.>th of Ai)ril. Mr. (Josse, who has (dosely observed
their hahils durim:: winter, sjH-aks of their jdayim;- together with nmch s|»irit
for half an hour at a time, chasing eacli other swiftly round and round, (»cca-
sionally doduiu^ throui;h tlie Inishes, and utterin.uat intervals a ]>ehl)ly rjici'i}.
They never remain lonii; alighted, and are ditlicult to kill. Restlessness is
their great characteristic. 'I'iiey often alight transversely on the long ]>endent
vines <»r slender trees, hopping u]> and down without a moment's intermission,
jiecking at insects. They are usually very [>luni]> and fat.

I)e la Sai^ra states that this l)ird occaslonallv breeds in Cuba, vounu: birds
having been killeil that had evidently been hatidied there. The record of
this Warbler, as jaesented by ditferent authors, i^ aj)j>arently inconsistent and
contradictory: rare with some observers, abun<lant with othcMS ; remaining
in rfaiuaica until well into A]>ril, yet common in South Carolina in March,
and even aj)|»earing in ^lassachusetts in midwinter; su}>j»osed to breed in
the highlands of Cuba, yet, except in the case of the nest taken near Halifax,
its manner of bree<ling was unknown until lately. It is probably rare in low-
lands everywhere, and n(»where common exce])t auKUig mountains, and, while
able to endure an inclement season where food is abundant, is influenced in
its migratory movements by instinctive ])romi)tings to change its (piarters
entirely in reference to a supply y^ f(»o(l, and not by the temperature merely.
It presence in l>oston in winter was «>f course a singular accident; but its
])lum]) condition, and its contented stay so long as its supjdy of food was
al)undant,suiiiciently attested its ability to endure severe weather for at least
a limited jieriod, and while its food was not Manting. ^Ir. Trippc states that
these birds reach X<trth' rn Xew Jersey during the first week of May. and
stay a whole month, remaining there longer than any other s]»ecies. At first
they have no note but a simjde chiq) : but, before they leave, the males are
said to have a singular drawling song of four or five notes.

Mr. Paine states that this Warlder is a resident, but not very c<)mmon bird,
in lJandol]>h, Vt. Tie has usually noticed it in tlie midst of thick woods,
not generally in tall trees, but auKUig the lower branches or in bushes. The
song he describes as very short an«l insignificant, its tones shar]» and wiry,
and not to be heard at anv "jreat distance. He kn(»ws n(>thini; as to its nest.
They arrive at Handolph from the South about the middle of May.

We are indebted to Mi-. John burroughs for all the knowledge we ]»ossess
in relation to the .lest and eg^s of this s])ecies, which had previoiLslv baf-
f.ed the search of other naturalists. He was so fortunate as to meet with
their nest in the sumuicr of 1.S71. Early in July, in ccunpany with his

SVLVK'OUD.E — THK WAKlM.KIfS. 257

iiophew, Mr. ('. \\. I)evn('. Mr. r»iin«nitj:]i>< visited liic siiiiio woods, in l{n.\l>iivv,
ndaware County, X. \., in wliidi hu had in a piwious year found tlie nest
of the Mouinin<,^ (iround Warltler. Thi' trues were mostly hendoek, witli an
undorj^rowth »»1" l»irch and heech. Tliey tiiNt noticed the ]»an*nt hirds with
food in tlieir l»ills, and then set ahout deliherately to tind their nest hy
watchini,^ tlieir niovenionts. liut tlie hiids were e<[ually vigilant, and watciied
them ([uite as determinedly. " It was diamond eut diamond." They were so
suspicious, that, after loadiuL!; their lual^s with food, they would swallow it
themselves, ratlier than run the risk of hetraying their .secret by ai»j>ro:uhing
the nest. They even n[»parently attemjtted to nuslead tliem l)y heing very ]>ri-
vate an«l confidential at a })oint some distance from the nest. Tlie two watched
the l»ir<ls for over an hour, wlien tlie mos(|uitoes made it too hot ior them to
liold out any longer, and they made a rush upon the ground, determined to
hunt it over inch l>v incli. The hirds tlien manifested tlie ureatest conster-
nation, and when, on leaping over an ohl log, the young sprang (ait with a
scream, hut a few feet from them, the distracted pair fairly threw themselves
under their very feet. The male hird trailed his bright new jilumage in
the dust; and his much more humhly clad mate wa.s, if anything, more .so-
licitiuis and venturesome, coming within easy reach. The nest was phiced
in the fork of a small hemlock, ahout fifteen inches from the ground. There
were lour, and }>erhaps five, young in the nest, and one egg unhatched, which,
on blowing, }>roved to have been fresh.

The nest measures three and a half inches in diameter, and a trifle more
than two in height. The eavitv is broad and deei), two and a third inches in
diameter at the rim, and one and a half deep. Its liase and periphery are
loose aggregations of strips of decayed inner bark from dead deciduous trees,
chieHv basswood, stremj^theiied l»v tine twiiis, rootlets, and bits of wood and
bark. AVithin this is a firm, compact, well-woven nest, made by an elabo-
rate inti*rweaving of slender roots and twigs, hair, fine pine-needles, and simi-
lar mateiials.

The e^iii is oval in shajte, less ol)tuse, but not pointed, at one end, with a
grayish-white ground, ]>inkisli when unUown, and marked arfuind the larger
end with a wreath, chieflv of a bri<»ht umber-brown with liditer markings of
reddish-brown and obscure purple. A few smaller dottings of the same are
sparingly distributed over the rest of the egg. Its measurements are .70 by
.50 of an inch. It more nearly resembles the eggs of the I), nuindosa than
any other, is about five per cent larger, a little more oblong, and the spots
differ in their reddish and purplish tinge, so far as one specimen may l)e
taken as a criterion.

U

258 xoirni amkrican uikds.

Dendroica olivacea, S( fat.

OLIVE-HEADEI) WABBLEB.

«

Sjtirw nfirncrft, Giuai'd, Birds T«xas, 1841, 14, pi. vii, fij,'. ± -Sri.ATEl!, P. Z. S. ISo'),
(>»). Siihucnln (ilicdccn, ("assin, 111. Hinls Tf.xus, t'ti'. 18r>i>, "iSiJ, pi. .xlviii. Ilhumiin-
I'h us ul ianms, Sci.atki:, I*. /. S. l^.j**, 'JlO \('onlova>. Ihinlntica nlicnon, Sclatkk,
I*. Z. S. IhaS, 2!»S (Oa.Viitii ; loUl rc^'ioii). — I B. P. Z. S. I8r»y, :iH:{ (.lalapaK — In.
Catal. Ihtil, :51, no. li»0. - Baikk, Utv. Am. 1>. 18«>4, -Jd."). Siilciti hvniatn, hrnis,
Bull. Aia<l. Bni.x. XIV, 1847, 104. — Ib. K.v. Z. 1848, 245. Sylciadu f(cniatu, Bt>N.
('..lisp. 18:>0, 3«l9.

Sp. C'iiafj. II«';u1 and neck all round, with jn«riiluin, Itrowiii.sh-.^atfron. with ;i LTeeuij;h
tiiiLTe on the naju-. Ki'>i .>(' uiipcr parts ashy. Aliddlr and tips of <rrejitt'r wing-coverts
white, lorniing two hands on the wing; a third white patch at the bases of the primaries
(except th«' outer two), and extending forwards along the outer edges. Secomlaries etlgi-d
extei'nally with olive-green. Inner webs offpiilis eonspiiMiously edged with white. Tuder
parts, except as desciibed, white, tinged with brownish on the sides : a narr<»w fiontal
band, and a broad stripe I'roni tiiis through I've and over ear-coverts. Itlaek. Outer tail-
leather white, except at base and towards tij); gi»'ater portion of inuei- web of next
leather also white, nuich more restricted on the third. Length, 4.(>0 ; wing, 2.88 : tail,
2.1o ; tarsus. .7-'>.

A female specimen (14. .')(»!»). perhaps also in autumnal plumage, has the satVron replaced
by clear yellowish, except on the top of head and naj)e. which are olive-green. The black
frontal and lateral bands are replaced by whitish, leaving only a dusky patch on the ears.

Hab. Mexico (both coast* to the southwaid) ; (luatemala.

This species is jriveii ]»y Mr. Oiraiid as occuiTiii«2: in Texas, Init it is pos-
sible that he may have l)een misled as to the true locality. It may, how-
ever, be yet detected along the southern border of the United States.

Xothiiiii is known of its habits.

Dendroica nigrescens, p>a[rd.

BLACK-THBOATED 6BAT WABBLEB.

Sjih-io vigrescnut, TowNsFsn, J. A. N. Sc. VII, ii, 1837, 1S>1 ^('olunibia Hivcr). — Aii>.
«)m. Biog. V, I8.3i«, 57, pi. ccixcv. Vermivom niif. Bon. ; Nrrr. S;/lvicoI(f vuf.
Arn. Birds Am. II, pi. x<iv. IxInniKnplm^s ui<j. Cab. 1850. Demh-oka uiij. Baikh,
Birds N. Am. 1858, -270 ; \{v\. 186. — Sclatei:, P. Z. S. 1858, 298 ; 1859, 374 (Oax-
aca ; high niomitains in March). — Hkeb.mann, P. K. K. Kcp. X, iv, 40. — C'ooI'KK &
SfcKLKY, p. R. P.. Po'p. Xll, H, 1859, 180. --('oopKR, < )rn. Cal. I, 1870, 90. f SiflcM
Jutlscii, UinAii), Birds Tcxa.s, 1838, i>l. iii, tig. 1, 9 (suggested by Sdater),

SVI.VICOLID.K — Till-: WAniJLKRS. 250

stn-ak brown; tin- tliinl lir-^>\vii. with a tfrininal iiariow wliit** sireak. Hill l>la<'k : irt-t
ltn»wii. Lciiirfli. l.7o : wiiiij. •_'.;;•» ; tail. 'J.l'>.

Il.vH. Wt'stcrii ami Mid.lic |'in\ inrrs of rnitcfl States. MiLTatorv soiitliwanl into
^^ fsttTU Mfxiro (( >axa<-a) : Ori/alM ( wiiiifi-. Si \ii< iiuAsrj.

Fi'inalc .">:;.;;7-"», East lIuinlM.ldt MtMintains, X»'V., .Inly 1-1-). Similar to
tluMiialc, l)ut crown ash nuMliallv streakt'd with i»lack, instead of continuous
black ; the str«'aks on hack narrow and incons}>it*uons ; tiic black of the
throat continctl to the juL^iduni, a|>]>carini,' in s]M»ts onlv on anterior half. A
youuLj female No. r>:;,:;7r», Kast I!uml)oldt Mountains, Au^nist 1(1) is plain
brownish-ash above*, lacking entirely the .streaks on the back, and those on
sides of crown extremely obsolete. There is no black whatever on throat or
juguluni, which, wilji tlie well-defined sn]>ra-loral stri]>e and h»wer jjarts in
general, are soiled white, more brownish laterally. The (»ther features, including;
the yellow spot over the lores, with the winu and tail markiniis, are much as
in the adult. A younu- uiale 'TkI^ST^i}, same h)cality and date, ditfei's from the
last in havini; the sides of the crown black, and the throat-patch almost
complete, but nuich hidden by the broa«l white bonhus to the feathers. An
adult autunmal male (7,<)'.M), Calaveras liiver) is like the spring adult, but
the ash is overspread by brownish, nearly obliteratini; the dorsal streaks, and
dividing the black of the crown ; the black throat-patch is perfectly defined,
but nuich obscured by white borders to the feathers.

H.vBirs. The IMack-throated (Jray or Dusky Warbler, so far as is now
known, belongs to the Western and ^liddle Trovinces, occurring certainly
as far to the south as San l>i(\u)>, in California, and as far to the north as Fort
Steilacooni, in Washington Territory, penetrating in winter into Mexico.
The most easterly localities in which it has been met with are in Arizona
and New Mexico. The Smithsonian Institution has receiveil specimen.s also
from Colund)ia Kiver, Calaveras, Cal., and Fort Defiance.

This sj>ecies was first obtained and described by Mr. Town.send, who found
it abundant in the forests of the Colund>ia, where it breeds and remains
until nearly winter. Its nest, which he tlu^re met with, resenddes that of
Pirrvla (iinrricnna, only it is made of the long and fibrous green moss, or
UsHCff, peculiar to that region, and is placeil among the u])])er branches of
oak-trees, suspended between two small twigs.

Mr. Xuttall states that it arrives on the Cobnnbia early in May, and from
the manner in which its .song was tlelivered at intervals, in the to])s of decidu-
ous tre'^s, he had no doubt that thev were breediuL; in those forests as early
as May 23. This .song he describes as delicate, but monotonous, uttered as
it busily ami intently searches eyery leafy bough and expanding bud for
insects and their larva* in the spreading oak, in which it utters its solitary
notes. Its song is repeated at short and regular interyals, and is said by Mr.
Xuttall to bear some resemblance to f-sln'e-fslnli/-fsh(n'tsh(c, varym^i the feeble
sound very little, and with the concluding note somev>liat slenderly and
jdaintively raised. Dr. Suckley speaks of this bird as moderately abundant

260 njuith amkimcan i;iiii>s.

near F(»rt Stciljicoom, i^'ciici-.iny met with on oaks, mid very inncli rosenihliiii,'
Viiidiinra uutinhoni in its lial>its. Its :ii rival there he irives as ocenrriiii;
in the first week in Ajiril, or a nmnth earlier than stated hy Xuttall.

I'r. Cooper met with a jtair at I'n^et Sound that appeared to have a nest,
thoui^di he son^lit lor it in vain. He desc ri I )es its note as taint and unvaried.

IM-. Cones met with tliis AVarl>ler in the vicinity ot" F(»rt Whipple, Arizona.
He sjK'aks of it as common there as a s]>rinu and autumn nii^^nint. He thinks
that a few reniain to breed. It arrives in that T»'rritorv alxuit Ajtril 20, and
is found until hue in Sej»tend>er. It is most common anuai;.; the ]>ine-trees,
and in its ^'neml huhits is stated to resemhle the new s]»ecies /A f/ri'ritc.

I )i-. Heermann found a few hirds of this species near Sac'amento, and also
on the ranue of mountains dividing the Calaveras and the Moktdumne Iiivers.
l)urinL: the survey hy Lieutenant Williamsons ])arty, Hr. Heermann nu;t
with a sin^K' sjtecimen amon^ the mountains, near the summit of the Tejon
Pass. It was in company with other small hirds, minrating southward, and
gleaning its food from among the to])Hiost branches of th" tallest oaks. He
states that its notes clo.selv resemhle the sounds of the locust.

t.

Dr. Coo])er states that these hirds ap]»ear at San Diego hy the 2()th of
April, in small Hocks migrating n(»rthward, and tlu?n uttering only a faint
cliirj). They fretpient low hushes along the coast, hut as they pi-oceed farther
nortii they take to the decidu(Uis oaks as the leaves hegin to exj>and, early
in May, at which time they reach the Cohnnhia Iliver. He has never met
with any in Calif()rnia after April.

Mr. liidgway ohservi'd this si)ecies only in the ]»ine and cedar woods of
the East HundmMt Mountains, -wherein all proliahility, they were breeding.
He observed numerous families of young birds following tlieir jiarents in
the months of July and August. He met with them only among the cedars
and the woods of the nut-pine, and never among the brushwood of the canons
and ravines. He states that the common ni»te of this bird greatlv resendd ?s
the sharp chirp of the Ihndruint ioronatii, and is louder and more distinct
than that of D.aiuhihoni.

]\Ir. A. Houcard obtained s])ecimens of these birds at Oaxaca, Mexico,
• luring the winter months.

Dendroica chrysopareia, S( l. ik salv.

TELLOW-CHEEKEB WABBLEB.

Dendrowf cli r if s,.j„ >,•,", S« i.atkh & S.m.vin, I'. Z. S. ISfiO, 2v*8. — In. I1)is, 1860. 273
(Vera Paz, Guatemala). - In. ISfJ.'t. - I)uf>.'<er, Ibi.s 1865, 477. — Baiud, Ktv. Am.
B. 1864, 183. — CnoPEH, Orn. Cal. I, 1*^70, 03.

Sp. Cn.\R. r2'21>. Salvia collection.) Head and Ixxly above black, the feathers with
olive-ffreen edges, especially on the Ijack, obseiirintr the ^round-eolor ; rump clear black.
Entire side of head (extendinjcr to nostrils and on lowei- jaw), and the partially concealed
liases of the feathers on the median line of the forehead, veilow. with a narrow black line

svi.viroMD.K — TiiK \v.\1!i;ij:ks. 201

from lores. thioiii:li tin- fv.-. \vi<l.'iiiiii.' luOiiiul, Juif n<»t crossiii;,' ihron<_'h the V'^How. B.nr:\tli,
iurliuliiiL'' iii>i<l»' nrwiii<_'s. white: ;i laiirf patch t»l" hlin-k coverint;' ilu- ••hiii an<l throat, aiid
weiipyint.'- the «'ntiif sjiac*' lictwcrii thf VfH.iw patches ot" the two >itU-.-« of the head aixl
neck, ami ixtcmlctl aloni.' the >i(h's in a .series of stfi-ak-. Feathefs of crissiim with Mack
et'iifics. WiiiLis aliovc a>hv, with two white liaiuls a('r<»ss tlie eovei1>. the .«icapiihirs
.<treaki'<l with l»hicki-.h : tiist (|mi11 vihju-il ext'-niallv with while, tlie rest with ^Tuy. Tail-
feathers hhickisli. «'il;.''eil rxtcriially with ashy, the hitcral with wliite at the hast-. Outer
tail-ft-athcr white oil tht; iiuu'r Wi'h, rxcfpt a >t'ipe aloii^' the shall near the finl; s«H*<»n<l
siiuihir. hut the white not reaehiiijr so far towanis the ha>e ; third with a shoit patch of
wliite ill the end. Hill and le-rs brownish-hlaek. liill unusually thick. Length, 4..'>();
winjr. '_'..'.(» : tail. I'.ht; tai>ii<. l».7'».

II.M!. Vera Ta/,. Guatemala; San Antonio, and Medina River, Texas. (Ukkrmann
and DRKr«:iKK.)

Tlie ea])tinv «>f s|XM-iim'ns of this specios at San Antonio, Texas, 1»\' Dr.
Ileerniann, and nn the Medina ll'iwv l>y Mr. Dresser, entitles it to a phico in
our fauna. The s|iecinn'n deserilxMJ ahove is Mr. Salvin's type.

Haiut.s. a single specimen is said to have been taken near San .Vnt(»nio,
Texas, 1»\' Dr. Heerniann. It is tliouuht to he ])rol»al)ly a hird 1teh)n^inLi- to
the fauna of Arizona and New Mexico, and is uiven hviJothetieallv 1)V Dr.
Cooper anions: the l.irds of California. In its ujtpearanee it resendJes I),
vircuii, I). tovHscuilii, and J), (.rrlilmtnlis. It v. as originally deseril»ed l»y
Salvin from a single specimen ohtai"ed in (Juateniala. Anotlier \rA\Y was
afterward obtained by Mr. Salvin on the highest point of the road between
Salania and Tactic. In regard to its habits, nothing is on record.

Dendroica virens, Baird.

BLACK-THSOATED OBEEN WABBLEB.

MotaciUit virens, (Imf.i.in, Syst. Xat. I, 17S8, 98.'). SiiJcio virens. Lath.: Vikili.ot;
WiLs. II ; XtTT. : r»oN. ; Al'l». Oin. Hiog. IV, pi. eccxcix. — (iAFKK, Xauinannia,
18r»8, 423 ^HcliLCtilaiid, Kunipc, an orii;iiial description). SiilviotJn vioiis, .s\v. ; All).
Birds Am. II, pi. Ixxxiv. - KKiMiAitm, Vid. Med. for IS.'):}, 1854, 72, 81 ((Jrccnland).
Ithiiiioiiphtis virrns, ('\r,. .Mas. H»in. .lour. Ill, 1^.'»,'», 474^('ul»a; winter). — Sclatkr,
P. Z. S. iS.'tt), 2;»1 i<'<.rd.ivaK Ihitilrniv" vinns, HaikI), I'.iids N. Am. IS.'.S, 2t;7 :
Kev. 182. — Sci.ATKU & Sai.vin. lliis, 1S.'»1>, 1 (( luatciiiala). -- Sct.ATF.R, I*. Z. S. 1859,
3ti:3 (Oaxa. a ') : :J73 (.\alapa) ; Ibis, !{<♦).'», 89. — Lawukn<k, Ann. X. V. Ly.'. Vll, KstJl,
293 (Tanaina). — (JiNni,. ('ah. .lour. IstH, 32t; (Cuha). — I)i:kssf.i:, Ihis, 18»)'», 232.
— Samuels, 222. Maiotilta cir> ns, Kcimiaukt, Ibis, HI, 1861, 5 ^.luliauhaah. (Jrcen-
laiul).

Sp. Char. Male. rp{>er parts, exclusive of wincr and tail, clear yellow olive-jjrreen ;
the feathers of the hack with hiijdeii streaks of hlack. Koreheail and .side.s ot" head ami
neck, incliidinur a superciliary stiipe. l)ri<rht yellow. A dusky olive line Ironi the bill
throuirh the eye. and another below it. (^hin. throat, and forepart of the breast, extend-
injr some <listance alonir o:i the sides, continuous bhick ; rest of uiuler parts white. tiuLfed
with yellow on the breast and tlaiiks. \Vin«rs and tail-feathers dark brown, edired with
hluish-^ray ; two white bands on tlu' wiuir: the irreater part of the three outer tail-feath-
ers whiti'. Female similar, but duller; the throat vellow ; the black of hreast inueh con-

2i'r2 N(m:tii amkimcax miiids.

cealfd l>y white nips; the .«i<k's stroaktMl with hlaek. Lenj^tli, .' inches ; wiii^', 2.')8 :
tail, '2.:Ut.

Hah. Kasteni Province of I'jiit«'(l f^tatc's ; Greenland; Tlrlijroland. Europe; south to
Panama K. K. Ii> Mtxico. \ala|»a. C'onlova, and Oaxacay ('ul»a alone in West Indies.
Mexico (i-vervwherc in winter, Si michhast).

Tlie aiituiniial male lias the Idack nf tliroiit aiitl liroast (disrured l)v whitish
tips. Fenialus are yellowish-white heiieatli, tiiii^etl witli omyisli towards the
tail.

As shown ill the oeiicric ('ha}»ter, // rirnis is the type of a section of
olivaceous Warhlers with l>lack chin ami throat. Tho following more elaho-
rate clia,!.,'iioses of tiie yroup may facilitate its stiuly, the species being quite
closely related : —

Common CnARArTERsa. T'jiper parts nioro or loss oljvacoous-crroon, with the
feathers streaked eennally with hlack (sometimes coneealed). Sides of head yel-
low. Chin and throat hhu-k ; rest of the inider parts, inclndinfr inside of winL'S
white, with or without yellow on hreast. Wiuirs with two white hands. Inner
web of lateral tail-feather almost entirely white from the l»ase.

Ahove hriirht olive-jrieen with concealed V>lack streaks; tail-coverts aj^hy.
Si<lescons]>icuously streaked with black ; erissum unsj)otted. Juirulum some-
times faintly tin<red with yellowish. An oi>scure duskv-olive stripe throuirh
the eye. and a crescontic jiateh of the same some <listance beneath it . . virens-.

Altove olivaeeous-ashy (nmip pure ashj, with more distinct Mack spots.
Top and sides of head clear yellow, the leathers of the crown tipjted with
Ijlack, or clou<led with dusky pluml>eous. No dark markiiiL's or stripes on
side of head. Xo distinct hlaek streaks beneath; Idack of throat restricted
to front of ne<-k ........... orcidenfah's.

Prevailinir color of upper parts black, \vith olivaceous edprintrs on the back;
rinnjt and u]i])er tail-covert pure black. Sides and erissum streaked with
black. A simple black strijie throu<;h the eye ; no patch beneath it . chrysop(trei".

Above olive-jrre«'n. I'pper tail-eoverts ashy, with central black streaks.
Feathers of hcatl al»ov<' black, with olive-<^reen edufcs. A broad <jliva(.'eous
black strijK* throuirh eye from lore.s. involvinjr the ears, in which is ayellow-
i.sh crescent ic patch below the eye. Black feathers of throat and chin edired
with yellow. Juijulum and si<h>s of breast also yellow. Sides streaked
with lilack. No distinct black streaks on erissum .... foirnsPii'/ii.

Habits. — The IJlack-throated Green AVarhler, like nearly all the mem-
bers of this hiohly interesting genus, has, t(j a very great degree, escaped the
closer observations of our older ornithologists. Wilson only noticed it as it
passed through rciinsylvania in its early spring migrations. He mentions its
fre([uenting the higher branches of forest trees in search of the larvje of the
smaller insects that feed upon the oi)ening buds, and describes it as a lively,
active bird, having only a few chirj)ing notes. All had passed on by the
12th of May. Their return he was never able to notice, and he became
afterwarc satisfied that a few remained all the summer in the higher grounds
of that State, having obtained several in June, ISUU.

Audubon met with this bird from Xewfoundlaiid to Texas, but never found

SVL\ ICnLllLK — Tilt: WAUlil.KKS. 20o

it brcediii^'. Nowlu-r*' alunnlaiit, llww, wciv larj^u tracts of country wIkmv
lio inner iin't witli it, or wlierc it was of rare occurrt'iicc lie found it most
abundant in the vicinity of East]»ort, ^Fc. He also met with it during'
sunnncr. in N'«'W Knuland i^^cncrally, Nnrtlicrn IVnnsyhania, and New York,
lait not in Lal»radnr. He tlescrilies its lialiits as a minulinii of th(»sL' of the
Warlih'rs and of tlie Vireo, and its notes as resenihlin^^ tlmse of th(^ latter.
Ill its search for fond he found it quite re;_,'ardless of the near })resence of man.
In its spring mJLirations it jiiisses through tiie woods usually in itaiis, in the
fdl reai»|>earin,u in Hocks of si.x «)r seven. In hreeding it (K-curs unly in
single pairs, and each pair apj>^-oj»riates to itself a large tract <jf territory
within which no other is usually found. After October, all have passed l)e-
youd the limits of the United States.

I)uring the wint«'r montlis it ajtpears to be (piite common in different ]»arts
of Mexico and Central America, in the large collection of (lualemalan skins
collected by I )r. Van Patten, and jmrchased by the lioston Natural History
Society, this l>ird was one of the most abundant of the mignitory s}»ecies.
Specinu'us were taken by Mr. Boucurd at I'laya \'icente, iu the hot country
of Oa.xaca, Mexico.

Dr. Woodhouse fouutl this Warbler (jommon in the Indian Territory and
in Texas, and Lieutenant Couch met with it in Taniaulij)as, Mexico, in March,
18o3. With these exi^eptions it has not been observed in any of the govern-
ment survevs, oi' found we.st of the valley of the Ilio Grande. Ik'sides the
points named, it has been obtained in Ohio, Illinois, Miss(»uri, and in the West
Indies, in Centr.il and in the northern jiortions of Soutli America. IJeiniiardt
liives it as accidental in (Ireenhmd. A single strav specimen was j>btained
in Heligoland, Europe, Octol)er T.', isr»8.

^Ir. I'aine, of Kandolph, Vt., notes the arrival of this bird about the 10th
of May. He speaks of it us a very sweet singer, and a.s usually seen in the
tops of ttdl trees, the hemlock being its favorite resort. There it chants its
sweet sad notes through even the heat of the day. It continues in song
nearly throughout the summer. Liter in the season it frequents the open
fields, in wliich it is seldom seen in the breedin«j;-sea.son. Its food, which
it catches on the wing in the manner of Vireos, consists of the smaller
winged insects, caterpillars, and other larva\ In the fall, according to Mr.
Audubon, it feeds upon various kinds of small berries.

It reaches Massachusetts the first of ^lay, and is most numeious about
the loth, when the larger ju'oportion pass farther north. In Western
Maine, Professor Verrill states it to be a summer but not a common visitant;
and near Calais, ^Ir. I>oardman has found it breeding, but does not regard it
as at all common, thougli in the year 1<S<)7 he found it quite abundant
in the thick woods in that neiiiliborhood during its breeding-season. Dr.
lirvant also speaks of it as one of the most common of the Warblers ob-
served by him near Yarmouth, X. S. A single sj)ecim?n was taken at Julian-
haab, (Jreeiiliind, in 1853, and sent to the lloyal Mu.seum of Coi>enhag"ii.

264 NOliTlI AMKinCAN [JIKDS.

Ill the vicinity o\' Txtstoii, es]>eciallv in tlit* liiiili 'jiounds of Xort'olk and
Essex Coiintii's, it is a not uiiconinion s|K'cii*s, and its nests are tound in cer-
tain tavoiite localities. Xuttall re^^ards May 12 as the average of their first
ai)])earaiice. Husy, (jiiiet, and nnsus})icious of man, they were seen hy him,
collectiiiLT, in early October, in small grou]>s, and moving restlessly throngh
the fniests ]trej)aratoiy to de]iarting south, dune 8, 183(>, he found a nest
of this species in a solitary situation among the lUue Hills of Milton, Mass.
The nest was in a low and stunted Juni})er (a very unusual locatioii). As
he approached, the female remained motionless on the edge of the nest, in
such a manner as to he mistaken for a young hird. She then darted to the
ground, and, moving away expert^ - disappeared. The nest contained lour
eggs, which he descril>es as white 'iiiiig to flesh-color, variegated at the

larger end with pale purplish points intei's[)erse(l with hrowii and black. The
nest was formed of line strii)S of the inner hark (tf the juniper, and tough white
lihrous hark of other plants, lined with soft feathers and the .slender toj)S of
grass. The male hird was singing his simple chant, resemhling the syllables
/e-f/e-^z/As^'-r/, ])ronounced loud and slow, at thedistance of a (piarter of a mile
from the nest. He describes his song as sim]»le, drawling, and jilaintive. He
was constantly interrii])ting his song to catch small tlies, keeping up a per-
j)etual snapping of his bill.

Several nests of this bird, given me hv Mr. (leorge O. Welch of Lvnn. have
been found by him in high trees in thick woods on the western borders of
that city. They are all small, snug, com])act structures, laiilt on a ha.se of
line strips of bark, hits of leaves, and stems of jilants. The u])])er rims are
a circular intertwining of tine slender twigs, interwoven with a few tine
.stems of the most delicate grasses. The inner portions of these nests are
very softly and warmly Ijedded with the tine d(jwii and silky stems of
plants. They have a diameter of three and a quarter inches, and a height of
one and a half. The cavity is two inches in diameter, and one and a half
in de]>th. The eggs measure .7n l)y .50 of an inch, have a white or jairplish-
white i,T<Mnid, and are bhjtched and dotted with markings of reddish and
purplish brown, diffused over the entire e^^fi:, but more numerous about the
larger end. One end is much more pointed than the other.

8VI.\ ICOLID.E — THE WAllULKKS. 265

Dendroica townsendi, r.-viiii).

TOWKSEKD'S WABBLEB.

S>/fria fnir,iS4',ii/i, " Nttiai.!.," TtAVNsKM', -). A. N. So. VII. II, l;>:}7, 11»1. — Am. Orn.
Hiog. V, l^:yj, pi. .•irxtiii. S;ilvio>hi t. I'x.s. ; Ari>. IJinls Am. II, 1M41, pi. xt ii.
I),n,i;„r>t f. li.viiM., iJinls X. Am. 18'>S, 2«J1» ; Ht'V. IS'k — S« latki:, P. Z. S. Lsr»8,
298 (Oaxina ; high laiuls in \viiit«'i ) ; isr»l», :>74 iT()tunt»*iMT ; wiiitrr) : Ibis, 1865, SO.
— ScLATKIl & SaLVIN, Ihis, 18ol>, 11 (( Juatt'liiala). — ( 'ooPEK k SnKI.KY, V. K. |{.
XII, II, 1S:.1», 179 (Cul.). — TuiiMJiLi., Birds ».l Kast IVnii., «'ti-. l&tJ9, 42. —Sim. k-
VAL, Otveis. 1869, 610 (Sitka). — Cuni-Ki:, Orn. Vul. I, 1870, 91.

Sp. Char. Sprhnj male. Aliovc luiirlit olivc-LTt-r'n : the trathcrs nil Itlack in the ceutro.
showiiitr more or less as streaks, t'spccialiy oil tlie en »\vii. where tlu' black piedonuiiates.
Quills, tail, and ujiper tail-eovert teatluTs dark lirowii. ed,ire<l with l>hiish-j,n-ay ; the
win«xs with two whiti; hands on tne eoveits ; the two outer tail-leathers white with a
brown streak near the end: a white streak «)iily in the end of the third leather. I'nder
parts a^> far a.s the middle of tlic body, with the sides of liead and iieek. inrhidinLr a snjH'r-
ciliary stripe and a spot l)eneath the eye. yellow: the median portion of the sido (»f the
head, the chin and throat, with streaks on the sides of tlie breast. Hanks, antl uinl< r tail-
coverts, black; the remainder of the under parts white. Leiiirth, o inches; wintr. 'J.Oo ;
taill, 2.-JO.

Sprlitff ferunh'. Reseinlilinir the male, but the Ijlack patch on the throat replaced by
irre*;nlar blotches upon a [.ure \'ellow irrouiid.

Hab. Western Province of rniteil States, north to Sitka; Mexico, into Guatemala.
Migratory. Accidental near I'liiladelphia.

The autiiiiiniil adult male is niuch like the s])riiiu female, hut the hlack
throat-])ateh is i)eit"eetlv detined, thmmh umch ohscured hv the vellow ed'^es
of the feather-s, instead of hroken into small idotches. The youii«:f male in
autumn is similar in general ai)}>earanee, hut there are no streaks ahuve, exee])t
on the crown, where tliey are mostly concealed ; the stripe on side of head
is olivaceous, instead of hlack ; and nearly all the hlack on the throat is con-
cealed.

A tine adult male of this species was taken near rhiladelj)hia, Penn., in
the spring of l.SOS, and is now in the collection of the late W. P. TurnhuU,
Es'i-, of that city.

Habits. In regard to the habits of this very rare Western AVarhler very
little is as yet positively known, and nothing wliatever has l»een ascertained
as to its nestinir or eui»s. The si)ecies was first met with hv ^Ir. Townsend,
October 28, 18:35, on the banks of the Colundna Piver, and was named by
Mr. Xuttall in honor of its discoverer. It is si>oken of hv these wntlemen
as having been a transient visitor only, sto])ping but a few days, on its way
north, to recruit ami feed, previous to its (h'partini^ for the higher hititudes in
which it spends the breediuij-season. It is, however, ([uite as })robal)le that
they disperse by pairs into solitary places, where for a while they escape ob-
servation. When the season auain com]>els them to mij^rate, they reappear
on the same path, only this time in small and silent Hocks, as they slowly
move toward their winter (piarters. These birds also are chiefly to be found

34

2(iG Nnirni amkkkax iukds.

ill the t<)]»s of tilt' lottii'st tirs ami oIIkt evergreens of the forests, wliere it is
almost iinpossihle tn lU'ocure them.

Dr. Cooper oliserve«l one (»f this species at Sh«»al\vater Day, Deeemlter lM>,
isr)4. It was in eompaiiy with a lloek of Titmice and other small Itirds.
The following year, in Xovemher, he saw a small Mock in California, fre-
(iuenting the willows in a low wet meadow, and was so fortunate as to
j>rocure a i>air.

Ifidgway met with it in the Kast Humboldt Mountains, where it was
rather common in September, inhabiting the thickets of asjjens, alders, etc.,
alonii" the stream.s.

Mr. V. L. Sclater obtained several fine specimens of this Warbler from
the west coast of Central America, and ^Ir. Salvin found it a winter visitant
at Dueiias, where he met with it even more fietiueiitly than the Dnnlroho
cireiis, with which he found it associated. Skins were huind anuuig the
birds taken by J)r. Van Tatten in CJuatemala. A single specimen lias been
taken in IVnnsylvania.

^Ir. A. Boucard obtained specimens of this species in the mountainous dis-
trict of Totontepec, in the State of Oaxaca, .Mexico.

Dendroica occidentalis, IJaikd.

WESTERN WABBLES.

S]ih'in n,ridcntalis, Townskm), J. A. N. Sr. VII, ii, 1S:57, li»0 (Colmnlna Ki\ ri>. — Ib.
Nanativf, 1S:V.'. :{4(t. -Ari». Ov\\. i>ii><i. V. i>l. Iv. Siilvi'-fho mr. lioN. : Ari>. Binls
Am. II, ]»1. xriii. Ihiuh-niiii m-r. IJ.Mitit, HinLs N. Am. 18."»8, 20s : Ktv. 183. —
Cooi'Ki: it Sr« KLF.v, K. K. K«'i». Xll, ii, is.'>;t, 17S (N. \V. coast). - Cooi-kk, Oni.
Tal. I, lvS7<i, S>2. Ihiiih-iiini i-hi-jisniMiri in, ScLATKK, r. Z. S. lS»>-i, 11> (La Tai ida,
;Mtx.) oiot of r. Z. S. ISOO, \Vi) : II. is, 18<;ri. 81> : 1S«)H, ll»l. lhndi->noi iiireivcntris,
Sai.vin, r. Z. S. May 2C, 1863, 187, pi. xxiv, ti<,'. 2 ((Uiatt-niala).

Sp. Char. Sprinfj male. Crown with sides of the licad and nock continuous Vtrig'ht
yellow, feathers of tlic foiiner cdijcd nairowly '.vith black; rest of upper paits tjark l»i(»\vn,
edged with hhiish-trray, so much so on th<' l>ack and rump leathers as t<> olisciiic tlic hrown.
and with an olivaceous shade Chin, throat, and forepart of hr<'ast (cndinir convi'xly l>c-
hind in a suhcrescentic outline), \\ith the nape. Mack; rest of ujuler parts white, very
faintly streaked on the sides with hlack. Two white bands on the winti". two outer tail-
feathers, and the terminal portion of a third, white; the shaft.s ami an internal streak
towards the end. dark brown. Bill jet-l)lack; legs )>rown. Length. 4.70; wing, 2.70;
tail. 2.30.

Spj'inf/ feriKtle. Similar, but duller gray above ; the yellow of the head less extended,
ami the throat whitish spotted with du.^ky.

Hais. Western Province of United States and Mexico (Moyapani, winter, Si'miciikast)
to Guatemala. Not seen at Cape St. Lucas.

An autumnal adult male ':'»(>,(mS1, (iuatemala, December, received from Mr.
Salvin, and a type s]M'cinien of his " ;///v //v /////s") is much like the s])rinu'
male, having' the throat wholly black, the feathers, liowever, faintly inarLrined

SVLVIL. LTD.E — THE WARBLKRS. 267

witli wliitish; there are no hV.wk s)>ots on the erown, l)iit, instead, an oliva-
ceous slam : tlir najie is ulivacctais instead of l»la(k, and tlir lilack centres
to dorsal Iralher- more ciiniM'aled ; the ash ahnvr is le>s pure, antl tlu-re is \u,
trace of streaks on the sides. A fmiale autrnjnal ( — l>S,141 — from Ori-
/aha, Mexit'o. is lirayisli-nlivaceous altnve. incluilin^ the whole toj> nf tlie hea«l,
except heneatli tlie surface; tlie lealliers on top of head have eonsj)ieuous
hiack centres, lait tliere are none on. tlie Itack : the sides of the head, and
the hases of tlie hMlliers nn its top, are soiled vidlow ; the thro.il is dirty
white, witli the feathers dusky heneath the surface; the hreast and sides
have a strong hrownish tini^e. AiioiJier feiuale, and an autcnuial one (prob-
ably of tlie year i, is more brown aho\t', the specks on the top of the head
exceedingly minute; there are also obseure streaks -ilon^ the sides, where
tliere is a stnaiu" br(»wnish tinue. »

ll.MUTs. The Western ••r Hermit Wood Warbler, so far as known, is
limited ill its distribution to the Pacific coast fronl Central America to Wash-
ini^'ton Territory. S]ieciniens piocured from \'olcan de Fiu'^o, Mexico, Ari-
z«»na, and California, are in the, collection of the Smithsonian Institution,
liut little is positiv'ly known as to its history lu- habits. Xuttall, who first
met with it in the forests on the banks e.-!" the Columliia, had no doubt
that it breeds in the dark forests borderinufon that river. He described it as
a reinarkablv shv and solitarv bird, retirinu" into the darkest and most silent
recesses of the everLiieens, and apparently living- amon^ the loftiest branches
of the j^iganlic firs of that region. In conseijuence of its peculiar habits it
was with extreme ditticulty that his party could ixet a sii^dit of this retiring
species. Its song, which he fretjuently heanl fnau these high tree-tojts at
very regular ? ■^ vals for an hour or two at a time, he describes as a faint,
moody, and monotonous note, deli\ered wIkmi the bird is at rest on some
lofty twig, and within convenient hearing of its mate.

Mr. Towusend, who was one of the same party, shot a pair of these birds
near Fort Vauc<uiver, May 2S, IS:'.."). They were Hitting among the tops of
the pine-trees in the depths of the forest, where he fre([nently saw them
han<r'ng from the twigs, in the manner (tf Titmice. Their notes, nttered at
dillerent intervals, he describes as verv similar to those of the Ijlack-throated
lilue Warbler A /vr/v/A'.svvv/.s).

Dr. Suckley obtained, dune, 18o(>, two s])eeiin<Mis at Fort Steilacocmi. He
also descrilu's them as very shy, feeding and spending most of their time in the
tops of the highest tirs, so high u]) as to \\v almost out of the reach of fine shot.
The species he regards as not at all rare on the Pacific coiist, but only dilticult
of procuring, on account of the almost inaccessible nature of its hannts.

Dr. Coues procured a single s]>ecimen of this species in Arizona early in
Sejitember. It was taken in thick scrub-oak bushes. He thinks it may be
a summer resident of that Territoiy, but, if so, very rare.

A single s])ecimen was also obtained at Petuluma, Cal., by Mr. Emanuel
Samuels, May 1, 185(j.

2t>8 Noirni ameuican uijjds.

It was al.s() observed, AuLjust I'll, l»y Mr. l»*i(l<_r\vay, amoni,' the Imshes of a
Ciinoii aiiiung the East lluiiiboKU Mountains, lie ilescrihes its single note
as a lisjHMl pxiit.

Three individuals of this s])ecies were collected l>v Mr. lioucard in Soutliern
^lexico in lSr»i\ and were referred by Dr. Sclater t,» D. c/in/sojKt ('(( (P. Z. S.,
l.S(i2, p. 111). Su})se«[uently Mr. Salvin describe'! vs a new species, under
tlie name of // nhrioiitris^ other imUviduals of the 1). unidfufuli.^ obtained
by him in (luatemala. Tlie true si)ecitic rtdations of the s]»eciniens botli
fri»ni Soutliern Mexico and Central America have since l>een made clear
by Dr. Sclater, litis, isr»r), p. »S7, enabling,' us t»» ^dve this species as a winter
visitant of the countries {d>ovt named. Mr. Salvin states (Ibis, ISGO, p. lUl)
that these birds were Ibund in most of the elevated districts where pines
abound. He procured specimens in the Vcdcan de Fuego, in the hills above
the Plain of Salama, and near the mines of Alotepeijue.

Dendroica pinus, Baird.

FINE-CBEEPINO WASBIEB.

Sylvia pinus, Wii.s. Am. Oni. Ill, 1811, 2.'), pi. xix, fijj. 4. — P><>\. ; Nitt. — ArD. Orn.
Biog. II, pi. cxi. T/in/of/wnifi pinus, Steph. Sjihkuhi piuu.s, ,Iai:i>. ; lli< ii. ; Bon. ;
ACD. Birds Am. II, ]•!. Ixxxii. — Jonks, Nat. BiiiuiKla, 1.*<.">1), 59 (abuiulant in Oct.).
Jihimti iiphus pinus, Bon. Ihndruim pinus, BaiiU), Birds N. Am. 1858, 277 ; Kev. 190.
— ScLATEii, Catal. 18r>l, 31, no. 189. — CotEs, Pr. A. N. Sc. ISGl, 220 ^Labrador
coast). — Samuels, 229. — Bkvant, Pr. Bost. Soc. 18«>7, ♦w (liia^ua). S[ilvia viyomii,
Aui). Oru. Biog. I, la32, 153, pi. xxx. Firco ciyorsii. Nurr.

Sp. Char. Spriinf mdh. I'ppor parts nearly uniform and cloar olive-irrotMi, the f«>atli-
ers of the crown witli nilher darker shafts, rndor parts irenerally, except the middle
of the belly liehind, and uniler tail-coverts (wliich are white), briirht gambo<re-yello\v, Avith
obsolete streaks of dusky on the sides of the breast and bculy. Sides of head ami neck
olive-green hke the back, with a l)road superciliary stri})e ; the eyelids and a spot beneath
the eye very obscurely yellow : wings and tail l>rown ; the leathers edged with dirty
white, and two bands of the same across the coverts. Inner web of the lirst tail-feather
with nearly the terminal half, of the second witii nearly the terminal third. <lull incon-
spicuous whitt-. Length, o.oO ; wing. .'J.tM) : tad. 2.40. (1.3')G.)

Spring fennth'. Similar, but more grayish ab(»ve. and ahnost giayish-white. with a tinge
o{' y«'llow beneath, instead of l)right yellow. Yimnt/. rnd»er-brown above, and dingy
pale a.sln' ])eneath. with a sHght yellowish tinge on the abdomen. Wing anil tail much as
in the autumnal adult.

IIab. Eastern Province of United States, north to Massachusetts : winters in United
States. Not recorded in West Indies or Middle America (except Bahamas and Ber-
muda?).

Autumnal males are nuich like spring individuals, but the yellow beneath
is softer and somewhat richer, and the olive above overlaid with a reddish-
umber tint.

H.\BIT8. Tlie Pine-cree])ing Warbler is found more or less abundantly
throughout the United States from the Atlantic to the Valley of the jMissis-

SVLVICOLID.E-TIIK WAKIJLKUS. 209

sippi. Dr. Wnodhoiise states that it is ('(nuinoii in Texas and New Mexico.
It was nnt, liowever, met with by any other of the <iovernnu'nt exjtlorin^
parties. Dr. (leriianh tnimd it (piite eoninion in Northern (leor^ia, w' L-re it
remains all tiie ^.i^tc-i- and where it breeds vervearlv in the season. On the
V.hh of Ajtril he found a nest nf the.se birds with nearly fulI-.i;i-own younj;.
It has not been foinid in Maine l»y I'rofe.-^sor N'errill nor In' Mr. Tx^ardman,
nor in Nova Scotia by Lieutenant lUand. Mr. Allen has found it l>reedinu
aljundantly in the western part of Massachusetts, where it is om; of tlie
earliest Wtirblers to arrive, and where V remains until Uct(»ber. In ISCd
they were abundant in the pint; woods near Sprinutield as early as April 4,
although the ^rround at tliat lime was covered with snow. J)urinn tiie last
weeks of April and the early jiart of May they fre«[uent the o])en iields,
obtaining much of their food from the ground in comi>any with I), pul-
manoii, the habits of whicli, at this time, it clo.sely folli>w.s. Liiter in the
season they retire to the pine forests, where they remain almost exclusively
throughout the summer, chietly on the to[ts of the tallest trees. For a few
weeks preceding the tiisi of October they again c»»me about the orchards and
fields. In its winter migrations it does uotai)i)ear to leave this country, and
has not been found in any of the West India Islands, in Mexico, nor in South
or Central America. It breeds sjtaringly in Southern Illinois.

Mr. dones found tluise birds numerous in Hernnida late in September, but
they all disappeared a few weeks later. Dr. IJryant found them at Inagua,
liahamas.

Wilson first noticed this Warbler in tlie pine woods of the Southern
States, where he found it resident all the year. He describes it as running
along the bark of pine-trees, though occasionally alighting and feeding on
the ground. When distinbed, it always Hies \\\> and clings to the trunk-^ of
trees. The farther south, the more numerous he found it. Its }»rincipal food
is the seeds of the S»)uthern pitch-pine and various kinds of insects. It was
associated in tK»cks of thirty in the de]>ths of the pine barrens, easily recog-
nized by their manner of rising from the ground and alighting on the trunks
of trees.

Audubon also sj)eaks of this liird as the most al)undant of its tribe. He
met with them on the sandy barrens of Kast Florida on the St. rlohn's L'iver
earlv in February, at which i)eriod thev already had nests. In their habits
he regarded them as (^uite chjsely allied to the Creepers, ascending the
trunks and larger branches of trees, hopping along the bark searching for
concealed larva\ At one moment it moyes sideways along a branch a few
steps, then stops and moves in another direction, carefully examining each
twig. It is active and restless, generally searching for insects among the
leayes and blossoms of the pine, or in the creyices of the bark, but occasion-
ally pui'suing them on the wing. It is found exclusiyely in low lands, uever
in mountainous districts, and chietiy near the sea.

Its nest is usually placed at consideiable height, sometimes fifty feet or

270 Noinil AMKHICAN niTiDS.

liioie from tlic lirniiiid, aiul is usually fastt-iiecl to the twi^s of a small Itraiuli.
Tn Massaeliusctts il lias l»ut a single liiuod in a seasuii, but at the South
it is said to have three.

Tlie lli^ht of this \Varli]«'r is short, and exliihits uuduhitinj^ curves of «ir"at
eleu^anee. Its sonj^ is descrihed as mo?h)tonous, cousistinu niertdy of contin-
uous and trenudous sounds. Mr. Auduhon fotmd none lu'Voud New Jiruns-
wick, and it lias never been found in Nova Scotia so fur as I am aware.

Both old and youn^ liirds remain in Massachusetts until late in October,
and occasionally l»irds are seen as far to the north as Philadelphia in mid-
winter. At this season they abound in the ])ine forests of the Southern States,
Mherc tlifv are at that time the mo.st numerous of the Warblers, and where
some are to be found throu^diout the vear.

In the summer their food consists of the larva* and e^Ljs of certain kinds
of insects. In the autumn they frecjuent the Southern gardens, feeding' on
the berries (^f the cornel, the box ^rape, and other small fruit. Mr. Xuttall
states that their song is deficient both in compass and in variety, though not
disagreeable. At times, he states, it ap])roaches the simpler trills of the
canary; but is usually a reverberating, gently rising or murmuring sound like
cr-i'-r'r I'r r-{ih, or in the sju'ingtime like fin' tire-ti'' tu- td'-fir tv.\ and some-
times like fsh-fsh-tsh-tir-fir-ttr-tir, exhiliitiug a pleasing variety in its ca-
dences. The note of the female is not unlike that of the Black and White
Cree}>er.

On the 7th of June, Mr. Xuttall discovered a nest of this Warbler in a A"ir-
ginia juniju'r-tree in Mount Aul»urn, some h)rty feet from the ground, and
lirndy Hxed in the upright twigs of a close branch. It was a thin but very
neat structure. Its principal material was the idd and wiry stejus of the
Polygonum tcnvc, or knot- weed. These were circularly interlaced and inter-
wound with rough linty til)res of asclepias and caterpillai-s' webs. It was
lined with a few bristles, slender root-fibres, a mat of the ilown of fern-stalks,
and a few feathers. Mr. Xuttall saw several of these nests, all made in a
similar manner. The eggs in the nest described were four, and far advanced
towards hatching. They were white, with a slight tinge of green, and were
freely sprinkled with small pale-brown spots, most numerous at the larger
end, where they were aggregated on a more purplish ground. The female
made some slight com])laint, but immediately returned to the nest, though
two of the eggs had 'oeen taken.

Mr. Xuttall ke])t a male of this s])ecies in confinement. Tt at once be-
came veiy tame, fed gratefully fnun the hand, from the moment it was
caught, on flies, small earthworms, and minced flesh, and would sit con-
tentcilly on any hand, walking directly into a dish of water offered for drink,
without any precautions, or any signs of fear.

Mr. J. G. Shute found a nest of these Warblers in Wolnirn as earlv as
May 8. It contained four eggs, the incubation of which had commenced.
Three other nests were also found bv him in the same localitv, all of them

SVLVICOLID-H-THK WAUHLKIIS. 271

Itetwocii tlio Stlt and tlic L'4tli nt Ma\,an(l all Imilt on branches of the \vi\
pine ami laar tia t(»j». Several nt-.sts of tiiis WarMor, found in Lynn, Ma^s.,
1)\ Mr. (iuoruu ( ). Wclcli, are alike in their niude of construetinn, and differ
in their materials fr(.ni nt her accounts. Tliey are all somewhat loosidy put
to^ivther, and are eoiupnsed externally of Mne strips of the hark of the red
;,'edar, Hue inner hark of several deeiduous trees, dry stalks t}[' ]»lants, the
exnvia- of inserts, and Hne dry lirasses. The cavities of these nests, which
are eomi-aratively larire and deep, were lined with the fur of the smaller
mammals, the silky down «»f i»lants, and feathers. A few tine wiry root.s
were also intermingled. These nests are ahout two and a half inches in
hei;;ht and thrt;e in diameter.

The e.ugs of this Warlderare of a rounded oval sha])e, have an averau(»
lenuth of .72 of an inch, and a hreadth of .."».■). Thev re.sendde in size and iiyi-
]iearance the eu-s of the /). rn.stama, but the spots are more numerous, and the
blotches larger and more uencrallv distributed. The ground-color is a bluish-
white. Scattered o\er this are sulxlued tintini^^s of a tine delicate shade of
purph', and upon this are distributed dots antl blotches of a dark purplish-
brown, miu'detl with a few lines ahuost Hack.

Dendroica montana, 1>aiki).

BLUE MOUNTAIN WABBLES.

Sylvif mont'inf, \\\\>. Am. Oin. V, ISVJ, 113, |>1. xliv, tk'. 2 i" Blue Mountains of IVnn-
sylviinia"). — Am. Oin. r>i«>u'. V, -5U ("M'aliioinia " I) SiiJcimla mniifnio, ,Iai;i>. ;
All), liinls Am. li, 1^41. •■;•, pi. .\( viii. {'■mfi-i'ir'i „iii,if>f,tii, Baiiii*, Binls N. Am.
1858, 27J» : 1{»'\ . li»o. Sj/lci,/ tujfiixi, Vikill. Ois. Am. J^ept. 11, 1»07, 34, pi. xiiv
(U. S. and St. Dumiugo).

Sp. Cfiai;. 'V\{\!i s])('c!i-s istltiir ini-lic'^ aii<l three ipiartors in lonurth; tlie upper ])arts a ricli
yellow-olive; front, iliccks. and chin yellow. i\\^o the sides of the neck: lireast and l»elly pale
yellow, streaked with l)lai-k (H* (hxky : vent plain {>ale yellow. Winirs Itlaek ; Hrst and .**eeojiil
rows of coverts broadly tip{»t'd with pale yellowish-white: tertials the same: the rest of
the quills edired with whiti.<li. Tail Iilack, liand.^onitdy rounded, edired with pale olive;
the two exteiior feathers on each side white en the* inner vanes from the middle to the
tips, and edirt-d on the outer side with white. Bill dark brown. Legs and fi'et purple-
brown : soles yell<)\v. Eye daik iiazel. (Wilson.)

H.\n. '• lilue Mountains of Viririnia." St. Dominuo?

This species is only known from the descri[»tion of Wilson, Vieillot, and
Autlubon, and wa are not aware that a specimen is to be found in any collec-
tion. If descriljed correctly, it appears ditlerent from any established species,
although the most nearly related to D. piiui!<, which, however, differs in the
absence of a yellow frontlet, in havini^ a oreener back, less distinct streaks
beneath, and in the white of the anal reoion.

Habits. Whether the lUue Mountain Warbler is a genuine species or an
tinfamiliar plumage of a bird better known to us in a different dress is u

272 NORTH AMERKWN MIRDS.

nupstion not altoj^otlicr sfttlctl tn tlic iniiids of snino. It was (lescrilx'd bv
\Vils«ni tVnm ;i siiinlr spcciiiH'ii olttaiiit'il near tin* \\\\w liiduc ut" Vir<Miiia.
AiuIuImih t"(>un«l anntlitT in tlic (Millet tinii of the ZnoIoLjical Snciety. Fi<;iii
this he made his drawing,'. A third has also heoii met witli and desciihed l»v
VieiUot. We know notiiiiiu in ivnrm,! to its habits, except that its son^' is said
to 1)0 a single stnrp, thret' or four times rejieated. Its breeding-habits, its
mannor of minration, anu the i»iace of its more abundant occurrence, vet
remain entirely unknown.

Dendroica kirtlandi, Baird.

KIBTLAND'S WABBLEB.

Si/lrirofn kirtlnnrli, li.\ii:i». Aim. X. V, Lvf. V, .Tiiiic, 1S.'.2, *217, pi. vi (flovt'land, Oliio^.
-Cassin, Illu.si, I, l>."»j, 1.78. pi. .\lvii. I'-udroicu kirthnnli, lUnti), liinls X. Am.
18:.8, 28tJ ; K.'v. -Jo*;.

Sp. CuAK. .\1iove sl;ite-l»liu\ the leathers of the ciowii with a narrow, those of the
mi<l'll*' ot" the haek with a l»roa<ler. streak of Mack : a narrow frontlet involviiiir the lores,
the anterior end of the eye. and the space heneath it (jiossildy the whole anrieiilars), black ;
the rest of the eyelids white. The niidcr [>arts are dear yellow (almost white on the
UM<ler tail-eoverts) : the breast with small spots and sides of the body with .short streaks
of black. The <rreater and middle winj^-co verts, (piills, and tail-feathers are edged with
dull whitish. The two outer tail-feathers have a dull white sjiot near the end of the iiuier
web, largest on the fn-st. Length..')..'))); wing. 'J.S(l; tail. "J.Tn. (4.30;}.)

IIab. Northern Ohio, and Jiahamas.

In addition to the tyj)e which is in the collection of the Smithsonian In-
stitution, a .second specimen was obtained by I)r. Samuel Cabot, of Boston,
taken at sea between the islands of Abaco and Cuba. It must, however, be
considered as one of tlie rarest of .Vmerican birds.

Habits. Kirtland's Warbler is so far known by only a few rare speci-
mens as a bird of North America, and its biuL,'r.ii>hy is utterly unknown.
The fir.st specimen of this s])eci^^s, so tar as is known, was obtained by Dr.
Jared I*. Kirtland, of Cleveland, ()., in ]\Iay, ISol. It was .shot by that nat-
uralist in woods near that city, and was by him j^iven to Professor Baird, who
described it in the Annals of the New York Lyceum. It appears to be
closely allied to l)oth the rf.romnata and D. <unhih<mi, and yet to be a .spe-
oificallv distinct bird. A second s]»ecinien, in the cabinet of Dr. Sanuiel
Cabot, Jr., of l*.oston, was obtained at sea, between the islands of Cidia and
Abaco. A third .s])ecimen was obtained June •.>, 18»)0, near Cleveland, and
is in the collection of Mr. If. K. Winslow, of that city. Another specimen
is also reported as havini; been obtained in the same neig^hborhood, but not
preserved; and Dr. Hoy, of IJacine, Wis., is contident that he has seen it in
the neighborhood of that jJace. At present all that we can j^ive in regard
to its history, habits, or distribution must be inferred from these few and
meajj^re facts.

SYLVICOLID.E — Til!': WAUBLEUS. 273

Dendroica palmarum, r.viKn.

YELLOW RED-POLL WABBLEB.

Mntarilhi fxtlmnnan, Omf.l. Syst. Nat. I, 178S, 9r»l (basnl on Palm WaiMcr, Latham, Syn.
II, [». 4l>8, no. lyi, St. I>oiiiingo». StfU-i't />. Lath. ; Vikim-ot, II, pi. Ixxiii. -- Ii»>N. ;
I)"Oi:n. Sa<,'ra's Culia, Ois. 1M4<», HI, \A. \"n. Siffricola p. Sai,LF% 1*. /. S. Ih.')?, 231
(St. Doinin^'M). l>',„lrou'u p. Maikd, Hinis .s Am. IS.'.S, 288 ; Kcv. 2o7. — SrLATKi:,
Catal. ls»;i, :{:5, j,,,. i<ii», - lu. l». Z. S. I8tii, "1 i.Ianiai.a ; Ainil). Hi:yant, Tr.
Ilost.Sor. VM, ls:»lMr>aliaiaas). - In. 1>«»7, !»1 (HaytiK lii:K\VF.i;, I'r. liost. Soc 1S<;7,
139. -<JrNl.LA(il, Cal). Jour. I8t;i, :{•_>*> (Cuba; very romuion). — Samiki.s, 24<».
Sijlria })rhrlnn, WiL.s. VI, pi. x.wiii, tij;. 4. — lioN. ; Nrrr. ; Aid. Orn. Hioj;. II,
pi. clxiii, ilxiv. Si/fn'riifii j)ifcc/iiii. Swains.; Aid. WmU An». II, pi. xc Sijlvieola
rtifrnpHlii, Hon. RhinKOijJius rtif. Cab. Jour. Ill, !>;'>."», 47'M('ulta ; winter).

Sp. CiTAR. Adult hi spring. Head abov«> chestnut-red: rest of upper parts Imnviiish
olive-jrray ; the ffatheiN with darker et-ntres, the color briirhteiiing on the rump, upper
tail-coverts, and outer niap.nns of winirund tail-f»'atheis. to irreenish-vellow. A streak honi
nostrils over the eve, and under paits g^eneialiy, ineliidiuir the tail-coverts, l>ri<j:ht yellow ;
paler on the body. A inaxiiiaiy liu'S l»reast and siiles linely but rather obsoletely streaked
Avith reddish-brown. Cheeks brownish (in hiirhest s[)ring plumage <-hestnnt like the head) ;
the eyelids and a spot under the eye olive-brown. Lores dusky. A white spot on the
inner web of the outer two tail-feathers, at the end. Length, 5 inches; wing, 2.4*J ; t.iil,
2.25. Sexes nearly alike.

Autunmal males an^ nu)re red<lish above ; under parts tinged with brown, the axillars
yellow.

Had. Eastern Province of North America to Fort Simpson and Hudson's Bay ; Ba-
hamas, Jamaica, Cuba, and St. Domingo in Avintcr. Not noted from Mexico or Central
America.

This species varies mnsidcraMy in diftVrent staojcs, hut can generally be
recoujnized. Tmniatuiv s|K'ciiiU'ns resemlde tliose of P. tiyrinn, but differ in
the chestnut crown, browner back, less bri.^lit rump, brisrhter yellow of under
tail-coverts, smaller ]»lotclies on tail, no white bands on the wings, etc., as
well as in tlie shape of the bill.

Habits. The IJed-P(dl Warbler belongs, in its geograpliical distribution,
to that large class of birds which visit high northern latitudes to breed, pass-
ing bacK: and forth over a wide extent of territory, from the West India
Islands to the extreme northern ]»ortions of the continent. Specimens have
been procured from Cuha, Jamaica, St. Domingo, and the P)ahamas, in fall,
winter, and spring, where, at such times, they seem to be genemlly quite
common. It has not been observed in Mexico or in Central or South
America. It has been met with on the western shore of Lake Michigan,
but nowhere fartlier to the Avest. It has been found in the IJed RiAer Settle-
ment, Fort CJeorge, Fort Simpson, and Fort Iiesolution, in the Hudson Bay
Ten'itory. It is not knoAvn, so far as I am aware, to breed south of latitude
44°. Wilson and Xuttall both state that this bird remains in Pennsylvania
through the summer, but they were probably misinformed ; at least, there
is no recent evidence to this effect. Wilson also states that he shot speci-

3&

274 NOUTII AMKIJICAX JilflDS.

mens in rreorfrin. near Savaniiali, early in Felnnary, and infers tliat sonio pass
the entire winter in (Jeor^ia, which is not inij»rohahle, as tliis hird can emhno
severe weatlier without any apitarent inconvenienee.

There are several niarketl ])e(*uliarities in the hahits (tf this "Warhler which
(listiniiuish it t'roni everv other (•!' its ''enus. Alone of all the Ihniln)irn\ so
far as is known, it huihls its nest on the i^round.and istjuite terrestrial in its
habits, and, notwithstandinii the statements of earlier writers, these are<|uite
different fr(»ni all others of this «^enus. It has very little of the habits of the
Creeper and still less of the Flycatcher, while it has all the manners of the
true (Iround Warbler, and even a]>]m).\imates, in this res])ect, to the Titlarks.

My attention was first called to these j)eculiarities by Mr. Downes of
Halifax, in the sunnner of isr»l ; and I was surj>rised to tind it nestini: on the
ground, and yet more to note that in all its movements it apj)eared fully as
terrestrial as the Maryland Yellow-Throat, or the Towhee Finch. Since then
Mr. r>oardman aiid other naturalists have found its nest, which is alwavs on
the ground.

Mr. MacCulloch, in the fourth volume of the Journal of the Boston
Natural History Society, has given an interesting ]>a]>er upon the terrestrial
peculiarities of this species, showing them to be nearly identical with those
of the sciuri, with whom he thinks it should be classed. In its terrestrial
movements this bird is shown to be (juite at home, while oth(*r AVarblers,
when driven by necessity to feed upon the ground, are awkward, and mani-
fest a want of adaptation.

Dr. Henry Brvant, another verv close and accurate observer, in his notes
on the birds of the I»ahamas, referring to this AVarbler, speaks of it as ex-
tremely abundant, but contined to the sea-.sliore. "Its habits," he adds,
apparently with some surprise, " are decidedly terrestrial, an<l it approaches,
in this respect, to the Titlarks. They were constantly running along the
edges of the road, or else ho])ping amongst the low branches in the pastures.
I did not see a sin«de indiviilual seeking for food amidst the large trees.
Those birds could be constantly seen running up and down in the market in
search of small flies. These thev cau«>ht either on the ground or else bv
hopping up a few inches, scarcely opening the wings, and alighting directly."

Mr. J. A. Allen, in his Uirds observed in Western ^hissachusetts, shows
that these peculiarities of lial)its in this Warbler had not esca])ed his notice.
He speaks of it as " frequenting, in company with i>. jnnns, the edges of
thickets, orchards, and open fields, o/id i'm much on the ground''

Mr. George A. Boardman, writing me from St. Stephen, March, 1807, says :
" The Yellow Iled-Poll is one of our most common Warblers, and, unlike
most other Warblers, spends nnich of its time feeding nj)on the ground. It
is no uncommon thing to see a dozen or two on the ground in my garden at
a time, in early spring. Later in the season they have more of the habits of
other Warblers, and are in sumnn^r expert flycatchers. In the fall we again
see them mostly u}K)n the ground, feeding with the l>lue Snowbirds {Junco

SVIAR'OLID.l-: Tlll^ WAUULEIIS. 275

h//aiiK/is)iiiu\ the ('liii»|»in,i; S]taiTi»\v. Tliev \*ivvi\ in old l>nisliy i»astuivs,uii(l
very early, iR'stinj; aluiij^'sidu of some little knoll, and, I think, always upon
the ground. The lu.st is very wannly lined with feathers.'

Mr. Mac('ull(»;h, in the paper already referred tt», states that dnrinj^' their
autumnal mi-jratinns they seem invariahlv to exhiitit the hahits of true St//-
ciroliihr, j^leaniui,' anions hranehes n)[ trt-es for the smaller insects, and not
unfretpuntly \isitin^ the windows of dwellinj^s in search of spiders and
insects.

In their migrations throu di Massachusetts these Warl tiers are everywhere
(juite ahundant in the spring, l)ut in their return in autumn are not ohserved
in the eastern part of th<' State, thoiii^h very common in the western from
September into \uv»'mher, remaining h)ng after all the other Warhlers are
gone. Xont' remain during the summer.

In Western Maine, Mr. Verrill states, it is ((uite common both in spring
and in fall, arriving in A]>ril, carlii'r than any other Warbler, and again
becoming al>und.int the last of Septend>er.

I found it {.Icntiful in the vicinity of Halifax, where it occurs throughout
the sunnuer from May to Sej)tember.

Mr. l;idgway gives this species as ]>erhaps the most numerous of the tran-
sient visitants, in sjuing ami fall, in S.uithern Illinois. It is very terrestrial
in its haltits, keei)ing much on the ground, in orchards and open jdaees, and
its movements are said to be wonderfully like those of AittJmx Indovicianus.

In the viliratdry motions of its tail, especially when upon the ground,
these birds greatly rcsemlde the Wagtails of Europe. They have no other
song than a few simple and feeble notes, so thin and weak that they might
almost be mistaken for the sounds made by the common grasshopper.

The Ked-roU usually selects for the site of its nest the edge of a swampy
thicket, more ov less o])en, ]dacing it invarialdy ui)on the ground. This is
usually not large, about three and a half inches in diameter and two and
a half in dejtth the diameter and depth of the cavity each averaging only
half an inch less. The walls are compactly and elaborately constructed
of an interweaving of various tine materials, chietly fine dry grasses, slender
strips of bark, stems of the smaller ]dants, hypnuni, and other mosses.
Within, the nest is warndy and softly lined with down and feathers.

^Ir. Ivennicott met with a nest of this bird at F(n-t liesolution, June 18.
It was on the ground, on a hummoc^k, at the foot of a small spruce, in a
swamp. When found, it contained five young birds.

Their eggs are of a rountled-oval shape, and measure .70 of an inch in
length by .;").'» in breadth. Their ground-color is a yellowish or creamy-
white, and their blotches, chietly about the larger end, are a blending of
purple, lilac, and reddish-brown.

276 NORTH AMKKKAX UIltDS.

Dendroica discolor, Baiud.

PBAIBIE WABBLEB.

Sijhiii discohtr, ViF.iM.. Ois. Am. Stpt. II, 18U7, 37, ]>1. xcviii Box.; Ari). Orn. lUog.
I, j! viv ; Nrir. Lkmhkvi:, Aves Cuba, IS'iO, 32, \A. vi, lig. 2. Siflrimh lUtcofar^
J.vi:i>. ; Ki< II. ; r><»\. : .\t i». Hird.s Am. il, pi. xrvii. —Gos.sk, Birds .lam. lf<4i, 1M>.
Ji/iiiiiiiii/i/nr. liiM-n/nr, « Ai!. .lour. Ml, l*i5, 474(rul)ii; wiiitti). Ihndiuticn discolor,
B.\ii:i», lintls N. Am. 1n.^>N •_".»0 ; It.'V. 2l:{. — Niavion, Ibis, l.s-,!», U4 (St. Croix).—
r.KV.v.- r, Tr. B..-,t. Sue. VII, 1>.'.1» ( Bahaiua.s). - In. LS(it) (I'uit.t Bi.o) ; lbtJ7, 1»1
(IIa;,ti). — CiNhi A< n, Ca}). .lour. iMil. ;52t» (Cuba; wry com mon). — S A.Mr Ei..s, 241.
a-jtcia luiuutK, WiLsoN, 111, jtl. XXV. tig. 4.

Rr. CiiAit. Spriiif/ lunJe. Abovr uiiironn olivo-^'rcon ; tho intor.^cajmlar rcjrion with
che>t!iut-i«'<l «'eiitii'^ to featluTs. I'ikI- r parts and sides of the head, iiuliidiiii,' a broad
sujHMvihary hue from tlie nostrils to a liitU- btiiind the eye, britrht yellow. I»rii:htest an-
teriorly. A well-defuKMl narrow stripe frt)in the eomniissiire of the month through the
eye, and another from the same ])oint ein\ ing p-ntly below it, also a series of streaks on
'aeh side of tlu" bod , , extending from the throat to the ilank.s, black. Quills and tail-
fe.ithers brown, edged with white; the terminal half of tiu' inner welt of the lirst and
seeond tail-feathers white. Two yellowish bands on the wintrs. Femafe similar, but
duller. The dorsal streaks indislinet. Length, 4.8G ; wing, 2.25; tail, 2.10.

First plumage of the young not seen.

Had. Atlantiir region of United States, north to Massa<lmsetts ; South Illinois ; in
winter very al)undant throughout all the West India Islands, as fur, at least, as tlie Virjjin
Islands. Not reeorded from Mexico or Central Amerie;u

Aiituinnal .specimens liave the ]»liimai;e more Mended, hut the marl<in<:^s
not changed. A young male in autumnal dress is wholly hrownish olive-
green ahove, the whole wing unit'orm ; tlie forehead ashy, the markings ahout
the head rather ohsolete, the chestnut spots on the hack and the hlack ones
on tlie sides nearly concealed.

Habits. The I*rairie AVarhler, nowhere an al)un('ant species, is jn-etty
generally, though somewhat irregidarly, disuibuted tlirough the eastern por-
tion of the United States from ^lassachusetts to Georgia during its hreeding-
seas(m. Tlie Smithsonian Museum embraces no .s]>ecimens taken west of
rhiladeli)liia or Washington. T have had its nest and eggs foinid in
Central New York. Mr. Audubon speaks of its occurring in Louisiana, but
his accounts of its nesting are so obviously inaccurate that we must receive
this statement also with misgivings. AVilson, however, obtained sj)eciniens
in Kentucky, and gave to it the ina])propriate name of Prairie Warbler.
Xuttall regarded it as I'are in New England, which opinion more carefid
observations do not confirm. They certainly are not rare in certain i)ortions
of Mas.sachusetts. In Essex County, and, according to Mr. Allen, in the
vicinity of Springfield, they are rather common. The Smithsonian possesses
specimens from the Bahamas, Jamaica, St. Croix, St. Thomius, and other West
India islands. Dr. Cundlach speaks of it as common in Cuba. In the
Bahamas, Dr. Bryant i'ound these Warblers more al)undant than he had ever
known them in the United States. In January all the males were in winter

SVI.Viv:')LID.E-TIIE WAUUKKKS. 277

])lunia;^'i', H(nm» iiu( luiviiij,' fluiu'^cd l>y Ainil U) their suniiiicr cnstiinir. He
rej^arduil tlieiii us eoiistaiit residents of those ishiiaLs. They hud all paireil
oil' l>y the iiiiddh' of April.

In tlic ishiiul of St. ( 'roi.x, Mr. Kdward Xewton ohserved these Warl>U*rs from
ihe inth of Scptmihi'r to the L'7tli of Mareli. They were jni'sent on the ishmd
ahoiit two tliirds nf the vear, and while thev were found were very common.

In Jamaica, aeeordinu; to Mr. March, they are numerous throu^diout the
entin; year, though less almndant durin<j; the summer months. Tliey were
always plentiful in the ^aniens about the M<tfj)ijlii(i tjlubro, capturing small
insects from the ripe fruit.

Mr. Closse, on the contrary, reizarded it as only a winter yisitant of that
island, ap]K'arin;4 l»y the ISth of August, and disappearing by the 1 Ith of
April. He observed them among low bushes and herbaceous weeds, al«»ng
the roadside, near the ground, examining every stalk and twig for insects.
Others ilew from bushes by tlie wayside to the middle of the road, where,
hovering in the air, a few feet frcjm the ground, they seemed to be catching
small dij»terous insects. Their stomachs were fdled with fragments of insects.

Wilson found them usually in open ])lains and thinly wooded tmcts, seaich-
ing most leisurely among the foliage, carefully examining every leaf or blade
of grass for insects, uttering, at short intervals, a brief vhirr. They did not
a])poar to be easily alarmed, and he has known one of these birds to remain
half an hour at (i time on the lower branch of a tree, and allow him to ap-
proach the foot, without being in the least disturbed. He found their food
consisted of winged insects and small cateri)illars.

In 1808, Mr. John C'assin wrote me : " The Prairie Warbler certainly
breeds in New Jersey, near riiiladelphia. I have seen it all summer for the
last twelve years, and have seen the young just able to lly, but never f«jund
the nest. It has a very peculiar note, which 1 know as well as I do the Cat-
bird's, having often followed and searched it out. It frequents cedar-trees,
and I suspect breeds in and about them."

Dr. Cones found the Prairie Warbler mostly a siirimj: find autumn visitant
in the vicinity of Washington, being (juite abundant during those seasons.
A few were observed to remain during the breed inj^^-season. They arrive
earlier than most of this family of birds, or al)out the 20lh of April. He
found them frequenting, almost exclusively, cedar-])atches and pine-trees, and
sjHjaks of their having yery peculiar manners and notes.

Both Wilson and Audubon were evidently at fault in their descripti(»ns of
the nest and eggs. These do ntit correspond with more lecent and positive
observations. Its nest is never pensile. ^I't. Xuttall's descriptions, on the
other hand, are made from his own observations, and are evidently coiTect.
He describes a nest that came under his obse|v ation as scarcely distinguish-
able from that of the D. a:stiva. It was not pensile, but fixed in a forked
branch, and formed of strips of the inner bark of the red cedar, fibres of ascle-
pia, and caterpillars' silk, and thickly lined with the down of the GnapJialium

278 NOUTII AMEKR'AN lUnDS.

pl(infii(iinriim. He describes tlie ejjfj^s as luiviiijr a white ground, sliar]) at one
end, and marked witli sjK)ts of lilae-i)ur})le and of two shades nf brown,
more numerous at the hirger end, wliere they formed a ring. He s])eaks of
their note as slender, and noticed tlieir arrival about the second week of
May, leaving the middle of Heptendjer.

At another time Mr. Nuttall was attracted bv the slender, filiuLT notes of
this bird, resembling the suppressed syllables 'tf<h-tf>]i-tsh-ts}u'n, beginning
low and gradually growing louder. ^Vith its mate it was busily engaged
collecting tlies and larva.' about a clump of locust-trees in Blount Auburn.
Their nest was near, and the female, without any jtrecautions, went directly
to it. Mr. Xuttall removed two eggs, which he afterwards rejJaced. E '>•
time, on his withdrawal, she returned to the nest, and resorted to no expedi-
ents to entice him awav.

Several nests of this AVaibler have been obtained bv Mr. Welch in Lynn.
One was built on a wild rose, only a few feet from the ground. It is a snug,
compact, and elaborately woven structure, having a height and a diameter of
about two and a half inches. The cavity is two inches wide and one and a
half deep. The materials of which the (»uter })arts are woven are chiefly the
soft inner bark of small shrubs, mingled with dry rose-leaves, bits of vege-
tables, wood, wot)dy til)res, decayed stems of ])lant.«, spiders' webs, etc. The
whole is bound together like a web bv cotton-like fibres of a vegetable ori-
gin. The upper rim of this nest is a marked feature, being a strongly inter-
laced weaving of vegetable roots and strips of bark. The lining of the nest
is composed of fine vegetable fibres and a few horse-hairs. This nest, in its
general mode of construction, resembles all that I have seen ; only in others
the materials vary, — in some dead and decayed leaves, in others renuuns
of old cocoons, and in others the pa]>pus of composite plants, being more
prominent than the fine strips of bark. The nests are usually within four
feet of the ground. The eggs vary fron> three to five, and even si.\.

The late Dr. Gerhardt found this bird the most conunon Warbler in Nor-
thern Georgia. There its nests were similar in size, structure, and i)osition,
but differed more or less in the niaterials of which they were made. The
nests were a trifle larger and the walls thinner, the cavities being corresi)ond-
ingly larger. The materials were more invariably fine strips of inner bark
and flax-like vegetable fibres, and were lined with the finest stems of jdants,
in one case witii the feathers of the (Jreat Horned Owl. Hi that neighbor-
hood the eggs were deposited by the loth of ]May.

In Massachusetts the Prairie Warbler invariably selects wild pasture-land,
often not far from villages, and always open or very thinly wooded. In
Georgia their nests were built in almost every kind of l)ush or low tree, or
on the lower limbs of post-oaks, at the height of from four to seven feet.
Eggs were found once as early as the 2d of May, and once as late as the 10th
of June. The birds arrived there by the lUtli of April, and seemed to
prefer hillsides, but were found in almost any open locality.

SVLVICOLID.E- THE WAIinLKRS.

270

In Soiithfrii Illinois, Mr. l{i(l.«:\vay <*itos this species as a vatlier ran^ l.ird
anions the oak l.anviis wliere it breeds. He also met with it in orchards in
tin- WModi'd i»(»rtions, in Ai»nl, during the northward migration of the Ny/"

The eggs are of an oval shape, ]>ointed at one end, and measure .08 ])y .48
of an inch. They have a white grountl, marked with spots of lilac aud pur-
l)le aud two shades of umber-brown.

Subfamily GEOTHLYPINJE.

Section SEIURE^.

The diagnosis of the subfirmily w.ii be found on page 178. The Sdurcfr,
as there stated, have the wings ])ointed, and ratlier longer than the nearly
even tail, which is uns])otted. The genera diller in proportion rather than
absolutely. Oporurnis having longer wings and larger claws. The coloration,
however, is alwavs distinctive, as follows : —

Under part white or whitish, thiekly streaked
Beneath yellow, without spots

Seiurua.
Oporoniis.

Genus SEIURUS, Sw.mnson.

Scii(ru.% SwAiNsoN, Zoiil. Jour. Ill, lbi»7, 171. (Sufficiently distinct (roin Sciurm.) (Tyito,

Motiiiilht auwoip.Ud, L. )
//f»Av)f/(7(Af, (JiiAY, List of Genera, 1840.

Gkn. Ch.m:. IJill rather sylvitoliiie, eonipressed, with a distinct notch. Gonys ascend-
ing. Rii-tal bristles very short. Wings moderate, about three quarters of an inch longer
than the tail: lirst (pjill seareoly shorter than the
secH)nd. Tail sliirlitly rounded : feathers acumi-
nate. Tarsi ahout as louir as the skull, con-
siderably exeeedinf; the middle toe. Under
tail-coverts reaehiii!^'- within about half an inch
of the end of the tail. Color above olivaceous ;
beneath whitish, tliirkly streakeil (n tiie breast
and sides. \Vinj,'s and tail innuaeulate. Xests
on the j^round, often arched or shelt M-ed by posi-
tion or dry leaves. Eirus white, marked with
red, brown, aud purple.

iStiurus aurocapilhis.

This genus is decidedly sylvieoline in general a]ipeamnce, although the
spots on the l»reast resemble somewhat those of the Thrushes. The three
species may be grouj)ed as follows : —

A. Middle of crown brown ish-oranii-e. bordered l)y blackish. Xo whit<; super-
ciliary streak ........... ^V. aui'ocapillus.

280

N( >IiTH AMERK'AN BlUDS.

I, Crown liko the l»a<-k. A \vell-(lellno(l siiporoiliary light stripo.

Thickly streaked ]>eiicath, including crissuni. Ground-color and suporriliary
stripe yellowish. IJill small ....... »S'. norehoracensis.

Sparsely streak'-d heneath ; thnwt and orissum inunaculate. Ground-color
and superciliary stripe wiiile. JJill very laige . . . . iS. ludoviciauus.

Seiurus aurocapillus, Swaixs.

OOLDEH-CBOWNBD THBU8H.

MotnciUn avrncapiUa, Linn. S. N. I, 1766, 334. Turduft nnr. Lath. ; "NVils. Am. Orn.
II, pi. xiv, tig. 2. — Aid. Orn. Biog. II, i>l, cxliii. Si/fviti (rur. 1»on. ^'riiirus mtr.
SwAiNsoN, Zool. Jour. Ill, 1S27, 171. — IJaikd, Bmls X. Am. 1858, 260 ; Kcv. 214.
— MooiiK, P. Z. S. 1859, 5a (Honduras). — Max. Cah. Jour. 1858, 177. — Jonks, Nat.
B«'rinuda, 27. IlenicoiieJila aur. ScLATEit, Catal. 1861, 25, no. 159. — (tiNDLAcn,
Cal». Jour. 1861, 326 (Cuba). Seiurus anr. D'Onu. Sagra's Cuba, 1840, 5.5. — Dall k
Bannistku, Tr. Chic. Ac. I, 1869, 278 (Alaska). — Samtels, 218. Tunlus coronatus,
ViKiLL. Ois. II. 1807, 8.

Dtlu'r localities <|Uoted : Confnvx, Sci.ATF.n, P. Z. S. 1856, 293. .S7. Dorniur/n, Sali.k, P. Z. S.
1857, 231. Guiifoiiald, Sclatkk ^ Salvin, Ibis, I, 1859, 10. Saittn Cruz (winter),
Nkwton, Ibis, 1859, 142. Cnhx (winter). Cab. Jour. Ill, 471. Jaiuaica, Gosse,
Birds, 152. — Sclatec, P. Z. S. 1861, 70. Cosfu Uioi, Cab. Jour. 1861, 84. Orizaba
(winter), SrMiciiKAsr. Yiicdtan, Lawk. Chiriqui, Salv.

Sp. Char. Above uniforni olivo-green, with a tinge of yellow. Crown with two nar-
row streaks of black from the bill, enclosing a median and nuich broader one of brownish-
orange. Beneath white; the breast, sides oftlie body, and a maxillary line, streaked with
black. The female and young of the year are not appreciably diflerent. Length, G.OO ;
wing, 3.00 ; tail. 2.40.

Had, Eastern Province of North America, north to English River, H. B. T., and Alas-
ka; west to mouth of Platte, and Denver City, Colorado; Ma/.atlan ; whole West Indies;
Eastern Mexico; Honduras, Guatemala, and Costa Rica; Bermuda in autumn and winter
(Jones).

Habits. The Golden-crowned Thrush, or Oven-Bird, as in some portions

of tlie country it is exclusively called,
inliahits the whole of eastern Nortli
America, as far to the west as the Great
I'iains, and to the north at least as far
as English Eiver. In the winter season
it has been found in Mexico, St. Domin-
go, Jamaica, Cuba, and other West India
islands, and in Central America is also
very common. Mr. Sumichrast also
speaks of it as common at Orizaba
during the same season, and it has been
found in the Bermudas and tlie Bahamas.
In all tliese places it usually appears early in the autumn and remains until
tlie ensuing spring. It breeds as Ikr to the north as it has been known to go.
Iiicluirdson met with its nest on the banks of the Saskatchew^an, and was

Seiurus aurocapillus.

SVLVIC(.)LII).E — THE WARP.LKRS. 2Sl

ronviiiccd that it brod at even still lii<,diei latitudes. Amonrj aouut mcinn-
runda I rt'cuivt'd from the lat(^ ^Ir. Kennicott is one stating- that ho met
with this Thrush breedini^ near En.ulish Iliver, duly 1'). These birds arrives
in the fur country about the fii-st of May. How far to tlni south they breed
we have no iiositive information. I have never received its egj^s from any
])oint soutli of Philadelphia, nor did I ever meet with it or hear its notes
in sunmier in the vicinitv of Washinujton. Audulv»n was of the opinif»n
that a few remain to breed even in Louisiana, and states that he found them
abundant in Texas in x]w middle of ^lay, but he may have confounded this
specitvs with tlie Louisiana Thrush.

In Jamaica, wliere its hal)its have been carefully studied by Mr. Gosse, it
arrives in Scptemljer and leaves about the 20tli of April. Mr. Wurdemann
obtained s]iecimens at Cape Florida, September 24 and 25. Mr. Audubon
mentions their a]>])earinjj: in Louisiana as early as the first of March. Wilson
never noticed it in Louisiana before the last of April, nor after September.
The Smithsonian possesses no specinu^n obtained earlier than ]\Iay 1, except
some procured April 2r> from the mouth of Platte Uiver. Mr. Allen notes
its arrival in Western ^Fassachusetts ^Liy 10. Mr. Verrill gives the early
part of May as tlie time of its reaching Western Maine, and Mr. Boardman
May 1 for the vicinity of Calais.

Though not found on the California coast, specimens of this bird have
been taken in winter near Mazatlan, Mexico, showing probably that in their
migrations thev cross the mountains of Northern ^lexico, as do the Mniotilta
raria and a few other of our Eastern species.

In Eastern ^lassachusetts it usually a])pears from the 1st to the 10th of
May, just as the first leaves of the trees are expanding, and is to be found
only in thick woods, often near their edges. Occasionally found perched on
the low lind)S of trees, it is quite terrestrial in its habits, keeps a good deal
on the ground, running about among the faUen leaves, more in the manner
of a small (quadruped than a bird. ^Ir. Audubon speaks of its frequenting
shady woods, watered by creeks and rivulets. I have found them rather
more abundant in woods upon high and dry ground, usually upon slopes of
wooded hillsides. In this respect it a])peai's to difier in a marked manner
from its near of kin, the Water Thrush (>S' noviho/ricensiJi).

This bird, and indeed all of this genus, have the peculiar vibratory mo-
tions of the tail noticed in the Wagtail of Europe, and also observed in our
own Ked-poll Warbler, and in the Titlarks. In conse<pience of these pecu-
liarities this species is known, in Jamaica, as Land Kkli(p, and the notrho-
rareiisis as the Wati'r Kiikiip. ^Ir. (iosse found in its stomach gravel,
various seeds, nmd-insects, caterpillars, and small turbinate shells.

The usual and more common song of this species is a very peculiar and
strikini' one, unlike that of anv other of our birds. It is said to somewhat
resendJe the song of the Arrcnfor niodii/arisoi' Europe. It is loud and clear,
enunciated with great rapidity, and uttered with great emphasis at its close.

3G

282 NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS.

It is ('liaracterized l)y onor^'V and power, rather tlian variety or sweetness, yet
it is not unpleasing. Aiuliibon calls it a " simple lay," and aijjain " a short
succession of simple notes," — expressions that would give one who had never
heard its son*' an altogether incorrect idea of its true character. Wilson is
still more in error when he states that this hird has no son«% hut an ener'Ttic
twitter, wlien, in fact, it has two very distinct songs, each in its way reniark-
al>le. Xuttall describes its song as " a sim])le, long, reiterated note, rising
from low to high, and shrill" ; Kichardson speaks of it as "a loud, clear, and
remarkably pleasing ditty " ; and Mr. x\llen calls it " a loud, echoing song,
heard everywhere in the deep woods." In reference to the songs of this bird,
and the injustice that has been done l)y writers to this and other species
of our birds, ^Ir. Boardman of St. Stephen has written me the following just
observations.

" ^lany of our common "Warblers, Thrushes, and other birds, have rare songs
they reserve for some extra occasions, and many of our common birds do not
get credit for half their real 2)ower of song. Once last sjning, as I was watch-
ing for some birds, I heard a new and very pretty warble, sf>metliing like
the trill of a Winter Wren, and found that it came from our common slate-
colored Snowbird {Junvo JiijcmaUs), a bird tliat I see every day that I go
to the woods, and vet these notes I had never heard before. It is the same
with the Golden-crowned Thrush. When it gets into the top of a tall tree,
its strain is so rare and lieautiful that but few know it as from that l)ird.
The same is true of the Water Thrush, and also of both Tardus j^n/lasi
and Turd us swainsoni''

The Oven-r)ird always nests on the ground, and generally constructs nests
with arched or domed roofs, with an entrance on one side, like the nuaith of
an oven, and hence its connnon name. This arched covering is not, however,
universal. For a site this species usually selects the wooded slope of a hill,
and the nests are usually sunk in the ground. When placed under the
shelter of a projecting root, or in a thick clump of bushes, the nest has no
other cover than a few loose leaves resting on, but forming no part of it.

A nest from liacine. Wis., obtained by Dr. Hoy, is a fine typical specimen
of the domed nests of this species. The roof is very perfect, and the whole
l)resents the appearance of two shallow nests united at the rim, and leaving
only a small o]iening at one side. This nest was five inches in diameter
from front to back, six inches from side to side, and four inches high. The
opening was two and a quarter inches wide, one and three (juarters high.
The cavity was two inches deep, below the brim. At the entrance the roof
recedes about an inch, obviously to allow of a freer entrance and exit from
the nest. Externally this nest is made of wood, mosses, lichens, and dry
leaves, with a few stems and broken fragments of plants. The entrance is
strongly built of stout twigs, and its upper ])ortion is composed of a strong
framework of fine twigs, roots, stems, mosses, dry plants, etc., all firmly
interwoven, and lined with liner materials of the same.

SYLVICOLID.E — THE WAUIJLEUS. 283

On the 7th of Juiu', 18r»8, I ciuiie accidentally u|n)n si nest of tliis hird
of a very ditlercnt stvle of structure. It was in a thick wood in Ilin^hani.
The nest was built in a de])ression in the j;round at tiu* foot of some low hushes,
and its to[) was coni[)letely covered by surrounding vines and wild tlowers.
It would jtrobably have escaped notice had not my dauL^diter, then a child
of four years, atteni})ted t(j i^'ather some wild Howers growing directly over
its entrance. This thished the mother, who until then had remained (luiet,
although we were standing with our feet almost upon tiie nest, and the l)ird
lluttered and tumbled about at our feet with well-feigned mauieuvres to distract
our attention. The child in great glee sought to catch it, but it eluded her
gnisp, and, running oil' like a mouse, disaj)peared. The nest contained six
eggs, was entirely open, and with no other cover than the wild plants that
clustered above it. As to its identity tliere was no doubt, as tlie parent was
afterwards snared n]>on its nest. This nest was somewhat loosely constructed
of skeleton leaves, dry slender stalks, grasses, and pine-needles, and was
lined with a few slender grasses and leaves. It had a diameter of six inches,
and was two and a half inches deei». The cup had a diameter of three and
a half inches and a depth of two, being very large for the size of the bird,
probably owing to the shape of the cavity in which it was sunk.

The nest of this l)ird seems to be a favorite place of resort for the Cow
Blackbird to deposit its e^^g. In one nest, found by !Mr. Vickary in Lynn,
no less than three eggs of these ])arasites had been ]daced.

The eggs of the Golden-crowned Thrush are subject to considerable varia-
tions. Their markings dilfer in their colors and shades, and vet more in nuni-
ber, size, and manner of distriljution. The eggs are oval in shape, one end
being but verv sliuhtlv smaller than the otlier. Their average length is .82
of an inch, and their breadth is .iyij of an inch. Their ground-color is a beau-
tiful creamy-white. They are marked, usually principally abont the larger
end, with dots and blotches, intermingled, of red, reddish-brown, lilac, darker
purple, and ferruginous. Occasionally these make a l^eantiful crown around
the larger end, leaving the rest of the surface nearly free from spots.

Seiurus noveboracensis, Xltt.

SMALL-BILLED WATER THBUSH.

MotaciUa noveboracensis, G.melin, S. N. I, 1788, 958. Sijlvia nov. Lath. ; Vif.illot, Ois.
Am. Sept. II, pi. Ixxxii. Seiurus nov. Nrxr. ; Box. ; Aud. Birds Am. Ill, pi. excix.
— Baikd, Birds X. Am. 18.j8, 261, pi. Ixxx, fig. 1; Rev. 21.5. —Max. Cab. Jour.
18r>8, 121. — Dali, .^ Bannistf-.u (AliiskiO. — Samuels, 220. Wnicociehla nov. Cab.
Schom. Guiiuui, ill. Mi]; .Tour. 1860, 324 (Co>ta Bica). — Sclateu (Tobap;o). —
GuxDLACH, Cal). Jour. 1861, 326 (Cuha). Mniolilta nov. (lUAY. n Mntucilhi fusces-
ccns, CtMELlx, S. X. *.^Si {hiist'd on Fiaduhi j'n)i'iifinsi.<i, Br»is.s(»x. Ill, 512, Jamaica).
Tu}-(lus(fqu'ificus, Wii.s. : Aid. Orn. Bios;. 1830, 284, pl. t'cotxxxiii. Si/Iriti onfltoiifrs,
ViEiLLor, Nouv. Diet. XI, 1517, 208. Seiurus ten uirostr is, Sw. 1827; Gamb. Seiurus

284 NORTH AMERICAN UniDS.

siil/urascrns, D'OiinioNY, Sa<,'ia'.s Cuba, 1S40, 57, pi. vi. Sriurns gofifu:. Box. Consp.
l^jO, 3»K> ^.laiuaifa). f Antlms Vln nuinuri, Li:s>.s. Ki-v. Z. lJ?;iS«, lol (l'olt)inltia).
Otlur loLalitiis (juotcd : Xulapa, ScLATKli. GnaUnnala, SiLAlEli & Salvin. Paiiavw,
Lawui NCE. Ciirthatjcnit, Cassix. Sduta Cruz (winter), Nkwtun, Cuht, Cab. Ju-
vmicii, (Ji)ssK. ; ScL. Venezuela, ScL. & JSalv. Yucatan, Lawk. at. Bai'tlu)lemy,
SUND. rmnjua, t>ALV,

8i'. CnAi:. Bill, {■n>rii rictu.^, about the lenirth of the skull. Above olive-brown, with a
shade ol" jrreeii ; beneath pale sulphur-yellow, brightest ou the abdomen. Region about
the basj,' of tin- lower ujandiblc, and a supereiliary line from the base of the bill to the mipe,
brownish -yellow. A dusky line from the bill through the eye; ehin and throat fmely
spotted. All the remaining under parts and sides of the bo<ly. except the abdomen, and
ineluding the under tail-coverts, conspicuously and thickly streaked with olivaceous-brown,
almost black on the breast. Length, G.15; wing, 3.12; tail, 2.40. Bill, from rictus, .04.
Sexes similar.

IIau. Eastern Province of North America, north to Arctic Ocean .ind Yukon ^vest-
Avard along northern border of United States to Cascade Mountains) ; Fort liridgcr, Dkex-
LKi:) ; Arizona (CoL'Es) ; whole West Indies ; Southeastern Mexico ; all Central America;
Panama and Eastern South America (Bogota; Carthagena; Brazil).

A very young bird (22,619, Fort Simpson, August 10) is very difterent
from the adult in coloration. The upper parts are fuliginous-black, each
feather with a broad terminal bar of pale ochraceous, wing-coverts tijjped
with the same, forming two distinct bands ; streaks below as in the adult,
but broader and less sharply defined.

Habits. This species has a general distribution, at certain seasons,
tlirougliout tlie whole of eastern North America as far to the north as the
Arctic Ocean. North of the United States it is also found on the Pacific
coast as far south as the Cascade ]Mountains. In the winter it is (^uite com-
mon in all the West India Islands, in Southeastern ]Mexico, Central America,
l*anama, and the eastern part of South America to Brazil. From about lati-
tude 43° northward it breeds throughout all North America. Sir John llich-
ardson met with it at the Carlton House, where it was found fretiuenting the
moist and tliickly wooded banks of the river. These birds made tlieir first
api)earance in ^lay, and the greater portion soon after disappeared, as if pro-
ceedint'' still fartlier north to breed.

Among other memoranda given me by the late ]\Ir. Kennicott was one
furnished him b}^ Mr. Lockhart, to the effect that, at Yukon lUver, June 21,
ItSo'J, he had shot a female Water Thrush as she flew from her nest. This
contained five eggs, and was concealed under a small pile of drift, close to
the rivei', but under large willow-trees. This was not lined with down. At
the same localitv another nest with six eg^s was also obtained. This also
was on the ground at the foot of some willows near the water. It was made
of moss, and lined with very fine grass.

All that has been given 1)V our earlier authors as to the habits of this
species must l)e received with more or less uncertainty. The difference be-
tween this bird and that known as the Louisiana Thrush has not been suf-
ficiently clear to these writers to enable us always to determine which of the

SYLV1COL1D.E — THE WARBLKRS. 285

two thfiy had in vit'W. And even now the distribution in summer of the
lt((/ocici((/iu.'i is hiirdly detinahle with precision.

Wilson describes the Imbits of those he observed in Pennsylvania as
evincing a remarkable ])artiality for brooks, rivei-s, ponds, and the vicinity
of water ji;enerally, wadin^^ in shallow jmjoIs in search of acjuatic insects, and
^i^iving, as it moves it ah)nL;-, an almost continuously vil)ratory nioti(m to its
tail. He speaks of it as very shy, darting away with si^ns of alarm when-
ever ajjproaclu'd, and uttering a sharp cry. In all other respects his account
of this bird probably refers to the Louisiana species.

This is also, without doubt, true of nearly all Audubon gives in connection
with the history of this Thrush, which in all probability does not breed in
Louisiana, nor remain there through April, being at that time well on its way
to more northern regions.

Mr. Gosse, in his notes on the birds of Jamaica, states that this bird re-
appears in that island about the end of August. He noticed them about the
muddy margins of ponds, and they soon became abundant. Individuals
were also to be seen running on the road, especially near the sea-shore, and
by the edges of morasses. They ran rapidly, often waded up to their tibiic
in water, or ran along the twigs of a fallen tree at the brink, and now and
then Hew up into the branches of a pimento or an orange-tree. Whether
ruuijing or standing, they were continually Hirting up their tails, after the
manner of the European Wagtail. During its winter residence in Jamaica
it has no song, oidy a monotonous cry, a sharp chip. Its stomach was
found to contain water-insects and shells. ^Ir. ^larch has noticed their
arrival in Jamaica as early as August 5. They all leave by the tirst of
April.

Mr. Allen found these birds m)t uncommon both in spring and in fall in
the vicinity of Springfield. He thinks a few breed there, as he has met with
them in the months of June, July, and August, very s})aringly however.
They arrive about the 12th of May. I have once, at least, met with its
nest and eggs near Boston.

Dr. Coues says this bird is (juite common, both in the spring and fall,
near Washington, and breeds sparingly, having been found there in July.
They arrive about the first of ^Nlay, are eminently acjuatic, frcMiuent swampy
thickets and thick dark woods interspersed with pools, where they associate
with the Solitary Tatler.

In Southern Illinois this species, Mr. Kidgway states, is found only during
its migrations and in mild winters. He never met with it in the breeding-
season, when the S. liuforiciKuus is so abundant. But it returns early from
the North, and he has shot nund)ers of them in Au'^ust. During the whole
fall they are common about all swani})y places, or the margin of creeks in the
woods ; and in mild winters a few are found in the swamps of the bottom-
lands, where the dense forest aftords them ct)mfortable shelter. On warm
days in December and January, he has heard them singing with ail the vigor

286 KUllTIl AMERICAN lilK'DS.

of spring in siuli localities. In nutcs, as well as in manners, Mr. Iiidgway
lias noticed little dillerence between this si)ecies and *S'. luihciviuuHs. The
song, however, is decidedly weaker, tJKjngh scarcely less sweet, and the two
are verv easily distinLiuished at siirht bv one familiar with them.

These birds breed, though they are not very ai)undant, in the vicinity of
Calais, and also in the western part of Maine. Professor Verrill states that
they reached the neigid)orhood of Norway, Me., about the first of May, a fort-
night earlier than Mr. Allen noted their arrival in Si)riu'jHeld. Mr. Verrill
demonstrated the fact of their breeding in Western Elaine, by tinding, June 8,
1801, a nest and eggs in a dense cedar swamp near Norway. This was built
in an excavation in the side of a decayed moss-covered log, the excavation
itself forming an arch over the nest in the manner of, yet ditlerent from,
that of the Golden-crowned. The nest it.self was an exceeding beautiful
structure, lour and a half inches in diameter, but only an inch and a half in
depth, being very nearly Hat, the cavity only half an inch deep. The entire
base was made of loose hypnum mosses, interspersed with a few dead leaves
and stems. The whole iimer structure or lining was made up of the fiuit-
stems of the same mo.ss, densely imjjacted. The outer circumference was
made up of mosses and intertwined small black vegetable roots.

This nest contained five eggs, the brilliant white ground of which, with
their delicately shaded spots of reddish-brown, contrasted with the bright
green of the mossy exterior, and set off to advantage by the conspicuous and
uid(iue lining, j)roduce a very beautiful eftect.

Mr. George A. Boardman of Calais, ^le., an observing and accurate natu-
ralist, has furnished me with the following interesting account of the habits
of this species and its congener, the auroenpillus, in a letter dated St.
Ste})hen, March L'^, 18G7. "Did you ever notice their walk on the ground i
You know that most of our birds are hoppers. These two, S. no echo rate us is
and aS*. ((urocapilfus, have a beautiful gliding walk, and of all our other birds
1 only remember two that are not hoppers, the Authiis ladorlciauus and
Moluthrus pecoris. I do not think that a naturalist should ever say, as
"Wilson was constantly doing, that any bird has no note or song whatever,
unless he is well accjuainted ^^ ith them, at all times, especially while breed-
ing. Many birds seem really to have nothing to say except when mating.
I think that our little walker, the Water Thrush, has been particularly ill
used by writers in this respect, for I regard him as one of our liveliest sing-
ers. Its note is very high and clear, begins with a sudden outburst of melody,
so as almost to startle you, is very clear and ringing, as if the bird had just
found its mate after a long absence. It then keeps falling until you can
hardly hear it. Its note is very sweet, and can be heard when you are in a
canoe or boat a very long ways. Like most of our W^arblers and Thrushes,
when singing, they do not like intrusion, and it was a long while before I
could make out the bird that uttered these notes. I could only do it by
going in a boat or canoe. They liide in thick trees, over the water, where it

SYLVICOLID.E — TIIK WARBLKRS.

287

is iiiipossihlo to walk up to thorn. I almost always find them on some
isliiiid, ill ;i liver, tliat has been overfl(>we(l, and always very near tlie water."
Their eir-rs vary in leni^th from .SI to .S7 of an ineh, and in breadth from
.0") to .r>ll. Thev have an (>bl(jnij;-oval slii^|>e, tajieriiii; to a i)oint at one end
and rounded at the otlier. Their <,n'ound is a clear crystal-wliite, and tliey are
more or less marked with lines, dots, and dashes of varyini^ shades of nmber-
brown. These markings are more nnmerous around the larL;er end, and are
mucli lariier and bolder in some tlian in others, in many Iteiiii,' mere jmints
and fine dots, and in sneh cases equally distributed over the whole e<;i,'. In
otlicrs a rin^ of larLj*; eontluent blotches is j^rouped around the lar<,'er end,
leaviiiLi the rest of the egg nearly unmarked.

Seiurus ludovicianus, Bonap.

LOXriSIANA WATEK THBITSH.

Turd t>fi ludovicianus, Aun. Orn. Ww^. T, 1832, 99, pi. xix. Seiurus ludovicianus, Boy. —
Baiui., Binls N. Am. IhiiS, 262, \A. Ixxx, fig. 2; Rev. 217. — Sclatki:, I*. Z. S. l>'>%
30:> (Xiilapa) ; 373 (Oaxaca) ; 1J*»)1, 70 (.Taniaita). — Sclatf.k & Salvin, Iliis, 18G0,
273 (riuatcmala^. — Samtkls, .579. IfniicDcichla Ivd. S< latkh, Catal. 1801, 2o, no.
161 (Orizaba). ? Turdus moff/cil/a, Vieill. Ois. Am. Sept. II, 18(i7, 9, pi. Ixv (K.n-
tucky). Seiurus motacllJa, Ron. 18o0. Ilmicncickht mat. ("ar. .Tour. 18ri7, 240 (C'lilia).
— (JrNiti.Acii, Jour. Orn. Iblil, 320. Ucaicocichla major. Cab. Mus. Hein. I6o0
(Xalapa).

iSp. Char. Bill loncfor than the .■^kuU. ITppor parts olive-brown with a shade of green-
ish. A conspicii<»us white superciliary lin(> iVoiii the bill to the nape, involving: the upper
lid, with a brown one from the bill throiiL'h the eye, wi(lenin<i:l)ehind. Under parts white,
with a very faint .><ha(le of pale buff behind, especially on tiie tail-coverts. A dusky niax-
ilhiry line; the forepart of breast and sides of body with arrow-shaped streaks of the
same color. Chin, throat, belly, and under tail-coverts, entirelv innnaculate. Length, G.33;
wing, 3.25 ; tail, *J.40 ; bill, from rictus, .7o. Sexes similar. Young not seen.

II ab. Eastern Province of United States as far north as Carlisle, Penn., and Michigan;
Cuba and Jamaira; Southern Mexico (Colima) to Guatemala.

Seiurus

novtboraccnsis.
Nutt. /

Autumnal specimens have a more or less strong wash of ochraceous over
the flanks and erissum, and the brown above
rather darker and less grayish than in spring
birds.

This sjiecies is very similar to S. novcho-
raccnsis, although readily distinguishable by
the characters given in the diagnoses. The
differences in the bill there referred to are
illusti-ated in the accompanying diagram.

Habits. The Water Tlirush described by Wilson as most abundant in
the lower part of the Mississippi Valley, as w^ell as that given by Audubon
as the Louisiana Water Thrush, though its position as a genuine species was
afterwards abandoned, are undoubtedly referable to a closely allied but ap-

ikiurus ludorkianus,
Bouup.

288 XORTIT AMEHICAN BlftDS.

paroiitly distinct Sciurifs, now known as the Louisiana Wator Thriisli. Tins
l>ir(l lias a very close resenil dance to the noirhontnusis, (liHerinLf chictiv in
size an<l in liavin*' a larLjcr hill. Altliouiih its distrilivition is not yet fuUv
(leterniined, it seems to l^'loni; lather to the South an«l Soutliwcstrrn States,
and only accidentally to be found north of the Middle States. Still a sin<,de
.specimen has lieen ol)tained in Massachusetts, and it has heen several times
found in Michi^^an and Missouri. Specimens of this hird have also been
procured in rennsylvania, CJeorgia, Taniaulipas, Mexico, Cuba, Jamaica, and
Guatemala.

Its recopiition as a distinct species from the common "Water Thrush is
so recent, and the two species so closely resend)le each other, that as yet its
habits and history are imperfectly known. Wilson refers to the birds he
luul met with in Mississippi and Louisiana, which we ]>resume to have been
the same, as being there in abundance, and eminently distinguished by the
L>udness, sweetness, and ex])ressive vivacity of their notes. These he de-
scrilies as l>eginning very high and clear, and as falling with an aluKtst im]>er-
ceptible gradati(»n until they are scarcely articulated, — a descriittion that
woaia also answer very well for the sonuj of the true Water Thrush. During
their sont^ he adds, they are perched on the middle branches of a tree over
th-^ l;rook or river-bank, ])ouring out a charming melody, so loud and distinct
that it mav be heard at the distance of nearly half a mile. The voice of this
bird appeared to him so ex(|uisitely sweet and expressive that he wixs never
tired of listening to it.

It is also (piite probable that nearly all of Audubon's accounts of the habits
of the AVater Thrush were derived from his observation of this species, and
not of its Xorthern congener. He describes its song as fully e<tual to that
of the Xightingale, its notes as jjowerlul and mellow, and at times as varied.
He states that it is to be found at all seasons in the deepest and most swamj»y
of the canebrakes of Mississipj)i and Louisiana. Its song is to be heard even
in the winter, when the weather is calm and warm.

He describes its llight as easy and continued, just above the brakes, or
ch)se to the ground. When on the ground, it is ccmtinually vibrating its
body, jerking out its tail and then closing it again. It walks gracefully along
the branches or on the ground, but never hops. He states that it feeds on
insects and their larvie, and often pursues the former on the wing.

He describes the nest as placed at the foot and among the roots of a tree,
or by the side of a decayed log, and says they are often easily discovered.
They are commenced the first week of A]>ril. The outer portions are formed
of dry leaves and mosses, the inner of line gmsses, with a few hairs or the
dry fibres of the Spanish moss.

The eggs, four in number, are described as flesh -colored, sprinkled with
dark red at the larger end. They are hatched in fourteen da vs. The young
leave the nest in alxuit ten days, and follow the parent on the ground from
place to place. When disturbed on her nest in the earlier periods of incu-

sYLVicoLin.K — TiiK WAKisr.i'ins. 2S{)

l);itiuii, slie iiR'irly tlii's otV; l)Ut liittT, nr when she has yniuii,', slit* tiuiiMt's
alMnil oil tlie j^iound, spreads Irt wiii^s ami tail, utters piteous ciits, ami
seems as if in tlie last auoiiies ot" despair. Tiiis sj)eeies Mr. AiidiilMUi never
nut with larther east than (leor«Ma, nnr farthei north than Heujlcrson, Kv,

Of late years, <tr since attention has hoen nio:t; drawn to the speeitic
ililferenee between this sj)ecies and tlie Water Thrush, it has apparently
heeonie more numerous, and has been obtained in considerable numbers i».
the vicinity of Washini^ton. In that neighlx>rh()od, once considered J; ^
rare, it was found 1)V Dr. Coues to be not at all uncommon at certain
seasons and in partiiular localities. From the lOth of .Vjuil to the IfOth
of Mav it was always to be met with anion-' the dense laurel-bnikes ihat
border the l»anks of and till the ravines leading into Ifock Creek and I'iney
Branch. He believes they breed there, lau they were not ol>servetl in the
fall. They were usually very shy, darting' at once into the mo.st im])ene-
trable brakes, but were at other times easily approached. He always found
them in ])airs, even as early as the 2Uth of April. Their call-note wa.s a
sparrow-like chirp, as if made by striking two pebl)les together. They also
had a loud, l)eautiful, and melodious song, the singularity of which first drew
his attention to the bird.

Mr. liidgway informs me that in the Wabash Valley this bird, familiarly
known as the " Water Wagtail," is an abundant sununer sojourner. It inhab-
its the dam}>cst situations in the liottom-lands, the borders of creek.s, lagoons,
and swamps, living there in company witli the Prothonotary Warbler {Pro-
tonotaria ciirco). In its movements it is one of the ([uickest as well as the
most restless of the Siflfnolidfr, though it is eminently terrestrial in its hab-
its. It is usually seen u})on the wet ground, in a horizontal position, or even
the posterior part of its body more elevated, and its body continually tilting
up and down ; if it fancies itself unobserved, it runs slyly beneath the brush-
wood overhanging the shore ; but if startled, it flies up suddenly with a sharp
and startling chatter. He adds that in early spring (from the latter part of
February to the beginning of April) its rich loud song may be heard before
the trees are in leaf, for it is one of the earliest of the Warblers to arrive.
When singing, it is usually perched u])on the hnver branches of a tree over-
hanging the water, but he has freipiently seen it among the topmost branches.
Wilson and Audubon have not exaiiLjerated the merits of the sonfj of this
bird, for among all its family there is certainly not one of our Xorth Ameri-
can species that comjKires with it. In richness and volume of its very liquid
notes it is almost unrivalled, though the song itself may not be considered
otherwise remarkable.

Mr. Salvin met this species in different portions of Guatemala in the months
of August, September, and November, 1850. A dry \vatercourse in the for-
est, or in the bottom of a barranco, seemed to be its favorite resort, while
its near congener, the noirhoracitisis, was observed to seek rather the more
open streams.

37, , . .

290

NOKTII AMKIMCAN IJIllDS.

(;kn(.s OPORORNIS, IVmki).

Ojyyrnrnin, B.\ii:n, IWnls X. Am. 18r»8, 24tJ. (TyiM-, Sijlvin mjilh, Wils.)

Gkx. C'liAK. IJiU sylvicoliiu'. rather compress«Ml ; distinctly notolu-d at tip: rictal bristles

vt-ry lUMch i«m1uci'«1. Wind's ilonpati'ti. i^Mut-
t'd, niiicli l()n;j:er than tht* tail; the lirst (inill
nearly or fjiiite the hjnj;est. Tail very sliLflitly
roiuule*! ; tail-leatln-rs acuminate, p(»inte(l ;
the imder coverti* reaching to within less than
half an inch of their tip. Tarsi elun«,'ati*(i,
longer than the head; claws large, the hinder
one as long as its digit, and longer than the
lateral toes. Above olive-green ; l)en«'ath
yellow ; tail and wings ininiacidate. L«'gs
yellow.

Opuromis formoxua.

This grouj) of xVniericaii Warblers is very distinct from any other. Tlie
typicjil species is quite siniihir in color to Giothhjpis jfhilacfc/jf/u'a, but is at
once to be distiuLrui.shed by miicli h)nger winj;s, more even tail, and larger
toes and claws. It is also very similar to S4'iuri(s, ditlering chiefly in the
longer wings, larger claws, and absence of spots beneath.

Tliroat and crown ash-color; a white ring round the eye. Xo black on the
side of the head O. agilLt.

Throat and superciliary stripe yellow; top of the hejid and a streak beneath
the eye black O./onnosus.

Oporomis agilis, Baird.

CONNECTICUT WARBLEB.

Sylvia aqilis, "Wils. Am. Orn. V, 1S12, C-t, pi. xxxix, fig. i. — Arn. Orn. Biog, II, pi.
exxxviii ; Hon. Sylcicvla ag. Jard. ; Aud. Birds Am. II, pi. xcix. TrkJutsag. Nutt.
Oporomis ag. Baikd, Birds X. Am. 1858, 246, pi. Ixxix, fig. 2 : Rev. 218. .? TricJms
tejihrocofis, Xitt. Man. 2d ed. 1840, 462 (C'he.ster Co., Peun. ; top of head pure a.sh).
— Samukls, 2u8.

Sp. Char. Spring male. Upper parts and sides of the body uniform olive-green, very
slightly tinged with ash on the crown. Sides of the head ash, tinged with dusky beneath
the eye. (Entire head sometimes ash.) Chin and throat grayish-ash, gradually bet^oiuing
darker to the upper part of the breast, where it becomes tinged with dark ash. Sides of
the neck, breast, and body olive, like the back : rest of under parts light yellow. A broad
fontinuous white ring round the eye. Wing*^ and tail-feathers olive (('specially the latter),
without any trace of bars or spots. Bill brown above. Feet yellow. Length, 0 inches;
wing, 3.00 ; tail, 2.25. Female. The olive-green reaching to the bill, and covering sides
of head ; throat and jugulum pale ashy-buff. Young not seen. Xesting unknown.

Autumnal s[)eeimen nearly uniform olive above; the throat tinged with brownish so as
to obscure the avsh.

Hab. Eastern Province of United States.

.svi.via)i.ii).K-Tiii-; w vuni.Kus.

2'Jl

Wi-. IIIIHI Ml III \i\

Oiiororni^ ngilis.

A specimen in the collection nl the IMiiladeii lii;i Academy, killed l>v Mr.
Krider, has the darker ash nt* thr juiiMlum of a (".ecided snoty tini^'e.

A jK'iuliarity in tlie history of tiiis species h^ shown in the fart tliat it is
(piite almiidant in Illinois, Wisconsin, etc., in the spiinLr. and very rare in
the autumn ; precistdy the reverse b<'in^' the case near the Atlantic horder,
where only two or tiiree spring specimens have heen announced as cajttured
by collectors. It is possible that they ^'o north in sprint:, alonu' the valley of
the Mississi])j)i, and return in autunni throuuh the Atlantic States. Their
sunnner al>ode and breed in;,'- place are as yet imknown.

H.vBiis. Of the history of this rare and beautiful si)ecies but little is as
yet known. It was tii-st met with by
Wilson, in the State of TonrnM^ticut,
and he afterwards obtained two other
specimens near Philadelphia. Othei-s
have since been ])rocured at ('arlish*,
Penn., at Washington, Loudon County,
Va.,neftr('hicaj^n», Hacine,and in South-
ern Illinoi.s. Se])tember '17) to Octo-
lier 1, and May, from the l.jth to the
28th, appears to be the epoch of their
fall and sprini^ occurrence. Tliey are
more fre(piently noticed in the au-
tunni. It is sui>posed to be a migratory bird, going north to breed.

It was found bv Wilson, in every case, among low thickets, and seemed to
be more than commonly active, not remaining for a moment in the same
position. Mr. .vudubon obtained only two specimens, a pair, opposite Phila-
deli)hia in New Jersey. When he first observed them they were hopping
and skip]»ing from fuie h)w bush to another, and among the tall reeds <if the
marsh, emitting an oft-repeate»l tunt at every move. They were chasing a
species of si)ider that ran nimbly over the water, and which they caught by
gliding over it. Upon dissecting them, he found a number of these spiders
in their stomachs, and no other food. These two birds were not at all shy,
and seemed to take very little nonce of him, even when close to them.

Mr. Trumbull, in his list of the birds of Eastern Pennsylvania, marks it
as a sunnner resident of that State, which is probably not the fact. Mr. Law-
rence includes it in his list of birds found near New York City. It is not
given by Mr. Verrill or Mr. Boardman as occurring in any part of Maine, and
has not been detected in Western IMassachusetts by Mr. Allen, though it has
been occasionally met with in the eastern part of the State by Dr. Cabot, Mr.
Mavnard, and others. More recently, in the fall of 1870, and again in that
of 1871, this species lias been found quite abundant in a restricted locality
in the eastern ])art of that State. It was first observed by Mr. 11. W. Ilen-
shaw, a promising young natumlist, in the early part of September, 1S70,
among the Fresh Pond marshes in Cambridge. They appeared to be quite

292 NORTH AMERICAN RIRDS.

numerous, and several specimens were obtained. He communicate<l the d's-
covery to bis friend, Mr. William Brewster, and more tban titty specimens
of this rare Warbler were obtained during tliat season. In the following;
autunni, in September and durinjj: tlie tirst few days of Octol)er, these birds
were observed in tlie same locality, apparently in greater numbers, and
more specimens were <jbtained.

Mr. Henshaw writes me that he tirst saw tliis species, September 7, 1870,
when he obtained a single specimen. From that time until September 27 it
was very common throughout tlie Fresh Pond swamps, to which locality it
seemed to be restricted. It again made its appearance in 1S71, and at about
the same time, and remained until October 5. It wjis in even greater num-
bers than during the preceding year.

Their habits, while with us in the fall, appear to be very different from
those of the individuals observed by Wilson and Audubon, wliich were
described as being of a remarkably lively disposition, and hence the name of
agilis. Mr. Henshaw found them almost constantly engaged in seeking their
food upon the ground. When startled, they would Hy u]) to tlie nearest bush,
upon which they would sit perfectly motionless, in a manner clo.sely resem-
bling the Thrushes. If not further disturbed, they innnediately returned to
the ground and resumed the search for food among the leaves. If greatly
startled, they took a long Hight among the bushes, and could rarely be found
again. The only note he heard them utter was a single sharp chirp, emitted
occasionally, when surprised. They were all remarkably fat, so much so as
to make it difficult to obtain a good specimen.

About sunset, standing on the skirts of the swamp, he has repeatedly ob-
served these birds alight, in great numbere, on the edge, and innnediately
pass in, evidently intending to remain there over night. He judged that
they migrate entirely by day. On only one or two occasions did he ob-
serve these birds feeding in the tops of wiUow-trees. At such times they
appeared eijually lively in their movements with the Demiroica xtriuta, in
com])anv with which thev were associated. The birds he saw were nearlv
all in immature plumage, adults being comparatively rare.

l)r. Coues states that the Connecticut Warbler is found near Wa.shington
in the month of October, but that it is mther uncommon. He did not
meet with it in spring. He speaks of its frequenting old buckwheat and
corn fields, searching for food among the dry, rank weeds, and also in swam])y
places among low thickets.

.SVLVU'OLID.K — THE WARBLERS. 293

Oporornis fonuosus, Wxuhk

KENTTJCKT WABBLEB.

f Si/h'iii a^quiiuK-tiiilis, ViKiLL. Ois. Am. Sri»t. 11, lMi7, 20, \\. Ixxxi, Penn. (not of OmklinK

Siilcji fonnosi,, Wii.s. Am. Oni. Ill, isil, 8'., jtl. xxv, li^'. :i. — Nrrr. ; Ari». Orn.

liioj;. I, i»l. xxxviii. Sif/cimln /-irmosu, ,Iaki». ; liicii. ; Ijon. ; Max. Mifmiiixfrs
formosi's. All). Syn. — In. Birds Am. II, pl. Ixxiv. — Lkmbeyk, Av. ('uIki, 1850, ;{7.

GuNDLAcii, Cab. .lour. 1861, 320 (Cuba). Oporornis /iriihtsus, Baikd, Birds N. Am.

18r>8, 247 ; Hiv. '218. — Silatku & Sai.vin, Ibis, I, 18.'>9, 10 (OuattmalaK
Other localitii's citt'd : J/«''7C<», ScLATEll. htkmus Puionao, Lawkknck, Veraijiut, Salv.

Costii Rica, Lawk. ,

Sp. Cfiau. Adult mnlr. rpix-r part.x unci sidi's dark olivo-jrrocn. Crown and sid«'s of
tho lu'ad, iiichitlhiy: a trianirular patch tVoin behind the ey«' di»\vn the side of the neck,
bhick, the feathers of the erown narrowly Innulated at tips with dark ash. A liiu' from
nostrils over the eye and eiicin linii' it (except anteriorly), with the entire nnder parts,
briijrht vellow. Xo white on tiu; tail. Female, similar, with less black on the head. Lenirth,
r> inches ; winjj;, 'J.l'.') ; tail, 2.'l't. Yomnj not seen.

TKo adults in aiitunm are exactly the same as in spring:.

Hau. Ertsti'rn Province of L'nited States, north to Washinirton and Chicasjo ; west to
Republican Fork of Kansas River (Corns). Cuba, Guatemala, and Isthmus Panama. Not
recorded from West Indies except Cuba.

Habits. The Kentucky \Varl)ler i.s an abundant species in tlie Southern
and Southwestern States, and has been found, thouuh more mrely, as far to
the north as Southern Xew York in the east and to Southern Wisconsin in
the west. It has also been obtained at Fort Riley, in Ka'jsas. Its nest and
eggs have been procured near Cleveland, O., by Dr. J. P. Kirtland, and also
in Chester County, I*enn., by Mr. Xorris. It is a winter inhabitant in
Mexico, Panania, Guatemala, and Cuba.

Wilson speaks of having met with this bird in abundance from Kentucky to
the mouth of the ^lississippi, everywhere quite common, but most esi)ecially
so in the States of Tennessee and Kentucky. At the IJalize he several times
heard it twittering among the high rank grass of those solitary morasses.
He found it freipienting low damp woods, and building its nest either in the
middle of thick tufts of rank grass, in the fork of a low bush, or on the
gronnd. The materials of which these nests were made were loose dry
grass, mixed with the pith of wood, and lined with hair. He found the eggs
from four to six in nnmber, pure white, s])rinklc ' rith reddish s])ecks. He
met with the female sitting u]M)n her egus as earlv as Ma v. These birds,
he adds, are seldom seen among high branches, but prefer to frecpient low
bushes and canebrakes. In their habits they are very lively and s])rightly.
The song is loud, comjn-ising three notes, and resembles f wtrrl/i-f trirtfJc-d mr-
dle. It makes its aj)peardnce in Kentucky from the South al>ont the middle
of April, and leaves the region about New Oileans on the apjn*oacli of cold
weather. Wilson was assin^eil that it never remains there during the winter.

W^ilsou characterizes these birds as a reckless fighting species, almost
always engaged in pursning its fellows.

294 XORin AMKHICAN BIRDS.

]Mr. Audubon states that this War])ler is the most common and abundant
species that visits tlie State of Louisiana and the whole rej^ion about the
Mississippi lliver, but is not so common in Kentucky or Ohio, lie de-
scribes it as an extremely lively and active l)ird, found in all the low jjrounds
and damp places near watercourses, and generally among the tall rank weeds
and low bushes growing in rich alluvial soil. It is continually in motion,
hop2)ing from stalk to stalk, and from twig to twig, preying upon insects,
larva% or small l)erries, rarely pursuing an iiisect on the wing. He describes
its song as agreeable and emphatic. He has never known this sjjccies fly
farther than a few yards at a time. Its flight is low, and is performed in a
gliding manner. It makes its first ap}K3arance about the middle of March,
and remains until the middle or last of Septeml>er. He states that it rears
two broods in a season. His description of its nest, as " small, beautifully
constructed, and attached to several stems of rank weeds," etc., does not agree
in position, size, or apj^earance with any that I liave ever seen.

According to ^Ir. Audubon, it feeds largely u})on sjaders, which it obtains
by turning over the withered leaves on the gnuuid, Tlie young birds resem-
ble their mother until the following s<'ason, when the males attain the full
beauty of tlieir i)lumage. They remaii a ith their parents until they migrate.

The late Dr. Alexander Gerhardt, an accurate and observing naturalist of
Northern Georgia, informed me, by letter, that the nest of the Kentucky
"Warbler is usually built on the ground, under a tuft of grass, often on a hill-
side and always in dry places. The eggs are deposited from the 4th to the
loth of May. Nearly all the nests he met witli were made externally of a
loose agure^ation of drv oak and chestnut leaves, so rudely thrown together
as hardly to possess any coherence, and requiring to be sewed to be kept in
place. The interior or inner nests were more com})actly interwoven, usually
composed of fine dark-brown roots. Instead of being small, tliey are large
for the bird, and are inelegantly and clumsily made. They measure four
inches in their diameter, three in Iieight, and two in the depth of their cavity.
One nest, the last received from Dr. Gerhardt, obtained by him at Var-
nell's Station, in Northern (Georgia, June o, 1860, is large and peculiar in its
construction. It is nearly splierical in shape, with an entrance partially on
one side and nearly arched over. The periphery of this nest is comi)osed
exclusively of ])artially decayed deciduous leaves, impacted together, yet
somewliat looselv. Within this outer covering is a fine framework of stems,
twigs, and rootlets, and witliin tliis a snug, compact lining of hair and finer
rootlets and fibres. This nest is six inches in diameter and five in height.
It contained four eggs.

These eggs have an aveniire length of .GO of an inch and a breadth of .56
of an inch. Tliev have an oblong-oval shape, a crjstalline-white ground, and
the entire surface is s}>rinkled over witli fine dots of red and reddish-brown.
These, thougli most abundant about the larger end, are nowhere confluent,
and do not form a crown.

SYLVICOLTD-E — THE WARBLERS. 295

A nest of this l)ir(l troin Chester Connie, Penn., is a very fiat struetuie,
evidently Iniilt in a heel ot' fallen leaves. It has a diameter <»f six inches and
a height of only two. The cup is a mere depression only half an inch in
ilepth. Its base is loosely constructed of dried leaves, upon which is inter-
woven a coarse linin*- of lonir, drv, and wirv mutlets and stems of idants.
It was given to ^Ir. J. P. Xorris, from wIkjiu I received it, and it is now in
the Boston collection.

Mr. liobert liidgway furnislies the following valuable information in regard
to the abundance and geneml habits of this species as observed in Southern
Illinois : " It is a very common summer bird in Southern Illinois, where it
arrives in the Wabash Valley towards the last of April. It is a wood-loving
Sjieciesjandof terrestrial habits, like the Siiiirtis((Ui'oc(fjn/lus, but generally fre-
quents rather ditlerent situations from the hitter bird, liking better the under-
growth of ' bottom ' woods than that of dry forests. In all its mannei"s it
closely resembles the Seiuri, especially the two a([uatic species, ladovicianus
and noveboraccnsis, having the same tilting motion of the body, and horizontal
attitude when perching, so characteristic of these birds. The nest I have
never found, though well aware of its -actual situation. I knew of one some-
where among the * top ' of a fallen tree, but it was so well concealed that
the closest search did not enaljle me to discover it. In most cases the nest is
prol)ably on the ground, among the rubl)ish of fallen tree-tops, or low brush-
wood.

"The usual note of this Warbler is a sharp f>ihij), almost precisely like that
of the Pewee {Safioriiisfnscu>>), uttered as the bird perches on a twig near the
ground, continually tilting its body, or is changed into a sharp rapid twitter
as one chases another through the thicket. Their song is very pretty, con-
sisting of a fine whistle, delivered very much in the stvle of the Cardinal
Grosbeak {Cardiaalix vuyi/tunias), though finer in tone, and weaker."

Dr. Coues found this Warlder rare at Washington, and chiefly in low
woods with thick undergrowth, and in ravines. They were very silent, but
not shv, and a few breed there.

Section GE0THLYPE>E.
Genus QEOTHLYF^, Caban.

Trickfts, SwAixsoN, Zool. Journ. Ill, July, 1S27, 167 (not of Olofjor, March, 1827, cfiual to

Cn'iiiger, Teniiii.).
Gcofhf ffpi.'i, Vakxsis, Wieginann's Archiv, 1847, i, 316, 349. — !b. Scliomburgk's Reise,

Guiana, 1848.

Gex. Char. Bill sylvicolino. ratlior doprossod, and distinctly notchod ; riotal bristles very
short or wanting. Winers short, rounded, scarcely longer than the tail; the first quill
shorter than the fourth. Tail l<ui<r: much rounded or trradiiated. Lesrs stout ; tarsi elon-
j?ated, as long as the head. Olive-green above, belly yellow. Tail-leathers inunaculate.
^'^o^ yellow.

296 xoirrii amkijican ini:DS.

Synopsis of Species.

Tliroat yellow .^pnes /.

Throat sa^h . ........... tSeries 11.

A* Black mask oxtondin? boncath the eye and on the aurioulars.

1. G. trichas. iJiack mask honlereil along its posterior e(l<,'e with pale ashy

or whitish; maxillie hlack. Sexes dissimilar. 9- <)live-brown above;

throat oidy, distinctly yt'llow; no black in;isk. Jnr. Without either black

or pure yellow; above olive-brown, like 9? beneath pale ochruceous-buir.

Abdomen almost always whitish ; occiput russet-olive. Bill. iVoni

nostril, .30; tarsus, .70: winir, 2.2o ; tail, *J.ir>. llah. Whole of Fnited

States ; in winter most of West Indies, and Middle Amt-rica, north to

Guatemala ........ . . var. trichas.

Colors similar; abdomen yellow. Bill, .4') ; tarsus, .00; winjr. 2.')0;
tail, 2..'>0. Ilab. Nassau; New Providence ; Bahamas . var. ro strata}

Abdomen briiiht yellow ; occiput whitish-ash tinired with yellow. Bill,
.32; tarsus, .75; wing", 2.45; tail, 2.50. Ilab. Kastern Mi'xico (Ja-
la] )a?) ........... var. m elanops.^

2. Or. sequinoctialis. Black mask not bordered posteriorly by ashy or
whitish ; nnich narrower on Ibrehead than on auriculars ; maxillie yellow.
Sexes similar.

Black of the auriculars bordered posteriorly by the olive-green of the
neck. Bill, .17 deep: wing, 2.50 ; tail, 2.35. Ilab. Northeast South
America (Cayenne, Trinidad, etc.) .... var. a;tjuinortialis.'
Black of che auriculars bordered posteriorly by the ash of the crown.
Bill, .14 f'iCep ; wing, 2.40 ; tail, 2.50. Ilab. Brazil . . var. velata.*

B* Black mask lot extending underneath the eye, but confined to lores and
frontlet.

3. G. poliocephala. Bill nnuh a^ in Granafellns. Al)Ove olive-green ; the
crown light ash ; l)eneath yellow. Sex(>s dissimilar.

Eyelids white; nape and auriculars (»livc-gi-een ; abdomen whitish.
Bill, .30, .15 deep; wing. .2.20 ; tail. 2.50. Hub. We.>^t Mexico (Ma-
zatlan) var. poli oc e phala .'^

Eyelids black: nape and auriculars ashy; abdomen wholly yellow.
Bill, .3.5, .18 deep ; wing, 2.40 ; tail, 2.50. Hah. Guatemala (Hetalu-
leu) var. caninucha.^

Series IT.

4. G. Philadelphia. Head all round a^hy ; lores only, black. Sexes nearly
similar.

1 GcothJjipis rostratm, niiY.\NT, Pr. Post. Soc. N. H. March, 1867, 67, Inagua.

2 Geothhjpifi nohmops, P.viiU), Review Am. Birds, I, April, 1865, p. 222.

3 Genffilf/pis aquinoctialis iC\\i.\s\ii), P.VIU1), Rev. I, p. 224. (Mofacilla auj. G.mkijx, S. N.
I, 178S, 972.)

* Geofhhipis velata (Cabants), Baihd, Rev. 1, 223. {Sylvia vel. Vieill. Ois. Am. Sept. II,
1807, 22, J)!. Ixxiv.)

s G'lifft/ffpis poliocrpJiabf, liAiiin, Review Am. Birds, I, April, 1865, p. 225.

* Geofiifypis poli'iriphnhi, var. cninniicht, Riduwav.

The G. spcciosn, ScL. (}'. Z. 1858, 447: and Bafiu), Rev. 1864, p. 223^, from Mexico, and
G. semiflavns, ScL. (P. Z. S. 1860, 273, 2;a. — Baiiu), Rev. f, 1864, 223), from pAuador, are
si>ecies allied to G. trichas, and possibly referable to it. The original descriptions afford no
tangible distinctive characters. It is barely possible, however, that they are distinct.

SYLVICOLID.E — THE WARBLERS.

207

Eyelids dusky (oxoopt iis 9)? '^ I'lack patrh on jnjruluiu of ^. 9-
Throat tinp'tl with yellow. I/ah. Eastern Province of Xorth Aiiicrita;
in winter south to Tanania mw. phil a rl el ph i a .

F^yelids whitf; no lil;v<k patch on jnjrnlinn. 9* Throat not tin,i:»'<l
with y«'llo\v. Hah. W<'st«Tn and Middle Province of United States :
in winter south to Costa Rica (Western Coast) . var. mucgilUvrayi.

26017

Geothljrpis trichas, Cx\^\s.

MABTLiOfD TELLOW-THBOAT ; BLACK-MASSED GBOTTKD WABBLEB.

Tiirdus trichif.s, Linn. S. N. ITM, 29:i. Si/h-i't tricluis. Lath. ; Aid., etc. Oenfhh/pi.'i
trirhns. Cab. Mus. IL-iii. 18:>0, 16. — HAiiin, liirds N. Am. 241; Hcv. 220. — r.ryp-
LAcii, Cab. Jour. 1861, 326 (< 'uba). — Sclatki:, Catal. 1861, 27, no. 167. — MAiirir,
Pr. A. X. Se. 1863, 293. — Loitn, Pr. K. Art. Inst. Woolwith, IV, 1864, 115 (X. W.
Houndary). — Jones, Nat. IVnnuda, 29. — Samuels, 205. — Coofeu, Orn. Cal. I,
1870, 95. Siflviit viin'ilaiidtof, Wilson. Trichas mar. Bon. Reguhix mustaccics,
Stephens. Trichas pcrsonatiiSt Swainson. Sjlvia roscoe, AuD. Trichas brachifduc-
fijlHs, Swains,

Other localities nuoted : Xalapa, Oajraca, Conlova, ScL. GnaUmala, ScL. & Salv. Bcha-
mas, liuvANT. Cosffi Jiim, Cab. ; Lawr. Orizafta (autumn). Sum. Yncafan, Lawu.

Figures: ViEiix. Ois, II, pi. xxviii, xxix. — Aun. Orn. Biog. I, II, V, pi. xxiii, cii, coxl.
— WiLs. I, pi. vi, fig. 1. - BUFFON, Pi. enl. 709, fig. 2.

Sp. Char. (No. 2G,024 ^.) Winufs a little shorter than the somewhat graduated tail.
Bill slender, the depth contained about two and a half
times in distance from nostrils to tip. First quill about
equal to seventh. Forehead to above the anterior edge
of the eye, and across the entire cheeks, ears, .ind jaws,
and ending in an angle on sides of neek, black, with a
sufTusion ofhoarv bluish-irrav behind it on thecrown and
sides of neck; the occipital and nuchal region grayish-
brown, passing insensibly into the olive-green of the up-
per parts. Chin, throat, jugulum, edge of wing and cris-
sum rich yellow (the latter paler) ; rest of under parts,
with lining of wings, yellowish-white, the sides tinged
with brownish ; outer primary edged with whitish, the others with olive-green. Bill black ;
legs yellowish. Total length, 4.40; wing, 2.15; tail, 2.30; graduation, .2~)\ width of outer
tail-feather, .28 ; dillerence between lirst and third qui'ls, .15; length of bill from forehead,
..52; from nostril, ..'iO ; along gape, .00: tarsus, .75; middle toe and claw, ,GG; claw alone,
.18; hind toe and claw, .48 ; elaw alone, ,20,

Male in winter, an<l the female, without the black mask; the forehead tinged with
brown, the yellow of the throat less extended, the eyelids whitish, and a 3'ellowish super-
ciliary line.

Hab, The whole Uiiitetl States, from Atlantic to Pacific, and south to Costa Rica; Ber-
muda (October) ; Bahamjis ; Cuba ; Jamaica.

The young bill is brownish-olive above, becoming more virescent on the
rump and tail ; eyelids, and whole lower ])arts, soft light buft', with a faint
tinge of yellow on the breast and lower tail-coverts,

Tliere is very much variation nianifested in a large series (containing more

than one hundred and thirty specimens, principally Xorth American), though

38

Geothlypis trichas.

298

NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS.

Geothhjpis trichas.

but very little that accords with any distinctions of habitat. As a nilo,
however, tliose from the Atlantic States are tlie smallest of the series, and
have most white on the abdomen, the yellow being restricted to the tliroat
and jugulum, and the lower tail-coverts. In most specimens from the ^lis-
sissippi Valley the yellow beneatli is quite continuous, and the size consid-
erably larger tlian in the series above mentioned, in these respects approach-
ing the Cr. mdanops from Eastern ]Mexico, in which the yellow pervades tlie

whole surface beneath ; but in this the
whitish border above the bhick mask is
extended over the whole crown, leaving
the nape only distinctly brownish, and
the size larger tlian the average of
the series alluded to. However, No.
() 1,135 (J, Liberty County, Ga., has even
more white on top of the head, the whole
occiput being of this color ; while No.
7,922 i , from Ilacine, Wis., is quite as
long as the type of mrlanops (the tail
only, shorter), and there is nearly as
much yellow beneath. The Georgia specimen, however, in other resi)ects,
is most like the Atlantic style. Specimens from the Pacific coast have just
appreciably longer tails than Eastern ones, and the olive-green above is
brighter. Jamaican and Guatemalan specimens are identical with many from
the United States. The G. rodrdtus of Bryant, from the Bahamas, appears
to be merely a gigantic insular race of the common species.

Habits. This well-known and l)eautiful little Ground Warlder is a com-
mon, abundant, and widely diffused species, occurring throughout the Ignited
States from ocean to ocean, and from the Gulf of Mexico to Canada and
Nova Scotia. It is found, during the winter months, in Cuba, Jamaica, ^lex-
ico, Yucatan, Guatemala, Costa Bica, the Bahamas, and, in the fall, in l>er-
muda. On the Pacific coast it has been found from Cape St. Lucas to the
British territories. It breeds from Northern Georgia to Halifax, inclusive.

In Central America, Mr. Salvin states that this Warbler is by far tlie most
common of the Mniot'iltida', but is wholly migi'atory. It was usually found
in the neighborhood of water, freipienting the reeds that surrounded Lidve
Puenas, and the bushes on the banks of its outlet. It was also taken by
Mr. Boucard at Totontopec, among the mountains of Oaxaca, ^lexico.

It was observed as far to the north as I^ake of the AVoods, bv Mr. Kenni-
ci»tt. Seveml were there observed, both males and females, May 29. It is
everywhere (piite conmion, and is, I think, as numerous in New England as
in the Middle States.

For the most part it seems to prefer wild lands, especially those overgrown
with briers and low bushes, to open or cultivated grounds. Yet this prefer-
ence is not exclusive, as I have known a pair, or their ott'spring, to visit the

SYLVICULID.E — THE WAKliLERS. 209

same ufarden nine or ten successive summers. Tt is also more ijenerallv found
in low lands than in liij^li, and is probaMv attracted to moist tliiekets of
briers and underbrush bv the 'greater al>undance of its favorite food. This
AVarl^kT is eminently terrestrial in its habits, never beinij: found among hinher
lind)S, but always either on the y-round ov anions the lower branches of
])ushes, vines, and weeds. It is a diligent rather than an active or nimble
l»ird, is always on the move, and incessantly in search of its food. This con-
sists of insects in all their forms, but more particularly of larv^, small
beetles, and sjjiders. They are of great service in the destruction of several
forms of injurious grubs, and but that their mode of life exposes them to
destruction by prowling cats, I doubt not they would readily adai»t themselves
to living in our gardens. Occasionally they are found in tields of grain,
where their j)resence is due to the abundance of destructive insects.

The Yellow-Throat ap])ears shy and retiring because it prefers to move back
and forth anmng low shrubs and brand)les, where it most readily procures its
food, but it is not a timid bird. They are unsuspecting, and will as readily
permit as fly from the near presence of man. I have frequently had them
approach within a few feet, especially- when at rest ; and even when in mo-
tion they will continue their lively song, as they move about from twig to
twig. Though able to cai)ture an insect on the wing, they are not expert fly-
catchers, and chiefly take their prey when it is at rest.

Their song is a very lively and agreeable refrain, easily recognized, though
exhibiting at times marked differences, and occasionally closely resembling
the song of the Summer Yellow-liird. The same brief series of notes, usually
sounding like ichi-fi-tee-tee, is constantly repeated at short intervals, while
the singer continues his perpetual hunt for insects.

The male is very affectionate and devoted to botli mate and oftspring. The
pair are never far apart, and during incubation the male is assiduous in the
collection of food, feeding its mate, and afterwards assisthig in collecting for
their young. They rely upon concealment for the protection of their nest, and
rarely show any open solicitude until it is discovered. Then they will make
the most vehement demonstrations of alarm and distress, flying about the
intruder and fearlessly ap})roaching him to within a few feet. In Massachu-
setts tliey rarely, if ever, have more than one brood in a season. The young
are able to take care of themselves early in July. At that time the song of
the male ceases, or is abbreviated to a single v:Iiif, and parents and young
form a family group and together hunt in the more secluded thickets, the
edges of woods, and other retired places, for their food. Early in September
they take their departure.

The Y'ellow-Throat is distributed, in suitable localities, over a large area,
and wherever found is apparently ecpially common. Dr. Gerhardt found it
quite abundant in Northern CJeorgia. Wilson and Audubon thought it more
common in the Middle States than faither north, but I have found it quite as
numerous about Halifax and Eastport as I have at Washington. Dr. Cooper

300 NORTH AMKHICAX BIRDS.

speaks of it as " very coinmon " in \Vasliiii«^ton Territory, thou<;h not so
aluuulant as McCJillivmy's Warbler. Tlie .saniu writer also states it to be a
"very common bird" in California. Their earliest arrival at San I)ie«;o was
on the 17th of April, about the time they reach Pennsylvania. They ap])ear
in New Knj^land early in May.

Their nest is almost invariably upon the «.rroun(l, usually in a thick bed
of fallen leaves, a clump of grass or weeds, at the roots of low bushes or
briers, or under the shelter of a brush-pile. Occasionally it has been found
among high weeds, built in a matted cluster of branches, four or five feet
from the ground. Sometimes it is sunk in a depression in the ground, and
often its top is covered by loose overlying leaves. I have never found this
top interwoven with or fijrniing any part of the nest itself.

The nest is usually both large and deep for the size of the bird, its loose
peri])hery of leaves and dry sedges adding to its size, and it often has a depth
of from five to six inches from its rim to its base. The cavity is usually
three inches deep and two and a quarter wide. Generally these nests are
constnicted on a base of dry leaves. An external framework, rudely put to-
gether, of dry grasses, sedge leaves, strips of dry bark, twigs, and decaying
vegetables, covers an inner nest, or lining, of finer materials, and more care-
fully woven. At the rim of the nest these materials sometimes project like
a rude palisade or hedge. Usually the lining is of line grasses, without hair
or feathers of any kind.

In some nests the outer portion and base are composed almost entirely of
fine dry strips of the inner bark of the wild giape.

The eggs vary from four to six in number, and also differ greatly in
their size, so much so that the question has arisen if there are not two s})ecies,
closely resembling, but differing chiefly in their size. Of this, however, there
is no evidence other than in these marked variations in the eggs.

In the Great Basin, Mr. IJidgway found this bird abundant in all the
bushy localities in the vicinity of water, but it was confined to the lower
portions, never being seen high up on the mountains, nor even in the lower
portions of the mountain canons. "^

Their eggs exhilut a variation in length of from .55 to .72 of an inch, and
in breadth Irom .48 to .58 of an inch ; the smallest being from Georgia, and
the largest from Kansas. They are of a beautiful clear crystalline-white
ground, and are dotted, blotched, and marbled around the larger end with
purple, reddish-brown, and dark umber.

SYLVTCOI.ID.E — TIIF WARULKRS. 301

Geothlypis Philadelphia, IVvikd.

MOVBHINO WABBLEB.

Si/irid /ihiltnf>/j>/iia, Wii,s. Am. (>ni. II, lM(t, lol, pi. .\iv ; All*. ; NiTT. Trichtts phihi-

th//>hiii, .l.\i:h. IkKiNHAUDr, Vidfii.sk. Mtdtltl. lor l>.'»:i, untl litis, iSiJl, »> (<Iri'«ii.

l;iii«l). (/'ofJififfHs ji/ii/if. n.viui), IJii'ls N. Am. 18a8, 243, pi. Ixxix, ti;,'. 3; Utv. "Ji't;.

— S<LATEi:, Catal. l.*««»l, •_'? (Oii/aha). — Lawkkntk, Aim. N. V. Ly< . l^^jl, oJJ

{Panama), — SAMrFLs, "JdT. - Dkksskh, Ilii.s, }Si\i', 47«i.
Fij^iiivs : WiLs. Am. Oni, II, pi. xiv. — Ai i». lUnls Am. II, 1>1. ci.

Sp. Chah. Winj^'s hut little Knip'r than tiic tail, ivadiiuir ''nt littlo Ix-yond its \ti\in\
Athdt male. Ilt-ad Jind nt'ck all ronml, with throat and forepart ofhreast, ash-i^rav. paUr
l)eiR'ath. Till' leathers of the eliiii. throat, aixl lore hreast in reality hlaek, hut with nar-
row ashy niarjrins more or lejv** eoneealinjr the hlaek, except on the hreast. Lores an<l re^non
round the eye dusky, without any traee of a pale rin^^ I'pper part<s and sid«'s of the
body elear olive->rreen ; the under parts hrii,dit y( How. Tail-feathers uniform olive; fust
primary, with the out"r half of the outer weh, nearly white. Ffimile with the uray of the
crown ^dossed with olive; the chin and throat paler eentrally, and tinired with I'ulvou.s; a
dull whitish rin,!.r round the eye. Leuii-th, .').')(>; winu', 2.40 : tail. 'J. "Jo. Youmj not seen.

IIah. Eastern Trovinee of Tnitcd States to British America : ( Jreeidand ; Southeastern
Mexico, Panama II. U., and Colombia. Not n.'corded from West Indie;^ or (juatemala.
Costa Kica (Lawk.).

Specimens vary in the amount of black on tl»e ju«^iiluni, and the i)urity
of the ash of the throat. The species is often confounded with Oporuniis
affUis, to which the resenihhince is (piite ch)se. They may, li<j\vever, he dis-
tinguished by tlie nnich lonj^^er and more p(»inted wings, and more even tail,
shorter legs, etc., of ayilix. The white ring round the eye in the female
philddelphia increases the ditHculty of sei)aration.

The adult male in autunni is scarcely ditlerent from the spring bird, there
being merely a faint olive-tinge to the ash on to^) of the head, and the black
jugular patch more restricted, being more concealed by the ashy borders to
the feathers ; the yellow beneath somewhat deeper.

Habits. The ^lourning AVarbler was first discovered and described by
Wilson, who captiu'ed it in the early part of »June, on the borders of a marsh,
within a few miles of IMiiladelpliia. This was tl^e only specimen he ever
met with. He found it flitting from one low bush to another in search of
insects. It had a sprightly and pleasant warbling song, the novelty of which
first attracted his attention. For a long while Wilson's single bird remained
uni(|ue, and from its excessive rarity Bonaparte conjectured that it might
be an accidental variety of the Yellow-Throat. At i)resent, though still
of unfreciuent occurrence, it is by no means a doubtful, though generally
a comparatively rare species. Audubon mentions having received several
specimens of this Warbler, procured in the neighborhood of Philadelphia,
New York, and Vermont, all of which were o])tained in the spring or sum-
mer months. He met w:th a single specimen in Louisiana, and tliinks its
habits closely resemble those of the Maryland Yellow-Throat.

VICTORIA. B C.

302 XoliTII AMKUICAN UIIiDS.

Nuttall iiH't with wlmt lit* invsunu*s to have biHMi unu of these l)iids in tlie
Ik>tanicul UuRleii al ( 'aiiihriil<,'e. It ha«l all the iiiaiiners of the Yellow-Throat,
was busy in the search of insects in the low hushes, and, at intervals, warl>le<l
out some \ery ]tleasant notes, which partly resenihled the lively chant of the
Trifliiis, antl in some dej^nee the song of the Summer Vcllow-IJird.

Trofessor IJeinharilt states that two individuals of this species have heen
taken in (Ireenland, — one in Fisken:esset, in 184»l, an«l the other at Julian-
liiud>, in IS.Io.

Mr. Turnhull jjjives it as still ijuite rare in Kastern Pennsylvania, arrivinjj:
there in the niitldle of Mav on its wav farther north. Mr. Liiwrence includes
it in his list of the birds of New York. ^Ir. I)res.ser obtained five speci-
mens early in May, in Southern Texas.

It has been met with as far to the north as CJreenland by Keinhardt, and
in Selkirk Settlement by Donald (Junn. It has been procured in Kastern
iMexico, in Panama, in Carlisle, l*enn., Southern Illinois, Mis.souri, Nova
Scotia, and various other i)laces. It has l>een known to breed in Waterville,
Me., and is not uncommon in Northwestern and Northern New York. A
single si)ecimen of this bird was obtained at Ocana, in Colombia, South
America, by Mr. C. W. AVvatt.

Late in May, I808, I have a note of having met with this species in IMount
Auburn. The bird was fearless and unsuspecting, busily engaged, among
some low shrubl)ery, in search of iu.sects. It suffered our near presence, was
often within a few feet, and was so readily distinguishable that my compan-
ion, with no actpiaintance with birds, at once recognized it from Audubon's
jdates. Its habits were the exact counterpart of those of the Y'ellow-Throat.
We did not notice its song.

Mr. ^lavnard states that, Mav 1^1, ISGO, ^Ir. AVilliam Brewster shot a male
of this species in Cambridge, on the top of a tall tree. Another s]>ecimen
was taken at Francouia Mountains, New Hami)shire, August 8, 18b7. It was
in conij)auy with four fully Hedged young, which it was feeding. The young
were shy, and could not be procured. The old bird was catching Hies, after
the manner of Flvcatchers. Mr. ^laynard has met this s])ecies but once in
^lassachusetts, and then in May, among low bushes and in a swampy place.
He has since fouml it rather common at Lake Umbagog, Elaine, in June, where
it breeds. He states that it fmpients the Inishes along fences, stone walls, and
the edges of woods. The male often perches and sings in the eaily morning
on the top rail of a fence, or the dead branch of a tree. Its song he speaks
of as loud and clear, somewhat resembling that of the Scitirus novchoraccnsis.
Mr. Paine considers this Warbler to be very rare in Vermont. He once
observed a pair, with their young, at Iiandolph. The male was singing a
quite pleasing, though somewhat monotonous song.

Mr. George Welch met with these birds in the Adirondack region. New
York, in June, 1870. They .seemed rather abundant, and were evidently
breeding there. He obtained a single specimen.

SVFA'ICOMD.K — THE WAIJIU.KIiS. ;J0;>

Mr. John TJunouu'lis, oi' Wasliiiigiuii, was so toitiinato as to ol»tain llio
nest and ('u;:s of this Warlthr nt'ar the heail-wattTs of tlie Dchiware iJivcr,
in li'oxhuiv, |)ela\vaic Cotinty, N. V. " Th*^ nest," ho writes nie, " was
in tlie edj^e ot" an old hark-i»eelin|4, in a lieniloek wood, and was jdaeed in
some ferns al>out one foot from the j^round. The nest was ([nite massive, its
outer i)ortions heini,' eomj»osed of small dry stalks and leaves. The cavity
was very deej), and Wiis lined with tine hlaek roots. I have frequently
observed this Warhler in that section. Ahout the head of the Neversink
and Kso|»us, in the northwest part of lister County, New York, they are the
prevailing \Varl»ler, and their soni^ may l»e heard all day h*n<^. Their son.i^
su'^-'ests that of the Kentnekv (Jround Warhler, hut is not so loud and tine."
Mr. lUirrouiihs states elsewhere that " the egi;s, three in niimher, were of
liiiht tlesh-color, uniforndy sj)eckle<l with tine hrown specks. The cavity of
the nest was so deep that the back of the sitting bird sank below the edge."

Their eggs are of an oldong-oval shape, pointed at one end. They measure
.75 by .5.") of an inch. Their unound-cohu- is a pinkish-white, and they are
marked with dots and blotches, of varying size, of dark purplish-browu.

Geothlypis macgillivrajri, Bairp.

MACOILLIVSATS OBOUND WABBLER.

Siflvia macrfiUirrayi, Ari». Oin. liio.u. V, 18:V.>, ".'*, pi. ('('«'Xtrix. Trkhna mncg. Am.
firiithhipi.s inonj. \^\\\\v^, Uiids N. Am. 1S.>*^, 244, |>1. Ixxix, tig. 4; IJcv. 227. — Sri,ATi:i:,
Catal. 18«)1, 27 (.Iiilaiia and (luat.). — In. T. Z. S. 1859, 3«):3, 373 (Xalapa, OaxacaV —
Cab. Jour. IsOl, ^4 ^Costa 1,'i.a). — Cooi'f.ii & Sue ki.kv, P. R. R. Rq). XII, ir, Ls"*!*,
177. — (-'"ol'KU, Orn. Cal. I, l87o, 1m;. Sjilciathi nun.y. Max. Cab. Jour. VI, 1858,
118. Stilcia tofini'vi. Towns. J, A. N. Sr. 1839. Triihaj* tuIniUri, Xi'TT. Man. I.
Trk'hds vajcta (Licht.), 13r. Consp. 1850, 310 ; Jide Cab. Jour. IStil, 84 (Mexico).

Sp. Chah. A(hiH male. Head and neck all round, throat and forepart of the hrejost,
dark ash-color; a narrow irontU't, loial region, and space round the eye (.scarcely coinj)lete
behind), black. The eyelids above and below the eye (not in a continuous rinfr) whit«\
The featJH'rs of flu; <-hin, throat, and tore lireast really black, with ashy-frray tips more or
less concealing the black. Rest of upper partj> dark olive-tri'een (sides under the wings
paler); of lower, bright yellow. Female with the throat paler and without any black.
Length of male, .') inches; wing, 2.45; tail, 2.45. I'o^/^f/ not seen.

IIab. Western and Middle Provinces of Tnited States, to northern boundary ; Ciist to
Fort Laramie; south to Costa Rica.

The white eyelids of this species distinguish its males from those of G.
phihidelpJtia, in which there is a black jugular patch not seen in the present
species. The females can only be known by the slenderer bill and more
rounded wing, the first (juill being intermediate between the tilth and sixth,
instead of being considerably lon«4er than the fifth.

The autumnal a<lult male is as descril)ed above, except that there is a faint
tinge of green on the crown, and the ashy bordei^s to feathers of throat and

304 .Noinii AMKuicAN Biuns.

ju;4iilimi broadt'r, cniucalin;^' nunv tlir Idiuk. Tlit- julult Icniale in autumn
is con.sideraldy more «lully tolorud than in spring.

JIaiuts. This comparatively m;w Warlder was first luet witli Ity Town-
Rond, and (h'scrihed hy Auduliou in the hist vnluniu ot liis ( )rnilh(>h)^i('al
llioufrajihy. It has since Iteen tnund to have a wi(h* ran^e tlirouuhout the
western jtortion of North America, from (ape St. Lucas to I'.ritish Amer-
ica, and from tlie I'hiins to tlie raeitic. It lias also lu'en ohtained at C'hoa-
]»an in the State of Orizaha, ^fexico, hy Mr. liniicanl, and in (niatemala hy
Mr. Salvin, who states tliaL throuuhout the district l>etween the ..»lcanoes of
A;4ua and Fuej^'n tliis was a commnn sj»eeies, fretiuenting the outskirts of the
forests and the edges ni tlie clearings. It hreeds in ahundance in Ttah,
^lontana, Idaho, Oregon, Washington Territory, and prolmldy also in Xfuth-
ern ( 'alifornia.

Tnwnsend first met with it on tlu' hanks of the Columhia. Tie states that
it was mostly solitary ami extremely wary, keeping cliietly in the most im-
penetrahle tiiickets, and gliding through them in a cautious and suspicious
manner. Sometimes it might he seen, at midday, ])erclied uj)on a dead twig,
over its favorite places of concealment, at such times warlding a very sja-ightly
and ])leasant little song, raising its head until its hill is nearly vertical.

Mr. Xuttall informed Mr. Audulxm that this AVarblev is one of the most
common summer residents of the wo(m1s and plains of the Columhia, where
it appears early in May, and remains until the approach of winter. It
keeps near the ground, and gleans its subsistence among the L)w hushes. It
is shy, and when surpri.sed or closely watched it immetliatelv skulks off, often
uttering a loud r/irl: Its notes, he states, resendde those of the S^iffn'n
avrnnipilhi^. On the 12th of June a nest was brought to Mr. Xuttall, con-
taining two young birds quite Hedged, in the j-lumage of the mother. The
nest was chiefly made of stri])S of the inner bark of the Thuja occidnitnli.^,
lined with slender wiry stalks. It was built near the ground in the dead,
moss-covered limbs of a fallen oak, and was partly hidden by long tufts of
v.snea. It was less artificial than the Yellow-Throat's nest, but was of the
same general appearance. On his restoring the nest to its place, the parents
immediately approached to feed their charge.

Dr. Suckley found this Warbler very abundant between the Cascade ^loun-
tains and the Pacific coast. Like all (Ground Warblers it was entirelv insec-
tivorous, all the stomachs examined containing coleoptera and other insects.
He did not find them shy, but as they frequented thick brush they were very
ditficult to procure.

Dr. Cooper found this species very common al)out Puget Sound, frecpient-
ing the underbrush in dry woods, occasionally singing a song from a low tree,
similar to that of the Yellow-Thrtiat. He found its nest built in a bush, a
foot from the ground. It was of straw, looselv made, and without anv soft
lining. Dr. Cooper found this species as far east as Fort Laramie, in Wyo-
ming. They reach the Columbia IJiver by the od of May.

SYLVICOLID.E — THE WARHLERa 3O0

The same writ»T iiotictMl ilu' first <»t' this s|K'L'i»'s at Fort ^^^iavt^ A]>ril •J4,
Ho rt'j,'ar(kMl their hal>its as varyin;^' in soiiiu ri'sjKicts tnuu tlioso of the 7'//'/<".>,
as tliey prefer ih'V hwalities, and hunt for insects not only in h)\v huslios l»ut
also in trees, like the 1>* inJroiia . \)\. ('nnpcr twicer descrihes their v)i)i^ as
white, which is inaccurate. He thinks that some of them winter in the
warmer ]M»rtions of California. He reu'anls them as shy, il" watcheil, seeking,'
the (lensest thickets, hut hiou^^dit out a^siin hy their curiosity if a person
wails f(»r them, and the birds will ai)proach within a few feel, keei>ing up a
sci»lilin;4 chirp.

The nests of this species oidained liy Dr. Ivennerly from ru;4et Sound
were all huilt on the ground, and were constructed almost exclusively of
beautifully <lelicate mosses, ]>eculiar to that country. They are shallow nests,
with a diamettT of four and a height of two inclies, the cavity occupying a
large proportion of the nest. Its walls and base are of uniform thickness,
averaging about one inch. The nests are lined with finer mosses and a few
slen<ler stems and fibres.

Mr. Iiidgway found these Warblers breeding in great nund>ei*s, June 2*^
I8()".l, at Parley's Park, Ttah, among the Wahsatch Mountains. One of
these nests (S. I., ir>,2.'iS) was in a bunch of weeds, among the underbrush
of a willow-thicket along a canon stream. It was situated about eight inches
from the ground, is cujdike in shape, two inches in height, three in diameter,
and somewhat loosely constructed of slender strips of bark, decayed stalks of
])lants, dry grasses, intermixed with a few fine roots, and lined with liner
materials of the same. The cavity is one and a half inches in depth, and two
in diameter at the rim.

The eggs, four in niimher, are .T.' of an inch in length and .50 in
breadth. Their ground-color is a pinkish-white, marbled and spotted with
purple, lilac, reddish-1 u'own, and dark 1 >rown, a])proaching 1 »lack. The bh >tehes
of the last color vary much in size, in one instance having a length of .21
of an inch, and having the appearance of hieroglyphics. When these sjjots
are large, they are very sparse.

"This species," ^Ir. Iiidgway wn'ites, "inhabits exclusively the brush-
wood along the streams of the mountain canons and ravines. Among
the weeds in such localities numerous nests were found. In no case were
they on the ground, though they were always near it ; being fixed between
upright stalks of herbs, occasionally, perhaps, in a brier, fnjm about one to
two feet above the gi*ound. The note of the parent lurd, when a nest was
disturbed, was a strong chip, much like that of the Ci/anospiza amwna or C.
cijaiiea!' He also states that it was abumlant in the East Humboldt Moun-
tains in August and in September, and also throughout the summer. A
pair of fully fledged young was caught on the 21st of July.

m

306

XORTir AMERICAN lURDS.

SruiAMiLY ICTERIAN^.

Section I C T E R I E ^ .

In this section there are two American ueneia ; one found iu the United
States, the other not. The diagnoses are as follow 3 : —

Sizo large (a^out 8 inclii's). Lowor j:iAv not deeper than uppor anterior to nostrils.

Tail moderate. Partly yellow Uencatli, olive-green above .... Icferia.
Size smaller (about G inches;. Lower jaw deeper than upper. Tail alinoj^t fim-

shaped. Partly red beneath, i)lunilH'OUs-blue above .... GrannteUus}

Genus ICTERIA, Vieill.

Idcria, Vieillot, Ois. Am. Sept. I, 1»0 7, ill and So. (Type, Muscicapa viridLf. G.m.
Tiirdus vircns, LiNN.)

Gk\. Char. Bill broad at base, but contracting rapidly and becoming attenuated when

viewed from above: hiirh at the base

(higher than l)road opposite the nostrils) ;
the culinen and connnissure much curved
from base; the gonys straight. Tapper jaw
deeper than the lower; bill without notch
or rictal bristles. Nostrils circular, edged
above with membrane, the feathers close
to their borders. Wings shorter than tail,
considerably rounded ; first quill rather
shorter than the sixth. Tail moderately
graduated ; the feathers rounded, but nar-
row, ^fiddle toe without claw about
two thirds the length of tarsus, which has

Icteria virens.

the scutellae fused externally in part into one plate.

The precise systematic position of the genus Icferia is a matter of much
contrariety of opinion among ornithologists ; hut we have little hesitation in
including it among the Si/lrivoHda'. It has l)een most frequently assigned
to the Vireonida\ hut differs essentially in the deeply cleft inner toe (not
half united as in Vireo), the partially hooted tarsi, the lengtliened middle
toe, the slightly curved claws, the entire a])sence of notch or hook in the hill,
and the short, rounded wing with only nine primaries. The wing of Vh-eo,
when much rounded, has ten primaries, — nine only heing met with when
the wing is very long and pointed.

Of this genus only one s])ecies is known, although two races are recog-
nized by naturalists, dittering in the length of the tail.

* Grannfellus, Dfbfs. Baird, Rev. Am. Birds, 18«i5, 230. (Type, G. trintfifus, Dubus.)

8YLVIC0LID.E — TIIK WARBLERS.

307

L virens. Above olive-irrctMi ; benejith <rainb(><;»'-y«'llow tor the anterior half,
and white for the posterior. A white stripe over the eye.

Lenufth of tail. .J.iJO inches. Hah. Eastern United States to the Plains; in
winter throu«i;h Eastern Mexico to (Juateniala .... var. r ire its

Length of tail, .{.TO inches. Ifuh. Western United States from the Plains to
the Pacific ; Western Mexico in winter var. lo inji ca >i^f a

Icteria virens, Baiud.

TELLOW-BBEASTED CHAT.

Tardus virens, LiNX. Syst. Nat. 10th cd. 17'»8, 171, no. 1(5 (luiscd on CEnanfJie amcrieann,
jhctiire Itifen, Yrllow-breastcd Chat, Catkshy, Carol. I, tab. ;'>(>». IcterUi vircuji, IJaiku,
livv. Am. IJ. IStU, 228. Museiatpn ciri-Us, (I.melin, Syst. Nat. I, 1788, WMS. let, ri<i
riridis, JioN. ; Ai i>. Oni. IJiog. If, j>l. cxxxvii. — Haiku, Birds N. Am. lsr»8, 248.
Ictcrid didiieaihi. Vikill. Pipro itidijijhittd, Wils. f hterio vdusquczi. Box. P. Z. S.
1837, 117 (Mcxiio).— ScLATEii & Salv. Ibis, I, 18.'»9, 12 ((JuatemaluK

Localities (piotcd : Costa Riot, Caban. nrizubn (winter). Sum. Vuaiton, Lawk.

.^p. Char. Third and fourth (piills longest ; second and fifth little shorter : first lu'arly equal
to the sixth. Tail graduated. Upper parts' uniform olive-green; under parts, including
the inside of w^ing, gamboge-yellow as far as nearly half-way from the point of the bill to
the tip of the tail; rest ot under parts white, tinged with brown on ihe sides; the outer
side of the tibi:e plumbeous: a slight tinge of orange across the bnjast. Forehead and
sides <if the head ash. the lores and region below the eye blackish. A white stripe from
the nostrils over the eye and involving the upper (yelid : a patch on the lower lid, and a
short stripe from the side of the lower niandil»le, and running to a point opposite the hinder
border of the eye, white. Bill black: feet brown. Female like the male, but smaller;
the markings indistinct; the lower mandible not pure black. Length. 7.40; wing, 3.25;
tail, .■J.oO. Xest in thickets, near the ground. Eggs white, spotted with reddish.

Hab. Eastern Luiiti'd States, west to Arkansas; rare north of Pennsylvania; south to
Eastern Mexico and (Juateniala. Not noticed in West Indies.

Both sexes in winter apparently have the
base of lower mantlible light-colored, the
olive more brown, tlie sides and crissuin
with a strong ochraceotis tinge. It is this
plumage that has been recognized as /. ve-
lasquczi

Habits. The Yellow-breasted Chat is
found throughout the Ilastern United States,
from Massachusetts to Florida, and as far to
the west as Fort Uiley and Eastern Kansas.
Mr. Sav met with it ainon«4 the Iiocky Moun-
tains as far north as the sources of the Arkan-
sas. It is not very rare in Massachusetts, but

a few breed in that State as far north as Lynn. It has been found in Mexico
and (Tuatemala, but not, so far as I am aware, in the West Indies.

Probably no one of our birds has more distinctly marked or greater pecii-

Irteria virens.

308 XORTH AMERICAN BIRDS.

liarities of voice, manners, and Iial>its tlian this very singular Inrcl. It is
somewhat tenvstrial in its life, irecjuentin*^- tan^Ljlt'd thickets of vines, hriers,
and brambles, and keeping itself very carefully concealed. It is noisy and
vociferous, constantly changing its jjosition and moving from place to place.

It is not abundant north of Pennsylvania, where it arrives early in ]May
and leaves the last of August. The males are said always to arrive three or
four days In^fore their mates.

This species is described by Wilson as very much attached to certain
localities where they have once taken up their residence, aj)pearing very
jealous, and offended at the least intrusion. They scold vehemently at
every one who aj)proaches or even i)asses by their jdaces of retreat, giving
uttemnce to a great variety of odd and uncouth sounds. Wilson states that
these sounds may be easily imitated, so as to deceive the bird itself, and to
draw it after one ; the bird following repeating its cries, but never permit-
ting itself to be seen. Such responses he describes as constant and mpid,
and strongly expressive both of anger and anxiety, their voice, as it shifts,
unseen, from place; to place, seeming to be more like that of a spirit than a
bird. These sounds Wilson compares to the whistling of the wings of a
duck, being rei»etitions of short notes, beginning loud and raj)id, and fall-
ing lower and lower. Again a succession of other notes, said to closely
resendjle the baiking of young pupj>ies, is followed by a variety of hollow,
guttural sounds, each eight or ten times repeated, at times resembling the
mewing of a cat, only hoarser, — all of these, as he states, uttered with
great vehemence, in different keys and with peculiar modulation = . now as if
at a considerable distance, and the next moment as if close i»y your side ;
so that, by these tricks of ventrikx^uism, one is uttt '> at a loss to ascertain
from what ]>articidar ([uarter they juuceed. In i.. weather this strange
melody of sounds is kej)t up throughout Lhe night during the first of the
pairing-season, but ceases as soon as incubation commences.

They construct their nest about tlie middle of May. These are placed
within a few feet of the ground, in the midst of low brambles, vines, and
bushes, generally in a tangled thicket. They build a rude but strongly woven
nest, the outer portions more loosely made of dry leaves ; within these are
interwoven thin strips of the bark of the wild grape, fibrous roots, and fine
dry grasses.

The eggs, four or five in number, are usually hatched out within twelve
days, and in about as many more the young are ready to leave their nest.

While the female is sitting, and still more after the young are hatched, the
cries of the male are loud and incessant when his nest is aj^proached. He
no longer seeks to conceal himself, but rises in the air, his legs dangling in a
peculiar manner, ascending and descending in sudden jerks that betray his
great irritation.

The food of this bird consists chiefly f»f beetles and other insects, and
of different kinds of berries anil small fruit, and it said to be especially fond
of wild straw^berries.

SYLvrrouivE — tup: WAUBLEiis. 309

Audubon states tliat in their miixratiuns they move from lni<li to busli by
(lay, and t're([uently continiui their nuirch by night. Tlieir flight at all times
is sliort and irreguhir. He also states tliat when on the ground they s(|unt
jerk their tails, spring on tlieir legs, and are ever in a state ot great activ-
ity. Although the existenee of this bird north of rennsylvania is generally
disputed, I have no doubt that it has always Ixien, and still is, a eonstant
visitor of Massachusetts, and has been found to witiiin a score of miles of
the New Hampshire line. Among my notes 1 tind that a nest was found
in Brookline, in 1852, by Mr. Theodore J.ynian ; in iJanvers, l)y Mr. l>yron
Goodale ; in Lynn, by ^lessrs. Vickary and Welch ; and in many other parts
of the State. It certainly breeds as far south as (leorgia on the coast, and
in Louisiana and Texas in the s«)Uthwest. On the I'acitic coast it is replaced
by the long-tailed variety, lonfj ice tula.

A nest of this species from Concord, Mass., obtained by Mr. P.. 1'. ^Lann,
and no^v in the collection of the Boston Xatural History Society, has a
dianiete. of four inches and a height of three and a half. The cavity has a
depth of two and a quarter inches, and is two and a half wide. This is built
upon a base of coarse skeleton leaves,and is made of coarse sedges, dried
grasses, and stems of plants, and lined with long, dry, and wiry stems of
plants, resembling pine-needles. Another from TondVet, Conn., obtained by
Mr. Se.ssions, is a nuich larger nest, measuring tive inches in diameter and
three and three quarters in height. The cup is two tind a half inches deep
by three in width. It is made of an interweaving of leaves, Ixirk of the
grapevine, and stems of plants, and is lined with tine, long wiry sten\s and
pine-needles.

Their eggs are of a slightly rounded oval shape, vary in length from .85
to .95 of an inch, and in breadth I'rom .05 to .70. They have a white ground
with a very slight tinge of yellow, and are marked with redilish-brcjwn and
a few^ fainter purplish and lilac spots.

Icteria virens, var. longicauda, Lawk.

LONG-TAILED CHAT.

Idcria longicauda, Lawrknck, Ann. N. Y. Lvi-. VI, April, 18r»3, 4. — Baikd, Birds N.
Am. 1858, 245), pi. xxxiv, li*ij. 2; \\v\. 230. -SrL.vTKi:, Catal. 42, n*). 2r»:}. — FlNS( H,
Abh. Nat. IJnni. 1870, :{:31 (Mazatlan). — Cuopki:, Orn. fal. I, 187o, l>8. f Idcria
auru'olli^ {Lkht. Mus. Btrl.), Bun. Consj). 1850, 331.

Sp. Char. Similar to var. riren.'i. Fourth (juill lonircst ; third and fifth shorter ; first
shorter than the seventh. Ahove ash-eolor, fingetl with olive on tln^ back and ne<'k ; the
outer surface of the winjrs and tail olive. The under ])arts as far as the middle of thehelly
bright gambopre-yellow. with a tinire of orange ; the remaining p<»rtion> white. The super-
ciliary and maxillaiy white stripes extend some distance behind the eye. Outer edge of
the first j)rimary white. Length. 7 in<-hes: wing, .'MiO ; tail, 3.70.

Fo/(»»/ (8.841. Loup Fork of Platte, August '> ; F. V. Ilayden). Above light grayish-

310 NORTH AMERICAN 'BIRDS.

brown; beneath yellow on anterior half as in adult, but yellow less pure; rest of under
parts (except abdomen) ochiiircous ; niarkiii^''s on head obsolete, the e^elitls only beiiig
distinctly white.

IIab. Western and Middle Provinces of I'nited States, east to Missouri River and
Texas ; Cajie St. Lucas ami Western Mexico.

The most tan,i,M])le diirerence between this bird and typical virais con-
sists in the lonuer tail. In addition, tlie ni>per plumage is grayish, with
hardly any olive tinge, and the white maxillary stripe extends fartlier back ;
the bill is not so deep as that of the Eastern bird. All these dift'erences,
however, are in strict accordance with various laws ; tlie more grayish cast
of plumage is what we should exi)ect in birds from the ^liddle Province,
while the restriction of the vellow from tlie maxilhe we see also in Western
specimens of HchninthopJiaga riijirupilhi ; the longer tail, also, is a well-
known characteristic of Western birds, as distinguished from Eastern of the
same species.

Upon the whole, therefore, taking into consideration the absolute iden-
tity of their habits and notes, we can only consider the /. loiujiravda and
/. rirr/LS as restricted, as being merely geograjdiical races of one species.

This variety, as well as the Eastern, has in autumn and winter a slightly
different plumage. A pair (r)3,.'U8 (J, and i)'-*,'-A7 9 , West Humboldt ^loun-
tains, Nevada) obtained September 4 ditt'er in the following respects from
spring adults : the upper ]»lumage is decidedly lirown, with even a russet
tinge, — not gray, with a greenish wash ; the Icjres are less jmrely black, and
the sides and crissum are deep cream-color, instead of pure white ; the female
has a shade of olive across the jugulum ; both male and female have the
lower mandible almost wholly white, and the commissure broadly edged with
the same.

Xo. 38,402 <? , Laramie Peak, June, has the throat and jugulum strongly
stained with deep cadmium-orange.

Habits. The Western or Long-taded Chat lias an exclusively Western dis-
tribution, and has been found from ^lexico and Cape St. Lucas to Oregon, on
the Pacific coast, and as far to the east its the I"p])er ]\Iissouri.

According to Dr. Cooper, these birds a] 'pear in San Diego and at Fort
Mojave in the latter part of A\wi\. They are said to iidiabit chietly the
warmer valleys near streams and marsli rarely on the coast. At Fort Mo-
jave, Dr. Cooper foinul a nest of this bird May li), built in a dense thicket of
algarolua. It contained three eggs, and one of the Molothrini. The nest was
built of .slender green twigs and leaves, lined with grass and hair. The eggs
were white, sjirinkled with cinnamon, somewhat in the form of a ring near
the larger end, and measured .75 by .64 of an inch.

These nests were usually very closely concealed, but one that he found at
Santa Cruz, near the coast, was in a very open situation, only two feet al)o\'e
the ground. When the nest is ap})roached, the old birds are very l»old, keep-
ing up a constant scolding, and almost flying in the face of an intruder. At

SYLVICOLID.E — THE WARBLERS. 3II

other times they are very shy. Tlie notes and sounds uttered l)y tlie West-
ern bird Dr. Cooper states to bu the same as those of the Eastern species,
and with the samo grotL\si|ueness. They leave the State of California on or
before the tirst of September.

Dr. Gambel states that tlie Chat apjiears in California about the middle of
April, resorting to the hed,i;es, vineyards, and bushy portions of gardens to
])reed.

Mr. Xantus found a nest of this bird (S. I., 89G) at Fort Tejon, California,
in ^lay. It is a very symmetrical and exactly circular nest, six inches wide
and three in height. The cavity has a diameter of three inches at the brim,
and a depth of two. It is built of soft strips of bark, large stems, and
branches of dry plants, leaves, twigs, and other vegetable substances. These
are very neatly and compactly interwoven. The nest is elaborately lined with
finer stems and flexilde grasses. Another nest (S. I., 181G), obtained at Xeo-
sho Falls, Kansas, by Mr. B. F. Goss, is of irregular shape. Its height is four
inches, and its diameter varies from three and three quarters to five inches.
It was built in a depression in the ground, and its shai)e adapted to its loca-
tion. The base is composed entirely of leaves, impacted when in a moist and
decaying condition. Within these is interwoven a strong basket-like struc-
ture, made of long and slender stems, strips of bark, and fine rootlets, lined
with finer grasses and stems of plants.

A nest of this S[)ecies from Sacramento is composed, externally, of fine
strips of inner bark of the grape and of deciduous trees, coarse straws, stems
of plants, twigs, and dried remains of weeds, etc. It is lined with finer
stems and long wiry roots, resembling hair. This nest has a diameter of four
inches and a height of three. The cavity has a diameter of three inches at
the rim, and a depth of two.

In regard to this variety ftlr. Ridg way* writes : ^ In no respect that I could
discover does this Western bird differ from the Eastern in habits, manners,
or notes. The nesting-habits are exactly the same."

The eggs of this species are, for the most part, larger than are those of the
vircns. They vary in length from .95 to l.OO of an inch, and have an aver-
age breadth of .70 of an inch. Their markings do not differ essentially in
shadings from those of the common species.

Subfamily SETOPHAGIN-ffi.

Gen. Char. Syh-iooline l»ird.s with the characters of- Flycatchers ; the bill notched at
tip, depressed and broad at the base, thouizli quite <Ieep ; the rictus with well-developed
bristles reacliincr beyond the nostrils, sometimes to the end of the bill. First quill rather
less than the fourth, or still shorter. Size of the species rarely exceeding six inches.
Colors red, yellow, and olive.

The species of this section resemble the small Flycatchers of the family

312 NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS.

TyrannidoB in the structure of the bill, etc., and in the habit of capturing
insects more or less on the Min'% tliouij:h thev are more restless in their
movements, seeking their prey among trees or in bushes, rapidly changing
their place, instead of occui)ying a i)erch and returning to it after pursuing
an insect through the air. The yellow or orange crown found in many spe-
cies also carries out the analogy ; but the strictly Oscine diameters of the
tarsal scutelhe and the nine primaiies will serve to distinguish them.

The Sduphagin(€ have their greatest develo])ment in Middle and South
America, no less than nine genem and subgenera being on record, of which
only two extend into the United States. Of one of these, Setoplmga, we
have only a single species of the many described ; the other, MyiodiodcSy
has no members other than those found in the United States.

The following diagnosis is prepared to distinguish our genera from the
South American : —

A. "NVinprs pointed , the first quill longer than the fifth ; the third as long as or
longer than the fourth. Tail nearly even, or slightl}'' rounded (the difterence of the
feathers less than .20) ; the feathers broad and firm ; the outer webs of exterior
ieathers narrow at base, but widening to nearly double the width near the end.

1. Bill lioni gape nearly as long as skull, broad at base and much depressed;
rictal bristles reaching half-way from nostrils to tip. Culmen and commis-
sure nearly straight. Wings equal to the tail. Tarsi long; toes short ; mid-
dle toe without claw, about half the tarsus Setupharja.

2. Bill from gape nearly as long as skull, broad at base, but deep and more
sylvicoliiie ; rictal bristles reaching but little beyond nostrils. Culmen and
conunissure straight to the tip, "Wings longer than the almost even tail.
Middle toe without daw. three fifths the tarsus .... Myiodioctea.
o. Bill from gape much shorter than head, wide at base, but compressed

and high : the culmen and comuii^jsure much curved from base, scarcely

notche*; at tip ; rictaj bristles r^nu'liing nearly UalP-way from no^rils tf3 tip. ♦

Wings about equal to the almost even tail. Middle toe without claw, about

three fifths the rather short tarsus CardtlUna.

D. Wings rounded ; the first quill shorter than in the preceding section ; always

less than the fifth. South American jxenera.'

c«^

Several species of Srfophar/ina' have, on not very well established grounds,
been assigned to the southern borders of the United States. They are as
iellows : —

Cardellina rubra, BAiRn, Rev. Am. Birds. 1805. 204. (Sefophafjn ruhra, Swatnson.)
Parus hucofis. (iiRAin, Birds Texas, Jldh. Mexico. Rich carmine-red. Wing and
tail-feathers brown. Ear-coverts silvery white. Length, 4.70 ; wing, 2.40 ; tail, 2.55.

Basileuterus culicivorus, IVvirh. Rev. Am, Birds, 1805, 240. (Sijlria cnlicivora,
LicHT.) M>iscir((jHf brdsieri, GiR.\vi).Tt'Xii^B'ird>^. ITab. Southern Mexico ; Guatemala
and Costa Rica. Top of head with two black stripes enclosing a median of yellow.
Back olivaceous- ash. Beneath entirely yellow. No rufous on side of head. Length,
4.90 ; wing, 2.40 ; tail, 2.25.

1 Genera Mimh^rns, Ei>fhlifj/is, Mjiothbjpis, Basileuterus, Idiotes, and Ergaticus. All Middle
and South America.

SYLVICOUD.E — THE WARBLERS.

313

Basileutenis belli, Baird, Rev. Am. Birds, 18G5, 247. Mnsrimpa heVi, Giraud, Texus
Birds. Ihih. Mexico and (fiiatoinalu. Top of head and face <.'ht'stmit. A yt-llow super-
ciliary strii)e bordered above by du:5ky. Back olive; beneatli yellow. Length, o.lU;
wing, 2.28 ; tail, 2.50.

Genus M7IODIOCTES, Aud.

Haiki), Birds

Myindiodcs, Audt'Bon, Synopsis, 1839, 48. (Typt^, Motacilla mifrafn, Gm.)

N. Am. 1858, 291.
Wihonia, BoxAP. List. 1838 (preoocnpicd in botany).
M/fioctonus, Cabaxis, Mus. Hi-in. 1850, 18. (Type, MotnciUa mifrata.)

Gex. Char. Bill broad, depressed; the lateral outlines a little concave; the bristles
reaching not quite halt-way from nostrils to tip.
Culmen and connnissure nearly straight to near the
tip. Nostrils oval, with membrane above. Wings
pointed, rather longer than the nearly even but
slightly rounded tail ; first quill shorter than the
fourth, much linger than the lifth ; the second and
third quills longest. Tarsi rather lengthened, the
scutellar divisions rather indistinct; the middle toe
without claw, about three fifths the tarsus.

Mifiotlioclrs mitratus.

TIlis genus is distinj^uislied from Setophaffa
mainly by stouter feet and longer toes ; short-
er and more even tail, narrower bill, etc. The species are decidedly mus-
cicapine in genend appearance, as shown by^ the depressed ])ill with bristly
rictus. The type M. mitratus is very similar in character of bill to Dcn-
droica castanca, but the wings are much shorter ; the tail longer and more
graduated ; the legs and hind toe longer, and the iii*st primary shorter than
the fourth (.15 of an inch less than the longest), not almost equal to the
longest. The* species ♦a^e plain oiive or plumbeous above, and yellow be-
neath. They may be grouped as follows : —

A* Tail with white patches on the inner feathers.

1. M. mitratus. Head and neck V>lack. Front, checks, and under parts
yellow. Back olive-green. Ilah. Eastern Province of United States, south
to Panama and West Indies.

2. M. minutus. Olive above ; yellowish beneath. Two white bands on
the wings. Hah. Eastern United St,ites.

B. Tail without white patch on the outer feathers.

3. M. pusilluB. Crown black. Forehead, cheeks, and under parts jcllow.
Back olive.

YelKnv of forehead without an orange tinge; upper parts dull olive-
green ; pileum with very dull steel-lilue lustre. Hah. Eastern Province
and Rocky Mountains of North America, south to Costa Rica. var. p u sill n a .

Yellow of forehead with an orange east ; upper ])arts bright yellowish-
green ; pileum with a liright steel-blue lustre. Hah, Pacific Province
of North America, from Sitka to Costa Rica . . . var. j)if eola fa

4. M. canadensis. Streaks on the crown, stripes on sides of head an<l
neck, with pectoral collar of streaks, black. Rest of under parts, and line
to and around the eye, j'ellow. Back bluish. Hah. Eastern Province of
United States, south to Ecuador.

40

314

NORTH AMERICAN lilRUS.

Mjdodioctes mitratus, Aud.

HOODED WABBLEB.

Mofacilhi mltmta, (fMKLix, 8. N. I, 17.^8, U^S. Sijlvin m. L.VTii. ; ViEiLL. ; Hon. ; NrxT. ;
Ari». ihu. IJitt^'. II, |»1. ex. Siilckulu m. Max. S'llrnuitt i,i. NriTALL, Man. I, 1}>40,
a33. JSitoj'/unja in. .JaUD. ]i'ils<iili<i m. B(tN. 1S3S. — ALLKN, I'r. E.s.st'X Inst. I^<i4.
MyioiUiHt.s in. All*. Svn. 1J?:31>, 48. — In. IJinIs Am. II, pi. l.wi. — Sclatkk, P. Z. S.
18i«>, 2iH ir'onlova) ; !>.'*>, 3.> (Ilon«lmii>). — Baii;i», lUnls X. Am. 18."»8, 2l>2 ; \W\.

239. loMs, Nat. IJtnnutla, 18r>lt, 2*; ^Maivh). — Sri.ATKii & Salvin, Iliis, !>.','.», 11

((.JuatcniahO. — I.awiiknck, Ann. X. Y. Lye, VUI, <ii (Panama K. K.). — (Jindlac ii,
Cab. Jour. lJ>t!l, 3'jtj (Cuba). — Samtel-s, 245. Mijim:founs m. {'\\\. Mus. Ib-iu. 18."»1.
— Ib. Jour. Orn. Ill, lSj."», 472 (Cuba). Muscic(fj»i cucull'da, WiLsox, III, pi. xxvi,
fig. 3. Musck'ojMi silhiji, All). Urn. liio^. 1, \>\. ix.

Sp. Char. Mule. Rill black; Ic-i't pule yellow. Head ami neck all round and forepart
of the breast black. A broad patch on the forehead extendinu" round on the entire cheeks
and ear-eovert;!, with the undi'r parts, bright yellow. Upper paits and sides of the boily
olive-L'reen. Greater portion of inner web of outer three tail-feathers white.

Female similar, but without the l»lack ; the crown like the l>ack ; the forehead yellow-
ish ; the sides of the head yellow, tinged with olive on tlie lores aud ear-coverts. Throat
bright yellow.

Length, r>.00 ; wing, 'i.?-") : tail, 2.55. (Skin.)

IIab. Eastern Province of United States, rather southern ; Bermuda; Cuba; Jamaica;
Eastern Mexico; Honduras and Guatemala to Panama R. R. Orizaba (autumn, Sumi-
ciirast) ; Yucatan (Lawkkxck).

A young male in second year (2,245, Carlisle, Penn., May) is similar to
the female, but the hood is sharply defined anteriorly, though only bordered
with l)laok, the olive-green reaching forward almost to the yellow ; there are
only very slight ind-cations of black ori the throat. Apparently the r.iale of
this species does not attain the full plumage until at least the third year, as
is the case with Stfaphaffo ruticiJla.

Habits. This beautiful and singularly marked Warbler is a Southern spe-
cies, thougli not exclusively so. It is
more abundant in South Carolina than
any other State, so far as I am aware.
It is, liowever, found as far to tlie north
as Xorthern New Jersey and Pennsyl-
vania, and Southern New York, and,
farther west, as far north as the shores
of Liike Erie. It has also been found in
Bermuda, Cuba, Jamaica, Eastern ^lexi-
00, HonduT-as, and CJuatemala. Through-
out Central America it appears to be abundant during the winter.

Mr. Audulx)!! also states that it abounds in Louisiana and along the banks
of the Mississippi and the Ohio. It occurs on the Hudson to some distance
above Xew York. It appears from the South early in ^farch, and has young
already hatched, in Louisiana, early in May.

Myiodiort' s piisillus.

SVLVlCoLIlhK -THE WAKllLKIiS. 315

It is said to l>e one of tlic livi'liost of its trilu', aiui to lu' alinnst cniistantly
in motion. It is loud of sccIikUmI placL's, and is e«iually common in the tliiek
caneluiikes, both of the lii^^li and the h>\v lands, and in the tan^U'd nnder-
Hjrowth of impenetialJe swamps. It has a peeuharly i^'iaeeful manner of
closing and o])enin,n its lnoad tail, that at onee distimxuishes it from every
other bird, as it gaml>ols from tree to tree, now in si;j:ht, and now hid from
the eve, but ever witliin hearin-'.

Mr. Audubnu adds that its eall-note so closely resembles that of the
Spiza n'ris that it requires a pmetised ear to distin^^uish them. I»ut its song
is very dilferent. This consists of three notes, and is loud, lively, and ]>lea.s-
ing. This song is said to be made of sounds resembling the syllables fot,
wed, uretee. Extremely vocal in the early spring, it becomes nearly silent
as soon as its brood is hatched. It resumes its song when its mate is again
sitting on her eggs, as they have more than one brood in a season.

They are described as exj)ert flycatchers, full of activity and spirit, Hying
swiftly after their insect prey, and catching the greater part on the wing.
Their flight is low% gliding, and often protracted.

Mr. Bachman narmtes a striking instance of its courage and conjugal devo-
tion. While a pair of these AVarblers were constructing a nest, a Sharj)-
shinned Hawk ])ounced upon and bore off the female. The male foHowed
close after the Ilawk, thing within a few inches and darting at him in all
directions, and so continued until cpiite out of sight.

Wilson states that it builds a very neat and compact nest, generally in the
fork of a small bush. It is formed of moss and flaxen fibres of plants, and
lined with hair or feathers. The eggs, five in number, he describes as of a
grayish-white, with red spots at the larger end. He noticed its arrival at
Savannah as early as the 2()th of ^larcli. Mr. Audubon adds that these
nests are always placed in low situations, a few feet from the ground.

The late Dr. Oerhardt, of Varnell's Station, (leorgia, informed me, by let-
ter, that the Hooded Warbler deposits her eggs about the middle of May,
laying four. The nest is not unlike that of the Spiza n/anca, but is larger.
It is constructed of dry leaves and coarse grass on the outside, and witliin
of dry pine-needles, interwoven with long yellow grasses and sometimes with
horsehair. They are built, for the most ])art, in the neighborhood of brooks
and creeks, in oak bushes, four or five feet from the ground. The fem.ale
sits so closely, and is so fearless, that I)r. Gerhardt states he has sometimes
nearly caught her in his hand.

In another letter Dr. Gerhardt describes a nest of this species as measur-
ing three inches in height, three in external diameter, and an inch and a
(piarter in the depth of its cavity. Externally it was built of dry leaves and
coarse grasses, lined inside with horsehair, fine leaves of i)ine, and dry slender
gmsses. It was constructed on a small oak growing in low bottom-land, and
was three feet from the ground. The complement of eggs is four.

Mr. liidgway states that this s})ecies is a common summer resident in the

- -' - - ' ' ' ' t

316 NORTH AMEUICAX BIliDS.

bottom-lands aloiiL,' the Lower Wiibush, in Soiitlieru Illinois, inhabiting the
cane-brakes and tin* margins of Imshy swamps.

The l'«;ljs of this Warliler are oval in Hliai)e, with one end (juite pointed.
Tliey measnre .70 by .">() of an inch. Their ground-color is a beautiful bright
white, when the egg is fresli, strongly tinged with Hesh-color. The spots are
of a fine red, with a few markings of a subdued purple.

Msdodioctes minutus, Baird.

SMALL-HEADED FLTCATCHEB.

Miisciciipn ininufa, "NViLsox, Am. (Mm. Vl, 1»12, 02, pi. 1, fig. 5. — AuD, Oin. Biog. V, pi,
rcccxxxiv, lig. 3. — In. ninls Am. I, pi. Ixvii. Sylvia vunufa. Bun. IVilmmiu m.
Box, List, 1>(38. MijiinliocUiH iniautus, Baiiid, Hi-v. Am. Birds, 1864, 241. Sylvnnia
pumilid, Nrrr. Man. I, 1840, 3:34.

Sp. f'liAR. Wings short, the socoinl quills longest. Tiiil of nioderato length, even.
General eolor of npper parts light green ish-hrown ; wings and tail dark olive-brown, the
outer feathers of the latter with a terminal white spot on the inner web ; a narrow white
ring surrounding the eye; two bands of dull white on the wings; sides of the head and
neek greenish-yellow ; the rest of the lower parts pale yellow, gradually fading into white
behind. Male, '> inehes long; extent, 8.25 inehes.

Had. Eaj^tern L'nited States.

Habits. All that is known in regard to this species we receive from
Wilson and Audubon, and there is a decided discrepancy in their several
statements. Wilson states that bis figure was taken from a yoinig male
sliot on the 2-4th of April, but in what locality he does not mention. He
adds that he afterwards shot several individuals in various parts of New
Jersey, particularly in swamps. He found these in June, and has no doubt
they breed there.

Audubon claims tbat Wilson's drawing was a copy from his own of a bird
shot by him in Kentucky on the margin of a pond. He throws a doubt as
to the correctness of Wilson's statement that they have been found in Xevv
Jersey, as no one else has ever met with any there. That may be, however,
and Wilson's statement yet be correct. The same argument carried out would
reject the very existence of the bird itself, as no well-authenticated records
of its occurrence since tlien can be found. They are at least too doubtful
to be received as unquestionable until the genuine bird can be produced. Mr.
Xuttall, it is true, states that ^Ir. Charles Pickering obtained a specimen of
this bird manv vears ago, near Salem, Mass., and that he had himself also
seen it in the same State, at the approach of winter. In the fall of 1830,
when tlie writer resided in Roxbuiy, a cat caught and brought into the
house a small Flycatcher, which was supposed to ]>e of this species. It was
gi\'en to ^Ir. xVudubon, who assented to its correct identification, but after-
wards made no mention of it. The presumption, therefore, is that we may
have been mistaken.

►SYLVICOLID.K — THE WARBLKliS. 317

In retriird to its li{il)its, Wilsmi ivjniscnts it as *' loiiiiirkiibly lutivt', nin-
iiiii«^', iliiul)inj^, and dartiii",' about ain(»K;j; the opening buds ami lilossoms with
extiaoidinarv a^nlity." Audul)on states that in its liabits it is closely allied
with the ini.silhm and tlie initmttis, being fond <»t' low thiek coverts in swamps
and by the niai'gin of jmjoIs. He also attriluites to it a song of rather pleas-
ing notes, enunciated at regular inti'rvals, h)ud enough to l>e heard at the »hs-
tance of sixty yards. These ])ecuharities seem to separate it from the true
Flycatchers aud to place it among the Warblers.

Myiodioctes pusillus, r>oNAP.

OBEEN BLACK-CAPPED FLTCATCHEB.

Miiscicfipnjmsllhi^ Wilson, Am. Om. Ill, 1811, 103, Jll. xxvi, \v^. 4. IVihnnia pm. Hov.
Sijlviiniii pas. NiTT. MijiodiiH-teH pi(s. Hon. (.'onsp. 18iiU, 31'*. — Sclatku, T. Z. S.
1850, 21a (Conlt.va) ; 1858, 2l»l> (Oaxaca Mts. ; Dt-c.) ; 185U, 303 (Xalai»a) ; 373. — In.
Catal. 18G1, 34, no. 203. — Baiui), Birds N. Am. IS'iS, 293 (in part) ; Ktv. 240(iu
Itart). — SrLATK!: & Salvin, Ibis, 185'.>, 11 ((luat«'mala). — Samlkls, 24»;. Mijioctiniiis
pus. (\\n. M. H. ls.')l, 18. — In. Jour. 1800, 32r> (Costa Uica). Siflvin icil.^m\ Ho\. ;
Nrrr. .Muscknp,! wUsnui, Aid. Orn. Biog. II, j»l, cxxiv. Sdophmju wifsoni, Jaui>.
Myiodiocks wilimiii, AuD. Birds Am. II, {A. Ixxv, i>ylvia ptluaodes, LiciiT. Prt-is-
Verz. 1830.

Sp. Char. Forehead, line over and around the eye, and under parts jrenerally, hriglit
yellow, UitjH'r part olive-jjreen ; a square j)at<h on the erown histrous-bUu-k. Sides of
l)ody and eheeks tinj^'ed with olive. No white on wings or tail. Female similar, tlie
blaek of the crown rephu-ed by ohve-green. Length, 4.7'); wing, 2.25; tail, 2.oO.

ILvn. Eastern portions of Uniti-d S^tates, west to the Snake and Humboldt Rivers ;
north to Alaska, south through Eastern Mexieo and Guatemala to Costa Rica ; Chiriqui
(Salvix).

Habits. Wilson's Ijkiek-Cap is found througliout the United States from
ocean to ocean, and as far to the north as Alaska and the Arctic shores,
where, however, it is not common. Mr. Dall shot a s})ecinien, May 30, on the
Yukon River, where it was breeding, ^fr. Bischoff obtained others with nests
and eggs at Sitka, and afterwards found it more abundant at Kodiak. On the
Pacitic coast Dr. Suckley found it very abundant in the neighborhood of Fort
Steilacoom, where it frec[uente(l thickets and small scrub-oak groves, in its
habits resembling the HdmuitJioplHKjcf cehita, flitting about among the dense
foliage of bushes and low trees in a busy, restless manner. He describes its
cry as a short chit-clud call. In California, Dr. Cooper notes their lirst arrival
early in May, and states that they migrate along the coast, up at least to
the Straits of Fuca. At Santa Cruz he noted their arrival, in 18GG, about
the 2()th of April. They were then gathering materials for a nest, the male
bird singing merrily during his employment. As they have been observed
in Oregon as early as this, it has been conjectured that some may remain jiU
winter among the dense shrubbery of the forests.

318 xoirrif AMKiiirAX \i\n\)>i.

Tliis hud winters in hv<j,v nunilu'is in Central Anu;ricii, wliere it is apiKir-
untlv Vfi'V j^cncnillv flistriluUeil. Mr. Salvin tuund it very coninion at l)u-
enas. It was taken at TotuntL'jKic, among the niuiiutains ol" Uaxaca, Mexico,
l»y Mr. iMmcanl.

Mr. llitl"iwav loun«l it very connimn (liirin<' the sunimer and autumn
months annuii,' the willows nf tlie fertile river valleys, and amon«j: the rank
shru])l)ery bordering upon the streams of the canons of the higher interior
range of mountains. It was found in similar sii nations with the Jk/ufraira
a.stira, but it was much nmre numerous. During Sej)teml>er it was most
abundant among the thickets and co})ses of the J^^ist Humboldt ^b)untains,
and in lluby Valley, at all altitudes, freipienting the bushes along the streams,
from their sources in the snow U\ the valleys.

Wilson first met with ami described this species from specimens obtained
in Delaware and New »Iersey.. He regarded it as an inhabitant of the swam2)s
of the Southern States, and characterized its song as "a sharp, scpieaking
note, in no wise musical." It is said by him to leaye the Southern States iu
October.

Audubon states that it is never found in the Southern States in the sum-
mer months, but passes raj)idly through them on its way to the northern dis-
tricts, where it breeds, reaching Laljrador early in June and returning by the
middle of August. He describes it as having all the haltits of a true Fly-
catcher, feeding on small insects, which it catches on the wing, snapping its
bill with a sharp clicking sound. It frecpients the borders of lakes and
streams fringed with low bushes.

Mr. Nuttall observed this species in Oregon, ^vhere it arrived early in ^lay.
He calls it a "little cheerful songster, the very counterpart of our brilliant
and cheerful Yellow-Iiird."' Their S(Hig he describes as like 'tsh-tsh-tsh-fshca.
Their call is brief, and not so loud. It appeared familiar and iinsus]»icious,
kept in bushes busily collecting its insect fare, and only varied its employ-
ment by an occasional and earnest warble. Jjy the l'2th of May some were
already feeding their full-fledLred young. Yet on the Ibth of the same month
he found a nest containing four eggs with incubation only just connnenced.
This nest was in a branch of a small service-bush, laid very adroitly, as to
concealment, uj)on a mass of Usnca. It was built chiefly of hypnum mosses,
with a thick lining of dry, ^viry, slentler grasses. The female, when ap-
proached, slipped off the nest, and ran along the ground like a mouse. The
eggs were very similar to those of Dcndroka adica, with spots of a pale
olive-brown, confluent at the greater end.

A nest found by Audubon in Labrador was placed on the extremity of a
small horizontal branch, among the thick foliage of a dwarf fir, a few feet
from the ground and in the very centre of a thicket. It was made of bits of
dry mosses and delicate pine twigs, agglutinated together and to the branches
and leaves around it, from which it was suspended. It was lined with tine
vegetable fibres. The diameter of the nest was three and a half and the

SVF.VICUMD.K-THK WAKULKIiS. tjpj

(It'ptli out' and a lialf iinln',s. He de-^ciilK's ihc «*u'i,'s, wliicli witc four, as
white, spottftl w iih n )l«li>h and lnuwii dots, tlif inarkiiij^s Ikmii^' |niii(ij»ally
around tin* lar^^er end, t'onuin;,' a cink', leaxin^ tlie extivniity plain.

In this instanie the [laii'iits showed much uneasiness at the a|)pioaeli of
intiU(U'rs, inoviuLr ahout anion^' the twij,'s, snaj>|iinj4 their hills, and utterini,'
a )»laintiv(! note. In NewfoJindland these hirds had alreadv he^jun to nii-
•jrate on the I'nth of August, lie met with tliMu in considerahle numhers
in Northern Maine in Uetoher, lS;li!. Mr. TurnhuU mentions it as a rat 1km-
ahundant l>ird of Kasti-rn Pennsylvania, ajipearini,' there early in May, ///
transitu^ and a^ain in Octoher.

Mr. T. M. Tri|»i»e has (jhservetl this speeies at < )ran;.ie, X. J., from the I'.'th
to thti ;'»Oth of May. It is said to keep low down in the trees, and is fond
of luuintin;,' thickets and open hrush titdds. Occasionally he has heard it
utter a loud chatterini!; sonLr, which it rejjeats at short intervals.

A nest of this species from Fort Yukon (Smith. Coll., lo,.'>4()), ohtaiiH'(l
May 20, hy Mr. McDouijjal, contained four eni^s. These varied from .(>() to
.(').*) of an inidi in length, and from .4.") to .4'> in hreadth. They w<*re oltovate
in shape, their <.jround-color was a j»un^ white; this was tinely sjainkled
round the larger end with hrownish-red and lilac. Xo menti(»n is made of
the position of the nest, but it is probable this bird builds on the ground.

Myiodioctes pusillus, var. pileolatus, Ki[)(rWAY.

Mot'icilhi pih'ohitii, Pallas, Zoiij^. IJosso Asiat. I, 1S31, 41*7 0»"^'^J;»» AiiK'iini). JfifioJiiH--
hs pusillus, var. piJuilntii, Uidow.vy, K»'iK)it y . S. (Jfi)'. Exjtl. 4(>tli I'ar. M>jiuili>H-t>:s
jm.si'f/ifs, ArcT. (all citations froiu I'acitic const of North and Middlf Anu'iica). — L<>i:n,
Vr. R. Art. Inst. AVoohv. IV, 1864, 115 (Br. Col.). — DalLiS: Hannlsteu ^Alaska). —
('(HH'KK, Orn. ("al. I, 1870, 1(H.

Sp. TrLVK. Similar to var. nusi/ius, Imt imu'li richer vellow. .<paroolv tinned with olivo
laterally, and (kH'pciied into an almost orange shade on the front and chin. Al)Ove nuieh
hrijihter and more yelhtwish olive-frreen. The l>lack pileum with a briy:hter steel-hlue
gloss. Bill nnich narrower, and deep, light brown above, instead of nearly black. Mesis-
un's (4,'_*22 ^, San Francisco, Cal), wing, 2.1.'); tail, 2.00.

IIab. Paeitie coast, region f»r Xorth America, from K-^<b'ak (AIa.><ka) ; south through
Western Mexico (and Lower California) to Costa Rica.

This is {111 ap])reeial>ly different race from that inhabitin;^ the eastern
division of the continent ; the ditt'erences, tested by a large series of speci-
mens, being very constant.

A Costa-llican specimen before me is almost exactly like specimens from
California.

Habits. The remarks in the preceding article relative to specimens from
the Pacific coast belong to this variety.

320 .NORTH AMERICAN IJIRDS.

Myiodioctes canadensis, Ari>.

CANADA FLTCATCHEB.

Muscicnpa envaihufiis, I. inn. Syst. Xat. I, I7t>«5, ;V27. {Miisrirn/m canadrnsis ciurrrn, Rims-
SDN, II, 4(tt), t;il>. :>l», W'^. 4.) - (Imki.in. — Wilson, 111, pi. xxvi, ti-,'. 2. — Am. Orn.
I'lioi,'. II, i>I. «'iii, .Si-foii/iii'ff Clin. Swains. ; Kk ii. ; (Iuay. MijiiHliiH'tcs otn. Aii».
liinls Am. II, itj. ciii. — Bi:i;wi:i:, I'r. Host. Stu-. VI, .'Miicst and «<(gs). - St i.ateu,
r. Z. S. l^r»4, 111 ^Kcuador; wintt'i); IS."*'., 143 (Ro^'ota) ; Rs.'.S, 4")! ^K«ua.lor). —
1b. Catal. ]8»n, 34, no. '2(14. — Sclaikk ^Sc Sai.vin, Uns, 18.'»!», 11 ^Cuatcinala). —
Lawi:kn< K, Aim N. Y. Lye VI, 1><)-J. — Raikd, lUnls N. Am. 1>:)S. -JlU ; R.v. -IVX
— Samiki.s, 'J47. Eiitlihji'is cm. (A!!. Mils, llcin. IS'.o, Ls;»l, 18 : .lonr. Oru. ISCiO,
32t> (Costa Rica K Hiih-iu pdriluliiui, R(;N, ; NUTT. Siili'icohi purdtiliiKi, Run. Miiin-
diocti's jHirdtdiiia, R(»n. .' Musciaijid binuipartti, Ari». Orn. Rio^. 1, 1S31, 27, J'l. v.
Sifi>j)/((Hfit hdii. I»l( II. U'ilsviiin (>ihi. Ron. Sifl oinin l»>ii. Xl'll". t Milii'dioifis h<ni.
Am. Syn. — Ib. liinls Am. II, 1S41, 17, |»1. -wii. - Raik.-, Rirds N, Am. 1858, 21)5.
iido2)ha(ja niijricincfa, Lafu. Rev. Zool. 1843, 2i«2 ; 1841, 7l>.

8p. Char. T^pp<T part bluish-ash ; a nnij around tho i yo, with a hue ruuninjj to the
nostrils, and tlicvviiolo under part (except the tail-covei-ts, whit-h are wiiite), hiiudit yi'llow.
Centres ot" the leathers in the anteiior hall" of tlie erown. ihe cheeks. <'ontiiuious with a
line on the side of the neck to the hreast, and a series of sj)ots across tlM> lorejtart of the
breast, l»hick. Tail-featiiers un.spotted. Fomde similar, with the Mack )f the head and
hreast le.ss distinct. In the ^'>^n/</ obsolete. Lentrth. ">..'>4 ; wintr. 2.<»7; tail, 2.')0.

IIaij. Whole Eastern Province of Uniletl States, west to the Missouii ; north to Lake
Winnipejr ; Eastern Mexico to Guatemala, and .south to Rogota and Ecuador (Sci.ateh).
Not noted I'roni West Indies.

Habits. This is a mi«:ifrat()ry specios, almndant duriiv^ its passaijo, in
most of tlie Atlantic States. It Itroeds, tlioiiLib not :il»iiiRlanily, in Xuw
York and ^rassachiisetts, and in tlie rejjjions north of latitude 42°. How far
northward it is fonnd is not \>'ell ascertained, ja-ohahly as far, however, as the
wooded country extends. It was met with on Winiiejtejjj liiver, by Mr. Ken-
nicott, the second of June. It winters in Central and in Northern South
America, having l)een procured at l»Oi^ota, in (luateniala, and in Costa liica,
in laru^e numhers.

!Mr. Audubon states that he found this bird breedinij in the mountainous
regions of IVnnsylvania, and afterwanls in Maine, New lirunswick. Nova
Scotia, Newfoundland, and Labrador. Altbough he describes with some mi-
nuteness its nests, yet his descri]»tion of their ])osition and structure is so
entirely different in all res]>ects from those that have been found in ^lassa-
rhusetts, that I am constrained to believe he has been mistaken in bis ideii-
tilications, and that tliose he supposed to belong to this species were really
the nests of a different bird.

"In Vermont," Mr. Charles S. Paine, of IJandi^lph, informs me, "the Can-
ada Flycatcher is a summer visitant, and is first seen about the ISth of May.
TJiey do not s])read themselves over the woods, like most of our small fly-
catching birds, but keep near the borders, where there is a low growth of
bushes, and where they may be heard throughout the day singing their regu-

SVIAICOLIDJ: — THE WAUIM.KKS. 321

];ir clinnt. A few pairs inav ocoasionallv l»e iouiitl in the same luM'^liboilnMul.
At otlii'i' tiniL's only a siiiL^K' jiair can 1»»' loiuul in ([uite a \\'u\v extent nf ter-
ritory (if similar cliaraeter. They bniM lluir nests, as well as I can Juili;e,
al>nnt the tirst of June, as the younu are lialclu'd out antl on the w'nv^ ahoiit
the last of that month, or tlie lirst of July. I have ne\er found a nest, but
I think they are built on the ^rouml. They are silent after tlu' first of July,
and are rarelv to be seen after tluit veriod." The soult of tliis bird is a verv
pleasing' one, though heard lait seldom, and only in a few localities in Mas-
sachusetts.

Xear Washington Dr. Cones found the Canada Flycatcher only a spring
and autunmal visitant, at which si'asons they were abundant. They fre-
(piented liigli open woods, and kept mostly in the lower Itranches of the trees,
and also in the more open undergrowth of marshy jilaces. They arrive the
last week in A]>ril and remain about two weeks, arriving in fall the tirst
week in Si>ptend>er, and nunaining until the last «»f tiiat niontli.

The hrst well-iilentitied nest of this liird that came to my knowli'dge was
obtained in Lynn, Mas.s., l»y Mr. (leorge O. Welch, in June, 1S.".(). It was
built in a tussock of grass, in swampy woods, concealed by the surrounding
rank vegetation, in the midst (»f which it was placed. It was constructed
entirely of i)ine-nee(lles and a lew fragments of decayed leaves, graj»evine
bark, tine stems, and rootlets. These were; so loosely interwoven that the
nest could not l)e removed without great care to keep its several ])ortions
together. Its diameter v»as three and a lialf inches, and it was very nearly
flat. Its greatest de})th, at tlie centre of its depression, was hardly half an
inch. It c(mtained four voumj;, and an unliatched eu:«>-.

Anotlier nest found in June, 1 Slid, by tlu' same observing naturalist, was also
obtaineil in the neighborhood. This was l)uilt in a tussock of meadow-grass,
in the midst of a small boggy piece of swam]>, in which were a few scattered
trees and bushes. The ground was so marshy that it eouhl be crossed only
with ditlicultv, and bv stepi>ing from one tussock of reedv herbage to another.
In the centre of one of these bunches tlie nest was concealed. It measures
six inches in its larger tliameter, and has a height of two and a ([uarter
inches. The cavity of this nest is two and three ipiarters inches wide,
and one and three ([uarters deep. It is vt-ry strongly constructed of ]iine-
needles, interwoven with line stri]>s of b.ark.dry deciduous leaves, stems of dry
grasses, sedges, etc. The whole is tirndy and compactly interwoven with and
strengthened around the rim of the cavity by strong, wiry, and tilirous roots.
The nest is very carefully and elaborately lined with the black fibrous roots
of some plant. The eggs, wliich were live in nund)er, measure .72 of an inch
in length by ..">(> in bri'adth. Their ground-color is a clear and brilliant
white, and this is beautifully marked with dots and small blotches of blended
l)ro\\ii, purple, and violet, varying in shades and tints, and grouped iu a
wreath around the larger end.

41

322

NORTH AMERICAN RIRDS.

Genuh SETCPHAGA, Swaix

NS.

Setophaga, SwAiNSoN, Znol. Jour. HI, Dlc. 18'J7, 360. (Tyin?, Musciatpa rutkllla, L.) —
l>Aii:i>, IJiidsN. Am. ISati, 297. >Si/lvunia, Nuttall, Mau. Oni. I, l^'ol. (Same tyi»«'.)

Gen. CiiAii. Rill niu(-h deprcfist'd, the lateral outlines i^traight towards tip. Bristk-.s

reach half-way horn nostril to tip. Cuhnen ahuDSt
straight to near the tip: corniiissure very slightly
curved. Nostrils oval, with nieuibrarx' above thcui.
Wings rather longer than tail, pointed ; second, third,
and iburth (piills nearh' ecpial ; first intermediate
between fl^urth and fifth. Tail rather lonur, rather
romided ; the feathers broad, and widening at ends,
the outer \\v\> narrow. Tarsi with scutellar divis-
ion>< indistinct externally. Legs slender; toes sliort,
iinier cleft nearly to base of tirst joint. t)utei with
first joint adherent; middle toe without claw, not
quite half the tarsus.

,\!lupha(ja ruticill'j, few.

The genus Sefophnf/a is very largely re])reseiited in America, although oi
the many species scarcely any agree exactly in form with the type In the
following tliagnosis I give several s})ecies, referred to, perhaps erroneously, as
occurring in Texas.

Belly white. End of lateral tail-leathers black. Sexes dissimilar.

Ground-color black, without vortex spot. Sides of breast and bases of quills
and tail-feathers reddish-orange in male, yellowish in female . . . rulicilld.
Belly vermilion t)r carmine red. Lateral tail-feathers, including their tips, white.
Sexes similar.

Entirely lustrous black, including head and neck. No vertex spot. A
white patch on the wings ..........

Plumbeous-ash, including head and neck. A chestnut-brown vertex spot.

No white on wings

picta.
mhiiata.'

Setophaga ruticilla, Swains.

AMERICAN SEDSTABT.

Motacilhi ruticilla, LiXN. S\ .^r. Nat. 10th ed. 17r>8, 186 (Catesby, Car. tab. 67). Mwiciaipa
rutiiilht, Linn. ; O.mklin ; Vikili.<»t ; Wils. ; Hon. ; Arn. Orn. I>it»g. I, pl. xl.
Sdnpluiijii riif. Swains. Zoiil. .Tour. Ill, 1827, 3r»8. — Ron. ; Ain. Rirds Am. —
ScLATKi:, r. Z. S. (Ecuador, Bogota, Cordova, Oaxaca, City of Mexico). — Sclateu &
Salvin, Il)i.s, 18:.9, 12 (Guatemala). — lUiitn, Hinls N. Am. 18r>8, 2i«7 : Hev. '1',^. —
Max. ; Sallk, I*. Z. S. Ih'u (St. Domingo). — Nkwton, Ibi.s, 1859, 143 (St. Croix ;
winter). —Cab. Jour. lvS.'>6, 472 (Cuba); 1860, :i2r) ((\ista Kica). — CUNOL.Vt ll, ib.
1861, 326 (Cuba). — 15i:VANT, Pr. liost. Soc. VII, 18r.9 (Bahamas). — LawkkN( K, Ann.
N. Y. Lye. 1861, 322 (Panama R. R.). -- Samif.i.s, 249. Si/lraniif rut. Xittall,
Man. I, 1832, 291 (type of genus). Motncilla jiavicmida, Cmelin, I, 1788, 997 (9^-

^ Sdoplutija pictd (Swainson), Baiud, Rev. 1865, 256. I'.uscicapd Icucomits, GiUAri), Texas
Birds. Hah. Mexico and Guatemala.

2 Setophaga miniafa. (Swainson), Haiud, Rev. 1865, 2.";t>. Muscicapn dcrhanxi, GiKAlD,
Texas Birds. Ilab. Mexico.

SVLVK'OMD.K — TIIH WAKBLEKS.

323

Sp. Char. Male. Prrviiiliii}; color l»l:i«k. A ctMitral liii«' on the breast, the abdomen,
ami under tail-«'overts wliite ; some feathers in the latter stronjriy tinjre<l with dark brown.
I>;u<es of all the (juills exeept the inner and outer, and basal half of all the tail-feathers ex-
cept the middle one. a patch on each side of the breast, ami the axillaiy reirion, oraii ire-red,
of a vermilion shade on the breast. Female witii the l>lark renlacd bv olive-<rre<'n above,
l>y brownish-white beneath, the red replaced by yellow ; the head tinired with ash; a
r^rayish-white lore and rinj:^ round the eye. Lenirth, ").2o ; winir, 2.'>0 ; tail, 2.45.

Har. Eastern and in part Middle Provinces of North America to Fort Simpson, west to
Great Salt Lake; Fort Laramie; Denver City ; most of the West Indies; Mexico to Ecuador.

The yoiiiio- male in early autiiiun jjfreatly resembles in pliima«;e the adult
female, but has the upper tail-coverts and tail deep black, shar|>ly contrasted
with the olive of the rum}), instead of having tlie upper tail-coverts olive, the
tail simply dusky ; in addition the back is more oreenish-olive, and the
abdomen and crissum pure white. The male does not obtain the perfect
adidt plumage until al jut the third year.

H.VBITS. The so-called Hedstart has an extended distribution from the
Atlantic to the liocky Mountains, and
from Florida to high northern latitudes,
having been found breeding at Fort
Simpson by Mr. IJoss, and at Fort
IJesolution by Mr. Kennicott and Mr.
Lockhart. It is generally abunilant in
suitable localities, and probably breeds
wherever found north of the Potomac.
It winters in large numbers in (luate-
mala and in other j)arts of Central
America, as well as in the West Indies.
It is common in St. Croix in the s]>ring,

and is especially seen about houses, according to Xewton.
there until the end of April.

Iiichardson found this species abundant on the Saskatchewan t,ir to the
north as the rtfty-eighth parallel. It appeared there the ' of ^Fay, and
left early in Sei)temher. He found it fretjuenting nioir' .lady lands, flit-
ting about amono the moss-orown and twisted stems of j tall wiUows that
skirt the marshes. It was easilv recognized bv the il lining of its winus
as it flitted through the gloomy shades in pursuit < mosquitoes and other
winged insects.

Among the memoranda of the late Mr. Kennicott, we find two to the effect
that on the 2()th of ^lay he foimd both males and females of this species
common near Ifainy Lake, and that on tlie ()th of June he also observed
these birds near Lake Winnepeg. June 14, at Fort liesolution, he obtained
a female Redstart with nest and four ei^gs. The nest was built in the fork
of a willow, in a thick but low wood of alder and willow. It Mas entirely
unprotected by leaves or branches. The female was taken on the nest.

The Newtons fotmd this a very conunon species in St. Croix, in the spring

Setophaga ruticilla.

It

.itl>

324 NoliTH AMKIIICAX lilRDS.

(if tlie yoar, and it was especially seen al>out houses. For about a week, at
the end of April, isr»7, they were extremely numerous. On their return irom
their summer (piartcrs, tliey were first ohscrved Sejjtember G. ^Ir. Taylor
also nu'ntions tliem as eommon in Trinidad. Mr. JJidiiway found it a e<im-
mon species anionic the willow thickets of the river valleys, west as far as
tile (Jreat Salt Lake.

This sj)ecies, in its s]>ring and autumnal miijirations, is almudant in Louisi-
ana and Texas, as well as in the (Julf States. Wilson speaks of meetin«;
with it in the then " ^lississipiu Territory." Audubon gives it as abundant
in Louisiana, and Xuttall as found throughout Louisiana and Arkansas into
^Mexico. ^Ir. Dresser also mentions it as very common near Sau Antonio in
the s})rng and autunm, arriving on the Medina the 27th of A})riL

Dr. I'oues says that the Kedstart near AVashington is chietly ;i spring and
autumnal visitant, and ])ut very few remain to breed. In tlie sining it is
very abundant from April 25 to May 20, and in the fall from the 1st to the
20th of Sei>tend)er, in all woody and swampy situations. He found it in
the habit of running along slender twigs, sideways, and having a note very
similar to that of D. cvbtica.

Although placed among the (>^r///r.s-, where, as an excellent singer, it clearly
has a good right to be classed, it is yet als(» a true Flycatclier in habits and
manners. It is a lively, active bird, ever on the wing, and continually in
pursuit of insects. In this ]»ursuit it never awaits the ai)proacli of its }»rey,
but, espying them at a distance, darts with great veL)city in pursuit, and the
continued clicks of its bill attest the ra}>idity and frci^uency with which it
will overtake and catch insect after insect. Even when lamentimr the loss
of a part of its brood, and living around with cries of distress, the sight of
passing insects is Ji temptation not to be resisted, and the parent bird will
stop her lamentations to catch small flies.

Its notes are a varied twitter, rather tlian a song, a repetition of two simple
notes, uttered every few seconds as it seeks its prey, flying among the thick
foliage usually in dense uroves. Its common habit is to <^lide alon^ a branch,
between its smaller twigs^ at times darting forth into more 0})en s[»aces in
quest of insects it has espied.

Their nests are usually, though not always, built in a low branch, eight or
ten feet from the ground, in the midst of a thick grove. I have known it
to build in an ()i)en field and in ch)se ])roxiniity to a dwelling. It keeps to
groves and thickets, and freipients moist places rather than dry, evidently
because of the greater abundance of insects, and not because of timid or
retiring habits. It is indeed far from being timid, and will permit a near
a})proach without any exhibitions of uneasiness. When its nest is visited,
the male bird manifests «7rtat disturbance, and flies l)ack and forth around the
head of the intruder with cries of distress. The female is far less demon-
strative, and even M'hen her nest is despoiled before her eyes is (j^uite moder-
ate in the expression of her grief.

8VI,VIC()LII). -T WAlfi-LKUS. ;J2r)

Its fliirht is jjraooful, onsv, and ra]>i(l, varif^d bv circnmstaiires as it glides
in its intricate couist' anionic' small intcilarini^' liranclu's, or darts rapidly lortli
into ini»re oi)e'n s])ac(\ As it moves, it is continually openiiiLj out, tlosin^^ or
llirtini; from side to side its consjacuous tail, the white spots in its expanded
feathers constantly appearini; and disappearing.

In the construction of the nest there is a irt'iioral uniformity of character,
altliou'di the materials dilfer and the localities are far apart. Tiiev are never
]>endent, hut are placed among three or more small u]»riglit branches, i r -und
whith it is tirndv woven with vei'etahle flax-like fibres. A nest obtain*Ml in
Lynn, by Mr. (leorge (). Welch (S. I. .*^,778), in June, measures two inclies
!!' height by three in diameter. It is a small, compact, and homogeneous
nest, comjiitsed almost entirely of shreds of sa. in-l)ark intermixed with .*soft
vegetable wool. Within art loo.sely intertwined minute vegetable fibres and
stri]>s of l)ark, and a lining <jf hoi^ehair, tine j)ine leaves, and dry gras.ses.
The ne.st contained four eu'i^'s. Anotlier nest found in(Jrand ^bMian, June
L*4, 18.")1, was very similar in size, structure', and materials. It was in the
centre of a thick, swam}>y thicket, live feet from the ground, and contained
five egijfs.

Another nest of this bird, obtained in ^ ymi by Mr. AVelch, is only a
reconstruction of a nest l)egun by a ]»air of Denilroicn asticn, and either
abandonetl bv them, or from which thev had been driven. Al»ove the (>ri''i-
nal nest of the Warbler the Redstarts had constructed their own. The base
is composed of the downy covering of the under sides of the leaves of ferns,
mixed with a few herbaceous stems and leaves. AVithin this was built an
entirely distinct nest, composed of long and slender stri])s of bark, pine-
needles, and stems of grasses. These are firmly and elaborately interwoven
together.

A nest found in Hingham, built in a tree in an open space near a dwell-
ing, was seven feet from the ground, and of the usual size and shape. In
this the more usual strips of bark were re])laced by hempen fibres of vege-
table.s, thistle-down, bits of newspaper, and other fragments. Within is a
strong lining of hair and fine stems of gra.sse.s. In this ne.st there were two
young, about half Hedged, and two eggs nearly fresh. The latter were taken,
tiie female parent being present and making only a very slight protest,
stopping, from time to time, to catch insects.

The eggs of the lledstart vary considemldy in their size and in tlieir gen-
eral ap])earance, but resemble somewhat those of the connnon Summer
Yellow-Iiird. They vary in length from .">•'> to .OS of an inch, and in their
breadth from .45 to .5.*>. Their ground-color is a grayish-white, blotched
and dotted with purj^le, lilac, and brown.

326 NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS.

Family HIRUNDINID^. — The Swallows.

Char. Rill short. tri;iii<riiliir, very broad at ba>5e (nearly as wide as longr) and much de-
pressed, narrowiiii; rapidly to a coinprc^sed, notched tip; mouth opening nearly to the
eyes. l*riinaries nine, <rraduatin2: rai>idly less Worn the exterior one ; tail-feathers twelve.
Feet W( rik : tan-i s<ut«'llate. shorter than mitldle toe and claw. Number of joints in toes
normal : basal joint of middle toe partially or entirely adherent to lateral toes. Wings
long, liilcate. Tail forked. Eyes small. Phunage compact, usually lustrou.s!. All the
American species with u white patch on the sides under the wing, and with *he irids
hazel or brown.

Tln' HinnuUnidw form a verv well marked ijroiip of l)irtls easily distin-
jjuished from all otliers. They exhibit a close reseiiddance, in external a]>-
l)earance and liabits, to the Cf/psvlitlfn ; horn which, a]);irt from the internal
structure, they are readily distinj^uished 1)V the possession of nine, instead of
ten primaries ; twelve, instead of ten tail-feathers ; scutellate tarsi, toes with
normal number of joints (1, 2, 3, and 4, respectively, exclusive of ungual
phalanges), instead of a different ]>r(>])ortion ; ditt'erently shaped nostrils, etc.
In both families the wings are developed to an extraordinary degree ; the
outer jmniary nearly twice or more tlian twice the length of the inner, and
enabling its possessor to sustain flight ahnust indetinitely. The relations of
the family among the Oscincfi ap]>ear c losest to the Old World Muscicapi(1a\

In comp ling the wings of the ?Hrunduii(ta' witli those of the Cf/psc/ida\
we readily notice one of the essential characters of the Osclne'^, namely, that
the greater wing-coverts hide only half or less than half of the secondary
quills, instead of reaching much beyond their middle, or nearly to the end.
(See Sundevall, Ornith. Syst.)

The precise diameter of scutellation of tarsus is somewhat (^'fficult to
make out, owing to a tendency to fusion of tlie ] dates, although not essen-
tially different from UKtst Oscinri^. There is a series of scutella^ along tlie
anterior face of the tarsus, and a longitudinal jilate on each side, meeting, but
not coalescing, beliind. The anterior scutelhe sometimes appear to fuse into
the outer lateral jdate ; or sometimes the latter is more or less subdivided ;
the inner plate is genemlly more distinct from tlie anterior scutelhe, and
usually entire, excejit })erliaps at the lower extremity.

Genera of North American Hirundlnidse.

A* Nostrils broadly oval, or circular ; opening upwards and forward, and exposed ;
without overhanging membrane.

a. Edge of wing smooth. Tarsus short, stout; equal to middle toe witiiout
claw; feathered on the inner side above. Nostrils almost or entirely without
membrane.

Bill stout; culmen and commissure nmch curved. Frontal feathers
A, itliout bristles. Tail deeply forked. Color lustrous-black; belly and
crissum sometimes white ......... Prot/nc.

H1UUM)1NID.E — THK SWALLOWS. 397

Bill ratlior weaker; coinniissrire and culineii nearly straiirlit to near tip.
Frontal feathers bristly. Tail nearly even. Tlin)at, rump, and erissiun,
and usually forehead, rufous ; belly wliite .... PrfrocJuliilon.

h. Edp^e of wini.'' smooth. Tarsus loufjer than in last ; e(|ual to middle toe

and half tin' elaw. Nostrils bordered alonj; posterior half by memlirane,

but not overhun<^ internally. IJill very small. Tail forked. Crissum dusky

except in Xeorht^/idou /ucafa. Various j,'enera and subi^enera, none Xorlh

Ameriean, as Atticuru, Xotiorhelidoit, Xeorhelulon, and PijijachfUdon.

r. Eci^'e of \vin<^ armed with stilf recurved hooks. Tarsus as in precedinjx

(tarsus and toes nmeh as in Pt/f^ochelitfon). l>ill lar^'er and more depressed.

Tail emarfjrinate only. Crissum white ...... StehjUlopterifx.

B* N»>strils lateral; bordered behind and inside, or overhung by membrane, the
outer edge of which is straight, and directed either j)arallel witli axis of bill or
diverging from it.

a. Tarsus short; about equal to middle toe without claw. Tibial joint feath-
ered ; feathers extending along inside of upper end of tarsus.

Tarsus bare at lower end. Lat«Mal claws reaching onlv to base of
middle.

Tail very deeply forked, much longer than closed wings: lateral
feathers linear and very narrow at end, twice the length of central.
Upper parts an<l pectoral collar steel-blue ; front .ind throat, some-
times under parts, rulbus. Tail-feathers with large spots . Hirumlo.

Tail with shallow fork, not exceeding half an inch, shorter than
closed wings. Feathers broad. Color blue or green above, with
or without white rump ; white beneath. Tail-feathers without
spots . ......... Tachijchieta.

Tarsus with a tuti of feathers at lower end. Lateral claws lengthened,
reaching beyond base of middle claw.

Tail slightly forKed. Color dull-brown above; beneath white,
with brow'i pectoral collar ....... Coltfle.

h. Tarsus long; equal to middle toe and half claw : entirely bare. Tail rttii-
siderably forked, about equal to closed wing. Color green above ; white
beueatU ........... CaUirheiidon}

Genu.s FROGNE, BoiE.

Progne, Boik, Lis, 1826, 971. (Type, Ilinuido purpurea vel suhis, L.) — Baiut), Bmls
N. Am. 185», yi I.

(iKN. CnAK. Body stout. Bill n bust, lengtheneil : h^wer or commissural edge of max-
illa sinuated, decidedly convex for basal half, then as concave to the tip, the lower man-
dible falling within its chord. Nostrils superior, broadly <>[)en. and neaily circular, without
any adjacent membrane, the edges rounded. Legs stout, laisns equal to middle toe
without claw; the joint leathered : lateral toes about e<pi;»l ; the ba.^al joint of the mid-
dle toe half free internally, rather less so externally. Claws strong, much curved. Nest
in hollow trees. Eggs white.

The s])ecies of this fjeniis are the most powerful and rol)ust of the Swal-
lows. Some are entirely glos^y-hlack, others whitish helow. The following

1 Ilirundo {Call ichflidirn\ cyayicovirilis (Bryant), Baiko, Rev. Am. Birds, 1865, 303. Baha-
mas. This sjKicies may yet be detected ou the Florida coast.

328 XOIITIT AMKKICAX r.TRDS.

dia^'iiosis will .show the ivliitiuiishiii of the sevuiul t'uniis usiuiUy ivcuguized
as distinct species : —

Species and Varieties.

P. Bubis. A1»«)vi: lustrous Muc-black ; iR-uealli lustrous blue-blaok or lirowu-
isli-jrniy, uiiilbrui, or with tho alxlonu'ii and crissum whu > or whitish. Ft'iuulcs
always with the throat and juiruluni <rray,
A. Adult mail's entirely steel-blue.

a. Females and younj,' males with the abdomen pure wliite.

Feathers uhoul the u)ins smoki/-ijr(ii/ hi'iinifh fhc siw/ace.

Win^' about O.tMJ; fork of tail, .80 deep, 9 •'^""^ '^'"'- Abdominal an<l
crissal teatheis always with dusky shafts, and with the eonrealed por-
tion p-ayish. Forehead and nape hoary <i:rayish. ILih, Continental
>«\)rth America, south into Northern ^lexieo .... \n\\sHhis.

^^ in^, 'i.lio ; fork of tail considerul)ly less. 9 "'"^ Jnv. unknown.
Hah. Galapa<,^)S ........ var. con color}

Wing, 5.80; fork of tail, l.lO deep. 9 -'''d Juv. unknown. Ilab.
Chili ........... var. fn rcata}

Feathers ahont the anus snowy-white beneath the s'lrface.

Wing. 5.50 ; fork of tail. .00 deep. 9 '^"d JHi\ Abdominal and cris-
sal feathers entirely snowy-white, — never with dusky shafts (exceitt
^ JHi: in transition). Forehead dusky grayish-brown; nape steel-
blue. Hah. Cub^ and Florida Keys .... var. cryptoleuca.

b. Females and y<iung with the abdomen dusky grayish-brown.

Wing, 5.50; fork of tail, .80. 9- Lower parts dusky grayish-brown,
the feathers bordered with lighter grayish, producing a squamate ap-
pearance. Jur. similar, but feathers of the upper parts bordered with
whitish. Hah. Paraguay (Vermejo River) . . \uv. e let/a n s

. s

B« Adult males with the abdomen and crissum pinv wliite.

a. Lower tail-coverts with the shafts pure white. ^ (adullj with the
throat, jugulum, and sides steel-blue.

9 and juv. scarcely distinguishable from those of cryptoleuca. Hab.
Porto Rico and Jamaica (St. Domingo alv* '') . . var. do m in icensis.*

b. Lower tail-covcrts with their shafts dusky, q (adult) with throat, jugu-
lum, and sides brownish-gray.

Sides of the jugulum with a blr >-black patch in the ^. Wing. 5.50;
fork of tail, .70 deep. Hah. Bolivia .... var. domestica.^

^ Protjnc S7ibis, var. cnncolor. Ilirundo concojor, Oofld, P. Z. S. 1837, 22 (.Tames 1., T.ala-
pagos). Progne c. Baird, Kev. Am. B. 1865, 278. Progne modcsta, Goi'Li*, Birds Beagle, 30,
pi. V. (Same spocmn-n.'l

2 Progne suhis, var. furcidd. Progiw ftircafa, Baiud, Rev. Am. B. 1865, 278. (Chile.)

* Progne suhis, var. thgans. Prague degans. Bah:!), Rev. Am. B. 1865, 275. (Vermejo
River. .? Progne pnrjmrea, DAiiWix, B. Beagle i}S (Montevideo, November), Baliia Blaiiea,
Buenos Ayr«s, September.)

* Progne (subis vurl) dominicrnsis. Hirnndo dom inicensis, Gm. S. N. I, 1788, 1025. Progne
d. March, P. A. N. S. 1863, 295 ; Baird, Rev. Am. B. 1865, 279.

* Progne (suhis var 1) domcstica. Progne domes! ica (ViEiLL.) Baird, Rev. Am. B. 1865, 282.
(Paraguay and Bolivia.) {^Ilirundo domestica, Vieill. Nouv. Diet, xiv, 1817, 521.)

IIIIMXDIMD.K — THE S\VAM,()\VS.

320

Sidts of tlio jujrulmn without a l>lii»'-l)la(k patch in th«' ^. Winjr, o.*20 ;
fork of tail. .00 dtM-p. Huh. Middle Aiiu-rif-a, fiom Soiiihcrii Mi-xico ti>
New Uraiiada ........ \ar. I e n roi/ast e r .*

Progne subis, r.Ainn.

FX7RFLE MAEHN.

Ilirxnido svhis, Linn. S. N. 10th e«l. 17')S, ll*i> (llinintin amdea cnvnden'n's^ Ki>\vart>s,
Av. tul). 1"J0, Hudson's IJiiy). PnxjiK .stilu.s, \',\ivA\ Vav. Am. Birds, liS()4, 274. J/.
purpinyt, Linn. S. X. I'Jtli ed. 17»>«>, ;j44 (//. jnajiure't, I'atksfjy, Cur. tab. .")!). —
Ari>. Oni. IJioj^. I, pi. xxiii. lu. liirds .\in. I, pi. xlv. — Yakkili., I>r. I»ii(ls, IL
232, 274 (Kii;,dand and Ireland, S.pt. 1S42). - Jonks, Nat. IVnnuda, :i4 ^Si-pt. 22,
184l». Prnijih- inirpuiai, Hon;, Im.s. 1n2<;, <»71. — l>i:i;\vi:i:, N. Ani. (Jul. I, 18.'i7, lo;i,
pi. iv, fig. 47 l«'ggs). — Haiki», IJiids N. Am. 18.'»8, 314. — CoopKiii Sitkley, P. \\. li.
Kfp. Xn, 2, 18«5 (Fort Stiilacoom). -Bl.\kiston, Ibis, 1803, ♦>.'> (Saskatthowan) —
Cooi'KU, Orn. Cal. I, lS7o, 113. — Sa.mikls, 2t!o. IIiruiHloviolna<t,i\y\. Il.acriden^
ViElLl,. //. vtrskolor, ViElLL. //. hiifnciciuua, Civ.

Sp. Char. fXo. 1,')()1 ^.) Entindy lustrous steel-hluc, with a purplish -^loss; the tail-
feathers and the wiiijrs, «'x<«'pt the lesser and middle coverts, and edge inside, dull l)lack,

scarcely glossed. Tiltiie dark brownish. A conrt'alcd ])af('h of white on the sides under
the wings. Concealed central portion ot" anal feathers light whitish-gray.

(Xo. 1,1-^ 9-) Above somewhat similar, but much duller. Beneath smoky brown-
ish-gray, without lustre, paler behind, and becoming sometimes cpiite whitish on belly and

^ Proffio; {siihis var t) Icucoifusfrr. Prmjni fiiirnifiisffr, IJaiko, Rov. Am. 1>. IS*;,'), 280,
(Soutlicrn Mexico to ("arthagena.) Proijio (ioitn'nnr.nsis and /'. rfitili/heti, Arrn. (nee CJmel.).

From a careful examinution of speiimens of the !il)ove forms, the opinion that they are all local
differentiations of one primitive type at onee presents itself. The diJferences from the typical
suhi'< are not givat, except in the white-bfllicil grouj) {(fmniiiiceusis and its allies), while an
approach to the white Indly of these is plainly to !>«• .seen in P. crifpfolencn ; again, some siwci-
mens of ihwtuikrusis have the crissum ndxed with blackish, while others have it wholly .snowy-
white. Wliile the male of crii/tfok'nof is .scarcely distinguishable, at first sight, from that of
stfhis, the female is entindy ditfeient, but, on the other hand, scarcely to he distinguished from
that of (loininkrnsis and Ia(ciif/:isfcr. Atlult males of thi' latter species are much like adult
females of (hiniw'ixnsi.'i, while Floridan (resident) specimens of subis approach very decidedly to
the rather unique charai'ters of elojutis. It is therefore extremely probable that all are merely
local modifications of one species.

nw

NnlJTII AMERICAN UIUDS.

cns^iiMi, ' it all the ffaflicrs always with tliisky shafts, and niort' or less rloiidt'd wiih prray
(MMitrally. <'V('n thoiiLrh I'atliiiL' into whitish to llu" f<lL;fs. This is particularly appri'ciaMc in
the lonirer crissal iV'aihers. Tlu' t-dLics of the dark feathers of throat and juj^iilum are
usually paler, imparting sc^niewhat of a liinnlated apiH'araiiee, theii- centres sometimes
con-'ideralily darker. eausinLr an apj)earanc'e ot" obsolete spots. There is a tendency to a
j^'rayish collar on sides (if neck, and },'enerally traeeahle to the iiajie ; this, in one specimen
(.').4!>"_') from California, Itein;.' hoary ^'lay, the foreheatl simdar.

The yomii,' male of the second year is similar to the female, with the steel-Mue apj>ear-
iiifj in patches.

Total len<:th (of 1.")<>1). 7.o(>; winir. <).(>(>; tail. .'5.40: dilTcrence hotween inner and outer
feather. ."'> ; dilfeience Itetween lirst and ninth <iuills, 'J.SS; lenirth of hill irom forehead,
..V) ; from n<»stril, .^U : aloiiL' ,iLra[»e, AH: width ol" trapc. .74: tarsus, .Gl : middle toe and
claw, .SO; «-law alone, .lio; hind toe and claw. ..")4 ; claw alone, .27.

IIab. The whole of the Cnited States and the Provinc»'s; Saskatchewan; Cape St.
Lucas and Northern Mi'xico (winter): Orizalia (Si'micmijast) : IJt'iinuda. Accidental in
Eni.dand. South American and West Indian hirds apparently hclonir to other races.

Maiiv Western adult males are coiisideraMv less violaceous than auv East-

•- « ft

ern one ; Imt there is so much variation in this respect anions specimens from
one locality, that this ditiereuce in lustre does not seem of much im-
portance.

An adult female (Xo. ()l,o01,(). A. Iloardman) from Lake Harney, Florida,
is so unlike all other si»ecimens in the collec'tion as to almost warrant our
considering it as representing: a distinct local race. It difVers from females
and younn males of all the other races (except clcijaufi, from which it differs
in other strikiniLj particulars) in the followini; respects: Above, the lustrous
steel-hlue is uninterrupted, the forehead and na})e U-'ing uniform with the
other T)(»rtions ; heneath, dark smokv-urav, inclinini;- to whitish on the middle
of the abdomen; the jugulum and crissum have a faint j^loss of steel-blue,

the feathers of the latter bordered
with grayish-white. The chief difter-
ence from c/tyans is in lacking the
cons}»iciU)Us grayish-white border to
the leatiiers of the whole lower part,
the surfac^e beinii uniform instead of
conspiciKuisly S(piamated, Wing, o.GO ;
tail, aOO ; fork of tail, .80 deei>.

Habits. The Pur}>le Martin is em-
jdiatically a bird common to the whole
of North America. It breeds from
Florida to high northern latitudes,
and from the Atlantic to the Pacific.
It is verv abundant in Florida, as it
is in various other ])arts of the country
farther north, and the large flocks of migrating bir<ls of this species which
pass through Eastern ^lassachusetts the last of September attest its equal
abundance north of the latter State. It occurs in I>ermuda, is resident in the

Prosne subis.

IIIUINDIMD.E — THE SWALEoWS. 3:JX

alpine rei^ions of Moxico, nud is also fouiul at Cape St. T.ucas. Accidt'iital
si»«'ciiuuii.s luivt* been ileteetL'tl in KnLjland and in hi'land. It is alnmdant
on till' SaskiitL'hi'wan. riuinii'isti'r statt's that this sptH-ius is eonminn in tho
vicinity nt' IJicj de flaneiio, and that it is distiiliutt'tl in nuKk'iati' ahiindam-e
thrnuuh the whole of trojueal Smith Anieiiia. Von iVl/cln also cites it a.s
occuninjLj; on the Kio Xeirio and at Manaiiiieri through the three winter
months, nestinj^ in old luii Minus and in jjolcs in the rocks. It is, however,
t|uite possible that they refer to an allied hut distinct species.

In a wild state the natural resort of this species, for nesting' and shelter,
was to hollow trees and crevasses in rocks. The introduction (»f civilized
life, and w ith it of other safer and more convenient jdaces, better adai)ted to
their wants, has wrouuht an entire change in its habits. It is now very
rarely known to resort to a hollow tree, thouLjh it will d(» so where better
provisiiai is not to be had. Comfortable and convenient boxes, of various
deviees, in our cities and large towns, attract them to build in small commu-
nities around the dwellinLjs of man, where their social, familiar, and contidinj^
disposition make them ^Ljeneral favorites. There they find abundance of in-
sect food, and rei>ay their benefactors by the destruction of numerous injuri-
ous and noxious kinds, and there, too, they are also comjiaratively safe from
their own enemies. These conveniences vary from the elei^ant martin-
houses that adorn private irrounds in our Eastern cities to the ruder gourds
and calabashes which are said to be frequently ])laced near the humbler
cabins of the Southern neii^roes. In Washington the colunnis of the public
buildings, and the eaves and sheltered portions of the i)iazzas, aflord a con-
venient i»rotection to large numbers around the Patent Otlice and the Tost-
OlUce buildings.

The abundance of this species varies in different ])arts of the country, from
causes not always apparent. In the vicinity of Boston it is quite unusual,
though said to have been, forty years since, ([uite common. There their
places are taken by the H. hico/or, who occupy almost exclusively the mar-
tin-houses, and very rarely buihl in hoUow trees.

Sir John Ilichardson states that it arrives within the Arctic Circle earlier
than any other of its family. It made its first appearance at Great Bear
Lake as earlv as the 17th of ^lav, when the ground was covered with snow,
and the rivei^s and lakes were all icebound.

In the Southern States it is said to raise three broods in a season ; in its
more northern distribution it raises but one. Their early migrations expose
the ^lartins to severe exposure and suflering from changes of weather, in
which large numbers have been known to ])erish. An occurrence of this
kind is said to have taken jdace in Eastern ^lassachusetts, where nearly all
the birds of this sp(»cies were destroyed, and where to this day their places
have never been su])plied.

Within its selected compartment the Martin prepares a loose and irregular
nest. This is composed of various materials, such as tine dry leaves, straws.

332 MUtTI! AMKKK AN IJIKDS.

stems of j^Tasses, tine twii^s, Itits of striiiij, raj's, etc. These are carelessly
thrown toLTetlur, uikI tin* whole is usually warmly lined with leathers or
other soft materials. This nt'>t is occjijMcil year alter year l»y the same pair,
hut with eaeh new hrood \\[v. nest is tii»»rouuhly repaired, and often increased
in size hy the accumulation of new materials.

Tlu^ Martins do not winter in the I'nited States, hut enter tlu' extreme
Southern pcjrtiiuis early in Keltruarv. Auduhon states that they arrive often
in prodigious tloeks. On the Ohio their advent is ahout the l."»th of ^huch
and in Missouri, Ohi(», and Pennsylvania altout the Idth of Aj>ril. Alniut
IJoston their aj>])earance is from the L'oth of April to the middle of May.
^Ir. Auduhon states that tlu-y all return to the Southern States ahout the
2«)th of AuLjust, hut this is hardly correct. Tiieir departure varies very much
with the season. In the fall of 187n they were to he found in lar^'e Hocks,
slowly moving southward, hut (»ften remaining scneral days at a time at the
same place, and then ])roceedini,' to their next halt. Their i'avorite }»hu;es for
such st(»ps are usually a hi^h and uninhahited hillside near the sea.

The Martin is a hold an<l courageous hird, ))rompt to meet and repel dan-
gers, esjK'cially when threatened hy winged enemies, never hesitating to at-
tack and drive them away from its neighhorhood. It is therefore a valuahle
])rotection to the harnyard. Its iood is the larger kinds of insects, especially
heetles, in destroying which it again does g(K)d service to tlie hushandman.
The song of the Martin is a succession of twitters, which, without heing
nuisical, are lar from heing un])leasant ; they hegin with the earliest dawn,
and during the earlier j)eriods of incuhation are almost incessantly repeated.
The eggs of the Purple Martin measure .lU of an inch in length hy .7l> in
breadth. They are of an ohlong-oval shaj)e, are pointed at one end, are of
a uniform creamy-white, and are never spotted. They are (piite uniform
in size and shape. Eggs from Florida are proportionally smaller than those
from the Northern States.

Progne subis, \ar cryptoleuca, Uaihd.

CUBAN MARTIN.

Prague o'l/ptoIcKoi, BAUrD, Kt-v. Am. IJinls, 1&»>4, 277. Hiruado purpuren, D'Oun. Sacra's
Cuba, Ois. 1S40, 9-4 (cxcl. syu.). Prague purpurea, Cad. Jour. 18;'»C, 3. — Gum)L.vcii,
Cab. Jour. ISOl.

Sp. CiiAU. (No. 34.242, ^). Color nincli as in P. sKhin, — rich stecl-hlue, Avitli i>in])le
or violet <xlo.<s ; tht» wiiiurs and tail, howovci-. nmch mori' docidedly Ldosstnl, and with a
shade of jrret'nish. The leathers around the anus and in the anterior portion of erissuni
witli dark hhiish down at hase, pure snowy-white in the middle, ami then blackish, passing
into the usual steel-blue. The white is entirely concealed, and its ainoinit and purity
dimini.<h a.s the feathers an* more and more distant, until it fades into the usual jrray
median portion of the feather. The usual concealed white pat(,-h on the sides under the
wings. Total length, 7.<>0; wing, o.oO ; tail, 3.40; perpendicular depth of fork, .8G; dif-

Illi:iM)IMI).K -Till-: SWALLOWS. ;>;{;;

ten-Mce iH'tWfrij lirst ami ninth prim i y. "J.T '» : l«'iii.'tli ol liill tVniii lon-licml, ..">.">; linm
nostril, MA ; alon«r .i-'.ipe, .J^<i; width. ,.'»s ; larsiis, .'hi ; midille toi; and chiw. .7'.» ; »;la\v alont'.
.21 ; hind toe and daw, ..Vj ; claw alt>n«-. .-'».

Fnnn/*' (I7,7.i<>. Moiitf Vt-rd**. ('uha, Ma\ "J; (,'. WiiLdit). AliuVf sIi-cI-Mih'. U'ss <;1o<-;\
than ill th«' nialf, :ind lt»M«nnini,' histrt'lrss dark snn»ky-l»rown on the I'oivhrad. Ilfad.
laterally and iM-nrath. with iM,i.MdMin and sides, nnilitrin l»rnwiu^h-;rray (without d.iikfr
shafts or huhtcr hordfrs to tl'ath«'rs. as in su/n's); whulr al)d<>ini-n. aiiai rt'^'ion, and crissuin
snowy-white, inchidin;; tlif shafts. Win;.'. ■"». IM ; tail, "J.SO ; foik <»!' tail. .7<>dt'rp.

Yointfj iiKilf (l(»,i5<iS. Cap*' KUdida, May IS, ls,')S; fr. Wnrdi'inaini). Sinniar to thi-
feinalt', hnt the st<'t'l-l>hic altovc inon- liriih;iut and contiinion^. the Ituvlu'ad and winjrs
ht'ini,' nearly ju** histrous as the l»aik ; throat, ami ju;.'ulnin mixed with sted-hhie leathers,
and erissnm with some feathers of steel-l»lne l>ordt'r«'d with whiti>h. Wniir, o.40; tail.
2.0O: lurk of ta.l, .80 deep.

II An. Cnha. and Florida Keys? (Peihaps Hahamas. )

This species lias ji elt)se external ri'seniltlance tn /*. ,s/'/*/.s, tnr \vlii( li it lias
ustialiy ])een niistiikeii. It is of nearly tlie same si/c, Imt the feet are dispro-
jiortionately smaller and weaker; ^\hile the uinus ;ire shorter, the tail is as
lonLj ami more deeply forked ; the feathers eonsi(h'ral>ly narrower, and more
attenuated (the outer .4(1 wide, instead of .4(>j. The <'olnrs ahove are more
hrilliant, and exteinl more over the irreati'r wiiiLT-eoverts and lining of wiims,
while the ([iiills and tail-feathers have a richer ulos.-. of )»iir]dish, ehaimin*,'
to ufrecnish. An apparently .uood dia^nostie feature is the eoneealed juire
white of the feathm's ahont the anal reunions, replaced in .suhis hy grayish,
rarely api>roximatinj.!; to whitish.

A Proijiie collected hy Mr. Wrij^ht, at Montt^ Verde, is didler in color than
that from IJeniedios, hut has still more concealed white helt»\v, in the median
]M)rtion, not tnly of the anal feathers, hut of th(jse of the entire crissmn and
of the hell,. A female hird, which I presume t(j he the same species, can
scarcely he distin,i,niished from the female (d" dDhtinirensla, exce]>t in the
hrownish shafts of the lon;^'er crissal feathers, and an almost imperceptihle
tin«ije of hrownish in the webs of the same feathers. It is almost exactly
like the 1*. Iimojnfitrr of Mexico and Central America.

This species is inclmled in the North American fauna in consequence of
the capture of a specimen (No. l(),:WiS ^ jin:, May IS, 18r>Sj at t'ap(^ Flor-
ida, which is with scarcely a doiiht referahle to it. This specimen is a
young male in its second year, so that it is ditlicult to ascertain positively
its relationship to the two allied s])ecies ; Vmt as it agrees perfectly in its pro-
portions with ('ri/pto/aurf, ixnd its ]tlumaue differs from the corres])oiiding one
of suhiii in essential respects, we have little hesitation in referring it to the
former.

Nothing distinctive is recorded as to the habits of this bird.

334

NmUTII AMEKirAN I Jin OS.

OiNLs PETROCHELIDON, Cabams.

Pdrochclidnu, Cm;. Mus. H.in. Ib.'^d, li>:>l, 47. (Tyiu', lliruiult inelunogastcr, Swains.
= 7'. atraiusuiii, Sci..)

Okx. ('iiai:. Uill stout ami deep, soiiu'wlmt as in Pnxjne. Nostrils cntirelv superior,

OJX.MI, without overliaMjriii<f
iiR'iul)rane on the imior (or
ii]>|H'r) side, but somewhat
overhung by short l)ristles,
seen also aloM;_' base of inner
mandible and in chin. Legs
stout; the tarsi short, not ex-
eeedinir the middle toe exelu-
sivc of its elaw ; feathered all
round for basal third or Iburth,
though no feathers are insert-
ed on the posterior faee. Tail

falling short of the <-hised wings, nearly square or slightly eniarginate ; the lateral feathers

broad to near the ends, and not attenuated.

Of this L^emis as restricted we have hut one species in Xorth America,
althoii^li several others occur in the West Indies and the southern parts of
the continent. All have the hack steel-hlue, with concealed streaks of white ;
the runii>, crissuni, and a narrow nuchal band, and usually the forehead,
chestnut.

Pi trorlii 'iilon lunifnitis.

Petrochelidon lunifrons, BviiiD.

CLIFF SWALLOW; EAVE SWALLOW.

Hlruit'Io hinifrnn.% Say, bong's Kxji. II, 182:3, 47 ^IJocky Mts.). — Cassix ; Ri:i:wF.n, N". A,
Ool. I, ]8.".7, 04, pi. V, no. <;8-7:'> (eggs). - IUn:u, Bird.s N, Am. 1858, 309. — Law-
RENTE, Ann. X. Y. Lye. ISO , ;}17 (Panama K. 1{. ; wiiiterK — Veimmll, Pr. Host. N. II..
Soc. 18«)4, '270 (migration and history). — Loirn, Pr. K. A. Inst. Woohvidi, IV, 18(34,
16 (P.r. Tol. : nesting). -r.M.i«Eii& SniuKY, P. W. \{. XII, ii, 184 (Wash. Terr.). —
Dai.l & l»ANNisTi;u, 270 (Alaska). — CoorKK, Orn. Cal. I, 1^7n, 104. — Samtels, 2."»G.
Pcfroc/uIi(foii I. IiAii;i», Peview, 18t>4, 288. //. opi/cx, Cusu>s, 1824. //. rcffpub-
liamn, At'i). 1824. H./nlrn, linx, (not of Vikfi.i.ot). — Arn. Orn. liiog. I, id. Iviii.
— Ib. Birds Am. I, pi. xlvii. —Maxim. Call. Jour. VI, 1858, 100.

Cp. Char. (Xo. 1S,:)2'J ^.) Top of head glossy black, with greenish lustre: baek and
scapulars similar, but rather tluller, an<l somewliat streaketl by tlu' a)»pearanee of the white
sides of the feathers, — the bases of the feathers, however, bring plinnbeons. Chin, throat,
and sides of head, ehestnut-l)rown. this extending nnmd on the napi' as a distinct eon-
tinnous collar, which is boumled posteriorly by dull grayish. The chestnut darkest on the
chin, with a rich purplish tinge. Rump above ami on sides paler chestnut (sometinn •. fad-
ing into whitish). U[)))er tail-coverts grayish-lmAvn. edged with jialer. lighter than the
plain brown of the winiis and tail. Forehead, for the length of the bill, creamy-white,
somewhat lunate, or extending 'n an acp*e angle, a little over the eye ; a very narrow
blackish frontlet ; loral regit)n dus cy to the bill. A j)ateh of glossy black in the lower }. .rt

HIUr\DlNII)/E — THE SWALLOW^;. ^tj-

of the broasjt, and a few l>lafk Irathcis in the oxtn-nn' diin, il" lattor soniotiinc"! scan-fly
ai)i>r('cial>k'. liidtT jtaits dull wliitr. tiiiLTcd with rfd<lish-trray on tiu' sidt's ;iiiil inside ot"
the willies. Kt-athrrs otCrissinu i>ii»\viii>h-irray. cdp-d with whitish, wit'.i a tinirt' <>t rulous
anteriorly (sonit'tiiiifs almost iiiai»]»r('cialilfi. \fst ot' niii<i, lincil ; Imilt au;»inst rocks or
hcains: opi'iiinLT soint'tini<>s circular, on tlic side; soineiinics open aliovc; i"^<fs spotted.

Total loniTtii, .").10; winu'. 4..")() ; rail, *J.4t>, neaily even: dilVercme of primary quills,
2.10: Icnirth ofliill from forehead. ..IS. from nosti-il. .'J"), alon^r i.''ai)e. .«iO, width. oO; tarsus.
.48; middle toe ae.d daw. .7'-': cl.iw alone. .'J'i ; hind toe ;in<l claw. .44; daw alone. .20.

Il.vn. Entire I nited States from Atlantic to Pacific, and aloULT ci-ntial ri'^doii to Arctic
Ocean and Fort Vukon ; Panama in winter. Not note(l at Cape St. Lucas, in Mexico, or
in West Indies,

There is r u.l't .v o between tlie sexes, l»ut Uw yotmix ''Ji'*l i'^ very dif-
t'eient i'roiii t. rcii i». llie tnUnwiiio jiaiticiihirs : tlie steel-Mue alxive
is replaced l>y a iv. in'' s dusky-brown, the reulhers (^except «ui lieatl)
beinif inarijined wiiii ": .. ..iiv tint ; the ne(k niendv tinned with rid'niis ;
tlie throat has only a dusky sulVusion, and the chin is niiu li mixed w'tii
white ; the frontal ])at(di is obsolete.

A closely allied species from Mexico, P. sirtn'iisoni (see r»aird, la'V. Am.
Birds, l.StiT), lilMi), possibly yet to be i'ouud near our southern border, dilfers
as follows : —

Frontlet i-eddish-white. with narrow hand of hlack alonnf upper niandihle . hmiffou-f.
Frontlet chestnut-brown, without I'lack at lla^e of ujtper mandible. Size smaller.

swaiusoni,

Sonietixies (as in ll,0i'7 9 and I1,()L^"► cT . I'^oi't Brid^er) the black patch
extends upward, somewhat brok(Ui, however. t(» the bill.

ILvblTs. The early history of the ("litf Swallow nuist always remain in-
volved in some obscurity, sit far as concerns its nund)ers and distribution
before the tirst settlement of the <'ountrv, and even down to the early portion
of the jnesent century. Its existence was unknown to Mr. Wilson, and it
was unknown to other naturalists until <d»tained by Say, in Lome's expedi-
tion to the liocky Mour*'ins in 1820. It is n(»w known to occur nearly
thr«)U<djout >' ..lb Ameiica, and to breed from Pennsvlvaiiia to the Arctic
rej^ions, and from the Atlantic to tlu' Pacitic. Vet in many jiarts of the
country it is a new-conuM', wiu're, a lew years since, it was ciilindy un-
known. It .seems to \)v probable that at Hist this species was to lie found
(uiiy in certain localities that (dl'ered favorable ]daces whereon to construct
their nests. Where hiLih limestone (dilfs abound, these birds may have
always occnirred. altliouoh esca])inij; ol»scrvation.

In the same vear that Lou... discovered this species amoiiLj the IJocd-cv
Mountains (IS^n), Sir .T(din l-^anklin's jiarty also met with it between the
Cumber.' vUd House and Fort Filter r- -e, and on the banks of Point bake, in
latitude (\y. In June, 18i'r», a number of these birds made tlieir tirst aj*-
pearance at Fort Chippewyan, and built their liests under the eaves of thi^
house. This fort had then existed many y •• s atid tradin!L,'-])osts had been
in existence a centur md a half, and vet u.s was the tir$t instance of its

33P) XORTII AMKUICAN HIUDS.

]ilariiiLi" itself under tlu^ ]>i()te('tioii (»t" man tliroiii^diont tliat wide extent of
territoiv. Mr. Audulion met with tlii.s species at Ilendersun, oii the Oliio, in
1813. Two years hiter he found a eiduny hreeding in Newport, Ky., wliieh
dated Itack to the same year. Several other colonies in that neighhorhood
also tirst ap]»eared in the same vear. In ISoT 1 received their cus from
Coventry, Vt., at which time they were a new species to me. They were
there known as tlie '" Have Swallow," and the time of tlieir first ap])earance
could not he determined. I tirst nie+ with them in 18:J'.», at Jaffrev, X. II.,
where they had made tlieir iirst a])j)eanince the year before, and were not
then known to he anvwhere else in that vicinitv. The same year I after-
wards found them in lUnlinuton, Vt., where they had been kn(»wn onlv for
three years. When or where they tirst a}>])eared in Massachusetts is not
known. I first observed a lar^e colony of them in Attleborouiih in 184l\
Its size indicated the existence of these birds in tliat ]»lace for .several years.
Tlie same year they also api)eare(l ap])arently Ibr the tirst time, in Ijoston,
IlinLiham, and in other ]»laces in the neighborhocMl.

In 1824, De Witt Clinton read a jniper to the Xew York Lyceum, stating
that he had met with these birds at Whitehall, X. Y.,at the southern end of
Lake ("liam]>lain, in 1817, about the time of their first ai)})earaiice on the
Ohio; and L'ev. Zadock Tlionips(tn met with them in IJandolj)h, Vt., at about
the same period, (ieneral I)earb(»rn noticed them for the tirst time in Win-
throp, Me., in 1830. They first a])i)eared at Carlisle, Tenn., in 1841.

Professor Verrill discovered, in 18()l,a lar«'e cohaiv of these birds breedinix
on tlu' high limestone clitls of Anticosti, apparently in their original condi-
tion, and (Mitirelv removed from the influence^ of man. This sunixested an
inquiry as to their early ])resence in Xortheastern America. From the in-
formation he received, he was led to c(jnclude that this Swallow was known
to certain ])arts of Elaine earlier than its first discovery anywhere in the
West. AVhether these birds were indigenous to tlie West or not cannot now
be determined. That thev were discovered there onlv s(» recently as 1820
proves nothing. We only kn(»w that in certain localities — such as IJock
liiver on the ^rississi]>)ii, and at Anticosti on the St. Lawrence — tlieir occur-
rence in large numbers in their former normal con<lition of independence
suggests in either locality an e(iually r«*niote Iteginning. It is ]>ossible, and
even probable, that in favorable localities in various ])arts of the country they
existed in isohited colonies. The settlement of the country, and tin* multi-
]ilication ot convenient, sheltered, and safe places for tlieir nests, gradually
wrought a (diange in their habits, and irreatlv mnltii»lied their numlu'rs. At
St. Stephen, X. IJ., and in that neighborhood, Mr. I'oardman found this
S]>ecies as abundant in 1828 as they have been at any time since. They were
then very ])lentiful under the eaves of seveml old barns in that ])art of the
country. Yet twelve years afterward they were entirely unknown on the
lower Kennebec!:.

Dr. Cooper found this to be an abundant species in California, on the

IIIliJ'M)lxil)j.:„ THE SWALLOWS. •f'-

roast, where tliev l»reeil on tlie cliiVs, ami have all the a})jH'aiaii('e nl' Ikmii^
iiidiineuous. They a])|>eai at San J)ie.u<» as early as M trch l."», a week lit't'orc
the JJarn Swallow, and do not k-ave nnlil October. They luiild even in the
noisy streets ol" San Franeise*). 1 )r. ('<)oi)er observed them eatchini/ vouni;-
grasshojtpers, which is certai ily nnusual food tor Swallows, and oncj that lias
proved i'atal to yonn^ liarn Swallows when led to the latter in eontinenient.
At Santa Cruz they bred as early as April 1'2, and ha'i second broo<ls July .">.

The nests of this S\vall(»w, when built on the side of a clitl' or in any ex-
posed position, are constructed in the shai)e of a retort, the larger [xution
adherin«^ to the wall, arched over at the top and i»rojcctinu" in front, witii a
covered passage-way openint,' at the bottom. The nornml (»riuinal nest, in a
state of nature, is an elaborate and remarkably iniivnious structure, shelter-
uvj, its inmates from the weather and from theii manv enemies. Since tli«*v
Jiave sou'dit the shelter of man and built inider the eaves of b;»rns and houses,
the old style of their nests has been greatly changed, and the retort -like shape
has nearly disai>})eared.

In building and in re])airing their nests tliey work with great industry, and
often c(mi})lete their task with witnderful celerity. Where they exist in a
large colony, it is not an unc(>nnnon thing to see several birds at work ujnni
the same nest, — one l)ird, apparently the female owner, alway.s assisting and
directing the whole. After the? work of coristruction has g(»ne so far as to
permit the oceu[>ation of the nest, it is often ti» be' observed that the task <»f
completing and improving the structure is kept up by the male. In a large
coLuiy of these Swallows, whose nests were built \nuler the projecting roof
of a barn in a small island in the IJay of Fundy, every nest was as open as are
tlu>se of the Harn Swallow. Tiiesc bills had been encoura<jed to build Itv
the owner, and boards had bei'u placed above and below their nests, of which
thev at «)nce tot)k advantage to Ituild an unusual nest. These nests aic
made of various kinds of adhesive earth and mud. They are neatly and
wannly lined with fine dry grasses and leaves, intermingled with feathers,
wool, and other soft, warm substances. It has been thoughr that the mud
of which these nests are com})osed is agglutinated In' the saliva of the
birds; but of this I have never been able to detect any evidence in the nests
themselves, the crumbling nature of which wlien dry is against this supposi-
tion ; and the birds themselv(\s are often to be seen about iuuldles of water,
apparently gathering materials.

When the nests of a large colony are invaded, the birds manifest great un-
easiness, collecting in a swarm over the head of tiie intruder, wheeling arou?id
in circles, uttering loud outcries, an«l even Hying clo.se to his head, as if to
attack him, with loud snapjting of the bills.

The song of this Swalhtw is an uinnusical creak, rather than a twitter,
frequent rather than lr)ud, and «»ccasionally harsh, yet so earnest and geni;d
in its expression that its elfect is far from Iwing unpleasant.

The ground-color of their eggs is white, and they are marked with dots,

43

338

XORTH AMERICAN BIRDS.

blotches, and points of rt'ddisli-ltrown. These nmikings vary greatly in size,
number, and distribution. They are usually ehietly about the larger end.
In sliape they are usually less eh)ngated than tliose of the P>arn Swallow, and
their markings are larger. This is not, however, invarialde, and the two
kinds are not always distinguishable. In length they vary from .875 of an
inch to .75, and their average breadth is .GO.

(iEXLs HIRUNDO, Linn.

Ilirundo, Linn. Syst. Nat. 1, loth id. 1758, 191. (Type, H. nusfica, Linn J

Under the generic head of Hinindo I propose to combine several grou}>s

of American Swallows
agreeing in moderate,
depressed bill, with
straight commissure,
and lateral nostrils
overhung by mem-
l)rane; the tarsi feath-
ered only at the upper
end, or else entirely
bare; the lateral claws
moderate, not extend-
ing beyond the base
of the median ; the edge of the outer primary without hooks ; the tail varia-
ble in character, from a very deep fork to a slight emargination only.

Subgenera.

Tarsi sliijlitly feathered on inner face at upper end ; eiiual in length to middle toe
without claw.

Tail very deeply Oirked . • . • • • • TUrnndo.

Tail sliiihtly forked or emartrinatc .....•• Torhtjnnehi.

Tar.«i entirely naked; lenrrthene(l eipial to middle toe and half its elaw.

Tail considerably forked CnUichelidou'

Ifiruniio horrenrum.

SuH(;KNrs HIRUNDO, Linn.

r.KN. CnAR. Xostrik lateral. Tar.^i short, not cxceedinjr mi<ldle toe without its elaw ;
the upper joint covered with feathers, which extend a short distance alonpr the inner face
of tarsus. Tail Very deeply forked; the lateral f-atiier much attenuated, twice as loufj as
the middle. Basal joint of middle toe free for Terminal fourth on outside, for half on
inside. Nest partly of mud. and lined witii feathers; e£r<rs s[)otted.

In type, and in American species, the forehead and throat rufous; ii black pectoral collar;
tail-feathers with laige lii.dit spots on inner webs.

1 t'. ci/if,iinciriifis, linvANT: liMUD, Kev. 3(i:{ (liahaiiias).

1 1 1 U U MJI M D . K — T II E S W A LLU W S.

O.J 'J

liiit one species, so tar as known, of tl'is suli.urnus us restricted, lu'lonj^s
to xVmerica. There are, however, ciuite a number known in tlie Old World.

Hirundo horreorum, livinoN.

BAEN SWALLOW.

Hirundo lurrreoftnti, Bakton, Fra;,M.ient.s X. 11. I'.-imu. 17;t'.t, 17. — lUiitn, Birds X. Am.
1858, 308; lUv. 294. —A. & K. Xkwtun, Ihis, l>.->i>, 60 ^Sta. Cnu ; tiaii.sicnt). —
ScLATKU & Salvin, Ibis, 185l>, 13 (« luatriiialii). — 8< LATKi:, V. Z. S. Ib6i, 173 (Citv
of Ml'x.) — Lawkkn. i:, Aim. X. V. Lvc l.sr.i, .Utj (Panama). —Cm. ri:u & Sicklky,
I'. ]{. R. Bcp. XII, II, 1N4 \south of Coluinbia l.'iv.'i). - Dai.l & liASNisTEii, 279
(Alaska). — CoupKu, Orn. Cal. I, IbjO, ll»3. — 8A.Mri;i.s, 2.34. Ilirumh ru/n, Vii;ill.
— Cassis, 111. — Bi:i:\vi;i:, X. Am. (Jul. I, 18;'»7, l»l, pi. v, lij,'. \V.\ -67 u'i(^s). — Cau.
Jour. IV, 1856, 3 (Cuba; spring ami autumn). - IiLiMiAiatr, Ibis, l^♦;l, 'M^im-nlaiitl ;
two specimens). — GrNi.LAcii, Cab. .(our. Is61, 328 (Cuba; common). Ilirmulo
amc rianut, WiLsos ; lluii; Lamijkyi;, Aves d.- ( "uba, 1S.'.(», 44. lam. vii, ti". 2. Hi-
runilo rusfica, Ari). Orn. Bioji. 11, pi. ( Ixxiii. - lu. Birds Am. 1, pi. xlviii. — Jmxes,
Nat. Hist. Bermutla, ;i4 (Bermudas; Aug. and Sept.).

Sp. Char. Tail very dooply forked ; outer featlier.s .sfveral inches longer than the inner,

very narrow towards the end. Above

fflossy l)lue, with concealed wliite in
tlu' middle ufthe back. Throat e-liest-
nnt ; rest of lower })art reddish-white,
not C(jnspicuously ditferent. A stet-l-
blue collar on the upper part of the
breast, interrupted in the middle. Tail-
feathers with a wliite spot near the
middle, on the inner web. Fen ale
with the outer tail-feather not (piit«'
.*JO loner. Length. '».0<> inches; wing,
5.00 ; tai), 4..')0.

TIab. Wliole of the United States:
north to Fort Rae, Slave Lake; Green-
land; sonth in winter to Central Ameri-
ca and West Indies ; Panama ( Lawk.) ;

Plateau of Mexico (l)reeds, Sumiciirast) ; Veragua, Chiriqni (Sai.vix). Not found at Cape
St. Lucas. Soutli America?

In vouni' bird.s, the frontal chestnut hand is smaller and less distinct.

It is still a ([iiestion whether a South Anieritan resident s})ecies (//. er//-
tlir(Kjn>>tcr) is identical or not. The onl\' two specimens of the latter (21,0(17
and 21,(M)8, Vermejo, Feh., 18()() ; ('. Wood) have e. very much less violaceous
upper jduuiage than North American examples, the blue above having
even a greenish tinge. They are moulting, unfortunately, so tliat they cannot
be satisfactorily com])ared ; except in the respect ])(>inted out, however, they
api)ear to be identical with Xorth American examples.

The European //. rudica is perfectly distinct, though clo.sely nllied. It
ditlers esseiitiallv from the American //. Jiurrcvram in much loii'^er outer

Hinif9ffn hortfonnu.

340 n<u:tii AMKiacAN iukiks.

tail-t'cathers, jiiid in liaviiit,' ;i very ln'nnd, eontimious e<tllar of steel-blue
aernss the juuuluiii, ciitiirly isolating tlie ehestiml (tf the tliiuat ; the ahdo-
ineii ajijicais in lie luucli \iin\v whitisli than in tlie Anieriean speeies.

Many spucinien- of If. /inrn>iriii/i sliow a eonlinunus collar, hut then the
two lateral Li'eseents are l»ut just itarely eonnected. In Xo. l!,!'.'! 9 » ^ ^^^li'^l*^'?
renii., May, tliere is an in<U(ation n[' as broad a collar as in the Kurojiean
s]>eeies : lait the area, lliouii:h shaij.ly bountled, is nut uniformly black, beinj;
much mixed ccnlrallv witli liniit rufous.

Sjicciniens of //. hnnrnrii III from both coasts of North America a])pear to
be jieifectly identical.

llAiurs. Xo one of all our North American birds is more widely diffused,
more ^nenerally abundant, wlierever found, or better known, than the 'graceful
and I'amiliar IJarn Swallow. And no one is more universally or more
deservedly a laxorite. Found throu'diout .North America from Florida to

t,- o

(Ireenland and iirnn (»cean to ocean, and breediuj^" nearly throuuhout the
same wide extent, its distriltution is universal. Wnturiuii; with a confidin*^'
trust into our crowdct! cities, and laiilding their elaborate nests in the
|)orches of the dwellings, as well as entering in greater nund)ers the barns
and farm-l»uildings of the agriculturists and placing themselves under
the itrotection of man, tlu?v rarelv fail to win for themselves the interest and
nood-will tliev so well deserve. Innocent and lilameless in their lives, there
is no evil blended with the many benefits tliey confer on man. They are his
ever-constant benefactor and friend, and are uever known, even indirectly, to
do liini anv iniurv. For their dailv food, and for that of their offsi)rinL:,
they destroy the insects that annoy his cattle, injure his fruit-trees, sting
his fruit, or molest his person. Social, affectionate, and kind in their inter-
course with each other; faithful and devoted in the discharge of their conju-
gal and parental duties ; exemplary, watchful, and tender alike to their own
iamilv and to all tlii'ir race : svmi>atliizin«4- and benevolent wlien their fel-
lows are in any troubk*, — these lovely and beautiful birds are briglit exam-
ples to all, in their blameless and useful lives.

This Swallow passes the winte months in Central and South America as
far south as IWa/il and Paraguay, and the West ln«lies, and i^ found through-
out tlie year in tlie Plateau of Mexico. It appears in the Southern States
in March, and in the Central States early in A]»ril. In the latter part of this
month it reaches New York and New Knglaiul, becoming abundant near
Poston about the first of May. Sir John Pichardson found them breeding
as far north as latitude (57° ••'•'. They reached Fort Chippewyan, latitude
o7', as early as the L'ith of May, taking )>osse.ssion of their nests. It has
been lound throughout Canada and in all the Pritish Piovinces, has been
met witli in Ni'W Mexico, and is conunon in certain ])ortions of Texas and
the Indian Territory, J)r. Cooper states it to be less abundant on the Pacific
tjian on the Pastern coast, — a iact attrilaitable to the hick of suitable j)laces
in which to buihl. As settlements have nudtiplied, these birds have gradu-

IlliaNDlNlD.E — Tin: SWALLOWS. 341

ally increased about iai'»iis near the coast. In the wild districts they build
in tlie caves that abnunil in the Idull's alnn^ tlie sea-sh<»ie trnni San l)nniinL,ni
to Cnlunibia Iiiver. Dr. SuckU'V found them also ni(»dciately abumhint
about tht; basaltic clills, near Fort I )alles, ^ )regon. They are much more
abundant aViout the coast tlian tartlier iidand.

^fr. Iiidi^'way found tiiis Swallow a v .ly c(»nnnon sjiecies in all the rocky
h>calities in the vicinity of water, Itut not so numerous as tlie ! nnij'ron.-^.

In MaA' it was i)articularlv numerous in the neii^hborhcKul of Pvnimid

civ »* •.

Ljd<e, where its nests were built anionic the " tufa domes,"' attached to the
roofs of the caves. It was sehlom that more than cue or two pairs were
found to;^ether.

In July he found a nest that contained youn^', in a cave among the linu^-
stone clills of the canons of the Kast Humboldt Mountains, at an altitude
of about eii»ht thousand feet. Manv of their nests were found in Mav, in
the caves of the tufa rocks, ou the shores of I'yramid Lake, as well as on
the i.slands in the lake.

Mr. Hepburn writes that he found this Swallow widely diffused along the
Pacific coast, as far to the nortli as Sitka. In California he found it verv
local, connnon near the coast, rare inland. Its earliest ap])earant;e is March
2(), the »4reat bulk leave in AuLjust, and the last stra^^lers are "r<)iie before
the last of Septend>er. They breed in caves and crevices of rocks, and also
under the sides of the wooden bridges that span the gullies at San Francisco.
Two broods are hatched in a vear. The earliest eiiijr was found on the .'^)()th
of Ajnil, but they are usually a fortnight later. The second laying is about
the lirst of July, and no eggs were found later than the 4th of August. It
is at all times ([uite common to find nests with fresh eggs close to others
witli half-u:rown v<jun'4-.

Mr. J. K. Lord publislies an interesting account of a visit made by a s<tli-
tary pair of liarn Swallows to his party Mhen encamped ;it Schyakwatecn,
in IJritish Cobunbia. A small shanty, loosely budt of ])oles, and tightly
roofed, was in constant use as a Idacksmitli's shop. Early one summer
morning late in June, a pair of Swallows ])erched on the rc^of of this shed,
without exhil>itin.n' the sliuhtest fv^ar of the noise made bv the Itellows or the
showers of sparks that tlew all around. Presently they entered the house
and carefully examined the roof and its su) (porting poles, twittering to each
other all the while in the most excited manner. At lenuth the important
(pu'stion ap])eared to be settled, and the following day they commenced
buihling on one of the [xdes immediately over the anvil. Though the ham-
mer was constantly passing close to tlieir structure, these birds kept steadily
at their work. \\\ about three days the rough outline of the nest had been
constructed. Curious to see i'rom whence they procured their materials, ]\Ir.
Lord tracked them to the stream where, on its edge, they woiked up the
clay and tine sand into a kind of mortar v/ith their 1>eaks. They worked
incessantly, and in a few days their nest was finished, the mud walls having

342 NOirni AMLUICAN IJIKDS.

liiiallv Ijei'H waiiiilv liiii-d with soft div u:rns.st's ai.il tin* leathers Jincl down
of (lucks and ^cese. Tliis trustful ])air seeuied to know no fear. The
narrator often stocnl on a h»^ to watch them, with his face so near that
their feathers freijUi-ntly hrushed a-^ainst it is they toili'd at their work.
Soon the nest was coniidetcd. Five eirns were laid, which were never left
once uncovered until they were hat(died, the female sittinj^ the ^^reater ])art
of the time. Tiicv wen- fed with i^^reat assiduity hy the ]>arcnts, and j^rew
rapidly. In leavini; the nest, two of th<' younj.r hirds fell to the j^nunul, hut
Mere ]>icked u|> hy the hlacksmith, and jdaced with the others on their
roost in;^'-})hiee. A lew days' tiainini: taugiil them the use oi their wings,
and they soon after took their departure.

Professor IJeiidiardt records its occurrence in (Ireenland, at Fiskena'.sset
and at Xenontalik.

The natural hreedin!Lr-])laces of these l>irds, Lefore the settlement of the
country, were caves, overhan^iti^ rocky dills, and similar localities. Swal-
low Cave, a' Xahanl, was once a fav<»iil(' ]»lace of resort, and in the unsettled
iMirtions of the countrv thev are oidv found in such situations. As the
countrv is settled thev lorsakc; these idaces for the huildinijfs of the farm,

t ft I »^ '

and their nundiers ra])idly increase. In the lur countries and in all the
Pacitic coast, they still hreed in and iidiabit caves, chietly among limestone
rocks.

AVhere the op]^ortunity offers, they ])refer to ]>lace their nests on the hori-
zontal rafters of barns. I)uilt in this situation, the nests have an averag*?
height and a breadth of about five inches. The cavity is two inches deep
and threi' inches wide, at the rim. The nests are constructed of distinct
layers of mud, tVom ten to twelve in nund»er, and each sej>arated by strata
of line dry grasses. The.<e layers are each maih' up of small jtellets of nuul,
that have been worked over liy the birds and placed one by one in juxtaposi-
tion until each layer is complete. These mud walls are an inch in thickness.
When they are conijdeted, they are warmly stulled with fine soft grasses
and lined with downy feathers. When built against the side of a house, a
strong foundation of mud is first constructed, ui>on which the nest is enacted.
In this case the nest is much more elongate in shape and more strcjngly
made.

A striking peculiarity of these nests is fre(piently an extm ]tlat form, built
against, but distinct from the nest itself, designed as a roosting-] dace for
the ]>arents, used l»y one during incubation at night or when not engaged in
procuring food, and by both when the young are large enough to occupy the
whole nest. One of these I found to be a .sepamte structure from the iiest,
but of similar materials, three inches in length and one and a half in breadth.
This nest had been for several years occupied by the same ])air, though none
of their offsjtring ever returned to the same roof to breed in their turn. Yet
in some instances as manv as fiftv luiirs have been known to occu]>v the

t/ ft> X X 4/

rafters of the same baru.

HIRIXniNID/K TIIK S\V \M,()\VS. ;J4;»

Tn oTiP instniicc^ ^Fr. Allni ]u\< kmtwii m ]):iir of tlic^o Swallnw^ to take
possession nt" the nest ot a |»air of ('lill' S\vallii\v:s, |>lar(,'(l iiiulrr tlie cavrs
of a l»arn, drivinu otV tin* rii^litl'ul owners. 'I'lie next year tliey Itnilt a nest
in tlie same place, the old one having fallen down, lint sneli instances are
rare, and the attempt is ollcn a failnre.

The wonderlnl activity of this l»ird. its rapidity and ])owers of tliuht, are
too strikin*^' a ]iecnliarity of this s]»eci('s not to he mentioned. iMninL: their
stay M'ith ns, from May t(> SeptendM-r, from morn to ni^ht they seem to he
ever in motion, es]»ecially so hefore incnhation, or after their younLj have
fl(»wn. The rapidity of their tortuous evolutions, iheii' intricate, involved,
and re]>eated zi^/au tliiihts, ari' alto;;('ther indescrihahle, .'uid must be wit-
nessed to he ap)»reciated. Wilson estimated that these hirds tly at the rate
of a mile a minute, hut any one who has witnessed the ease and ceh'rity with
which they seem to deliuht in overtakintx, I'assinu, iind repassing a train of
cars moving at tin; rate of thirty miles an hour nnist realize that this esti-
mate is far from tloin^' full justice to their real speeil.

The son.u <»f this Swallow, especially when on th(; win^;, is very iileasinij
and s])rinhtly. It is a succession of twittering notes uttered with *iivi\i
ra]>idity and animation. Wiu-n aliuhtiid, their notes are delivered more
slowly and with nnich less animation.

The attention of these liirds to each <tther when sitting upon the nest, and
to their voum^' when hatched, is unrcmittin-j. Tht^ estimated nundters of
small insects they collect for their own consumption and that of their nest-
liuLjs is almost incretlihle. When tlie young are old enouiih to leave their
nests the manoiivres of the [)arenls i»» draw them out, and their assistance
to them when practisimz their first short tli^hts, are anions the most curi-
ous and interesting^ scenes one can witness in his ornit]iol<»L;ieal exi)eri-
ences. ; Imt S})ace would fail me were I to attem]>t their details.

The numher of the vouni; is from four to six, and there are often two
hrooils in a season. As .soon as the second hrood can tly, or early in Se])tem-
her, they all [)re}»are to leave. They usually c(»llect in tlocks of from one
to .several hundied, and de]>art within a few days t»f their first assendilinj^.
T-iirj;e tlocks pass alouLj the coast of Massachusetts, from the north and east,
early in Sejitemher, -t'ten unitiniL^- as they meet, and ])assinLi- ra]titlly on.

Their euiis have a ground-color of clear white, with a roseate tint when
nnhlown. They are marked with spots of reddish and ]»uri>lish-hrown. varv-
inii' ill ^^^'^" ii'ii'l numher, and chiefly at the lan^i'r end. They are smaller and
more elongate than those of the /fiiuJ)o/is,iun\ the markings are usually liner.
Their ;4reatest len^tli is .!>-! of an inch, their least .To, and their mean .78.
Their mean hreadth is .oG of an inch, the greatest A)'2, and the least .5t>.

344

Nonin AMKKir.vx hirds.

Hirurffo t/ialasxina.

SriuiKNLs TACHYCINETA, Car.

Tfu'lniiiiu/n, Cvn. Mus. Ilciij. isr.o, ISr.l, 4S. ^Tvl«•, Il.fhtliissinn, Sw.)

Ofn. Char. Nostrils Literal, ovcrlnuiir of hoidorod internally by incunilK'nt niembrnnp.

Tarsi with the tii»ial joint eovored l»y overiiaiiir-
iuir feathers, adherent ii short distance aloiitr
inner liiee, altout e»|Mal to middle toe without
elaw. Lateral toes efpial. Adhesion of hasal
joint of middle toe variable. Tail emarjrinate
onlv. orsliiihtlv forkeil ; lork not exeee<lin<r half
an ineh in depth. Color blue or «rre«'n altove.
with or without metallic jrl«>ss; with or with-
out white rinnjt. Kntiiely while beneath.
Net usually in holes of trees or rocks: eircrs pure while, inispotted.

Of tliis soctioii there are two Xortli Aincrican species, di fieri n^' as follo\vs,
l)otli being green above and white beneatli : —

Species.

Plnmncre nbove soft: and velvety without nietalHe l'Ioss. Sides of head, space
around eye.s. and whole inider parts, white; with the feathers all j)limibeous at
base. Female duller in pluma;^'e, Youiifr with ba;;es uf throat-feathers gray to
roots.

T. thalassina. Above velvety-^n-een, with various .shades and tinrres of

violet and j>ur]ile.
Plumapro above compact, and with rich irreen metallic irloss. Sides of head to
line with eyes like its upper part. l>eneath white; the feathers of chin au<l
throat, and pMU-rally <»f ciissum. white to base. A eoneealed spot in Juj^idmn.
Female duller. Vountr with bases of throat-feathers pure white to roots.

T. bicolor. Above metallic-green. Inside of wings and axillurs ash-eolor.

Hirundo bicolor, Vieill.

WHITE-BELLIED SWALLOW.

Hirvmh hio/or, VlKllJ,. Ois. Ai:i. Sept. I, l.'>u7, »!1, ]>1. xxxi. — At'D. Om. Biog. I, ]>1.
xcviii. — In. Birds Am. I, pi. xlvi. — Cassin. — liiiiAvi:!:, N. Am. 0..1. I, L^f)?, lOK,
pi. iv, fig. 47 (eggs).— Lkmbkyi:, Avfs dc Cuba, IS.'.n, 4t). lam. vii, fig. 2. — Baikp,
Birds N. Am. 1S.>8, :5in. — Loun, I'r. IJ. A. lust. Woulwi.li, IV, 1S»)4, 1.') (Br. Colum-
bi:i : nesting). —JoxKs, IVrnnidas, 34 (Sept. 22, 1849). — Coopkii »t Si(kli:v, P. H. K.
I.'ep. XII, n, 184, — Dall& Bannistki:, 27!M Alaska). —Samtkls, 2ri7. — Cooi-kk,
Orii. Cal. I, 1^70, 10(5. Pefmche/idon bicolor, Sci.a rKi;, P. Z. S. I8r.7, 201. -In. 18.-,«>,
•'5<;4 (Xalapa). — Scr.ATI'.li & Sai.VIN, Ibis, 18.'»1», l:> (<Ju:it<'!ii;da). Tor/i/fciiHf'f hiri,l<,,'.
Cab. Mus. Ileiii. IS.'.O, 48 ; .bair. Orn. 18.")»», 4(('iiltaK - (irNiti.ACFi, .Tour. Orn. 18»n,
330 (eonimon in ("u])a). Ilirando (Turltifciiiffo) hie,)!,,); BAH;n, Kev. Am. B. 18»)4,
296. Hirundo viridis, WiLs. Hirundo leucoyaster, Stefiikns.

Sp, Ciiah. Glo.^sy metallic blnish-green abov(^ ; entirely white beneath. Ferttole duller
in color. Length, <).2') inches ; wing, 'i.OO: tail, 2.(5').

Younq bird dull sooty-gruy above, much like that of //. tlmlasf>ina ; but may readily be

Ill la'N DIMD.E — TlIK SWALLOWS.

Hiniivlo bieolor.

distin^'iiisht'tl liy the (l-atluTs ot" the tliroat luiiiu" i»nre white to their rtxits, instoail ol'huv-
in<f th«' coiiri-alcil liases ;^rayish as in tluit sjx'cif:^.
* II.vu. Wholt' L'liitftl Sfati's, ami north i«» Slave Lake, south to (Juateniulaj Bcnnuda;
(.'nha, common in wintei-. Ureeds* on tahje-lautls ol Mexiro.

Hauits. Tills Swiinow lias (Hiitr an cxtcndt'd (listrilnition. Found
tliifnioliout North Anu'ricii in iho seasons of its migrations, or ItrcL'ding, it is
only a little less restricted in its area ot" nestiir_i than the pieeeding species.
It breeds from latitude ^18" to
liiifh Arctic; regions, and is also
resident throiiulioiit the year in
the Plateau of Mexico. It is
aliinidant in winter in the West
Indies, in Central America, and
in Xorthern South America. It
is 11 ciuiimon Lird alxnit lioston,
where it replaces the Ptnj>le
^lartin, and is even more ahun-
dant in the liritish Provinces.
Dr. Cooper also found it a very
common species in the western

])ortions of Washington Territory, where it was invariahly found to breed
in hollow trees. In California he states it to be a more or less constant
resident, a few wintering in the southern portion of the State. He met with
it both at San Die^o and at Stockton, in February. He regards them as
the hardiest of the Swalk»ws, preferring the coast and the mountain-to]is
for their residence in that State. At Santa Cruz live or six ]iairs in ISOC
were resident throuuli the winter, where he saw them in Januarv duriii'i
the coldest of the season. They ro(»sted in the knot-holes in the houses
in which they had ])reviously raised their young.

This Swallow, in tlie more thicklv settled portions of the countrv in which
it breeds, exhibits a marked dej)arture in many of its habits from those
observed in wilder regions. In the latter places we lind it a eom]»aratively
wild si)ecies, avoiding the society of man, and breeding exclusively in hollow
trees and stumps, and deserving the name by which it is known in tlu^ Prit-
ish Provinces, of the " Wood Swallow." In the islands ctf (Iraud Menan,
in ISol, where rejjeated attempts had been made to induce these birds to
build in martin-boxes, the endeavor bail been entirely unsuccessful. Yet the
birds were so abundant that haiiUy a hollow tree or stum]), on certain of the
smaller islands, could be found, that did not contain a nest of this species.
This is still the ease on the Pacific coast, though not exclusively so. It
was not until after the })ublication of his Ornithological liiography that Au-
dubon was aware of any de])arture from this mode of nesting on the ]>art of
this Swallow, although it had not escajied the notice of Wilson.

In Eastern Massachusetts these birds have underi^one an entire change of

44

340 NOUTll AMEUIL'AX- lillJDS.

hal)it, breeding there exclusively in miirtin-boxes, and rarely, if ever, nesting
in liollov,' trees, — a fact perliaps attrilmtalde to the scarcity of these opportu-
nities along the sea-coast, where this bird is princii)ally found. In Western
Massachusetts, Mr. Allen state's them to be not verv common and the least
abundant of the SwaUows. Any sheltered and accessible box, however rough
it may be, will answer its purpose, whether the more elaborate martin-house,
or a mere candle-box with an open end. Mr. Audubon has known them to
drive away a ]»arn Swallow from its nest, and to take possession, but this
was probably exceptional. In one case, two small houses U)Y birds put up in
the same yard were taken possession of by a single pair of Swallows, and
nests built in each ; only one, however, of these was made use of. Whether
this freak was the result of indecision or from a grasi>ing seltishness, it is
not possible to conclude, but a])parently the former.

In the rural districts, even on the coast, these birds are not so abundant as
in the cities, as in the latter they are less annoyed by other birds. The com-
mon liobin is often especiallv a«»«:ressive, seeking" to drive them off his as-
sunied premises. In one instance the Robin has been known to station him-
self on a platform in front of its ne>i for hours, and persistently refuse to
permit its visits. Assistance was sought, and all the Swallows in the neigh-
borluHjd came to the rescue. Tliev sailed with angry cries over the head of
the olfender, at times darting down u])on him as if to strike at him, but
accomplishinn" n(Uhin<j. The besieuer maintained his i»round until the writer
intervened and drove him away, when the Swallows once more took posses-
sion, and fed their hungry nestlings in ])eace.

This species breeds from about latitude o.S° to the extreme northern regions,
and alonu the Arctic seas, wherever lacilities for nesting are found, liichard-
son found them breeding in hollow trees on the Mackenzie Kiver, in latitude
63°. Evervwhere on both coasts thev are verv jomnion, but are less numer-
ous in the interior. Mr. Dall found it in Alaska from Fort Yukon to the sea.
It was known to tlie IJussians as the IJiver Swallow. It was also met with
in Sitka, by lUschoif. It lias not l>een observed in (Ireenland.

During the breeding-season this sjuhmcs is more (piarrelsome than any of
its kindred, and is often more than a match for larger birds. Coming earlier
in the season than the rur]»le ]\Iartin, it will often intrude itself into its
premises and maintain possession. Tliey are devotedly attached to their off-
si»ring, and bewail any accidents to them or any threatened peril. The same
pair will return year after year to the same premises, and they soon become
on familiar terms with the meml)ers of a family they frequently meet, so
much so as to watcli, when tlicv have received materials for their nests, for a
further su])ply, and will fly close to the ])erson from whom they receive them.
A ])air which had tiius, year after year, received suj)plies of feathers for their
nests from the younger mcr, 'rrs of the family in wliose yard their nest was
built, would almost take ti ■ n Voni th<! hands of their providers. This pair
sat so close as to permit theiuselves to be taken from their nest, and when

mPtrxDixTDj: — THE rwatj-otts. 347

rcleu.sed would at ^)uv^\ Hv Itiick to tlieir brood. Tliev l)iiild a loose, soft, and
Avarm iie.st of line soft leaves and liay, aVmndantly lined witli down and
feathers, with which the ej^gs are not iinfreiiuently covered. Tlie addition
of soft Jind warm materials is often made during incubation, and tlie nest
is thoroughly repaired before it is used for a second brood, of which they
usually have two in a season.

The eggs are of a uniibrm pure white, and are never spotte*!. They have
a delicate }>inkish shade before tiiey are blown. They are of an o]»long-t)val
sliape, one end more ])ointed tlian the other, and they vary considerably in
size. Thev vary in leniith from .75 to .873 of an inch, and in breadth from
.50 to .of).

Mr. Hepburn states that the great mass of these birds leave California in
August, but tliat a few are resident during tlie winter. The princi}>al acces-
sion to tlieir numbers takes place about the end of February, an<l they be-
come quite abundant by tlie end of March. In Vancouver they ; i month
later. In IS^)'.\ Mr. Hepburn states tliat a pair constructed their nest in a
piece of canvass at the end of the yard-arm of a store-ship that lay off the
levee at Sacramento. He first noticed them on the 28th of Ai»ril, when tlie
nest had alrea»lv made some inouress. Wy tlie lOtli of May there were seven
eniis in it which were sli«>iitlv incubated. The nest was a iireat mass of
hay and dried grasses, in the midst of which was a cup shaped depression
very neatly lined with feathers, some of wliicli bent over, forming a slight
dome.

Hirundo thalassina, Swains.

VIOLET-GREEN SWALLOW.

Hirundo thnla.tsvift, S\v.\ixsoN, Phil. Ma*;. I, 1S27, 3»).5 (Mexico). —Am. — Ruf.wer, N".
A. (>i>l. I, 1857, 102 (till' tig. pi. V, fig. Ixxiv of egg bflongs to another .six'oie.s). —
Baiki), r>inl.s N. Am. IS.'.S, 311. — l.oiii), I'r. U. A. Inst. Woolwich, IV, 1SG4, 11.5
(Vancouver Isl. ; nests in holes of treesK — ('(»<>i'ER& 8r<'KLKY, P. R. K. Pep. XII,
II, 18.') (W. T.).— Co.triu, Oni. Cal. I, 1870, 107. Ch'liihm thxhtssina, Roik, Isis,
1844, 171. Tuifif/riiirfii (h(i!i<.'i,si'iti, (_\\i',. Mas. Ilein. 18.50, 48. Ilintiido {Tach^/ciiufn)
thohifisiii'i, Baii;i), Pev. Am. B. 1M)4, 2*.ty. Pttr^K-itiUdini tluihissiim, ScL.\TKii & Sal-
vix, Ibi.s, lS5i», 13 (Guatemala). — Id. P. Z. S. 18tJ4, 173 (City of Mex.).

Sp. Char. Tail acutely emarginate. Bonoath pure white. Above soft velvetv-green,
with a very faint shade orpurj)lish-violet (.'oneeiitratcd on the naj>»' into a transverse l>an<l.
Rump lafhcr more vivid green ; tail-coverts showing a good deal of purple. C\d<u-s of
female much more ohsrure. Length. 4.7o ; wing, 4.r>t»; tail. 2.00.

Hah. Western and ^[iddle Provinces of Unite*] States., s<»utli to Guatemala, ea.«;t to the
Upper Missouri. Brecils on Plateau of Mexico {SfMiniRAST).

Youni^ birds are of a dull velvety u;ri\yisb-brown, not unlike the shade of
color of Cotjilc I'lporid, but may be distinmiished by the absence of the tuft
of feathers at base of toes, and the uray (not white) bases of the feathers of
under parts. There is only an ashy shade across the breast, nv>t a peetoral
liand.

348 NORTH A^fERICAN BIRDS.

There is mnrli variation aiiioni,' individuals roi;ardinj^ the distribution of
tlie senii-inotallic tints uf the ujjpcr j)aits ; <,aMierally the whoh' thjrsal region
is overlaid hy a " dustinL,'," as it were, of soft brownish-purple ; in specimens
Cfdored thus, the uj)per tail-eoverts are pure dark-i^'reen, without a tiivj^Q of
purple. In other specimens, on the contrary, the dorsal region is nearly
pure green, that of the ujtper tail-coverts less golden, and mixed with a very
beautiful rich soft violet.

Winter specimens from fUiatemala and Mexico have the upper secon-
daries very sharply and Ijroadly bordered terminally with pure white.

Hadits. The Violet-green Swallow is a common bird, from the central
]>lains of Xorth America to the Pacific coast, and is found at different sea-
sons from Washington Territory to South America. It has Iteen found as far
east as Xebraska, and in alnindance at Fort Uridger, in Utah

As observed, in Washington Territory, by I)rs. Sucklcy and Cooper, it is
said to arrive at Puget Sound early in May, and to frequent entirely the high
prairies bordered with oak and other deciduous trees, in the knot-holes of
which, ' • in deserted Woodpeckers' holes, it breeds. Its song is described as
pleasing and varied, but rather weak. They found it to be (piite abundant
in the interior of Oregon and of AVashiuLrton Territorv, and in its hal)its and
mode of tlight hardly distinguishable from the hico/or.

In California, acc<n'ding to the observations of Dr. Cooper, it arrives in
Santa Clara Valley as early as March !.">, where it chiefly frequents the groves
of oaks along the sides of the valleys, across the whole Coast Ilange, excepting
in the innnediate neighborhood of the .sea. Their nest, so far as known, is
always in the knot-holes of oaks, and they have never been known to breed in
the innnediate vicinity of dwellings, excepting ^only when their favorite trees
were so situated. It is generally in an inaccessible jdace, and their eggs
are not often obtained. These are pure white, resembling tho.se of the
hicoJor and the ripnria. Townsend states that he found them nesting in the
deserted nests of the //. Iiinifronx, but in this he mav have l)een mistaken.
The eggs he gave to Mr. Audubon as tlio.se of this species undoubtedly
belonged to the luni/roiis. They leave California for the south in Sep-
tember.

Dr. Cones also found this Swallow in Arizona, where it was the most
abundant and characteristic Swallow of the i)ine regions of that Territory.
It is a summer resident at Fort Wlii])])le, where it arrives about March 20,
and remains until late in Se]>tember.

In the Province of Ver.i Cruz, Mr. Sumichrast found this Swallow resident,
not only in the hot belt of the coast, but also in the temperate regi<»n and
throuiihout the plateau, at almost all heights, and was almost evervwhere
very common.

Mr. Salvin also states that early in March great numl)er3 occur near Du-
enas, (luatemahi, where thev remain for a short time. During that time thev
are to be found Hying over the open land to the south of the Lake of Duenas,

niRUNDIXIDvE — Tin: ^iWALLOWS. 349

^fr. TToplmrn states tliat tliis Swiillow has «juito an cxtfiisivo raiiLjo aloiiLj:
the Pacilic. coast, hut is ivstrictcd as to thi* localities it inhahits. At the
Pulgas llanche, near San Francisco, it is even more conniion tlian the hirolnr,
while a lew miles I'rom thence not one is to he seen, lie has also sei-n it on
the hanks of the Fresno, near its junction with the San Joaijuin Jliver, and
again in the Yosemite Valley, without meeting with a sin^le specimen in the
interveniui^ country. Ahout Victoria this was the prevailing,' species. These
Swallows, so far as ^Ir. Hepburn observed, always build in holes of trees.
Their nest, he states, is formed of a few tine dry stems (jf ji;rass, ])laced at the
bottom of the hole, covered over with a thick mass of feathers. The e^ns,
he adds, are ])ure white, large for the size of the l)ird, measuring .SI of
an inch in length by .oO in breadth. Tliese Swallows have two broods in a
season. In 1804 he noted their arrival in San Mateo County on the 2Stli of
!Marcli.

Mr. Kidgway writes that he first met with the Violet-green Swallow in
Mav, on the islands in Fvramid Lake. He there found it verv abundant
among the clitl's of calcareous tufa of whi(di the island was comijosed. They
were seen to enter the fissures of the rock to their nests within, which it was
found im])ossible to reach. They were again seen in July among the lime-
stone cliffs along the canons of the East Humboldt Mountains, associated
with the White-throated Swift, buildini'- like them in tlie small horizontal
crevices or fissures on the face of the precij)iee. He was not able to get at
more than two of their nests, the first in a horizontal fi.ssure just wide enough
to admit the hand, and about eight inches from the entrance. It contained
five vouui^. The nest was similar to that of the liank Swallow, and was
composed of sticks, straws, and feathers. In tlu; other the female was dead
on her nest, and the e<4gs were broken. Thev were white, like those of the
H. hirolor.

In its flight this bird is said to uroatlv resemble the White-bellied Swal-
low, but is distinguishable by the contrast i»f the three colors of its u})])er
plumage. These two species are rarely to be seen in the same Localities, the
Incolor i)referring wooded, and this species rocky hxalities.

Mr. Lord states that this beautiful Swallow was common from the coast
along the entire course of the boundary line, to the summit of the IJcx-kv
^lountains. Thev were anionic the earliest visitors at Colville, arrivintf in
small fiocks in March, but in greater numbers in May and June. They build
in June, making their nests in holes in dead trees as high as they can get,
and lav four or five eirgn. The nest is made (»f feathers and soft hair. T-.v v
a.ssemble in large flocks l)efore migrating in Sejitember. ]\Ir. Lord felt pretty
sure their nesting-holes were excavated in the soft wood bv themselves,
though their soft beak seems ill adapted to perform such labor.

350

NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS.

Cotijle serriptiinis.

Gems STELGIDOPTERYX, Rafrd.

Sfflr/ifhpfer/f.r, Raihp, IJinls X. Am. 1858, 312. ^Typt-, ninindo scrripennis, Ai'D. )

Okk. Char. Bill rather small; nostrils oval, superior, niaririnod behind, but soareely

laterally bv nieiultrane, but not at all overhung:
tiu' axes ot" the outline eonverL'"ini;. Frontal
leathers soft, and, like ehin. without bristles.
Tarsi equal to middle toe without claw: the
upper end eovere<l with feathers all rouml.
none at lower end. Basal joint of middle toe
adherent externally lu-arly to end; internally,
scai'cely hall". Lateral toes about eqind, their
claws not reaehini( beyond base of nii<ldle claw.
Tail sliirhtly cmaririnate ; the feathers broad, and obliquely rotnide<l at end. Kd^-e of the
wini; rouirh to the touch; the shafts of the fibrilhe of outer web of outer primary pro-
loufjed and bent at rijrht angles into a short stid'hook. Nest (of S. serripennis) in b3le.s
in banks ; ejrfr-s pure white, unspotted.
Color dull brown above.

The great peculiarity of this genus consists in the remarknhle roughness
of tlie edge of the wing, said to occur also in P.salldnprocnr, (\\B. The ob-
ject is uncertain, but is probably to enable the bird to secure a foothold on
vertical or inclined rocks, among or on which it makes its nest. A favorite
breeding-place of S. srrripi'nnis is in tlie piers and abutments of bridges, and
these hooks nii^ht render essential aid in enterinu" into their holes.

The birds of this genus liave usually been referred to Cofiflc, which, how-
ever, they resemble only in color. The nostrils are ex]»osed, instead of being
overhung ; the tar.>us is bare below, not leathered, and tlie lateral claws are
considerablv curved, and not reaching bevond the base of the lateral, as in
CotjfJr. The structure of tlie wing is very different.

There are at least five species or races of this genus in America, although
only one belongs with certainty to the Tnited Stages. A second, liowever,
(S.fif/ripcnnU), ^Mexican and Guatemalan, is not unlikely to occur in Arizona
or Xew Mexico. This diffei's in having the chin and throat reddish-fulvous,
not mouse-gray ; the belly tinged with yellow.

Stelgidopteryx serripennis, Baird.

KOTTGH-WINGED SWALLOW.

TTirvndo serrij}en,ns. Am. Orn. Bio«,'. IV, 1S:]8, .5J»3. — Ir. Hirds Am. I, 1840, 193, pi. li.
Cofjih s. Box. Consp. 1850, 342. — Cassin. — Brf.wku, N. Am. Oi.l. I, 18;.7, 100,
pi. iv, fijj. ')0 (»'g.i]rs). — Baiud, Binls X. Am. 18.".S, 313. — Lord, Pr. K. A. Inst. IV,
18«4, 116 (Br. Columbia). —roopER&SrcKLr.v, P. R. R. R.'p. XIl, ii, 186 (W. Tm.).
— Hkeumann, p. \\. K. X ; Williamson's Rep. 36 (San .Vutonio, T»'.\. ; brt'cdinp;). —
CooPEP, Orn. Cal. I, 1^70, 110. Stehjidnptrrijj: s. Baiud, Birds N Am. 1858, 312;
Rev. 314.

IIIIirXDLNID.E -THE SWALLOWS. 351

Sp. CiFAH. (X«), .''2.200 (^.) Al»ov<' smokv-brou'ti, rather dot'por on the he:ifi, perhaps
a little pah'r on the lumj). Laru'er quills and tail-leathers dusky-hrown; the secondaries
and <ireater coverts soinetiiiies lijiht«'r aloiiir tln-ir external edg«'s. The nnder parts (lor
aliout hall' the total length) from lull to and ineliiding breast, with the sides of b<^dy anil
lining of wiiigs, mouse-gray, rather lighter along the throat; the rest of nnder parts, in-
tluding erissnni, white, tin; latter with the shafts sonielinies dusky, and very rarely with
<lusky blotches at the ends of the longer featheis.

Young birds (as in 1,120) diller in a tinge ol" reddish-fulvous on the ujiper parts; the
wing foverts, .<e«'ondaries, and inner primaries margined more or less broadly with a
brighter shade of the .<aine. The gray of the under parts is also washed with this color,
especially on the chin and across the breast. The hooks of the edge of the wing have not
yet become <leveloj)ed.

(No. 32,2()0 (J, fresh specimen before being skinned.) Total length, 5.40 ; expanse of
wings, 12.20 ; wing from carpal joint, 4.')0.

(Xo. ;i2.2n!) <J, prepared specimen.) Total length, o/jO; wing, 4.50 ; tail, 2.25, depth
of fork, .15; dilference of primaries, 2.28 ; length of bill from forehe:id. .40, from nostril,
.24, along gape, .50, width of gape, .4."J ; tarsus, .45 ; middle toe and claw, .57 ; claw alone,
.I'j ; hind toe and claw, .41 ; claw alone, .10.

Hab. Whole L'nited States (exclusive of Northeastern States ?) south to Central
Mexico.

Habits. The Iiougli-win^^ed Swallow was first met with l»y Audubon, in
Louisiana, but described by him t'roiii specimens afterwards procured near
Charleston, S. C. He knew nothinu in regard to its habits, and its distribu-
tion was ecpially unknown to him. It has ."^ince been found, but nowhere very
abundantly, in various parts of the United States. It has not been met with
on the Atlantic coast farther to the north than Xuw Jersey and Pennsylvania.
On the Pacific coast it is more common. Dr. Suckley speaks of it as quite
abundant both in Orej^(jn and in Washington Territory. Dr. Cooper, in his
Zoology of Washington Territory, sjteaks of it as common about the sandy
dill's of the bays antl iidets of that coast, arriving near the Columbia in
May, and remaining only until the middle of August, when all these Swal-
lows go southwards, though their last brood is hardly able to fiy. He says
that they burrow holes in the soft sandy banks near the tops of cliffs, and
have generally the same habits as the common JJank Swallow. They have
no song, only a few chiri)ing calls.

Dr. Cooper, in his lieport on the birds of California, further states that this
Swallow, in summer, is found throughout the lower ])ortions of that State.
He saw them at Fort ^lojave as early as the 27th of February, and as he has
met with them at San Diego in Xovember, and also in January, he thinks
they may winter within the State. He describes their burrows in the sandy
banks of rivers as being to the depth of three feet, crowded very near
together, and near the up])er edge of the bank, in no wise different from the
nesting of the common C. riparia. The nests are composed chiefly of dry
grasses, with a few feathers, and coiitain five white eggs. Occasionally, how-
ever, they resort to natural clefts in the bank or in buildings, and to knot-
holes in trees. In the fall they congregate in great numbers about certain
favorite spots, and keep much together in flocks. At night they roo^t in

352 XOIITH AMKIilCAN BIKDS.

their Itiiiiows. In Arizona, according' to Dr. (N»ues, tlicy aru siunmer resi-
dents, lircfdinix altundanlly, arriving late in April and remaining until nearly
the last «»t* Sc'ptenilier.

At Kagle I'ass, Mr. Dresser met these birds, arriving from the South, on
the iMst of Fehruarv. There, and also at San Antonio, thev were vervcom-
ni(»n, brei'ding in the towns, making their nests iunler the eaves and in holes
in the old walls, dej)ositing their eggs by the 2.')th of A])ril. Dr. Kennerly
also found this Swallow very al)undant along the I'olorailo IJiver in Febru-
ary. Its llight Seemed to him to be like that of the eommon liarn Swallow.
Dr. lleermann freiiuently met M'ith this speeies during the journey from the
junction of the (iila and Colorado Kivers through Mexico, Xew ^^exieo, and
Texas, to San Antonio. In the latter i)lace he found them breeding almost
entindy in crevices in the walls of houses.

In the vicinity of Washington, I>r. Coues found this Swallow a summer
resident, l)ut rather rare, arriving in the third week of April, and leaving
about the middle of September.

]Mr. Ifidgway s])eaks of this bird as one of the most abundant Swallows
of the West, inhabiting the river valleys, antl breeding in holes in the banks
of the rivers. He says that in Southern Illinois it is much more abuudant
than the C. ri^mna, though both nest in the same l)anks.

This s]>ecies was first found breeding in Carlisle, Tenn., by Professor Baird,
in the sunnner of I84o. Tlie following year I visited this locality early in
June, and had an o]>])ortunity to study its habits during its breed ing-.season.
AVe found the bird rather common, and examined a number of their nests.
xSone that we met with were in places that had been excavated by the birds,
although the previous season several had been found that had apparently
been excavated in banks in the same manner with tlie liank Swallow. All
the nests (.seven in nund)er) that we then met with were in situations acci-
dentally adajited to their need, and all were directly over running water.
Some were constructed in crevices between the .stones in the walls and arches
of bridges. In several instances t'^e nests were but little above the surface
of tlie stream. In one, the first laying had been flooded, and the eggs chilled.
The l)ii(ls had constructed another nest above the first one, in which were
six fresh eiigs, as manv as in the other. One nest had been built between
the stones of the wall that formed one of the sides of the Hume of a mill.
Two feet al>ove it was a frequented footpath, and, at tlie same distance below,
the water of the mill-stream. Another nest was between the boards of a
small building in which revolved a water-wheel. The entrance to it was
through a knot-hole in the outer jtartition, and the nest rested on a small
rafter between the outer and \]u^ inner boardings.

The nests were similar w their construction to those of the Bank Swal-
low, composed of dry grasses, straws, and leaves, and lined with a few feathers ;
but a nmch greater amount of material was made use of, owing, perhaps, to
the exposed positions in which they were built.

IIIIMNDINID.K — Tin: SWALLOWS.

Of). J

The ei;j(s, six in lunnlM-r, in cvorv instance lliat we notiiMMl, woiv pun* wliitc.
jiituut the size of those of the /i^tttritf, hut ii litth' more unifoiinly o'ohinif in
shape and jjointed at one end. Their h'n^'tli varies from .TH to .01) of an ineli,
the average bein«' .75. Their avemije breailth is .5^^ of an inch.

Gents COTYLE, Boie.

Cotilh', BoiE, Isis, 1S-J2, 550. (TyiM', Ilirnn'lo n'/vm'fi, L.)

(ten. Cflmj. Bill small ; nostrils lateral, ovcrhun.fi: l>y a straiirht-ed;^c(l mombrano. Tar-
sus abojit equal to middle toe without claw ; feathered at upper end, especially on inner
face, and haviiiij also a small tuft of leathers attaeheil to posterior edge near the hiii<l too.
Miildle toe with hasal joint adherent externally to m-ar the end, half-way infernally, the
«-laws comparatively little ciu'ved, the lateral reaehini; l>eV(Hi<l the hase of the middle. Tail
slijrhtly forked. Color dull lustreless l)rown above, in riparid white beneath with jrray
pectoral band. Nests in holes in banks; e<r?:s white.

Many American birds have been referred to Cottjli', but the only one really
belonoini' to the oenus is tlie cosnio-
politan V. riparia. The peculiarity of
the genus consists essentially in the
tuft of tarsal featlii^rs at tlie ])ase of
the hind toe, and the unusual length
of the lateral claws, con)bined with
the lateral nostrils cverluniu; by nieni- ^"'"''^ rii^n,,.

brane. J>y these characters the genus is very easily distinguished from
Stdfjidoptenj.r.

Cotyle riparia, Boie.

BANK SWALLOW; SAND MABTIH.

Hirvndo rifxirw, Linn. 8. N. T, 17(56, .344. — Wii>. : Am. — Lf.mrf.yk. .Xvcs dc Cuba,
1850, 47, lam. vii, tig. 3. — Jones, Nat, Hist. Urniuida, 34 (occasional, Aug. and
Sept.). Cot ill e riparia, BoiK, Lsis, 1822, 550. — Cassin. — nuKWKU, N. A. ()i)l. 1,

1857, 105, pi. iv, tig. 49 (eggs). — C.\R. Jour, 1856, 4 (Cuba). - Uviiin, Uinls X. Ami.

1858, ;n:j ; Ik'v. 1864, :310. In. 18«;i, {•:} (Costa IJica [.']). -- (Junula.h, Cab. Jour.
1861, 0;50 (v«'ry rare in Cuba\. — Mai:« ii, I'r. A. N. Sc. 186:?, 297 (Jamaica ; very rare).
Hkf.kmann, p. K. K. X, 36 (California; abundant'). - Dall tS: Uannistki:, 2sO
(Ahuska). — Oooi'EK, Orn. Cal. 1, 187t», llu. — Samikls, 258. Ifinnnln ciiirrm,
ViKlLl,. Hirundo riparia mncrianiit, >L\x.

Sp. Thar. AdnJf. Above grayish-brown, soinewliat fuliginous, with a tcndiMjcv to jtalrr
jiiargins of the feathers. Heneath jmre white, with a band across the breavSt and the sides
of the body like tlu^ back. Length, 4.75; wing, 4.00; tail. 2,00.

Young birds have less eniarginate tails, and the feathers of back, rump, and wings edged
with whitish.

IIar. The whole of North America ; B(M-niudas ; Greater A nt'Mes ; Costa Rio.T ; West-
ern Brazil (Pklz.). .\1so found in the northern parts of the Old World,

4o

354

NOUTII AMKHK'AN BIRDS.

Cotyle riparia.

A critirjil oxiiiniiiiitioii Iims iaih'<l to ivvoal any diflerenco l>etween Euro-
pean ami Anu'iii'an si»t'cinu'ns of this Idnl.

Habits. The coiuniou Jiank Swallow as we know it, or Sand Martin as

it is called in En«.;land, is nearly or
quite e()snioi>olitan in its distribution.
Found tliroui^liout Kuroi>e in the sea-
s(tn of reproduction, and in ])()rtions
of Africa in the winter months, it is
ei[ually eonmion throughout Xorth
America in the sunnner, and proh-
ahlv winters in Mexico and in ('en-
tral and South America, though it is
not mentioned by Sumichrast as a
bird of Vera Cruz. It is said to oc-
cur in various parts of the continent
of Africa, and in Europe it extends
its mii^rations to the extreme north-
ern regions. It has also been met
with in India and in Siberia. Mr.
Salvin obtained several specimens at Duenas, (Juatemala, in September,
1801, having ])reviously (jbserved it about the Lake of Yzabah.

On both continents it is somewhat local in its distribution, in favorable
localities being (piite abundant, antl in others not known to exist. It is an
early s])ring visitant wlierever found, ap])earing in England by the 24tli of
March, and even in our high Arctic regions early in May, often in such in-
clement weather that it is obliged to take refuge in holes. Mr. Dall met
with this species in Alaska, in favj)rable situations, in innnense numbers.
He counted on the lace of one sand-blufl' over seven hundred nest-holes
made by these birds, and all of them a}>parently occupied, so that the
blulf presented the appearance of an immense honeycomb alive with bees.
He states that it takes the bird four days to excavate its nest. Ilev. F. 0.
Morris, on the other hand, who has closely watched their operations in Eng-
land, says that it recjuires a fortnight, and that the weight of sand a pair
of these birds removes is twenty ounces in a day. Pebbles of more than two
ounces in weight have been known to be taken out by -them.

The flight of this s])ecies is rapid, but unsteady and flickering. In search-
ing for their food they skim low over the surface of both land and water,
dro])ping upon the latter, as they fly, to drink or to bathe. Their food
consists of the smaller kinds of winged insects, which they pursue and cap-
ture, dashing at them at times .^ven on the water. They usually feed their
voung with larger kinds than thev eat themselves.

It has not been ol)served in (irecidand, but Uichardson found it in colonies
of tliousands at the mouth of Mackenzie's River, in the CSth parallel. It is
a very social bird, usually breeding together in large communities, and is

lIIIirNDINID.K — TIIH SWALI.OWS. ;-]:>-)

more iiulepeiulent <»t" man than most nf its family, nwinu Iw'ii no otlifr lavnis
lliiin those incident t<» excavations thmimli siind-hanks, nf wliieh it avails
itself. The nests of these Swallnws aie ]tlai«'(l in «'\ea\ ations made l>y
them in the hanks (»f liver-^, clill's l»y ihe sea-shure, and similar l'a\nr;il»le
situations. Thesis are usually as near the surface of tlie uiound as the
nature of the soil jiermits to he readilv jienetrated, tlnmnh the hird has
heen known to work its wav ••ven ihrouuh hard «'r.ivel. Their depth varies
from fourteen inehes to four feet, thoULjh two feet is tlu* usual distance.

Mr. AuLjustus Ft)\vler mentions a reurarkahle iustanee <»f sa^ariiv and
])rovident forethou^dit in these hirds, not easily sepaiahle from reasnn. In
the town of Heverlv, in a stratum of sandv loam, iie ohserved eacli season a
colony of some twenty or thirty ])aii*s of these hirds. In this ]>lace these
l)irds never hurrowed more than two «»r three* feet. Within a mile o\' this
])laee another colony e.xcavati'd a hank in whiih the layer of loam was mixed
with small stones. In this hank they excavated to the de]>th of tive, seven,
and even nine feet. Whv was there this extniordinarv difference in the
leni^th of Inirrows made by the same spt'cies, in situations not more than a
mile a])art ? The reason for this diiference, ujton examination, hecame very
ohvious. We "live the explanation in Mr. Fowlers own words: "In one
hank, where the earth was of a tine sandy loam, easily ]terforated, from the
entmnce to the extremity the hurrow.s did not exceed three feet in lenf(th ;
while in the other bank, with harder loam to work in, one hurrow was found
nine feet in lenujth. After examining; six holes of nearly ((pial length, it
ap])eared that these little hirds had sutlicient reason for extendiuLi: their lalK»rs
so far into the earth. In every instance, when^ they met with a spot free
from stones they finished their burrows ; thus showing ureat care for the
welfare of their enijs or vouni,^ bv avoidinif, in the stony .soil, a catastr(ti>he so
m-eat as would befall their treasures if bv acciilent one of these stones should
fall upon them."

The work of perforation they ])erform with their closed )»ill, swaying the
body round on the feet, bejijinnini^ at the centre and workiui; «>utwards. This
long and often winding gallerv graduallv expands into a small spherical
apartment, on the lloor of which they form a lude nest of straw and feath-
ers. The time occupied in making these excavations varies greatly with the
nature of the soil, from four or five days to twice that nund)er.

Their eggs are five in nund)er, ]»ure white, and when unblown have a fine
roseate hue. They are oval in sha]>e, larger at one end. and pointed at
the smaller. Their average length is .72 of au inch, autl their average
breadth .47.

350 KOUTII AMKKICAX IJIKI>S.

AVo now conu' to tlic ('onsitlcration of tliree fjunilios of Oscinc l)ir«ls, of
|ue-L'iiiiiit*iilly ilt'iitirostial type, luivin^' certain conini(»n t'lianicters liy wliicli
tliey are ili.stin<;uislial»k*, with bnt little ditlieulty, Ironi all others. In their
close relationsliij) it has l»een <[Uestioneil l»y many whether they do not all
helonjj[ iiiitler one head, hut they are more generally considered distinct.
The common characters, and those j)eculiar to each, are as follows : —

CoMMov (^rvirACTKi:^. Hill stout, an<l consiiKTalily hookt'd ut tip, or with the point I tent
abruptly dowiiwanl ; with a <Kh'1» notch, and sonu-tiuu's a tooth or lobe just bohin-l the
notch; the tip ul' the lower niandihlc likcuisf Itciiut'iitly hcnt up. and with a notch
hi'hind it. The nostrils lateral, the bristles of the mouth ^'•I'lierally well developed. The
primaries are ten (except in a few Vircos), the outer from one lourth to om- hall" the sec-
ond. Tail variable. Tarsi scutellate anteri<nly ; sometimes with a tendency to division on
the lateial plates; hitherto not met with. Basal joints ot" toes more adherent. 8ejiarated
from Tnrdidit by greater adhesion of toes ; Ironi lyoi/fodiffidir by notched and hooked
bill. etc.

A* Basal phalanx ot" anterior toes abbreviated ; that of median toe decidedly shorter than
the basal of imur. or the two b:isal of outer, and adherent for its whole length on both
sides to the lateral (i. e. not tree at all). Lateral plates of tarsus undivided, except at
extreme K)W«'r end.

Vireonidae. Gonys more than half the length of lower jaw (from tip to angle of

mouth), usually longer than width of mouth, which is narrow. Bill conical, nnich

compressed, decurved at end and notched, but scarcely toothed. Frontal feathers

bristly and erect, (»r bent but slightly lorward. Nostrils overhung by membrane.

Tarsus longer than middle t(»e and claw. Lateral toes generally unequal; outer claw

reaching halt"-way along middle claw.

B« Basal phalanx of middle toe about as long as the basal of imier, or tlu' two basal of

outer; free externally, at least for about one third its length, internally for about one

half. Lateial plates of tarsus with decided tendency to subdivision (except in Myiades-

tiiat).

Ampelidae. (lonys decidedly less than half the length of lower jaw, or than width
ol mouth, which is very l>road and deeply cleft. Bill triangular, much depressed, de-
curvetl at end and notched, with moderat»» though decided tooth. Frontal feathers
rather soft, scarcely bristly or erect. Nostrils overhung by membrane. Tarsus equal
to or shorter than middle toe and claw. Lateral toes nearly e(pial; outer claw reach-
ing only to base of mi(Mle claw.

Laniidae. (lonys about half the length of lower jaw ; about equal to width of mouth.
Bill very powerful and ra{)iorial, nuich »-ompressed, with a strongly marked hook,
notch, and tooth at end. Frontal leathers very bristly, and directed forwards, so as
to conceal nostrils and base of bill. Nostrils with bony walls, except behind. Tarsus
longer than middle toe and cla\v, sometimes much scutellate on sides. Lateral claws
nearly equal ; outer claw reaching a little beyond base of middle claw.

VIRKOXID.E — THE VIUEUS. 357

Family VIREONID-ffl. — Tuk Vii:kos.

Tlie essential t'eiitiuvs of tins fainily n|tpear to consist in the conihination
of tlie dent i rostral bill, notclied in both nian(bl)les ; the ten primaries (exeept
V i reus i/l via), of which the outer is usually fr(Mn one fourth to om half tlie
seeontl ; the ratlier short, nearly even tail, with narrow feathers, and the
great amount of adhesion of the anterior toes, — the whole basal joint of
the middle beinj; ^^enerally united on lioth sides to the adjacent joints, and
decidedly shorter than the basal of inner or two bjLsal of outer. Th:i outer
lateral toe is generally ai»j)reciably longer than the inner, reaching con-
siderably beyond the base of the middle claw. The tarsi are always dis-
tinctly scutellate anteriorly. The young are never sj)otted, or streaked as
in the Thrushes; nor, indeed, do the adults exhibit such markings.

The Vit'ioniila' are peculiar to the Xew World, and are widely distributed,
although but cue genus belongs to the Vnited States.

Genus VIRXSO, Vieill,
Vireo, Vieill. Ois. Am. Sept. I, 1807, 83. (Type, Mumi'oijki vorrfxirarmsi.s, (i\\.)

No gi'eat violence will be done by considering all the American Vireos as
belonging to one genus, divisible into three subgenera, as, however dillerent
the extremes of the series may be from each other, the gradation is ijuite
complete.

The North American species take a wide range during their southern
winter migration, only i)aralleled in this resi)ect by the Si/lrirofida' ; they do
not visit the West Indies, save as very rare stragglers to Cuba ( V. vlicaccas,
s(tlif((rius,JI/fviJrons, and noirhoriwensis). They all have a meloilious song, and,
so far as known, make a dee]) nest, sus})entled by its npi)er edge l)etween the
forks of a horizontal twig. The eggs are white, generally with a few reddish
or brown blotches.

Quite a number are characterized by having the eyes white, red, or

yellow.

Siibgenera.

Vireosylvia. bill compressi'd, njirnnv; ouliiuMi and commis.<5ure straifjht,
the tip abruptly curved (or, if this is not the case, there is no trace of light
bands on the wing; see section "6"). Superciliary stripe continued back to
the occiput. Xo trace of light bands on the wing. No conspicuous ring round
the eye.

a. No spurious primary. Bill comprossed, its tip abruptly hooked ; cuhnop

and commissure straight. Crown decidetlly more ashy than the back.

Sp. jlavoviridis^ barbatuhis, olivaceus, phifadelphicus.

h. An acute spurious primary. Bill depressed, the tip only rlightly hooked ;

oulmen slightly curved. Crown scarcely more ashy than back . . Sp. ffi^"n<:.

358

NOKTIl AMEKR'AN BIRDS.

Lanivireo. Bill compressetl, stout ; culnien arched IVom the base, commis-
sure curved. Superciliary stripe stopping at posterior angle of the eye and
curving under it, enclosing the eye in a conspicuous orbital ring, interrupted only
in Iront. Two conspicuous white bands on the wing.

a. No spurious primary ......... Sp. Jlavi/rons.

b. With an acute sjjurious primary .... Sp. suJitarius, plumheus.
Vireo. Bill stout, scarcely cotnpressed, ^-ub-cyliudrical. First primary not
spurious, or, if so, not acute.

(I. Two conspicuous light bands on wing . Sp. ofn'cnpiilus^ novchoracensin^ huttoni.
h. One distinct light band on wing, and this not sharply delined, the anterior

one beinu: ahnost obsolete

Sp. belliy pusiUiDi, viciuiur.

SuBtJEXUS V,

^OSYLVIA, Bon.

Vircnxiih'in, Box. rf,«og. Coiiip. List, 1838. (Typo, M use icapa oli caeca, Lix.)
riijjlloinnars, Cvn. Arch. 1847, I, 321. (No type mcutioued ; name proposed as substitute
for Vircosylcut.)

Gkx. Cii.\r. Wings long and pointed, one third or one fourth longer than the nearly
even or slightly rounded tail. Fi'st quill very small (less than one third the second), some-
times apparently wanting. Second quill longer than the seventh, much longer than the

Vireo olivticeus.

secondaries. Tarsi short (scarcely exceeding .70 of an inch) ; toes rather long. Body
slender and elongated. Bill slender, narrow, straight ; the culmen straight for its biusal
half, the connnissure quite straight ; light horn-color, paler beneath. Feet weak. Type,
V. oUvaceus.

Species and Varieties.

CoMMox Characters. All .species olive above, wdiito or yellowish beneath.
.\n nshy or brownish cap, contrasting more or less abruptly with the olive back.
A whitish superciliary stripe extending to th(> nape, and a dusky one to and be-
hind the eye. No light bands on the coverts. Inside of wings (Hanks some-
times) and crissum yellowish, otherwise usually white beneath.

No spurious primary Series I.

A spurious primary Series IT.

Series I. {Xo spurious jirimury.)

A, A dusky " mustache" or cheek stripe along each side of the throat.
1. V. calidris. Eves red ?

a. No distinct dusky lino along si<le of (he crown.

Light stripes of the head dingy brownish-buff; crown scarcely
ashy; back olive-brt)wn ; crissum and lining of the wing pure pale

\ na':()xiD.E — THE viukos. 3.39

*

yellow. Winir, 3.20 ; tail, 2.2.') ; bill, .42. Huh. Jamaica ; Santo
Duiniiigo, Porto Rico, Santa Cruz, St. Thomas, and Sombrero.

var. c ti I id r is .^
Light stripes of the head dingy grayish--\vhite ; crown distinctly
ashy ; back grayish-olive ; crissum and lining of the wing scarcely
yellow. Wing, 3.20; tail, 2.3'); bill, .42. JIab. Cuba, Bahamas,
and South Florida ....... var. h d r bat nl u s .

b. A distnict dusky line along each side of crown.

Colors as in barbatuld, but " mustache " broader and more con-
spicuous, and crown much purer ash. Wing, 3.30; tail, 2.50; bill,
.48. I/ab. Barbadoes var. barhn dense?

B. No " mustache."

a. A dusky line along each side of crown.

2. V. olivaceus. (Jravish olive-ijn^en above; beneath white, tinired
laterally with dull olive; crissum and lining of wing scarcely ydlow ;
inner edges of quills white. Eves red.

1. Wing, 3.30; tail. 2.40; bill, .38. Hab. Eastern Province of
North America, south to Northern South America . var. nJ i rtt ccua.

2. Wing, 2.50 ; tail, 1.80 ; bill, .33. Hab. Eastern South Ameriira.

var. cliivi?

3. V. flavoviridis. Yellowish olive-green above; beneath white medi-
ally, bright greenish olive-yellow laterally ; crissum, lining of wings, and
inner edges of quills, light yellow. Eyes yellow.

1. Wing, 3.15 ; tail, 2.55 ; bill, .41. Hub. Middle America north of
Panama ........ var. fl a r o v i r i d is.

2. Wing, 2.80; tail, 2.25; bill, 30. Hub. South America, from
Buenos Ayres northward ; Guatemala .... var. agilis.*

b. No dusky line on side of crown.

4. V. magister.^ Large. Above sooty-olive, more virescent posterior-
ly; crown without ashy tinge. Beneath similar, but lighter, whiti.sh
medially. Crissum and lining of wing very faintly yellow; inner edges
of quills wliite. Eyes ? Vv^ing, 3.05 ; tail, 2.40 ; bill, .45. Hab. Hon-
duras (Belize).

5. V. philadelphicus. Small. Above grayish-green; cr«)wn ashy.
Beneath light yellow, deepest on the jngulnm, whitish on belly. E\-es?
Wing, 2.70; tail, 1.95; bill, .27. Hab. Eastern Province of North
America; in winter south to Costa PJca.

Series IT. (A spitrions j^rimary.)

C. No dusky line along side of crown. No '* mustache."'

G. V. gilva. p]yes hazel (in all ?).
a. Crown nearly like the back.

Above olive-gray, rump more virescent ; crown more ashy. Be-
neath diiiixv whitish, with a strouL' tinire of dingv bull' from bill

1 Vircosyh'ia mlidris, Baiho, Uev. Am. Birds, 1SG5, 329. {Motacilla calidris, L. Syst. Nut.
10th ed. 1758, 184.)

^ V. cnlidris var. harlmdcnsc, RiDow.w.

^ V. olivncca var. chivi. Fireosiflcia chivi, DaiiiD, Rev. 327. (Siflvia chivi, VilJLL. Nouv.
Diet. XI, 1817, 174.)

* V. flavoviridis var. agilis. Vircosylcia agilis, BAinn, Kev. 338. {Lanius af/ilis, Licht.
Verz. Doubl., 1823, no. 52G.)

* r. vuigi.stcr, ILviUD.

360

NORTH AMKRICAN UIKI)S.

iilf)!)!,' sides an«i .ifross lireast. P»ill. .14 derp. .iJO lonfr ; wiiiir, *2.So ;
tail, 'J. (>.'). lliih. Eastern Proviine of I'liitrd States . var. ffi/i-Jis.

Similar, Imt aiiove more ^'ravish, and l)eiieath with the Imtr tinge
almost al)sent. Jiill, .11 deep, and .22 U)n.<: : win-r, 2.80; tail, 2.1;').
JIah. WestJTn Provine*' of I'nited States . . var. s ir (i ih so n t .

b. Crown very dilferent from the back (dark brown).

Above olive-brown; innip more virescent; crown <lark snnlf-
brown. Beneath miilbrm light yellow, throat whitish. Hill, .15
deep, ..">() long, wing, 2.()(> ; tail, 2.10. Hah. Middle America, from
Ecnador to Honduras ....... \"d.v. jo seph u}

259SS

Vireosylvia calidris, vai. barbatulus, Baird.

FLORIDA OKEEKLET.

Phiilhhiavesha)hotiihis,C\\i. Simv. Ill, 18.')5, 467 (<'nba). — (frNDLAcii, ('al>. Jour. ISfi],
324 (Cuba). — Ib. Hc[>t'rt(»ri<», Cuba, 1865. Vireosiilcid barfHitula, H.\IKI>, llfv. Am.
B. 1864, 331. rimMiltUoqiius, (Iamukl, Pr. A. X. Si-. 1848, 127 (Floritla). — lUinn,
Hirds X. Am. 1858, 354 (Florida). Viimsulvin (iHiloqun, ("assin, Pr. A. N. Sc. 1851,
152. —In. Hlust. 1854, 8, and 221, }•!. xxxvii (Florida). -- Hi:vant, Pr. Bost. Soc. V,
1859, 113 (Bahamas). — Lawkkmk, Ami. N. Y. Lye. 1860 (Cuba).

Sp. Tmak. (Xo. 2r),9.'>,s jj. Cuba.) Proportion of quills as in var. ralfdris. 2 =3, 4, 1, 5,
but the tips of the (piills closer together, and the lirst (piill ai)out half or a little less

than half the distance l)etwcen lifth
and fourth ; the quills narrower.

Colors sini'lar to those of var. calidn's,
but of a piu'er and paUr olive above ;
the back tinged with ash ; tlie cap
pui-er ash, and better (h'fined, without
olivaceous wash, its dusky edge more
distinct. The superciliary stripe whit-
ish or grayish, with the cheeks j>aler,
and both, as well as the chin, with-
out tilt? bufl' tinge. Pnder parts m-arly pure white, very faintly tinged across the breast
with a.shy ; the sides olivaceous: the crissum and axillars pale sulphur-yellow. Total
length, .").'>(): wing, .'].l.'); tail, 2..jO : dilference of first and second quills, .18; of fifth
and second, .22 ; length of bill from forehead, .82, from nostril, .40, along gape, .89; tarsu.-s,
72 ; middle toe and claw, .00; claw alone, .21 ; hind toe and claw, .50; claw alone, ,23.
IIau. Cuba; the Bahamas; and Charlotte Harbor, Florida. (Western Coast.)

This l^itro has been taken several times at Cliarlotte Harbor, in Florida,

1 l'^. tjilofi WHY. jnsrphtv. llrr.ofq/lviit josepha', Baiuh, Pcv. 1865, '^44 (I'irenjmfpho; SclatkI!,
P. Z. S. 1859, 137, pi. eliv). Conipariug ty]>ical t'xainples of this ".species" with those of
ffifri's from North Ainorica, they ai»p«*ar very widely ditlereiit indeed, .so far as coloration is
eoiiccrned, though nearly identical in form. Piut a .sjM'iiiiien from an intermediate locality
(54,262, Orizaba, ^b-xico, F. Sumhiiuast) c«)nibiiics so perfectly all the characters of the two,
that it wouM Im' inijKxssible to refer it to one or the other as «listinct .species. It therefore
becomes neeessjuy to assume that the /'. jascphfr is a |M'rmanently resident tropical race of a
sp'cies of which F. f//7iv/s is the northeni reju'esentative ; which theory is stnuigthened by the
fact that <»f the latter there aif no sjx'ciniens found south of the Pnited States, indicating that
in winter it does not pas-s K^yond their limit, or at least not far to the uthward.

Vir^osy'via harfiutuhis.

Virix^loXirKE — TIIK VIREOS. 3(]|

and is thus entitlod to a j)la(*o in our fauna. Its distinction i'nnn a. closely
allied race in Jamaica, Hayti, etc., var. rulhlris, is shown on pai^e :>ri9.

A specimen helongini; to Mr. Salvin (" Xo. 187"), from " I.sthnius of Tana-
ma," we cannot distinguisli satisfactorily from typical examples of the i>re.«ient
race with which it is to he comj)ared, and not with ((ilidris. The colors are
(piiU' identical with those of hurhnfiihis. In size it is sliL-htly laruer, the
wing nieasurinjjf ^).-!^) instead of oAo ; the tail 'J.olJ, instead of 2.^>.■) (f^om
exjjosed base of feathers) ; the hill is thicker, heinn' :li) instead of .18 deep;
the third (pull is lonuest, the second intermediate Itetween it and the fourtli ;
the first intermediate hetween the fourth and hfth. In />^?y^^f/<///6s the second
is loui'est, the third and fourth succussiveb- a little shorter. It is not
improhable that other s})ecimens irom that locality may show oreat' r differ-
ences, as the specimen under exan)imition is in rather worn jdu naj^e, .did
has the tip of the bill broken oil"

Haiuts. This species <mly claims a place in oiu* avifaur i on the «»round
of its presence in Florida. How abundant it is there is not determined, fur-
ther than it has been ob.'servcd within a restricted locality by Dr. Ileermann.
This was at Charlotte Harbor, on the southwestern coast. They appeared
to be visitors only, from a more southern clime. They reached Fbtrida in
their northern migrations, remaining only for a short season, but evidently
staying long enough to breed. Dr. Heermann states that this specii'S resem-
bles, in manners and in appearance, the common lled-eyed \'ireo of the
more northern States. He describes its song as clear and musical, and very
distinctly uttered. It was constantly on the search for insect.s, and apjteared
even more active than any of the nt)rthern species, darting among the loliage,
peering into crevices and cobwebs, susjH'nded from branches with its back
downward, and occasionallv chasiuir n living insect in the manner of a true
Flycatcher. These movements were usually accomjfanied by a song. This
species was not abundant, though Dr. Heermann saw it freipiently, and
obtained several s])ecimens.

Dr. Bryant found this species very abundant at the Bahamas, arriving
there about the first of May. All the specimens he obtained were males,
the females not arriving there until after the DUh of May. The notes of
these birds, he states, vary, though the most common one resenddes v]up
torn hW^ phcuTt^ ]»ronouncing the first word distinctly.

This bird,Mn lirown's History of Jamaica, is called " Whip-tom-kelly,"
from the supposed resemblance of its notes to these articulate sounds, and
this po])ular ap])ellation has been given it liy various other writers. Mr.
(iosse, however, in his Birds of Jamaica, calls this bird " John-to-whit," and
can find no resemblance in its notes to the words referred to. He describes
its song .as uttered with incessant iterati\>n and untiring energy, and as
resembliuii Sicref-John ! John to irhtt ! stnrf John to n-hit ! After Julv the

^ The Jainaicnn binl is V. cnIiilri-% not harhntulus. In all probability, however, they do not
ilifFer in habits and notes. - R. R.

46

362 NORTH AMEIIICAX -lilRDS.

notes change to to-vliit-to-irJtoo, and sometimes to a soft, simple chirp, whis-
l)ered so gently as scarcely to he audible. The name of Whip-tom-kelly
Mr. Gosse never heard ap})lied to it in rJamaica. Yet it is a bird often heard,
and one whose notes have a similarity to articuhite sounds, and naturally
suggest a conunon appellation. It is very vociierous and i)ertinacious in its
calls, re})eating them witli energy every two or three seconds.

This species, he states, does not ordinarily sit on a ])romineiit twig, or dart
out after insects, though it has l>een seen in eager pur-suit of a butterfly. It
seems to live in the centre of thick woods. It does not pass the winter in
Jamaica, but leaves at tiie begiiniing of October, returning as early as the
2(>th of March. lis foitd he states to be both animal and vegetable, as he
found in its stomach the seeds of the tropical plants and berries. In April,
jNIr. Gosse observed it huntinir insects 1)V the borders of the Bluetields IJiver,
and so intent u])on its occupation as to aUow of a very near approach. It
sought insects among tlie grass and low herbage, perching on the stalks of
weeds, and darting out after both vagrant and stationary prey. They incu-
bate in June and July.

Like all this genus tlie Long-billed Vireo builds a pensile nest of great
architectural ingenuity and beauty. It is a deep cup, usually about two
thirds of a sphere in shape, truncated at the top. The materials of which
it is made are often somewhat coai-se. Mr. (iosse describes it as about as
large as an onlinary teacup), narrowed at the mouth, composed of dry grasses,
silk, cotton, lichens, and spiders'-web. It is usually suspended from the fork
of two twigs, the margin very neatly overwoven to embrace them. The
materials are well interwoven, and the walls firm and close, though not very
thick. The whole is smoothly lined with slender veiietable fibres resemblimi
human hair. One nest had its cavity nearly filled with a mass of white cot-
ton, interwoven with the other materials, which, being picked cotton, had
evidently been taken from some yard or building.

The eggs of this species are three in number, of a brilliant white, deli-
cately tinted with j)ink, and marked with a few fine red and red-brown
spots, usually about the larger end. ^

An egg of the variety from Cuba is of an oblong-oval shape, slightly
pointed at one end, and the markings of laint purple and of dark purplish-
brown, in bold daslies, are all about the larger end. Another from the same
locality is more distinctly rounded at one and pointed at the other end, and
is marked with fine l)rown dots distributed over the whole egg. Tliese eggs
measure, one .825 by .5') of an inch, and the other .78 by .55. An egg from
Jamaica is of an extremely oblong-oval, measuring .88 by .55 of an inch, and
is boldly marked more or less over the entire egg witli large blotches of pur-
plish-brown.

The Messrs. Xewton describe the nest of the rah'dris of St. Croix as a beau-
tiful structure, shaj)ed like an inverted cone, composed outwardly of dried
blades of grass, dried leaves, and wool, woven round the twigs, to which it

VIRKONTD.K - THE VIREOS.

onn
OUO

was attached with spiders'- wobs, lined iiisitle with finer Mades of gi-ass, and
about three inches and a half in diameter, and five in height. The e<"'s.
three in number, were white, with a few black spots, chieily disposed about

the larger end.

Vireosylvia olivaceus, Bonap.

BED-&TED 6REENLET.

Muscicapti ofiracca, Linn. Syst. N:it. I, 17G6, :}-27 (bas.'tl on Edwards, tah. 2.'»3, andCATEs-
DV, i>l. liv). — Wii.s. LiitiiusoUvactiis, LicHT. Vvrz. l^'li, 4!»(N. Aiiut.^. Vircoolicn-
nils, ViKII.L. ; lioN. ; SwAINS. II. — AlD. — TiAKlIt, IJinls N. Am. is:>», 831. — Sam-
I'KLs, Birds N. Eii<,'. 270. J'irtosifh-ot o/ii\ Bon. (m-o^j;. ('oiui>. List, 1838. — In. (^'oiisji.
1850, 329. — KKiNMAitirr, Vi.l. Med. f. 1853, 1854, 82 ^dmMilund). — In. Ibis, III, 7.
— ScLATEU, I'. Z. S, 1855, 151 (Bogota) ; 185S>, 137, 363 (Xalupa). —A. & E. Newton,
Ibis, 1859, 145. — Solateu & Salvix, Ibis, 1859, 12 (Giuitemala). — Lawuexce, Ann.
N. Y. Lyc.VII, 1860, 246 (Cuba).— ! Ibis, 1864, 3S»4 (Derby, Engl. May, 1859). — Baiuu,
Rev. Am. B. 1864, 333. PhuUnuianesoln'. Cab. Mas. Hein. 1850-51, 63. — Iii. Jour.
1860, 404 (Costa Rica). — (JrNDL. Cab. Jour. 1861, 324 (Cuba; very rare), f Vlrco
vircscenfi,\iVALL. Ois. Am. Sept. I, 1807, 84, jd. liii (Tenna.). — HliiAV, (lenera, I,
267, pi. Ixv. Virto hiKjotcnsi.% liiiVANT, V\. liost. Soo. VII, 18G0, 227 (Bogota). —
Lawrence, Ann. N. Y. Lye. 1863 (Birds Ranania, IV, No. 378).

Sp. Char. (So. 1.418 ^, Carlij^lo, Ponn., May, 1814.) Upper parts olivo-frreen. Top
of liead, from bill to nape, ;usli-culor. A white line Iroiu nostrils above and beyond the
eye, bordered above by a dusky line rorming the edge of the ashy cap, and below by a
similar, perhaps paler, loral and post-ocular cheek-stripe. Beneath, including tibiio, white,
with perhaps a tinge of olivaceous-aj>h across the breast; the sides of the neck like the

40039

Vireo olivaceus.

back; sides of the body with a faint wash of olive. Axillars and crissuni faintly tinged
with sulphur-yellow; lining of wings and its edge, the latter especially, nearly white.
(Quills blackish-brown, edged externally, except at entls of primaries, with olive, internally
with white. Tail-feathers lighter brown, edged externally like the back, internally with
pale olivaceous-white. Bill dusky abov(\ pale below ; tarsi plumbeous ; iris red. Length,
G.33 ; extent of wings. 10.'2') ; wing, 3.3.? ; tail. li.oO.

Femah similar, but duller in plumage.

Har. Whole of Eastern Xoith America (Grecidand, Halifax, Fort Simpson), west to
base of Rocky Mountains, reaching Fort Bridger, and still farther northward to Bitterroot
Mountains and Kooteuay ; south to Panama and Bogota, in winter (Xalapa only in Mex-
ico) ; very rare in Cuba (only West Indian locality). Accidental in England. Trinidad.
(FiNScn.)

364

NORTH AMKllICAN lUKDS.

Vino olivaeetis.

lI.vniTs. Tlio I'oininon IJed-eytMl ViriM» is an abiiinlant s])ecie'S throniilioiit
Eastern North America, tVitni Florida to Nova Scotia on tlic northeast, to
Lake Winnt'iieu' on the nortliwest, and as far west as the lloeky Mountains.
It a}»i)arently itreeds w herever found, and in especial ahundance in tlie Central
States. It is a familiar and fearless s|»eeies, often found, like the AVarhling

Vireo, in the very midst of crowded cities,
and making its lively and pleasant notes
heard in their j)uhlic sipiares and private
gardens, amid the ruder sounds of the
neii'lihoriuL'^ -treets. It breeds in Texas
and Louisiana, at the Southwest, and als(3
in ahumlance, at least as far as llalifa.x,
in the oj>posite direction. At Fort Reso-
lution, at the Cumberland House, and at
Fort Simp.son, the nests and eggs of this
species were procured by Kcnnicott and
Koss. A single specimen of the biixl has
been procured in Greenland, and another
accidental specimen was shot in England. Specimens have also been pro-
cureil in Central America.

This Vireo, like all of its peculiar and well-marked genus, prefers the
forests or the toi)s of large and shady trees, olitains its food usually among
their u])per branches, and very rarely ai)proaches the ground. It is not ex-
clusively sylvan, as at times it nuiy be found around dwellinus, hunting
for insects and spiders ; and although it hunts for f«iod among the tree-tops,
its nest is not always in such high situations, often not more than four or
live feet from the ground.

In their migrations these birds enter the United States early in March, Imt
do not make their a))pearance in Pennsylvania until the last of April, or in
New England until the middle of May.

The Vireos jtrocure tlieir iood, for the most j)art, by moving about and
along branches, and among the twigs of trees, hopping from one position to
another, and securing their prey without the click of a Flycatcher. The in-
sects they capture are usually not in motion, though occasionally they will
take them on the wing. They also feed on several kinds of rii)e berries in
the autunm.

The song of this Vireo is loud, nnisical, simple, and pleasing. It is uttered
in short, emphatic bars, and at times has a very marked resemblance to the
melodious chant of the liobin, though without its volume and power. This
Vireo is one of the earliest of our spring musicians, as it is also one of the
most constant and untiring in its sonijf, continuinij to sinu lonii after most of
the other vocalists have l)econie silent, and even until it is about to leave
us, at the close of September. The tender and ])athetic utterances of this
Vireo, uttered with so much apparent animation, to judge from their sound.

VIREONID.E — THE VIREOS. 365

are in striking contrast to tlie capparent indiffeience or unconsciousness of the
little vocalist who, while thus (.lelighting the car of tlic listener, seems to be
all the while chictly l>ent on procuring its daily supply of food, which it
p»ursues with unaluited ardor.

This Vireo builds the neat [)cnsile nest of its race, suspending it from the
fork of two or more twigs of a tbrest t'ce, at varous heights of from five to
fifty feet from the ground. It is cup-like in shape, and always dependent
from small twigs, avouiid which its upper edges are firmly bound. Exter-
nally it is woven of various materials, fine strips of bark, the hempen fibres
of vegetables, and webs of spiders and of various caterpillars. These are
compactly pressed and woven, and, as some suj^pose, agglutinated by the
saliva of the builder. Sometimes the unmanageable materials give to the
outside of the nest a rude and unfinished appearance, at others they are
evenly and smoothly wrought. They are very strong, uninjured by tlie
storms of winter, and are often made use of by other birds, by mice, and
even by the same bird a second season.

A nest of this bird (8. I. Coll., ?.,3r)'3) was obtained at the Cumberland
House by Mr. Kennicott. It is pensile, like all others, but is com})osed
almost exclusively of pine-needles, — a dry and hard material, difficult of
management in making such a nest. With these are intermingled a few bits
of moss, fine strips of bark, and fiax-like vegetable fibres. Within this rude
basket is an inner nest, made up of fine dry grasses, strips of bark, and pine
leaves. The external fabric is loosely put together, — an unusual feature, —
but the inner portion, in the firmness and strength witli which it was made,
is in remarkable contrast.

The Ked-eyed Vireo's nest is often chosen by the Cowbird for the deposi-
tion of her parasitic eggs, and these foster-parents are singularly devoted in
the care of their alien guests, whom they tenderly nurture, even to the neg-
lect of their own ofi'spring. In one instance three eggs of a Cowbird were
deposited in the nest of the Yireo before any of her own, and, without laying
any, the female Vireo i)roceeded to sit upon and hatch the intruders. In
another case, Mliere two of the Vireo's had been laid, two Cowbird's eggs
were added. The Vireo stopped laying, and proceeded to incubate. In each
instance the femrle Vireo seemed to ibrego her own natural aspirations, and
at once conform to the new situation.

The male Vireo often evinccis great coinage and spirit in the defence of his
nest, when the young are hatched driving away intruders, and even fiying in
the face of a man who approaclies too near

Mr. Nuttall states that the young of the Ilcd-eyed A'ireo feed eagerly upon
the berries of the cornel and the Vihuninm dentattnn, and other shrubs. A
young bird kept in confinement soon became very gentle, and readily ate flies
and grasshoppers from his hand, and viburnum berries. A tame Kingbird
in the same room was very jealous of and tyrannized over him, so as to
compel him to seek protection from his captor. The Viroos, like Flycatchers,

oG6

NORTH AMKRKWX BIKD.^.

have tlie ]M)\vor to regurijjitate by tlif Itill pellets of iiulij^'estible portions of
their lood.

The ej^'^'s of this Vireo vary t^reatly in size, accoicinj^ to the locality ; the
farther south the smaller they are lound. ( )ne, marked on tlie shell East
Tennessee, June 1, 1858, Alex. (Jerhardt, measures .78 by .52 of an inch,
while one from Halifax, Nova Scotia, measures .1)5 l)y .(35. The ground-
color of all is a clea crystal white, ancl they are marked chietly at the Lirger
end with si)ots and finer dots of red-brown.

Mr. liobert Kennicott, in his notes, speaks of findin/ a nest of the Ked-
eyed Vireo at the Cumberland House, Saskatchewan, June 28. Incubation
had not yet commenced. The ])ensile and neatly built nest was suspended
about four feet from the ground, ui)on a hazel-bu h. The parent, when
scared from it, remained near until she was k'lljd.

Vireosylvia flavoviridis, Cassln.

YELLOW-GREEN VIBEO.

Vireofi/Iria flaw Cassin, Pr. A. N. Sc. V, Feb. ISal, l.'>2. —Id. VI. pi. ii (Panama).—
S( LATKK, r. Z. S. 1856, 298 (Cordova). —Ic. 1859, 375 (Oaxaca ; April). — In. Catal.
ISOl, 44, no. •204. — 8ci,ATKii & Salvin, Ibis, I, 1859, 12 (Cuatemala). — BAiiin, Kev.
330. Viirn jhtr. IJaikI), Birds N. Am. 1S58, 332. rhijUuinaiics flao, Cab. .lour.
1801, 93 (Costa Kica).

Sp. Char. (Xo. 3,076 ^.) Above olive-prreen ; the whole top of head and nape ash-
color, the edges of this cap and a loral line dusky, but not very decidedly so. A <rrayish-

white hue from nostrils over the eye.
Beneath white, the sides of the neck,
breast, and body bright olivaceous-yel-
low ; the axillars and crissuni rich sul-
phur-yellow. On the breast the yellow
extends almost to the median line, the
color of opposite sides separated by a
narrow interval. Quills dusky-brown ;
margined externally, except at ends of
primaries, with olive-green, internally
Avith gravish-white of a decided vellow
shade. Tail-feathers dark olivaceous-brown, bright olive externally, internally olivaceous-
yellow. Iris yellow or " red."

Bill horn-color, paler below. Legs plumbeous. Wings long and pointed. Second and
third quills nearly equal; fourth a little less; lirst about intermediate between fourth and
tiilh. Total length, G.OO; wing, 3.20; tail, 2.00.

IIah. From northern border of Mexico to Isthmus of Panama, especially on west side.

This species has not yet been recorded as taken within the limits of the
United States, but it comes so near to our southern border that it doubtless
sometimes crosses the line. Nothing distinctive appears to be known of its
habits.

Vireo flavoviridis.

VIUKONID.K -tup: VIUEOS. 307

Vireosylvia philadelphicus, Cassin.

PHILADELPHIA GBEENLET.

rirravffvia fihi'hih'IpJii'rff, (\v i\s, Vr. A. X. S.-. V, Fch. IS'.T, l.'.f?. —In. VI, pi. i. ti;,'. 1
(IMiihul.lphia). -ScL.vTKK & Svi.v'N, ll.is, I, is:.!», 12 iCuiittinala). r..\ii:i., Ktv.
Am. Binls, ."540. I'iiro p.'iilntfifjf/unc. li.Miii), IJinls X. Am. is.'»s, :',:{.-,, pj. Ixxviii,
fig. 3. Virrosijlvin cnfMnimsis, S« I,.VTK. V. Z. S. 1S«)0, 463 ((.'oban). — In. Ann.
Mag. N. II. lJ>til, :J28.

Sp. CiiAR. (Xo. 2(),(»4;> (^.) AI>()V(' (lark olivf-irrocM, tinircd witli p1ninhoon>;-a.«:h pk-
rcpt on the rump; top ot" lu-ad ami iiaju* piiror pliimln'ous-a.<<li, not (MJircd with <hisky, the
line of (leniarcalion intlistiiiPt. nen«'ath liu'ht
sulphur-yellow, paler and almost whit»' on chin
and middle of alxlomen ; .■^ido.s more olivaceous.
A whitish stripe from l^ill over eye, lus also a
patch beneath it and the eyelids. A dusky

loral and post-ocular spot. Quills and rectrices ' ^ * ^'"^

brown, ed":ed externallv with olive, internallv

with whitish; the larirer coverts with paler

outer edges. Bill blackish, paler plumbeous v. iJuimielphku.-^.

below. Legs plnmbeotis. Sj>urious outer or (irst (piill (seen in y/Zra) wanting; the outer

jibont equal to fifth; third longest; second and fourth not much shorter. Total U-ngtii,

4.80 ; wing, 2.Go ; tail, 2.2r>.

IIab. Eastern North America to Hudson's I>ay and Maine, south (in wintiM-) to Co.sta
Rica and Guatemala. Veragua (S-vlvin). Not recorded from Mexico or West Indies.

Specimens vary somewhat in purity of tints, and especially in intensity
of yellow of under parts, which color is deeper in autumnal skins.

Specimens from Costa Kica and CJuatemala, beinjj; merely winter visitoi's
to that region, are (juite identical with Xorth American examples.

IIadits. This but little known s])ecies was first described by ^fr. Ca.ssin,
in 18r>l, from a s])ecimeu shot by him in some woods near Philadelpliia nine
years previously, which was then unique, and remained so for some time alter.
This fact, and its resend)lance to V. gilva, led to the impression that it mi^ht
be only a variety of that species. Since the publication of the description
other specimens have been ju'ocured from different localities, — ^loose Fac-
tory, Maine, Oliio, Wisconsin, ( 'osta Kica, and ( Juatemala. Hut little is as yet
known in regard to its habits or its di.stribution. It is quite abundant in tlie
si)ring in Southern Wisconsin, wliere it appeal's only as a migrant passing
north, none remaining to breed. As it makes its ap])eai'ance late in May, and
usually passes rapidly on, it seems natural to infer that it cannot be far from
its breeding-place at the i)eriod of its appeanmce. The specimen obtained
by Mr. Cassin was shot in 8eptend)er, on its southward journey. It was in
the upper branches of a high tree, capturing insects ; and his attention was
drawn to it by its slow^ and deliberate movements.

Mr. Tluire Kumlien, of Dane County, Wis., informs me that he has been
familiar with this Vii-eo since 1S49, and has collected it every year since

368

NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS.

tliat period, findin;:^ it botli in the spring; and fall. It appears occasionally
as earlv as the Idtli of May, the time varvini; with the season from the Kith
to the UTth. In isr»7, when the season was very backward and May very
cold, they did not arrive nntil June 2. They were unusually numerous, and
remained only a day or two. So far as he has been able to ascertain, none
sto}) to breed. They are very quiet, have no .song at the time they are pas.s-
ing, and seem only intent on collecting their food and in proceeding on their
way. They are very tame and unsuspecting, and <»ne can readily get to
within a few feet of them. In the fall they are returning south from the 7th
to the li>th of September.

The nest and e^ufs remain to be obtained.

Vireosylvia gilvus, Cassix.

WABBUNO OBEENLET.

Miixcicnjxi gilva, ViKii.L. Ois. I, 1S07, (»'), \A. xxxiv. J'Iren rjilvus, Bon. Obs. \Vils. 1825,
no. 12:5. — Am. Orii. liiog. II, \A. cxviii. — In. liinls Am. IV, pi. icxii. — I>.vua>,
liirJs N. Am. 1S58, o3.'i. — Samikls, Uiids N. Knj?. 273. I'ircustjlcia yih-a, ('a.s.sin,
Vv. A. N. Sc. 1S.',1, i:»3. — Sci.ATKii, v. Z. S. 18'>«;, 298 (Conlova) ; (?) 1858, 302
(Oaxaca ; JiiUf) (iK'ihaps /'. siniinsoiii). — I>Aii:i>, Hcv. Am. B. 342. Muscicapa mc-
loiliit, WiLs. Am. Orn. V, 1812, 85, \A. xlii, lig. 2.

Sp. Char. (No. 1,0] 7 9') Above olivo-Grrccn, .-;tronirly ,crlosso<l with ai^hy; the lieatl
aiul nape above more distinctly ashy, Init, without <lori«letl hne of (l«>niarcation Iffhind, and

without (hisky cd<;e ; rump pure oHve.
Stripe from nostrils over eye to nap*',
eyelids, and space below eye, creamy-
white. A rather dusky post-ocular ami
loral spot, the latter not extendinjjf to the
bill. Fnder parts white, with tin.u^e of
greenish-yellow (occasionally of creamy
fulvous or bulV), especially on breast ; sides
more olivaceous. Crissum and axillars
scarcely more yellowish. Quills and rec-
triccs wood-brown, edcred internally with whitish, externally with olivaceous, except per-
haps on lonjrer primaries. Edi^e of winuf white. Larirer winjj-coverts jjrayish-brown, with
paler edijes, and no trace of olivaceous. Bill horn-color al)ove. paler l)elow.

First quill very short or spurious ; second about equal to, generally rather longer than
sixth; third longest ; fourth, then fifth a little shorter.

Fresh specimen: Total length. r>.;>3; expanse of wings, 8.3'); wing from carpal joint
2.8'). Prepared specimen : Total length, 4.80 ; Aving, 2.75 *, tail, 2.2.'), Sexes alike. Iris
brown.

IIab. East(^rn North Ameri<*a to Fort Simpson. Cordova and Oaxaca only southern
localities recorded. Not West Indian.

A very young bird has a very cottony plumage, and differs in tints, having
the top of the head and the nape a soft wliitish isabella-color, this tingeing
the back ; the lower parts are wholly unsoiled white ; the middle and sec-

Vireo ^ilcus

VIREOXrD.K — THK VIItEOS. 3^*9

ondan" rovorts aro obscnicly ti}»iM.'(l witli liijlit l»ro\vii, fMrniiiig two indistinct
1 Kinds across the win'jj.

A specimen (Xn. ."»4,l'«')i') lV(»in ()ri/a1>a is, in jiositively every respect,
exactly intermediate between this species and T. /(/.s7y<//<r ot' Costa Kica,
Kciiador, etc. (See lo(>tnote on pai^e ."Wlo.) The crown is hrown, decidedly
darker than, and different in tint from, the l»ack, but less so than in josrjJur ;
the hack is less olive than in the hitter, and less ijr.iy than in the former.
The lower parts are more yellow than in f/ifri's, and less so than in j<isiitjin\
the superciliary stripe whiter and extemling farther hack than in the former,
and less pure white and she ter than in the latter, etc.

Habits. The Warhlinj^ Vireo has only a slinhtly less extended distribu-
tion than the IJed-eyed, beini^ found throughout all Eastt'rn Xortli America,
us far north as Fort Simpson and Selkirk Settlement, and west to the Mis-
souri liiver, and breeding; as far south as Louisiana. It is stated bv Audu-
Iwjn to be found on the Columbia Kiver, Itut in liiis he ]»robal)ly referred to
the Western race, V. sica bison i. That writer never observed this s|)ecies
in Louisiana or Kentucky, nor in the maritime part of (Jeorj^ia, and its nuui-
ner of entering; the United States he was unable to ascertain. AVhere it
moves to in the winter is also unknown, none havintj: been met with in the
West Indies, and only at a few junnts in Mexico, Cordova, Oaxaca, and the
State of Vera Cruz. It was, liowever, found breeding at Calcasieu, Louis-
iana, by Mr. Wiirdemann.

It breeds abundantly from Virginia to Xova Scotia, and throuj^hout the
Northwestern States. West of the IJocky Mountains it is replaced by a
closely allied species, the V. .w:ainson'L This Vireo, more than any other of
its genus, if not exclusively, is to a large extent a resident of villages, towns,
and even cities. It is hv far the sweetest singer that ventures within their
crowded streets and public .squares, — although Mr. Cassin gives his prefer-
ence to the notes of the Ked-eyed, — and the melody of it.^ song is exipiis-
itelv soft and beautiful. It is chietlv to be found amonij the tall trees, in
the vicinity of dwellings, where it seems to deliglit to stay, and from their
highest tops to suspend its pensile nest. It is especially abundant among
the elms on Boston Common, where at almost any hour of the day, from
early in the month of May until long after summer has gone, may be heard
the prolonged notes of this, one of the sweetest and most constant of our
singers. Its voice is not powerful, but its melody is llute-like and tender.
Throughout the last of May, and in June and duly, their charming song may
be heard amid the din of the citv from earliest dawn till niiihtfall, and rarely
ceases even in the noontide heat, when all other birds are silent. It is ever
in motion, while thus singing ; and its sweetest notes are given forth as it
moves among the tree-to})s in search of insects. It is not only one of our
most constant singers, but it remains musical almost until its departure for
the South in October.

The Warbling Vireo appears in the ^liddle States about the loth of April,

47

370 NORTH AMEIIICAN BIRDS.

and roarlios Xew Kiiu'liiiid <'arly in May. Tlio path of its northern mi«^ra-
tions, and of its return, is sonicwlial in (loul>t. It is abnndant in winter,
atH'onlin<4 to Suniiclirast, alnait Ori/aba, and j.rohahly enters Texas and
passes north and eastahtn^' tlie Mississipj»i and the Oliio IJivers. In certain
|)orti()ns of the conntrv this s]><H'ies is evidently '^r* the increase, l»cconnn<](
more and more connnon as the country is settk**!, and towns and villa^'es
sprin<j up.

Tile WarldinjT Viroo builds its nest usually in more elevated positions than
anv others of this family. For the most part in the vicinity of dwellings,
often over fretpiented streets, they susjmmkI their elaborately woven and beau-
tiful little basket-like nest, secnrti from intrusion from their human neij^dibors,
and protected by the near ])resence of man from all their more dreaded ene-
mies. Audulton narrates, in an interesting' manner, the luiildin^ of their nest
by a }>air of these birds on a ])oplar-tree, near his window, in Camden, N. .1.
It was suspended between the body of the tree and a branch comin«,' out at
an acute ani^le. The pair were at work, morning an('. evening:, ei^dit days,
first attachinj4 slender Idades of «j:rass to the knots on the bmnch and the
bark of the trunk, and thence working downward and outward. They varied
their materials, fr'.)ni time to time, until at last he traced them, after a ])ro-
lonjjjed absence, to a distant haystack, from which they broui^ht fine, slender,
dry jijrasses, with which they completed and lined their nest.

The nests of the Warblinj^ Vireo, while they resendde closely those of the
other sjiecies in all the characteristics of this well-marked family, are yet, as a
rule, more carefully, neatly, and closely built. Tiiey are usually suspended at
the height of from thirty to fifty feet, in the fork of twigs, under and near the
extremity of the tree-top, often an elm, protected from the sun and storm
by a canopy of leaves, and quite out of reach of most enemies. They vary
little in size, being about two inches in height and three and a half in their
greatest diameter, narrowing, toward their junction with the twigs, to two
inches. They are all secured in a very firm maimer to the twigs from which
they are suspended by a felting of various materials, chiefly soft, flexible,
flax-like strij)s of vegetable til)res, leaves, stems of plants, and strips of bark.
With these are interwoven, and carried out around the outer portions of the
nest, long strips of soft flexible bark of deciduous trees. They are softly and
compactly filled in antl lined with fine stems of plants.

The eggs are usually five in number, and, like those of all the Vireos, are
of a brilliant crystal-white, sparingly s]»otted at the larger end with markings
of dark brown, and others of a lighter shade. They are less marked with
spots than usual in the genus, and are often entirely unspotted, and pure
white. Occasionally, however, they are found with well-marked blotches
of reddish -brown. They vary in length from .75 to .70 of an inch, and
average about .bo in tlieir breadth.

VIUEOMD.E Tin: VIIiKOS. 37I

Vireosylvia gilvus, var swainsoni, IVmud.

WESTEBN WABBUNO OREEKLET.

Virco swainsoni, B.viitK. I'.inU N. Am. 1>'>H, 33(1 (ra.ifu" toasts. -Ki.Mnr, Illu.>t. IWnls
N. A. I, vii. I'innsiilciti sicainsiini. Haiku, h'l-v. Am. I>. 343. I'irvusiflcia yilca, var.
HWainmtni, CotU'F.U, Oni. Cal. I, ls7<', 11'!. riiat iMird'iiniii, 8WAINsoN, T. U. A. II,
1831, *J3.'* (ill i«4rt ; sih'c. Iroiii loliimliia liivtrf).

{So. ^),'.V2\ ^.) Similar tt) V. (/ihui. hnl sjuuUer; colors puler. Bill more ilcprchscd.
Upper maiidilih' alniDst l>l;uk. Sccoml (piill
much Kh(»rtL'r than sixth. Total li'iiL'th, 4.".') ;
winj,', 2.71; tail, 2..'i.") : ditU'ri'iict' bt'twct*^
tenth cpiill and loiij.'ost, .oS; exposed portion
oi lirst primary, .58, of second, 1.82, of

lonj^cst (measured from oxpo.sed base of •'' * / • -x-wn 1»**91

first primary), 2.10; length of hill from
forehead, ..')(>, from nostril, .21), along gape,
.0'>; depth of hill, .13; tarsus, .70; middle Virto iuMumom.

toe and cluvv, .5(J; hind to'^ and daw, A'.\.

Had. United States, from liockv Mountains to I'acilic coast.

In the present bird the hill is darker in color, much sniaUer, and more
depressed, the depth at the hase heiiio; less than the width, instead of bein*;
equal to it as in var. ffUvus. Tlie wing is more rounded, the second quill
much shorter than the sixth, generally shorter or but little longer than the
seventh. In var. ^//r/^9, the second (piill is about ecpial to the sixth. The
second (piill is about .oO of an inch (or more) shorter than the longest in
sicainsoni, while in [/ilr us it is only about .20 shorter. The teet of swainsoni
are weaker, and the colors generally paler and grayer. The iris, according to
Cones, is dark brown.

Young birds in autumnal plumage liave the crown decidedly ash, the sides
more greenish ; the wing-coverts pass terminally into a light brownish tint,
producing an inconspicuous band.

Habits. This Western representative of the Warbling Vireo is found
throughout the western portions of our Union, from the Great Plains to the
Pacific, and from Arizona to the extreme northern boundary of AVashingtaii
Territory.

Dr. Cooper characterizes this as a lively and familiar songster. It arrives,
he states, at San Diego about April 10, and reaches Puget Sound toward the
middle of May, occupying nearly all the intermediate country throughout
the summer. It freipients the deciduous trees along the borders of streams
and prairies, coming into gardens and orchards with familiar confidence,
wherever cultivation has reclaimed the wilderness. Like its Eastern proto-
type, its cheerful and varied song is heard all day long until quite late in the
autumn. They too build their nests in the shade-trees of the parks of busy
cities, singing ever their delightful strains, unconscious of the busy and noisy
crowd that throngs the neighboring streets.

372 . NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS.

Dr. Cooper states that its nests are ju'iideiit from the forks of a branch
liii^h ahove th(» ground, s(»nietiines to tlie heiu;ht of a Imndred feet.

Mr. llidi^avay, who ohserved tlie habits of this tjpecies in Utah and Ne-
vada, speaks uf it as tlie eharaeteristic Vireo of the West. It was found by
Iiini in all the fertile hx'alities, and was one of the most common birds in the
Mooded regions. J[e found it very genemlly distributed through the sum-
mer, inhabiting the copses along the streams of the mountain canons, and
the open groves of the ])arks, as well as the cottonwoods and willows of the
river vjdleys. In the fall the berries of a species of the cornel that grows
along the mountain streams constitute its principal food. Its notes and man-
ners are identical with those of the Eastern species.

The nests of this sj)ecies are not distinguishable, except in the ntv '^rily
varying materials, from those of the Eastern birds. In position, size, and suape
they are the same. The eggs, four or five in number, are white, spotted with
brown and reddish-brown, and measure .78 by .58 of an inch. The spots are
somewhat darker than those of the V.yHvus, and the shape more of an ob-
long-oval, in all that 1 have seen. But this diti'ereuce may disap]^)ear in the
examination of a larger number.

A nest found by Mr. Ridgwoy near Fort Churchill, Xevada, June 24, was
sus])ended from the extremity of a twig of a sapling of the cottonwood,
in a copse of the same growing in a river-bottom. It has a height of two
and a half inches, and a diameter of tliree. It is composed externally of
an elaborate interweaving of spiders'-webs, willow and cottonwood down,
and strong cord-like strips of fine inner bark. These are strongly bound
around the twigs from which the nest is suspended. It is one of the most
elaborately interwoven, homogeneous, and well-felted nests of this bird I
have ever met with. Another nest, from Parley's Park, Utah, obtained June
28, difl'ers in having the external portion woven almost exclusively of fine
strips of bleached bark, and is lined with fine wiry grasses. In each of these
the eggs were four in number, all oblong-oval in shape, but much more
]>ointed at one end in the latter nest.

This s])ecies was Ibund breeding in Xapa Valley, Cal, by Mr. A. J. Gray-
sun, and at Fort Tejon by Mr. Xautus.

Subgenus LANIVIRXiO, BAmo.

Char. Body stout, head broad. Bill short and stout, broad at the base, the eulmen
curvt-.l from the base, the eoininissure considerably arched. Bill blue-black. Feet stout.
Type, T' jlarifrons. For ligure, see page 379.

Species and Varieties.

CoMMOX Ctiaracteks. a broad stripe from bill to and aronml. but not beyond,
the eye. Two broad white bands across the wings. Bill plumbeous-blue, black
toward cuhnen. Iris brown in all species?

VIREONID^ — THE VIREOS. 373

1. L. solitarius. Spurious piiintiry exposed. Throat and orbital ring wiiite.

a. 8[>uriou.s primary well developed, — .(JO or more long, .10 broad.

Nape and side of neek plumbeous; upper tail-coverts oliv- green.
Cris.sum tinged with yellow, but none on side of throat, nor aero!«3
breast. Wing, 3.0'); tail, 2.40; bill, from nostril, .27; tarsus, .0(5. llah.
Eastern Province of Tnited 8tat«'s, strayfiiflin}; westward to the Pacilic
Cojist, especially in its migration southward into Mexico, where it pene-
trates in winter ius liir as (iuatemala \iiv. solitariust.

Above continuous ohve-browu ; below ochraoeous-white, with a bully
tinge across breast, and deeply olivaceous along sides. Crissum tinged
with yellow. Wing, 2.80 ; tail, 2.1.') ; bill, 30 ; tarsus, GO. //a6. Pacilic
Province of United States, straggling in autunni eastward into the
Middle Province ......... var. cassini.

Above continuous ashy-plumbeous. Beneath pure white, ashy along
sides, and very slightly so across breast. Wing, 3.2'> ; tail, 2.')0 ; bill,
.30 ; tarsus, .GO. Hah. Middle Province of United ^States, south, in win-
ter, through Western Mexico t(.'oolima .... \SLr. plu inhe It s.

b. Spurious primary very minute, — about .30 long by .04 wide.

Nape and side of neck olive-green ; upper tail-coverts {)lumbeous.
Crissum not tinged with yellow, but sides of the throat ami across the
breast are. Wing, 3.10 ; tail. 2.20; bill, .20 ; tarsus, .04. Hab. Coban,
Vera Cruz, Guatemala ; residtMit? xar. propinq n n s ^

2. I*, flavifrons. Spurious primary concealed. Throat and orbital ring yellow.

Anterior half of body olive-green above, lemon-yellow below ; pos-
terior half plumbeou.s-;ish above, white below. Wing, 3.00; tail, 1.00 ;
bill, .32 ; tarsus, .70. Ilab. Eastern Province of United States, south,
in winter, to Costa Rica, and very rare in Cuba,

Lanivireo solitarius, Baird.

BLTTE-HEAOED VISEO.

Muscicapa soUtaria, WiLS. Am. Orn. il, 1810, 143, j>l. xvii, fig. 6. Virco solUnrins, Vieill.
— Aun. I. — C.\ssix, Sc. — ScL-VTER, P. Z. 8. IS.'.ti. •_>S»8 (Cordova) ; 18'>9, 3()3(Xalapa) ;
375 (Oaxacji ?). — ScLATER & Salvin, Ibis, 18(50, 31 (Guatemala). — Car. Jour. Ill,
4G8 (Culu). — GuxDLACH, Cab. Jour. 18t>l, 324 (Cuba ; very ran'). — iSAMUKLs, Birds
N. Eng. 277. Vireo {La >ii circa) sul. Baikd, liirds N. Am. 18ri8, 329. I'ircosjlcia.
{Lanicireo) solitariit, Baird, Kev. Am. B. 1804, 347.

Sp. Char. (No. 300 ^.) Above olive-green, including upper tail-coverts; the top
and sides of head and nape ashy-plumbeous ; sides of the neck plumbeous-olive. Broad
line from nostrils to and around eye, involving the whole lower eyelid, white. A loral line

* Vircoayh'ia propinqna, Baird, E'V. 18(5'), p. 348. This appears to be merely a permanent
resident race of solitarius, which itself visits Ouatenuda only in winter. Closely resembling the
latter, it ditfers essentially in the respects pointed out alnive. The (litlVreuce in coloration is
produciHl by a shifting, as it were, toward the head of the yellow and olive, leaving the upper
tail-coverts clear ash, and the lower pure white, antl encroaching mwn the ash anteriorly to the
crown and ear-coverts, and the white alongsitle of the throat. In the U. pliimbcns these tints
are simply almost entirely reniovi'd, leaving clear ash and pure whit*', with a tinge, however, of
olive on the rump and of yellow on the sides. In V. cassnni the tints are darkemnl and browned
by the in-culiar iidluence of the region where found, there being neither clear ash, nor olive-gieeu,
nor pure yellow or white, in the plumage.

374 NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS.

involving the edge of the eyeUd, and a space beneath the eye, dusky plinnheous. Beneath
white; the sides ydlow, overlaid with olive, this color not extending anterior to the

hrcivst. Axillars and base of crissuni
pale snlfthnr-yelloNV, the long feathers
of the latter much paU-r or nearly
white. Wings with two bands and
outer edjjres of innermost secondaries
olivaceous-white ; the quills dark
brown, edged externally with olive-
green, internally with white; tail-feath-
Lanivireo solUarius. ^^g similarly marked, except that the

lateral feather is edged externally also with white, the central without internal border.
Bill and legs blackish-plumbeous. Iris brown.

First quill spurious, rather more than one fifth the second, which is intermediate be-
tween the tifth and sixth ; third longest.

Fresh specimen : Total length, o.40 ; expanse of wing, 9.00. Prepared specimen : To-
tal kngth, 5.2o; wing, 2.O.") : tail, 2.35.

Hab. United States, from Atlantic to Pacific ; Cape St. Lucas. Not recorded from
Southern Rocky Mountains, where replaced by L. plumbens. South to Mexico and Gua-
temala. Vera Cruz (winter, Sumiourast). Very rare in Cuba.

Spring specimens show sometimes a gloss of plumbeous on the back,
obscuring the olive, the contrast of colors being greater in the autumnal and
young birds. Sometimes the crissum appears nearly white. The length of
the s])urious primary varies considerably, from .45 to .75 of an inch.

In autumn the colors are similar, but slightly duller and less sharply de-
fined, while the back is considerably tinged with ashy.

Habits. The Solitary Vireo appears to be found, irregularly, throughout
the United States. Nowhere abundant, so far as I am aware, it seems to be
more common in California than on the Atlantic, wliile there are also large
tracks of intervening territory in which we have no knowledge of its pres-
ence. On the Atlantic it has been met with from Georgia to the Bay of
Fundy. In Massacliusetts it has been found in a few restricted localities ;
in one or two of them, they are as abundant as the White-eyed. Mr. Dresser
found it in Texas, near San Antonio, late in the autumn, and early in
spring, but none remained to breed. Mr. Boardman gives them as a summer
visitant at Calais, but not common, and Professor Verrill makes a similar
statement for Western Maine, where it arrives in the second week of May.
According to ^Ir. Allen, it reaches Western Massachusetts by May 1,
but it is there quite rare. A few^ are presumed to stop and breed.

In California, Mr. Gambel states that it is quite abundant in the latter
part of summer, and throughout the winter, frequenting low bushes and
thickets. Dr. Heermann also frequently met with it. Both at the East and
the West it is undoubtedly only migratory to about the 40th parallel, and
does not, except in mountainous localities, breed south of that line. Pro-
fessor I3aird found it breeding in the South Mountains, near Carlisle, Penn.,
in May, 1844. It occurs in Guatemala in the winter.

VIREONIDJE — THE VIREOS. 375

Dr. Cooppr states that it roaclies Puixet Sound by the first of iMay, and lie
has also ohserved it in the Colorado Valley, after the 14th, where they made
themselves conspicuous by their song, but in a few days had all passe<l
northward. He has met them nestin}]j in May at the eastern base of the
( 'oast iJange, and has also found them quite common, in summer, on the
( 'olumbia liiver. Their favorite resorts are the deciduous oaks.

These birds were found breeding at Fort Tejon by Mr. Xantus, and at
Vancouver by ^Ir. Hepburn.

Mr. Iiidgway met with a few in September, in the thickets along the
streams Howing from the Clover Mountains.

This species was taken in winter by Mr. Boucard, at Talew, in the State
of Oaxaca, Mexico.

Mr. Audubon's statement that this bird is rather abundant, and that it
breeds in Louisiana, is undoubtedly incorrect, and his description of its nest
and eggs belongs rather to the Yellow-th>-.;ated, and agrees with none that
I have ever seen of this species. That he found them abundant in Maine,
and tmced them as far north as Pictou, Nova Scotia, is more proljable. Dr.
Bachman speaks of this species becoming each year more abundant in South
Carolina, coming in February and remaining through March.

Mr. Nuttall, who met with this species on the Columbia, about the begin-
ning of May, describes its song as a plaintive, delibemte warble, interme-
diate between the song of the olivaccus and the jfari/rons. Mr. Burroughs
describes the love-notes of these birds as being inexpressibly sweet and ten-
der in both sexes. The song of the male, as I have heard it, Ijears no resem-
blance to that of any other Vireo. It is a prolonged and very peculiar ditty,
repeated at frequent intervals and always identical. It begins with a lively
and pleasant warble, of a gradually ascending scale, wiiich at a certain pitch
suddenly breaks down into a falsetto note. The song then rises again in a
single high note, and ceases. For several summers the same bird has been
heard, near my house in Hingham, in a wild pasture, on the edge of a wood,
always singing the same singular refrain, di>ring the month of June.

Mr. Nuttall found a nest of this species suspended from the forked twig
of a wild crab-tree, about ten feet from the ground. The chief materials
were dead and withered grasses, with some- cobwebs agglutinated together,
externally partially covered with a few shreds of hypnum, assimilating it
to the branch on wdiich it hung, intermingled with a few white paper-like
capsules of the spiders' nests, and lined with a few blades of grass and
slender root-fibres.

Seven nests of this species, found in Lynn and Hingham, Mass., exhibit
peculiarities of structure substantially identical. In comparison with the
nests of other Vireos, they are all loosely constructed, and seem to be not so
securely fastened to the twigs, from which they are suspended. One of these
nests, typical of the general character, obtained in Lynn, May 27, IS;")!), by
Mr. George O. Welch, was suspended from the branches of a young oak.

376 NORTH AMERICAN* BIRDS.

al)oiit twelve feet from the ground. Tlie external depth of this nest was
only two and a half inches, the diameter three and a (juarter, and its cavity
one and three qujirters inches deep, and two inches wide at the rim. It was
constructed externally of strii)S oi yellow and of gniy birch-bark, intermin-
gled with bits of wool and dry grasses. The external i)ortion was quite
loosely put together, but was lined, in a more compact manner, with dry
leaves of the white pine, arranged in layers. Another nest, found in Hing-
ham, was but two feet from the ground, on a branch of a hickory sapling.
In its genend structure it was the same, only difl'ering in shape, being made
to conform to its position, and being twice as long as it was broad. It con-
tained four young, when found, about the lUth of June. One nest alone,
built on a bush in Lynn, exhibits even an average degree of compactness in
its external structure. This is largely composed of cocoons, which are
woven together into a somewhat homogeneous and cloth-like substance.
"Within, decayed stems of grasses take the place of the usual pine-needles.

In the summer of 1870 a pair built their nest in a dwarf j)ear-tree, within
a few rods of my house. They were at first very shy and would not permit
themselves to be seen at their work, and suspended all labor when any one
was occupied near their chosen tree. Soon after the construction of the nest
two Cowbird's eggs were deposited, which I removed, although the female
only laid two of her own before she began to sit upon them. By this time
she became more familiar, and would not leave her nest unless T attempted
to lay hands upon her. 8he made no complaints in the manner of the
White-eyed, nor sought to attack like the Yellow-throated, but kept within
a few feet, and watched me with eager eyes, until I left her. Unfortunately,
her nest was pillaged by a lUack-billed Cuckoo, and I was unable to observe
her feed her young, as I had hoped to do.

The eggs are of an oblong-oval shape, moderately pointed at one end, and
of a white ground, less crystalline than in the other species of its kind. They
are spotted pretty uniformly over tlie entire e^^g with dots of dark red and
reddish-brown. They are usually five in number.

Lanivireo solitarius, var. cassini, Baird.

CASSnrS YIBEO.

Fireo cassini, XANTrs, Pr. A. N. S. Phil. May, 1858, 117. — Bairp, Birds N. Am. 1858,
340, pi. Ixxviii, fig. 1 ; Review Am. B. I, 1865, 347 (sub V. solUaria)^ Ridgway.

Sp. Char. Third and fourth quills nearly equal, fifth shorter, second lonjrer than
seventh. Spurious primary very narrow, falcate, acute ; less than one third the second quill,
and a little more than one fourth the third. Above, includinir edc^es of win*; and tail-
feathers, clear olive-irreen, beeoiniiiij dusky ashy on the top and sides of head. Beneath
fulvous-white, tinged with ill-defined olive-green on the sides (scarcely on the crissum).
Two broad bands on the wing-coverts and the outer edges of the innermost .<?ec-
ondaries greenish-white ; the outer edge of outer tail-feather, with a broad ring round

VIRE< )MD.E — TUK V I MKO^.

the eye, extend in f]f to a frontal bund, dull white. Lfiijrfli about o inches; wing. 2.7o ;
tail. LMJO.

IIai:. Foit Tejon, Cal. (Xantis); West IIunil)ol(lt Mountains, Nevada (Uhmjway).

Since the tyi)e of tlii.s viiiicty was olttaiiied, two other speeimens (Xos.
5*^,41. S 9, and r);>,411> ^, Septenil»er, lS<i7 ; II. IJid^way) liave heen seiured
by the I'nited States Geohj^ical Survey of the 4ittli l*arallel, in command of
jMr. Chirence Kin_u, in the AVest Huuil>oldt ^lonntains, Nevada. These
sj)ecimens are even more ditfe rent from trm* .sv////^r/-<</.s than is the ty]»e of this
race, showin*,' that it is really distinct, as a variety. In the sami' thickets
at the same season, perfectly tyjiical s])ecimens of F. so/ifarids were obtained :
the latter liavini^, no donl)t, come from their more n(»rthern summer liume
on their passaue southward into Mexico.

In the Hundjoldt Mountain specimens the crown shows no trace of ash,
and is even darker and more brownish tlian the back. In fact, the relation
of the V. c((s,nni to J\ solitarui is an almost exact parallel to that of V.
jonrpJia' to V. [li/vus, as far as c«»loration is concerned, in each case the ex-
treme being widely different, but connected by specimens showing inter-
mediate characters.

Kothinji is known of the habits of this race.

Lanivireo solitarius, var. plumbeus, Coues.

LEAD-COLOBED VIBEO.

Virriisijlvin phiinbtn, CtU'Es, Pr. A. X. Sc. Pliilii. ]S»j«> (Fort Whipplf, near Prescott, Ari-
zona). -CoorEi:, Orn. <al. I, 1&70, 119. — Ef.liot, llliist. Birds N. A. I, vii. V.
{Lanivireo) pltihtbcd, Baihd, Kt'V. did.

Sp. Char. (No. HT.Oll.) Whole upper parts and sides of head unilorm plumbeous: the
lower part of the back with a faint wash of olivaceous. A white line trom bill to and
around eye; a dusky line from corner of tye to bill. Sides of breast and Hanks plum-
beous, paler than the back: the llanks very sliLrhtly tinged with olive-frrecn. Rest of
under parts white; the axillars ashy, edged with white. Wings above with two conspic-
uous white bands; the innermost quills edired externally and the longer ones internally
with white, the latter «'(lLred externallv with liirht ash. I)ill and legs dark plumbeous.
'• Iris hazel." Tail-feathers narrowly edged all round with white, narrowest internally, and
increasing from central to lateral feathers. L'pper tail-coverts clear ash.

As the specimen in linest pluma;^e
(described above) is moulting the
quills, the measurements are taken
from another (.37.010). In this the
first quill is not quite one third the
second, which equals the sixth, the
third and fourth longest.

(No. i)7,01^>.) Fresh specimen :
Total length, G.IO ; expanse of wintrs,
10.80. Prepared specimen : Total length. o.T') ; wing, 3.25 ; tail, 2.70 ; difference between
tenth and longest quill, .95; exj)osed portion of lirst primary, .75, of second, 2.34, of lon-
^4S

Yirrosylvia plumbea.

378 NORTH AMEPJCAN BIRDS.

jrest, third (measured from t-xposfd biist' of first primary). 2.54 ; length of bill from fore-
head, ..V), Iroiii nostril, .i> I. ill* niir jrajM', .70 ; tarsus,."."); middle toe and claw, .00, claw
alone, .21 ; hind tot; and claw, .oO, claw alone, .23.

IIai!. Soutiiern IU>cky Mountains; East Humboldt Mountains, Nevada (Kid(;way).
In winter to Colima, Mexico.

While the pattern of eoloratiou is precisely similar to that of Lirnirirro
solitanm, the ditlerence in the colors app<.nirs to be occasioned merely by re-
moving, a^ it were, the yellow stain, which on the plumbeous ])roduces the
olive-green tinge, and exists in a purer tint along the sides, leaving, essentially,
only clear plumbeous and pure white ; there is, however, in the most typical
specimens, always a faint tinge of green on the rump, and a stain of yellow
along the side. Though identical with .'<o/it((rius in most of its proportions,
the winjis and tail are considerablv longer than in the average of that form.

There are many specimens from the liocky ^lountains and westward that
are so decidedly intermediate between solif((riii.i and jtldmheas, that, consider-
ing also the lack of essential difl'erence in foini and coloration between the
two, we do not hesitate to consider them, along with cassini and propinquas
(see page 373), as races of a single species, of which each is the representa-
tive in a particular region. Thus, V. solit arias breeds in the Eastern Prov-
ince of the United States (and possibly in the Western, following the same
route lar to the northward that many Eastern birds pursue in straggling
westward), and migrates in winter into Middle America as far as Guatemala ;
those which breed in the Northwest pass directly southward, thus crossing the
regi»)n where cassini and phnnheus breed, which accounts for their being ob-
tained together. V. cassini is the representative on the opposite side of the
continent ; but the history of its migrations is yet obscure. V. plumheus is
the ^liddle Province and Kocky Mountain representative, breeding alone in
that region, and in winter migrating southward through Western Mexico as
far as Colima. V. inopinquus is another permanent race, but a local one, be-
ing resident in the country where found, though mixed in winter with visitors
of solitarius from the Xorth.

Habits. Of tliis very recently discovered race, very little is at present
know^n. It was first described by Dr. Coues, who met with it in Arizona,
near Fort Whipple. He says it is especially abundant in the northern part
of that Territory. It was by far the most common Yireo at Fort Whipple,
where it is a summer resident, arriving there about the 15th of April and
remaining until October.

It was found to be common about Laramie Peak, by Dr. R. Hitz, and was
also met with in winter on the plains at Colima, Mexico, by Xantus.

It was seen in the summers of 1868 and 1869, by Mr. Ptidgway, among
the cedar and nut-pine woods on the slopes and among the brushwood in the
canons of the East Humboldt ^lountains, being most partial to the former
situations. There, too, it undoubtedly breeds, as in the latter part of July
young birds, unable to fly, were met with by him. He also states that the

VinEUNID^E — THE VIREOS.

379

common notes of this Vireo very closely resemble those of the Western Wood
Wmn {7\v(/lodi/tis jjurLiuu Hill).

Vireosylvia flavifroTU.

Lanivireo flavifrons, Baikd.

TELLOW-THBOATED VIBEO.

Vireo Jlavifrons, Vieill. Ois. Am, Sept. I, 1807, 85, pi. liv. — Aud. Orn. Biog. II, 1834,
pi. exix. — Id. Birds. Am. iV, j>l, ccxxxviii. — Ca.vsin, Pi. A. N. iSc 1851, 141). —
ScLATKii, P. Z. S. 1S57, '211 (Vera Cruz) ; 18GU, '257 (Orizulw). — Sclatkii &; Salvin,
Ibis, I, 1859, 12 iGuat.'nii.la). — Tab. .Tour. Ill, 408 (Cuba : winter). — (;rM>LA«ii,
Cab. Jour. 1861, 324 (Cuba ; ran-). — Cau. Jour. 1860, 405 (Costa Kica). Vino {Lxui-
virco) Jlav. Baikd, Birds N. Am. 1858, 341. Vircosylvin {Lanicirco) jlai'ifrons, Baiud,
Ri'V. :J46. Mi'.acicapa aijlvicola, WiLs. Am. Oru. II, 1810, 117, pi. vii, f. 3.

Sp. Ciiak. (No. 28.390.) Head and neck abovo and on sides, with interscapular roprion,
bright olive-irreen. Lower back, rump, tail, and wing-covertiJ a^^hy. Wings brown, with
two white bands across the coverts, the
outer edges of inner secondaries, and inner
edges of all the quills, with inside of wing,
white. Outer primaries ed.L:<'d with gray.
the inner with olive. Tail-feathers luown,
entirely encircled by a narrow vi\r:c of white.
Under parts to middle of body, a line from
lostiils over eye, eyelids, and patch be-
neath the eye (bordered behind by the olive
of neck) bright gamboge-yellow ; rest of

under y)arts white, the flanks faintly glossed with ashy. Lores dusky. Bill and legs
plumbeous-1 »lack.

No spurious primary evident : second quill longest ; first a little shorter than third.

Length. ').S0; wing, 3.00; tail, 2.00 ; difTerence of longest and innermost quills. .90;
tarsus. .73.

IIab. Eastern United States, south to Costa Rica. Veragua (Salvix). Very rare in
Cuba.

Autumnal birds, perhaps more especially the youniz, are more glossed with
olivaceous, which inv^ades the ashy portions, and tinges the white.

Habits. All the older ornitliological writers, in s])eaking of the Vellow-
throated Vireo, repeat eacli other in describing it as peculiarly attracted to
the forest, seeking its solitudes and gleaning its food chieHy among its top-
most brandies. Such has not been my experience with this interesting and
attractive little songster. I have found no one of this genus, not even the
ffiho, so common in the vicinity of dwellings, or more familiar and fearless
in its intercourse with man. All of its nests that I have ever met with have
been built in gardens and orchards, and in close proximity to dwellings, and
they have also been exclusively in comparatively low positions In one of
the most recent instances a pan- of these l)irds built one of their beautiful
moss-covered nests in a low branch of an apple-tree that overhung the cro-
quet-ground, within a few rods of my house. It was first noticed in conse-

380 XOIJTH AMKKICAX .IJIKDS.

qiieiice of its lioM little Iniilder tlyiiii,' in my fjire M'lienrver T np])roacliod too
near, even before its nt'st eontainctl any eix^^s. The j^n-ninuls were in frequent
use, and the ]»iiir were at tirst a j^nxKl deal dislurhed hy these constant intru-
sions, hut they soon heeame reconciled t(» tlieir company, and would not leave
their ]>ositi(»n, even thou^li tlie uanie was contested iuiiiUMhately under their
nest, which was tlius often l)rouL;ht within a loot of the heads of the jdayers.
Before this nest was (piite tinishcd, the female he«:;an her duties of incubation.
Her assiduous mate was constantly en<i:a.i;ed at tirst in completing,' the ex-
ternal ornamentation of the nest witli lichens and mosses, and then w*ith a
renewal of his interrupted c«mcerts of sonu:. These (bities he varied by
frecpient ca])tures of insects, winded and creepin,i,% most of which he duly
carried to his mate. His sf>n«' was varied, sweet, and touchinulv beautiful.
Less powerful tlian tlie notes of several others of its family, except those of
the \VitrJ)lui(), I know of none more charming.

These birds reach Xew England about tlie lOtli of May, and usually have
their nests constructed early in June. Their habits, in all essential respects,
are the same as those of all its familv. Thev are somewhat contidiui' and
trustful of man, are readily ap})roached, and soon become so well acquainted
with those amoni; whom they have a home as to fearlessly come to the win-
dows of the house in ]nirsuit of spiders or Hies, and even to enter them. In
the latter case thev cannot readilv make their exit, and soon lose their self-
possession, beatini^ their heads against the walls and ceiling in vain attempts
to get out, unless caught and released. In one instance a young bird, that
had entered my barn-chand>er, became so entangled in cobwebs, around his
wings and feet, as to be unable to esca])e again. When taken in the hand,
and his meshes one l>y one picked out from about his feet and quills, he
was very docile, made no resistance or outcry, nor any attempt to escape,
until he was entirely freed from his bonds, although it required some time
and care to accomjdish it. When entirely freed from these clogs, and per-
mitted to go, he Hew away very deliberately to a short distance, and occupied
himself with dressing his disordered plumage.

The nest of this species is also a ])endent structure, and hemispherical in
slia])e. It may always be readily distinguislied from any other nest of this
family by the profusion of lichens and mosses with which its outer portion
is adorned and covered, giving it the appearance of a large moss-covered
knot.

In most of the towns in the vicinity of Boston this species, though not
abundant, is quite common. Their nests, built usually in low and rather
conspicuous positions for birds of this kind, occur most frequently in gardens
and orchards. One of these, found suspended from a moss-covered branch
of an apple-tree in lioxburv, may be taken as typical of its kind. Its
rim was firmly bound around the fork of a branch by a continuation of the
materials that form the outside of the nest itself. These are an interweaving
of spiders'-webs, and silky threads from insect cocoons, largely intermingled

VIREOXID.K — Till-: VIREOS. 381

with mosses and lichens, and tlms niiule to cnntonn elosclv in appeamnce to
the ni<»ss-j;To\vn Itaik ot" the tree. Tiie under portion of the nest is stren;.'th-
ened by h)nj; strips of the inner hark of th«' wihl j^nape. AVitliin is an
inner nest made of tine j^nissy steins and hark. It forms exaetly a half-
sphere in shaj)e, is symmetrieal, and is very thorou^dily made. Its diameter
is four, an»l its height t\v«» and one fourth inelies.

Mr. Nuttall de.serihes a nest nf this hird, found hy him susjiended from the
forked twijj^ of an oak, near a dwell in_!.i-house, as coated over with j^^reen
lichens, attached very artfully hy a slender stvinjj; of cater})illars' silk, the
whole afterwards tied over hv almost invisihle threads of the same, so nicelv
done as to aj)i)ear to 1)e .irlued on. The whole fahric was thus made to re-
send.)le an accidental knot of the tree, ^rown o\er with moss. Another nest,
observed by the same writer, was fixed on the de])endinLj branches of a wild
cherry, and wjis fifty feet from the jjjround. So lofty a i»osition as this is
probably very unusual. I have never met with any higher than ten feet
from the ground.

The food of this Vireo is chiefly insects, and in the l)reeding-scason is
altoLjether so. Later in the season thev nun<de with these various kinds of
small berries.

The eggs of this species vary from .95 to .SS of an inr'h in length, and
from .65 to .00 in l)readth. Their ground-color is white, often with a verv
perceptible tint of roseate when fresh. In this respect they differ in a very
marked manner from the eggs of any other of this genus, except, perhaps,
the hnrhatvla, and may thus always be very easily recognized. They are
more or less boldly marked with blotches of a dark roseate-brown, also pe-
culiar to the eggs of this species, though varying greatly in their size and
depth of color.

This Vireo winters, in great numbers, in Central America, and was largely
represented in the collection of Dr. Van Patten from (Juatemala. It was
also found at Pirico, in Colombia, South America, by Mr. C. W. AVyatt.
It occurs in abundance as far to the west as (Irinnell, Iowa, where Mr.
W. H. Parker found it to be a very common summer resident.

382

NORTH AMKUK'AX BIRDS.

SUUGEMS VIREO, VlElIX.
Vireo, ViEiLL, Ois. Am. Sept. 1, 18(»7, 83. (Ty|K*, Muscicajui novrboracnisis, Gm.)
Chak. \Viii<3's short and loundeU, a little longer than the tail, equal to it, or shorter

Yirro nnrehnraetnsis.

First primary <listinct and larire, from two fil'tlis to half or more the length of the second,
shorter or not longer than the eighth.

The characters of Virco are essentially
those of Virco.sijlvia ; the hill, however, is
shorter ; the first (^11111 always present, hetter
developed, sometimes more than half the
second. The wings are shorter, and more
rounded ; tlie tarsi usually longer. The

Vireo noveboracensh. SCCtioUS arC aS folloWS :

Vireo. Wings pointed : first quill less than half the seoon*!, which is about equal
to seventh or eighth, and decidedly longer than the tenth primary and the secondaries.
Type, V. norehorarensis.

Vireonella. Wings rounded, scarcely longer than the tail ; the first quill half as long
as the second for more than half), which is not longer than the tenth primary and secon-
daries, or even less. Bill and feet generally much sto'iter than the preceding. Type, V.
gnudlachi

None of the species of Vireonella are found in the United States.

Species.

Common- Ciiaractkrs. All the species olivaceous or ashy above, beneath whit-
ish, or olivaceous-yellow. Wings with light bands. A light stripe from bill
over the eye, but not beyond it, except in carmioli. Iris brown, as far as known,
except in V. noi'eboracensis, where it is white.
A* Two conspicuous light bands on wing.

a. Sexes different. Whole lore white.

1. V. atricapillus. Above olive-green, outer edges of tail-feathers
• bright yellowish -green ; wing-bands greenish-white. Sides oliva-

ceous-j ellow. ^fale. Head and neck (exce[)t lore, orbital ring, chin,
an<l throat) deep l>lack ; lower parts pure white medially. Female
with the black replaced by dull slate ; lower parts ochraceous-white
medially. Wing, 2..'30 ; tail, 1.80; tarsus, .G8 ; bill, from nostril,
.24. Hab. Southern Texas ; Mazatlan, Mexico.

b. Sexes alike. Lore dusky, with light mark above it.

VIREDNID.K — THE VIREOS.

383

2. V. carmioli.* AV»ove hrownislj olive-procn. npntatli, with
siipia-loral .slri|»«', orliital ring, ami lij^lit inarkiii<:s oij the \vin<r>*, li;.'lit
ocljn'y-y«'ll<>w more whitish on the throat. Wiii^', 2..Vj; tail, J.Oi);
tarsus, A'A'} ; hill, .'J<i. /lab. Costa Rica.

3. V. noveboracensis. Ahov*' olive-jrn'cn, av«hy across the napo.
Siipra-loral stripe and orl)ital riii^r <1'»|» yellow. Beneath asliy-wliite
on throat, purer wiiite on ahdoinen ; si<les, and a tinire across tiie
breast, lij,'ht yellow. Iris white. Win<r, 2.40 ; tail, *J.OO ; tarsus,
.Go ; hill, .*2(). Ifih. Eastern Province of United States, south (in
winter) to Guatemala (and Bogota?) ; very rare iu Cuba; abundant
and resident in IJerinuda.

4. V. huttonl Above grayish-olive, more olive-green toward tail.
Below }>ale grayish-bull'. ()rl)ital ring very Vtroad, yellowish-white.
Wing, 2..")0; tail, 'J.Oo; tarsus, .(»7 ; bill, .24. Jlab. Calilbrnia; ia
winter, Western Mt'xieo to Oaxaea.

L Only one band on wing, and this indistnict.

5. V. belli. Al)Ove ashy-olive, more virescent postoriorly. ^rnrk-
ings on side of head not well defined. Beh^w dull whitr, with a
slight bully tinge, strongly stained with yellow on sides and Hanks.
Upper feathers of middle row of wing-eoverts passing into paler at
tip, producing an indication of an anterior band. Wing, 2.20; tail,
1.80; tarsus, .09; bill, .2."). II((b. iMains between the Mississippi
Valley an<l the Roeky Mountains, from Dakota to Texas ; in winter
south to Tehuantepec, Mexico.

G. V. pusillus. Above grayish-ash. very slightly tinged with olive
on rump. Below dull white, asliy laterally, the Hanks with the
slightest possible tinge of yellow. Wing, 2.30; tail, 2.20 ; tarsus,
.01); bill, .24, .13 deep. Hah. Arizona; Cape St. Lucas, Lower
California; California north to Sarramento City.
7. V. vicinior. Above bluish-ash, below ashy-white, scarcely
more ashy laterally. Lores entirely ashy-white. Wing, 2.00 ; tail,
2.40; tarsus, .07; bill, .20, .18 deep. Ilab. Fort Whipple, Arizona.

Vireo atricapillus, Woodiiofse.

BLACK-CAFFED YIBEO.

Fireo afrkapiUus, Woodiiottse, Pr. A. N, So. 1852, 60 (San Pedro, Tex.). — Ib. Sitgreaves's
Rep. 1853, 75, pi. i. Birds. — Cassix, lllust. 1854, 153, pL x.xiv. — IJ.viUD, Birds N.
Am. 1858, 337 ; Rev. 353. — Coopek, Orn. Cal. 1, 1870, 121.

Sp. Char. (Xo. G.818.) Top and sides of head and neck black ; rest of upper parts olive-
preen. Wing and tail feathers almost black on
their upper surface, the quills and rectrices edged
with olive (paler on the exterior primaries), the
•wing-coverts with two greenish-white bands on
a blackish ground. Broad line from bill to and
around eye (not meeting on forehead) with under
parts white ; the sides of ])ody olivaceous ; the
axillars and inner wing-coverts (perhaps crissum) Virfo ntn'capiUtu.

1 Vireo carmioli, Baikd, Review Am. B. I, 1865, p. 356. Hab. Costa Rica.

384 XORTII AMEinCAX 1UIM)S.

yellowish. Bill Idack ; ftM»f p1iunl»«'otis ; iris l>ri;rlit n-*]. First qnill loss tliati linlf tho
se<<>ntl, wliiili alioiit ('(iiiiils the ti'nth; tliirtl littU' sluHtor than timrth (lonp'st).

Fvinnlr. With the black irplaccU hy dull slatr; lower parts o<hraceoiis-whir»' nn-dially.
I*<»ssil»ly a distiiict speries (Ma/atlaii).

(No. (>,S18.) Fresh spf.iiiu-ii : Total leu«,'th, 4.7'»; expanse of wind's 7. *J'>; wing frotn
carpal joint. 'l.Vl. Prepared specimen: Total lenirlh, 4.10; wing, 'i:i'>\ tail. I.!).').

Il.vn Southern I'order of Wotern Texas; Mazatlan.

The Idack head of this spt'iies, as far as known, makes it unitine in the
genus. It is extremely rare, but tliree or four specimens bein^i; known.

We reh'r to tliis species a specimen — probably a female — obtained at
^lazatlan, fui tlie western coast of Mexico, in April, by Colonel (Irayson (S.
1., Xo. ."ir),04b). This specimen iliflcrs fr«»m tho.se from Texas in havin«j: tluj
black of the head replaced by a dull dark slate-color, the (dive above rather
less virescent, and the lower parts not pure white, but somewhat bully. A.s
all the other essential characters are identical, there being in l)oth the
white space covering the whole lore, and orbital ring interruptecl on top, —
features not seen in any other s]>ecics, — we have little ln'sitation in con-
sidering them the same sj»ecies ; whit h o})inion is moreover strengthened by
the fact, that among the Texas sjiecimeiis, all with black caps, there are
no females.

Habits. Of the genend history and haliits of this rare species very little
is known. It was first met with by Dr. Woodhouse, on the 2(>th of May,
18")!, in Western Texas. This was on the Ilio San I*edro, within ten miles
of its source. He found it amon«jf some cedars and was attracted bv its very
singular notes. It was in continual motion, likr* a Wo<m1 Warbler, and was
by him at first sup]»osed to be one of those birds. He obtained two speci-
mens, both of which ju'oved to be males.

Mr. John H. Chirk, the naturalist of the Mexican Boundary Commis.sion,
likewise found this s])ecies in Texas, and not far from the same locality in
which it was discovered 1)V Dr. Woodhouse. His attention also was drawn
to the bird by its shrill discordant cliirj), which it uttered inc^essantly in its
pursuit of insects. Three specimens only were seen, and all of them at one
localitv, the vallev of the Ilio San Pedro, to which it seemed to be confined.
It was not at all shy, and showed no concern when Mr. Clark ap])roached
within a few rods. Its constant motion, hopping incessantly from branch
to branch, made it a matter of some ditiiculty to procure specimens. It
was found in June, and the single specimen shot by Mr. Clark was also a
male.

^ \ lUKuMD.K — Tin: vii:i:«)s. 3^,5

Vireo noveboracensis, I'.onap.

WHIT£-£Y£D VIBEO.

Musrl'i /nt nnrrhomrrHMi's, C,y\. Sy«^t. Nat. I, MsH, l»i7 (tStnn Fhjn'frhrr, PF.NNANT, Arrtir

Z«M.I. li, :{M»). /7/r.» nov.h. \V^\. ol.s. Wils lM»:,. Ai i.. : ( ' \»in. H.\ii:i»,

llirtls N. Am. IS.'.S, ;}:J*s ; U.v. :{:)4. Max. S. i.aii i:, I' '/.. S. ls.-,7, •J(U (XalapiU;
■J-J>H \V«Ta (luz). - Sri.ATK.lt A; Sa I. VI \, II. is, II, lS«;o, ^74 (Tohaii. (Jiiat. ». .Ionk.s,
Nat. IJriiiMula, 1H.'»1», 71 (rcsitlt'iitK - Taii. .Imir. III. 4»>'.» (< 'n'>aK < llNl»i,A< ii, ("iih.
.I«»ur. 1H»;1, .{•Jl (riiliii ; lair). — Samiki>, llinl.s N. Ku;^. •J7.'». /V/mi i,nisi,n.s, Vikii.l.
Ois. .\m. S.pt. I, 1SU7, H:J, pi. liii. Mustinifn iii„f<ifn.'; \\n.s. II, IMo, 2«»«), pi. xviii.

Fiffuns : Ari>. Om. llioj;. pi. Ixiii. -lu. IJinls N. A. IV, pi. ccx!.

Sf. CiiAU. (No. I0,lli:j ^.Illinois.) First piiuiiiiv alMnit luill' tin- h'U'..rtli of .mh-otkI.
wliicli is hinirtT than .s«Moiulari«'s, ami alu)ut rtMial \n tjic ci'/iifli: the roiirtli l«)ii"-fst • tliird
an<l litth iittli' siiorttT.

Al>ov»' (piitr olivc-^Tfoii ; sidt'.^ of neck, and a l^oss imi its iippfi- siirlacc, .-isjiv. Tho
initldic cMiu-t'ah'd portion of fratlicrs of lo\v«-r l»ack and rinn]> pale siilplnu-yclluwisli.
nt'iu-ath white; the eiiin and lower cheeks with a jrrayish tinire; the .sides of iirea.^t am]
hodv, with axiUais and hase of erissinn (more faintiv). hriirht yellow; the inner win"-
coverts and rest of crissnin much ))aler, almost wdiite. A hroad yellow line from nostrils
to and contimions with a yellow rim: round the eye. which is encircled exteriorl}- l»v
olivaceons; a dusky loral, hnt no jiost-iwular spot. Win^r- with two c(»vert-l>ands and
innermost s«-condaii«'s externally, hritadly yellowish-white; rrst of (piills edired externally
with olive, excej)t the two outer and tips of nijicr primaiirs. which are^'rayi>h. liectrieos
edited externally with olive, except outermost, which is bordered hy jrrayish. All the lontr
quills l)on1ere(l internally l>y whitish. l>ill l>lue-hlack. pah-r on the e<lifes ; leps dark
plumbeous. Iris white. Total len<rth. 4.!»> ; wiu<r, 2.40; tail. 2 I'M.

Hah. United States, west to base of M.>ckv Miumtains: south to Guatemala; Bojrota?
Very rare in Cuba. Abimdant and resid«'nt in the ncrmiidas.

Specimeii.s vary .sliu^litly in a greater amount of a.^liy on tlie liead, and les.s
brilliancv of the yellow of head and side.s. Sometimes there is a decided
ashv .shade in the white of throat and iui];nlum, which airain has a very faint
tinuje of yellowish.

Haihts. The White-eved Vireo is one (d" the most common and one of
the most widely diffused of its 1,'entis in all parts of the rnitcd States east
of the IJockv ^Fountains. Tt apparently breeds in ;dl parts r»f the Union,
from Texas and the Indian Territory on the southwest to Iowa and Wiscon-
sin, and as far to the northeast tis Massnchtisetts. In the last-named State
it Ix'fomes exc(»edinij;ly rare, an«l beyond it is ajijKirently not found, none
havinn; been met with either by Messrs. Verrill or IJoardmaii in any part of
Maine. In Western Ma.ssachusetts it was not found by Mr. Allen, though
it occurs in the ea.stern part, ahnig the coast. Mr. Dresser found it common
in Western Texas, many remairdng there to breed, and Dr. Woodhouse also
found it abundant in Texas, Xew Mexico, and the Indian Territory, where
it freciuented the thickets borderiiiLj on the .streams. It breeds abundantly
in the Northwest States of Illinois, Iowa, and Wisconsiu. It also breeds in
the Islands of Bermuda.

49

386 ^OUTIl AMKRICAN* BIRDS.

Ill tlie wiiitur iiinnths this species retires to the more southern Spates, and
to ^.Kxieo and (entnil uiid Snutli America, thou^'h Sumiehi-.ist does nut give
it as «»t'iurrinL,' in the department of \'eia Cruz. Nuttall t'ound it in Soutli
rarolina in tiio middle of January, and Wilson met with them in full song in
( loorgia in Fehruary. The fact that it was seven weeks after this before they
made their appearance in reiinsylvania is given by that writer as evidence
of tlie gradual progression made by this species in its movements nortliward,
regulated by the development of the season. Audubon, however, states the
first of March as about the time of its first appearance in Louisiana, lie
also mentions that this species is a constant resident in the Floridas dur-
ing winter, and also in the lower portions of Alabama and Georgia. A
large number also pass farther south, as is shown by the abundance of the
arrivals in early spring on the coast of Texas. Mr. Audubon states also
that Townsend met with them on the ('oluinl)ia IJiver, and that he himself
found them along the coast in Elaine, Xova Scotia, and Labrador. This,
however, I am inclined to consider a misstatement, as they have not since
been detected either west of Dakota or north of the 42d parallel.

This Vireo is one of the most conspicuous singers of thii^ family. Its
songs are more earnest and louder than those of any of our Eastern species,
and exhibit the greatest variations, beginning in the earlier jxirt of the sea-
son with a simple low whistle, but changing in May into a very quaint and
peculiar succession of irregular notes. Some of these are very softly and
sweetly whistled, while others are uttered with a vehemence and shrillness
that seem hartlly jutssible in so small a bird.

This is an un^us])ecting and familiar bird, permitting a near approach, and
when whistled to will often stop and eye you with marked curiosity, and
even api)roach a little nearer, as if to obtain a better view, entirely uncon-
scious of any danger. This is not s«i, however, when they have a nest. On
this occasion they exhibit great uneasiness when their nest is visited, ap-
proaching very near to the intruder, looking down upon him with marked
expressions of uneasiness, and scolding all the while with great earnest-
ness, and with a hoarse mewing that is very peculiar. This disjday is
continued even after the fledglings are full grown and able to take care of
themselves.

The food of this s])ecies in early summer is almost exclusively small in-
sects, which it gleans with great assiduity. In Eastern Massachusetts, like
all its kindred, it feeds eagerly upon the young larvae of the destructive
canker-worm, and doubtless, in the wilder j)ortions of the country, is of con-
siderable service in restricting the increase of this scourixe.

The White-eyed Vireo may usually be found in wild, sw%ampy, open
grounds, near the edges of woods, and where there are small thickets of
smilax and other briers and wild vines, in the midst of which it often builds
its pensile nest. These nests are rarely, if ever, more than three or four feet
from the ground. Two nests of this l)ird, one from Xeosho Falls, Kan., s.

VIIIK( )X1D.K — THE VIRE(JS.

o87

tlie other from Lynn, Mass., may l>e taken as eliaraeteristic of the species.
They are ahiiost exactly hemispherical in shape, their height and diameter
being the same, — three inches. They were .suspended from hjw bushes,
Iianj^ing from the extreme ends of tlie twigs, among which the nests were
fastened by fine impacted masses of wuod-mos.ses, which are very nicely and
elaborately interwoven with the lower portions of tlie outer covering of the
nest. The latter is comi)osed of a singular medley of various materials,
among which may be noticed broken fragments of dry leaves, bits of de-
cayed wood and liark, coarse Idades of grass, vari(ais vegetable fibres, lichens,
fragments of insects, mosses, straws, stems, etc. These are all wrapped round
and firmly bound together with strong hempen fibres of vegetables. AVithin
this outer envelope is an inner nest, made of the finer stems of grasses
and dry needles of the white pine, firmly interwoven. For the size of the
bird, these nests are proportionally larger and deeper than any others of the
common kinds. The cavity is two or two and a half inches deep.

The eggs are usually live in number. One from (Georgia measures .77 by
.55 of an inch, and is of an oldong-oval shape ; another, from ^lassachusetts,
is nmcli more broadly ovate, measuring .80 by .02. Their greatest breadth
is .05 of an inch, and their length .8(1. Thev have a clear crvstal-white
ground, spotted about the larger end with fine dark-purple and reddish-brown
dots.

This species is one of the most common foster-parents of the Cowbird,
the eggs of which are always tenderly cared for, and the offspring nurtured
by them, always to the destruction of their own nestlings.

Vireo huttoni, Cvssix.

HUTTOirS VIBEO.

Vireo huttoni, Cassin, Pr. A. X. Si-. Phila. 1851, I'M) (Monteivy, Cal.">. — In. 1852, pi. i,
tig. 1. — Baiuo, Birds X. Am. 1858, 339, \A. Ixxviii, lig. 2: I{<v. 357.- S( latek,
P. Z. S. 1858, 302 (Oaxara) ; 18(>2, lU (La Paratla). — lu. Catal. 1801, 358, no. 25G.
— CooPEiJ, Ora. Cal. I, 1870, 121.

Sp. CnAR. (Xo. 3,72.').) Fiist quill rather le.<s than half soeond. whidi about oquals the
tenth ; third a little lon^'er than seventh ; fourth and fifth nearly equal, and longest. Tail
sliiihtly rounded, shorter than wings. Bill very
small.

Above olive-green ; brightest behind, esj^ecial-
ly on rump and edging of tail, duller and more
ashy towards and on top and sid(\s of head
ami neck. Wings with two bands on coverts,
and outer edges of innermost secondari(\s rather
broadly olivaceous-white; other quills edgt^l ex-
ternally with olive-green, paler towards outer

primary; internally with whitish. Lateral tail-feather edged externally witli yellowish-
white. Feathers of rump with much concealed yellowish-gray.

388 XORTII AMERICAN -fURDS.

riuler parts palo <)livar('oiis-yelli>wisli ; purest beliiiid, liirlitcst on the throat and abdo-
men : tlu' breast more oHvaceous, the sidrs still di'eper olive-j,'reeii, the breast soiled with a
sliiiht hiiHy tin^'e. Axillars and crissutn yellowish ; the inside of wiiii^^s whitish. Loral
reunion and a narrow space around eye <hill-yell<»wi>h, in taint coiitnust to the olive ot" head,
liill liorn-eolor al)«)ve. jtaler l»<'l«)W ; legs dusky.

Total length, 4.70; wing, 2.40; tail, 2.0"); dillerenee between tenth and longest qnills,
.43 : exposed jmrtion ot" lirst primary. .72, ot" second. 1..V2, of longest, lointh, and fifth
(nieasureil from exposed base of lirst primary). l.UO; length of bill from forehead, .4.>, from
nostril, .2!>, along gape, .(JO; tarsus, .72; middle toe and claw, .50, claw alone, .IG; hiud
toe and claw, .4.'), claw aU)ne, .22.

IIab. Califoinia and Western Mexico, to Uaxaca ; La Parada (ScL.j ; Orizaba (alpine
region, resident, SiMieiiii.).

The tleserijHion just oiveii is based iijuni the tyi)e speciinen, ])robably in
winter i)luinage. Springs sj)ec'iniens ('o nut vary materially except in greater
purity of white e(Jg;ing;s of the feathers. Two Mexican specimens are rather
lari'er, the win«4 measurini' li.r)(^ the tail 2.'Ml Xo other dilferences are
ai)preciable. In general the first i)rimarv is about half the second, sometimes
rather less.

This species is readily distinizuished from other Vireos, excepting V.
moihsfKs, which it greatly resen les in the small bill, form, coloration, and
size ; nor indeed is it easy to separate them. In modest us, however, the
first quill is usually more than half the second, not less; the wing shorter,
and less pointed ; the tail longer. The u})j)er parts are more uniform, not
much brighter towards runtp.

Habits. This species is one of comparatively recent origin, and of its his-
tory but little is as yet known. It was first described by Cassin, in ISol, from
a specimen obtained in Monterey, Cal. It has been found in various parts
of California, in the valley of the (iila, and in the northern and eastern j)or-
tions of Mexico. Mr. Sumichrast gives it as a resident of the alpine region
of the Department of Vera Cruz.

Dr. Cooper has oliserved tliis l>ird near San Diego, late in February, where
he at first mistook it for the Kubv-crowned Wren, a bird that winters there
in al)undance, and which he states resembles this species closely in appear-
ance and habits. Two of them came to within a few feet of where he sat,
scolding in a harsh tone. He reco«j:nized then their lamer size and different
plumage, as well as their remarkably large eyes, and a peculiar slowness and
deliberation in their movements as they searched the foliage for insects.

Dr. Coo}>er has since found them wintering plentifully up to latitude 38°.
Having observed but few of them in the Coast Eange, in May, he thinks that
most of them go farther north in summer. At San Diego, however, he sliot
a female, on the Uth of March, containing an iif:f<;r nearly ready to be laid.
He had not been able to find the nest, which is presumed to be built in the
dense shade of the evergreen oaks (Qxarus ofjrifolia). Tlieir song is said to
consist of a few short and (piaint notes. Among the memoranda of Mr.
Xantus, made at Fort Tejon, I find the following : (Xo. 1,827.) Xest and

192S

VIRK()XII)/K — TIIK VIREOS. 389

(i'^*^s of Vitro JntffonI, louiid May 8, one foot from the ground, under liii^li
trees, sus}»ended from three high stems of weeds, fastened to tliem, l)ut very
loosely put together. The eggs had been incubated. He furnished no fur-
ther description of nest or eggs.

Vireo belli, *Aud.

BELL'S VIBEO.

Vireo belli, Ai'D. Birds Am. VII, ltS44, 333, pi. eccrlxxxv (Missouri Iiivcr^. —Cassis,
Pr. A. N. Sc. Phila. 1851, 150. — Haikd, lUnls N. Am. 1;>.">}S, 337; iJ.v. 35S. —
SrLATKH, C'atal. 1801, 42, iio. 258.— Hon. Cousp. 18.">t>, 330. — rooi'i:!:, Orn. Tal. 1,
1870, 123.

Sp. CiiAH. (Xo. 1.1)20.) Above olive-jrreen, brijjflitcst on the* nnnp ; tinjjt'd anteriorly
with ashy ; the top and sides of head ashy, in faint eontrast. A line from nostiils to eye
(scareely beyon<l it), and eyelids very pale yellowish-white; lores dusky. Under parts,
ineludiiij^ inner wing-eoverts, and
edge of wing, creaniy-white ; the
sides, axillars, an<l crissuni pale yel-
low (sides of lower neek and of
breast glossed with olivaeeous, faint-
est on the longer feathers of the lat-
ter. Two rather narrow Ijands on the
winjif-eoverts, and the outer edu'es of
iinierniost secondaries white ; the

other quills edged with faded tdivaceous. Inner edges of quills whitish. Tail-feathers
brown, edged externally with olive; internally fadinjir into paler bi-own. Median portion
of rump feathers concealed with pale yellowish. Bill horn-color above, pale below. Lv^xs
plumbeous. " Iris brown."

First (juill spurious; not quite half the second, which is al>out equal to the eighth ; third
and fourth fpiills longest ; iifth scareely shorter. Tail nearly even, or a little rounded, the
feathers nairow.

Total length, 4.20; wing, 2.18; tail, 1.90 ; tarsus, .75.

Hab. United States, from Missouii River to l>as(; of Rocky Mountains; Tehuantepee,
Mexico (October, Sumicuuast) ; Missouri (IIovj ; Iowa (Allkx) ; Southeast Illinois
(Ridgway).

The above description is taken from a type specimen received from Mr.
Audubon, and represents the average spring phimage. Autumnal skins are
ratlier brighter, and there is occasionally an oclHaceous tinge on the white
of the under parts.

This si>ocies at first siglit appears like a miniature of V. ffUrva, the head
being almost exactly similar. The back is, however, much brighter olive,
the sides and crissum deeper yellow. The su]^rciliary light stripe is shorter.
The white markings of the wings are wanting in yilvus. The wing, tail, and
feet are entirely different in their projjortions.

Habits. This species was first ])rociired by ^Fr. Audubon's yiarty in the
excursion to the Yellowstone liiver, in what is now known as Dakota Ter-

^ A

Vireo belli.

390 NUUTII AMERICAN J3IRDS.

ritoiy. In his account of it Mr. Audubon states that it is usually found in
the bottom-lands along tlie shores of the Upper Missouri liiver, from the
neii'hborhood of the Black Snake Hills, as iar as they ascended tliat liver. In
its habits he describes it as more nearly allied to the White-eyed Vireo than
any other.

Dr. Woodhouse, in his report of the Zuni Iliver Expedition, mentions find-
ing this species aljundant in Texas. Mr. Dresser als(j speaks of it as not
uncommon, during the summer, near San Antonio, and remaining there to
breed. He mentions finding a nest on tlie '2d of July in a vrmtdte bush
near the San Pedro, containing three eggs of this species and one of the Cow-
Bunting. Being anxious to procure the parent bird he left it, but on his
return the nest had been torn and the Vireo's eggs smashed. Dr. Ileermann
found a nest on the Medina about the .same time. He describes this nest as
beautifully formed of fine gi^asses, and hung from the small twigs of a tree.
The eggs, four in nundjer, were very small, white, with an occasional reddish
dot at the larifer end. The nest found by Dr. Ileermann was attached to the
pendent twigs of a willow. The stomachs of these Vireos were found to
contain small green caterpillars.

Dr. Coues met with this species near Fort Riley, May 23. It appeared to
be ([uite common, and was found inhabiting thickets and clumps of bushes,
like V. novchonmnsis, but having a very different song, the peculiarity of
which first attracted his attention. Mr. Ilidiiway found it to be a connnon
summer resident in the thickets and copses of Southern Illinois, esi>ecially in
the prairie districts. He first met with it on the 8th of June, 1871, on Fox
Prairie, in Richland County. His attention was drawn to it by its peculiar
song, which has a general resemblance to that of the White-eyed Vireo, hav-
ing the same odd delivery, Ijut being more sputtering, reminding one some-
what of the song of Trogloihftes axlon.

This Vireo appeai-s to have quite an extended distribution during the
breeding-season, or from Texas to the Upper Missouri, and even as far as the
eastern edijje of Southern Illinois. It breeds also as far to the east as Ea.st-
em Kansas. Its western limits are not so clearly defined. It was not found
by Mr. Ridgway in Nevada or Utah, nor by Dr. Coues in Arizona.

A nest of this species, found in June, near Neosho Falls, Kansas, by Mr.
B. F. Goss (S. I. Coll., 1,875), is pensile ; suspended from two small twigs, which
make the basis of three fourths of its rim. Over these is strongly bound
a finely felted webbing of the fiax-like fibres of plants, interwoven with
slender stems. AVith these are connected and interwoven also the materials
that make up the periphery of the nest itself. This is composed of long
and slender strips of bark, fragments of dry leaves, bits of wood, and various
other fragmentary sul)stances. The nest, unlike otliers of this family, is
lined with down, and the fine long hair of some animals, instead of with
vegetable stems. The diameter as well as the height of this nest is about
two and a half inches.

VlREONTD.?«: — THE VIREOS.

391

Anotlier nest from West Texas, nhtained l)y Captain Pope, is essen-
tially ditVeient in its «'eneral eliaracteristics. It is three inches in dianie-
ter, and but one inch and three quarters high. Tlie opening is circular, hut
only one and a hall" inches wide. IJelow the rim the cavity widens until it
is two and a halt' inches in diameter. The outer nest is made up of an
interweaving of tine strips (if l>ark and dry leaves, intermixed with and
tirndv l)ound around bv strong tlax-like til ires of different plants. Within,
it is lined with fine tlexil>le grasses and stems of plants.

The eggs of this species are from .73 to .70 of an inch in length, and from
.52 to .50 in breadth. They are pure white, sparingly spotted with fine red
dots distributed around the larger end.

31893

Vireo pusillus, Coles.

LEAST YIBEO.

Virco pusillus, f'ouEs, Pr. A. N. Sc. Phila. 1866. — HAir.n, Rev. Am. R. 360. — ?:lliot,
Illust. RirJs N. A. I, vii. — CoorKit, Oru. C'al. I, 1870, 124. / Virco belli, Cooi'er,
Pr. Cal. Acad. 1861, 122 (Fort Mohave).'

Sp. Ciiau. Somewhat similar in general appearance to Vireosylvia giha and siraiusoni,
but smaller. Rill very small ; tarsi len.irtliened. Winijs al)out equal to the tail, which is
lengthened, graduated, and with the leathers narrow and pointed. Exposed part of first
primar}' about halt" that of the sec-
ond, which is intermediate ])etween
seventh and eiirhth : the fourth and
fiflh longest.

Above gravish-ash, with a tinge of
olive behind. Beneath, including the
inside of the wings, white, with a,
soiled tinge on the sides of the
throat and across the breast. Axil-
lars and flanks exhibiting a faint trace of greenish-yellow. Eyelids and a short line from
the nostrils to the eye whitish ; no other stripe apparent. A dusky loral spot. Primary
coverts edged ijidistinctly with whitish, producing an obscure band (a second on the mid-
dle coverts hardly appreciable). Quills and tail-feathers edged externally with pale grayish-
olive, the innermost secondaries with whitish. Bill dusky above, whitish beneath. Legs
plumbeous. Iris of two specimens marked as " light brown," of another as " rufous."

The details of structure taken from No. '2.'5,78r>, of color from No. 23,788 : Length, of
23,785 <J, 4.80 when fresh, of skin, 4.25; wing, 2.25 ; tail, 2.25; bill above, .37; tarsus,
.73; middle toe and claw, .50 ; hind toe and claw, .42. First quill, .70 ; second, 1.40;
longest (lifth), 1.64. (Cape St. Lucas.)

Hab. Cape St. Lucas; San Diego; Fort Mohave, and Arizona; Sacramento, California
(Ridgvvay).

This species scarcely needs com]iarison with any other, except, perhaps,
V. 2)(fUcns of Middle America, which, however, besides belonging to Virco-
nella, and not Virco, as restricted, differs in many minor, but no less essential
points. The coloration of tlie two is remarkably similar, but jj«6///m5 has

Vireo pusillus.

392 NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS.

only one indistinct Kind on the win^, instead of two sharply defined ones.
Tiie Lill is nnieh smaller, and the tail longer, than in piflhuH. V. belli is
less ashy above and less pure white beneath, the sides much more yellow-
ish ; the win*; is also lonwr, and the tail much shorter. V. vicinior is
nuich larger, with the wing longer than the tail, instead of shorter ; the ash
above has a bhiish instead of a greenish cast ; the lores are wholly grayish-
white, etc.

Habits. The Least Vireo is a recently described species of its genus, and
one in regard to \»hose historv comparativelv little has been ascertained. It
was fiist met with at Cape St. Lucas by Mr. Xantus, and described by Dr.
Cones in 181)0. Dr. Cones assigns as its habitat Lower and Southern Cali-
fornia, Sonora, and Arizona, at least as far north as Fort Wiiipple. Dr.
( 'ooper also found it at Fort Mohave. Dr. Cones met with it fifty miles south
of Fort Whip]>le, where he found it breeding abundantly. He gives no in-
formation in regard to its habits. Dr. Cooper states that he found it rather
common along the ujiper part (^f Mohave IJiver, in June, 18G1 ; and in the
following s|)ring, about xVpril 20, they began io arrive at San Diego in con-
sidemble nund)ers. In its habits Dr. Cooper thinks it greatly resembles V.
fji/nts, though it ditTers entirely in its song. The notes of those that he heard
singing resembled very nuich those of the Polioptilas uttering a quaint mix-
ture of the notes of the Wrens, Swallows, and Vireos. They also seem to
possess more or less of imitative powers. At Sjicramento he saw and heard,
in the v/illows along the river, individuals which, from their peculiar notes,
he had no doubt were of this s})ecies, but he did not verify his conjectures.
His suppositions were confirmed later by the observations of Mr. Ifidgway,
who states that he found these l)irds the most abundant as well as the most
characteristic (Jreenlet in the vicinity of Sacramento. It is a species, he
adds, easily recognized, being in all respects quite distinct from any other.
The character of its notes, as well a.s its habits, show it to be a true Vireo.
Its song, though weaker, bears a grejit resemblance to that of the White-eyed.
A nest of this species was found by him near Sacramento. It was placed
al)out three feet from the ground, in a low Inish in a copse of willows. Like
all the nests of this genus it was pensile, being attached to and suspended
from the twigs of a bmnch.

Two nests of this interesting S])ecies were also obtained near Camp Gmnt,
Arizona, in 1867, by Dr. ¥.. Palmer. They are wrought like all the nests of
this kind, below the small forked branches of a tree, suspended from the ex-
tremity of its twills. Tliev each have a diameter of about three and a half
inches, a height of two, with a cavity an inch and a half deej) and two wide.
The external portion, like the nests of the V. belli, is wrought with woven
hemp-like vegetable fibres, strongly bound around the ends of the twigs and
covering the entire exterior. Within this is placed a strong, finnly made
basket, composed of slender strips of bark and long, fine, and flexible pine-
needles, with a lining of finer materials of the same. In one of these nests

VIRE()NID.E — THE VIREOS.

393

there were three egus of the Vireo, and one of a Molnfhrus {ohscurus ?). The
I'oriner were of a hri^ht crystalline whiteness, marked with very minute and
hardly discernihle spots of red, and measure .611 hy .oG of an inch. The
egg of the Mo/of hrua, except in its much smaller size, is hardly distin-
guishable from those of the common M. ijccuris, and measures .75 by .oG of
an inch.

In the other nest were also three eggs of the Yireo. They corresf)ond in
size, but are much more distinctly marked with hirger spots of a dark red
and reddish-brown. In this nest there is a somewhat larger proportion of
fine strips of inner bark, and mixed with these are also a few silky insect
cocoons, by means of M'hich the nest is firmly bound around the twigs from
which the whole is suspended.

Vireo vicinior, Coles.

ASIZOKA VIBEO.

Vireo vicinior, CorES, Pr. A. X. Sc. Pliila. 18(56. — Baiud, Rev. Am. B. 361. — Ei.r.iOT,
Illust. Birds N. A. I, vii. — C'oupek, Oru. Cal. 1, 1870, 125.

Sp. Ciiau. (No. 40,007 ^.) Bill stout, considerably compressed and deep. Wings
moderately pointed, about ctiual to tail, which is decidedly graduated ; first quill rather more
than half the second, -which al)OUt equals
ninth and the secondaries ; the fcMuth and
and fifth lonsrest. Tarsus considi-rablv
longer than middle toe and claw ; lateral
toes quite conspicuous for their dispropor-
tion, the inner claw reaching only tol>aseof
outer, and falling short of base of middle;
the terminal digit of inner toe icaching
only to end of second Joint of middle toe.

Upper parts, with sides of head and
neck, ashy or light plimibeous, faintly oli-
vaceous on rump. Beneath white ; slightly
ashy on sides of Ijreast. Flanks and in-
side of wings showing a faint trace of yel-
low, only appreciaVde on raising the wings.
An obsolete line from bill to eye, and a
more distinct ring round the eye, white.

No bands on the wing, except a faint edging of wliitish on the greater coverts ; the quills
edged internally with white. Bill and legs plumbeous. '* Iris brown. Mouth livid,
bluish-white." (CorES.)

Fresh specimen : Total length, 5.(50 ; expanse of wings, 8.(10. Prepared specimen :
Total length, .5.10 ; wing, 2.50 : tail, 2.G0. its graduation. .22 : diflcrence of tenth and
longest quills, .40; exposed portion of fh-st primary, .85. of second, 1.G5. of longest (meas-
ured from exposed baise of first primary), 1.05; length of bill from forehead, .50. from
nostril, .32, along gape, .61; depth of bill. .18: tarsiis, .72; middle toe and claw, .51,
claw alone, .Ki; hind toe and claw, .40, claw alone, .10.

Hab. Prescott, Arizona.

50

40C97

Virto vicinior.

394 NORTH AMERICAN. BIRDS.

Tliis species mij^ht at first sight be taken for a small specimen of V. pluw-
bcus, the colors, chamcter of bill, etc., being very similar, except tiiat the white
of lores and around eye is much less distinct, the lore without any blackish
before the eye, and there is only one faint band on wing, instead of two con-
spicuous ones ; the tail-feathers, too, lack the distinct white edgings. The
much more rounded wing, and the first primary luilf the second or more,
will, how^ever, readily distinguish them. The form of the bird is very much
that of V. piijiilh(,i, which it resembles considembly also in color. The outer
quill is, however, longer, the bill deeper and more com[)ressed, the inner lat-
eral toe considerably shorter, and the size larger. The colors are purer, with-
out the olive of the back or the yellowish of the under parts ; the bill, too,
is entirely dark plumbeous, instead of horn-color, whitish beneath. From
V. pallcns it is distinguished by a smaller, darker bill ; longer tail and wing ;
one wing-band, not two; and purer colors.

Habits. In regard to the habits of this well-marked but very rare species
but little is as yet known. It was first descril^ed, in 18G0, by Dr. Coues,
from a single specimen obtained by him near Fort Whipple, Arizona. It
was shot May 4, 1865, and is supposed by Dr. Coues to be a summer resi-
dent of Arizona wintering in the Gila and the Lower Colorado Valleys, or in
Sonera.

AMPEL1D.E — THE CHATTERERS. 395

Family AMFEILIDiEi. — The Chatterers.

' •

The characteristics of the A/n/nlu/it: have already heen presented in the
synopsis of allied families ; chief among them, the short, broad, depressed,
and trianguLir l)ill with short gonys, the deeply cleft mouth, the short tarsus,
and the tendency to subdivison of its lateral plates.

The South American genus, DkIhs, probably forms the type of a subfamily
Dulincr, characterized by the much arched gape of mouth, the metatarsal
scutellic in two series, and the body streaked beneath, as in young Ampdis.
The two other subfamilies may be defined as follows : —

• , ■ *

Subfamilies.

Common Characters. Gape of mouth nearly straight. Metatarsal scutellae in
three series. Body plain beneath.

AmpelinaB* Wings very long and much pointed, longer than the short,
I'VL'U tail. First primary excessively rudimentary ; the outermost about the
longest. Gape without bristles. Frontal feathers extending forward beyond
the nostrils.

Ptilogonatiiise. Horny appendages like red sealing-wax at end of shaft of
secondaries. Wings rounded, shorter than the graduated tail. First primary
nearly half the second. Gape well bristled. Frontal feathers falling short of
the nostrils. No red horny appendage to wing-feathers.

Subfamily AMPELIN.S:.

Char. Legs moderate. Nostrils elongated, linear, with the frontal feathers extending
close to the edge and to anterior extremity, concealing them ; these feathers short, vel-
vety, and erect, Avith few bristles. Wings very long and a^ute : outer or first primary .so
much reduced as to be almost inappreciable; the second nearly the longest. Wing nea»-ly
twice the length of the short, narrow, even tail. Under coverts of tail reaching almost to
its tip. Secondary quills with flat horny appendages at end of shaft like red sealing-wax.
Young birds streaked beneath as in Duhis. Adults plain.

Of this family as restricted, we have but a single genus in America.

Genus AMPELIS, Linn.

Ampeh's, Linn. Syst. Nat. 12th ed. I, 1766, 297. (Tj-pe, Laniiis gamdus, L. Named
Linnaeus in 1735.)

Gen. Char. Tail even. Tertials and secondaries with homy appendages like red seal-
ing-wax. A w^ell-developed soft crest,

A more elaborate diagnosis of this genus could be readily given (see Rev,
Am, Birds, 404), but the above characters, as entirely peculiar, will serve to
establish it

396 NURTII AMKKICAN lIIlilKS.

Species.

ToMMON Characters. A lonfrtln'nrd crest of soft MtMnh^d fi-athers. C(»lors!, siofl
silkv ItiDWiiish Itecoiniiii; inoit" viiiacfoiis antrri<»rly. aii<l ashy postj-riorly aWove.
A lilack stripe on side ol" head, troin nasal leathi is aeri>ss l.»res thri)ii;;h the eye
and heliind it beneath <rest. atid a pakh of the same on chin, with a white i^treuk
between them, on side of lower jaw.

A. Willi; variepited. LtiWtr tail-eoverts riifoiH. Crest much developed.
Forehead and side of head brii^ht purplish-nirous. Bhu.k patch eoviMing
whole throat, and sharply dermed. No white line between black of lore,
etc., and brown of lorehead. Inner webs of prhnaries tipped narrowly with
white.

a. Terminal band of tail red.

A. phoenicopterum.' Greater covort-s tipped with red, producing
a band across the wins,'. Xo yellow on tips of primaries. Ilab.
Japan and Eastern Siberia.

b. Tenniiial baml of tail yellow.

A. garruluB. Secondaries and primary coverts tipped with white,
forming' two l>ioad short bands. Primaries with outer webs tipped
with yellow. Il'/h. Arctic re«;ions of both hemispheres; in win-
ter south into northern Cnited States, and alonjjr Rocky Mountains
as far as Fort Massachusetts. New Mexico.

B. Wind's unvarieguteil. Lower tail-coverts white. Crest moderately de-
veloped. Forehead, etc., not dilVcrent from crest. Chin only black, this
fading gradually into the lirown of throat. A white line between black of
lore, etc., and brown of foreheatl. Inner webs of primaries not tipped with
white.

a. Terminal band of tail yellow.

A. cedrorum. Wing bluish-ashy. Hub. Whole of North Amer-
ica, from 52° X., south (in winter?) to Guatemala; Jamaica and
Cuba in winter.

Ampelis garrulus, Lixx.

NOSTHEBN WAXWINO; BOHEMIAN CHATTEBEB.

Lanius (jarrulus, Lixx. " Fauna Sueciea, 2, no. 82." — Ib. Syst. Nat. 10th ed. 1758, 95.
Ampelis (jar ndus, Linn. Syst. Nat. r2th cd. 176»>, 2!>7 (Europe). — Baird, Birds N.
Am. 1858, 317; Kcv. 405. — Boardman, Pr. Bost. See. Nat. Hist. IX, 1862, 126
(Calais, Me.). —Cooper, Pr. Cal. Acad. II, 1861 (18(53), 122 (Fort Mohave, Ar.).
Bomhiicilht tjtrrnd't. Bos. Zool. Jour. Ill, 1827, 50. — Rich.— Arn. Orn. Biog. IV, 4C2,
pi. ceclxiii. — Ib. Birds Am. IV, 169, pi. ccxlvi. — Mavnabd, B. E. Mass, 107. — Dall
& Banxistkr, 280 (.Vlaska). —Cooper, Orn. Cal. I, 1S70, 127. — Samiels, Birds N.
Eng. 264. BuuihjiciUa (jnrru/a, Keys. & Bi.As. Wirb. Eurof>as, 1840, 167. — Deolani»,
Oriiith. Europ. I, 1849, 349 (European). — Woixey, Pr. Z. S. 1857, 55 (nest and p<if^>).
— Newton, Ibis, IS'.l, 92, \>\. iv (nesting). — Nord.manx, Cab. Jour. VI, 1858, 307,

» and VII, 1859, pi. i (nesting). (European.)

Other figures : Box. Am. Orn. Ill, pi. xvi.

^ BombifcWa phoenv^optcru m , Temm. PI. Col. II, 183S ; pi. 450. The A. ph(^niroptcrum is
stated by Temmiiiek to have tlie iias il setic so short as to leave the nostrils exjiosed, and to lack
the sealing-wax appentlages ; the latter condition may, however, result from the iiniiiaturity of
the specimen, as it is very common to find the same thing in individuals of the other species.

J

AMPKLID.K — TIIK CIIATTKUKIIS.

30

pp. CiiAK. (Vest Ifnjrth»MU'<I. iJody jriMU-rally s«»l"t, J^ilky hr<)\viiisli-jL«{hy, with a [nirplish
cast, tilt' wiii<;-<'ov«'rts awl scapulars more luowuisli, lircoiiiiii^'' iiion' r»Mltlisli aiiteiioilv
and ashy postninrly ; tht- rump and iipper tail-ruvfits, as wtll as th«' st'cmidaries, ln-iiivr
iirarly pure ash. Aiit»'iii)ily thr color passes u'radually into deep viuaeeous-ehestuut ou
the loreheail to Itehiiid the eye ami ou the; eheiks ; ahdoiueu yellowish-white. Lower
taii-e«)vert« deep chestnut. A stripe on side of the head, eoveriuj; the lores and nasal
leather.** (sear«'elv nn.'etiuir across the forehead), iiivolviui; the e\e and continued hack !(.►-
ward the occiput and heneath the crest, with a lar^e patch eoverin«r the chin and throat,
deep black; a narrow crescent on lower eyelid, ami a .•short stripe between the black of

the throat and that of the chin at the base of the lower mandible, two very broad bars on
the winir, <">e across en<ls of primary coverts, and the other across ends of secondaries (the
first oceupyini,' both webs, and the latter the outer), white. Primary coverts, primaries,
and tail slaty-black, the latter frrowinjr irradually ashy basally. A bioad l>aud across end
of tail, and a lonjritudinal space alonjr end of outer web of primaries. gambo<re-yell()W, —
the marks on primaries, however, sometimes white, only stained with yellow. Each of the
.secondaries with an expanded continuation of the .shaft, in form of flattened, very thin,
somewhat elli|itical appendages, of a bright \ ermilioii-red resembling red sealing-wax. ^f(lIe
with the white of outer wel) of primaries continued around end of inner webs also.
Female without white on terminal edge of inner webs of prinuvries, an»l with the "seal-
ing-wax " appendag<'S smaller. y')>n*</ not seen. Length, 7.40; wing, 4.r)0; tail, 3.00.

IIab. Xorfhern parts of Eiu'ope, America, and Asia. In America not hitherto found
in the Pacific Province. In winter extending along the Rocky Mountains and the TMains
as far .south as Fort ^fassachusetts and Port Riley; icgular visitor to shores of Lake Michi-
gan and Lake Erie. East of this rarely seen along the L'nited States Ijorder. Fort Mo-
have C???) (CooPKii).

The specimen seen by Dr. Cooper, .it Fort ^lohave, if really of this spe-
cies, fixes the most western locality on record.

For many years authentic eg^s of the Boliemian Chatterer were lijreatly
sonjxht after, hut it was not until isr>(3 that any were brought to the notice
of tlie scientific world, when the late Mr. H. Wolley discovered them in
Lapland. Pearly dujdicates from his collection were sold at five guineas each,
and although a good many have since been obtained, they are yet consid-
ered as great jirizes. A nest, with its eggs, of those collected by ^Ir. Wol-
ley, has been presented to tlie Smithsonian Institution by ^Ir. Alfred Newton.
The only instances on record of their discovery in America are of a nest and
one egg by Mr. Kennicott, on the Yukon, in 1861, and a nest and single q^*^

3J)8 ' NnliTIl AMKUU'AN- IIIKDS.

t»ii the AiidtTsoii Iliver, l»v Mr. McIcFmiIjuu*, Imth of which, with tht* tVinah*
j»areiits, are in tlu* p(>s.s(*ssi(»ii of tlie Institution. Altl»onj,'h thm* is fre-
(iUtMitly consiilerablu dilVerence hrwecn indivitluals, there appears to he no
dill'erence l»et\veen tliose from th«' two continents.

ll.viurs. Thv' Waxwinji is, in many respects, one oi the most interesting^
and remarkahle of the hirds of Xitrtii America. Tiie roving,' character of its
life, tlie mvsterv, still onlv impiMledlv solved, of its habits and residence
durini: its breed iiiLr-season, and its sonu'what cosmopolitan residence in Ku-
rope, Asia, and America, impart to it an interest that attaches to but few
other species. ThouLrh not common in any portions of the I'nited States,
and only a[»pearing at all durinLi midwinter, yet in the more northern States,
in which it is occasionally found, it moves in such larj^e Hocks, and is so
noticeable and conspicuous a bird, that it never fails to make a lastinjj; im-
pression, and hardly seems to us so very rare as it undoubtedly is.

In a single instance, in midwinter, somewhere about 1844, during a severe
snow-storm, a large Hock of these birds made their aj)pearance in Ijoston, and
alighted on a large horse-chestnut tree that stood in au open and retired
place. There were at least twenty or thirty in the flock ; they remained in
their shtdter undisturbed for some time, and their true specific character
was plainly noticeable.

Several specimens were procured near Worcester, Mass., and given to Dr.
Bryant. Eleven individuals of this species were shot in Bolton by ]\Ir. S.
Jillson, January, 18G4, and others have since l)een noticed in Watertown by
Mr. William lirewster. They have also been obtained near Hartford, Conn.,
by Dr. Wood.

Prior to this, as Mr. Audubon states, specimens had been procured near
rhiladelj)hia, and in the winters of 183U and 1832 several of these birds
were also shot on Long I.sland.

Mr. Jioardman mentions that they are occasional, in winter, near Calais;
and Professor Verrill, who did not meet with it in Norway, Me., cites it as
accidental and nire in the State.

It is not common in the Arctic regions. Specimens of the bird were
obtained on Anderson Piver, in 1SC^^2, by Mr. MacFarlane, but he was not
able to find the nest. At Fort Yukon, July 4, Mr. Kennicott met with
the nest of this species. The nest, which contained but one e^^^, was about
eighteen feet from the ground, and was built on a side branch of a small
spruce that was growing at the outer edge of a clump of thick spruces, on
low ground. The nest was large, the base being made of small, dry spruce
twigs. Internally it was constructed of fine grass and moose-hair, and lined
thickly with large feathers. The female was shot, as she rose from her nest,
by Mr. Kennicott's hunter, who had concealed himself near the spot for that
l)urpose. Mr. Kennicott had seen the nest and both parents near it before
it was taken, and had thoroughly satisfied himself as to its complete identi-
fication. - .-.,:-,- -.-■■- -'---r-'-.^ -,-„. ,:-•■■ ':---■•

AMPHIJD.K -Tin: CIIATTKUKIW. ^f)t)

Boss spon!\<< of tliriii as not v.wv thnm^linut flic district in wliicli tlirv
wintt'i', l»ut vet not iiuiih'Ious. lie adds thiit at (licat Twar Lake tlirv are
very l>lriitirul, :nid that tlicv an* rrpnitrtl to nest there. Mr. Pall states
that tliey were 4uite euiiminii at Xidatn, where they did not arrixc lietore
tJune In, or hiter. He ohtained a nundier of skins from tlie Indians, taken
in his alisenee. He adda that it hreetls, and its eggs have been obtained at
Fort Yukon.

Kxeept in a few instances, where Dr. ('oopcr noticed tliis specie's, in
Septend>er, at Fort Liraniie, and also when he olitaine«l an individual on
the Colorado, none of these birds have been seen west of the Ifocky Moun-
tains. The bird obtaine«l by l>r. Cooper was, in his opinion, a straggler from
Kome neij^hboring mountain. It made its appearance .January !(►, alt<'ra
period of steamy weather, and was shot while feeding on the l»eriies of the
mistletoe.

This bird was tii*st noticed in America, in the spring of ISi'i;, near the
sources of the Athabasca JJiver, by Mr. l)runimond, and in the same season
by Sir John llichardson, at (Jreat liear Lake, latitude b.' . In the latter
region he states that they api)eared in tlocks about the 24th of May. At
that time the s}»ring thaw had exposed the berries of the A rb tf f t/.s und the
Vavviniuiu, that had been covered during the winter. It stayed only a few
days, and none of the Indians knew where it bred, or had ever seen its nest.
Afterwards, early in May, 1S27, Sirdohn IJichardson saw a large Hock of three
or four hundred individuals at Carlton House, (jn the Saskatchewan. They
all alighteil in a grove of j»oplars, on one or two trees, making a l<jud twit-
tering noi.se. They staved only alM)ut an hour in the mornini.;, and were too
shy t(j be approached within gunshot.

In England they have Ijeen known to ap])ear as early as August. They
are always shy, and not easily api»roached. In their activity and incessant
change of jtosition and place, they are said to resemble the Titmice. They
feed on the beriies of the mountain-ash, the hawthorn, and the ivy. They will
also feed on insects, catching them as dexterously as Flycatchers. Their call-
note is a single chiri), frequently rej)eated.

Mr. McCulloch, writing to Mr. Audul)on, gives a touching account of the
deyotion shown by one of these l)irds to its wounded mate. The latter had
been so crij)pled that it was hardly able to move. Its mate .stationed itself
on the top of the tree in which it had sought shelter, and with great vehe-
mence continually uttered the notes tzce-tzcv, in alarm and warning, and,
wlien danger ajiproached, flew against it and urged it on to Hight, and
stayed to share its fate, rather than leave its partner.

The nest and eggs of this species remained entirely unknown until tlie
spring of 1856, when the late Mr. John WoUey, an enthusiastic FLnglish
oidogist, fii-st discovered them in Ljipland. The season was unusually back-
\vard and cold, and the ne.sts contained their full complement by the ll^th
of June. One of the nests, obtained in Finland, June 19, 1861 (S. I., 5,327),

400 NOUTII AMERICAN BI; :)S.

cuntaiiK'tl livo Cii'^y^. Ft is of ivinarkaMo sizu in |)r(i])<nti()n to that of it^
builder, ineasurinLj oi^lit inclies in diaiiu'tur. It is tlatteiieil in sliaj)e, and
its cavity, tliougli large, is not deep. Tlie lieiirlit of the nest is tliree and a
quarter inches, and the depth of the hasc is fully two and a half inches. The
cavity is less than an inch dee}), and is four inches in diameter. The base
and outer perijijiery of this nest are of a coarse interlacin*^ of the small ends
of l)ran<hes of fir and spruce trees. Within this is built a ch)se, coni})act
inner nest, chietly composed of a liclien i>eculiar to Arctic retiions, called
tree-hair, which lian-'s aliundantlv from the branches of trees in northern
forests. It resembles a mass of delicate Idack rootlets. These are not un-
common ingredients in the nests of northern birds, esi»ecially of European.
In America, Arctic nests of the A. varulim nsls are occasionally l»uilt of simi-
lar materials. With these liciiens are also mingled fragments of dry leaves
and soft dark-colored mosses. The rim of the nest is strongly made, almost
exclusively of these tine dark-colored li.hens. This kind of lichen is not
always black, but is often brown, and even whitish. In some of these
nests silvery tibres of gr.iss-leaves are mingled with the lichens, and in one
or two there is a slight lining of feathers.

The Li])land nests were built on the branch of a tree, at a distance from
the trunk, and stood uj) from it unsup])orted by the surrounding twigs, and
at the heiuht of from six to twelve feet I'rom the ground. They were gener-
ally much exposed, and were, for the most i>art, built in the more open por-
tions of tlie forests. The general ntunber of the eggs was five, in one
instance it was six.

The nest from the Yukon, obtained ]>y Mr. Kennicott (S. Coll., 6,326), is
smaller, and bears but little resemblance to the European. It is but five
inclies in diameter, of irregular sha}>e. In height ami cavity it nearly cor-
r8S[)onds. In place of the lichens of the European, this nest is made of fine
gra^s-stems, strips of bark, and a few feathers.

Tlie eggs of this bird, the gift of Mr. Wolley, measure an inch in length,
and from .70 to .67 of an inch in breadth. Their ground-color varies from a
light slate to a yellowish stone-color. They are marked, blotched, and dotted
with spots of various hues and size. These are chietly of a dark jmrple, at
tunes approaclnng black. Mingled with these are markings of a yellowish-
brown. Nearly all these spots are surrounded by a peculiar penund>ra, or
shading, such as forms so marked a feature in the eggs of the common
Cedar-Bird.

The eug obtained by Kennicott on the Yukon is smaller than the Euro-
pean specimen, measuring .90 by .65 of an inch. Its ground is more of a
greenish-slate or stone-n dor, and the spots are of a dark brown, with a deep

violet shading.

AMI'KIJDJO—TIIK r|IATTP:Ri:KS. 40I

Ampelis cedrorum, S( l.

SOVTHEBN WAXWING; CEDAS-BIBD.

/1m/hli.<t gnmtliis, var. ^, Liw. Syst. Nat. I, 17()«), •J'.T. liiuithijcilln ctdrorum. Vif.ilt.ot,
Ois. Am. Stj.t. I, 1>(»7, >>, pi. Ivii. - In. Uahii.' Ois. I. 1»34, 180, \A. cxviii. — C.vb.
.I»mr. IV, 1N.'»»>, W (l'ul)ai. (Jindlach, ("alt. Jour. ISGl, :V1X <('uha ; rare). Jtuprlh
ni/ranmi, Srl.An.i:, V. 'L S. iS.'.tJ, •JKiMConlova^ ; IS.')?*, :{0-J (( laxaca ; Jaimarv) ; 1859,
;k)4 (Xalai>a; Cordova) ; l^♦)4, 172 (City ofMfxii'oK — StLATKii tt Sai.vin, Ibis, 1S59,
l:{ ^(liiatiiiiala). - Baii:i», liinls N. Am. Is^.h, JUS ; Kcv. 4(»7. — Tayuh:, Ibis, IbtiO,
111 (Hoiitlm-as). - Makcii, I'r. A. N. Sc IMiila. l.st;:5, 21M (.lamaiia). - Lt>i;i), I'r. 11.
Art. Inst. Woohvith, IV, 11(; (British (.'oliimbia ; iiotiii;^'). CoorKi: & Sicki.ky,
r. K. Kt'p. XII, II, 187 (\Vasliiiijrti)ii T.r.). — Cooi'r.K, Oni. ("al. I. 1>70. 129.—
Samiki.s, r>inls N. Kiiy. 2(5"». Aminlix anierkaun, Wii.s. Am. Oru. 1, 18<»S, 107, pi.
vii. iioinhjuHhi innt rim lilt, .loNKs, Nat. iMrmuda, 18."»i>, 29 (wintt-r). — lllcn. Horn-
hiniUii r'tro/iihiisis, BitissdN, Oru. II, 17tiO, :;:',7 (not liiiiomialK - Ai'D. (Mil. Bio<<. 1,
18:31, 227, pi. xliii. Ir.. Birds Am. IV, 1S42, lU."., [.I. <(xlv. \Va<;lkii. Jmjxli.t
ciirofitutt.sis, (lossE, Birds Jamaica, 1847, V.>7 (January). — BuN.

i Sp. Chaii. Crest inoilt'rntc. 'loiieral aAifv soft viiiacfDiis-cimiamon, (IccjH'st antt'riorly,
more olivaceous 011 back, .si'apulus and winii-co verts, passing' into piii'e liirlit ash on the
rump and upper tail-<-t)Vcrts, and into (hniry yellow t)n llanks and al)d<»iu«'u. Lower tail-
coverts whito. Whole of the win;.? posterior to the irreater covert.s slaty-ash, almost black
Jilon;; end of inner webs of jirimaries. the outer webs of which ar«- narrowly edt^ed with
hoary vvhitish. Tail slat*- passing- into black terminally, tipped with a broad, sharply
delined band of framboLTi'-yi'llow. A broad stri])e of intense velvety-blaek on side of
head, startinj]: from nostril, passinjx across loie, and iuvolviuLT the eye. eontinued from it
beneath the crest to the oceiput ; chin dull I>laek, blendinji" gradually into the I'rownish of
the tlu'oat. A narrow white line acros;? the f<irehead and aKuiLT j^i'le of crown, between
brown of crown aiul black of lore, etc., a narrow crescent on lowci- eyelid and a stripe
between black of lore and that of the throat, white. Mah with each seeondary quill ter-
minated l)y a bright red horny appendaL-'c to tlu' shaft. Fentafe \v\\\i these very small and
few in mnnber, or I'Utirely absent. Ydihi;/. In Licncral appearance similar to the adult
female. Colors mor«' irrayish, with obsolete concealed whitish sticaks on nape and down
back, these strij)es bccomiiiiir very conspicuous on the siiles and flanks and across breast.
Xo black on chin. liump ijrayish-browu ; abdomen and flanks dini^y whitish. No appen-
datres to vsecondaries. and the yellow band across en<l of tail nairower than in adult.

Hah. Whole of North America as far north as Lake Winn ipe;ir and Hudson's Hay. south
branch of Saskatchewan, latitude .VJ.V° (Iii< HAun.^^ox) ; south to (iuatenuila; Jamaica and
Cuba in winter.

•A speeinioii from (Juateiiiala (Xo. rd),-!:.")^ c? ) is alniust identical with ex-
amples fitim tlie L'^iiiteil States, but <litl'ers in liavinu: a small s])Ot of yellow
at the tip of eaeli }nimaiv ; also tliere are red appendages on the tip of a
few tail-featliers, as well as the loiiL-est feather of the lower tail-coverts.
The colors, generally, are softer, tlie l)row n more purjdish, and the ash finer
and more bluish, tlian in a tine spring male from Washington, 1>. C.

A specimen (Xo. r)o,:>l)H ^ , Humboldt Kiver, Nevada, September 10, 18(18,
C. King, K. L'idgway) from tlie Middle Province of the United States, dif-
fers considerably from any other in the c(»llection. The colors are mucli
paler, tlie anterior portions being almost oclnuceous, the wliole abdomen

51

402 NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS.

nearly white. The white !>;ind tiL'ius:s the iureheuJ is very broad; the ex-
treme jjuint of the chin only black. Wliether it is a represeutatix e of a style
peculiar to the (ireat l>asiii, or merely a bleaeheil individual, cannot be de-
cided without ailditional specimens from the same region.

There is so much variation in ditt'erent si)eciniens in regard to the red wax-
like appendages, that the CTuatemalan specimen mentioned above can hardly
be considereil as more than a very highly developcil individual.

Habits. The habits of tlie common Cedar-lJird are eminentlv nomadic,
and, so far as those of the Wax wing are known, correspond in all respects,
except in the more general and especially the more southern distribution of
the present si)ecies. They are found throughout North America at least so
far as the wooded country extends, and they breed from Florida to the lied
liiver country. They are a common bird in New England, and would be
much more so but that their fondness for cherries and other small fruits, and
their indifference to danger, makes them an easy and frequent mark for de-
struction. Their unpopulai'ity has caused their numbers to be greatly reduced
of late years in the thickly settled portions of the country.

In Southern Texas Mr. Dresser found these birds very common during the
winter at San Antonio and Eagle Pass, but he observed none later than the
middle of April. They were seen in Tamaulipas, by Lieutenant Couch, in
^larch, and afterwards in April at New Leon, Mexico. Sumichrast states tliat
these birds are found every wliere and in ijjreat abundance in winter through-
out Vera Cruz. They are there known as the Chinito, and are highly appre-
ciated by the ^lexican epicures. They are et^ually abundant in northern
parts of South America, and also throughout Central America.

In Washington Territory and in Oregon Dr. Cooper speuKS of them as less
common than in the Atlantic States, and Ik^ ovlv met with a few, in sincrle
pairs, in the sunnner. Townsend states thai ».. .and them in Oregon, but
Dr. Suckley never met with any west of the Uolkv Mountains.

In California Dr. Cooper has seen small flocks in winter, as far south as
San Diego, feeding on the mistletoe berries. He found their nests at Fort
Vancouver, and has no doubt that they also breed in various parts of Cali-
fornia.

Mr. Robert Kennicott states, among other memoranda of his route, that,
May 31, on an island in Winnipeg Kiver, he saw a large flock of these
birds, numbering tifty or more.

With some irregularity as to their appearance, they are found throughout
the year in New England, their presence Ijeing usually regulated by their
food. They are, ])y preference, eaters of berries and other vegetal )le food,
except in spring and early summer, when they eat insects almost exclusively,
feeding upon the larvje of the spanworm and the canker-worm, and small
caterpillars, and supplying these to their young. They also feed their nest-
lings with vari(ms kinds of berries and small fruits, both cultivated and wild.
Tliey do not nest until late in June or early in July, and with so much

AMPELID.E — THE CHATTERERS. 403

irregularity that 1 have touiul them sitting on their unhatched eggs as late
'd6 the I2th of Uctoher. Tiiey are a greedy bird, t'ei'ding Nuicicioiisly where
they have an nj)p()rtiinity. They are very uv.ieh attacliud to each other and
to tlieir otl'spring. Once, when one ha<l ])een taken in a net spread over
strawberries, its mate refused to leave it, sutVered itself to be taken by the
hand, in its anxiety to free its mate, and when set at liberty would not leave
until its mate had also been released and ))ermitted to go with it. In the
summer of 1870 a nestling, hardly half Hedged, fell from its nest, and was
found injured by its fall, taken into the house, and fed. Whenever exposed
in its cage its parents came al)out it, and supi)lied it with cherries and other
fruit, unmindful of the near presence of the family. The young bird lived,
and became perfectly tame, feecUng from the liand, and preferring to be fed
rather than feed itself. Besides its low lisi)ing call, this l)ird had a reguhir
faint attempt at a song of several low notes, uttered in so low a tone that it
would be almost inaudible at even a short distance. It became perfectly
contented in confinement, and appeared iond of such meml)ers of the family
as no deed it.

The noticeable feature of the Ce<lar-IJird, its crest, it has the power to
erect or depress at will. In confinement it generally keeps this depressed,
only erecting it when excited from any cause, such as alarm, or desire to
receive food.

Wilson states that in Pennsylvania the\^ collect in August in large flocks
and retire to the mountains, feeding on the fruit of the Vacciniam ul'ifji-
7iosum, which gi-ows there in great alaindance. Later in the season they
descend to the lowlands to feed on the berries of the sour-gum and the red-
cedar. In confinement they are very fond of apples, bread soaked in milk,
and almost any kind of soft food. They are also very fond of flies, and are
expert flycatchers, snapping at all that venture within the cage.

In their migrations their flight is graceful, easy, and continued, and is per-
formed at a considerable height.

It is unfortunate for the horticulturist that this bird has done so much to
merit his prejudices and reprobation, and that he does not ai)[)reciate to the
full the immense services it ren<lers to him each spring in the destruction
of injurious insects. A flock of these birds will, in a short space of time,
devour an immense numlx^r of the larvje of the destructive canker-worms
{Phafcrna') that infest the apples and elms of Massachusetts, and, if per-
mitted, would soon greatly reduc(» their munbers. liut these prejudices can-
not be softened by their good deeds, and the Cherry-Bird is still hunted and
destroyed.

Their nests are usually constnicted late in June or early in Julv, and are
placed in various positions, sometimes in a low bush or tree not more than
three or four feet from the izround, and rarely more than twenty. Their
nests are larixe and bulky, but stroui^lv made of various materials. Gener-
ally they build a strong external framework, six or seven inches in diameter,

404 Xr>RTlI AMERICAN BIRDS.

composed of the ends of twi^s, co;ii*se stems of vejretables, and grasses.
AVitliin this they build a compact, well-made fahric of grasses, grapevine
bark, and other finer substances, lining the whole with leaves and tine root-
fibres. The cavity is large and dee}) for the bird. The parents are fourteen
days in incubating before the young are hatched out, and all this while are
remarkably silent, hardly uttering a sound, even their faintest lisping note,
when the nest is meddled with, though they evim^e great anxiety by their
fearless indifference to their own danger.

The eggs, usually five, sometimes six, in number, have a marked resem-
blance to those of the Waxwing, but are smaller. Their ground-color varies
from a light slate-color to a dec^p shade of stone-c<>lor, tinged with olive.
These are marked with blotches of a dark puridish-brown, almost black,
lighter shades of a dark purple, and penund)rie of faint purple, sometimes
by themselves or surrounding and continuing the darker spots. They vary
in length from .SO to .88 of an inch, and average about .85. In breadth they
are from .(50 to .70 of an inch, and in shape the}^ differ also from an oblong-
oval to one of a (piite rounded form.

Nests of tiiere birds from the Arctic regions are more elaborately built and
more warmly lined, being often largely made up of the tine dark-colored
lichens that cover the forest trees of those regions.

Subfamily PTILOGONATIN^.

Cfiar. Leirs moderate. Nostrils oval, with wide naked membrane above and to some
extent behind them ; the frontal feathers not reaching to their border, and rather soft.
Winirs graduated, shorter than the somewhat broad, fau-sliaped tail; the fii'St quill nearly
half the second. Adults plain.

Although we find it convenient for the present to retain the genera Ptilo-
(jonjfs and MijiinlcHt<:s in the same su])family, there seems little doubt that
they belong to very ditierent fnmilies, tbe'latter being more properly placed
in Tiu'tUihv, as shown in IJev. Am. liirds. It is not neces.sarv that the sub-
ject be discussed here, however, antl we merely give the diagnosis of the two
groups of which these genera are the tv-pes respectively : —

Ptilogonateae. Tarsi srutdlate anterioyly ; not longer than middle toe and claw.
Myiadesteae. Tarsi with a continu* > plate anteriorly ; longer tiian middle toe and
claw.

Section PTILOGONATE/E.

Char. Tarsus stout, sliorter, or not longer than tiie middle toe and claw ; conspicuously
scutellate anteriorly, and frctiucntly on one or other or on both sides ; sometimes with a
row of small plates behind. Wings much graduated : the second quill not longer than
secondaries. Outline of lateral tail-feathers parallel or widening from base to near tip.
Tail unvaried, or else inornate at end. Quills without light patch at base. Head crested.
Young birds not spotted. Not conspicuous for .song.

AMPELID.K — THE CIIATTEUERS. 405

There are two ^eneni of this section hiiviiii,' in hiiet' the following chai-
actei"s : —

Crest narrow, pointtMl, its f«>athrrs stiff, tlifir webs compact ; outiT primaries
broad. Tail rounded .......... Plmnopepln.

Crest broad, decumbent, soft, the leathers loose ; outer primaries attenuated.
Tail even or cuneatu .......... J^tihgonys.

The genus Ptihujoniffi has two speci(»s, one Mexican, the other Costa-
liican, neitlier coming witliin the limits of the United States. The type is
P. cinereus, SwAiNSON (Baiud, llev. Am. Birds, 412), a species of the table-
lands of Mexico, which may yet be found within the southern borders of the
United States in New Mexico or Arizona.

Genus FH2iNOPEFLA, Scl.mer.
Phccnopcplt, ScLATEU, P. Z. S. 1858, 543. (Type, PtiUotjonys nitens, Swains.)

Gex. Char. Crest narrow, pointed behind. Outer i)rimaries broad, not atteimated nor
pointed at end ; the first half the second. Tail iounded, fa n -shaped ; feathers very broad,
wider towards end. Bill leelde, rather narrow, well bristled ; nostrils somewhat overhung
by frontal feathers. Sexes dissimilar ; male black ; quills with median white patch on
inner webs ; tail not varied.

The single known species is glossy black in the male ; the female brown-
ish-ash.

Fh8Bnopepla nitens, Sclater.

SHINIVO-CKESTED FLTCATCHEB.

Ptiliogonys nitens, Sw. An, in Menag. 1838,^ 285. — IJon. Consp. 18*)0, 335. -Heermann,
Jour. A. N. So. Phila. tl, 1853, :i63. — Cassin, 111. Binls T.xas, etc. 1854, 169, pi.
xxix. Cicltfopsis nitens, BAinn, Binls N. Am. 1858, 320, 923. rhitnopephi nitens,
ScLATEH, P. Z. S. 1858, 543 ; 1864, 173 (City of Mexico). — Baiud, Rev. Am. B. 18(54,
416. — CtJoPEH, Orn. Cal. I, 1870, 131. ''Lijdurus yttkatus, Less."

Sp. Char. (No. 8.*27o<J.) Tail broad, almost fan-shaped: graduated .^lightly : not at
all emarginate, and longer than wing. First cpiill broad, slightly falcate, searcel}' attenu-
ated ; more than halt" the second, which about equals the tenth ; sixth longest ; third
equal to seventh. Feathers on nape rather lull, with a lengthened, pointed, narrow,
occipital crest.

Male (Xo. 8.27;')) entirely glossy groenish-black : the inner webs of all the primary quills
with a large, lengthened patch of white, which does not reach the inner margin; their outer
webs very narrowly edged with ashy, as are also lateral tail-feathers externally.

FemaJe (No. 8,274) brownish-ash. paler below : the white of inner webs of quills
obsolete; the greater coverts and quills edged externally with whiti.sh, the anal and crissal
feathers edged and tipped with the same; the outer tail-feather with narrow edge of white
externally towards end.

Innnature birds show every gradation of color between the two extremes described
above.

406

NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS.

Plirpnopi pin n iti iis

Total len.v'th, 7.0U ; wing, 3.SU ; tuil, 4.35 ; len<,'th ol' bill from forehead, AG, from nostril
.31, along gape, .00 ; tarsus, .70; middle toe and elaw, .03.

IIaij. Mountainous region of the
(' southern portions of Western and Mid-
dle Provinces of United States, and
south to Orizaba ; Cape St. Lucivs ; Pla-
teau of Mexico (resident, Slmichkast).

Habits. S«» far as known, this
bird occurs in tlie mountainous
portions of the Tnited States,
from Fort Tejon, Cal., to Mexico,
and from the IJio (Irande to San
I)ie<;o. It is closely allied, in its
api)earance, as also in many of its
lial)its, both with tlie Waxwings
and the Flycatchers.

This species was first detected
within the United States by C(donel McCall, who ol)tained it in California
in 1802. Its habits, as he obseryed tliem, partook of those of the true Fly-
catcher. They are said to be remarkable for their slender, actiye form, in
which their \o\v^ and ample tail, and the elono;ate(l feathers of their liead,
cajiable of bein.ij^ erected into a crest, are cons])icu(nis features. Colonel
Mc( 'all first met with them in a clump of trees on the borders of a mountain
brook, between Valliecita and El Chino. A numl)er of them were to-
gether actiyely engaged in the ])ursuit of insects. They were light and
graceful on the wing, though less swift and
decided in their motions than the true Fly-
catchers. In these eyolutions the bright white
spot on the wing, yisible only when tljp Aying
is spread, wiis quite cons[»icuous, and in fine
contrast with the glossy lilack of the general
plumage. In his journey Colonel McCall after-
wards met this bird seyeral times, either in
small companies or singly. They were always
either on mountain sides, or in the timbered
borilers of motmtain streams.

Dr. Henry met witli this sj)ecies near the
Little Lagoon, on the Colorado Desert. It was
perched on a mezquite-tree, jerking its tail
almost incessantly, as do other kinds of Fly-

catchers, and, from time to time, dashing in irregular curves high into the
air in pursuit of insects. It became ipiite abundant as he approached the
Colorado, occurring in companies of twenty and thirty. At Fort Yuma he
also met with them in considerable numbers late in November, as they \vere

Fha'.noptf)la nitens.

AMPELTD.E — THE CHATTERERS. 407

mi^^mting southward. Dr. Henry (lescriUes its note as a low, plaintive
whistle. He ascertained that it breeds in California by findin*^ specimens
of young birds. He likewise met with this S2)eeies near Fort Webster, in
Xew Mexico ; and Dr. Kennerlv also noticed it, in February and March,
between I*ig Sandy Creek and the Colorado Kiver.

Mr. Dresser obtained two specimens of this species at Eagle Pass. One
of these luul its stomach tilled with the berries of a species ol" mistletoe that
grows alnindantly on the mezquite-trees. He noticed that it carries its crest
erect and much recurved, after the manner of the European Ponm n-isfofus.

Sumicln'ast states that this species, called Ilrifctlto, is well distiibuted
throughout the Plateau of Mexico, but onlv ranges in the vallev of the Ori-
zaba, to the height of about 1,5U0 metres, nirely coming as far as that. It
is also common at Tehauntepec and otlier places.

I )r. Cooper found them quite numerous, in winter, near the ( 'olorado. He
also found them common, in December, about the ]\Iohave IJiver, and in sum-
mer, from Los Angeles to San Diego. They were fcumd to prefer the trees
in which the mistletoe grows, on the berries of which they largely feed,
though they occasionally pursue insects, iu a zigzag ccjurse similar to that
of the Scfi/01'iii.'i niffruam^.

They almost constantly utter a loud cry of alarm, and when jnirsued are
very wild. When wounded, they conceal themselves so closely in the thick
tufts of the mistletoe as to be found with ditticulty. Many left the Colorado
Valley in April, but a few remained. Their notes Dr. Cooper describes as
similar to tliose of the Crested Flycatchers, but sweeter.

It was found by Feilner, at Fort Crook, in April, I8(i(), but has not been
met with near the coast so far to the north.

A nest of this bird, obtained by Dr. Co(»[)eir, on the 27th of April, was built
on a horizoiftal branch of the mez(j[uite {Abjorohiu), twelve feet from the
ground. It was found near Fort Mohave, on the Colorado Eiver. The nest
is a very flat structure, four inches in diameter, and less than two in height.
The cavity is less than an inch in depth. The nest is made almost entirely
of hempen or flax-like fibres of plants, interwoven with fine grasses, stems
of plants, and stalks of a larger size. It is lined with a soft downy sub-
stance of a vegetable character.

The eggs, two in number, are of an oblong-oval shape, nearly equal at
either end, and with a ground-color of a light slate, tinged with a yellowish-
green. Tliey are marked and blotched eipudly over the entire Q)1,)I,, with spots
and blotches of various lines, from a light, faint, obscure purple to deej^er tints
of purj dish-brown, even to black. It is a very marked egg, and unique in
its appearance. They measure .90 by .GO of an inch.

Dr. Coues found this species a summer resident in Arizona, somewhat
rare about Fort Whip])le, but found very aluuidantly a little iarther south,
and a permanent resident in the southern portions of that Territory. It
inhabits rather open country in preference to densely wooded regions. He

408

NUKTH AMKK1(,'AN lURDS.

(lescrilHiS it as a shy, wild, and restless bird, with a superb sonj?, powerful
and finely modulated. I)r. Cuues appeal's to think that this si)eeics has but
little affinity with the forms with which it is usually «,'rouped.

Section MYIADESTE>E.

Thar. Tarsus slender, longer than middle toe and claw ; undivided as in Tur-
didce. Toes deeply cleft. Wings inore pointed ; seeond (luill inueh longer than seconda-
ries, Lat«Mal tail-leathers euneate, or narrowing from base towards tip; generally Avhilish
at end of imier welt. Quills with their extrem*; bases, especially of imier webs, Initry yel-
low, showing a light patch inside. Head not crested, though the feathers sometimes full.
In the young all the feathers with light roundetl spots. Pre-eminent as melodious singers.

But a sin<,de genus of this j^roup belonj^^s to the United States, although
two others {CichlojistH and Pluti/rirhla !') occur in South America. As already
stated, the affinities of Mniiulfstccc are much closest to I'urdidcc^ and this
would seem the proper family for it.

Gexus M7IADESTES, Swaixsox.

Mlliodestts, Swainson, Jard. Nat. Library, Xlll. Flycatt;hers, " 1838," 132. (Type, M.
genihurbis, Sw.)

Gex. Cfiar. Occipital feathers full .and soft. Plumage rather loose. Bill weak, much
depressed. Commissure nearly straight. Hind toe longer than innt^r lateral. Toes deeply

Mniddfstes toirnser*di.

cleft. Closed wing externally with an exposed light banil across the base of the quills,
and another nearer the end, separated by a darker one. Tail somewhat graduated on the
sides.

Of the ten or more described s])ecies of this genus, only one belongs to

AMI'KMD.K -TIIK ( "IIATTKIIKKS. 4(ji)

the limits of the rnittMl Suites, altlioiiLjIi several otliers oecii}*}' adjiiceiit ter-
ritory in Mexico. SeviTal are jM'CJiliar to islan<ls ot the West Indies.

Tlie only two spe<nes closely related to tiie M. tonnsi mli iwv the M. imkolor
and M. obsrurus, which Ixilonj^ to Mexico. They may l)e distin^aiished as
follows : —

All ochraceous band across base of secoiuluries and uppev primaries, conspicuous on outer

surtiice.

1. M. townsendi (rfncrully dull ashy, pak-r beneath. Throat and abLlouien
wliitisli. J/ub. Midtlle and I'acifn; Piovinees ol" L'nited States only.

No ochraceous on out« r welts of secondaries and primaries.

'_'. M. obscuruB.* Hack and winj^s rusty-olive. Il.-ad and beneath ashy, toj) of head
de»'pest ash. Ilah. Mountains of Mexico and Guj-lemala; Ties Marias I>lands.
o. M. unicolor.'^ Entirely dark bluish slate-color, li^diter beneath. Lores black.
Hub. Central Mexico and Guatemala.

Myiadestes townsendi, ( aban.

TOWVSEHD'S SOLITAIRE.

Ptil logon If s ton- nscndi. Am. (^ni. liio*,'. V, -ls:i9, 206, i>l. ccccxix, fif». 2. (For other n*f-
erences sec Birds N. Am. 321.) — Nkwbkuuy, V. K. Utp. VI, Whipple's llip. Zool.
82. Culicivora towns. Dk Kay, \. V. '/ah>\. II, 1844, 110. Mifimbatis towns, Cabanis,
Wieg. Arch. 1847, I, 208. — -Sclatki:, V. Z. S. 1,s.->7, 5; 1858, 97. — Baiud, Birds
N. Am. 18,'j8, 321; Kev. 42i>. - Coortu & SrcKi.EV, P. R. Rep. XII, ii, 187.—
Kenneki.y, p. K. Kep. X, Whii.ple's Kep. 2'.. - Loi:n, Pr. K. Art. lu.st. Woolwich,
IV, 116 (Br. Col.). — CoorEU, Orn. Cal. 1, 1870, 134.

Sp. Char. Tail rather deeply foiked. Exposed portion of spurious quill less than one
third that of the second; fourth quill lonirest ; second a little lontrer than the sixth. Head
not crested. (Jeneral color bluish-ash, jialer beneath; under win<:-eoYerts white. Quills
with a brownish-yellow bar at the base of both wel)s mostly concealed, but showinij a
little below the prreater coverts and aluhe ; this succee<led by ji bar of dusky, and next to
it another of brownish-yellow across the outer webs of the central (piills only. Tertials
tipped with white. Tail-feathers (huk brown; the middle ones more like the back ; the
lateral with the outer web and tip, the second with the tip oidy, white. A white ring
round the eye. Length, 8 inches ; wing, 4.50 ; tail, 3.85. (8.234.)

Hah. Moimtainous regions of Middle and Western United States. (Xot found at
Cape St. Lucas nor in Mexico.)

Yoiiiiiij birds have a Laro;e triani,ailcir ])ale-oehraceous liiL^ht spot on the end
of each feather (rather paler helow), bounded externally by a narrow border
of blackish ; the ([uill antl tail feathers as in the adult.

Haijits. The first s])ecinien of this somewhat remarkable bird was shot
by Captain Brotchie, at Fort ( Jeoroe, Astoria, anil presented to ^Ir. Townseud,
and by the latter given to ^Ir. Audubon. For some time this remained unique,

1 Mifiadrsfes ohst^nrns (Lafp.es.^ BaiiU), Kcv. Am. Birds, 1806, 430. Hob. Mountains of
Mexico to Guatemala and Tn's Marias Islands.

- Mijiadestcs unicolor (Sclater/, Bauid, Rev. Am. Birds, IbGG, 428. Ual. Central Mexico
aud Guatemala.

410

KoIlTll AMKIMCA.V IJIUFH

iiiiil tlio liiiliits of the s|K'cie>5 unknown. Tliiou^'li tlie «^overnnu'nt explora-
tions, lioWL'ver, wc have l>een niiule more familiar with it^» hal»its and peculi-
arities.

l>r. Xewberrv, in his icport on tlu^ Zoolnoy of Lieutenant Williamson's
exi>lorations, menrions findin;^ this l)inl very ahundant in the l>es Chutes
basin. It tlid not l're(|uent either tlense forests or prairies destitute of trees,
but seemed to select surfaces covered with a scattered growth of })ine and
cedar. His j)arty first met with it at the base of Mount JeHerson, in the
canon of Mi)to-ly-as IJiver. In i»i('kin^^ his way with infinite ditlicully d«»wn
this iioYiHi, his attention was drawn by its new and attractive sonj^. There

were several of them in the i»ines and cedars
i^rowiu'' on the face of tiie clilf. He describes its
son^ as (dear, full, and melodious, like that of a
true Mi lilt's. The next day, as he followed (h»wn
the river, in the bottom of the cautai the deep
i^ori^ii was fille«l with a chorus of sweet sounds
frctni thousands f»f these birds. He describes
them as havini,' a habit of sittinij on the branch
of a tree ])rojectin«,' over a stream, or hanuin^'
from some inojectin^' crag, and at times Hying
out in narrow circles, after insects, precisely in
the manner of Flycatchers.

Afterwards, in another canon, the terraced
banks of whit h were sparsely set with low trees
of the Western cedar, he again found these birds
quite numerous, and had every opjjortunity both of hearing ami of seeing
them, watching them for hours while feeding and sin<'inti. Thev began their
songs with the first dawn of dav, and at sunrise the valley was iterfectlv
vocal with their music. He describes their soni: as not ureatlv varied, but
speaks of all their notes as ])articularly clear and sweet, and with strains of
pure gushing nudody that were both sj)ontaneous and inspiring. At that
time, Sei>tend>er .*')(!, they were feeding on the I terries of the cedar. They
were verv shv, and could onlv be obtained by strata«^eni.

Dr. Kennerly, in his IJeport on the birds observed in the explorations
under the charge of Lieutenant Whipple, speaks of meeting with these birds
in tlu» Iif)ckv Mountains, in the vicinitv of the Pueblo of Zufii, in Xew
Mexico. Thence, westward, he occasionally met with it, and usually in the
cedar thickets.

I)r. Sucklev mentions, in his TIeport on the Zo(>logy of Washington Terri-
tor}'-, obtaining a sjjecimen of this species at Fort Steilacoom, April 28, ISoG.
It was very wild and difficult of a])proach. It was the only specimen ob-
tained, and he considered it accidental west of the Cascade ^lountains. Dr.
Cooper, in the same lieport, speaks of obtaining a specimen near Fort Lara-
mie in October, where it seemed to be not unconunon.

MyiarifStfs townst iidi.

AMi'iJ.iD.fc: — TiiK ("iiATTi:i:i:iis. 411

f

I)r. ('(»o|M'r, in liis llinls nf ( 'iilitoiiiia, ilwclls with iiiiicli ciiipliasis upon
tin' (Iclinhtlul iiu'lotly <>t' tliis species. Haviijj,' ahvjiys tniiiid llieiu silent, aiul
with lialiits like the I'lycatcheiH', he was ^uite unprepared to hear them sin^'-
iiiLi in the Sierra Nevada, iind, it" he had not ohtained the l>ird, would not
liave U'lieved that oni- of this family was capahle of sinuiuLT with such
power. Their son.Lj, he says, can he e(>mj>ared with nothiu;^ uttered hy any
other Itird he has ever he;ird in the I'nited St.it es ; for, he adds, it excels that
of the Moekinn-llird in sweetness, hesides Iteini^ entirely oriicinal.

lie met with (»nly a few of this species annMij^ some junipers on the west-
ern slojH? near the summit, in Septemhei, 18r»:l. |fe has always met with
them nearly siu'dv. Dr. llenrv found them at Fort Wehster, Xew ^lexico,
in large numhers, both in fall and in winter. Their hunie. I)r. ('ooj)er thinks,
seems to he in the vicinity of the "jreat deserts of the central re«uons, or the
cedar-covered mountains that intersect them.

l)r. Woodhouse «»ht;iined several sp»H'imens on the Ziini Mountains in
New Mexico, and from there westwiird found it exceedingly al)undant. Its
food seemed to he exclusively herries, and chietlv those of the ceilar.

Dr. Cones also found these hirds rare summer residents in Ari/«)na, and
contirms its ]M>ssession of rare local powers, producing a rich, sweet, and
finely modulated song.

^Ir. IJohert iJidgway, in accom])anying Mr. King's party of exjdorations,
writes that he found this curious hird only occa.sionally, most freciueiitly
among the junes of the Sierni Nevada, and only once or twice among the
mountains east of that range. In July, 181)7, he found a nest of this hird.
It was in a deej> ravine on the western slope of the Sierras, at an altitude of
five thousand feet. It was placed in a cavity of the rocks forming the j>er-
pendicular upper hank of a sluice constructed for mining jJurjMjses, through
which ran the waters of a considerable mountain stream. The nest was about
a foot al)ove the water, and was .as Inilkv as that of the Ifffj>(>rhf/)(rlnts re/us,
and similarly constructed, being composed almost entirely of sticks. It con-
tained four young. AVhen he approached, the female was nuich excited, fly-
in<T before, or runninu: on the «Moiind in the manner of a true Thrush. Mr.
liidgwav makes no mention of its song.

Mr. Lord met with these birds only once, and then at (\»lville, towards the
end of November. All the leaves had fallen, the ground was deeply covered
with snow, and the cohl wjis intense. His attention was first attracted by
hearing a low sweet song, not unlike that of the Song Thrush of Europe,
which at that season was a most unusual sound. On looking around he
saw about twenty of these birds perched on the top sjnays of some white
thorn-bushes. In their mode of darting otf and returning again they re-
minded him of a Shrike. He shot six, and could detect no material
difference in plumage between males and females. In the stomachs of
those he opened were the renuiins of small coleopterous insects and a few
haws.

412

NOUTIl AMEUICAX JURDa

Family LANIIDJE.

The Shrikes.

Cn.xu. Bill very |iowortiil, stroiiir. and niinh r(>inj)ross«Ml, tin- tip al»iuptly hookt'd. deeply
notfluMJ. iiiul witli a proniiiM'iit tooth l»rliiinl the iiuteh ; holh luandihlrs distinctiy notched,
the upi>er with a distinct tooth iM-hiiid, the lower with the point l>eMt up. Tarsi lon^'er
tlian the middle toe. stroii^dy sciitcllate. Primaries ten; lirst primary half the second, or
>horter (occasiomdly waiitiiiLr). Win,!/'' short, rounded; tail long and much graduated.
SiUe^ of tarsi with the plates «iivitle«l on the outside.

Of tills family only a sinj^le gi'iius is known in Xortli America.

(Jkms COLLURIO, Vkjors.

Collnrio, Vi(i(ins, I'r. Z0..I. Soc. \si\, 42. O'}'!"'. /-"nin^'t ''-"'ubitor, L.)
Lnnins, Aucr. (ii<»t of Linn.kis, whosj* tyiw is L. crlsUitKH).
Colhjrio, O. n. Okay. liviiiis Hirds N. Am. 1858, '6'li.

Ge\. CitAU. Feathers of forehead stilfened ; base of hill; ineludin^' nostrils, covorod by

bristly feathers directed forward. Bill
shorter than the head, much com-
pressed, and very pou erful. Cuhnen
decurved Iroin l>ase, the manrlihle ab-
ruptly bent down in a powerful hook
with an acute lobe near the tip. Tip
of lower mandible l)ent upwards in a
hook : the c^onys very convex. Ric-
tus with long bristles. Legs stout ;
the tarsi rather short, and longer than
the middle toe ; the lateral equal ;
the claws all very sharp and much
curved. Wings rounded ; the first
primary about half the second, which
is equal to the sixth or seventh. Tail

longer

CdUvtin ncruhitornidfS.

than the win«rs, much gra<luattMl. the feathers broad.

But few species (jf this ijenus l)elonj]f to America, and these are confined to
the northern portion. For the purpose of more readily identifying the spe-
cies we present a brief diagnosis, and then furnish descriptions of all (includ-
ing a European ally) in a single table.

Species.

A* Outer webs of secondaries wholly white for basal half (mostly concealed

by coverts, however). Upper eyelid white.

C. excubitor.' Xasal tufts grayish-Avhite. Tn other respects, as regards
colors, like exriibiioroides. Wing, 4.20; tail, 4.00; tarsus, .95. Hab.
Euro])e.

1 Lftniiis ccculfifnr, \ass. Syst. Xut. etl. 10, 94. •

LANUD.K TIIK SllUlKKS. 41;j

B» ()iiti'r wtIk »>f S4'ci)n«lari«'.-» lil.u-k to tin* ham'. Ipiwr ryrliils Itluok.

<i. Wliito tTt'Sct'iit nil lowrr t'v<'li«l. UriHMtlj with wavy Wars »tf dusky in
all stair«'s. Tarsus U'ss thiiii l.oo; win;.' inort' than 4..'>0.

C. borealifl. Ippfr hah' ol nasal tults white. iJlark sprotach' honli'it il

altovf ihf «'ar-t'overts l)y lu)a!y wliitish. Srapnlais an<l iipju'i- tail-

covorts a|»[U(>rt<hin<jr wlut«'. Wiii<_'. t.7<>: (ail, 4.70; tarsus. .!».">. I/dh.

Art'tic AnuMica: in winter .»uuth into Initeil States. es[»eeially into

tlie northerji p< it inns.
h. Xo white <'ie.se(Mit on lower ey«'li<i. iJeiieath without bars, except in
vounif. TaisMs nioi-e than 1.0<»; win;.' I''^'^ than 4.'>0.

C. ludovicianufl. Hlatk speetade not honieied over enr-eoverfs with

whitish.

Whiff patch nn jtriumrif-a renrhhig uearhj ok far as end of firsf >/'nV.

Xnsi/I fif/ts entirely hlark.

Black of lore.s and nasal tults Itordered ahove witli lioary whitisli.
Tail white at Ijase; inner wehs of secondaries |»aler toward inartrin,
but not abruptly white. Beneath entirely white, without ashy tiniro
laterally, or aeross briMst. Axillary whitish. I'l^per tail-coverts
ashy-white, scapulars pure white. Win<jr. 4.10; tail. 4. 'JO ; tarsus,
1.10; bill, .')(). Ilah. Western Xorth America from Paiihc Coast
east to a little beyond the ,Mi.s-iis*<ippi, and to Texas. Nearly all of
Mexico ........ var. r .re n h i f o ro i (f e s ,

Blaek of lores, etc., not borderetl above by wiiitish. Tail black at
base. Inner webs of secondaries pure white to the shaft on basal
half. Beneath tiiiircd with ashy laterally and across lueast.
Scapulars and upper tail-coverts hardly dilfeieiit from back. Bill,
.<iO. Jfab. California ami fur countries . . . var. robust its.

White patch oh priinaries rcarhiitf/ ouhj ahont haJf-trai/ to end of

first «i>iif/. \as(d tiefts hoari/-(/rai/ish ahore.
Black of lores bordered above by hoary-whitish. Tail as in elet/ans.
— .secondaries as in ercnhitoroides. Beneath very strongly tiiiired
with j)lumbe()us laterally and across br(»ast. Cpper tail-coverts like
the back, posterior scajMilars only inclining to white. Axillars
plumbeous. Wing, 3.80: tail, o.(>'» : tarsus, l.OO; bill. .'lO. Hah.
South Atlantic and Gulf States .... var. J u d o r i ria n n a.

We now proceed to ^ive a more detailed table of these s])ecie.s, and under
the heading of each shall omit any further description : —

rjEXERAL CoLOH. Bluisli Or pluiubeous a«!h above: the outer edges of sr-apulars.
.sometimes the forehead and rump, paler. Beneath whitt sometimes with waved
transverse dark lines. A broad black stripe from side oi up})er bill through eye
(extending mor»? widely l>eneath than above it, sometimes wanting above) to end
of ear-coverts. Wings (except les.ser coverts) and tail black; the i'ormer with
a white patch across b.ise of primarii's, sometimes on inner webs of secondaries) ;
the secondaries tii»ped with white ; the tail with Iiroad white tips to the lateral
feathers, the concealed ba.ses of which are also usually whit(\

A, Black cheek-stripes involving eyelid only on upper border of eye, and
not meeting across the forehead. A crescentic patch of white in the lilack
l)elow the eye ; upper e<lge of black stripe behind the eye bordered by hoary
whitish. Breast and belly always with distinct, transverse wave<l lines of
dusky. Bill, when mature, entirely black. Length about 10 inches.

414 NOKTU AMKIMCAN 1M1:I)S.

AlK)Vt* liiilit asli. I'ltptT t:ii!-covfits mmiI ion'ln'inl iimrh ]i;i1«t tliiin the
li.ifk. ilu' loniu'r without wuvi'il Hii«'s. Axilliirs whitish.

Iiiiit'r Wflis <>t' scrumhiiirs paltT lowarils ct'irfs. hut not ol' wt-ll-
ih-liut'il while. CoiiccaU'd lia>c> ol" lail-H-af hns. rxtvpt sixili. white.
Tarsus shoiUT than the ^'ape of moulli. LeuL:- i. 1<>.(U>; fxtcut.
1 !..■)(» : wint:, 1.70; tail. 4.7<»; hill ahovf. .s,", ; tarsus. .IK! . . hinrnfhs
B* Black thi'ck-strijtos not involviuu' upper honlt-r of eve (H- uppei- eyehd.
whieh i-^ \\hiii>li, and not nu'etini: ;u loss the toiehead. its ujtper ed^e he-
hind the •■ye with xareely a liirhter luuder. No pateii ot' white on l<»\\cr
ey»-lid. Indeiparl^ unvaried white; in leniaie ohsemvly waved. liase ol'
undiT nianthlile whitish. Leiiiitli ahout 'J inches.

Ahove huhl a<h. rppt-i" tail-coverts and loivliead diM-i(h'dly paler than
the l>ack. Axillars wliitish.

Inner wehs .»t" all >ec()ndarie- (excejit imierinost) white to .-haft,
I'Xcept t'«>r ie>s than terniiuai hallj whieh is hjaek aloiiL; the shal't.
Concealed I>ase ot' rail white, except t>n sixth feathei-. Taisus etpial
to the uape- .......... rxcubitor.

C. iJlack elieck-stiipes involvinir upper eyelid, as in A, hut without patch
ot" white helow the eye; ni''''tini:' in a narrow, sometimes inconspicuous, line
across the lorehead, its u[ijiel' ediie hehiiid the eye not hordered liy lighter.
Beneath plain white, or vcrv ohsrurely waved in hidnn'ridiiKs (^\hv female"/).
IJiil, when mature, entiicly hlack. Leni^th ahout S.'jO inches.

Ahove dark phnuheous-ash. I'pjier tail-coverts and f<»rehead sean-ely
paler than the iiack. Sides ami hreast tiuLi'ed with hluish-<rray.

l>la<k of loial s]iace rather hoary aloii:.; upper l)or<lor. Frontal
daik line niap]tre(iahle or wantinu'. Innei- welts of sceomhiiies
jialcr onlv aloiiii' the marginal halt", au"! not alniintlv white. Axil- '
lars plumheous. Tail-leathers, exiept the iiniermost. with a con-
cealed well-delined white- jtatch at hase, hirirest on the more ex-
teiior one. l^.ill troni nostril. .')(>. I'lider parts often with veiv
ohscure faint waved lines (in the female":'). White pat«-h on wimr
reaching al>out to mid<lle of lirst prima'y. Taisus (Mpial to the
gape. Lenifih. 8..")() : wimr. .">.7*J ; tail. 4.1(> ; hill altove. .S'J ; tar-
.«;ns, 1.00 . . . , . , _ , j iidoiirifniua.

Ula«'k of loral space uithout any liuhttuiin-^- altove it. Fi'ontal
hlaek hand wel! maiked. Inner wehs of seeondiwies (»'xcept in-
nermost) j>ure while to shaft, except aloiiL;- rather more* than ter-
minal halt. \» I:;i-e the shat"t is h.jn'ered l»y hlack. Axillars whitish.
Tail-feathers hlack to Itase. except the loose til>rcs. which ww \svn\-
ish. Dill troiu nostril, .do. rndei- ]>arts without waved lines.
White patch on wim^; reachinu" nearly opjutsite to end of lirst
primary. Tarsus ahout equal to the gajx'. Length. 8.7"> : wing,
4.'_'0; tail, 4.40; hill ahove, l.(tO; tarsus. l.'JO .... ekgaus.

Ahove IJLjht ash-color, I'pjX'r tail-coverts and forehead nnich lighter
t'lan ihe ]>ack, the foiiner sometimes almost white. Sides and hreasl
generally nearly pure white.

I51ack ot' loial space with conspicuous honrv margin ahove it.
Inner weli of secondaries much as in C. hidttn'rhnt'is. Axillars
whitish. Tail-leathers with concealed white i)atch at liases of all
the l"eather>. liill I'voux nostril ahout .'A). Xo wavc<l lines heneath.
White patch on wing i-eatehing nearly op])o-ite to end of lirst pri-
mary. Tarsus longer than the gape. Length. S..")0 ; wing, 4.0.");
tail, 4.*J'); 1 'ill ahove. .S."> ; tarsu.>. l.l'J .... e.ccnhitoroides.

i.aniidj: - Till-: siiiiiKKs.

4 IT)

Collurio borealis, I»aiim».

GREAT NOBTHEBN SHBIKE, OB BUTCHEB-BIBD.

L til ius boreal ift, ViKii.LOT, ( »is. Am. Sept. 1, l>o7, iMi, ].l. 1. Sw. — Ari>. Syn. Ir..
Hiuls Am. IV, 184-2, V^o, pi. n \.\.\vi. - « a.-^sin. - Max. ral>. .lom. VI, 1>.'.S, lito
(I'piMT Missouri). .lnNi>, Nat. I'.'-iiuuda, ls."»7, .'»! 0>' rimnlat. l>i:i:ssi.i: N: Shakit.
1*. Z. S. 1>7<), .")SMt. Cnlhirlo /i,,,->ii/is, llAiiMi, Hinl.-i N. Am. 1^.')8, :{•_'!. ('.ini-Ki; \
SrtKi.KY, 1*. K. lit'i*. Xll, 11, isr.o, isS(\Vaslnin,^iMu T«rnt<»iv>. - Dai.i, it riANMsiri:,
280 ^Alaska). — Sami'KLs, liinls N. Kn^. "JtiS. r,,l!nrii> tmnuilis, |>aii:i>, 1;<\. Am. 1>.
lJ;t)4, 440. L'lniit.s rj'cHhitui; Khustki:, IMiil. 'i'laii--. LXll, 1771.*, ;J>-J (iiol <>f I-innkis).
— Wilson, 1, 180>, 74, pi. v, li,L,'. 1. L-nnns s,i,t. utrl'mnlis, I'.oN. Syii. 1>"JS, 7- {WoX
of (I M KLIN, wliiih cannot Im- itlfiitilitil a> an Amcriian species). -- Cooi-Ki;. (>rn. Cul.
I, 1870, i:i7. — Cassix, Vv. \. N. Sc. l!<.-,7. -'1:5. — Mi i:i:av. VA. Xc\\ IMiil. Jour.
XI, l8r)S», 2->:3 (H. B. T.).

IIab. Whole of Anu'iica north of I'nitcfl States; in w iincr south to Wa.-hinpton, St.
Louis, Prt*sci>tt (Arizona), ami North California: IJcnninla (\vint«-r, Jonks).

Tlio (lescri]»ti<»n of this and tlit' .succt'ediii^" s]>eci('.< will ln' tniiiid (»n i)ane
41.'5. In winter, the colors, t'sju'cially of the iimiiature l>inls, aiv »jiiite
(lilfi'ient from those descrihtnl. The jiVuniauc of the adult, in whitei', dilfers
from that of spring' as follows: the lores and nasal tufts art^ whitish, instead
of pure, sharjdy detined l»la(l<, with,
however, some of the hair-like tihres
Idaekish. The ash ahove is a little
less clear, the white heneath less ]»ure;
the under mandihle whitish at the l»ase.
An immature^ bird, in winter, has the ash
ahove overlaid l»y a wash of reddish-
hrown, ]»rodiu'inii a jaevailinii" uniform
li^ht-hrown tint ; the black on side of
head is reduced to an obsolete ])at(h on
the ear-coverts. The didl white bi'iieath
is evervwhere — sometimes even on the
h>wer tail-coverts ^ — covi'ritl with nu-
merous bars (»f dusky, more shar])ly
defined, and darker than in the adult.

Kastern s]>t'cimens a]>pear to have as nmch white on the rump as Wei^tern
ones.

Haiuts. Tn the breeding-season this sju'cies of Shrike is found in all
North America north of the T'nited States, and is said to breetl also within
our territory, in mountainous distiicts. Such, at least, is the statement of
Mr. xVudubon, and Wilson leaves us to infer the same tiling by nivinj^ a
minute descri]>tioii of its nest and eiiiis. l>ut Audulx.n may have con-
founded this sjiecies with the r./r//A//(>/v>/VA.s, and Wilson, ajtparently l>elievinu
our sjHH'ies and the tvirnhifdr of Kurope to l»e identical, may have luul the

Collyrio » jrnihitoroides.

416 KOIITII AMKKICAN BIRDS.

iRst aiitl clTi^s of the Eiiro])eaii bird in view in his description. We know
<»t' a single recent instance in which this hird has bred within the limits
of tlie Tnitetl States, thouirii it niav breed in Xortliern and Eastern Maine.
Mr. l)(»ardnian spoke of it as common only in winter, near Calais, bnt
he has since met with its nest in Xew Urunswiek, within twelve miles
of St. Stei»lien. It was supposed by his informant to be the nest of the
Canada J.'V, l>ut proved, on shooting tlie i»arent, to be that of the North-
ern Shrike AVhen found, it contained fouj- euus, l)Ut these had hatched
one before ^"t was secured. Tlie nest was found on the hist of April, and
was ])uilt in a L)\\ si>ruce-tree. Mr. IJoardmaii has since seen these birds in
his neighborhood during the summer. Professor Verrill thinks it is only
common in the autunni and winter in Western ]Maine. In Western Massa-
chusetts, Mr. Allen cites it as not verv c«>mmon, but a rc-ular winter visit-
ant, from the last of October to the middle of Ajtril.

^Ir. Kidgway ?iiet with it freipiently in the neighborhood of Carson '^ity
during the winter, anions the willows bor«K'rinijf the streams that How from
tlie mountains. Dr. Cones also found it as far south as Arizona, though
Mr. Dresser did not meet with any in Texas, nor did Dr. AVoodhouse notice
any in his ex])edition to the Zuni. Ca}>tain Feilner found this species com-
mon, in the colder months, in the northeastern portions of California, and
Dr. Cooper gives it as abundant at the Columbia Kiver in Ottober.

Mr. Audubon further states that in .severe winters he has met with it as
far south as Xatchez on the Mississi})])i. It is also not uncommon in Ken-
tucky during the same sea.son, but he never met with it near ^he seaboard.

^Ir. Kennicott's memoranda in reference to this species are to the effect
that he observed one individual at Fort Simpson, Sei)tember 2o, and again
October 22, but on no other occasion. Both of these specimens, when first
observed, were singing. Their notes, he states, were low and irregular, but
were varied and (piite musical. Captain IJlakiston found these birds winter
residents on the Saskatchewan.

In the fall and winter of 1871, a [xiir of these birds was attracted to the
Common, in r>ost(jn, by the large number of half-domesticated European
Si)arrows. For a while they made daily inroads upon these favorites, killing
one or more for .se^' ,al days in succession. They ap]>eaied to keep them-
selves .secreted most of the time, showin<^ thenisidves each dav earlv in the
forenoon, and j)ouncing upon their victims, unaware of their near presence, in
the manner of a Hawk, aiming always at the heads, wliicli were torn otT and
devoured ; generally the headless remains were left uneaten. In one in-
stance where a Sparrow had been struck on the back, an ugly wound was
made, the bird escaped alive, and was .soon after seen, in the middle of Tre-
mont Street, ap])arently not seriously injured. These Shrikes were so bold
and destructive that ]»ains had to be take/i to watch lor and shoot them.
Three were killed, on different days, and each with a dead Sparrow in its
claws, upon which it was feasting when shot.

LAXTID.E — THE SHRIKES. 417

Both ^Fr. Audubon and ^Ir. Xuttall ivler to this Shrike's iniitatin-j; the
cries of (dher ))ii'«ls, aitparently to «U*roy tlieni within its reach. Tlie former
has lieard it utter erics like those of the Sparrow screaniinii; in the claws of
a Hawk, to induce them to come out <»f their cuverts and rescue their sulfer-
ing fellows, and has seen them dart suddenly into a thicket in pursuit of one,
from which wouM soon issue the real cries of the l)ird it had seized. Xuttall
states tiiat in some parts (»f Xcw England this Shrike is called a ^locking-
Ihrd, on account of its imitations of the notes of smaller birds. Its more
usual note resembles the disconhint creakinu" of a siirnboard hinure. He also
states that it has been known to mimic the ([uacking of ducks, so that
these would answer to it as to a decov. He heard one of these birds, as
late as Xoveml»er 10, uttering a low and soft warble, resend>lin^ that of the
Song Spnrrow, immediattdy after changing; it to the notes of the Catbird.

When in pursuit jf small V)irds, it will dart down with closed wings, in
the manner of a Hawk, and seldom fails to obtain the object of its pursuit,
following it \vith rapidity and ])ertinacity thr(>ugh the thickets in which it
seeks shelter. When it seizes its prey, it alights on its back, and tears open
its head.

Its bold audacity and j)erseverance are quite remarkable, and are often dis-
played, in the fall, in the manner in which it will enter an a])artment
through an open window and attack a Canary, even in the presence t)f mem-
bers of the family. It rarelv fails, if it ijains access to the cage, to destnjv its
inmate before the latter can be rescued liy the intervention (»f tliose present,
and only by great promptness in .sheltering the cage. In one instance the
writer was sitting at a cl()sed window readim;, with a Canary hamjin*^ above
him. Suddenly there was a severe blow struck at tlie pane of gla^^s near
the cage, and the frightened Canary uttered cries of alarm and fe'' the
bottom of its cage The cau.se was soon exjdained. A Shrike 1 d- -kI
u])on the bird, unccmscious of the intervening glass, and was ^" jhe ' .}/on
the snow under the window, stunned by the blow. He rev" when tal:en
uj), and lived several days, was sullen, but tame, and ut^ devoid of fear.
He refused raw meat, but eagerly tore in pieces and oured small birds
when given to him. His tanieness and inditference t' ,1* ]»resence may have
been occasioned by stupor arising from liis injury, .ij an<»ther case a Shrike
made a similar attack, but escaped unharmed, and -lougb he remained about
the house several days, was too wary to allow bin .st If to be decoyed within
gunshot.

A nest of the Xorthern Shrike, containiu''* six eijixs, was obtained by
R. Ii. ^IcFarlane, at Anderson IJiver Fort, June 11, 18<):> This is in many
re.^^pects in striking contrast with the nests of its kindivd species of the
Southern States, far exceeding them in its relative size, in elalnu-ate finish
and warmth. It is altogether a remarkable exam]>le of what are known as
felted nests, where various materials are most elaborately worked together
into a homogeneous and symmetrical wliole. It is seven inches in diameter

418 XOUTIf AMKIilCAN lUHDS.

and three and a Imlf in lieij>;]it. The cavity is |)ro])orti<)niitely larcje and
deep, having a diameter dl' hnir and a half indies, and a depth of two.
Except the hase, which is composed of a few twi^s and stalks of coarser
plants, the nest is made entirely of warm and soft materials, most elahorately
interw(n'ked together. These matt*rials are featliers from varions birds, fine
down of the Eider and other ducks, line mosses and lichens, slender stems,
grasses, etc., and are skilfully and artistically wrought into a beautiful and
symmetrical nest, strengthened by the interposition of a few slender twigs
and stems without affecting the general felt-like character of the whole. The
egg measures 1.10 inches by .SO, and is <»f a light greenish ground, marbled
and streaked with blotches of obscure-jjurple, clay-color, and rufous-brown.

Sir John IJichardson found this a l>y no means unconuiion bird in tli(»
woody districts, at least as far as the sixteentli parallel. On account
of its resenddance to the Canada Jay, the Indians call id it the "White
AVhiskey-John." It remains all winter in the fur regions, but is much more
numerous in summer. He states that the nest is Ijuilt in the fork of a tree,
of dry grass and lichens neatly intertwined, and lined with feathers.

Collurio ludovicianus, r.viRD.

SOUTHEBN SHBIKE; L06GEBHEAD.

Laniiis ludovicianus, Linn. Syst. Nat. 17o«», 134 (liasetl on Lnnius lud^n-icioniis, RnissoN,
II, 162, tab. XV, tig. 2.) — Ari). Orn. liiog. I, 1^31, :!(•<», j.l. xxxvii. — Ib. Birds Am.
IV, !•!. ccxxxvii. — C.vssin, Pr. A. N. 8c. lb.')7, 213. ^Jolbjrio ludovicianus, Baii;i>,
Birils N. Am. 1J<.')8, 325. Collurio ludiiv. Baiud, Kev. Am. B. 1864, 443. Lniius
ardnsinceus, Vifillot, Ois. Am. Sept. I, 1807, 81, pi. li. Lanius carolincnsis, WiL.<5,
Am. Orn. Ill, 1811, 57, pi. xxii, tig. 5.

Hab. South Atlantic (and Gulf?) State.^.

The young bird is (piite ditlerent from the adult, differing as does that of
cxciihitoroidcs, but the colors are all darker than in the corresponding age of
that species.

Habits. This sj)ecies, if we regjird it as tlistinct from tlie ejxnhiforoidrs,
has apparently a very restricted distribution, being confined to the South
Atlantic and (Julf States. I am not aware that it has been found I'arther
nortli tlian Xortli C.'arolina. It is not common, according to Audubon,
either in Louisiana or ^lississij^pi, jind jaobably only occurs there in the
winter. I have had its eggs from South Candina, (Jeorgia, and Florida.
Dresser speaks of this Shrike as common in Texas in sunnner, and Or.
Woodhouse states that he found it verv abundant in Texas and the Indian
Territory. These ob-servations may probably a])ply to the kindred race, tv>
cuhitoroidcs, and not to this form.

It is said to be exclusively a bird of the lowlands, and never to be met
with in the mountainous parts, even of its restricted habitat.

LA^'MD.K — THK .^ IlIKKS. 4^9

Dr. Coues found this sjiccics very cciniiion in tlic neiuliliorliood of Coliini-
biii, S. C, tVe(|iu'ntinL; the wooded stivct.^ and wasti' tiidds oi' that city. On
one oct'asi(»n he ohserved a Lo^^erhead laisily t"oiaLjin_Lj for insects in tlio
^a<junds of the Capitol. From the toj» of a tall Imsh it would oeeasionallv
sally out, capture a lari^'e ;4rasv,li(>j)per, and i any it to a tree near by, full of
sharp twigs, it woidd then proceed to impale the in.sect on one of these
points, remain awhile watching the result of its ])erforniance, and then re-
sume its post on the bush, watching for more grass lio]>pers, some of which,
one by one, it caught and imi)aled in like manner, others it ate on the si)ot.

This curious hal)it of impaling insects, mcjre or less common to t)ie entire
family of Shrikes, seems to admit <jf no satisfactory exj)lanation. In this
case the bird thus secured them when apparentlv hunnrv, eatin«: sr>me and
impaling others. Yet, so far as I know, it never makes any use of thos i it
thus impales.

Mr. Audubon states that in South Carolina it is quite common along the
fences and hedges about the rice plantations at all seasons, and that it ren-
ders good service to the planters in the destruction of field-mice, as well as
of many of the larger insects. He speaks of its song as consisting only of
shrill, clear, creaking, prolonged notes, resembling the grating of a rusty
hinge. His account differs, in many r^^spects, from the more minute and
exact descriptions of IJev. Dr. Uachman. In pursuing its prey, he states
that it invariablv strikes it with its bill before seizing- it with its claws.

In reference to its song, Dr. Ijachnian states that it has other notes besides
the grating sound mentioned by Audubon. During the breeding-season, and
nearly all the summer, the male bird ])osts itself at the top of some tree
and mak'.\s an effort at a song, which he compares to the first attempts of a
young Brown Thrush. This is a la])ored effort, and at tinies the note.^ are
not un))leasing, but very irregular.

Dr. Uachman also claims that the male evinces marked evidences of attach-
ment to his mate, carrying to her, every now and then, a grasshoi»per or a
cricket, and driving away hawk or crow as they apj)roach the nest.

He also states that ho has usually found the nest on the outer limbs of
trees, often from fifteen to thirty feet from the ground, < nd only once on a
bush so low as ten feet from the ground. He has occasionally seen these
birds feeding on mice, and also on birds that liad been a})parently wounded
by the sportsman. It will .sometimes catch young birds and devour them,
but its food consists cliieily of grasshoppers, crickets, c leo])terous and other
insects, including l)utterflies and moths, which it will pursue and capture
on the wing. Dr. liachman has observed its habit of pinning insects on
thorns. In one instance he saw it occu])v itself for iiours in sticking uj), in
this wav, small fishes tlirown on the shore, but he has never known them to
devour anything thus im])aled.

This Shrike is partially migratory in South I'arolina, as a few maybe
found all winter, but only one tenth of those seen in sunnner. It is also

420 NORTH AMERICAN 1UUD.<

VL'iv t'oiicl of the little cliani;eal)le uieeii lizuixl, which it pursues with great
skill and activity, hut not always with success.

It is said also tu hreed twice in a season. Dr. Uachnian descril)es their
eggs as white, and Mr. Auduhon sj>eaks of them as greenish-white. Neither
make any reference to their spots.

All tlje nests that I have ever seen of this species, in the simplicity of
their structure and in their lack of elaboration, are in reniarkalde contrast
with the nests of both the hoiralis and the cmdnftHvitfis. They are tiat,
shallow structures, with a height of about two inches antl a diameter of five.
They are made externally of long soft strips of the inner bark of the bass-
wood, strengthened on the sides with a few dry twigs, stems, and roots.
Within, it is lined with tine grasses and stems of herl)aceous plants.

The eggs, often si.x in number, are in length from 1.02 to 1.U8 inches, and
from .72 to .78 of an inch in breadth ; their ground-color is a yellowish or
clavev-white, blotched and marbled with dashes, more or less confluent, of
obscure purple, light brown, and a pur] dish-gray. The spots are usually
larger and more scattered than in the e<^«^s of C. horfdiis, and the ground-
color is a yellowish and not a bluish white, as in the eggs of C. cxcuhitoroiddi.

Collurio ludovicianus, var. robustus, Baird.

WHITE- WINGED SHBIKE.

11 Laniusfh'ijoiis, Sw. F. B. A. II, 1831, 122. — XrrrALL, Man. I, 1840, 287. — C.v.<i<ix,
Pr. A. N. Sc. 1857, 213.— I>aii:i>, IJinls X. Am. 1858, 327. Colhirlo clajans, Baiiid,
Birds N. Am. 1858, 328. Uulliirio clnjanx, Baii:!), lifv. Am. B. 1804, 444. — Coopek,
Orn. Cal. I, 1870, 140. (Acronling to Dhksski: & Sii vitPK, P. Z. S. 1870, 50.5,
who liavc oxamiiuMl the typ*', the L. clcguns of Swaiiiiou is the same as L. lahtora,
Sykes, of Siberia.)

Hab. California?

The description already given is taken from a s]iecimen in the collection of
the Philauel})hia Academy, labelled as having been c<dlected in California by
Dr. Gambel, and is very decidedly different from any of the recognized North
American species. Of nearly the size of C. cn-Hhitoroiihs and ImJovuianv.^,
it has a bill even more powerful than that of C. borca/is. In its unwaved
under parts and uniform color of the entire ui)])er surface, except scapulars,
it differs from honv/is and e.a'uhitoroidcH, and resembles hidorulanvs. In the
extension of white over the inner webs of the secondaries, it closely resem-
bles C. excuhitor. The great restriction of white at the base of the tail —
the four central feathers being entirelv black, and the bases of the others
grayish-ashy — is quite peculiar to the s[)ecies.

The specimen in tlie Philadelphia Academy we originally referred to the
L. ('/cf/((ns of Swainson, alleged to have come from the fur countries, as al-
though some appreciable dilfereuces presented themselves, especially in the

LANIID.K — THE SHRIKES. 421

coloration of the tail, tliese were eonsidered as resulting from an imperfect
description. Messi"S. Sliarpe and ])res.ser, however, as quoted above, show
that Swaini^on's tyi>e really hclongs to L. bihtuni, an Old World species.
We therefore find it exj)edi('nt to tjive a new name to the variety, having no
reason to discredit the alleged locality X the specimen.

Collurio ludovicianus, var. excubitoroides, Baird.

WESTERN L060EKHEAD ; WHITE-RUHPED SHRIKE.

Laniits c.rcuhifti,-(ii(fcs, S\vains(»n, F. B. A. II, 1*31, ll.j ^Sa^katdu'wan). — (JAMnni., Pr.
A. N. So. 1S47, -Hm ((ala.). — r.vssiN, I'r. A. N. Sc. IS.'J, 2U. -Sii.Arili:, l\ Z. S.
1864, 173 ^City (»f Mexico). Cofh/rio r.i-cit//ifi>ri>'ifrs, IJaii'I), IJirds N. Am. 1^')^, '>'27.
CuUuriu tjx'ub. IJaikI), Kiv. Am. B. lht;4, 44.'>. — C'ooi'Ki:, Orn. Cal. I, Ls7o, l:!>.
? LitniuH invxicuiiHs, HuHii.M, Cab. .Tour. II, lh.")4, 14r». — Silatki:, fatal. 1801, 4*!
(Mexico). LdiiliiK Iiiihricifniu'i, Max. Cab. Jour. 1858, 191 ^L"|»]ier Mi^Mniri). —
Dkesskk k SiiAKi'K, P. Z. S. 1870, 595.

Hab, Western Province of North America, as far north as Oreiron ; Middle North
America, to the Saskatchewan, and east to Wisconsin, Michii^an, and IllinoLs ; south tt)
Orizaba and Oaxaca, and City of Mexico ; Cape St. Lucas.

Tlie precise houndaries between this si)ecies and C. Indovukunis are diffi-
cult of definition, as the transition is almost insensible.

The young bi'd is pale fulvous-ash above, everywhere with transverse
crescentic bars of dusky. Two bands of mottled pale fulvous across wings,
on tips of middle "^nd greater coverts. Tail tipped with ochraceous, the
white feathei^s ':;nged with the same, lireast and sides with obsolete hars of
dusky. Black band on side of head rather obsolete.

In its extreme stage of coloration it ditVers from h'dovi'ciarufs in paler and
purer color ; the ash of liack lighter ; the under ])arts brilliant white, not
decidedly pluml»eous on the sides as in the other, and without so great a
tendency to the usual obsolete wave«l lines (noticed distinctly only in winter
or immature birds) ; the axillars ])luis]i-white, not ])lumbeous. Tiie white
of wings and tail is more extended ; the hoary of forehead and whitish of
scapulai's more distinct. The bristles at base of bill somewhat involving the
feathers are bhick, Ibrmiiig a narrow froiital line, not seen in the other. The
most striking ditterence is in the rump and u})per tail-coverts, which are
always appreciably and abru}»tly lighter than t^he back, sometimes white or
only faintly glossed with plunil)eous; while in typical specimens of Icilo-
vicianvs these feathei's are scarcely lighter at all, and generally more or less
varied with blackish spots at the end. The legs and tail are a]>parently longer,
the latter less graduated. These diiferences are, however, most a}>preciable in
specimens from the Middle and Western Provinces. Those from the Western
States, e.ast of the Miss uri IJiver, as far north as Wisconsin, are more inter-
mediate between the two, although still nearest to the llocky Mountain bird

122

NollTlI AMEiaCAN IJIRDS.

26138 (^

13600 jf'

Mi

as descrilxjcl ; tlie back darker, tlie rump and axillars more pliiiiibeous, the
sides iiiorci bluish. There is little doubt that the exaininati()n of series I'roui
the States alnn^' tiie Mississippi will show a still eloser reseuil»lance to typi-
cal C Imluvuimmn, and tliat the ^^radation between the two extremes will be
found to be c(»ntinuous and uni)roken. It tiieretbre seems reasonable to con-
sider them all as one species, varvin<^ with lonnitude and region according
to the usual law, — the more western the lighter, with longer tail. The only
alternative is to suppose that two species, originally distinct, have hybridized
along the line of junction of their resi)ective provinces, as is certainly some-
times the case. The ap]»roximation in many respects of coloration of the
Shrikes of the Pacific coast to those of the South Atlantic States is not with-
out its importance in the discussion of the subject. However it may be, it

is necessary to retain the name of tvf «-

*

hitoroidoi, as representing, whether iis
species or variety, a peculiar regional
form, which must be kept distinctly in
mind. The comparatively greater size
of the bill in the Caju' St. Lucas speci-
mens is seen in other species from this
locality (Xo. 26,4I^>8 of adjacent figure).
The intensity of the black front in
this species varies considerably, being
sometimes xery distinct, and again entirely wanting. This may ])robably
be a character of the breedimx-season, the dulness of black anterior to the eve
and the lighter c«)lor of the bill having a close relationship here, as in other
species, to maturity, sex, and season.

Habits. This variety was first described from specimens obtained in the
territory of the Hudson's Bay Co. Iiichardson states that it was not found
farther north than the fifty-fourth degree, and there oidy in the warm antl
sandy plain of the Saskatchewan. Its manners, he says, are precisely similar
to those of the hoirxf/is, feeding chiefly on the grasshoppers, which were very
numerous on the plains. Mr. iJrummond found its nest in the beginning of
dune, in a bush of willows, it was ; \..!i of the twigs of the Artemisia and
dry grass, and lined with feathers The eggs were six in nu1id)er, of a
l)ale yell(jwish-gray color, with many irregular and confluent si)ots of oil-
iireen, mixed with a few of smoke-iirav.

]\lr. Ikidgway met with it, in his Western explorations, in all localities, but
most frequently among the Artemisia and in the meadow-tracts of the river
valleys. It is also seen on all i>arts of the mountains, among the cedar
groves, localities in which the huhviciaims is said never to be found.

Dr. Cooper describes this bird as abundant in all the ])lains-region of Cali-
fornia, but not as far as the Columbia Iliver. South of latitude o'S>^, they reside
all the year. They were abundant about Fort Mohave all winter, and nested
as early as the lOth of March in a thorn-bush. They had young early in

LAXTTD.K — THi: SIIKIKKS. 4')']

April. At San Diei^o tlu-y lU'sttMl later, alMnit Ajiril 2n. Ho spcnks of their
siiiLiinj; {IS an atti'mpt al a suiiLi, ihu notes hein;^ liarsli, like tiiose of a Jay,
Itnt not imitative. They eateh birds, but do so very rarely, depending u]ton
;4rassliopj)ers and other in.seets.

The nests ol" the tjrtihif(froiifrs,sif far as 1 have hail any op|»<»rtunity to ex-
amine them, always exhibit a very marked eontrast, in th«^ elaliorateness of
their structure, to any of the hnforicitfiwsxhnt have fallen under my n,)tiee.
They re.send)le those of tlie bortiilis in tlieir size and tlie telted nature of their
walls, but are more coarsely and rudidy ])Ut t()H;ether. They liave an external
diameter of about ei^lit inches, and a heij^ht of four. The cavity is also
large and deep. These nests are always constructed with much artistic skill
and pains. The base is usually a chtsely impacted mass (»f tine gras.ses, lichens,
mosses, and leaves, intermingled witli stout dry twigs. Upon this is ^vrought
a strong faln'ic of tine wood-mosses, Haxen tibres of i»lants, leaves, grasses, fur
of quadrujjeds, and other substances. Intertwined with these are a suttieient
number of slender twigs and stems of plants to give ti> the whole a remaik-
able strength and firmness. This is otten still further strenutliened by an
external protection \voven of stouter twigs and small ends of branches,
stems, etc. The whole is then thoroughly and waruily lined with a soft
matting of the fur of several kinds of small animals, vegetable down, and a
few feathers.

The eggs, five or six in number, measure l.(M) l)y .7."» of an inch, and strongly
resemble those of both the honolis and the /(((foriritntt'.s. Their Liround-color
is pale greenislj-white, over which are marks and blotches, more or less ci»n-
fluent, of lilac, purplish-brown, and liglit umber.

Mr. liidgway, who is familiar with tliis bird in Southern Illinois, informs
me that in that section it is a resident si)ccies, being abundant during the
summer and by no means rare in the winter. It is there, strangely enough,
often called the Mocking-IJird, its similar ap})earauce and fondness for the
same locality leading some persons to confound these very different birds.
In districts where the true Mf'uiu.s is not common, young liirds of this species
are freipiently taken from their nests and innocently sold to unsuspecting
admirers of that highly apj)reciated songster.

This bird inhabits, almost exclusively, oi)en situations, being particularly
fond of wa.ste fields where young honey-locusts [GU'il itschla tr'ufntnthos) have
orown ui). Among their thorny luanciies its nests are almost utterly inac-
cessible, if beyond the reach of poles. In sucli localities this bird may often
1)6 seen ])erched in an upright i)osition upon some thorn-bush, or a fence-
stake, quietly watching for its ju-ey, remaining nearly an hour at a time
motionless excei)t for an occasional movement of the head.

The flight of this bird, Mr. Kidgway adds, is quite peculiar, utterly unlike
that of any other bird except the Orco.sroptcs iinnttonn.% which it only slightly
resembles. In leaving its |)erch it sinks nearly to the ground, describing a
curve as it descends, and, passing but a few feet above the surface, ascends in

424 XOUTII AMERICAN BIRDS.

tlK'sanie manner to tlu' object n]>nn wliicli it is next t<> li^^lit. Tin- tli^lit is
pt'iiniincd in an undnlatin;^ niannt-r, the l>inl sustaining itself a short time
oy a ra])id tlntterinLC of tht^ wini,rs, and sinkinij: as this nintion is snsjKjnded.
As it Hies, the white pateh on the wing, with tlie general anpear.mee of its
gniy and wliite plumage, increases its resemblance to tlie Mocking-Iiird.

Thougii very partial to thorn-trees (hon«'y-lo(*ust), other trees having a
thick foliage — as those canopied hy a tangled mass of wild gra]»evines —
are fre«piently occupied as nesting-places ; while a ]>air luMpiently makt»
their home in an api>le-orchard, selecting the nld untrimmed trees. The
situation of the nest varies according to the character of the tre(^ ; if in a
thorn-hush, it is placed next the trunk, encased within ju-otecting hunches of
thorns ; hut if in an ai>i)le-tree, it is situated, generally, near the extremity of
a horizontal hranch. The nund)er of eirgs is generallv six, l>ut Mr. Ii'idu'wav
has sevei-<d times found seven in one nest. Xo hird is more intrejud in the
defence of its nest than the ]»rescnt one ; at such times it loses, a]>parently,
all fear, and hecomes almost frenzied with anger, ali^htirig so near that one
might grasp it, were he (piick enough, ind with o{>en mouth and spretid
wings and tail threatening the intruder, its attacks accompanied hy a i)ecu-
liar crackling noise, interru})ted by a harsh, grating (pia, qua, qua, slowly
rej»eated, hut emphatically uttered.

The hal)it peculiar to the Shrikes of im])aling their victims Mr. Kidgway
has observed freipumtly in this species; for this j)urpose the huig and ex-
tremely sharp thorns of the honey-locust serve it admirabiy ; and "spitted"
upon them he has found shrews, mice, grjisshoppers, sjiiders, and even a
Cliimnev-Swallow {('lurtum }ul(ujicn)\ and, in anttther instance, but u]>on
the upright broken-ofi" twig of a dead weeil in a field, a large spider. He has
also known this bird t(» dart at the cage of a Canary- liird, and frighten the
poor inmate so that it thrust its head between the wires, when it was innne-
diately torn off by the powerful Iteak of the r)Utclier-Iiird.

The young of this species becomes a very jdeasing and extremely docile
])et. Mr. IJidgway has known one which, though fully grown, with power
of flight uninjured, and in possession of unrestrained freedom, came to its
j)os.sessor at his call, and accompanied him through the fields, its attachment
l)eing rewarded by frecpient " doses " of grasshoi)i)ei's, caught for it. It had
been fully feathered l)efore taken from the nest. Unfortunately the vocal
capabilities of this Shrike are not suihcient to allow its becoming a gen-
eral favorite as a j^et; for, although possessing considerable talent for
mimicrv, it imitates onlv the rudest sounds, while its own notes, consist-
ing of a grating, .sonorous qua and a peculiar creaking .sound, each with
several variations, are anything but delightful.

c-KKKDiD.K- TiiK ci:i:i:im:k:

42')

K\Miiv CiBREBIDiE

Tm: ('i:ki:tm:i;s.

As alivudy stal«Ml on jiaut- 177, iIktc is liitic to distinuuisli the Co ri h/'Jfr
IVoiu the Si//riro/ii/tt\ cxct'id hy tin* longer and iiKirc pi-ntiactfd tfUi.iiiic, and
Itv the naiiowt'i" ^apti in .sunn- nl" tlic tnrnis. Tlic ^^t-ntMii C^rthnthf, Canlm,
Dltjlossii, etc., liavf pL'culiaritii's hy wliirli tlicy arc easily rccn^iiizcd ; Imt
when we cnnie t(» siuli njcndxTs as lhir,ii-<, f'onirosfrtnti, etc., it Itecnnies
very dinicult to se})arate tlieni IVoni the slendri-iiilh'd TanaL^'ers, the Wood
AVaihU'is, an<l tlu; /fi /tin/if/m/i/int/tis.

Although the laniilv is one widely distiilnited, in numerous «renera, over
Miildle and Soutli Anicriea, lait one, Crrf/nu/it, iielon^s to Xortli America,
this ])chv^ represented l>y a sjH'cies, or rather a race, altundant in the l>aha-
mas, and occasionally nu't witli in the Florida Keys. We shall therefore
Jtive onlv the dia^no-is of this familv.

Gr.M s ^CERTHIOLA, SixoKVALr..

Cerlhiohi, SrNHF.VAr.L, V.-t. Ak;i 1. llaiuli. Stockholm, IS.}.'), W. (Type, Ccrthin fiaveoht,

Gkn. (*ii ai:. nil! nearly as Vnv* as the lipad : as liiijh as Uroad at liasc. olonirated, conical,
verv acute, and p'litiy <l('»-mv»'il t'loui liasc to tip.
riiliiHMi uuitormly coiivrx : irouys conravc. X<>
bristles at l>a>e of bill. Tail rotni»le<|, rather shorter
than the winirs. Tarsi Ittnufi- than the niiiMle toe.
Iiis hrown ? Xest pensile and an-htMl. Ki^trs with
vellttwish 'jfioiind dotted thieklv with rufous snots.

This iienus is one of those especiallv char-
acterizinj; the West Indies, almost every
islainl as far as kmtwn havinu its peculiar
s}>ecies, di tiering', it is trui*, in very slight
characters, hi't always constant to the normal type
fmnished ni) re])resentative of this licnus. its ]»lace heiiii^ sti])])lie(l ap-
])arently hy Cotrlxt rt/((iit«(. The s])ecimens from St. Thomas I cannot
distinguish from those of Porto IJico, Init this is, so far as the series before
me indicates, the oidy case where one s[)ecies occurs (^n two islands. All
the West Indian s])ecies, nine or ten in niunher. a-'ree in havin«>" the wlude
upper part nearly uniformly dusky or hlackish ; the head and hack heing
concolored, whih' of the three or tour South American all hut one (C
hffm/it) have the hack more (di\aceous, the head much darker. Aujain,
the West Indian species, with a single excei)tion ('('. hinwnii'ora), have hoth
webs of lateral tail-feathers broadly and about e<[ually tipj)ed with white;
while in all the South American this white is more restricted on the inner

54

CtvUi iiilii jhi rnola, Suiul.

Cuba alone has so far

42G

N'oirrn amkkican imiids.

Cirtliioln flavtola.

well, 1111(1 nil tlu* niit«'r rcilucrd t<> ;i narrow ImhiIc r. (\ ruhnti from ('<»/.uiiU'l,
iit'iir tlie fjisti'in cuast of N'lU'alaii, cxliiltit.s tlu- < nuiineiiLiil iuipiL'ss in pos-
ses.siijj^' tlu' cliaiartcr last nu'iiticuu'il.

In all till! .speciers IVniii tlu- (iicattT Antilles and llu' poition (»|" Cnntini'n-

tal AiiK'iica west and diifctlv south
(»r this Lii'Mip, tlieiv is a distinct cx-
tiiiial wliitr j>at('li at liasc of (|iiills ;
vliilc tliis disappears in tlic species of
tlie Lesser Antilles and eastern S(»utli
America, nr is only laintly liacealde.
Aiiaiii, in the s}>ecies ot" the Lesser
Antilles, witli the disappearance of the
white w iiiLr-palch, the ^n-aler and mid-
dle w iim-c(»verts show a faint ed^^iiiL!: of
lighter, l>v which, as well as hv the darker hack, ihev arc distiii'^nished from
their South American allies.

The shape of the white patch at hase of the «piills on tlie outer weh fur-
nisiies, in condtinalion with the color of the throat, excellent and ]terniaiicnt
sju'citic characters. This in the Jamaican, llayth-n, and liahaman forms is
elongated, extendini;" uraduallv and uniformly hehind to the outer edue (►f
the (piill, while in those of Porto L'ico, St. Thomas, Cozumel, and the South
American sj>ecies, where it exists, the ]>osterior outline is nearly transverse,
and onlv runniiiLi out a little alon<4 outer weh.

As a general rule South American specit s have shorter tails than the
West Indian.

It is a nice (piestion what are really species in this «i[enns, and what merely
races or varieties ; hnt it would prohahly he not far from correct to assume
that the various fornis descrihed are simply nuHlitications of one jtrimitive
s])ccies, ])ioiluced by Licouraphical distrihuti(tn and external physical condi-
tions. In the foUowinu diaLjnosis I shall treat all the varieties as occuj»yin<^
the same rank, without attempting any discrimination. AlthouL^h hnt one
of these helonu's to the Tnited States, and that as a straij^ler from the r.aha-
mas. I L^ive the tahle of the whole, to show the intercstinij; relationship be-
tween them,

i'tiMMoN CiiAR.vcTKR.'S. Al>ovo «lnskv-olivo or blaf'kisli; tlic rnmp olivaceous or
y*'llo\visli : tiic hi'a<l ami <lu*fk> always lilack. aii<l sonietiim-s daikt-r tiiaii 1"a«k.
Cliiii and tliri>at ashy or l.lat-k. liost <if uihU'i- pait yt'llow. (hilirr Itcliiiid. A
l>roail white stripe lioiii hill ahovc t-yc f<i iiajx'. A white j)atch at base ot" pri-
iiiaiics : L'cnerally visililc cxtenially. sotiictiiiifs <-oiic('al(Ml. Lateral tail-feathers
tijtjied with wiiite. Dill lilaek; leps dusky.

A« Head miironn in color with rest ol" iijijiei- parts: dark sooty-hrown or hlaekish.
Both welis of outer tail-feather tipped witii white Texeept in hifcaln^. All \Vest
bidian exeept hdeohi, w hieh. howevei', occurs in Tol»a<ro and Trinidtul, and gen-
erally helouL's to the shores of the Carrihean Sea.

1. A flistinet and •■ousjiieuous exteinal white patch at base of primaries.

Wing-coverts not margined with jialer.

rj:iiij;ioj<;-- TiiK rui:i;ri:us. 427

n. Thrnat iiiiiloriiily l>iit MiiidiMl ilaik a>li-«i»l«n, \ai'vin<^iii ^luMi«•, iievrr
t'Utiic'lv Idac'k, liourvii, in>r asliv-wliitc.

Throat vci V «lai k ii-U, not «'t>nira.sting (»r aitiutcialilv (litri-niil lioui

I'liU'kisll of rln'fks.

Wln.ir->|»<»t I'loii^'aU'il ; the wliiti.' niimiii^' out ^'ra«liially ami
ol»li»lM«'|y ImIiIihI to tlif oiiirr viVj.*' ot" the priiiiarv. it mi li in;,'
hlsalt ofoiUrr {iriiiiary. Y«'llo\^• (»ri>reast ilit i<lt<lly o«liiattoii<.
Umii|) as Idiirlit yi'Uow as tin- iiclly. /////>.. I aiiiaica . jinvcoh}

Wliile j>at(i ■>!' win^' more tjiiailratr on t-arli (juill ; traus-
versc; in)t tain'iing oil' <rra(liially ami ninloinily l»flnn«l ; not
iva<*liin<r the shall on onter jtiiinarv. l{na>t \\ iihont orhra-
i-i'ous ; rnnij> olivaceon— yellow ; i!i<- color iliHiMcnt lioin that
of itellv. Iltih. Santa Cruz ...... m irfoni}

h. Chin and throat lij.'-hter ash (Imt not at all whitish): in <lefi.let| ami
appreciahle eontiast with l>laekish of eheeks. .In_::ulnin yellow, like ini-
der parts ^'enerally.

Lati-ral tail-leather l)roadly tipped with white on hoth wi'Ik.
Knnip oIivareon--yellow.

Wiiiii-spot oil each primary nearly (piadrate, as in iicn'fiml.
Huh, lN»!tu llieo and St. Thomas .... i>nitor\ren>*h.

Lateral tail-feather with inner wi-li only hioadly lipped with
white, limnp hrii;ht yellow like l.elly. liill \try small.

White of winir as \\\ jtnreoln. Imt less e.\tende<l. and mar;.dn-
itiL*" edL't' i»nlv of onfer |»rimar\. J/'iIk llavti and St. I>«tinin-
tro ......... . hiinanii'ora}

While of winLT ."is in iicn'tonl. Size mueh larirei- : darker
ahove. Hal). Tol'aL'o, Trinidad, and north shore of Sontii
Amei'iea .......... hltotld.^

c. Chin, throat, and jniznlmn white, with a tiiiL:e vi' ashy. Vf'low of
miller {)arts much restrietcd.

Dej>th of hill less than half distance from nostril to tip. .'•^npereil-
iary stripe reaehim:- to nape. Yellow of under pait restritit-d ti> a
tiian>;nlar patch on l>reast. White sjxtt oii winL' lari,'e, ta[>erinir oU'
^ratlnally on each primary, as in flncvoht : on the outer reachini;
.>;haft. lioth wehs of outer tail-feathei- ahout etjually tipped. J/uh.
Hahamas and Florida K«'ys ....... htiltamensis.^

Depth of liill fully half distance from nostril to ti[». Sup«'reiliary

stripe reaehiiiir the occiput only. Yellow of under parts more e\-

tenile(l. White spot <Mi winjj restricted : more «[uadrate. as in mir-

toni I edirc only of outer primary involved. Outer web of outer

tail-leather scarcely tip) >ed. Halt. C(V.umel Island, Yucatan . cahoti?

2. No external white patch at basi' of primary (piills. \Vint:-«-overts ol)-

scnrely mar!_'ined with paler. IJoth webs of outer taii-tealhers tippi'd about

eipially with whit<'. limnp olivaceous; this color of but sli;jht extent.

» Crrthh flanoln, Linn. Syst. Xat. cd. 10, 17.*.J<, \V^.

- t\flniriilii, \. k K. Nf.wton, Ibis, lS,'»it, i;7. II>ih. i>\. Croix. ''. onrfonl, H.viiM).

* ('. flaimla, vai: j)(trf<>rio'ii.'<i% B!:Y.\Nr, I'r. Host. Soc. N. H. .Ian. ISM. Jinh. Porto IJif'o.

* Mofucillii baiianirar'i, Omii.in, Syst. Nat. I, 1788, 9.'>1. {H'nvinistr, nuH'on, St. I)onuiip;o. )
^ Ccrfhinhi Infrnf,,, r\u. M. 11, 18.^)1, 90. C. major, Q\n. ; (7. minor, Ros.

* Crrthiohi hiihirmciisis, Hkicii. Ilandb. I, 1853, •J;j3. C. jlacculu, !).vii:i», !>. X. A. ; C.
bitirdi, ('.\n.

"^ C. aiboti, liAiun, MSS.

428 xoirni amkki'/an t.irds.

n. Tliroat M;ir-k ; (■("iitiiiiu»n«; with l>Iack <tf clHM'ks : or t>]so vcrv daik
I)iiiinl)i'<nis, srait'fly (listiiiuiiishaltU* fioiii the clicrkji.

Mt'dian lint- ol' thioat white, the sides Mark lik"' the cheeks; ehiii
alone l»hu;k. ;>!ii»ei<-iiiai v stripes not conlliteiit aiiterioily. Ilah.
Martiiiiiiue .......... itKtrfinirnnn.^

Whole throat hhukish. No whiie lVt)iital l>aii<l?

Willi; -.')0 iiiehes. Dellv oeliiaeeouci. JJab. Doiiiiiiiea Isl-
and, West Indies ihiiitiuiautn-

Wing 2.1iU iiidies. Uelly more yellow . Jlab. Ijarbadoes .

Whole throat very dark phiinlteous. A whiti.-h Irontai luoad
l»und eoniieetiiiL!: the siipeiviliary strijies whieh extend in iVoiit of
the eye. Il<ih. Antitrua, West Indit-s ..... /roufdlis*

A grayish Irontai hand: superciliary stripes nan ow ; not extend-
ing in Trout of eye. Trate ol' white patch at 'nase ol primaries

h(trt}i(thmir(i}
B* Head blackish, ill disiinrt contrast to the iiKue olivacaceoiis Itack. (Miter
tail-leather Avitli outer wel» .-.carcely > ,ped wiiji while. Wing-coverts not mar-
gined with paler. Throat light ash. in distinct contrasi to black of cheek.
1. A distinct external white wing-pal'-h at liase ol' jtiimarics.

Iiuin)> oliv«'-green. Hah. Mexico and Ceiitial America, but
hardly reaching line ol" J'anama K. 1{. . . . . iitr.rirana.*

liump olive-yelj.iw . JIah. ranaina R. I{. : south along An-
des to Peru ......... jitraciauaJ

a. Xo external white wing-paieji.

Uump olive-git'cn. ILth. iJra/.il and ( iuiaiia . . . dilaropyga.^

The preceding lalde is leased upon u critical examination of many hundred
specimens belonging to the Smithsonian Institution. — S. V. Baiui*.

Certhiola bahamensis, Kkkii.

BAHAMA CBEEFEB.

Crrthid jfciVio/,!, var. /i. hiNN. Svst. Nat. vd. 12, I, 17«!»;, 1^7. {"f'rfhia" hnhnmcnais,
C.VTEsr.Y, Car. tab. .")!>. liahaiiias.) (', lihinln Jliiiruli, 13.viia», llinls N. .Vm. ISoS,
'.♦•J4, i>l. Ixxxiii, f. :Mlndiaii Key, Fla.). Cirfhiohi hnJunmnsift, IJi.ici' Haiidb. I, 18r>3,
253 iC'ATKsi'.Y, Car. tau. .'.9, nahania.s). — (assin, Pi. A. N. S. I'h. 1^G4, 271. C.
hairdi, Caisams, .Tour. Oin. lMJ5, 412 {C.ji"c.nl:i, P,viia», Birds X. A.).

Sp. Char. (11,0'>1 ^. Bahamas.) Above dark <lusky-brown ; scarcely darker on the
head ; the rump yellow. Edg<' ot" wing and a triangular patch covering the front of bicast
(the angle behind) i)ale \'ellow ; tlie rc^t of uinh-r parts pale a<hy-white, purest on front

1 C. mnrfinicfiiin, Rf.Ipii. Hand. T, lSr.3, 2."»2. C. alhiiinln, IJoN'.

- C. domiiikitno, T.wi.oi;, Ibi.s, l.'SOl, 1G7.

^ C. barh<,,1cnsi% liAUM), MSS.

■* <'. frontaUa, PjAI!;!), MSS.

^ c. Jiinihohnnim, ScNni.v.M.i. ."t Si'ai!i:mann, Vctciisk. Akad. Foihaiidl. 1SG1>, G22.

** C. nhj-ioimi, Sci.AIKi:, 1*. Z. S. Is.'iC, -jSo.

" C. prrnri'iir/, C\it. Jouni. ISt'i.'), 41:5/ Perhaps dillV-rcnt.

** C chloi-opi/fjn, Cai:. M. H. lJ>.")i, 97. C. bnifii/inisls, FJl*.

and Pidos of nock and <»ii rrissuni ; on Hanks sonicwluit suili-il and ratlirr darker. A liioad
superciliary uliiic >irijK' (nut classing the lurt'liead) Iri'ia l>ill l«» iiaju', Imt lilile iighlcr
tlian tlif throat ; the line of I'ealhers inniu'diately Iteliind the nostrils, and a >inall patrh at
base 1)1" lower inandil'K- nndi-r the tiji>, with tin- usual stripe IVoin Iiill th!"()uuli the eye,
Iieing Idaekish. While spot at l)ase ol' ([Uills vi"v distinct exteiiially ; the posterior out-
line on each outer weh of tli»' priniarles not (piadrate, l»ut runnnig out olili<|uely Iwhind
and on the outermost iiuill reaehinir the >hal't. I'M'jes of (luills narrowlv niaii,Mne»l with
urayish-whiti- ; on the secondaries continuc<l ic)und the tips. No distinct bands on tlu'
coverts. Outer tail-teathers broadly tip|»ed with wiilte; thi- even in\ol\ ing the iiniernio>t,
but rednceij to a narrow edge. Total length, 4.40: v.ing, L'.iiO; tail. l.S(».

IJill : Length from forchcatl. .b'J ; from nostril. .41 : along gajjc, .">!); dcjttli at base. .17.
Legs: Tai'sus, ,7'>; mi<ldle toe and claw. .."i.S ; elaw alone. .17; hind toe and claw, .\'>;
claw ahuie, .'JO,

ILvH. L lii'" '' 'ud Keys oi' southeast C'.)ast of Florida.

A s]»eeiiU' I 'Vorn he yioiidii Keys (^10,;)()7) is rather darker than those
from the l)...i no- ^ • ^ while less e.xtendt'd, and not (jiiite reaeiiing the shafts
in the outer (jiiills.

H.viiiTs. This s])ecies, helon^ing: ]>rop('rly in the Iiahanian urnu)) of tlu;
"West Indian islands, was fuund at Indian Key, Fhi., January .'II, lsr>S, hy
]\Ir. AViirdeniaini, where it appeariMl to he not at all rare. Xothinu is known
of its hahits, hut tht'y arc douhtless nearly tlu' same as tlnjse (d" the tillied
species. The C.jlurtoln is known in Jiimaiea as the Hanana (iMiit, Honey-
Sucker, and lihudv ;ind VeUow ( 'reei)er. According to the description (d'
them iiivi'ii l»y Mr. Gosse, these hirds, scarcely larger than the llumniin<'-
\V\ ,, arc often seen in com})any Mith them, ]>rtddng the llowcrs for similar
])urposes, hut in a very dill'erent nmmier. Instead of hoveling; like tiie Ilum-
niing-Iiird in front (d" the hhtssom, lor whiidi its short wings would be in-
eomitetent, these hirds alight on the tree and ])roceed in a very husincss-like
niauni'r. lIoj>])ing from twig to twig in an active manner, they carefully
examine eacdi hlossoni. Tn (hung this tlu-y throw their Ixulies into a variety
of positions, (d'tcn clinging by the feet with the luKdc downwards, tlu; l»etter
to reach the interior of a blossom with their curved beaks and peculiar tongue.
The obi'- ts of these osearches are the small insects Mhitdi are always foinid
in the interior of llowcrs. This bird is luisuspccting and familiar, and very
freely resorts to the Idossoming shrid)s (d* the gardens and yards. Mr. (Jos.se
n\entions, in eviilence of this famili:irity, that a laige moringa-tree under his
window, as he was writing, and which all through the year was jn-id'iiscdy set
with fragrant blossoms, and was a favorite resort of these birds, was being
carcfidlv scrutinized bv two ju'tive little Creepers. Although within a few
lect of his window, they ]un'sueil their examinat.oiis, perfectly undisturbed
by his looking" on. As thev move about thev utter a soft sibilant note.

The nests of this little bird are usually built in thttse low trees ami lnrshes
to whiidi are fastened th" nesi> td" the brown wasps, and in ch)se contiguity
to them. Mr. (lossc regards this singular ]aedilection as a remarkable ex-
ercise of instinct, if not of reason, as t' « cviileirt object of it is the protection

430 XOKTII AMERICAN I5IUDS.

iiffonU'd by the preseiiro of tlioso tnnnidiiblc insects. tli(m;_ili upon wliat terms
of amity t!iis dofciisivt* alliancL' is kept ilnes not a]>pi'ar.

Tliese ('reeiH'i's inculuite duiinn the montlis of May, .lunc, and July. On
the 4th of May, Mr. (losse oltserveil one with a lut of " silk-eotton "' in lier
beak, and found the skeleton of the nest just eonnucneed in a bush «>f tho Lmi-
fniiu en Hill I'd. It was evidently to be of dome shape, and so far had been con-
strueted entirely of silk-eotton. The eonipleted nests are made in the form
of a .ulolie, witli a small opening below the side. The walls are veiy thiek,
eomj)osed of dry grasses intermixed irregularly with the down of asc le]»ias.
One of these nests was fixed l)etween the twiu:s of a l)raneh of a Jitwhinitf
})roJeeting over a highway. Anotlier, found towards the end of June, was
built in a bush of Lnufanff, and of the same strueture. It eontained two
eggs, greenish-white, thickly lait imletinitely dashed with reddish at the
larger end. Mr. tiosse ijuotes a ]\Ir. Rcjbinson as giving their dimensions at
.44 by :>! of an inch, while his own sj>ecimens are mueh larger than this,
measuring .bo bv nearlv ..">(). Two eii^s of C. flmuoJn, from Jamaiea, in mv
cabinet, measure, .(*>S by ..'»! and .b8 by .4'J of an inch. In one the ground
is a dull white, so generallv and thieklv covered with minute but coidluent
dots of reddish-brown as t<» impart a pinkish tinge to the Avhole egg. In the
other the ground is a dull white, sparingly marked with blotches of brown
over about tlp'ee fourths of its surface, but at the largei- end covered with a
crown of larger and continent l»l(jtches of suljdued [»ur]»le and dark undter,
intermingled with a few lines of a darker hue, almost l>lack.

Two egLis of C ifi'/rfo/ii, from St. ("roix, are of ii more rounded-oval sha]»e,
and nu'asure .<')ll by .4r> an<l .<i.') by .44 of an inch. They have a dull white
ground, but this is so uniforudy and generally covered with conlluent red-
dish-brown mai'king< as to be nowhere very distinct.

The 8t. Croix sjx'cies is called the Sugai-Iiiid in that island, from its habit
of entering the cmiuLi-houses, throu<'h the barretl windows. i>robablv attracted
thither by the swarms of flies. It is a very familiar species, haunting gar-
dens, and (tften entering houses, and never manifesting any alarm. It keeps
in pairs, and breeds from March to August. Mr. Xewton stales that it builds
a domed and often pensile nest, with a small ]»orch, or ]>ent-hou.se roof, over
the entrance, irenerallv at the extremitv of a leafv bouiih. The nest is <4en-
erallv verv nut id v on the outside, and is compostMl of coarse urass and cot-
ton, with feathers on the inside. It de])osits its eggs before the completion
of th<' nest, "rather to the diseomfiture of the oologist, who delays inserting
his finger into the stiucture while he sees one or both of the birds busy with
a tuft of grass or cotton in their lulls, until at last he hnds their eggs jdready
hatched." Mr. Xewton ob.served one instance in ^vbi(:i. two broods were
reared in the same nest, witli only an interval of ten days between the time
the young left it and the laying of an egg.

TA^'AGlaD.E — THE TANAUKIiS. 43 1

Family TAN AGRID^. - Thk Tana(;i:i;>;.

CiiAi;. l'iiiii;iii(-'s nine. IJill usiiallv coiiiciil. snnu'tiinrs tU-nrrssiMl «»r iittciiuatfil. u>uallv
moll- or less tii.ii,u'"nlar at 1»as«'. an. I with tin' riittiiiir cdiri-s not much iiillected; suinelinu'S
toothed or iiutclied. l^cg short; claws ciuvcd ; colors usually brilliaut.

AVc coniVss our ontiiv iiKildlity to juvst'iit a (lia^nosis tluit sliall dtdiiie
and .sepanite satisfactorily l>y (.*\tt'rnal ('harattters the chisuly allied faiiiilies
of Co nhi(fcr, SiflriniJiilir, Toiufijrulir, and Friiiiiill((hi\ aLiivciuL,^ as they do in
tlu; main in ewry respect. The only attempt at distinction is based upon
the shape >f the hill, and this in \\ hat are j^enerally called Tonmirula pre-
sents every variety of shape, fmm the attenuation seen in l)i lul minf to tlie
stoutest form of the Frlii<iillul<r, The i'<t irh'nUr have })ecidiarities of the
tongue, not appreciable, however, in the skin. In view, therefore, of the «lif-
ficulty in <piestion, we shall co]»y the conventional names and unsatisfactory
definitions of other authors, in our inability to present a satisfactory arrange-
ment of our own.

Carus and ( iersta'cker in Handbuch der Zoolouie, I, 277, adoi)t a classiti-
cation oi' the Osciics based on tlie }»alatine bones in which Friiujillidiv and
Tanafjrulct' are distinguished from tiie Sulrlcolida' as follows: —

Suborder OSCIXES. Si-npevaii.. Of the ten primaries, the fu'st is short, rndim.'ntary,
or wanting; the numhor ot" secondaiies is rarely more than nine. Tarsus entirely booted,
or else with an undivided plate on (he si<h'-:. T-ower tiaehea com|tletely Ibrmed by the
helj) of the trachea and bronchiiu ; generally with lour pairs of muscles, distriliuted before
and behind.

Gkoup I. Spizocxatii.k. Outer lamella of the palatine bono developed in a vertical
]>lane. with the hintler 1 )rder more or less emarginated ; the anterior palatine process
broad, and united by a truncated border to the high and broad upper mandible.

Famma' 1. Plannlii'. Ten primal ies.

Famm.v 2. Fn'i/f/iUiilo: IJill encircled in' a more or less distinct swelling nt base.
Frontal t\>athers not forming: lateral anirles. Edues of the iaws drawn in as far as tiie eor-
ner of the mouth ; nine [(rimaries ; the lirst three usually longest Legs with undivided
plates behind.

Famii.v ."). T((>iaf/ri(hf'. Bill more or Ies-; triangular at the bas(\ Culmen always nmre
or less cuived. Fretpieutly a tooth or n(.)tch in the upper bill, sometim<s line serrations.
AVings moderate; .somewhat pointed; primaries nini'. Tarsus and toes sUort and stout.
Hind toe stout and long. Claws 1 iu\c<l.

Gkoli" II. CoH.EOGNATH.i:. Palatine bone broad and rather flat behind, the external
angles prolonged, not extetided into a verticil plate. liase of bill generally narrower.
Primaries nine or ten. This scrtion emt>races, of North American forms: —

Mniotiltida', Canvbiihe, Certhiid;e,

Motacillidie, TIirun<linida\ Paridiv,

Alaudid.e, Ami>elid;e. Tcterida\

Sylviidic, Laniid;e, Corvid;e.

Turdidie, Troglodytida\

all of which have already been described in th«' [>resent work, with the ext-eption of tlie
last two.

432

XoRTII AMKKK'AX IJinOS.

Tlie family of Tiinaj^ers is ])eculiar to tiic Xew World, whiih alutunds in
t^pecies of a j^reat variety of forms. ( )iily one genus, Pfiiamjn, actually enters
within the limits of the Tniteil States, with four well-marked species, there
beinjLC manv others in Central and South America.

(Jems PYRANGA, Vieill.

Pyrangii, ViKiLLoT, Ois. Ain. Scjit. I. lsa7, iv. ~ In. Analyse, 181(), :i2. — Sclater, Pr.

Zuul. Sue. 185(5, l-i.i.
I'/ciitis,)iii<i, SwAlNsuN, {'\ns>. liinls. II, 1S:}7, 2S }.

(iKX. CuAU. iJill .soniewhat strui^^lit ; suhcoiiii.'al, inliinlrical. nott'lietl at tip: ciilnion

ni<»<k'i"ately niivt'd : foimuissiiro
\\\i\\ a iiRMliaii atutf \o\k\ \Vin*r.s
fI(>iiLrat«'tl : tho lluir tiist pri-
inarifs lonjrf'-'*t. Tul inoik-rate,
.^li.Lilnly loikctl. Colors of tin-
male chit'lly .^carlct. of tlio li-mak'
Vfllowi.sli.

Piirnn-^n riihrn.

The rictus is well provid-
ed with bristles, whicii hend
downwjirds, Imt if brought
forward would reach the
nostrils. Tiu\se are round-
ed, and are closely crowded
by the frontal feathers. The
tarsus is shorter than the
middle too, scutellate anteriorly, and smooth on the sides behind. The
lateral toes are about e(|ual : the basal joint of the middle toe united for
half its length t<i the inner toe, and by almost the whole length to the outer.
The following table may serve to distinguish the males of the several spe-
cies of this genus. The females of all dilfer from the males in having the
rt'd rc])laced, the dusky of U]>per surface by olive-green, the brighter tint of
lower parts by yidlow. — K. IJlDcJW.W.

Species and Varieties.

A. Winif and tail lilackisli. or 'lecp Iila<-k. in in.oif or less striking contrast to the
color of till" n}>por parts. WiiiLf wirh two lit^lit bands (i'xc('[)r in P. mhrd).
a. Body and head red in the ^ : ydlow in the 9-

Wiiiffft intense hhick in ihi' ^ : hack not sfrenkpfJ.

1. P. rubra. Wmi: without any l)ands. or with merely in<li(\Ttions of
briu"hi :5earlet ones. ^. Intense pure scarlet ; winL's and tail inttMi.se
black. 9* ^Mi\ e-LTieen above (InehnlinL' winirs and tail), jiale yellow
below. Jiir. ^, ( Jlive-irreen above, yellow below; wind's and tail
black. Huh. Eastern Provinee of I'nitcd States. ^

TANACKlD.i: — Till-: TAXA( IKliS. 403

2. P. erythromelaena. Wiiii,'' with two baixls of fmn' wliitr. ^.
Briijhl .^(•aiiri ; \viii->, l;iil. aiiil li>i-('s intense l>lu<-k. 9* * >liv<--L;i»MMi
al>ove, VflliAV lit'Ut'uth : wiiii^s aiMl tail slaty.

Forchrad. t'Vt lids, ami anterior half ot' i-Ikm k^ vrh fty-hlarU : rcij
ol' a carniint' slijulc. JLih. Middle Anifiica, noiih to Mira<l«)r.

\ ar. e r 1/ 1 li r n m t hi )i a }
Forehead, eyelids, and anterior hall" of cheeks scarlet (lores oidy
hlack) ; red uf a .scarlet j^hade. JJuh. Xortherii South America.

\ ar. (I /■ il (' II s .*

117//. ,s hrnirni'sJi-dnslii lit the ^ ." Iinrh atretlhfd irUli liUtvl;.

o. P. bidentata.' Win- with two hand- of pinkish-white ( ^), or yel-
lowish-white ( 9 *• $• Al»ove reddish-hrown ; head and heneath niin-
iinn-S(\arlet. 9* Ahove oHve-j.-'reen : head and heneatli yelli>w. Unh.
Middle America (both coasts) fronj Costa Ilica to Middle ^fexieo.
6. Body always yellow ; head I'ed in the ^.

l.issir ir/tii/-''i>i'('ifs })la''J,' i>i' iliiskif.

4. P. ludoviciana. Wim: with two liirht yellow hands. ^. Hnek.
wind's, and tail intense hl;ick : head crimson. 9- Aliove olive-L'"reen,
tinirod with ashy on the hack: heneath pale irreenish-yellow : wincfs
and tail dnsky olive-green ; no red on head. IlnJ). \Ve>tern Province
of I Tiited Slate.s.

Lesser irinrf-rorerfs ami miililJi' crrr-rfs i/eJJoir.

5. P. rubriceps.* Winu- witlu)nt liiiht han<ls. ^. Hack and rump
olive-^reen : wings and tail black: hea<l crimson. J/uh. Xew Tlranada.

B* Winir and tail rt'ddish or greenish, of the .same general color of the npper
parts: wing without any light bands.

a. Wing. o.<H>. Dody always yellow : head red in the ^.

(). P. erythrocephala.^ Above olive-irrcen. beneath yel!i>w. ^. Head
red. Wing, o.UO: tail. L'.Ti*. Ilah. Mexico (Teinisealtipec).

b. Wing 3.50 or more. Body and head red in ^.

C^/mmfasure n'ifh a Jisfinrf foofh : hill lihnsh.

7. P. hepatica. Bill small, not swollen laterally : culnien gently enrved
terminally, straight basally ; commissural tooth small. ^. Above red-
dish-a.<hy, becoming brighter reddish on the hea<l alio\f: beneath
minium-scarlet medially, much tinged with ashy laterally. 9- Ashy-
green and greenish-yellow, insteatl of reddish. Jur. ^. .^imihir, but
throat tinged with orange-red.

1 Pi/rmi'i'i iriff/inni)rhr,ni, Sci.ATF.i:, P. Z. S. bond. 18.')<5, 12(1. (Tiiiiinirii enjtlirinnchi^,
LicuT. Prei.s.-Vciv. d. Saiig. u. Viig. no. «'.;i ; is:',i.»

- pin'f'Ufj:! aniens, ScLATr.K, P. Z. S. l,s.')('.. I'Jii. {Pha'.inmma nyden.% Tsciiri>i. Wicg. Arcliiv,
1844, 207. ^

•^ fiprniffn h'uhuif'ifi, Swains. Pliilos. ^big. b<i'7, 4"2s.

* Piinniffa rirhricfps, Ciiav. (Jen. P>. lei. p. :><t4, i>l. Ixxxi.v, 1S41».

^ PjiriDujii frtttlrri>ri'j)h<il'i, Bonai'. \\. Z. bS.'il, 178. {S/imiKitjra criithrocephoh, Swains.
Pliil. ^big. 1827, 4:57. Wen- it not for the -^uiall si/.c, one w.ndd. without seeing a sptiinicn, he
iiiclint'd to .suspect thi> as being a young male of P. asfioi, whii h oftiu occurs in very similar
plumage.

■JO

434 Nnirrii amkkkan iiikds.

Aiiriculais uT;iyi>li like tin- liaik : ('ScIkU liL^it ml : lores i/rayish.
Win^, i.Ui; tail. AAO ; l-ill. ..■><•. //ah. Tal.lr-laii<!s of Mid.iU'
Am«.'ii»a, north into suiulu'ii! lJo<k\ Moimtaiiis of I'niuil States.

var. h r pa f i r n .
Aiiririilais iv<l<iisli like tiic iif( k : rycli<ls ami loirs well (U'ruictj,
l.iillV-uliite. Will--. :J.<JU: tail. ;;. "Jo; liiil. .|ii J/(il>. I'arairnav.

var. 'I z a r a }
S. P. saira. iliil laiL-f. mn<li swollen later '!ly, the <'iijnieii eiirveil
liofh teniiiiially ami i>asally. ^. .\liove dark liro\viii>li-re(l. heiieath
(ler[) scarlet, tliiller lafeiMlly. 9- '->',-"' olivo-greeu au<l iuieiise oraii^'e-
yellow. iiisteatl of ri-il.lish.

('(•iimiissmal tooth iiidistiiiet : t'oi-i-head eotisideral'ly hri,Lrhter red-
dish ov yellowish than the l>aek. ^. iJeiieath almost entirely i)iue
verniilion-seailet. 9- neiieatli alnio>t wholly ]»in-e jranihoire-yel-
low. Wiuir. 4.(H>; tail. o.lO; ciilnien. .so. J/uh. Eastern South
America ( Hra/.il and Trinidad) ...... var. .<{nir(tr

Coiinui>sural tooth distinct, prttmiiicut : loi'ehead .-^caicely l»rij:hter
reddish or yellowish than the hack. (^ . IJehcalh hrownish-searlet
medially, moiv hrownish laterally. 9- Beneath Indian-yellow
medially, urecnish laterally. Win^. ."5.70 ; tail, .'{.'JO : culnien. .SO.
J/'ih. Sonthern Middle America, on the Atlantic (IJelize, Rio
Manati, Costa Uica, Anirostiwa. and Xeianua) . . var. teatacea?

PitwniissniP irlUnmt on ff/>j>ir-rifthle tooflt : hifl jkiJc bron')ti'sh.
0. P. aestiva. ^. Al>ove pur|»iisli-red. heneath pure. line, rosaeeous-
vermihon. 9- AIm.vc l>rovviiish tdive-j^aeun, beneath oehraceons-yel-
low.

Jlead aiiove scarcelv hritihter reddish or vellowish than the hack.
]>ill, .">. or less from nostril : primaries, .S4 Ioniser than se(M)n-
darics. Win./. ;3.si ; tail. L'.iXi; Mil, ..7j. Hah Kastcrn Provineo
of Tnite-l State>. south, in winter. throui:h Ka>rcrn Mid<lle America
t«> I'dU .......... var. (estirn.

Head al'ove dccidedlv hriiihter reddish or Vellowish than the
hack. I>ill. .()0 or more, from nostril; juimarics. l.Ki |oni;fr than
.secondaries. Wino-, 4."Jl; tail, IJ.fiS : hill, .('A. Jlah. Sonthern Mid-
dle Province of Unitcl States (I'jtjvr Pio (Jiaiide it-uion and
Lower Coloiado Basin) : in winter south, throuirh Western Mexico,
to Colima ......... var. cooper i.

C. Body ashy : winjrs, tail, ani" pilenm dull purplish-red; throat, lininir of winjr

and ciissum dilute ros('-])ink in ihe ^.

lo. P. roseigularis.* Sides of head. nape. I»nck. and scapulars deep
a>h, tlic iloi>al rcL;iou with a faint i»urplish ca-t ; lorc<. cvelids. checks.
and lower pai-ts in ijcnera!. j»alcr. and with a dimry l>ulf tinire, — {talcr
on the uhdonicii, and more .^trunuiy marked with ash across the breast

1 f Piintnif cvirir, \)\)\\\\. V,,y. \\ -*^^- Kin'iWAV, I'r. Ac. X. S. Philad. .Tini.-, 1801>, p.
1:32, 111,'. 2.

-' /'!ir,>„'i<> .va/A/, S. lATii:. P. Z. S. \^:,i\ 124. UfPCWAV. Pr. A. X. S. .Tun.\ ISOO, p. 131,
tig. 1. yTir,„i(irii s.nni. Siux. Av. 'lias. II, AS, W-j,. A.)

3 P;ir>nt>i" frst.u;,!, >k\.\\vw k Sai.vin, P. Z. S. iSfJS, :5SS. i;ii»(;wAV, Pr. A. N. S. June,
18r,!>, p. ]:«. f. 1.

* /'in-mnja ro/u-if/ti/n ris, (amoi. ( I)c«riptiiiii hoiii tin' tv]><'.)

TA N A< ; i:i D.K — TIIK TA N A< i Ki:.'

rO'")

and iiloiiix si(if-. W iii»lc pil.-mii. Iioiii liiU !•> iiapf uii<l <lit\vii ti> tin-
uj»|>«-r «'(il:c «•! l<in'>, r\f<. ami ainii'iilars. wiiijjfs, iijukt tail-covi-ii-. aiiil
tail, (lark j>nii>Ii>li-r(ii. Whulr tlimaT <liliit<; VfiiiiiliMH. i>i- in>c-|iiiik
sharply (U'liiifil: frissiim ainl liiiiiii: <»^^\illgs a jiaK-r >liailf nl'thc same.
Wiiitr. '.U^'t ; tail. 2.1't: I'ill. rn»iii lutstiil, 4") ; its ck-plh at the l>aM'. .lo.
its breadth, .30 ; tarsus, .SO. //«/',. Yiitalaii.

Pyrani:a rubra, \'iiii.l.

THE SCARLET TANAGEB.

Tunaynt nihni, Linn. I, 17«">'5, :>n. <1mi.i.in. i, 17S8, 8^i♦. — Wii.xtN, .\iii. Oiii. II,
Iblo, V2 \ pi. \i, I. :{, I. .\ri>. (>iii. ^.ilu^ IV, ls:js, :;.s^ ; j.l. < ccliv. I'l/ruii'j:'
rubra, ViKiLl.or, < )i.s. .\i.!. S.pi. I, lMt7, i\ ; pi. i. t. \'l (Il.;i<l.t. - Sw ains(»n, F.
Bor. Am. II. l>;il, 27:5. — 1><»n. Li>t. l^:;->. In. ('nii.sp.<tus, l>:»o. Aid. Syn.
lb3St, VSy\. — Ii;. liinls Am. II, 1S41, J-Jt! ; pi. «.i.\. Silatki:, Vy. /o.>1. So. . \>:>b,
1;">G. — ll!. K^r»0, 1-J:J. — Ma.\. < ah. .Icur. VI, !>:>>, •J7<>. — Sami lil.s, -J.'tl. l'/ia->iiso,H'i
ruhm, Sw. IJirds, II, 1>:57, '2^i. I'lnnnrnsihini rn'trn, ('a1'.. Mas. Iltiii. ls.'>l, -Jt.
I'l/idilijn ri-!///n-iinu/"S, \llM.\.n\; "ElKVc. Mt'th. >(MI."" - ht. Nuuv. Diet. XXVIII,

1S17, 2d:i.

Sp. ('iiAU. Bill shorter than the head. Sfc.iid «piill lniiu'-«'st : first ami third a little
shorter. Tail im><lerat»'1v rmked. Mo/r. Wimlr li.'ad and lin<ly contiiuutus. pure, intense
.scarlet, the leathers white heneath the surlat-M-. and -rayish at thf root-. Win^s and tail,
Avith the .seai)nlars. nnifonn int«Mise hlack : the tniddle-covrri- somrtnm's partly red, Wmn-
uvj an interrupted hand. Lininir «>f w in^^ white. A l'Iaiki>h tinvf aloni:- sides of the
rump, e«»nceale(l hy win _<:?<. Hill p<-a-.L;re<'n ; iris lu«>\\n; tarsi and toodiiil l)lne. Female.
Olivo-o-reen ahove, vellowish hcnt-ath. Win-' and tail fcathrrs l.row ii. e(l-cd with oliva-
ceous. Leniith, 7.40: winir. 4.00. tail. :).0H.

IL\I5. Eastern Provinee North Ain.-rira. north to Winnepe^' (west to Kl Pa«o ? IfKKR-
maxn). In winter, south to Ecuador (liio Xapo. Sei..). Bogota (.Scl.) Cuha (ScL. 6:
Gi-Nni..): Jainai<a (Ser.. &: Gossi;j ; I'anaiua (L\wu.); Costa Riea (Lawi:.) : Vera Cruz
(winter, Simkiik.vst).

At least tliree yt'ars seem to lu' re-
quired lor the as.siiiiij>ti(Hi n{' the per-
fect })hiiiia<4e of the male. In the first
year the yoniijjj male is like the female,
hut lias lilaidv witios ami tail ; in the
fall red leathers beuiii to make their
a])])earaiiee, timl the followino- spiiiii;"
the red ]»redomiiiates in ])atehes.

llAurfs. 'i'he Si-arlet Tanat^er is one
of the most eonspienons and hrilliant
of all our summer visittints. Elegant
in its attire, retirinn and modest in
manners, sweet in sonii, and useful in
its destruction of hmtl'iil insects, it
well merits a cordial widcome. This
Tanaixer is distributed over a wide extent of territory, from Texas to Elaine,
and li-oui South (Carolina to the northern shores (d Lake Huron, in all which

Pt/rnnsn hn/ni-irinna.

43G NOKTII A.MKIilCAN lIIIiDS.

loiiilitios it LrcL'ds. A tV'w arc ioimd once in a while as far oast as Calais, in
the s|»rin;4, and tiiey are rather occasional than common in Kaslcrn Massa-
chnsctls, lait arc more jtlcnlilul in tiie western i»art of the State, hcc(»min,i4
unite common ahont Spnn<,'tichl, arriving May lo, and remaining aliout tonr
months, l)reedinn in liiith oi»cn woods and (thl orciiards. In Scjutli C'artjlina
it is ahundant as a miurant, tliou^ii a h'w remain ami hreed in the higher
lands. Mr. Auduhon states, also, that a lew hrecd in the higher portions of
Louisiana, and I>r. Ileermann found them hreeding at Kl I'aso, in New Mex-
ico. Thcv are lar moic almndant, however, in the Stales of IVmisvlvania,
Xev; Jersey, N'irginia, and thmughout the Mississippi \'alley, arriving early
in May, ami leaxing in ()ito]>cr. Though occasionally found in the nujre
si>ar.sely .settled portions of the country, in orchards and retired gardens, they
are, as a rule, inhalatants of tlie edges of forests.

Their more common notes are simi>le and brief, resendding, according to
Wilson, the sounds rhip-rjHrrr. Mr. llidgway rei>resents tlnmi l>y rliiii-n-ni'-
rer. This song it re}»eats at hrief inter\als and in a ]»ensive tone, and with
a singular faculty of causing it to seem t<» come from a greater than the real
dist nee. Jiesides this it also has a nioie varied and nuisical chant re.sem-
Iding the mell(»w notes of the lialtininre ( )riole. The female also utters simi-
lar notes when her nest is ap])roached, and in their mating-season, as they
move together through the hranches, they both utter a low whis]>ering war-
ble in a tone oi' great sweetness and tenderness. As a whole, this bird may
be regarded as a nmsiial performer of very respectable merits.

The food of this species is chiefly gleaned among the up])er branches, and
consists of various coleopterous and other insects and their larvie. Later in
the sciison they consume various kinds of wild berries.

When their nest is a}>]>roached, the male bird usually keeps at a cautious
distance, as if fearful of being seen, l»ut his much less gaudy mate hovers
about the intruder in the greatest distress. Wilson relates (piite a touching
instance of the tlevotion of the parent of this s})ecies to its young. Having
taken a young bird from the nest, and carried it to his friend, Mr. liartram,
it was ]»laced in a cage, and susjtendi'd near a nest containing young Orioles,
in lio[)es the parents of the latter would iced it, which they did not do. Its
cries, however, attracted its own j»arent, who assiduously atten<K'd it and suit-
plied it with food for .several days, lu'came more and more .solicitous for its
liberation, and constantly uttered cries of entreaty to its on's]>ring to come
out of its prison At last this was more than Mr. liartram could endure, and
he mounted to the cage, took out the ])risoner, an«l restored it to its ]>arent,
who accompanied it in its jbght to the woods with notes of great exidtation.

Karly in August the mah^ begins to moult, and in the course of a few days,
dre-s.sed in the greeuisji livery of the female, he is not distinguishaltle iVoni
her or his voting i'amilv. In this Innuble irarli thev leave us, and do not
resume their summer ]>lumage until just as they are re-entering our southern
borders, when they iumv be seen in various stages >f transfoiination.

TAN'AdlMD.E — Till-: TANA(Ji:nS. 4,^7

Tliis species is oxh'eniclv snscoptilile to culd, ainl in lato and iiiiusnally
cliilly seasons laiuc nuinlM'rs nlicn jteri.sh in tlieir more noitiarn liaunts, as
Massaeliiisotts and Xnitlicrn Nt*\v Vuik.

The nests of llif Scarlt't I'ana^rr are l)nilt late in May, or curly in dune,
on llic horizontal l>ran<li of a forest trt'c, nsually on tlie ed^v ot a wood, l»ut
oeeasionallv in an orcliard. Thev are nsuallv wvv nearly thit, tive ur six
inches in diameter, and aliout two in height, witli a depression of only ahout
half an intdi. They are of sonu'what irre.nnhir shape, or not tpiitc symnut-
rically circnlar. Their l)ase is somewliat loosely constructed of coarse stems
of vej^etal)lcs, strij)s of l)ark, and the rootlets of \V(»oded jdants. V[»on tliis
is wrought, wit li more compactness and neatness, a framework, witliin wliich
is the lininii, of long slender tihroiis roots, interspersed w iih w hich are slender
stems of jdants and a few strips uf tine inner hark.

Mr. Xnttall describes a nest examined l»y liini as comj)osed of ri;^dd stalks
of weeds antl slender iir-twi;^^s tied toucther with narrow stri]ts (»f ./y/'y//-
num and i)ea-vine runners, and lined with slender wiry stalks of the JliUdn-
thcmum, the Vvliole so thinly plaited as readily to admit the light through
the interstices.

The eggs, four or five in nuniher, vary in length from an inch to .90, and
have an average hreadth of .«>•">. Their ground-color varies irom a well-
marked shade of greenish-hlue, to a dull white with hardly the least tinge
of blue. The spots vary in si/e, are more or less conlhient, and are chielly
of ti reddish or rufous brown, intermingled with a few .spots of a brownish
and obscure ]>urple.

Pyranga ludoviciana, t.onap.

LOUISIANA TANA6EB.

Tonagrn /ic/urirni,,,!, Wii.sun, Am. Orii. Ill, l>n, -27, pi. xx, f. 1. linN. ( )l).s. 1>26,
9:,. __Aci>. Orn. r>i(»^'. IV, !>:;>. ;3s,5 . v, Is:'.'.', '.♦(>, j.l. crliv, .re-. r<i,in,jm
iPifnoKj't) Jntl„rir!iinn, linNAr. Syii. 1S2S, 10.',. — NriTAi.i., M;iii. I, 1 >.;•_', 471.
Piirtniqii hiihn-U-'uiiiii, \\\K\\. I.isT. 1S:57. - - I'iinat. List, ls;JS. — Ari». Syii. 1>;]S». 137.
li!. r.ii.ls Am. II!. 1^11. -JH, pi. .rx. --S( i.ATi:i:, !'r. Zo.-l. So,-. IS.".*;, 125.—
c.inir.i;, «^ni. ('ill. 1, 1>7", 11.'). P>n'ii»[i" crufhroiiis, ViKii.i.nr, Nouv. Di.t. XXVIIl,
1"^1'.', 2".'l. (*• T'liiit'iri mill nihliiii'i, .Takd. fil. Wil.'^oii, I, 317," acioi'liiig to Sclatt-r,
l>ut 1 caMiiot liiitl .■^luli iiMiiif.)

Sp. Thai:. P,ill .shorter than the lu-ail. Tail sli'jhtly lorkr.l: first three (luills nearly
e(|ua1. M<iJ>\ Vt'llow: tht- iiijiMle i>|' ilic hark, the wiiiL:<. and tin- tail hlaek. Head and
neck all lound .<tron;^lv tiiip-d with reil : Ica.^T so on t1i<' sides. A hand of vi-llow aeiess
the niidillc ctivetts. ami of v«'ll(>\vi>h-\vhite across the i^ii-atcr ones: the tertials ninic or
le.ss cdifcd with whitish. F<ni<ili\ ( )liv('-L;i*-en ahovc, yellowish I'l-nrath; the feathers of
the inttT.M'ajtnlar rocrion dusky, siiart:ined with olive. The winus aii<l tail lathcr ilark
hrown. the former with the same marks a< the uiaU". Lenijfth. 7-'-."): wiiiir. ."l.tlo ; tail. 2.8').

IIab. Western [tortious of I'nited States, from the Missouri IMain.-* to the Pacific: north
to Fort Liard. soutli to Cape St. I.ueas. Oaxae-i (Sci,.): (ruati'iiiala (.^cl.) ; Orizaba (Scl.; ;
Vera Cruz (winter, Scmichkast).

.138 NUKTII A.MKKK'AlN 151 RPS.

•

IIaiwi's. This liird is mic of tlir in;my iiistuncrs in wiiicli AVilsmi lias Iwcn
uiifnitunalr' ill itcstuw iii^ upon liis new specie^ a geourapliiral name nut
a]»pr(>|uiatL* at liir |»i('S(iil liiiu'. W •• liavc in* ex id^'iict; that tliis hiid, calknl
tlie Liniisiaua Taiiaucr, is t'\»'r lomid within the nitMU'in limits nf that State,
alth(iu«.jh it nccurs tioni tin* (ln'at Plains t<» thu I'acilic, and I'mni Foil J.iard,
in till' nnithi'in Ifocky Mmmtains, to Mt'xico.

It was Hist nu't with l»y Lewis and (laiks jtaity, on tho rppcr Missouri,
a iv^^ion then known a> Louisiana 'rciiitoiy. TIh'V were said to inhal»it the
extensive jdains in what was then called Missouri Territory, huildiiiLr their
nests in low hushes, and e\en anionic the ^rass, and delighting in the various
kinds of herries with whit-h those fertile jtrairies were said to ahound.

Mr. Nuttall, who met with these hirds in his Western exriirsions, deserihes
them as eontinuallv llittinij o\ er those va>t downs, oecasionallv ali'ditin^- on
the stems of some tall weed, or Jie hushes hordi'riiii; the streams. Their
Iiahits are veiv terrestrial, and from this he infers that thev derive their
food from the insects they find near the ij^round, as well as from the seeds of
the herha'^e in which thev chiellv dwell. He found them a common and
iiunu'rous sj>ecies, remaining in the eoiintiy wi'st of the Mississippi until the
approach <jf Octoher. In his first ohservations of them he states that thouudi
he had seen many of these hiids, yet he had no recollection of hearini,^ them
utter any moduJateil ur musical suumls. They appearetl tu him shy, Hitting,
and almost silent.

lie tirst ohserved these hirds in a thick helt of wood near Laramie's Fork
of the Platte, at a considerahle distance east of the lUack Hills. He after-
wards found them \ ery ahundant, in the si>ring, in the forests of the Colum-
bia, below Fort \'ancouver. In these latter (tbservations he modified his
views as to their S(»nLt, and states that he could freinientlv trace them bv
their notes, which aie a loud, short, and slow, but jdeasing Marble, not very
unlike that of the common lIo])in, delivered from the tops of lofty fir-trees.
Their nnisic c(>ntinues, at short intervals, during the forenoon, and while
they are busily engaged in searching for larv;e and coleopterous insects, on
the small branches of the trees.

Dr. Sucklev found this Tana,ner quite abundant at certain seasons in the
vicinitv of Fort Steilacoom. In one vear a verv limited number were seen;
in another they were very abundant. From fre(pient op]>ortunities to exam-
ine and to studv their habits, he was inclined to discredit the statement of
Xuttall that they descend to low bushes, the reverse being the rule. He
found it very ditlicult to meet with any sutliciently low «lown in thti trees
for him to kill them with tine shot. Their fa\(>rite abode, in the localities
where he observed them, was among the u])per branches of the t;dl Ahira
doi'l/fif.ssii. They prefer the edge of the forests, rarely retiring to the depths.
In early summer, at Fort Steilacoom, they could be seen during the middle
of the day, sunninu themselves in the firs, or dartinu' from one of those trees
to another, or to some of the neighboring white oaks on the prairie. Litter

TA\.\<:iiii).i: Till. T.\\A<:i:i:s. 4;]«|

ill the soii!<nii tlicv were to Itc s«'»'ii tl\ iiiu v«'iv iirtivt'ly iilxiut in (pU'-t of
insect Inud lor llu-ir vnnnLi. < Mi llir hUli nf 'hily he s;i\v nnr canvinn u 'Vdi in
ill its ui<nii!i, slinwinn that its youiiLj were thm hatdictl mit. iMiiiin; the
lutM'dinLr-^^^'usnn thevan' niudi h'ss shv, lh«' males Ircniuiillv sittini^ on sunie
low limit, reiulerinLT the neiLihhorhnod joyniis with their tleliLchtl'iil melody.

Tln'ii' stomach'^ were I'oiiinl tillecl with inject-;, ehietly eoleojitrra ; aiiioiiLj
these were many Ira^meiits of lln- larj^e ^^leen JJt'iu-t.sfis, tuund on the
I)oUL,dass til-trees.

I)r. ('oo]»er adds to this account, that this hird arrives at T'nuvt Sound
ahout May lo, and hcionies a coniiiion summer resident in \Va>hin;^ton Ter-
ritory, especially near the river-hanks and anionti; the ]irairies, on wiiich arc;
lound deciduous trees. lie com]iares its soul: to ijiat of it-; hlack-winmd
relative {I\ ri'hrtf), hein;_; of a h*\v notes only, whistled in the manner of
tlie llohin, and sonndiuLr ax .!' the hird were »iuit<' distant, w hen in reality
it is very near. He met wiili these hirds east of the IJocky Mountains and
up to the VMh parallel.

In California the same ohservor mitiood their arrival near San l>ii'Lr(»,
in small parties, ahout the L'4th of Aj>r:l. The males come in advance of
their mates, and are more l»old and c(Hispicuous, the femah's heimi rarely seen.
lie saw none of them in the Coast IfanL^o toward Santa Cm::, (a- at Santa
liarhara, in sunimer. He also found them in Septeniher, lS(»(i, in the higher
Ifocky Mountains, near the sources of the C<»lumhia, in latitude 47 . In the
fall the younu and the old associate in families, all in the same <lun-L;reenisli
l>lumaL;e, feedini;- on the herries (jf the elder, and other sliruhs, without the
timidity they manitest in sprinn'.

Mr. J. K. Lor<l states that he did Ufit once moot with this s]>ecies west of
the Cascade Mountains. He found them on the Spokan Plains and at ( 'ol-
ville, where they arrive in June. Male hirds were the tirst to he seen. On
their arrival they perch on tlie to])sof the highest pine-trees, and continually
utter a hiw pieninu' chirp. They soon after ]>air, and disappear in the forest.
Where tliey hreed, Mr. Lord was not ahle to discover, though he souL^ht h'\\s,\i
and low for their nests. As he never succeeded in findinii them, he conjec-
tured that they nnist hreed on the tops of the loftiest pine-trees. They all
leav(.' in Se])tenil)er, hut do not assemhle in tlocks.

These Tanaixers hreed at least as far to tlu^ s(^uth as Arizona, Dr. Cones
haviuLj found tliem a sununcr resident near Fort AVhijijtle, thou<_:li rare.
They arrive there in the middh^ of A])ril, and leave late in Se]»temher.

Ml'. Salvin states that this Tana^er was found hetween the volcanoes of
A_mia and Fue^o, at an elevation of ahout five thousand feet. Specimens
were also received i'rom the Vera Paz.

Specimens of this species were taken near Oaxaca, Mexico, hy Mr. Boucard,
where tliev are winter residents.

Mr. liiduwav writes that he first met with these Tanat-ers in Julv, ainnncr
the ])ines of the Sierra Xevada. There its sweet song first attracted his

440 NUUTII AMERICAN BIRDS.

attL'iitioii, it heiiiu ahnost exactly similar to that of its oastcrn relative
(P. nibr(i). Afterwards he eontimially met with it in wooded })orlioiis,
whether aiiiomjr the wiUows and cottonwo(jd of the river-vallevs, or the
cedars and pinons of the mountains. In May, 1808, among the willows
and hutfalo-berry thickets of the Truckee Valley, near Pyramid Lake, it was
very abundant, in company with (Irosbeaks and Orioles, feeding up(»n the
buds of the grease-wood (OhiuHC),im(\ later in the sunnner among the cedars
and nut-}»ines of East Tlumljoldt Mountains, where the peculiar notes of the
young arrested his attention, resembling the complaining notes of the IJlue-
bird, but louder and UKjre distinct. In Se]»tend>er he noticed them feeding,
among tlie thickets bordering the streams, u])on the pulpy iruit of the
thorn -ap])le (Cratinjus) that grew plentifully in the thickets. To the east-
wart I it was continually met with, in all wooded portions, as far as they
explored.

In manners it is very similar to the P. rubra. The songs of both birds
are very nearly alike, being etpially tine, lait that of this species is more sil-
very in tone, and uttered more falteringly. Its usual note oi j)! it-it is quite
diiferent from the vhip-fi-rti'-trr of the P. rvhrd.

He met with their nest and eg^rs at Parley's Park, Utah, June 9, 1869.
The nest was on the extreme end of a h(»rizontal branch of a pine, in a grove.
Hat, and with only a very slight <lei»ression, having a diameter of four and a
half inches, with a height of only an inch. It was conn)oscd externally of
onlv a few twigs and drv wirv stems, and linetl ahnost entirelv with tine
vegetable rootlets.

The eggs, usually three in number, measure .95 by .(S^ of an inch. In
form thev are a rounded-oval. Their uroimd-color is a liufht bhiish-ureen,
sparingly s])eckled, chielly at the larger end, with marking of umber, inter-
miuLiled with a few dots of lilac.

Pyranga hepatica, Swains

Pyranga hcpattoi, Swainsun, I'liil. .M:i,i,'. I, ls-27, 124. — Sclatkii, Pr. Zoi.l. Soc. 1856,
124. — lUiRi), Birds N. Am. 1S.')8, 302, pi. x.wi. — Ki.nnkklv, 131. — KiixnvAY, Pr.
A. N. S. 1809, 132. — ('<u)i>Kn, <>iii. ("al. I, 187tl, 144. PJnfnicnaomn hrpafici, Car.
Mus. Hcin. 18'>1, 25. J'l/raiiga ozura; WouKllousK, Sitgivave's E.xpl. Zuui, 1853, 82
(not of otluT iiuthorsK

Sp. Ciwn. •• L'liirtli. S.oo"; wintr, 4.12: tail 3.3f): cuIhumi. .O'^: tarsus. .St. Sceon.l (niill
lonirest. first intcnnediate l»ot\vo(?n fourth and lifrli. Bill somewhat shorter than that of
(Bsfiv'i, liiu hroadiT and hijjrlier at the hase, hecominLT t.'ouipressel towird tho end : a di.s-
tinct prominent tooth on eomiiiissure; its color |>linnl>eons-liiaek. ])al('r. or more6''//.s7j plum-
beous on lower mandible. J/rt/^. Head above brownish-red. purer anteriorly; rest ol" up-
per parts and sido brownish-ashy, tinirei' with red<lisl. ; ediics cf primaries, upper taii-
coveris and tail, more reddish. Beni'ath. medially, fme liLrlit scarlet, most intense on tho
throat, g-rowinjr j?radually paler posteiiorly. Lores; . >rbital region grayish-white ; eye-
lid.'? pah'-red , eai'-eoverts ashy-red.

TANAaRID^ — THE TANAOERS. ^^l

Female. Above ashy-Errecnish-olivacoous, brifj;htest on forehead ; edges of wing-
feathers, upper tiiiUeoveits, aiitl tail more ashy on the back; beneath nearly uniform
olivaeeo US-yellow, [Min'r medially ; lores ashy ; a supereiliary stripe of olivaceous-yellow^
Yonny nude similar to the female, V»ut forehead and erown olivaceous-orange, briglitest
anteriorly; sui>erciliary stripe bright orange, whole tiu"oat, abdomen, and breast medially
rich yellow, most inte'use, and tinged with orange-chrome on throat.

Hab. Mountain regions of Mexico and southern Itotky Mountains of I'nited States.
Oaxaca (Oct., Sclater) ; Xalapa (Scl.) ; Guatemala (Sclatek) ; Vera Cruz (not to alpine
regions, Sumichrast).

This species dift'ers from all tlie others in the great ros-triction of the red ;
this being confined })rincipally tu tlie head al)ove, and median lower .snrt'ace,
the lateral and ni)per parts being quite difterent reddish-ashy. The sluuh' of
red is also peculiar among tiie North American species, being very line and
li'dit, of a red-lead cast, and most intense anteriorly.

Habits. A single female s})ecimen in full plumage of this beautiful l)ird
was obtained by Dr. Woodhouse in the San Francisco ^Mountains of New
Mexico. It was an adidt female, and so far is the only one knt»wn to lia\ e
been found within tlie limits of the United States. It is not rare in tlie
highlands of Mexico, whence it probably extends into the mountainous por-
tions of the United States.

Specimens have also been procured from Guatemala, and ^Ir. Boucard met
with it at Choapam, a mountainous district in the State of Oaxaca, Mexico.

Nothing is known of its habits,

Fyranga sestiva, var. sestiva Vieill.

SVHMEB REDBIBD.

Mtiscicapa rubra, Linn. Syst. Nat. 1, 1766, 326. Tanniiva ccstica, Omelix, I, 1788, 889. —
Wilson, I, 1810, 95, pi. vi, f. 3. — Arn. Orn. Biog. I, 1831, 232; V, 1S39, 518,
pi. xliv. Pyranga ecstiva, Vieill. Nouv. Diet. XXVIII, 1819, 291. — Box. List,
1838. —Ib. Conspectus, 1850. —Arn. Syn. 1839, 136. —In. Birds Am. Ill, 1841,
222, pi. civiii. — Sclater, Pr. Zotil. Soo. 1855, 156. — In. 1856, 123. — Baiud, Birds
N. Am. 1858, 301. — Heekmann, P. R. R. X, p. 17. — Ridgwav, Pr. A. N. S.
1869, 130. — Maynaul), Birds K. Mass. 1870, 109. Pho'iii.soma a^stiva, S\v. Birds, II,
1837, 284. Pheenicosoma a'sfivrt, Cabanis, Mus. Hein. 1S51, 25. ? Loxia virginica,
Gmelin, I, 1788, 849. (Male changing.) / Tnnagra mis-sissippiensis, Gmklix, I, 1788,
889. Pyranga missiHsippieufiis, Max. Cab. Jour. VI, 1858, 272. Tanagra i-aricgata.
Lath. Ind. Orn. I, 1790, 422. (Male changing.) Tangare da Miasiimippi, Buffox,
Ois. V, 63, pi. enl. 741.

Sp. Char. Bill ni'arly as long as the head, withont any mtHlJan tooth. Tail nearly
even, or slightly ronnded. Male. Vi'rniilion-rccl ; a little darker aliovt'. and brightest on
the head. Quills; brown, the outer webs like the back. Shafts only of the tail-leathers
brown. Bill light horn-color, niore vellowish at the edires. Female. OI've above, vcllow
beneath, with a tinge of reddish. Length, 7.20; wing, 3.75; tail, 3.0G ; cuhnen, .70,
tarsus, .68.

Hab. Eastern Province f nited States, north to about 40°, through occasionally straying ai^
far as Nova M-otia; west to l)orders of the plains. In winter, south through the whole of
Mid<lle Ame.ica (except the Paciiic coast) a^ fur as Ecuador and Peru. Cuba; .Jamaica.

56

442

NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS.

13180

S^S^h^-

^^SQP,eh

111 the accompan villi,' cut we j^nve outline i)( tlie bill of the two varieties
of Pi/raiuja astira as <(iiii]iaiiMl with a iH^ar ally, /'. soira, of South Amer-
ica. (l-'irjO, P. fiMico ; :U,:U4, J\ ffsfint var. Coojuri ; :A),\i\)4, P. saira.)
This species is one of wide distribution ; its habitat in the United States

including tlie " Eastern Province," north
to Nova Scotia, and west toward the
liocky M(nintains, along the streams
watering tlie ])lains, through Texas, into
Eastern Mexico, Central America, and
tlie northern part of Soutli America, as
well as some of the West India islands.

In the ditl'erent regions of its habitat
the species undergoes considerable vari-
ations as regards shades of color and
proportions. S}>ecimens from Texas and
Eastern Mexico exhibit a decided ten-
dencv to longer bills and more slender
forms than those of the Eastern United
States ; the tails longer, and colors rather purer. In Central America and
New Granada the species accpiires the greatest ]>erfection in the intensity
and purity of the red tints, all specimens Icing in this respect noticeably
different from those of anv other reuion.^

Specimens in the collection of the Smithsonian Institution, from Peru
(39,84'J (?,:)0,84'J (^,aiid :>«),.S."i(» 9, huad-waters HuaUaga Kiver;, are undis-
tinguishable from those killed in the eastern Unite<l States.

The young male exliil)its a variegated jiluniage, the red appearing in
patches upon the other colors of the female ; in its changing plumage, the
red generally predominates on the head, and often individuals may be seen
witii none anywhere else. In this condition there a])pears to be a great re-
semblance to the P. cn/fhrotrji/ift/d (see syno})tical table), judging from the
description, but which apjiears to be considerably smaller, and perhaps has
the red of the head more continuous and sharply defined.

The young male in first summer resembles the female, but has the yellow
tints deeper, the lower tail-coverts approaching orange.

Habits. The Summer liedbird is found chiefly in the Southern States, as
far north as Southern New Jerst^y ami Illinois. Mr. Audubon speaks of their
occurring in Massachusetts, but ]\Ir. Lawrence has never known of their hav-
ing been found farther north than the ■Magnolia Swamps m\ar Atlantic City,
X. J. One or two recent instances of the capture of these birds in Mas.sa-
chusetts, as also in New P)runswick and Nova Scotia, have occurred, but
these must be regarded as purely accidental.

* Of this hiijhly colortd form, tin' avcrac:*^ loiiirth of five s].('("inieiis is 7.i>o ; in twelvo the
average is, wiiijr, 3.67 ; tail, '2.St> ; enlme!!, .i'>7. The hill appears to he slightly darker than in
North American e.xajuples.

TANAGKIDJ: — THE TANA(ii:US. 443

Tliis species is saitl l»y Mr. Salviii to enjoy ;ni almost universal rauLCe
tliruiighuut (liuiteiaala. It orciirreil in I )('('t'Hil>er at the inoiitli of the llio
Dulee, in the i)ine ridi^es iiuar (Juisimui, ami along the whole njad troni Isa-
bel to Guateniahi, a ilistanee of eighty leagues.

Mr. C. W. Wyatt met with these hirds also, iu all varieties of jdumage,
throughout Colombia, South America, at llerradura, ('«»euta Valley, and
Canta. Mr. lioueard obtained them at IMaza \'ieente, Mexico. Dr. Wood-
house observed this sjtecies throughout the Indian Territory, Texas, and New
Mexico, where it seemed solitary in its habits, fre(|uenting the thick scrubby
timber. It has been known to breed at various ]>oints in Florida, (leorgia^
South Carolina, Lcaiisiana, and Texas. To the northward it breeds more or
less abundantly, as far as Washington, I). C, on the east, and Southern Illi-
nois and Kansas on the west, being nnuh more common in the ^lississippi
Valley than in the States on the Atlantic in the same parallel (tf latitude.

Mr. Dresser found it ([uite common about San Antonio, Texas, during the
sunnner season, arriving there al)out the middle of April, which is just about
the ])eriod at which the three specimens were taken near Ijoston. It is com-
paratively rare in rennsylvania, though abundant in the southern counties
of Xew Jersey, and in Delaware, K.Lstern ^laryland, and Virginia. It is
also abundant in the Carolinas, in (leorgia, Fhtrida, and the Gulf States.

Wilson, in describing the nest and eggs of this species, has evidently con-
founded them and some of their habits with those of the Blue (Jrosbeak.
Tludr eirgs are not linht-blue, nor are the nests, so far as I know, as described
by him. Audubon and Xuttall eo])y substantially his errors.

The food of this s]»ecies during the spring and early summer is chiefly
various kinds of large coleoi)terous insects, bees, was])S, and others. Later in
the season, when whortleberries are rii)e, they feed chiefly on these and other
small fruit. In taking its food it rarely alights on the ground, but prefers to
capture its insects w^hile on the wing.

The usual note v)f this bird, which Mr. Audubon proncumces unmusical,
resembles the sounos " rli irhf-rh nrki/-rh nrir The same writer states that dur-
ing the spring this bird sings pleasantly for nearly half an hour in succession,
that its song resembles that of the lied-eyed Vireo, and that its notes are
sweeter and more varied and nearly equal to those of the Orchard Oriole.

The late Dr. Gerhardt of Varnell's Station, in Northern Georgia, informed
me that these birds are quite common in that section of countr}'. The nest
is usually built on one of the lower limbs of a post-oak, or in a pine sapling,
at a heidit of from six to twenty feet. They are usually constructed toward
the extremity of the limb, and so far from the trunk as to be very difficult of
access. They are generally built from the middle to the end of May. The
egixs are four in number.

In Southern Illinois, according tn ;Mr. Ridgway, the Summer Redbird
arrives about the 20th of April, staying until the last of September. It is
more abundant than tlie Scarlet Tanager, and much less retiring in its habits.

44-4 NORTH AMKUICAN BIRDS.

fre(]iientiiiij: the open j^roves instead of the deeper woods and the forests of
tlie hottoni-Jands, l^einu especially sittached to the i)arks and •proves within the
towns. From its similarity in appearance, manners, and notes to the Scarlet
Tiinager, it is seldom distini^uished by the common people from that bird,
!ind those w ho notice the diiference in color between the two generally con-
sider this the younger staue of i»himage of the black-winged species. Its
sonn' is said to be somewhat after the style of the llobin, but in a firmer
tone and more continued. It differs from the song of the P. rubra in being
more vigorous, and delivered in a manner less faltering. Its ordinary note of
anxiety when the nest is apjaoached is a i^acvilvdY jju-chip it -tat -tut-t at, very
ditlerent from the weaker chip'-al, rd-ree of the F. rubra. The nest is placed
on a low horizontal or drooping branch, near its extremity, the tree being
generally an oak, or sometimes a hickory, and situated near the roadside or at
the edge of a grove. In its construction it is described as very thin, though
by no means frail, permitting the eggs to be seen through the interstices
from below. Mr. iJidi'wav never found more than three eggs in one nest.

A nest (jf this species (Smith. Coll., r)89) from Prairie Mer llouge, Louisi-
ana, has a diameter of four inches and a height of two. Like all the nests
of this family, the cavity is very shallow, its deepest depression being hardly
half an inch. So far from corresponding with the descriptions generally
given of it, this nest is well and even strongly put together, although a por-
tion of the l)as(; and .some of the external parts are somewhat openly inter-
woven, as if for ventilation. These materials are fragTuents of plants, cat-
kins, leaves, stems, and grasses. These seem to constitute a distinct part of
the nest, and are of unecjual thicknesses in ditlerent parts of the structure.
Within this external frame is a much more artistic and elaborately interwo-
ven basket, composed entirely of fine, slender, and dry grasses, homogeneous
in character, and evidently gathered just at the time its seed was ripening.
It is of a bright straw-yellow, and forms the whole internal portion of the
nest.

The eggs vary somewhat in s'ze and shape, from an oblong to a rounded
oval. Their length is from .80 of an inch to an inch, and their breadth
averages .i)S. Their color is a bright light shade of emerald-green, spotted,
marbled, dotted, and blotched with various shades of lilac, brownish-purple,
and dark-brown. These are generally w^ell diffused equally over the entire
eirg.

CO

Pyranga sestiva, var. cooperi, Ridcavay.

Pyravga omjycri, RiDcavAY, Pr. Ac. Xat. Sc. Philad. Juno, 1869, p. 130, fig. .—Cooper,
Orn. Cal. I, 1S70, 142.

Sp. Thar. Lon^rth, 8.00 (iVosh specimon) ; extent, la.oO; win^r, 4.24; tail, .1.08; ciil-
nien, .84; tarsus, .80. Male. fJenerally rich pure vorniiliou, similar to that of (Estiva, l»ut
lighter, briizhter tlian in eastern examples, and less rosaceous than in Central Ameri-
can specimens. Ui)per surface scarcely darker than lower, the h<'ad above being hardly

TANAlilUD^E — THE TANAGEUS. 445

diU'ereut lioin the throat, and abruptly Hfjhtrr than tlie hack, wliich, wiili the \vin<rs
and tail, is of a much lij^'iiter «lusky-rt'<l than in cfsfiva ; exposed tips of primaries pme
slaty-umber, primaries faintly margined terminally with paler (in the tyjte, this char-
acter is not apj)arent, owinir to the feathers beinir somewhat worn; in other specimens,
however, it is (juite a noticeable fe.^ture, althon^di possibly not to bi; entirely relied on).
Female. Abov; oran^'c-olivaceous, beneath more li<^ht yellowish, purest medially; cris-
suni richer yellow than other lower parts, bfing in some individuals (younj; mali's?)
intense Indian-yellow, with the inner wel>s of the tail-feathers margined with the same ;
quite distinct line of orange-yellow over the lores.

IIab. Upper Hio Grande and Colorado region of Southern Middle Province; south, in
winter, along Pacific coast of Mexico as I'ar as Culima.

This bird, quite different from Eastern ccstiva, is, liov.ever, probably only a
representative form of the same species in the Colorado and Upper llio
Grande region, migrating south in winter, througli AVestern Mexico to
Colima, as specimens from Texas and Middle Mexico appear to be quite
intermediate, at least in form.

Habits. This is a new form, whose claim to distinctness was first made
known by Mr. Ridgway, in 18G9. In a])pearance, it most resembles the P.
cestiva, but is larger. It has been found in the Middle Province of the United
States, from Fort Mohave at the nortli, to Uolima and Mazatlan in Mexico.

Dr. Cooper found this bird quite common near Fort Mohave, after A]>ril
25, in the Colorado Valley, latitude 'M}°. They chiefly frequented the tall
Cottonwood, feeding on insects, and occasionally Hew down to the Lama
bushes after a kind of bee found on them. He states also that they have
a call-note sounding like the words kc-iiik, which, in the language of the
Mojave Indians, signifies "come here." They sing in a lotul, clear t<me, and
in a style much like that of the Kobin, but with a power of ventriloquism
which makes the sound appear much more distant than it really is. The
only specimens of this si)ecies known to have been obtained in tiie United
States were taken at Los Pinos, Xew Mexico, by Dr. Coues, and at Fort
Mohave by Dr. Cooper. Other specimens have been procured from Western
Mexico.

440 NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS.

Family FRIN6ILLID.SI. — The Finches.

Char. Primaries nine. Bill very ishort, abruptly conical, and robust. Commissure
strongly angulutetl at ba.-^e of bill. Tarsi scutellate anterioily, but the sides with two un-
divided plates njeeting behind along the median line, as a sharji posterior ridge. Eyes
hazel or brown, except in Pipilo, wiiere they are reddish or yellowish. Nest and e^^^s
very variable as to character and situation.

I still labor under the inability expressed in Birds of North America
(p. 400), in 18,j8, to satisfactorily detine and limit the subfamilies and genera
of the Ft'liujillulcr of North America, and can only hope that l)y the aid of
the figures of the present work no material difficulty will be experienced in
determining the species. The distinctions from the allied families are also
difficidt to draw with precision. This is especially the case with the
Tana(jrida\ where we have much the same external anatomy, including the
bill, nearly all the varying peculiarities of this member in the one being
repeated in the other. — S. F. B.

All the United States species may be provisionally divided into four sub-
families (the European House-Sparrow fonuiug a fifth), briefly characterizable
as follows : —

Coccothraustinae. Bill variable, from enormously large to quite small ; the base
of the upi>er niandilde almost always provided with a close-pressed fringe of bristly
feathers (more or less conspicuous) concealing the nostrils. Wings very long and pointed,
usually one halt to one third longer than the forked or emarginate tail. Tarsi short.

Pyrgitinae. Bill robust, swollen, arched above without distinct ridge. Lower mandi-
ble at base narrower than upper. Nostrils covered ; side of maxilla with stiff apprcssed
bristles. Tarsi short, not longer than middle Xoe. Tail shorter than the somewhat
pointed wings. Back streaked ; under parts not streaked.

Spizellinse. Embracing all the plain-colored sparrow-like species marked with longi-
tudinal stripes. Bill conical, always rather small; both mandibles about equal. Tarsi
lengthened. Wings and tail variable. Lateral clav-s never reaching beyond the base of
the middle claw.

Passerellinae. Sparrow-like species, with triangular spot? beneath. Legs, toes, and
claws very stout; the lateral claws reaching nearly to the end of the middle oni's.

Spizinae. Brightly colored species, usually without streaks. Bill usually very large
and much curved ; lower mandible wider than the upper. Wings moderately long. Tail
variable.

SuBFAjniY COCCOTHRAUSTIN-ffi.— -The true Finches.

Char. Wings very long and much pointed ; generally one third longer than the more
or less forked tail ; first quill usually nearly f»s long as or longer than the second. Ter-
tiaries but little longer, or equal to the secondaries, and alwax's much excee<led by the
primaries. Bill very variable in shape and size, the upper niindible, however, as broad as
the lower; nostrils rather more lateral than usual; and always more or less concealed by
a series of small bristly feathers applieil along the ba.se of the upper mandible ; no bristles

FRIXGILLID.E — THE FIN'CIIES. 447

at the baso of the bill. Feet short and rather weak. lliii«l claw usually considerably
longer than the middle anterior one; sometimes nearly the same size.

In the preceding diagnosis I have comhined a number of forms, all agree-
ing in the length and aciiteness of the wing, the Imstly feathei^s along the
base of tlie bill, the absence of conspicuous bri.-^tles on the sides of the
mouth, and the sliortness of the feet. Tliev are all stronglv marked and
brightly colored l)irds, and usually bdong to the more northern rejjions.

The bill is yery variable, even in the same genus, and its shape is to a
considerable extent of specific ratlier than of generic importance. The fringe
of short bristles along the base of the bill, concealing tlie nostrils, is not
appreciable in Phrtrnphonoi (except in P. nivalis), but the other character-
istics given above are all present.

Genera.

A* Bill enormously large and stout ; the lateral outline as long as that of the
skulL Culmeu gently curved.

Colors green, yeUou; and black:

Hesperiphona. First quill equal to the second. Wings one half longer
than the tail. Lateral claws equal, reaching to the base of the middle claw.
Claws much curved, obtuse ; hinder one but little longer than the middle.
B* Bill snuUler, with the culmen more or less curved; the lateral outline not so
long as the skull. "Wings about one third longer than the tail, or a little more ;
first quill shorter t}ian the second. Claws considerably curved and thickened ;
hinder most so, ami almost inappreciably longer or even shorter than the middle
anterior one. Tarsus shorter than the middle toes. Lateral toes unequal.

a. Colors red, gray, and hlach. never streaked.

Pyrrhula. Bill excessively swollen; as liroad and as high as long, not half
length of head; upper outline much curved. Tail-coverts covering two thirds
the tail, which is nearly even, middle and hinder claws about equal.

h. Colors red and gray, or streaked hrovm and white.

Pinicola. Bill moderately swollen ; longer than high or broad, upper out-
lines much curved ; the tip hooked. Tail-coverts reaciiing over basal half of
tail, which is nearly even. Middle claw longer than hind; outer lateral
claw extending beyond base of middle (reaching to it in Pyrrhula and
Carpodarns). 9 J^'i'i ./"*'• riot streaked.

Carpodacus. Bill varial tie, always more or less cui ved and swollen ; longer
• than high or broad ; the tip not hooked. Tail-coverts reaching over two
thirds the tail, which is decidedly forked. Middle and hind claw about
equal. 9 andyia*. streaked.

c. Colors black and yelloiv.

Chrysomitris. Bill nearly straight. Hind claw stouter and more curved,

but scarcelv lonircr than the middle anterior one. Outer lateral toe reaching

a little beyond the biise of the middle claw ; shorter than the hind toe.

Wings longer and more pointed. Tail quite deeply forked.

C Hind clav,- considerably longer than the middle anterior one. with about the

same curvature; claws attenuated towards the point, and acute. Lateral oes

about equal. Wings usually almost one half longer than the tail, whitl' is deeply

forked. Tarsus shorte?- than middle toe.

448

NOjiVII AMERICAN BIRDS.

(t. I*ohifs of rnnnflih/ps m'erhippinq.

Curvirostra. Tarsus slmrtcr than ini<l<llo toe. Hill muoh coinprossed,
c'lonj^ati' falcate, with the points crossiiifr lil«' the hladt's of scissors. Clawa
very large ; lateral exten«lin<j beyond the ba^e of the middle. Colors red or
gray. Streaked in jnv.

h. Points of maiullhles not overlapping.

2jgiothu8. Tarsus e(inal to the middle toe. Bill very acutely conical ; ont-

lines and connnissnre jH-rfectly straijrht. Lateral toes reachini; beyond the

base of the middle one. No ridge on the side of the lower mandible.

Strcake<l ; a crimson pileum (except in one species).

Leucosticte. Ciilmen slightly decurved; connnissure a little concave.

Bill ol)tusely conical ; not sharp-pointed. A conspicuous ri<lge on the side

of the lower manilible. Claws large: the lateral not reaching beyond the

base of the mi<Mle one. Colors hmI and brown.
D. Hind claw much the largest: d<'cidedlv less curved than the middle anterior
one. Tarsus longer than the middle toe. Lateral toes equal; reaching about to
the I)ase of the middle claw, Jlind toe as lonj; or longer than the middle one.
Bill very variable ; always more or less curved and blunted. Palate somewhat
tubercuinte : margins of lower jaw much inflexed. Tail slightly emarginate or
even. Wings one half longer than the tail. First quill as long as the second.

Plectrophanes. Colors black and white. With or without rufous nape or

elbows. Much white on tail.

Genus

BONAP.

Hesprriphona, BoxAP. Comptes Rendus, XXXI, Sept. 1850, 424. (Type, Fringilla vesper-
tina.)

Gex. Char. Bill largest and stoutest of all the I'nited iStates fringilline birds. Tipper
mandible much vaulted ; culmen nearly straight, but arc led towards the tip; commissure
concave. Lower jaw very large, but not broader than the upper, nor extending back, as in

16770

18597

16770, Hesprriphona vesptrtina. 18597, Coccothraustes vulgaris.

Gniraca ; considerably lower than the upper jaw. Gonys untisuall}'^ long. Feet short ; tarsus
less than the middle toe ; lateral toes nearly equal, and reaching to the base of the mi Idle

cc

KKlN<ilLLll>.K TIIK KlNrilKS. 4411

claw. Claws tiiucli fiirsrd. >tt>m. iiii<l <•< in 1 pi) •<,<.»•< I. Winirs vnv l<>ii«r ami |M>iiit»Ml ifarli-
iiirr iK.yoinl the iiiitldlc of tli«' tail. I*iimaii»'s miu-li loiiLTtT than the iitaiiy «'»|iial s«'c<.n-
darirs and tcrtials ; (»ut<T two (|nills lonjrost : tin* otlnTs i-apidly L'liuluatcd. Tail sli^ditly
(orkt'd ; s<'ari*«.'ly nini«> than two thirds the leii^'tli otth«^ winjurs, its covcrtj* covering m-ailv
throe fourths of its extent. Xest and e<'<rs iniknown.

Tliis «,'('nns is allipil to the EiirojH'jiii (^onnfhnntsfr.s, luit diflVrs in waiilin;^
tlie curious ex]>imsinii of tlic iiiniT secciKlaries, as slmwn in V'vj;. lS,."i«)7.
S|H'ci('s are said to oi-cur in Asia, l»ut we have only two in America, — one
peculiar to Mexico (//. nJn ilJii), the otlier //. nsjn rfina.

The American species may be thus tlistin^uishcil : —

Species and Varieties.

Common CuAH.vfTKUs. Wind's and tail Ithuk. th*- tertials with more or less
whitish; hody cont-olored, with more or less ol' a yellowish tiniif. ^. Body
yellowish, more jilivaceous above; no white at l>ase of piiniaiir-;. 9- l»<'dv <riav-
ish, merely tinged with yellow; a white spot at luusc of primaries. Xest and
cjrff.s nil known.

1. H. vespertiiia. ^. Head olivaeeons-sepia. with a yellow frontal rres-
eeiit an<l a l)lack ocripital ])ateh. 9- ^'rown iilumheous-hrown ; a duskv
'• hridle'" down side of the throat; upper tail-eoverts tipped witii a white
spot.

Yellow frontal cresi-eiit Itroad, as wide as the Itlaek hehind it ; inner
wehs of tertials partially hlack: seeondaries an<l inner wehs of tail-
feathors tipped with white. Ifuh. XortluMn mountain retrions of
United States and interior <»f IJritish Ameriea . . var. vespertinn.

Yellow frontal eresr'ent narrow, less than half as wide as the hlaek
behind it; inner webs of the tertials without any blaek ; seeondaries
and inner webs of tail-feathers without white tips. Huh, Southern
Rocky Mountains of United States, and mountains of Mexico.

var. m o nta n a.

2. H. abeillii.' ^. Head entirely blaek. sharply defined. 9- ^'•■^^^■»> <'^'ily)
black; no dusky *" bridle" on side of throat; upper tail-eovertis without
white tips. Ilah. Mountains of Guatemala and Southern Mexico.

Hesperiphona vespertina, Bonap.

EVENING OBOSBEAX.

PrhifiiUa veajurtina. Cooper, Annals X«'W York Lyoeum, X. H. I, ii, lS2r>, 220 (Sault
St. Marie). — Arr». Orn. Biog. IV, 1S3S, r»ir» ; V, 235, pi. cctlxxiii, ccnxxiv. Frintjilla
{Coccothraustcs) vcsjyrrfhit', BoN. Syn. 1828, 113. — 1b. Am. Orn. II, pi. xv. dHvo-
thrmistesve^tpn-finn, Sw. F. Bor. Am. II, 1831, 2G9. — Acn. Birds Am. Ill, 1841, 217,
pi. ecvii. H<:'ijh'n'j)honH ir.yterfiiio, Bon. C'omptfs IJcudus, XXXI, Sept. 1850, 424. —
B.\n{n, Birds N. Am. 1858, 409. — Coofkr k Si»ki.i.v, 11»5. — Coopeu, (Mn. ('al. I,
174. Coccofhraifsfts honapartu. Lesson, Illust. do Zoiil. 1834, pi. xxxiv. 9 (Melville
Island). Loxia htitnpnrtii. Less. Bull. Se. tab. xxv. Hisprriphotin imprrtiwf, var. vcs-
pfrtbvi, Bnn;wAY i,new variety from Mexico and the southern Rocky Mountains).

1 Goccothraudes ahrillii, Sclatek, Catal. Am. B. 123 {Guiraca abeilliij Lesson).
57

410

Nninil AMKUICAN IMKUS.

Si'. rir.Mt. T?ill vfllowisli-irnM-ii, duskv at tli«' Kasr. Atitrrior Imlf of tin- Ixuly ilnsky
v<'ll«t\vL"<li-oli\c. >li;nliii'' into vcllow to tin* iiitiiit al>«»vt'. ami the iiii«it'r tail-covcils Ik'Ionv.
OiittT xMpiiIars. ji ltr«'a«l t'roiita! l>aii<l fOMtiminl on t arli >'u\r nvci- the tvc. axillarit's, aii<l
iiiiiMli' of midcr win_ir-<-(>v«'it'< yellow. Fcafli«Ts aloiijr the rxtrtinc l«a>f of \\\r Kill, the
crown, til'iic. wiiiirs, nj>jMi- tail-fOv»i ts, and tail lila<'k ; iinicr ;jifati'i' w in^-covorts and
t«'iii;irifs white. L»'n.i;tii, 7.;5<»; wiiii:. 4.:H>; tail. *J.7o.

The tV'inak' ditVcr^ in ha\ in-r the head of a dull <»livacc(His-hrown, which color also
•rlosscs the hack. The ycll«»\v of theninip and other jiarts is replaced hy a yellowish-ash.
The ui>jier tail-eovert< are s|iotted with white. The white of the wing is mn«-h restricted.
There is an olocnre hlackish line on each side of the chin.

II.\B. (Var. resfterfina.) Pacific cuast to IJocky Moinitains; Xortheni America east to
Lake Snperior. (\'ar nio„fiii,a.) Southern Ifocky Mountains of Tnited States into
Me.\i<o; Orix.alta! (Sn. vtki;. l>»i(», li.')lj; Vera Cruz (ali»ine regions, hreediiiir) Simichhast,
I'r. IJ»>st. So<-. I,.V><» ; < Jnateniala, Salvin.

The vaii»'ty witli Inoml frontal band and iiuivasod anioiint of wliitc ap]Hniis
to cliaiiicteiize Xortheni .»;i»eciiiieiis, whih' that with iianow fronth't an<l ♦lie

mvatest amount of Mark is found in
(hiateniala, Mexico, and the southern
liocky Mountains, and may be called
itionfiiim.

In size it is also a little smaller. Speci-
mens from ^lirador 'where l»reedinu) and
those from New Mexico are nearly iden-
tical in size, proportions, and colors.

II.viMTS. Tiiis remarkable (Irosbeak
was first descrilted by Mr. William CoojK'r,
from specimens ol)tained by ^[r. Schotd-
rraft in A]>ril, 182r^, near the Sault Sainte
Marie, in Michiijan. Sir John iJichard-
son soon after found it to be a eommon
inhabitant of the maple oroves on the
jdains of the Saskatchewan, where it is
ealled by the Indians the " Suuar-liird." He states that it fnM[uents the
Ixtrders of Like Superior also, and the eastern declivity of the liocky Moun-
tains, in latitu<le M\°.

Captain Blakiston did not find this (Irosbeak on the Saskatchewan during
the sunnuer, but only noticed it there durini.j the winter. He saw none after
the 22d of A]»ril, and not a.uain until the middle of Xovember. They were
seen in company with the Pine (Grosbeak, feeding on the keys of the ash-
leaved ma])le. He adds that it has a sharp clear note in winter, and is an
active bird.

Dr. Cooper, in his Xotes on the Zoidogy of Washington Territory, states
that this species is a common resident in its forests, but adds that as it fre-
quents the summits of the tallest trees, its habits have been but little
observed. In January, 1 8.14, during a snow-storm, a flock descended to some

Hesperiphona vespertina.

FKlNtillJ.lD.K TflK I'lXCIIKS. 4,jj

low Imslie.s at Vaiunuvi-r, ami lu'^aii to eat tliu simmIs. Sim-e tlicii \\v had
uiily seon tlicni living ]\\>^\\ anions the t(»|>s of the |>o]tlais, ujmhi the seeds of
wliieli tliey feed. Thev were utteiiii;,' their huid, shrill call-notes a.s thev llrw.

Tlu! same writer, in Iiis iJeport (jii tlu; birds of C'alit'ornia, makes mention
of the oeenrn-nee of this (Intsheak at Mieliii^an lUull's, in IMaeer County, in
ahout latitude '-y\^°. Specimens were obtained l>y Mr. F. (Iruber, and were
[trobably the variety desionate<l as mnntmin. The same form doubtless
oceurs alon<4 the summits of the Sierra Nevada, iind thev have been traced
among the Jioeky Mountains to Fort Thorn in New Me.xieu.

Tiiese buvls do not e<)me down near the sea-coa.st even at the mouth of
Uie Columbia, and in California have not lujcn met with in the Coast l{an«j;e.
They are said to feed ehietly on the seeds of the pine, spruce, and cotton-
wood crees, occasionally seeking' other see(ls near the i.rround. Thev are
silent ■hen feedinj4, but utter a loud call-note as tliey lly from ]>lace to
place, in sin-ing, Dr. Cooper states, they have a short l>ut melodious song,
resembliig that of the IJobin or Pdack-headed (Iroslieak. He afterwards
met with a Hock in the winter near Santa Cruz, where thev remained until
the end of April. Their favorite resort was a small grove of alders and wil-
lows, close to the town, where their loud call-notes could be heard at all
times of the day, though he never heard them sing. In the early spring
their favorite food was the yoiuig leaves of v.arious wild plants that grew
under the trees. They also fed on the buds of the Xaji'iido, and frec^uented
the large pear-trees in the old mission garden. They were very tame, and
allowed an approach to within a few yards, when feeding. Mr. Titwnsend, in
18:^)1), tound this Grosbeak abundant about the Colmnbia lliver. Late in
May the\^ were (piite numerous in the jtine woods. They were very unsus-
picious and tame. Under the impression that these birds were only nuisical
towards night, they have been styled the Evening Grosbeak. But this, ac-
cording h) Mr. Townsend, is a misnomer. He also eontmverts .several other
statements made in reference to their haluts. He foiuid them remarkably
noi.sy from morning until niuht, when they ouietlv retire like other birds,
and are not heard from until the next day-dawn. They go in large Hocks,
and are rarely met with singly. As they feed ujMjn the seeds of the pine and
other trees, they proceed by a succession of hops to the extremities of the
branches. They also feed larnely on the larvie of the laruje black ant, for
which object they fretpient the to})s of the low oaks on the edges of the
forests. Their ordinary voice is said to be a single screaming note, uttered
while feeding. At times, about mitlday, the male Jittempts a song, which Mr.
Townsend describes as a miserable failure. It is a single note, a warbling
call like the first note of the liobin, but not so sweet, and suddenly checked,
as if the ])erformer were out of breath.

IMr. Sumichrast met with the variety of this .species designated as montana,
^lay, liSoT, in the pine woods of Monte Alto, about twelve le.'gues from
Mexico ; and although he has never found it in the alpine region of Vera

452 NORTH AMEIUCAX BIRDS.

C'l'iiz, he thinks it probable it will be tVmiid to be a resident of that dis-
trict.

Liike Superior has been stated to be its most eastern point of (jccurrence,
but, though this may ]»e true as a general rule, several instances of the
acciilental ai)pearance of this nomadic species nnich I'arther to the east are
known. On February 14, 1S71, Mr. Kumlien, while out in the woods with
his son, saw a small Hock of these birds in Dane County, Wisconsin. There
were six of them, but, having no gun, he did not procure any. Later in the
season he again met with antl secured specimens. In the following March,
l)r. Hoy of Itacine also obtained several near that city. He also informs me
that during the winter of 187() -71 there were large Hocks of these birds
near Freeport, 111. One i)erson procured t ^ty-four si)ecimens. One season
he noticed them as late as May. They fr *nt the majde woods, and feed
on the seeds fallen on the ground. They also eat the Ijuds of the wild cherry.
Their visits are made at irreguhir intervals. \\\ some years not a single indi-
vidual can be seen, while in others they make their appearance in December
and continue through the whole winter.

Specimens have also been obtained near Cleveland, Ohio, and at Hamilton,
Canada ; and Mr. Thomas Mcllwraith states that Mr. T. J. Cottle of Wood-
stock, Ontario, shot severtd of these birds in his orchard in the month of
May. They were quite numerous, and remained Jibout the place seveml
days.

Okms PINICOLA, Vieill.

Pinirohi, ViEiLi.«»T, Ois. Am. Sept. I, lbU7, 4, }»!. i, f. 13.
'" Slrobihijihii(j(t, ViKlLl.uT, Analyse, 1*16."
''Ciinjfhus, C'uviKU, K. An. 1817."

Char. Hill A\oYt. nearly as liiirh as lon<r ; upper outline- inucli furvcd from the baso ;
the luarLnus of the niandiMe.s roundt'd : the conunis.sure grently concave, and abruptly de-
flexed at the tip : hase of the u])per niandihle much concealed by the bristly feathers cov-
erinjr the basal third. Tarsus rather shorter than the middle toe ; lateral toes short, but
their lontr claws reach the base of the middle one. which is lonsrer than the hind claw.
Wings moderate ; the first quill rather shorter than the second, third, and fbiu'th. Tail
rather shorter than the wings ; nearlv even.

Of this genus one s})ecies is found in northern America, and is now con-
lered
World.

sidered as identical with that belonging to the northern regions of the Old

KUIXlJILLID.K — THE KIXCIIE.^.

45:^

Pinicola enucleator, (abams.

THE PINE 6B0SBEAK.

CoccofhniKsh's camfd^iisis, lJi;iss(tN, Orn. Ill, 17t»0, '2'>(^, ]»1. xii, f. 3. "f^'nriifhus Cfttifofeusis,
Hkkiim, V«><^('1 l)futsililaiiils" (ls:il .'). Piiiio-Jo iiiiiinhiisls, Caijams, Mus. Ht-in. 1>'»1,
167. — Haiki), liirds X, Am. lb:>><, 410. — Dall & Uanmstki:, Tr. Chic A.'. So. I,
1869, 281 lAliiskaK — Coon-.K, Orn. (al. I, l.')l. —Samuels, Hinls X. Kn.,'. 2^3.
rinicnli (uiuriciina (<'An. MSS. i, lip. Con^p. ]8.'»0, 528. Lo-i-in eniichiitur, Linn.
Syst. Xat. I, 21>1». -F(»KST. riiil. Tians. LXII, 1772, 383. — Wii.s. Am. Oni. 1, 1808,
80, i»l. V. r<irihtilii cnnchntor, AiD. «>iii. l»i<'i;. IV, 1838, 411, |>1. cctU iii. C<injthus
ctiKch'ifnr, DuNAi". List. 1838. —Ari). Svii. 127. — Ii:. lUi.ls Am. Ill, 1841, 17l», pi.
cxcix. — ]J(»N. & ScuLiKJKi,, .Moll. tU's Luxit'U.s, 18,"»0, J), ])L ix, xi, xii. — 1)i:(;i,ani» i^
(Jkubk, Orn. Euiop. 1, 2.'»8. Pinimla tnndcatoi; C'abanis, Mus. ILiu. 1, ^^^»l, 167.

Sp. Ciiau. Bill ami kys Mark. MoU'. Gcni-ral color liirlit cairuiiu'-rc*! or ro.se, not
eoutimious abov*'. liowevi-r, (»x»v|)t on the head; the li'athers showiiiir hrouni.sh centres
on the back, where, too, thr red is daikcr. Loral reLfion. l»a.se of lower jaw all round, sides
(under the wiuL'), abdomen, and posterior part of the body, with under tail-<*overts, ashy,

IHniroIn fnurlfotot.

whitest behind. Winjr with two white bands across the tips of the crreater and middle
coverts: the outer edires of the (piills also white, broadest on the tJM-ti.uies. on secondaiies
tinired with red. Female asiiy, browni.sh above. tiuL^ed with frreenish-yellow beneath :
top of head. rump, and upper tail-eoverts Ijrownish L^^mboo•e-yellow. Winus much as in
th«> male. Len«;th about 8..')(> ; winir, 4..'>0 : tail. 4.(K>. Youikj liki' female, but more a.shy.
Hab. Arctic America, south to United States in severe winter.s.

A careful comparison of Aincricaii with Kuropcan specimens of the V\\\{\
Grosbeak does not ]>resent any tan^L,nl»h» jxtint of distinction, and it a])pears
inexpedient to preserve the name of anufdrHsisi for the hird of the New
World. There is considernhle ditlerenct; in tlte size, the pnipcations of the
hill, and the color of dillerent specimens, but none of ajtprecialJe geo«;ra})h-
ical value.

4. ',4

Noinil AMKIIKWN l!ll;i)S.

Pinicola enucUato'-.

A cuiisitliTaitle iiiimlter iA' specimens tVoiii Kodiak (]>erhaps to In* found in
otliLT localities on the northwest coast) compared with eastern have conspic-
uously larLjer hills, almost et[Ual to cnrdiHulis in this respect. In No. o4,4t)r)
the length from forehead is .SO ; from nostril, .oO ; from pii)e, .00 ; i,'onys, .40 ;

j^reatest depth, .ol. In a lirooklyn
skin (12,S4<i) tlie same measurements
are from forehead, .00 ; fn)m nostril,
.44 ; from gape, .00 ; gonys, .:»4 ; great-
est depth, .40. A Saskatchewan skin
is intermediate. A European s})eci-
nien has the hill as Ioul* as that from
Kodiak, hut less swollen. A Hima-
laya.n species {C. suhJiiiiiarhnliix) is
nnich smaller, an<l dilferentlv colored.
These Kodiak specimens approach
the European hird more nearly in
form (»f the hill, in which there is a
tendency to a more aljrui)tly hooked
upper niandihle than in the birds
from the eastern jxjrtions of British
America. As a general thing, the
red tint is brighter in American than in European birds.

H.vBiT."^. The Tine (Jrosbeak is, to a large extent, a resident of the por-
tions of North America north of the United States. In the northern pans
of New York, \'erniont, New liampshire, and Maine, as well as in western
America, it is found thntughout the year in the dark evergreen forests. In
the winter it is an irregular visitant as far south as Philadelphia, being in
some seasons very abundant, and again for several winters quite rare,

^Ir. Boardman mentions it as abundant, in the winter, al>out Calais, and
Mr. Verrill gives it as quite common in the vicinity of Norway. It is
found every winter more or less fre([uently in Eastern ^Massachusetts, though
Mr. Allen regards it as rare in the vicinitv of S])rinufield. It is not cited
by Dr. Cottper as a ]>ird of Wa.shington Territory, but he mentions it as
not uncommon near the summits of the Sierra Nevada, latitude 39", in Sep-
tember. It probal)ly l)reeds there, as he found two birds in that region in
the young plumage. Tliev were feeding on spruce seeds when he first saw
them, and lingered even after their companions had been shot, and allowed
him to approach within a few feet of them.

Mr. It. Brown (Ibis, 1808) states that during the winter of 1800, while
snow was lying on the ground, two pail's of this species were shot at Fort
Kupert, Vancouver Island.

Wilson met with occasional specimens of these birds in the vicinity of
Philadelphia, generally in immature ]>lumage, and kept one several months,
to notii any change in its plumage. In the summer it lost all its red colors

FniX(;iLLlDJO- «iIE KINCIIHS. 455

and became of a jLireenish-yellow. Tii M;iy and Juno, it.s sonix, tliouLih
not so loud as that of soin«* birds, was extremely clear, nirllow, and sweet.
This son^ it warbled out lor the whole nioininiLj:, and also iniitatv'd the notes
of a Cardinal, tliat liuui;- near it. It bt'canie exceeibnuly tame and I'amiliar,
and wliL'n in want of loud or water, uttered a continual nielanclioly iind
anxious note.

In the winter of IS:),"), and for .several followinj:? seasons, these birds were
exceedingly abundant in the vicinity of Iioston. They api)eared early in
Deceml>er, and remained until tjuite late in ^larch, feeding: chiefly on the
berries of the red cedar. Tiiev were so nnsus])e(tinu: and familiar that H was
often possilde to cajtture them alive in butterfly-nets, and to knock them down
with poles. L'lr^e nunibcrs were destroyed and brouj^lit to market, and many
were taken alive and ca^ed. They were tame, but unhapity in confinement,
uttering mournful cries as the warm weatlier a]>proached. In the winter
of ISlV.i-TU tliev again made their ap])earance in extra(«linary nundters,
in a few localities on the sea-coast of ^lassachusetts, where thev did con-
siderable damage to the fruit-buds of the ap])le and pear.

Sir John Iiichardson states that this bird was not observed by Ids expedi-
tion higher than the liOth jiarallel. It'lives, for the most part, a very retired
life, in the deepest recesses of the pine forests, where it passes the entire
vear, havino: been found bv ^Ir. Drau'e, near York Fort, on tla* l!~>tli of Janu-
ary, 1747. IJicliardson adds tliat it builds its nest on tlie lower branches of
trees, and feeds chiefly on the seeds of the white s]>ruce.

J)r. Cones speaks of it as not at all rare along the ('(»ast of T.abratlor, where
he obtained .several specimens. It was confined entirely to the thiek woods
and patches of scrubby juniper. A female remained unconcernedly on a
twig after he had shot her mate, uttering continually a low soft >ilu'p, like
that of the Fox-colored Sparrow. Another note was a }»rolonged whirring
chirrup, uttered in a rather low tone, apparently a note of recognition.

A lady resident in XewftuindLuid informed Mr. Audubon that she had
kejjt several of these (Jr«>sbeaks in confinement, that they .soon became very
familiar, would sing during the night, feeding, during the sununer, on all
kinds of fruit and Iterries. rnd in the winter on difl'erent seeds. Mr. Audu-
bon also often observed that, when firing at one of their nundjer, the others.
instead of Hying away, woidd move towards him, often to within a few feet,
and remain on the lower branches of the trees, gazing at him in curiosity,
entirely unmingled with any sense of their own danger. Mr. Au«lul>on ([uotes
from ]Mr. McCulloch, of Pictou, an interesting account of the habits of one
of these birds, kept in confinement. The winter had been very severe, the
storms vicJent, and, in consequence of the dejith of snow, many birds had
perished from hunger and cold. The (iro.sbeaks, driven from the woods,
sought fot)d around the barns and outhouses, and crowded the streets of
Victou. One of the.se, taken in a starving condition, s!!on became so tame as
to feed from his hand, lived at large in his chamber, and would awaken him

4;j() .N OUT 1 1 AMKUICAN HIIIDS.

early in tlio niorniiiLj to receive his allowance of seed. As sj)rin.ur approached,
he Ite^an to whistle in tht* nioinini:-, and his notes were exceediiiulv I'ich and
fnll. As the time came when his mates were movini; north, his t'amiharitv
entirely disa]»]>eared, and he soniiht constantly, hy day and l»y niirlit, to eseape
hy dasliin^ against tin win(h»w-panes, and diirini: the day tilled tlie house
with his piteous wailini: cries, refiisinL; his food, so th;it in ]>ity he was let
out. l>ut no sooner was he thus released than he .seemed inditVerent to the
l)rivilei'-e. and keitt ahout the door so ix-rsistentlv tliat iie had at last to he
driven away, lest some accident sh(»uld l)efall him.

The I'ine (Irosheaks were found 'ty IJisehotf at Sitka and at Kodiak, and
are .said hy Mr. J)all to be extremely commoa near Xulato, and wherever
there are trees throughout *'ie Yukon Territory. They fre(puMit j^roves of
wilhtw and ])oplar, near open places, and esjxcially the water-side in winter,
and in summer seek more retired ])laces for breediui^. Their crops, when
opene<l, were always found to contain the hearts of the buds of po])lars, with
the external coverinus carefully rejected, and were never found to include
anything,' else. Mr. I )all noticed no sonir, only a twitter and a long chirp. He
found tliem exeellent as an article of food. Kuro])ean eggs of this bird, taken
by Mr. Wollev in Finland in 1858, are of an oblong-oval sha])e, and have a
light slate-colored ground with a marked tinge of greenish, broadly marked
and ]»laslied with faint, subdued cloudy j»atches of brownish-pur] >le, .and sj>ar-
ingly spotted, chietly at the hirger end, with blackish-brown and dark purjde.
They measure l.)>2 inches in length by .70 in breadth.

Xo positively identitied eiiiijs of the American Pine Grosbeak are as
yet known in collections, but Mr. lioardman has found a nest, near Calais,
ai»out which there can be little doubt, although the parent was not seen.
This was ]»laced in an ahh'r-bush in a wet meadow, and was about four
feet from the uround. It was comiM»sed entirely of coarse ijreen mosses.
The eiiLis were two, and were not distinguishable from those of the
European aivchntor.

CiEisus PYRRHULA, Pallas.

rtirrhvln, " BiiissoN, Orn. 1760." Pallas.

Gev. Cilvr. Bill vt'iv sln^rt and thick, liiLrher than loner, swollon. Lowor jaw broador
at hasc tluin upper jaw, ami hroadcr than Icntrth of jroiiys. Nostrils and l>a.s<> of niandihlo
conceal* (I hv' a thick Hift <tf rather st>ft feathers. Tail neaily even. short(»r than the
pointed wini^s; tippei" coverts reachinjj over nearly two thirds the tail. Middle and hind
claws about ecpial.

Tliis genus is closely related to Pinicnhi, but has a more swollen and much
shorter bill, the lower jaw dispro])ortionately larger, and wider than long ah)ng
gonys, instead of being about equal. The nasal tuft is thicker and more
feathery and less bristly than in Piiniohf. The upper tail-coyerts are much

FlilNGlLLlD.E — THE FLXrilES.

457

loniTfer, the tail L'ss (>niarninato. OtluT ditlVrences exist in the groovt'<< and
ridges (A' the pahite, wiiicli need not be liere ret'crred to. Tlie niiddh' chiw
is about eiiual to hind (law ;
not hunger, as in J'i/ucola.

The *^vu\\s Pi/ nim I (I is an Ohl
Woild one ; extending across
from tlie Atlantic to tlie Ticitie,
six or eight s])eeies or varieties
l»eing recognized by naturalists.
All have the back ash-colored ;
tlie wings and tail, with to]) of
head, lustrous black ; the under
})arts ash, generally with ver- P!/rri„>ia mssini.

milion on the cheeks and chin, .sometimes extending over tlie whole under
surface; the rump and crissum white: the females similar, but lacking the
vermilion. Its introduction into the Xorth American fauna rests on the col-
lecting by the naturalists of the TJussian Telegra])h Expedition in Alaska of
a specimen which — if a full-])lumaged male, as stated — diflei"S from all of
its congeners in the eutiie absence of any vermilion tint.

Pyrrhula cassini, Baiud.

CASSIN'S BULLFINCH.

P. cflcrhtea, var. cmmiin', BAOtn, Tnms. ( liica^o, Af. Sc 1, 18G9, ii, p. 316. — Dali. &
Bannistf.u, Tr. f'liic Ac. 1, 18«V.), 2M lAlaska^. /'. cassiui, Ti:i«tkam, Ibis, 1S71,
231.— Fins, n, Ornith. X. W. Amorika.s, 187-2, 54.

Sp. Ciiah. Dt'scription of spccinicn X<\ 40.0.').") : rppcr }»:irts clear ash-(rray, as are the
alula, and the lesi;er and middle secondary and the ])riinaiy \vin<i-covert.s. Under parts

and the sides ol'hcad cinnamon-irray ; the
inside of win<rs and axillars. anal rec-ion,
tibia, crissum. ami rump white; ^vinl:•s
and tail, includiiii:- ujtper tail-coverts, the
entire top of head (to level of eyes), the
base of bill all round, and the chin, lu.s-
trous violet-black. Greater wiiiir-coverts
black, with a broad band of ashy-white
acn^ss the ends: outer primaries, exter-
nally, with a nariow border of jrrayish-
white near the ends; imier edufes suf-
fust'd with the same. Outer tail-feathers
with an elontrated patch of white in the
terminal half, aloui;- the sliaft. but not reachinor the tip. Bill black : feet dusky.

Dimensions (prepared specimen) : Total lenirth, 0..')0: winsr. 3.'),") ; tail, 3.2."). Exposed
portion of first primary. 2.0."). Bill: Leneth from foreheatl. .44 ; from nostril, .34. Legs:
Tarsus, .75; claw alone, .20; hind toe and claw, .4.'); claw alone, .2').

58

Pifrrhula cassini.

158 XOIITII AMERICAN BIRDS.

No. 49,0.V>, adult male. Niilato, Yukon Riv»M-, Alaska. Jamiarv 10, 1807. W. H.
Dall (No. .').');»).

Tlie specinieii refon m1 to above is tlie first record of the occurrence in
America of a genus heretofore considered as l>eh)nging exchisively to the
Old World.

This bird was described in 1SG9 as a possible variety of P. coccuica of
Europe. On snl>niitting the typical s]:eciniens to Mr. H. B. Tristram of
England, it was decitled to be a well-marked and distinct species, as ex-
plained in the following extract from a letter received from him.

"The coloration of the back is the same as in males of P. cocci aea and
P. rvhiciUo, and ditl'ers from the coloration of the 9 in ^^li three species. In
all the 9 has the back l>rown instead of slate-colored. Your bird, however,
dilfers I'rom P. cocci net in having the under parts of the same color as the ^^
of P. (jriscin atris with a slightly redder hue on the flanks, while P. coccinca
is a lirilliant blazing red. In this your bird is like P. murina of the Azores,
but that has no white on the rump.

" X(jr can it be ^ juv. of P. coccinca, because it has the hJach head, and the
young assumes the Idack head and reil breast simultaneously, or rather the
red begins first. It ditl'ers from P. iiipalaisis in having a black head and
broad white rump, as well as in size."

Dr. O. Finscli, of Bremen, agrees with Mr. Tristram in considering it as
specifically distinct, and says that the long white shaft-streak on the outer-
most tail-feather is to be considered as one of the peculiar characters, and
that in general it resembles the female of P. grisciccntcis, Lafk., but differs
in having the back beautiful ash-gray.

Habits. This new species of Bullfinch, having a close resemblance to the
P. coccinca of Eurojje, was obtained by Mr. Dall, near Xulato, Alaska, January
10, 18G7. An Indian brought it in alive, but badly wounded, having shot it
from a small tree near the fort. He had never seen anything like it before,
nor had any of the llussians. Captain Everett Smith had, however, met with
several flocks of the same species near Ulukuk. This specimen was a male,
with black eyes, feet, and bill, and was the only bird of the kind met with
by Mr. Dall.

In size it is about equal to P. coccinca, which is now quite generally con-
sidered to be simjtly a large racic of the common BuUtinch {P. vulgaris), and
the habits of the American bird are doubtless similar to those of its con-
geners. The European races inhabit the numntainous regions of Northern
and Central Europe, ap])earing in large flocks in December and January in
the more southern regions. In their return in spring to their summer quar-
ters, they move in smaUer numbers. They nest in the mountain forests, on
trees or bushes. Their nest is usually but a few feet from the ground, is
beautifully wrought in a cup shape, made externally of small twigs, blades of
grass, and rootlets, lined with coarse hair. They lay five eggs, the ground-
color of wdiich shades from a light blue to a bluish or a greenish white, with

KKINCilLLlL'.K — THE FINCHES.

459

browii and violet-coloretl spots, that usually form a rin^ around the* lar^'er
end. Tlieir I'uod is grain and small seeds, and, in spring, the buds of certain
trees.

The Bullfinch is a favorite cage-bird, soon reconciled to continement, and
capable of lieing tauglit to whistle whole airs of oi)era mus.'c with wonderful
exactness and beauty.

Genus CARFODACUS, Kaup.

C'lriKnlacus, Kaup, *'Knt\v, Eurup. Thitiw. 1829." (Type, Loxia crythrina. Pall.)

Enjthrospizd, B<jXArAUTE, Saggio di una dist. met. 1831.

Hccviorrhons, Swainson, Clas.s. Birds, II, 1837, 295. (Type, Frinrfllfa pnrpurc/t, Gmklix.)

Char. Bill short, stout, vaulted ; the cuhnen decurved towards the end ; tlu' eoninjissure
nearly straitriit to the slightly decurved
end. A slight development of bristly
feathers along the sides of the hill, con-
cealing the nostrils. Tarsus .'shorter
than the middle toe ; lateral cla\ys
reaching to the base of the middle one.
Claw of hind toe much curved, smaller
than the middle one, and rather less
than the digital portion. Wings long
and pointed, reaching to the middle of
the tail, which is considerably shorter
than the wing, and moderately forked.
Colors red, or red and brown. Female
with the red re})laced by brown.

Carpottnnis fron talis

The genus Carpodanfa, including the American l*iirple Finches, is com-
jiosed of species the males of which are more or less red in full ])lumage,
while the females are brown-streaked. They are spread over Xorth xVmerica,
and species also occur in considerable numljers in Northern Europe and
Asia.

Species and Varieties.

A. Culmen only slightly curved. Tail and wing feathers edged with reddish in

the male.

a. ^. Crown much bright»^r purple than the rump or throat- 9* Without
lighter superoral and maxillary stripes, the whole head ])eing pretty uni-
formly streaked.

1. C. cassini ^. Crown bright crimson; rest of head, breast, rump,
etc., much lighter purple-pink; lower fdil-roverfs mith a shaft h'ne of
dunTxy. Hah. Mountain regions of the Middle Province, south, through
the table-lands and alpine regions of Mexico, to Mirador.

h. ^. Crown scarcely brighter {)urple than tiie rumj) or throat. 9- ^^'ith
conspicuous superoial and maxillary stripes.

2. C. purpureus. Crown purple ; rest of head, l)reast, rump, etc.,
nearly similar in tint ; hirer fail-corerfs without dusky shaft-lines.

Purple tints of a rosy carmine cast; first quill longer than the
fourth. Hab. Eastern Province of Xorth America . xar. p urj* ure ns.

460 NORTH AMEIilCAN lUKDS.

Purple tints of a diukcr purplish-rose ciist ; first (juill siiorter tli.in
the fourth. Ilah. Pacitie Provinre of North AiinMii;i \nv. r a I i'/d r iti ri$s.
B. Culmen inueh curvcl. Tail ami wiiij,' feathers edgt'd witli grayisli in the

male.

.'?. C. frontalis. ^. A frontal and supereiliary hand of erinison ; a
patfh of same on the luinj). j'ijd .inother on tlie throat and jugu'uuj ; ab-
domen an<l erissum stieaked with dusky.

^. Red restricted to the pojtions mentioned above.

Red of an intcn- rarmiiu tint, sharply dctinnl, and strictly
restricted within the limits indicated. Ilnh. IMateau .'Mexico

var. // <(' in o r r ho ns }
Red of a lighter carmine, and with a greater or less tendency
to escape its boundaries. Ihth. Middle Province of the l'nite<l

States \i\v. frouta lis.

<y. Red not restricted, but spread over the crown, tingcirj the
back and other portions, excepting wings and tail.

Red tint varvin? from scarlet to wine-red. Ilab. Pacific
Province of United Stati-s, including the peninsula of Lower
California var. rhodocolpus.

Carpodacus cassini, Baird.

CASSIN'S FtrBFLE FINCH.

Carpodacus mssini, Hviitn, Pr, A. X. S. Philad. VII, .Tunc, 1854, 110 ; Binls, X. Am. 1858,
414, pi. xxvii, f. 1. — Loitn, Pr. K. A. Inst, iv, l.s«)4, 11I> (IJr. Col. iMtwfcn Rocky
Mts. and Cascades). — Kennkiilv, P. R. R. X, pi. xxvii, f. 1. — Cooi-ek, Orn. Cal. I,
155.

Sp. Cmau. Larger than C. pnrpurens. Rill, .'>."> of an inch above. Second and third
quills longest ; first longer than fourth. Male. Above pale grayish-brown, th«' feathers
streaked with darker brown, and with only an occasional gloss of reddish, I'xcept on the
crown, which is uniform deep crimson, antl on the rump. Sides of tl.'i- head and neck,
throat, and upi)er pait of breast with rumj), pale rose-color : rest of under parts white,
very faintly and sparsely streaked with brown. Female without any red. and streaked on
the head and under parts with brown. Length, (J.oO; wing, .{.OO; tail. 2.<)(>.

Hab. Mountainous regions of Middle Province of Unite*! States, from Rocky Moun-
tains to Sierra Nevada. British Columl>ia (Lohu). City of Mexico (Sclatkk & Salvin,
1869, 3G2). Breeds in pine region of Mt. Orizaba.

This species, thouirh somewhat resembling C. purpinrus, may he easily
distinguished from it by the streake<l lower tail-eoverts (of both sexes), and
by the pileum being much more intensely red than any other portion in
the male. Tlie female resembles more in markings that of fivrifrt/is, but
has an entirely different shajwd bill, and is much larger ; tlie streaks above
very conspicuous, instead of nearly obsolete. The side of the head lacks
the conspicuous light and dark longitudinal areas observable in ^^/r/'^)//?r?^5.

The young of both se.xes resemble the adult female, but the streaks are

1 Carpodacus frontalis, var. luemorrhous, Carjfodacus hwuiorrlwus, Sclateij, P. Z. S. 185G,
304. {Fringilla hceiaorrhous, Licht, Vcrz. 1831.)

Fi:iN<nLLII)J': — THK FIXCHl'X

4(;i

Carpoffnrus frontnlis.

less sliaT]'ly «l"tiiu'(l, aiul tlic wiii^f-ieatluTs arc lnnadly edncd with li^dit
earth-bniwii.

Ill autiiiiin ami winter, as in all tlic otlitT specie's, the rod tints art; softer
and lanrt' }»inj>lisli tlian in sprinL; and snininer.

IIahiis. C'assin's Purplf Fincli is the largest of the American hirds of
this genus, and is not only eunspiciiuusly
ditferent from all in size, but also in other
respeets. It is found hetween tlie ureat Cen-
tral Plains and the eoast niiiLje of mountains,
heinjx one of the eominon l>irds of Colorado,
rtali, Nevada, and Kastern Calilornia. Dr.
Cooper found these hirds in larue iiunil)ers
about Lake Talioc in California. They were
all in their brown i»luinage, and seemed so
much like the C. califoniu'U)> in their habits
that he mistook them for that sjjoeies. He
noticed in them a very peculiar call-note as
they Hew, reminding him of that of PiinnKjn,
and (juite dilferent from the other Vin-podaci. The song of these l)irds,
as he afterwards heard it, was much louder and finer ihan that of C. coli-
fornints. and more original in stvle. He is not familiar with their other
habits, and has never met with them in the C(»lorado Vallev. Thev have
l)eeii procured from Fort Tliurne, l*uel)lo Creek, and Alber(iuer(|iie, Xew
Mexico. Mr. Ifidgwav met with these birds in the Wahsatch Mountains,
June 2C), 18(19, in Tarley's l*ark, Utah, where he found them breeding.
Their nest was in the to]) of a cottonwo<xl-tree near the canon stream, about
forty feet from the ground. It is a soft homogeneous structure, flattened in
shape, and with only a slight dejux'ssion. It is composed principally of roots
and twigs, lined with softer materials of the same, iiiters})ersed with moss,
cotton, and other soft substances. It is two inches in height with a width
of four and a half inches. The cavity is about an inch deep.

In his Iieport on the birds of Mr. King's survey, Mr. IJidgway states that
he found this Linnet in the greatest abundance among the j)ines of the Sierra
Xevada, near Carson City. It was next seen among the cedars and nut-pines
of the East Humboldt Mountains, and again in the ])iiie woods and cotton-
wood-trees along the streams on the AVahsatch Mountains. It breeds in all
these localities, and is in its habits essentially, though not exclusively, resi-
dent among the pines. March 21, 1868, Mr. Kidgway observed flocks of
these birds near Carson City. They were found in every portion of the
woods, feeding among the branches of the pine-trees. They were all in full
song, the females as well as the males. A week later he again found them
common among the isolated pines in the fields at the foot of the Sierras,
alighting on the trees in companies. Their notes resemble the song of the C.
purpureas, but are finer and more musical. They have a great resemblance

402 NUUTII AMKKK/AX UIKDS.

to tlio warulini^'s of tlic Viiri> ll)iri/rit,is,\\\\{ tin* pass;i<,'«'s in its son^ as iimcli
t'xcrl tliost' n{ ilu* \'in'o in swcftm'ss as they aru suipa-ssud in I•i(•ilnt•^ss by
the \vail>iin"S of tin* latter. Wlim inie of two iVmales of this species had
l»een kille(l, the sm\ ivnr, missing hn- cnnipanion, returned ininiediately to
the tree and hopped IVoni hraneh to hraneh, and tlicn alighted on the ground
hy the side of her <leail ass^u-iate, lanjenting her in >\veet and plaintive eries.

By the 4th of April the pine-trees alM)Ut (arson City were alive with
thes«* handsome birds, all of whom \\v\v in full song. So many were singing
simultaneously that the chorus was almost deafening, yet was most extpiisitely
pleasing. '

The nests of this bird were found by Mr. Ilidgway in various situations,
such a.s a bo.x-eMer bash, the to|)s of c(»ttonwo(Hl and asi)en trees, and simi-
lar situations. The eggs, four in nund)ei', are in size .S'J by .«'»:_) of an inch,
oval in shape, pointed at the smaller end, of a light bluish-green ground, dot-
ted around the larger en«l with slate, lilac, and a l>laekish-brown.

Specimens were obtained by Dr. Sartorius, during the breeding-season
(June, 18()4), in the ]>ine forests of Mt. Orizaba. A careful comparison
shows no difference from birds procured in the same month in Nevada.

Carpodacus purpureus, Gu.w.

EASTEB9 FtJBPIE FIHCH.

Friuijilhi piirpurai, Gmklin, Syst, Nat. I, 17S8, 923. ~ AViLsoy, Am. Orn. I, 1S08, 110,
pi. vii, f. 4. —In. V, 1812, 87, pi. xlii, f. 3. — Ai'i». (^rn. Hi(>«,'. I, 1831, 24 ; V, 200,
pi. iv. Hicmnrrlunis purpurea, Swainson, liinls, II, 1837, 295. Enithrospizn pur-
puren, \\v. List, 1838. — Ai'i>. Birds Am. Ill, 1841, 170, pi. cxcvi. Carpndacm pur-
jmrtus, (iKAv's CJcncra, 1844 -4!». — PmS". t^ S( hlk(;kl, Mon, ties Loxicns, 14, tab. xv.
— BAiito, Birds X. Am. 18.'»8, 412. — Samulls, Birds N. Vav^. 285. f Lor in riolaccri,
Li.NN. Syst. Nat. 17«)*5, 30G, 43. (Very uncertain. ) Purple Finch, Cathsby, Pen-
nant, Lath. Hcnui-Bird, Baktkam.

Sr. C'liAH. Second quill longest ; first shorter than third, considerably longer than the
fourth. JJody crimson, palest on tiie rump and breast, darkest across the middle of back
and wing-coverts, wiu-re the feathers have dusky centres. The red extends below con-
tinuously to tlie lower {lart of the breast, and in spots to the tibiii'. The belly and under
tail-covert5i white, streaked faintly with brown, except in the very middle. Edges of
wings and tail-feathers brownish-red ; Ic-^er coverts like the back. Two reddish bands
across the wings (over the en<ls of the middle and greater coverts). Lores dull grayish.
Length, 6.2.'> inches; wing, 3.34; tail, 2.50; bill above, .40. Female. Olivaceous-brown
above: brighter on the rump. Beneath white; all the feathers everywhere streaked with
brown, except on the middle of the belly and under coverts. A superciliary light stripe.

Hab. North America, from Atlantic to the high Central Plains.

Habits. The Purple Finch is a common species from (leorgia to the
plains of the Saskatchewan, and as far west as the Great Plains, beyond which
it seems to be replaced by another race, or closely allied species. It breeds
from about latitude 40'' to perhaps 60°, and in most parts between these

KKINrilMJD.K-TllK FINCllKS. 463

jtaralli'ls is u ratlin- <niiiiii(»n lunl in suitahh; luciilitics. A few art' occasinii-
iillv t'omid <liiriiM tlir w iiitn in MassacliiisfUs, luit iisiiallv llirv all i»ass tar-
tlicr south. Ill thu StaLu of South Carolina thcv are e.s|u'(ially abundant
throughout the winter, or from ()(to)i('r until April.

J)r. C'oues states that the I'uiple Kineh is a very ahundant winter resid«'nt
near Washington, arriving,' early in Octoher and remaining until May, hein^'
eminently ;j;reuMrious. Sira^irlers were seen until nearly dune, hut tlu* njajor-
itv had dei)arted as the K-avcs uxitanded. Thev were most eomnion in hiuh
Open woods, and were ohscrved to feed chirlly on lender y<»un^ hutls «»f trees.
They were in full son^^ hefore they took their departure.

They make their Hrst apitearanee in rej^ular migrations, in ^lassachust'tts,
from the Idth to the 2nih of Mav, and oeeusionallv a few are swn earlier.
They are often unweleome visitors to the fruit-growei*s, having' a threat fond-
ness for the Idossoms of the peaeh, eherry, ]tlum, and ai)ple. J'hey will also
feed uj»on other kinds of huds and hhtssoms. They have a ;;reat ]»redilec-
tion for everj^reen trt^es, especially the tir, the spruce, and the red ce(hir,
anil nio.st generally huiUl their nests in these trees. In sunnuer they leed on
seeds, insects, and U'rries of the honeysuckle and other shrubs.

The Purple Finch, (»r, as it is generally known in New Kn^dand, the Linnet,
is one of our sweetest, Ixist, an»l most constant son,usters, and is often trapped
and sold as caged birds. They soon become accustomed and jtartially recon-
ciled to their confinement, but sin«' onlv durin<f a small part of the year.
When one of the.se birds, confined in a cage, is hung outsitle the house,
in tlui country, he is sure to draw around him ([uite a nuiidxT of his species,
and this furnishes the dealer a ready means of capturing them.

This Finch was once regarded as ([uite rare in the vicinity of l^)oston, so
much so that during a four years' residence in ('and)ridge, when C(»llections
of nests and eggs had many votaries, not a single nest (tf this species was
obtained by any one. Since then, from some cau.se, jtrobably the increase of
gardens, groves of evergreens, and other localities favorable for their ])reserya-
tion and reproduction, these graceful little Finches have beconie (piite abun-
dant in jdaces propitious for their lesidence. \o less than seven j»airs of
these favorite songsters took up thew abode in my grounds at Hingham in a
single summer, and two had nests in the same tree, one of which was at least
sixty ftM't from the ground, on the very top of a tall tir. These several ]»airs,
as a general thing, lived together very harmoniously, save only when one
would ap])roach too near the favorite station (»f another, when the latter
Avould begin to bristle up his crest, and give very evident hints that his near
presence was not agreeable. The extreme southern end of the ridge-iude of
the house had been, for se\ eral sunnners, the favorite post for the patriarch
of the Hock, from which at morning and at evening he maile the neighbor-
hood vocal with his melody. If in his absence any other of these binls
ventured to occupy his ])ositi«)n, there was always sure to be a disturbance on
his return, if it was not instantly vacated. These encounter were fre(|Uent,

4r.4 NOIlTll AMKKICAN iJlUUa

.iiiil ulwjiys very aiiiiisin^. iMscrrtitUi usually tonk tlu' ]>hu'«! ni" valnr mi tln'
part of tlic iutiudiT.

The SdU'^ of tilt' I'uijilc Fiuch n'SciuMcs tiial of tlir ('5»riarv, and tiiou;^!!
less vuiii'd ami powerful, is sofii-r, sweeti-r, and more toueliiu^' and pleasing.
The notes of this si>eeit's niav In* heard from thr last of M:iv until latr in
Scptcndn'r, Jind in the Kuig summer eveninns are otten coniiiiued until a*ter
it '■' uite dark. 'I'heir son;; has all the Iteauty and j>athos of the Warbling
Vire(», and greatly resemhles it, hut is more jtowerful and full in ti>ne. It is
a very interesting sight to watch one of these little performers in tlu^ midst
of his song. He aj>jK'ars perfectly ahsorhed in his work, his form «lilates,
his crest is erected, his throat ex]>ands, and he seems to he ulti'rly uncon-
scious of all around him. Hut let an intruder of his own race appear within
a few feet o\' the singer, an«l tlie soul, instantly ceases, and in a violent lit
of indignation he chases him away.

The tli'_jht of the Purple Finch is saitl hv Mr. Auduhon to resemhle that
<»f tlie (Jreen Finch of Funtpe. They ily in couiinict Hocks, w'lh an undu-
l.itini: motion, aliLihtim; all at once, and then instantlv, as if suddenly
alarmed, take a«4ain to lli<'ht oidv to return to the same tree. Thev then
immediately make each his separate way to the ends of the branches, and
commence eating the huds. The food thev take to their young is juicy ber-
ries antl the softer ]torti(»nsof the young cones of the tir and spruce.

They nest generally in tirs, spruces, or cedar-trees, though occasionally on
the upper branches of a high a]>ple-tree. Their nests are usually i»laced uj»on
a branch, rather than interlaced between its forked twigs. I have known
them not more than five feet fr(nn the ground, and at other times on the high-
est point of a lofty tir-tree. The nests are, for the most part, somewhat Hat
and shallow structures, not more than two and a half inches in height, and
about three and a half in breadth. The walls of the nest ayemge less than
an inch, and the cavity corresjtonds to its general shape anil form. Tl.'e
framework of the nest is usually made of small denuded vc'ctable fibres,
stems of grasses, strips of bark, and woody fragments. The ni)j)er rim of the
nest is ofti'u a curious intertwiniuL; of dry herbaceous .stems, the ends of which
project above the nest itself in the manner of a low palisade. The inner nest
is ma«le up of minute vegetable Hbres, closely interwoven. There is usually no
other lining than this. At other times these nests are largely made up of small
dark-coh)ied rootlets of wooded plants, lined with finer materials of the same,
occasionally mingled with the down of l)irds and the fur of small animals.

The eggs of the Purple F'inch vary greatly in size, and somewhat in shai^e.
Generally they ari» of an oblong oval, ])ointed consideraUy at one end. Their
length varies from .0:2 to .81 of an inch, and their breadth from .7n to .00.
Their color is a pale shade of emerald-green, spotted with dark brown, almost
black, chieHv about the larger end. The i^round-color is much brighter when
the eggs are fresh, and soon fades upon exposure to light, and e\ en when kept
in a close drawer.

i'i;iN<;iM.ii).K — Tin: rivniKs. .|(;-

Carpodacus purpureus, v.n. califomicus, r.ui:i.

THE CALIFORNIA PURPLE FINCH.

CtirimliCHH oilijurnicus, Haiiih, IJinU N. Am. 1»JS, 413, jil. Ixxii, I'. 23. — l'tH»ri:u t.
SutKLKY, VJii. -Cooi'KU, Om. Lai. I, 104.

Sp. Char. Similar U^ pni'inn-em*. Thinl «niill l(ui}:tst; lirst slnnttr lliaii tin- r..iiitli.
Purpk' <»t' lieiul ail"! niiiij) inmh darker tliaii in C. piiriHtrtits ; the head with a lucail
siipra-orhifal lateral Waiitl t>f liirlitt-r piui>l»'. Lcu^'tli 0.20; wiiij/, :{.*.i(> ; tail, 2.()(>.

IIau. Paeifh- rr«»viiaL' of I'liiled Statcji.

The i'einale of the wi'sUtii tyi>o clifU'iN from tliat of tlii' castorn in
bL'iii<i more olivaceous al>ove, ami in haviii<^ the streaks helow rather lar<_r*'r,
ami Uiit so Well detined. There appears to he a dilVereme in the jiiarkinu
of the \viii;::s. In eastern ('. j>fir/>>ni cs there is usually ii well-marked whit-
ish hand across the ends of the middle coverts, while the greater coverts,
tln)nuh nuir^ined externally hv i>aler, have a still lighter ha r across the ]»os-
terior extremity, which is not seen in the western hird.

ll.viJlTs. The Californian Purple Kinih is found throughont the I'acific
coast, from the Straits of Fuca to California, as far south as ^lonterey. 1 )r.
(,'oojKT states that this species is rather a northern hird, heinij: <*ommon at the
Columhia lliver, and even farther north, while in California it has n«»t heen
found south of Monterey on the coast, and Fort Tejon in the Sierra Nevada.
In summer they fretpient the mountain torests, esju'cially those in part com-
j)0sed of C<tniJ\r(t\ In winter they descend to the yalleys, where they are
found a.ssociatinj; with the more common and familiar ('. /m/if/f/is. He met
with them in May on the summits of the coast ran«,u' toward Santa Cruz,
but they were not yery numerous. They then had nests, though he d' I not
succeed in finding them.

The song of the California Linnet is quite loud and varied, often resem-
hliu" t^ \t of other hirds, especially Vinon and Ihttt/roicfr, for which I)r.
Cooper has often mistaken it. Their h)od consists of seeds, herries, and the
huds of trees. Their nest and eggs are unknown, but jirobahly resemble
those of C. purpureas.

Carpodacus frontalis, Sclater.

HOUSE LINNET; CRIMSON-FRONTED FINCH; BURION.

Friitfjilhi froufiflis. Say, Leiijx's Exped. 11. Mts. II, 1824, 40. (For other synonyiiics see
under the (UfVerent varieties.)

Sr. Char. TjII' .xhort. nortrly as doop a.'^ Inroad ; oulmon miicli cnrvod. coninii<.<uro arrlu'<l ;
lower riiaiitlilile ncarlv a.^ deep as tlie upper. Tail more than three fourths as loiiir as
wing, slightly eniarginated. Wing and tail feathers without reihhsh edges; lower tail-

59

466 NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS.

covert.-* and aVxlonien witli broad streaks of diiskv. Goiieral color abovo, iiuliidin<r wings,
tail, and uppt-r tail-rovi-rts. bro\viiisli-i,'ray, the leatluTs with li<.'l>ter ed<;fs. iJeneath
white, each feather with a medial streak ol dusky. Mole. A l)road frontal crescent, ex-
tfiidinir back in a superciliary strij>e to the occiput, a j)at(,-h on tlu' rump (not the upp«'r tail-
fovert.s), and an area coverinir cheeks, chin, throat, and jujruluni red, — briirht scarlet in
sprintr. rosy in fall. Female without the red, which is replaced by a uniform streakinjj.
VoHUff restMnljlinj,' the fenndi", but streaks less sharply detined ; those above more dis-
tinct. Wing-coverts broadly edged with light earth-brown. %

Tliis Species inhabits tlie western re«^ions of Xorth Anievica, from tlie
Itocky Mniiutains to the PaciHe ; and Mexico, excei>t, perhaps, the eastern
portion. In this ranj^e of distrihntion it occurs in three races, wliich, taking
extreme exanijdes, are well marked, but when a large series is examined are
fonnd to grade insensibly^ into each other.

The above description is general, being motlitied oidy by atlditional cliarac-
tei*s in the several races. The normal plumage is perhaps re])resented in the
central race, — tlie true fro nt<f/ is, as restricted, — which inhabits the Middle
Province of the United States, and is neatly as described al)ove ; the red of
the male of this style is of a biight scarlet tint, and in nearly^ all specimens
shows a tendencv to escape the boiindarie-s above indicated. As we go south
into ^Fexico, we find the red strictly conti'ied within those limits, very sharply
detined; and, under the tropical inHuence, inteusitied into a very bright car-
mine tint ; this latter is the C. hamon'hoi'a of authors. Following the var.
^^'onfalifi westward, we find it gradually clianging, the red invading more and
more the other jiortions, until, in si)ecimens from the coast of (.'alifornia and
from Cape St. Lucas, it is spread over all portions, except the anal region,
wing, and tail, — though always brightest within those outlines which con-
fine it in the two preceding varieties. In extreme examples of the latter
race, — the 0. rhodocolpus of Cabanis, — the red even obliterates the streaks
on the abdomen. The sju-eading of the red is seen in other birds of the Pa-
citic region, this case being exactly paralleled by the Sphjiropicus ruber, in its
relation to *S^. nuchcdis or S. variiis.

The females and young of the three races are quite difficult to distinguish
from each other, tiie locality being the best means of identifying them.

Carpodacus frontalib, var. frontalis, Gray.

CBIKSON-FBONTEB FINCH; BVBION.

Friny ilia frontalis, Say, Lonjj's Exp. II, 1824, 40. — (?^ArD. Oni. Bioi,'. V, 1839,230,
pi. ceccxxiv. Piirrhnhi f. li(»N.vi'. Am. Orn. I, 1825, 49, pi. vi. Friffhrof^piza f. Box.
List, 1838. —Ib. p. Z. S. 1837, 112. — (?) Aud. Syii. 1839, 12.x — Tb. Birds Am. HI,
1841, 175, pi. cxcvii. — Oamb. J. A. N. S. 2d series, I, 1847, 53. FriixjiUa (Pifrrhiila)
f. Gamb. p. A. X. S. 1. 1843, 2t)2. Carpodncmf. Gray, Gen. 184^-49. —McC all,
P. A. X. S. V, 18.'.1, 219. — Baiko, Birds X. Am. 1858, 415. ? Cnr/yod'tcus ohscitms,
McCall, p. a. X. S. V, .Tune, 1851, 220, Santa Fe, X. M. Car/xxiacus familiaris,
McCali,, p. a. X. S. VII, April, 1852, (51, Santa Fe, N. M.

FK1N(;1LLIILE — THE FIXCTIES. 457

Sp. Chak. (^ r)S,:)S«>, Givat Salt Lake City, I'tah, Juiu' 1. 1HG<>.) Alunt- hiowiiish-
<rray, faintly ^^lo.o-fil with red 011 the iiajx' and back ; w'm^j; ami tail li-athcrs passim^ into
lighter on their cfl^es, ami (K»isal feallu-is with ohsoleti' siiat't-streaks <»f daikt-r. A fro: 'al
band, abont as wide as the length nl" the euhneii. continuini^^ back in a sMj»ei-eiliary siiipe
to tiie oeeipnt, throat, jnirtdnni, and a pateh on the lower part of the nnnj* (Imt not
on npper tail-eoverts) earniine-seariet. Rest of lower parts white, eaeh feather with a
medial streak of I trow n like the back. Winir, •{. 1<> ; tail. L'.dO ; euhuen, .;')8 ; tarsns. .().') ;
middle ioo^ .;")'_>.

(9 .'jS,:)!))*, Salt Lake City. June '_'!. 1S«;!>.) Similar, but red entirely absent, the throat
and ju^adum beiii«,' white streaked with brown, and the front, rump. etc.. t,'ravish. obso-
U'tely streaketl with darker. \Vin<r. Ji.OO ; tail, 2.40.

(.///r. 40,79! », Fort \Vhi[»ple. Arizona. Jime '>. l.Sti,"),) Cienerally similar to the ad. 9. but
more brownish, and the win<r-fi*:ithers passinj^ into dull bully -ochraeeous on their edges;
streaks beneath narrower and less distinct.

In winter the red is softer and less sharply defined, and usually of a more purplish tint;
the markings generally more l)lended.

II.VH. Middle Province of the United States, frori Uoeky Mountains to the interior
valleys of California.

Habits. This form of the House Fineli uppears to be n verj^ common bird
throu«,'hoiit the interior region of the United States, extending to New Mex-
ico and Arizona on the south and soutlieast, and ])robably to ^Fexico. On
the Uacitic coast it is replaced by another and closely allied variety.

Dr. AVoodhoiise slates that his attention was first called to this interestin«:
little scjngster wliile at Sante Vv. It was there known to the American resi-
dents as the "Adobe Fincli." I>v the Mexicans thev were called Btiriones.
He found them exceedingly tame, huilding about the dwellings, churches,
and other buildings, in every nook and corner, and even entering tlie houses
to pick up crumbs. They are never disttubod l)y the inhalntants. He adds
that at tlie first dawn of the morning they commence a vi'r}* sweet and clear
warble, which he was (piite unable to do justice to by any verbal descrijition.
He lias often in the early morning listened with admiration and gratification
to the song of this bird, which is deservedly a great favcjrite. He found it
throughout New Mexico, and beyond. He did not distinguish it from the
coast variety.

Dr. Cones also found this bird very abundant in Arizona, where it is a
permanent resident, but most abundant in spring and fall. He describes it as
eminently gregarious. He foinid it in all situations, but most common in the
spring among the groves of willows and jjoplars, on the buds of which it feeds.
He met with this species all the way from the IJio Grande through New
Mexico and Arizona to California, and ap])ears to have noted wo differences
between this form and the coast variety. He also mentions finding, during a
few days' stay in the New Mexican village of Los Pinos, near Alberquenpie,
on the Kio Grande, this pretty little Finch the most conmion and character-
istic of the local Inrds. It was there breeding indifferently in the court-
yards, sheds, under tiorticos or eaves, and also in the forks of trees in
the streets. It had sharp conflicts with the Darn Swallows, whose nests it

4G8 NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS.

often took possession of, and was a lively and most agreeable feature in the
dirty towns which it hunured with its presence ; and its songs were at once
sweet, clear, and ex^piisitely melodious.

Dr. Cooper met with these birds among the barren and rocky hills near
the Colorado.

Mr. liidgway, who found these birds breeding in large numbers at Pyra-
mid Lake, intorms me that their nests were usually i»laced in clefts in rocks,
or in a cave. Xear Salt Lake City they were also very common, building
their nests among the slirubs known as the wild mahogany, on the hills, but
never fre(pienting the higlier regions ol" the mountains.

The e«i:us of this bird, which are not distinguishable from those of the
Pacific coast form, liavc a delicate pale-blue ground-color, which is very
fugitive, and fades even in the drawers of a cabin(?t. They are sparingly
marked, chieHy around the more obtuse end, with spots and lines of black
and a dark l)rown. They are of oval sliape, elongate and pointed at one end,
and measure .80 of an inch in length by .00 in breadth.

Carpodacus frontalis, ^ar. rhodocolpus, Caban.

CAUFOBNIA HOUSE-FIKCH ; BED-HEADED LINNET ; BTJBION.

i PyrrhuJti cruentata, Lkssox, Rev. Zoiil. 1839, 101. Carpodacus rhndncolpus, Cabaxis,
Mus, llein. lSr»l, ItXJ. — S( later, P. Z. S. 1856, 3<U. Cnpod'uus frontalis, lit»x.
& S(ni.E(;. Mon. clcs Lox. 1S5<», tab. xvi, f. 1. — Ib. (Vmsp. 18.^0, 533. — Baoio, Birds
N. All). 1858, 415 (ill jiartK — ('«mU'f.1!, Orn. Cal. I, 15fi. Home Fbuh, (Ikav.soX,
Ht'siK-mu, II, 1859, 7, plate. Carpoducus Jam ilia ris, Heekmaxx, X, 50 (nest).

Sp. Char. {^ 12.1)73, Cape St. Lucas.) Head, nock, jutrulum, breast, upper part of
abdoint'ii and sides, and rump, briirht cannine-searlet, dullest on the centre of the crown
and aurifMilars ; rest of the upper parts brownish-irray, glossed with red except on the
winu's, which have the featliers with distinctlv litrliter edfres. Anal resrion, flanks, and
crissum white, the feathers with sliaft-streaks of brown. Wing, 3.00; tail, 2.00; culiuen,
.45; tarsus, .G2 ; middle toe, .."iO.

Female and Jur. similar to var. froutaUs. but colors darker.

IIab. Coast region of Pacitic Province, and iieninsula of Lower California.

The male described above re])resent.s alx)ut the average plumage of this
form ; an extreme example is No. 20,040, Cai)e St. Lucas, which is almost
entirely of a wine-red color, this covering the whole lower parts, except the
anal region, and obliterating the streaks ; tlie wings even are tinged with
red. Still, on tlie head the red (a wine-j)urple tint) is brightest within those
limits to which it is confined in tlie normal plumage.

Habits. This varietv of the House Finch is a very common bird through-
out the Pacific coast, from Oregon to Mexico. Mr. Kidgway states that he
found this s])ecies the most common and familiar of all the birds of the Sac-
ramento Valley. It is a very common cage-bird, being highly prized for its
song, which in power is hardly inferior to that of the Canary, while it far

FlilNGILLID^E— THE FlXCllKS. 4(39

«

surpasses it in sweetness. Its beautiful pluniaj^e aloO renders it still more
attractive. The peeuliaily sott and musical timt of this bird is also very
similar to that of the (.'anarv, and is very ditterent from the connnon note of
the Purple Finch. This bird breeils very numerously amonu: tlic sliade-trees
in the streets of Sacramento, as well as among the oak i^noves on the out-
skirts of that city. The males are very shy, but the females, when their nest
is disturbed, keej) up a lively chirj)ing in an adjoininji' tn^e. Tlie nest is gen-
erally situated near the extremity of a horizontal branch of a small oak,
usually in a grove, occasionally in an isolated tree. In one instance it made
use of an abandoned nest of a DuUock's Oriole, and in another of that of a
Cliff Swallow.

Dr. Cooper speaks of this bird as being especially abundant in all the
southern portions of California, and also, according to Dr. Newberry, tlnough-
out all the valleys northward into Oregon. It is a species tliat is every-
where peculiar to the valleys, while the others of this genus are equally
confined to the wooded mountsiins. Dr. ( 'ooper als* met with this sj)ecies
in the plains near the coast, where there are no plants higher than the wild
mustard, on the seeds of which they feed. They also fre(pient the groves
and the open forests on tlie summits of the coast range, but in small num-
bers, in company with the C. califoniicus. They at times feed on buds of
trees, and seeds of the cottonwood and other jdants. It is most abundant
among ranches and gardens where. Dr. Cooper states, it does much mischief
by destroying seeds and young plants, fruit and buds. For these depreda-
tions even its cheerful and constant song is not regarded as an adecpuite com-
pensation ; and unlike the New-Mexicans in their treatment of its kindred
race, the California cultivators wage an unrelenting war ujion these birds.

At San Diego, Dr. Cooper found them building as early as the loth of
March, and even a little earlier. IJoth the situati(»n and the materials of
their nest vary. He has found them nesting in trees, on logs and rocks, on
the top rail of a picket fence, inside a window-shutter, in the holes of walls,
under tiles, on the thatch of a roof, in barns and haystacks, and even be-
tween tiie interstices in the sticks of which the nest of a Hawk had been
made, and once in the old nest of an Oriole. About dwellings they always
seek the protection of man, and seem to be (juite unconscious of having
deserved or incurred his enmity. The materials of their nests are usually
coarse <jrasses and weeds, with a lining of hair and tine roots. Thev raise
two, sometimes three, broods in a season, and in the autumn assemble in
large Hocks, but migrate very little, if any, to the south.

Dr. Cooper states that their songs are very different from those of the
other s|iecies. They are very varied and very li\ ely, and are heard througli-
out the year. They are easily ke])t as cage-birds, but soon lose the beauty
of their plumage in confinement, their bright purple colors changing to a
dirty yellow.

Nuttall did not observe any of this species in Oregon.

470

NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS.

Tlio ejx^s of this bird vary t'roiii Tour to six in number, and are of a pale blue
wliicli readily fades into a Iduisli-white, and are marked with spots and lines
of a dark brown or black. They are of an ehjngate-oval sliape, and measure
from .82 to .75 of an inch in length, with an average breiwlth of .00.

Genus CHRYSOMITRIS, Boie.

Chrimmitris, Boie, Isis, 1828, 32'J. (Tyi)*', Friiujifh tpinus, Linn.)
AstraijnUtiuSy Cab, Mus. Htin. 1851, l.")!». (Type, FriiujiUtt tristis, Link.)
JIif2>acanfhics, Cab. Mus. Htin. 1851, 101. C^yi•^^ Carduelus spiiiouks.)

Gex. Cuar. Bill rather acutely conic, the tip not very sharp ; the eulnien slightly convex

at the tip; the coiniiiissure gently curved.
Nostrils concealed. Obsolete ridges on the
upper mandible. Tarsi shorter than the
middle toe ; outer toe rather the longer,
reaching to the hmiQ of the inid«lle one.
Claw of hind toe shorter than the digital
portion. Wings and tail as in ^giothus.

The colors are generally yellow, with
black on the crown, throat, back, wings,
and tail, varied sometimes with white.

The females want the bright markings

Chrysomitris tristis. of the male.

Tiiis genus differs from ^-Ef/iothus in a less acute and more curved bill, a
much less development of the bristly feathers at the base of the bill, the
claw of the hind toe shorter than its digital portion, the claws shorter and
less curved and attenuated, and the outer lateral toes not extending beyond
the base of the middle claw.

The species exhibit many differences among themselves, especially in the
size and shape of the bill, which have lieen made the basis of generic dis-
tinctions. They may be distinguished as follows : —

Species and Varieties.

A* No streaks anywhere on plumage ; base of tail-feathers black or white.
Sexes dissimilar. (Chrysornitns.)
a. No yellow on the wings.

1. C. tristis. Inner webs of tail-feathers always whitish terminally
(exce})t in Jnv.). ^. Forehead and crown, wings and tail, deep black;
rest of plumage, inchnling the back, rich lemon-yellow ; tail-coverts
white. 9- Body grayish above, ding}'^ whitish beneath, stained with
yellow; no black on head ; wings and tail duller black. Juv. Fulvous-
umber above, with markings of reddish-ochraceous on the wings ; be-
neath, dilute-yellow washed with fulvous. Ilah. Whole of temperate
and Avarm North America.

2. C. psaltria. Inner webs of tail-feathers never whitish terminally.
^. Beneath yellow, including the 1ow<m' tail-coverts ; above black, with

or without olive-green on the back. 9 • Without any black, the yellow ^
duller. -

^ FIUXtULLID.E — THE FINX'IIES. 47!

Titil v'ith ifJiife (tn frnier trebs ; tertinJn with large white sjwts.

^. Auriciilars. iijiim*. hack, jiiid nuui) olivc-j:ret.'n. Hub. Rocky
Momituiiis of rnitcdStaies \a.\: psal tr in .

(J. Auriculars hlack; iiaju', back, and rump green clouded with

black. Ilab. Arizona var. arizouir.

^. Auriculars, na{)c, hack, and rump entirely black. Ilab. Mid-
dle America var. mexicana.

Tail without any white on inner webs ; tertials without white spots.

^. Auriculars, nape, back, and nmip wholly black. Hab. Pan-
ama and New Granada var. coin m biann.

b. Terminal half of outer webs of wing-coverts and s«.>condaries yellow.

3. C. lawrenciL Prevailing color ashy, lighter beneath. ^. A largo
patch on the breast, the rump, and most of the outer surface of the
wing, yellow; forehead, crown, lores, all round base of bill, chin, wings
(beneath the yellow), and tail black. 9. La<king the black, and with
the yellow only indicated. Ilab. California and ►Southwestern Arizonn.

B. Whole body and head thickly streaked ; bases of tail-feathers yellow. Sexes
alike. (Astragalinus.)

4. C. pinus. Above brownish-gray, beneath white, with conspicuous
dusky streaks everywhere; two light Viands on the wing; bases of
secondaries and primaries yellow. Ilab. Whole of North America.

Three species of Chrymmitrh, given by Mr. Audubon, are to be erased
from the list: C. ntnulcjii, C. yarrelli, and C. mogrlhinim. If, as he states,
he killed specimens of the latter in Kentucky, they must have behinged to
the C. notata of Dubus, a Mexican species, not since met with in our limits.
The other two were given him as coming from California, — a statement we
now know to be incorrect, both belonging to South America.

Chrysomitris tristis, Bon.

TELLOW-BIRD; THISTLE-BIBD.

FringiUa tristis, Ltnx. Syst. Nat. I, 176(5, 320. — Wils. Am. Ovw. I, 1808, 20, pi. i, f. 2.
— At'D. Ora. Biog. I, 1831, 172; V, 510, pi. xxxiii. Cardueles tri.stis, Hon. Obs.
Wils. 1825, No. 96. — Am. Birds Am. II, 1841, 129, pi. clxxxi. — Max. Cab. .Tourn.
\\, 1858, 281. Chnisoniifrix tristix, Bon. List, 1838. — Newukiuiv, Zoi.l. Cul. & Or.
Route ; Rep. P. R. K. Surv. VII, iv, 1857, 87. — B.vikd, Birds N. Am. 1858, 421.—
Cooper & Sitki.ev, 197. — Coopefi, Orn. Cal. I, 167. AsfrcKjalinns tristis, Cap.anis,
Mas. Hein. 1851, 1.59 (tj-pc). r,>r<fioIis umeriotm, (Ei)WAi;i»s.") Sw. & Rich. F. B. A.
11,1831,268. Goh/ra Finrh, Vr.ssxST. Jvuriani (7uhfjhich, llrnvxiivs. (%fr(hoi-
ncret jminr ; Chdrdionwnf dn Ciiiuiiln : Turin dr hi XminUr Yorcky BuFFOX. — lu. PI.
enl., pi. ccii, f. 2, pi. ccxcii, f. 1. — Sa.muel.s Birds N. Eng. 288.

Sp. Char. Male. "Bright gambogo-ycllow ; crown, wings, and tail black. Lesser
wing-coverts, band across the end of greater ones, ends of secondaries and tertiaries, inner
margins of tail-feathers, njiper and nnder tail-coverts, and tibia white. Length, 5.25
inches; wing, 3.00. Female. Yellowish-gray above: greenish-yellow lielow. Xo black
on forehead. Wing and tail mnch as in the male. Young. Reddish-olive above; fulvons-

472

NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS.

Cluysotnilris trutis.

yellow l)L'low; two broad bamls across coverts, and broad edges to last halt' of secondaries
jcilo rutbus.

IIab. North America <renerally.

Ill winter tlie yellow is rephiced by a yellowish -brown ; the black ol the
crown wiiiitiiiL;, that of wings and tail browner. The throat is generally
yellowish; the under i)arts ashy-brown, passing behind into white.

There are no observable ditlerences between eastern and western speci-
mens.

Habits. The common American Goldfinch is found throughout the

greater portion of North America, from
the Atlantic to the Pacific. Sir John
liichardsiui met with it in the fur re-
ixioiis, where it is one of the tardiest of
the summer visitors, and whence it de-
parts early in September. The si)eci-
nien described by him was taken June
29. At the extreme South it is not
uncommon, acc^oixling to Dresser, around
San Antonio, and Dr. Woodlunise found
it abundant both in Texas and in the
Indian Territory. Dr. Cones did not
find it in Arizona, nor does Sumichnist
give it as a bird of Vera Cruz. Dr. Newljerry found this Finch (piite com-
mon throughout his route to the Columbia, this sweet songster, he states,
liaving been a constant source of pleasure in the interior both of Calitbrnia
and Oregon, far from the haunts of men, where everything else was new and
strange. Dut Dr. Suckley, though he lookeil carefully for this species about
Puget Sound, in the most ai)proi)riat« situations, was unable to find any, and
did not believe that any existed there. Dr. Cooj)er states that it is, however,
(|uite abundant on the Columbia and along the coast near its mouth.

The last-named writer states that this species is a constant .esident in all
the western parts of California, but he met with none on the Colorado. They
become rare on the coast at the Columbia, l)ut farther in. the interior are
found as far north as latitude 49^. They breed as far south as San Diego,
but seem to avoid the hot interior valleys, as well as the mountains. Their
favorite resorts are where thistles and other composite plants alM)und, and
also groves of willow and cottonwood, upon the seeds of which they" feed
largely. In winter the seeds of the buttt)nwood supply their chief sub-
sistence.

The common Goldfinch was seen in abundance by ^Ir. Kidgway only in
the vicinity of Sacramento City, associated with the Carpodnrns front((iis,
and often nesting in the same tree. In the interior this species was rarely
seen, and only one s}>eciinen was secured in the Truckee Valley in ^lav, and
no^ noticed afterwards. It was, however, found breeding in the Uintah

KUIXdlLLID.E — THE FlNdlE.^. 473

jMoiintaiiis, wliore its nest and eu'^s were obtained. The nests procured hy
Mr. Uidgway were all lound ahout dune ♦>, except one, ten days later, sliow-
inj]; that these birds are lour or live weeks earlier in their hreedinLr on the
Pacific than on the Atlantic coast, in the I'intah Mountains thev were
breediuLr, as at the Kast, in dulv.

The (loldlinch is to a larife extent »'re<4arious and nomadic in its hal»its,
and only for a short j)ortion ot" the year do these ijirds separate into pairs lor
the purp«)ses of reproduction. Uurin;^ at least three fourths of the year they
associate in small Hocks, and wander al»»ut in an irrei^adar and uncertain
manner in (piest of their food. They are resident throuj^hout the year in
New Kngland, and also throughout the greater portion of the country, their
presence or ai)sence being regulated to a large extent by the abundance,
scarcity, or absence of their favorite kinds of food. In the winter, the seeds
of the taller weetls are their principal means of subsistence. In the sum-
mer, the seeds of the thistle and other plants and weeds are sought out
by these interesting and busy gleaners. They are abundant in gardens, and
as a general thing do very little harm, and a vast amount of benefit in the
destruction of the seeds of troublesome weeds. As, however, thev do not
always discriminate between seeds that are troublesome and those that are
desirable, the (loldfinches are unwelcome visitors to the farmers who seek to
raise their <»wn seeds of the lettuce, turnip, and (.»ther similar vegetables.
They arc al* j very fond of the seeds of the sunflower.

Owin*; possibly to the scarcity of proper food f(»r their young in the early
summer, the CToldfinches are ([uite late before they mate and raise their single
brood. Jr is usually i»ast the loth of July before their nests are ctmstructed,
and often Sei)tenil)er before their broods are ready to fly.

The sonir of the Goldfinch — very different from their usual idaintive crv
or call-note, uttered as tliey are flying or when they are feeding — is very
sweet, brilliant, and pleasing; most so, indeed, when given as a solo, with no
other of its kindred within hearing. 1 know of n(»ne of our connnon singers
that excel it in either respect. Its notes are higher and more flute-like, and
its song is more prolonged than that of the Turple Finch. AVhere large
flocks are f(mnd in the spring or early sunnner, the males often join in a very
curious and remarkable concert, in which the voices of the several performers
do not always acc(jrd. In spite of this fretiuent want of harmony, these con-
certs are varied and pleasing, now ringing like the loud voices of the Canary,
and now sinking into a h)w soft warble.

During the warm summer weather the (Joldfincli is very fond of bathing,
and the sandy shelving margins of In-ooks are alwaj's their favorite places
of resort for this purpose. I do not think they ever raise more than a single
brood in a season in Xew England, and are in this somewhat irregular, de-
positing their eggs from July 10 to September, as it may happen.

They usually select a small upright tree, such as a young elm, api)le, or
pear, or a tall shrub, for their nest, which they rarely place higher than ten

GO

474 NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS.

feet from the f»roiiTKl. Than the nest of our Cfohlfinch we have no more beau-
tiful specimen t'itheiof the hasket in sliape or the ielteil in structure. Sym-
metrical in form, delicately and beautifully woven, and in«,'eniously anj firmly
fastened around the forked twi^js with which it is interlaced, it is an exqui-
site example of arcliitectural hcauty and hnish. A l)eautirul specimen from
Wisconsin mav be taken as tv]>ical. It measures three inches in diameter
and two in heiirht. The cavitv is one and a half inches wide at the rim, and
the deptli is the same. The base of this nest is a comminijlin^ of soft vege-
table wof)l, very tine stems of dried gr.isses, and tine strips of bark, all being
in very tine shreds. The sides, rim, and general exterior of the nest is made
up, to a large extent, of line slemler vegetable fibres, interwrought with
white and maroon-colored vegetable wool. These materials are closely and
densely felted together. The inner nest is softly and thoroughly lined with
a softer felting made of the plumose appendages or pappus of the seeds of
composite plants.

The eggs, usually five, rarely six in numl>er, are of a uniform bluish-white,
sharply pointed at one and roundetl at the other end. They measure from
.^o to .67 of an inch in length and from .50 to .55 in breadth. Dr. Cooper
gives their measurement as .GO by .50 ; but of the contents of seven nests
before me not an euu is less than .65 in length, and but one so small as .50
in breadth.

A nest of this Finch, built in a voumr elm-tree in Hingham, eight feet from
the ground, was begun July 27, finished and the fii-st egg laid August 1. By
the 4th five eggs had been deposited, and on the 16th they had all been
hatched.

Chrysomitris psaltria, var. psaltria, Boxap.

BOCKY MOUNTAIir GOLDFINCH ; ABKANSA8 GOLDFINCH.

FringillapsaUrui, Say, Long's Expd. R. Mts. II, 1823, 40. — Ari). Om. Biog. V, 1839,
85, pi. cccxeiv. Fri ivj ilia (CunlucUs) psaltria, Bon. Am. Om. I, 182r», 54, pi. vi, f. 3.
CardiKlis2)saUria, Aur>. 8yn. 1839, 117. — In. Birds Am. Ill, 1841, 134, pi. clxxxiii.
Chrysoiiiitrv( psaltria, Bp. List, 1838. — Ib. Consp. 1850, 516. —Gam BEL, .Tour. A. N.
S. 2d series I, 1847, 52 (female). — Baoid, Birds N. Am. 1858, 422. — (Joopeu, Om.
Cal. I, 168.

Sp. CnAR. Male. Uppor parts and sides of head and neck olive-jrreen. Hood, but
not slides of head below eyes, lores (or aurioulars ?), upper tail-coverts, winirs. and tail black.
Beneath l>right yellow. A band .across the tips of the jrreater coverts, the ends of nearly
all the quills, the outer edcfes of the tertiaries, the extreme bases of all the primaries ex-
cept the outer two, and a Ion? rectangular patch on the inner webs of the outer three
tail-feathers near the middle, white. Female with the upper parts crenerally. and the sides
olive-green ; the Avintrs and tail brown, their white marks as in the male. Length, 4.25 ;
wing, 2.40 ; tail, 1.8."). Yoiing lik«' the female, but wing-bands more fulvous.

IIab. Southern Roeky Mountains to the co.nst of California ; north to Salt Lake City
(June 19 ; Rinr.wAv), and Siskiyou Co., Cal. (Vuillk) ; south to Sonora (Arispe, Feb.
26 ; E. S. Wakefield).

FRINGILLID.E — Till-: FINTIIE.^. 475

With (luite a small series of si)et'iiiuMis, a perfect tnuisition can be shown
from the typical V. psaltria, as above descrilied. to the ('. nf/tnnbitnuis, the
opjtosite extreme (see table, page 47 1 j. The former is the most northern,
the hitter the most southern form ; arizomr and ntr.i iniiKf, inteiniediate
in hal>itat, are also as strikingly so in ]>luma<j;e. The dilference is in tlie
quantity of the black, this col(»r predominating over the olive of the back
and the white of wings and tail, in i)roj)ortion as we go southward. There
cannot, upon the whole, be any dt>ubt that they are all specitically the same.
The females can scarcely be distin<Hiished.

Habits. The Arkansas Finch was lirst discovered in Long's expedition to
the liocky ^lountains, and descriljed by Say in 1823. It has since been met
with in New Mexico and in various j)arts of California. l)r. Cooper did not
find this s])ecies in the Colorado Valley, although Dr. Kennerly met with
it along Williams Fork, m New Mexici). Dr. Woodhouse did not see it in
his route to the Zuni Kiver, either in New Mexico or the Indian Territory.

Dr. Kennerly met with these bir<ls in the month of February, lie found
them very abundant all along the banks of the liill Williams Fork. They
^ve^e feeding on the young Ijuds of the cottonwood trees. A that season
they were in small Hocks, and the only note he heard from them was a short
chirp, as they ho]>i)ed from twig to twig, or flew from one tree to another.

Dr. Heermann states that he found these Flinches abundant in the northern
mining regions of California, fre(]Uenting and feeding in tht* same localities
^vith the C. /cfinrncii, and often associated with the Pine Finch. lie adds
that, while thus associated, he shot a large nnnd)er of both species. They
seemed to be employed, at the time, in })icking out the tine gravel mixed in
the mud used as mortar for a chimney, flying away at each discharge of the
gun, but returning, in a few minutes, to the same place.

Mr. Audubon regarded this sj^ecies as accidental in Louisiana, having
procured individuals a few miles from I>ayou Sara.

The Arkansas ( Joldfinch was lound l)y ^Ir. Iiidgway among the Wahsatch
Mountains, his attention being at once drawn to it by its curious notes. He
first met with it in " Citv-Creek Canon," near Salt Lake City, where indi-
viduals of it were fre<[uently found mixed in with flocks of C. jfi/w.s. The
note of this bird is remarkable for its power and very sad tone. The ordi-
narj^ note is a plaintive, mellow, whistling call, impossible to describe, and
so inflected as to produce a very mournful eflect. When the bird takes to
flight, it is changed to a simple rheer, similar to the anxious n'»tes of the male
Agdams ph<jenicc7fs, uttered when its nest is disturbed. This species was
quite rare, not being so common as either C. pini's or C. tristis. Its nest
^vas found in Parley's Park, Wahsatch Mountains, June 22, in the top of a
willow-bush near a stream.

At San Diego, and along the \vhole coast border of California, Dr. Cooper
thinks that this Finch is rather rare. In the interior valleys they seem to
be quite common. They also breed in small numbers in the Coast Kange,

470 NORTH AMKIUCAN BIRDS.

near Santa Cruz. Uv statrs tliat their liahits are very similar to tliose of the
C. frisfis, though they leed more on the ^^round, and more ui)on weeds than
on trees, and are even more <ire<j:arious, remaining: assoeiated in Hocks uj> to
the first of »Fune. Their song greatly resembles that of the common Gold-
finch, but is much fainter.

Dr. ('oo]>er never met with their nest, nor has ho received any description
of it. Mr. Xantus found one, containing four eggs, on the branch of an
Ohionr, about ten feet from tiie ground. Tiiis was at Fort Tejon, the first of
May. Dr. Cantield haj also found their nests, in considerable nundiers, near
Monterev. Thev are built in the forks of trees, in the same manner with
the fristis, are structures of remarkable beauty, and evince great skill in the
architects. They contain usually four or five eggs. K.xcept in size, their
eggs greatly resemble those of the C. tristis, being of a uniform greenish-
white, unspotted, of a rounded-oval shape, sharply pointed at one end. They
measure .00 by .50 of an inch.

Chrysomitris psaltria, var. arizonsD, Coues.

ABIZOKA GOLDFINCH.

Chrysomitris nuxicana^ var. arizonocy CouES, P. A. N. S. 1866. — Cooper, Orn. Cal. I, 170.

Sp. Char. ( $ .'>7,092. Fort Winprate, Ari;^ona, June 28, 1801.) Above, inclmlinir anriru-
lars glos.-^y Itluck, with a fjiiiit hlui.^h ii'll«'i'tit»n ; na]t«', hack, and niiiii) nmoh mixed with
olive-irreen, this rather predominatini^ ; laro^er coverts broadly tipped with grayish-white;
tertials with almost the entire exposed portion of the outer webs, white; a i)ateh on
base of piimaries, antl the inner webs of the tail-feathers, except the ends, white. Be-
neath entirely lemon-yellow. Winjjf, 2..'j0 ; tail, 1.70; cuhnen, .3'>; tarsus, .'>0.

Had. Southern Ijoundary of Ariztjna and New Mexico, extendinir southward into
Mexico, and gradually changing into mejcicana, and northward iiiio psaltria.

The specimen described above is from a series collected in Arizona by Dr.
Coues : these examjdes vary in the relative amount of black and olive on
the back, some having one, and others the other color predominating ; the
type selected is one which represents about the average plumage of this
species from Arizona.

Habits. Dr. Coues found these birds abundant summer residents of Ari-
zona, where they are said to arrive the last of April and to remain until the
middle of 8e})tend)er. In August the males are stated to assume the dull
plumage of the females. In autumn they become decidedly gregarious, and
feed almost exclusively upon buds and seeds. He thinks they are not so
numerous in the southern portions of the Territory. In a letter received
from him he remarks : —

" This bird was found to be common in Xew Mexico near Fort Wingate,
at the eastern base of the main chain of mountains. I first observed it on the
28th of June, when I found quite a number together, and secured several

^ FKINMLMIJ.E- THE FINCHES. 477

specimens. They were in siuail tn)()])s on 11 rugged hillside covered with a
sparse growth of juni^Kirs and stunU'd ]»ines, feeding in conipuny with the
Poospiza hiliucdtn. Judging from their actions, and from the fact that none
Init males were taken, 1 piesunie they were l)reeding in the vicinity. I fmind
S(>me ditliculty in securing s}>eciniens, partly owing to the hroken nature of
the locality, and partly to the i>irds' timidity in the unaccustomed j)resenee
of man. Those that were shot were all f<»und to have the lesnphagus as well
as the gizzard crammed with .seeds. They constantly uttered a plaintive
lisping whi-stle as they gathered food, or as they Hew from one tree to another,
but their song did not strike my ear as precisely the .same as that of the
Goldtinch. These si)ecimens were all in what 1 take to he ])erfect ]>lumage,
although the back was mixed with olive and blacdv in nearly e^jual ]>roj tor-
tious, and the black t)f the i)ilcum did not reach l>elow the eyes to cit olf
the yellow under eyelid from the other yellowish }»arts of the head ; thus
closely resembling true psaltria.

" Upon my arrival at Fort Whi])i)le in July, I found birds of this tyi)e
abundant, and took a good many during the iwo Ibllowing numths, when
they disappeared, and I .saw none until about liie iirst of ^lay. A small
ravine close by the fort, choked with a rank growth of weeds, was a favorite
resort; there the birds could be found at nearly all times in sea.son, in large
troops, feeding in company with Chi])ping Sjjarrows, and the Spiul/a atruju-
larls. They were very tame during the latter part of the summer, would
only rise when very closely ajun-oached, when they Hew in a hesitating man-
ner a short distance, and then i)itched down again among the weeds to
resume their bu.sy search for food. In their undulating iiight they utter
their peculiar note, generally with each impulse of the wings, and keep up
a continual chirping when feeding ; but I did not hear their true song at this
season. Some of the specimens taken were very young birds, and the spe-
cies unquestionably breeds here, although I never succeeded in linding a
nest.

" I should not omit to add, that w hilst at Santa Fe, Xew Mexico, I saw
caged birds tliat were thriving well, and api)arently reconciled to confine-
ment."

A nest of this bird, obtained near Camp Grant, Arizona, by Dr. Palmer, is
a Hat and shallow structure, having a diameter of three inches, and a height
of one and a quarter. The cavity is oidy a slight depression. This nest is
made of a felting of various materials, chielly the cotton-like down of the
cotton wood-tree and other soft vegetable matter, line stems of grasses, i'rag-
ments of mosses, and various other similar materials, lined with finer mate-
rials of the same. Except in their slightly smaller size, the eggs are not
distinguishably diifereut from the preceding.

478 NnriTii AMi:iiu\vN imw^.

Chiysomitiis psaltria, var. mexicana, V>nsxp.

BLACK OOLOFnrCH ; MEXICAH OOLDFIIICH.

Cariiueh's mcxicanits. Swains. Syn. Uinls M.-x. Pbil. .M:i<,'. IMT, 43.1. — Waclku, Isis,
1831, ^'2o. Chnjsinnitris mciiinnus, \W. (.'uii.s)i. Av. lh.'»t>, 51t> (<iuot»'.s AlU. tub.
427). — Baikp, Hird.s N. Am. 1S.'»J*, \'l6, pi. liv, f. 1. Asti'mjalinns nuxiitnuiH, C'au.
Mus. Htiii. Ih.'il, 15y. — lu. .louiu. fur Orn. ISOI, 7 (with syiionymyi. (.'oUKs,
r. A. N. S, ls»u;, 82. Friiniilhi tiir/diKu-nif/i'i (LuirH, Waklkk, Isis, 1>>31, ;'»25.
f Fritojilht intato/, (iM. Svst. Nat. I, 17^8, 1>14. Fn'mji/fn ttxeii.sis, (JinATD, IG Sp.
Binls Tfx. 1841, pi. v. f. 1 (gives white htlly). — I'ooi'tu, Orn. Cal. 1, Itiy.

Sp. Ciiak. Upp«'r part.>< continuously and entirely Mack ; the leathers of tin* nimp white
.<?ul>tenninally, and showini? this throujjh theldaek; a lew of the leather.^; with <:reenish-
yellow hetweeu tlie white and the l)laek ; a lew, perhai)s, without black tips. The bases of
the third to .seventh primaries, and the ends of tlie tertiai ies externally wiiite. The tail i.s
black, except the outer threi* feathers, in w hich the outer webs and tips only are this c«>lor ;
the rest white. Inside of wintr black. I'mler parts of body pale yellow. FeiiKile with
the black of the head and body replaced by olive-green. Length, 4.12 inches; wing, 2.25;
tail, 2.00.

Had. Mexican side of the valley of the Rio Grande, southward ; Oaxaca, .June (ScL.
185S, 302) ; Cordova (Scl. 18.>G, 30;J) ; Guatemala (Sci« Ibis 1, ID) ; Costa Kica (Cab.
J. 1J!!G1, 7); Panama (Lawr. N. Y. Lye. I8G1, 331 ; whiter).

Habits. The Mexican Goldfinch is distributed from the western side
of the liio Grande, through Mexico and Central America, to Panama.
Suniiclirast mentions it as found throughout tlie State of Vera Cruz, but
most abundant in tlie temperate region. It breeds in the vicinity of
Oizaba. It was taken in Central America, by Mr. Skinner, and has been
reported from Costa IJica, and from Panama in the winter. Of its distinc-
tive peculiarities we have no information, but they probably do not differ
from those of the other forms of C. psaltria.

Chrysomitris lawrencii, Bonaf.

LAWBENCE'S OOLDFIHCH.

Cardiielis laicrcncii, Cassix, Pr. A. X. So. V, Oct. 1850, 105, pi. v (California). Chrysomi-
tris laicroieiit Box. Coniptts Kendus, Dec. 185.3, 913. — Baiud, Birds N. Am. 1858,
4l'4. — Heekm. X, S, 50 (nest). — Elliot, lllust. Am. B. I, pi. viiL — Cooper, Orn.
Cal. I, 171.

Sp. Char. Male. Hoo<l, j:idos of head anterior to the middle of the eye. chin, and
upper pari of throat, black. Sides of head, neck, and body, upper part of neck and the
back, and upper tail-coverts. a.sh-color. Rump and lesser wing-coverts j'cllowish-nfreen.
Throat below the black, breixst, and outer edges of all the quills (except the first primary,
and passing into white bcliind), bright greenish-yellow. Wings black. Tail-feathers
black, with a whit<' square patch on the inner web, near the end; outer edges grayish;
quills black. Femnh similar, with the black of the head replaced by ash. Length, about
4.70; wing, 2.75; tail, 2.30. Young like the female, but wing-bands pale fulvous, in-
stead of yellow.

Hab. Coast of California; Fort Whipple, Arizona (Coces, P. A. N. S. 18GG, 83).

FIMXGILLID.K — THE KINrilES. 47«j

Habits. Tliis s]HM*ies, now known to 1m» so common tliron«^]iout tin' •^rcatj-r
pcfition of Cuiironiia, was first dt'.scrilM'd l>y Mr. Cassiu in IHMK IM. Ilrcr-
niiiiin jittrrwiinls I'oinnl llicin verv alunuliint tiiroii'Miout the northern niininji
iv^'ions of (alitoiniji, lVt'(|iu'ntin^ tin* liillsidi'S (.overed with Innsli, the s<mm1s
and huds of wliich tiuy eat witli ^Mt'at avidity. Lati^r in thi> season lie found
them at San I>i»'j4o, in <piest of ^'lass-.sfeds on the levtd plains. They w«'ie
in large tloeks, and so closely packed that he shot thirteen at one discharge.
Their nests, he states, are huilt in the fork of a hush or stunted oak, and are
coniiHised of tint^ grasses, lined with hair and feathei*s. They contain f<»ur or
five i>ure white eggs.

Mr. Kidgway only met with this (Joldtinch near the foot of the western
slope of the Sierra Nevada.

Dr. Cooper met with a few of this s])ecies at Fort ^^ol^avo, on the Colonvdo,
Imt found them more numerous near the coast as far north as San Francisco,
at least, and also in the more northern mining regions, lie has seen them
ahout San Francisco in l)e( end»er, anil has no douht that they remain ail the
winter throughout the lower country. They seem to avoid the UKunitainous
regions, and have not l)een met with in Ore«j:on.

Their hahits and their song are, in general resj>ects, similar to those of the
Goldfinch {C. trisfis), but their voice is nnich weaker, and is iiigher in its
pitch. Their nests, Dr. Cooper thinks, are plact'd, in ]»reh'rence, on the live-
oaks ; at least, he has never met with them in anv other situation. Thev are
built very iimch in the style of those of the (Joldtinch, but are nuich smaller,
the cavity measuring only an inch in depth and one and a half in breadth.
The eggs he describes as four or five in numl>er. ]>ure white, and measuring
.80 by .40 of an inch. He adds that they sometimes feed on the ground, on
grass-seeds, as well as on Ituds and seeds of various weeds and trees. They
were regarded by him as more of a sylvan sj>ecies than the (Joldfinch, and
not so fond of willows and other trees growing along streams and in wet
places. In the Coh)rddo Valley they feed on the seeds of the artemisia. He
did not notice any there after the middle of A]»ril. Kggs, in my own cabi-
net, from Monterey, identified by Dr. Canfiehl, are of a uniform greenish-
white, exactly similar to those of C. paa/fria and frisfis, and measure only
.58 by .45 of an inch, or less in length by .22 than as given by Dr Cooper.

Three nests of this s])ecies obtained at ^Fonti'rey, Cab, by Dr. (.'anfiehl, all
exhibit more or less variations as to material and style of make. They are
all more or less felted, and lx»autifully wnnight, fnlly equal in artistic skill to
the nests of the (roldfinch. They are about one and a half inches in height
and three in diameter, and the cavity is an inch in de])th and one and three
quarters in diameter The walls of these nests are soft, warm, and thick,
comjx>sed of wool, lK)th yegetable and animal, tine stems of grasses, down,
feathers, and other materials, all clo.sely matted togetber, and lined with
the long hair of the larger animals. One of these nests is made up entirely
of the liner grasses, strongly matted together.

480

NORTH AMERICAN BIRDa

Chrysomitris pinus, rx^xAP.

FINE GOLDFINCH.

Fringilla pinns, Wilson, Am. Orn. II, 1810, 133, pi. xvii, f. 1. — Arn. Orn. Riof». II,
1834, 455; V, 509, \A. tlxxx. Frhujilla {('(trdaeti.s) jn'nus, Bon. Obs. Wils. 182.'»,
No. 103. Lhiaric jn'ni/s. Aid. Synopsis, 1839,115. — In. Hinls Am. Ill, 1841, 125,
pi. tlxxx. i'ht'ijsiiiiiitris piiiHx, lioNAi'. C'oiisp. 1850, 515. — l>Aiui», IJinls N. Am.
1858, 425. — CoorKU i^ Slcki.ky, 1S»7. — Co«»i'Kn, Orn. Cal. I, 172. — Samikls, 290.
/.' Cltri/wmifris macrojjtcra, DuBit;, Esij. Orn. tab. 23 ^Mexico). — Br. Coiis|)t'ctus,
1850, 515.

Sp. Char. Tail deeply forked. Above browni.^h-olivo. Beneath whiti.^h, every feather

streaked distinctly with dusky. Concealed
bases of tail-feathers and quills, togfetherwith
their inner e<lj,'es, sulphur-yellow. Outer
edges ot (juills and tail-feathers yellowish-
green. Two brownish-white bands on the
wing. Length. 4. 7'> ; wing, 3.00 ; tail, 2.20.
Sexes alike. Young similar, but the white
l)elow tinged with yellow, the upper parts
with reddish-brown, and there are two pale
ochraceous bands on the wing.
Chrysomitris pinus. 11 Mi. North America from Atlantic to

Pacific; Vera Cruz, plateau and alpine region (Simiciikast, I, o50).

Specimens from all parts of North America appear to be the same, but
there is a j^reat deal of variation among imUviduals. No. 10,225 ^, Fort
Tejon, California, and 51,G36, Colorado Territory, are almost entirely white
beneath, tlie streaks being liardly observable. 32,76o, Mexico, and 9,524,
AVashington Territory, are unstreaked medially. Xo. 11,09G, Fort Bridger,
has the streaks on the sides unusnallv broad, and very black.

In autunni and winter a reddish-brown tinge overspreads the upper parts.

Habits. Though classed with the Goldfinches of this country, the Pine
Finch, in many respects more nearly resembles, in its habits and niditication,
the Carpodaci. It is found tliroughout the United States, from the Atlantic
to the Pacific. In tlie winter it extends its irregular migrations into the Cen-
tral States, as far as Xorthern California on the Pacific, and Southern Penn-
sylvania on the Athmtic. It breeds throu<diout the British Provinces,
Korthern Maine, New Hampslnre, Vermont, New York, Michigan, and
thence to Washinirton Territory, in all the everijreen forests.

At Calais, Me., it is resident throughout the year, and breeds there, but is
much more common in the winter than in tlie summer. In Western Maine,
Professor Verrill observed it very common, both in the sjuing and in tlie
fall, but never found it breeding. He found it very alnmdant about the
Undiagog lakes in July, where it was evid^^ntly breeding. It breeds also
abundantly among the White ^fountains.

Mr. Kidgway first saw the Pine Fincli on the East Humboldt Mountains,

FUINGILLID.K — THE FINCHES. 481

where, tliruiigli 'Tuly and Aiii^iist, it was ([uite cnminon, and where unduultt-
edly it breeds, as a y(mn.«j;: hird unable U) Hy was obtained. On the Walisjiteli
Mountains it was a very al»undant si>eeies, inliahiting tlie i»ines as well as the
groves of aspens in tlie aljune re^iX'"HS. Is is «;reuarious at all times, flying'
in roving-, sereeehini,' Hoeks. The notes it utters on all occasions resemble
a very peculiar pronunciation of si'r-cr, «);iven in a very sharj> tone. When
the Hock sudiU'nly takes to flight, this is chanj^ed to a more mttling outcry.
A nest, containing no eiigs, was fountl in an asj>en-tree ; and another, con-
tainin*^ one e^^^x, similar to those described elsewhere, was found in a fir-tree
(Abifs) situated near the extremity of a horizontal branch al)out twenty feet
from the ground.

The Tine Finch is also a very common and resident bird in the ])lateau
of Mexico and in the alpine regions of the State of Vera Cruz. Its common
name there is Ihntuiit/ffifo muiittro. In the al})ine ret^aons Sumichrast states
that it is found to the hei«;ht of six thousand five hundred feet, antl does not,
to his knowledge, descend below three thousand feet. It most especially
frequents the jdateau.

Ca])tain Blakiston met with this species on the jdains of the Saskatche-
wan, near the liocky Mountains, August 0, 1S.")8.

In the eastern portion of Massachusetts it is somewhat irregular in its
movements and ap})earance, which are supposed to be affected by the abun-
dance or scarcity of its f(»od elsewhere. Here it feeds chiefiy on seeds of
grasses and weeds, probably only after the seeds of the hendock and other
forest trees have failed it. They are usually most abunchmt late in the
season and after heavy falls of snow farther n(>rth have diminished their
means of subsistence. Mr. Maynard found it very numerous in the winter
of 1859 -GO, remaining nntil quite late in the season, and again in the win-
ter of 1S(J8-G*J, remaining nntil the last week in May. In Western ^las-
sachusetts, according to Mr. Allen, it is a regular winter visitant, but never
abundant. It arrives early in October, and may be seen in small Hocks from
that time to the third week in May. It sometimes frecpu^nts the apple-
orchards, whe^e it feeds on the A2)hidt's. According to Dr. C'oues, this spe-
cies occasionally strays as far to the south as the Carolinas, but it is not
connnon there.

Wilson observed these birds near Philadelphia, where they were feeding on
the seeds of the alder. Later in the season they collected in larger flocks
and took up their abode among the pine woods. In one partiv idar locality,
he states, a flock of two or three hundred of these l)irds regularly wintered, for
many years in succession, where mdde avenues of ]»ines furnished them with
abundant food throughout the season. Early in ^larch they all disappeared.
While there, they were so tame as to allow a person to ai)[)roach within a
few yards. They fluttered among the branches, frequently hanging from the
cones, at the same time uttering notes idosely resembling those of tlu^ Gold-
finch.

m

482 NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS.

In severe winters Mr. Audubon lias met witli the Pine Fincli as far south
as Henderson, Ivy., and Cliurleston, S. ('., but such visits were always brief.
In August, 18o2, lie met with Hocks of these binls in l^ibrador. They were
in company witli the Crossbill, and were feeding on the seeds of the iir-trees,
and also on those of the thistle. When at the Magdalen Islands he frequently
saw Hocks moving from various directions. At ]>ras d'Or, to\yards the end of
July, they were in great numbei-s, and the old birds were accompanied by
their young. They fretpiented thickets of willows and elders in the vicinity
of water, and were very fearless and gentle. According to his account they
sing while on the wing, and their notes are sweet, varied, clear, and mellow,
and, while somewhat resembling the song of the C. trisiis, are perfectly dis-
tinct from it. Its Hight is exactly similar, both gliding through the air in
graceful and deep curves.

In "Washington Territory Dr. Cooper found this Finch an abundant and
constant resident, migrating to the coast in winter, where it feeds on the seeds
of the alder. In summer they were gregarious, even when occupied with
their nests and young. He has never met with any in California, not even
in the Sierra Nevada, though they have been found by others along its
wiiole western slope, as far south as Fo' ' Tejon. They feed on the seeds
of both coniferous and deciduous trees.

Early in May, 1850, a pair of these birds built their nest in the garden of
Professor Benjamin Peirce, in Cambridge, Mass., near the colleges. It was
found on the 9th by ^Ir. Frederick Ware, and already contained its full
complement of four eggs, partly incubated. This nest was three inches
in height and four in diameter. The depth of the cavity, as well as its
diameter at the rim, was two inches. The base of this nest was a mass
of loose materials, and the lower ])ortions of the sides were hardly differ-
ent. The upper and the inner portions of this fabric were much more com-
pactly and neatly woven, or rather felted together. The outer layers con-
sisted of small twigs of the Thuja, dried stems and ends of pine twigs,
grasses, sedges, stalks of small vegetables, fine roots, bits of wool, and coarse
hair. The whole was very closely lined with fine dry roots of herbaceous
plants and the hair of small quadru])eds.

The eggs are of an oblong-oval shape, of a light green ground-color, spotted,
chiefly at the larger end, with markings of a light rusty-brown. They meas-
ure .71 by .50 of an inch. They have a marked resemblance to the eggs of
the Linarim, but the ground-color is of a slightly lighter shade.

A nest of this species, found May 15, 1868, at Brunich, Canada, was com-
posed almost entirely of pine twigs interlaced in a very neat and artistic
manner. Its diameter was three and a half inches, and its height two inches.
It was lined with hair. The cavity was one and a half inches deep and two
inches wide.

KUINGILLID.E - TllK K1NCI1E8.

483

Gknus

Llnn.kus.

Loxia, LiNNiKUS, Syst. Nat. ed, 1(», 7oii. (Tvi»t', Loxid c 1 1. re i rostra, L.)
Ctirvirostra, "Scuimili, 1777." (Tvjk', L. curcirostro.)

Gkx. Char. Maiulililcs iimch elongated, coinprcss«.'»l and attenuated; greatly curved
or lakate, the points crossing or

. >'erlup}>ing to a greater or les;; ^^^^£^EI^:^^^^^z^-^^^^^''}:^^-z::zzr^\^
degree. Tarsi very short ; claws
all very long, the lateral extend-
ing beyond the middle of the
central ; hind claw longer than
its digit. Wings very long an«l
pointed, reaching beyon<l the mid-
dle of the narrow, forked tail.

Colors reddish in the male.

5H03 6

Loxia fimericana.

The eloiij^ated, compressed,
falcate-curved, and overlap-
ping mandibles readily cliaracterize this genus among birds. This feature,
however, only l)elongs to grown speciinens, the young having a straight bill,
as in other Finches.

The United States species of Loxia are readily distinguished by the
presence of white bands on the wing in Icuwptcra and their absence in
americana. Neither form, liowever, is to be considered as specifically dis-
tinct from their European allies. The difl'erences are as follows : —

Species and Varieties.

L. curviroBtra. Wings dusky, without white bands.

1. Bill from forehead, .74 ; wing, 3.00 ; tail, 2.40. Lower mandible much
weaker than the upper. Ilah. Europe .... var. curvirostra}

2. Bill from forehead, .80 or more ; wing, 4.00 ; tail, 2.o0. Lower mandible
as strong as the upper. Ilab. Rocky Mountains of United States, and
mountainous regions of Mexico . . . . . . var. mexicana.

3. Bill from forehead, .GO or less; wing, 3.30; tail, 2.20. Jlab. North

America jrcnerallv

var. aiuer icana .

L. leucoptera. Wings deep black, with two broad white bands.

\. Body and head pomegranate-red; black of scapulars nearly meeting
across lower back. Ilah. Northern North America ; "Tlinialayas" ; "Ja-
pan" var. I e Kcop f e ra .

2. Body, etc., cinnaljar-red ; back nearly wholly red. Hab. Einope.

var. hi fuse lata }

1 Loxia curvirostra, LiNN'., Syst. Nat. 209.

■^ Luxia bifascuiUi, Ue SKLYs-Lt>N(;cHAMPs, Fauiie Beige, 76. Bona?. & rfciiLEGEL, Mon.
dc-s Loxieus, 7.

484

NOKTII AMERICAN BIRDS.

Loxia curvirostra var. americana, Bairp.

BED CBOSSBIIL.

Curvirostra americana, WiLS. Am. Orn. IV, 1811, 44, 1)1. .vxxi, f. 1, 2. — Baird, Birds N.
Am. 1858, 426. — C(»oi'Eii & Sicklky, 198. — D.vli, & Banm.«<if,R, Tr. Ch. Ac. I,
1869, 281 (Alaska). —Cooi'F.i:, Orn. Cal. I, 148.— Samuels, 291. Lu'i<i americana,
l\os. List, 18o8. — Bon. k Sciilkokl, Mon. Loxious, .'», tab. vi. — Nkwukimiy, Zoul.
California an.l Oivj^cn lioutr, P. K. K. lU-p. VI, iv, 18:.7, 87. — Bon. & Sciilfgkl,
Mon. Lux. it, ]il. vi. Loxia curvirostra, FoiusTKit, Phil. Trans. LXIl, 1772, No. 23.
AVD. Biog. II, 1834, .')r.9 ; V, 511, i»l. cxcvii. — In. Birds Am. Ill, 1841, 186, pi. cc.
*' Loxia pusilla, iLLlGiAi" (Vi\K). '' Loxia fusca, Vi El LLoi" {B\>.).

Sp. Ciiak. Old male dull red (the shade diflerinpr in the specimen, sometimes brick-red,
sometimes vermilion, etc.) ; darkest across the back ; wings and tail dark blackish-
brown. Yonug male yellowish. Female
dull greenish-olive a'^ove, each feather with
a dusky centre ; rump and crown bright
greenish-yellow. Beneath grayish; tinged,
especially on the sides of the body, with
greenish-yellow. Fo^//?// olive above; whit-
ish beneath, conspicuously streaked above
and below with blackish. Male about G
inches; wing, 3..30; tail, 2.25.

Had. Northern America generally, com-
ing southwarrl in winter. Resident in the
Alleghany and Rocky Mountains.

Tliere are considerable differences
both in color and size, especially of
bill, in specimens from various parts
of North America, and to a less deu^ree from the same locality. While
those of the Atlantic and Pacific coast have bills of miicli th.e same size, in
skins from tlie mountains of California this member is much stouter ; in
this diameter ap]>roachin,«,' the L. mviicana of Strickland,
in which the bill presents its maximum of tlie North
American form.

It would not probably be far out of the way to consider
the European and all the American common Crossbills as
the same s|)ecies, differing; only as races, and perliaps in-
cluding L. himahti/ana, which is smaller even than ameri-
cami.

AVe have not observed any American Crossbills witli two
reddish Iwnds across the wini^-co verts, corresponding to the
variety ruhrifasciata of Europe.

L. jit/fwpsUfanis of Euroj)e is much the largest of all the
species, measuring seven incht\s in h^i^^th, and with the bill
seven lines hi^h at l)ase.

Loxia americana.

California.

FRINGILLID.E — Till-: FTNcriES.

485

In the intensity, as well as the shade (»f the red in the males, there is a
meat ran^e ol" variation, (lenfrailv it is ot" a tint almost lueeiselv like
tliftt of L. cin'rii'onti'd, thoiinh dee])er. The most highly eohtred speeinien
is r)4,7il.~», riiiladclifhia (rl. 11. Mellvaine;, which is entirely eontinuons deep
tile-red, approaching vermilion on the rnmp. The ahdomen and crissum
are light pinkish. In No. ol,4.V.), Fort llae, April, the red is of a curious
and very unusual jjurplish wine-red shade.

The average of western s[)ecimens, ])arti(ularly those from the northwest
coast of the United States, have bills scarcely larger than in the average of
eastern examples; thus, 18,():)7, Fort Crook, X. Cal., has the bill of the same
size as No. 5,vS()3, Philadelphia, while Xo. 53,482, East Humboldt Mountains,
has the bill smaller than anv other in the collecticm.

In color, therc are scarcely any tan^-ible differences between tlie European
Loxia c u r I' i rostra and the two American varieties, the distinctive character
being in the form of the bill and the size ; the C. mr.itrana is the largest of
the three, and the bill is (^uite peculiar in form, the lower mandible almost
equalling the upper in length, and exceeding it in thickness. L. vurfi rostra
is slightly smaller, and has the lower mandible much snudler and less power-
ful than the upper, being inferior to it both in length, breadth, and thickness.
The colors also a})pear to be rather less intense than in C. mcricana.

The C. amrruaua is in every way, the bill especially, smaller than either
of the preceding. The lower mandible, although but slightly shorter than
the upper, is still nmcli weaker, as in the F^uro})ean bird. The majority of
western birds have the bill but slightly larger than eastern, and most of
those with large bills are only intermediate between ainericana and itudi-
cana. In some specimens the bill, although almost e(pialling in length
that of the latter, has yet the form of the former ; on the other hand, there
are specimens with the proportions of the mandibles as in mccuaiia, while
the size is intermediate.

The following figures will illustrate the differences in the size of the bills
of the different races.

Var. merimna.
29703 cf.M^'xito.

Tar. cuni'rnstrn.
17010 cT, Europe

V.tr. nnurirfina
18031) f , CiUiforoia.

Var. amfrirnna.
&803 <S . Pliiliiilflphia.

Specimens from the Columbia Kiver region and northwest coast of the
United States a]>pear to h ive the red more rosaceous and the bill more
slender than the typical style. One specimen (Xo. 31,459, Fort Kae) is alto-
gether a very peculiar one ; the shade of red is ditterent from that f>f any
other s])ecim(Mi, being a dark maroon-carmine, with a clear ash sutliisi(»ii on
the back. There are two distinct dusky stripes on tlie chi^ek, one over the

480 XOliTlI AMElilCAX lilUDS.

iil>])er e<l.i;e of the ear-tov rts, tlu? otlitT iiloiij^' the lower edi^^e. The lining'
of the wing is without any red tinge, seen in all sjjeeiniens of the true
amrrintna and mr.rinina ; the wings and tail are pure sepia-brown, (|uite dif-
ferent from the others; and the feathei's show no red margins. The lower
mandihle is verv mueh eurved. (Mav not this be like some Sil)erian stvle 0

Xo 21,8()8, from Washington Territory, has the bill nearly as slender as in
C. hmoptiray but tliere is notliing else peculiar. ^

Haisits. The common Ked (rossbill of America is a bird of very irreg-
ular distril>ution, abundant in some places at certain seasons, and again rarely
seen for several years. It is a Northern si)ecies, found in summer ehietly
in the more northern portions of tlie United States, and also found through-
out the year in tlie Alleglianies, in Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Virginia, to
Georgia. A ch)sely allied variety is also found in the alpine regions of Vera
Cruz and other departments of ^Fexico.

Dr. Sucklev found this species (piite abundant at Puget Sound, in certain
seasons. This was especially so in the s])ring of 18,")4, though afterwards he
met with but few. He noticed a pair on tlie ground near a pool of rain-water.
They were very tame, and allowed a near approacli. Dr. Cooper fiumd it very
abundant near the coast, where it feeds, in winter, on the seeds of the black
spruce, retiring in summer to the mountains to breed, but returning in Sep-
tember. He never observed anv in the tir forests of the Coast IJange. In
the Sierm Xevada, latitude 39°, Dr. Cooper found these birds in considerable
numbers, September, 18G3, and in winter they have l)een obtained about San
Francisco. They seem to be most attracted to the forests of spruces, cypresses,
and red-woods, the cones of which are most readily broken. They occasion-
ally descend to the ground, in the Kocky Mountains, in search of the seeds
of small plants, and also ibr water.

Mr. lUscholf obtained specimens of this species at Sitka, but it was not
noticed in the territory of the Yukon liiver l)y ^Ir. Dall, or any of his party,
and it was met with by Mr. llidgway on the East Humboldt Mountains only.
There they were occasionally seen among the willows and small aspens bor-
dering the streams. Their common note was a fine and freciuently repeated
chick-chuk-cliick, very different from the ]daintive notes of the C. kucoptera.

In New En'iland thev are of somewhat irreijular occurrence, though in
Maine and in the northern portions of Vermont and New Ham})shire tliey
are more or less resident. In I^astern Massachusetts they are comparatively
rare, excepting that, at irregular intervals, they come in large flocks during
the winter. This was so to a remarkable degree in the winter of 1832, and
more recently in 18G2, when, Mr. Maynard states, they remained until April.
They were then in their summer plumage, and also in full song. In August,
18G8, they again became quite numerous, and had just l)efore appeared in
large numbers in Western Maine, doing great damage to the oats, and disap-
pearing as soon as these had been harvested. Mr. Maynard thinks that these
birds were the same with those afterwards so numerous in Massachusetts.

FUIX(;iLLIDJO — THE FINCHES. 4^7

The same peculiarities of irrcij^iilar a]>pearance have heeii ol)serve(l by ^Ir.
Allen, in SpiinL^tield, where it is utten a very ahiindant visiter, hut j^en-
erallv n(jt so common. In the winter of 1859 -OO the pine woods in the
vicinity of tliat city abounded with them, and in February they were already
in full son<r. Tliev are at all times <irc<;arious, ami aie sometimes seen iu
lar^e Hocks.

They have, as they fly, a loud, peculiar, and not unmusical cry. This call-
note they do not utter when at rest or when feeding. Their song in the spring
and sunnner is varii-d and pleasiug, but is not powerful, or in any respect
remarkahle. This song is especially noticeable in caged birds, who soon be-
come very tame, and feed readily from the hand, even when taken at an
adult age. Their manners in confinement are very like those of the Parrots,
clinging to the top of the wires with their claws, hanging with their heads
downward, and, when feeding, holding their food in one claw. On the trees,
their habits and manner are also said to be similar to those of Parrots.

Mr. Audubon has found these birds, in August, in the i>ine woods of Penn-
sylvania, and inferred that they breed there. This (h»es not necessarily fol-
low. They breed so early at the north as to give ample time for their
migrations, even in nndsununer, to remote places. Professor Paird, how-
ever, informs me that during a summer spent in the mountains of Schuylkill
Countv- Penn., in the coal region, he saw them nearlv everv dav, moving
alx>ut or feeding, in pairs.

The Crossbills are extremely gentle and social, are easily approached,
caught in traps, and even knocked down with sticks. Tlieir food is chiefly
the seeds of the Conifcra', and also those of plants. Audubon's statement that
they destroy apples merely to secure the seeds is hardly accumte. They
are extravagantly fond of this fruit, and i)refer the flesh to its seeds. Their
flight is undulating, somewhat in the manner of the Goldflnch, firm, swift,
and often pn^tracted. As they fly, they idways keep up the utterance of
their loud, clear call-notes. They move readily on the ground, up or down
the trunks and limbs of trees, and stand as readily with their heads down-
ward as upright.

Wilson states that in the interior of Pennsylvania this species appears in
large flocks in the winter, and during the prevalence of deep snows they
keej) about the doors of dwellings, pick off the clay with which these huts
are jdastered, and are exceedingly tame and not easily driven ott'.

So far as is known, these Crossbills breed in midwinter, or very early in
the si>ring, when the weather is the most inclement. The nest and eggs
of this species were procured by Mr. Charles S. Paine, in East L'andolph, Yt.,
early in the month of March. The nest was built in an u]>per branch of an
elm, — which, of course, was leafless, — the ground was covered with snow,
and the weather severe. The birds were ver>^ tame and fearless, refusing to
leave their eix^s, and had to be several times taken oft' by the hand. After
its ne.st had been t-aken, and as ^Mr. Paine was descending with it in his hand,

4S8 NORTH AMERICAN lURDS.

tlie female aujain resumed her })lace upon it, to protect lier e^'ijs from the
hiting frost. The eggs were four in numlxT, and measured .83 by .53 of
an inch. Thev have a greenisli-wljitc ground and are beautifully blotched,
marbled, and dotted with various shades of lilac and puri)lish-brown.

Loxia curvirostra, var. mexicana, Strickland.

MEXICAN CBOSSBILL.

Loxia mt'xicnna, SmirKLAxn, Janliiu' Contrib. Orn. 18.')1, 4:3. — Silatki:, P. Z, S. 1859,
365. — Ib. 18t>4, 174, City of Mi-xico. — S.\Lvix, Ibis, 1866, 193 (Guatemala).

Sp. Char. Colors of omen'rana. but red brighter, more scarlet. Bill very larire. the
lower inandil'le nearly or ({uite equal to the upper in strength and length. Wing, 4.CK);
tail. 2.50 ; bill (from forehead) .82.

IIab. Mountainous regions of" Southern North America, from Guatemala, north into
Rocky Mountains of United States; Mexico, Orizaba.

This bird is ([uite as well marked as any of the plain-winged " species,"
differing from curvirostra and americana cj^uite as much as they do from each
other.

All specimens from ^lexico, as \vell as from the Central Tiockv Mountains
of the United States, are re terrible to this form, though in winter tlie amcri-
cana may also be found in the latter region, as a migrant from the north.

Habits. The occurrence of this well-marked race among the mountain-
ous districts of Mexico is a very interesting and sugj^estive fact in rej^ard to
the distribution of birds, demonstrating, as it does, the close connection be-
tween high latitudes and high elevations as favoring similar forms. It was
first described by Strickland from s})ecimens obtained on the plateau near
the city of Mexico. Another specimen is referred to by Mr. Sclater as
having been received from Jalapa, Mexico ; and Mr. Sumichrast obtained
also a single s]H3cimen of this species at Moyoapam, in the alpine region of
Orizal)a, where it is known as the Pico cruzado. It was taken at an eleva-
tion of about 7,500 feet. Mr. Sumichrast w^as unable to determine whether
this bird was resident, or only a migratory visitant in the winter. I can find
no reference to any distinctive i)eculiarities of habits

Loxia leucoptera, TrMEUN.

WHITE-WnrOEI) CBOSSBILL.

Loxia Icucoptcra, Gm. Syst. Nat. 1, 1788, 540. — Am. Orn. Biog. IV, 1838, 467, pi.
coolxiv. — In. Birds Am. Ill, 1841, 190, pi. eci. — Bos. & Schl. Mon. Loxicns, 1850,
8, pi. ix. — TforLD, B. (Jt. Britiun, V, 1864 (killed England, Sept. 17). Curvirostra
■ Icucopterii, Wii.s. Am. Om. IV, 1811, 48, j>l. xxxi, f. 3. — Baird, Birds N. Am. 1858,
427. — Dai.l & Banmstku, Tr. Ch. Ac. I, 1861), 281 (Alaska). — Cooi-ek, Orn. Cal. I,
149. — Sami'KLs, 293. Cnfrirosfnr frtn'optrnr, BitKUM, Naumannia, I, 1853, 254, tig.
20. Loxia /ilk i rostra, Lath. Index, Orn. I, 1790, 371.

FlilNGlLLlD.t: — Tilt: FINCHES. 48U

Sp. Char. Hill jjfn'afly comprcssod, arnl acut** towanls tin' point, Malr canniiir i»tl,
tin^rt''! with dusky .nrross thr hack; tin* siilrs dt" l)i»»|y uiii1»t the wini/s stirakrd willi
hrown; lioin tlio niiddlc i»l' lu-Uy to the tail-oovorts whitish, the latter sticakcd with
brown. Scapulars, wini^s. and tail Maik ; two lnoad hands on the win<rs across the ends
of fjrcatiT and tnedian coverts: white spots on th(» end ol" the iinuT tertiaiit's, Fnnalr
b.'-ownish, tinged with olive-Lrreen in places; ieathers of the hack ami eiown with duskv
centfcs; nniij> hrijrht lifownish-yellow. Lenirth aliout O.'J'); winjr, .'».")0 ; tail, li. ('»(>.

IIaij. Northei-n parts of North Aint'riea jreiierally ; Trreenland (ItKiNn. liiis, III, ISOI,
8); England, (Sei)teiuher 17, (loiLit, liirds Great Britain).

Tlio wliitc 1 Minis on the wImlis distiiigiiish tliis s])eeie.s from the pre-
ccdiiiL,', although there are some other (lillereiices in form of hill, feet,
M'iiig, etc. There is less variation in form and cohir among sju'cimeiis than
in the ju'eceding. It differs from the Eiiro]>ean analogue, L. hi/nsrinfii, ac-
cording to authors, in the more slender hody and bill, and in ha\ ing tlie
body pomegranate-red, with blackish Imk ]<, instead of cinnabar-red, as in
curvirostni and amn-icantt. Ilonaparte ami Scldegel (piote tlie American
species as occurring in the Himalaya Moinitains, and i»e!haps Japan, but
throw doubts on the supposed European localities.

Habits. Uoth the distribution and habits of this species are ]>ri>bal)l>', in
all essential respects, the same with those o[' tlie preceding. It is, if any-
thing, a more northern bird, and it has not been detected anywhere on the
Pacific coast south of liritish America. It was found in tlie Arctic regions
by Sir John IJichardson, where the other species was not observed. He
found it inhabiting the dense white-sjauce forests of the fur country, feeding
princi])ally on the seeds of their c<jnes. Vj) to the si.xty-eighth jtarallel he
found them ranging through the whole breadth of the continent. It is sup-
posed to go as far as these woods extend, though it has not bfcn traced far-
ther than the si.xty-second degree. It was found feeding on the upper
branches, clinging to them when wounded, and remaining suspended even
after death. In 8ej)tember they collected in small tlocks, and flew from tree
to tree with a chattering noise. In the depth of winter they retire from the
coast to the thick woods of the interior.

A few" individuals of this species are recorded by Professor Heinhardt as
having been taken in South (ireeidand.

In Pennsylvania this species is much more rare than the amrricana, and
Wilson only met with a few specimens. Since his day it has been found
more abundantly, occasionally in the neighborhood of Philadelphia.

Mr. Dall states that these birds were not unconmion near Xulato in the
winter. Several specimens were obtained in February and April. Xone
were found there in the summer. He speaks of their great expertness in
opening the spruce cones with their curved bills, and extracting the seeds.

Its appearance in Eastern Massachusetts is much more irregular both as to
numbers and time than that of the other species. In the fall and winter of
1868 and 1869 they were uncommonly abmidant, .appearing early in the fall,
and remaining until q^uite late in the spring. They were even more fearless

400 NUKTIl AMLKICAN lilRD.S.

anil tame than tlie amrrira/nt, and in one instanc<; a pair were taken l»y the
hand, and afterwards kept in eiUiHnenient. They ajipeared around IJustnn in
lar^(? flocks, and remained through A}>ril. One was shot in Newton \>y Mr.
Maynard, June llJ. It was found in an aj»ple-tree, and its cntp was full of
canker-worms. In Eastern Maine it is resident throughout the year, and,
like the other species, hreeds in winter. In Western Maine Pnjfessor Verrill
has found it a common winter visitant, but it is not known to be resi-
dent.

Near Springfield Mr. Allen considered this species a much less freipient
visitor than the preceding. In the winters of 1854r and 1800 he found them
very abundant, occurring in large Hocks.

Mr. Audubon, on his way to Librador in 183i^, found these birds quite
connnon, in May, among the islands of the Bay of Fundy, evidently migrat-
ing, on their way to more northern regions. I, however, observed none there
during my visits in the summers of 1850 and 1851, although a specimen was
afterwards obtained on the Murre Islands, on the oUth of June.

So far as they are known, the habits of this species are exactly similar to
those of the preceding. They feed in the same manner and upon like food.
Their flight is undulating and well sustained, and their movements in the
trees are not perceptibly different.

In the spring of 18G9, Mr. Jillson, of Hudson, Mass., sent me a pair of
these birds which he had captured the preceding autunni. Tliey were very
tame, and w-ere exceedingly interesting little pets. Their movements in the
cage were like those of caged parrots in every respect, except that they
were far more easy and rapid. They clung to the sides and upper wires of
the cage with their feet, hung down from tliem, and seemed to enjoy the
practice of walking with their head downward. They were in full song, and
both the male and the female were quite good singers. Their songs were
irregular and varied, but sweet and musical. They ate almost every kind of
food, but were especially eager for slices of raw apples. An occasional larch
cone was also a great treat to them. Although while they lived they were
continually bickering over their food, yet when the female was accidentally
choked by a bit of eggshell her mate was inconsolable, ceased to sing, re-
fused his food, and died of grief in a very few days.

The White-winged Crossbill was seen more fretjuently by ^Ir. Ridgway
among the East Humboldt Mountains than the other species. It was first
noticed on the 12th of August among the cedars on the mountains. Its fine
plaintive cry of " week " was entirely different from the hurriedly uttered
notes of the C. amcricana.

Several specimens of this Crossbill have been taken in Europe, where
their occurrence is of course accidental, irregidar, and rare.

A nest of this species (S. I., 10,452), taken at Fredericton, Xew Brunswick,
by Dr. A. Adams, in 18G8, is deeply saucer-shaped, and composed of a rather
thin wall of fibrous pale-green lichens, encased on tlie outside with spruce

KKINi.lLLlD.K THE FINCHES.

491

twigs, and tliinly HirmI with coarse liiiiis and tine shreds of inner l)ark.
Its external dianu^ter is a little less than f«mr inches, the rim being ahnost
perfectly circular; the cavity is an inch and a half deep l)y two and a half
hroad.

The one egg is j>ale hhie, tlie large end ratlier tliickly spattered witli fine
dots of black and ashv-lilac ; is regularly or rather sliglitlv elou'tate-oval,
the small end rather obtuse. It measures .80 nf an inch in length by .50 in
breadth.

(jIexus iEGIOTHUS, C\u\s.

Acanthia, Ronap. foiispfctus, 18r»(>, not of B»'i.li.>t<'in, 1S02, nor of K(\vs. k Rlas. 1840.
yE(fio(/ii(s, t'AiiAM.s, Mus. Ili'in. 1S'»1, 161. (Ty|M>, Friinjilhi Ihuiria^ Lixx.) — Cuii:s, Pr.
Acad. Nut. 8r. I'liil. ItjOl, ;{73 ; 1S03, 40; ist'.n, 180.

Sp. Char. Bill very short, ooiiiojil, aciitrly pointed, the oiitlim'^ somt'tiincs concuvf; tli«*
conuuissnre straiirht ; the l)ase of the
upper niaiulil)le ami the nostrils eoii-
cealed hy .stilT, appressed l)ristly feathers;
middle of the inandiMe having several
ridges parallel with the eulmeii. In-
ner lateral toe rather the loni:»M-, its
claw reaohinp: the middle of the middle
claw; the himl toe rather lonir'T, its
claw loncrer than the tlij^Mtal jtortion.
Winnfs very long, rearhin;.'" the mitldle
of the tail; second quill a little longer
than the first and third. Tail deeply
forked.

^Es;ioUius linarius.

DIfficidt as it sometimes is to define with precision tlie diameters of closely
allied species of birds, tiiere are few genera where this is the case more
strikingly than in jrEgiothus. Leaving out of view tlie peculiar European
species, it has been a mooted question whether North America, including
Greenland, possesses one. two, or six species, owing to tlie strictly boreal

distribution of these birds, and the iact
that their summer resorts are seldom in-
vaded by the naturalist. The necessary
means of determining the proper distri-
bution of the forms and the variations
with season, locality, and sex, are scarce-
ly to be met with in any jiublic mu-
seum, that of the Smithsonian Institu-
tion, however, being the most complete in
this respect

To Dr. Coues, as quoted above, we owe
the most satisfixctory indications of the ditlerent species and varieties, his
papers in the Proceedings of the Philadelphia Academy of Natural Sciences

.^iothus linarius.

402 NOKTII AMKliU'AN lUIlDS.

(18(11, .STf); 1803, 4(»: aii.l 18»;'», 18(1) Ikmii^' iiindcls of oniitli<.louical rriti-
cisiii ami discussimi. His lalwiis have t*iiJil>k'(l us to (l»'tin«' w itii jmrisitm llie
various forms, lioth Kuropcau ami Aint'ricau, found in iUv ^'t'uus, and have
brou^dit us to satisfactory eoiiclusiuus in ruferenct' to tlirir limitations.

Mr. Iiidi^'Nvay lias lately made a eareful revision of the specimens (d' ^Kijio-
thuH in the Smithsonian colleetion, an<l with a ;j:«'neral ecunurreiice in the
conclusions of Pr. Coues in ri'gard to the dilVeiences ohservalth', he sug-
gests, as an application of the laws more recently verified l>y liim and myself
in our examination of the N«uth Ami'rican land-)>inls, that \\v may best con-
siiler the actual species to he two in numU'r, namely, nnn:stran and lindrlas^
ranging the other forms under these, either as geograpliical r.ices or as sea-
sonal stages. IJearmg in mind the general law that the more boreal or
Greenland-lM)rn specimens should i»e larger tiian the more southern or Con-
tinental, and that tlu^ peculiar «lark plumage of fifscrscnts and rosfrnttts
only occurs in summer breeding specinu'us, he considers these as identical
with fuiifriitsiiud hollnVli ; the winter plumages respectively of the same two
races of one species, Jinm-iiis; the latter race, /to/hn//i, being the larger or
Greenland form. If ftiscfsmis be darker than summer linuriiis from Ku-
rope, it is simply another instance of the darker tints of Arctic American
birds as compared with Kuropean. ' '

^EyiuthaH atntsirns and i.iili^ua Mr. IJidgway considers as the (Ireeidaiid
(larger) and Continental (smaller) races of one species, which perhaps do not
ditl'er so much with season as do those of linariufi. The ditterences in the
size and prot>ortions of bill, and perhaps of feet, Mr. IJidgway does not think
of nmch importance, as great variations are observalde in this respect in
specimens from the same locality, and the actual differences of the bill are
obscured by the greater length of the bristly feathers around its base in
winter, making it appear considerably shorter. Indeed, Profes.sor Alfred
Xewton maintains that the same bird will have the bill considerably longer
in sunnuer, after living on soft insect food, and shorter in winter when worn
down by use on haid seeds. Mr. Iiidgway finds, too, that specimens of Nna-
rins from Kodiak differ in a much longer and more slendtT bill than usual,
in this respect resendding Alaska specimens of sevend other Fringillida:.

The following .synopsis expresses Mr. Iiidgway 's views as indicated above :
a critical examination of a series of more than two hundred specimens, in
the collection of the Smithsonian Institution, being the basis of his con-
clusions.— S. F. B.

Species a»d Varieties.

Common Ciiaractkrs. AdnH. Above .^^treaked with dusky upon a brownish,
or brown and whiti.sli, ground : wlnjr-coverts tij)ped with whitish or pale bnjwn.
Beneath whitisli, streaked on the sides with dusky. An indistinct, liprhter super-
ciliary stripe. Male. Rump tinired with rose-pink. Female. Rump not tinged
with pinkish. Juv. Without any red, and with the whole lower parts thickly
streaked.

FIMNun.IJD.K — TIIK KINcirKrf. 493

A* Crouii with a qiiatltatc pjifdi of «rim^>n. in adult ; throat am! cliiti with
a thi.^ky .»{iiit ; i|iiills autl lail-ttiitht'i» lii»l t-d^rd coiispittiously witli wliiti*.
^ wilh th«' hn-aMt tiiiv"***! with iimI.

1. A. canescens. Kiitiip iiiistrca'^iMl whiti' n>«>th scxrs. at all si>a-
•ioii>» : llif l<»uri tail-rovt'its wilh white .shafts; thr i«'<l tiii^c on tin-
brt'iu-t in the ^, t»f a dfUratc pah' ro-acrntis pink tint,

Kill wry short uiul thifk, its hrij.'hl thron<_'h ih*- l>a>t' nearly
equalling' tin' Icnjrth of tht- <uliinn. Wiii.i-', '>>.'-0 ; tail. 'J.«».'). Ihll:
C'uhncn, .3.'>; hri^'ht, .iio. Hub. ( Jr«'«nhin<l . . var. cnuexccur.

liiil much smallrr, more twiito, it^ hri^dit thiou;_'h the Itasr much
le.'^s than the h-n^'th of the ciilmcii. Winj:, 3.00 ; tail, li.'.o. |!ill ;
culincn, .iJO ; hcij^'ht, .22. llab. Cuntincutal un-tic America

var. tx Hip e .

2. A. liuarius. Himip always streaked : lower tail-coverts with dusky
fcihaft -streaks ; the red tinge on thu breast of tin- ^ of a rosaceou.s-
carmine tint.

Itill ahi.ut ..T) in len-th hy .22 in 1 •-'>♦; winjr, 2.80; tiiil,
2.I0. tilth. Ciiiitinenlal arctic and cold temperate North Amerii'a

var. / / // o r i >t s.
Bill al>out .40, or nioro, in l«Migth, by .30 in heidit ; wini:, 3.20;
tail, 2.'»0. //(///. (irecnland in summer, and Contimntal arctic and
cold ti-mperate Nortli America in winter . . . var. liolhoUi.

B* Crown without any red ; throat and chin without any dusky spot : nuills
and tail-feathers of adult male edged cojispieiioiisly with white. ^ with-
out red tinge on the lireast.

3. A. fiavlrostris. Kump rose-pink in the ^. brown streake«l with
dusky in 9- ^»<' ••'d on crowti or breast.

9- M'ove umber-brown streaked with dusky: ground-color of
nun^) light brown; throat and jugulum strongly oeinaceous-buiV.
Hah. Europe. ....... ynr, Jla vi nt s t rl s.

9- Abovi' olive-brown streake<l with dusky; ground-<-olor of
rump sulplmr-yellow : throat and juguUira faintly sulphui-ycllow,
tinged with buQ'. ILih. North America . . . mxw b re w steri.

iEgiothus linarius, Cabamf^.

LESSEB SED-POLL

Frivfjilln linoHa, Lixx. Syst. Nat. I, MM, 322. — Arn. Om. Biog. IV, 1S3S, .'>38, pt.
crclxxv. Fri)i<iiUa (. I cm flu's) linnrin^ Kl'.Ys. A: IW.As. Wiih. Kump. li?lu, No. 115,
page IGl. — Acnnfhls Jivariu, Bp. Con.siH'ctii.s, l^'iO, '»41. ^K'jiofhus limirin, Cabanis,
.Mas. Ibin. 1.^51, 161. — Baiui*, Birds N. Am. 185eS 428. —Cot is, Pr. A. N. S. Ni»v.
1861, 382. — (.'ooi'KU & Si'cKLEY, 15»8. — Samif.i.s, 21*4. — Mavnaui>, B. E. Mass.
1870, 110. — Hall & Bannisti:i:, Tr. Chic. A. ad. I, 1S69, 281. — Coopki;, (Irn. C'al.
I, l.')9. Linnn'a inu>nr, Sw. F. Bor. Am. II, K>31, 267. — Ari>. Syn. 1S3!>, 114.
— In. Birds Am. Ill, 1841, 122, pi, <l.\xix. f Liiun-i'i h<>fhii/Ii, Bui:nM, Vi.gel D.iitsih-
lamls. Aodtth'tsholholli, Br, & Scifi.KcF.t,. Mon. Loxieiis, 1850, r)0, pi. liii. ^Efiiofhus
holholU, CouK-s Pr. A. N. Sc. 1861, 38.'>. Linaria amencana, Max. Cab. Jourii. VI,
1858, 338. AJfjiotJiKs fiisctsccns, Coues, P. A. N. S. Aug. 1861, 222 (Labrador ; breed-
ing dn's.s). — Ib. p. 380. AJ<ih>lJna rosfnrfus, Eli.iot, lUust. B. Am. T, pi. ix. —
CorEs, P. A. N. S. Nov. 1861, 378 (Greeulaud). — Elliot, lUust. Birds N. A. I,
pi. X.

494 NORTH AMKUIUAN IJIHDS.

T. Spriiiff nnd Winter Phiimtije

Sp. Ciiau. Aihilf. Orouml-color ot" tlu' ucrijmt, nape, scapulars, and interscapulars,
brownish-whiti', eai-li leather wiih medial streak of duskv-Iirown ; rump and upper tail-
eoverts wiiite, with the stn-aks in sharper contrast. Winirs clear brownish-dusky with two
conspicuous white bands, fonned by tips of middle and secondary coverts; tertials broadly,
autl secondaries narrowly, edired with white; tail-feathers narrowly edijetl with white,
this broader ou inuer webs. A narrow frontal band (tinut'd with brownish), an obscure
superciliary stripe, and the lower partvS in general, white; sides streaked with dusky, and
lower tail-coverts each with a medial streak of the same. On the forehead and vertex a
somewhat quadrate patch of intense carmine. Xiisal plumuli, lores, and a small, somewhat
»iundrate. irular sjiot, dark silky-brown. Bill yellow, the culmen and ironys black.

^. Thioat. juirulum. and breast, rosaceous-eannine (ext«'ndinir upward over the niax-
illte, and backward over the sides almost to the flanks) ; rump tinjrcd with the same.

Var. / i u a r i n s (21,')77, Philadelphia). Winjr, 2.80; tail, 2.oo ; bill, .3.j and .22 ; tarsus,
.55 ; middle toe, ..>(>.

Var. holhoJli (;Jl),2r)3, Quebec). Winjr, 3.00 ; tail, 2.40 ; bill, .42 and .20 ; tarsus, .00 ;
middle toe. ..>".

Vai. //'>//» o7/ // (52,457, Kodiak). Winpr, 3.00 ; tail, 2.40 ; bill, .47 and .25; tarsus,. 55;
middle toe, .35.

9. No red except on the crown, where its tint is less intense; dusky jrular spot larger,
exteniling farther on to the thn)at.

Var. / i w rt r i M .s (002, Penn.). Wing, 2.70; tail, 2.30; bill, .32 and .23; tarsus, .55;
middle toe, .32.

Var. h olholl i (39,302, Quebec). Wing, 3.10 ; tail, 2.50 ; bill, .42 and .29 ; tarsas .01 ;
middle toe, .39.

Var h olholl if (52.4G0, Kodiak). Wing, 2.80; tail, 2.30; bill, .39 and .23; tarsus,
.54 ; middle toe, .32.

II. Summer or Breedinij Plumage.

The pattern the .'^ame as above, but the dark tint intensified and spread so as to almost
entirely obliterate any ligiiter markings, except the streaks on the rump; the wing-bands
as well as the dorsal streaks obsolete; .streaks on the sides broader; frontal band du.sky
like the occiput. liecl tint< sliglitly intensitied. Bill wholly dusky.

^. Throat, jugulum, breast, and tinge on sides and rump, rosy-carmine.

A'ar. Una r i u s (type of ''/uscescens "). Wing, 2.80 ; tail, 2.30 : bill, .30 and .25 ; tarsus,
.53; middle toe, .33.

Var. hoi h oil i (type of '' rosfratus''). Wing, 3.00; tail, 2.35; bill, .41 and .30; tar-
sus, .GO ; middle toe, .40.

Var. holholli .' (54,477, Kodiak, July). Wing. 2.90; tail, 2.20; bill, .40 and .25;
tarsus, .50 ; middle toe, .32.

9 . No red except on the crown.

Var. l}>iarivs (9 type o( ''fuscescens''). Wing, 2.S0 ; tail, 2.30; bill, .35 and .25;
tarsus, .52; middle toe, .34.

Young (lirst plumage). (54,478, Kodiak, .July.) Streaks covering whole head, neck,
and breast ; no icd (Rinow.vY).

IIab. Circumj>olar regions. In North America l)reeding in the isub-arctic regions, and
in winter descending into the northern United States.

The two races of ^E. linarins are quite differently colored in summer and
in winter. In the latter sea.son the ]duma^e is .softer and more lax, and the
markings Letter defined, though in autumn with a considerahle (udn-aceous
sufi'usiou. In sprmg the colors are purer, and the markings must sharjjly

FRIXrJILLID.K — TIIK FIXrilES. 495

defined ; in the 1)roediniT:-«!on!><on tlie ]>linnni:o ns^nmos n luirnt appearance,
the dark tints intensify and spread, so that sonietiiiu's tlie njiper parts a]>iH'ar
ahnost miit'orinly dusky ; tlie hill ai>pi'ars larijer, in eonseiiueiice of the less
deveh)pnient of its hasal tufts, than in winter. In this dusky sunnner condi-
tion these hirds form the ^K. J)isres(r/is and .A', msfntffis of Cones, the latter
being the summer plumage of var. hulhi">lli, the former that of var. /i/nn-ins.
In the series of over two hundred examples examined, all midsummer speci-
mens are in the plumage of /c.sccsci'h.s or rostri(fi(fi, while the hitter is not
seen in any autunmal, winter, or spring hirds.

Specimens of the var. liolhoHi have been received from Quebec, collected
by ^Ir. W. Couper.

Habits. Accej)ting as variations due either to locality, latitude, or seasim
the diilerences already referred to in the }ilnmage of this s])ecies, it is not
necessary to consider the (piestion of races in connection with our story of
their habits. We jjossess but very little information as to tlu ir ]»ecnliarities
as races in these respects. Treating, then, tlie Lesser Ked-Poll, though ap-
pearing in fonr differing ])hases, as one species, we claim it to be common to
the northern portions of both hemi)5]»heres.

It is found throuLihout northern Xorth America from the Atlantic to the
Pacitic, is abundant in the boreal regions of Europe, and ])robably of Asia
also. On the Pacific coast, Dr. ('oo])er has observed it only as far south as
AVashiniiton Territory. Farther north it is nmch more abundant. Mr. Uan-
nister found it common at St. Michaels, both in summer and in winter. At
Nulato Mr. Dall found this s]>ecies very conuiion in winter, and very little
less so in sunnner. He states that the nest is usually lined with hair, and
covered externally with moss, dry gra.ss, and like materials, l>uilt in bushes,
near the groinid. They begin to l)uild the loth of ^fay. The eggs are laid
about the 1st of June, and the young are Hying near the end of July.
The young of the fii^st year are dark, with a small patch of brown on the
breast. After their se«Mmd year the males increase the amount of rose-
color on the head and breast, and the very old birds are (juite brilliant in the
breeding-season. At St. Michaels, where there are no trees and very few
bushes, these birds freipientlv buihl their nests in tlie grass.

Mr. Dall states that this binl has no song, but that their cheerful twitter-
ing and chirping, their fearless and sociable ways, their bright plumage and
elegant nests, are ([uite enough to make them general favorites.

liichardson found this neat and hardy little bird one of the few permanent
residents of the fur countries, where it was seen, in the coldest weather, on the
banks of lakes and rivers, lio]»]>ing among the reeds or clinging to their stalks.

Mr. Lord found this s]K'cies a rare bird in liritish Columbia. It was imuid
in swam])y places, where the alders grew thickly, and where there were large
water-])lants. To these it clings, pecking at their seed-}>ods, or, searching the
remaininu flowers, feeds n^)on anv insects they mav contain. Their son^ he
describes as a soft and pretty warble, coming in bursts, the singer j)erching

41)0 ^UKTH AMEUrCAX BIRDS.

liiiiisclf Ixddly on tlie top of a plant, as it' to be niort' plainly heard by his
companions. In early spriiij^" they teed on the catkins of the alder and
ha/cl. TIk'V winter in small tlocks in Vancouver's Island.

Ildlboll states tliat this species is tbuntl irregularly distriliuted over Green-
land, coming always in the tirst half of A]>ril, a little later than the Snow-
r»ui\ting. It migrates to (Ireenhind from America, and is nnuh rarer in Ice-
land. In June it is found nesting near tlie shore, and, contrary to the usual
nature of birds, is very wild, though at all times tdso it is very fearless. At
this time ihe male loses its beautiful crimson breast, resembles the female,
and is nuich less gorgeous than in winter. It nests in lurches, aldei-s, or
willows, and lays live bluish-wliite t*ggs, spotted with clear Inown. Towards
the end of August and in September they are seen in small tlocks about tlie
settlements, the male resuming its red breast, and all, botli old and young,
being very fearless. In confinement they soon l)ecanie very tame, and in a
few days would perch upon his hand and struggle witli each other for the
hemp-seed that he held to them, though there was plenty of food in their
cage. They feed on seeds and the toi)S of lichens. iJy October they all
disappear, and are not seen in (Jreenland in the winter.

"Wilson states that, in his day, these birds were very common in Xorth-
western New York, where they appeared always with the first deep snow,
and were, on that account, called Snow-Birds. In severe winters they were
occasionally, though very rarely, seen in the neighborhood of rhiladelphia,
where, they were very ft)n(l of tlie seeds of the common alder, and hung head
downwards while feeding, in the manner of our (Joldtinch. They were very
unsuspicious, and permitted a near approach without manifesting ni-^* signs
of alarm. ^Ir. Ord, in a subse<pieiit edition of Wilson, states that these
birds rarely visit rhiladelphia, and that it was many before he could

procure specimens. In the winter of 1813 - 14 they ap^ ared in a flock of
nearly a hundred, and were so intent in feeding upon the seeds of the Ati^i-
ple,v hastata that they could be closely approached. Their call exactly re-
sembled that of the (ioldfinch. These birds limbered in that neighborhood
until about the middle of April.

Their migration southward in winter is evidently caused more by want of
food than by the state of the temperature. They remain in high northern
regions in the niost inclement weather, and often appear among ns in seasons
not remarkably cold, and remain until late in the sjiring. In 1833, by the
7th of Noveml)er, the weather still being rpiite mild, Xuttall states, they ap-
peared in Massachusetts in considemble flocks. They regularly assendded in
the birch-trees every morning to feed on the seeds, and were so intent on
their employment that it was often i)ossible to approach the slender trees on
which they were feeding, and strike them off, before they would take wing.
They hung on the twigs with great tenacity, and moved about in reversed
positions, in the manner of the Chickadees. They are des(»ribed by him as
having a (quailing call, similar to that of the Goldfinch, and when crowding

FKlN(iILLIl).K — THE FLNCilKS. 49*;^

toj^ether, in iii.i4ht, as making' a couIuscmI cliirjauu-, with a rattlinur iioiso, and
moviuii <»ir witli a siiiiultaiH;uus twitUT. Tliev were atliiu-lt'd to tliu piiu-.-, ]^v
the Ciossldlls, and wvie Imsily enii»loyed in collecting the seeds, dropped fiMin
the cones as the Crusshills opened tlieni. They at times feil on the Inids of
fruit-trees. Thev were always found to be fat, even on tlieir first arrival,
and there were no obvious reasons for thoir nn»venient3.

My. Boanhuan sj)eaks of them as common at Calais by the first of the
winter. At Norway, Me., Professor Verrill found them very common in fall,
winter, and spring, and most abundant in March and Aj»ril. In Springfield
they are, according to ^Ir. Allen, an irregular and occasional visitant, com-
ing in very large Hocks one year, and again not secji for several years. In a
more recent paper (1870) Mr. Allen states that during the jaeceding fiv(; years
these birds have been several times very numerous in Massachusetts, a]»i)ear-
iug in quite large Hocks.

Mr. Audubon met with these birds in La1>rador the last of Julv, and ob-
tained specimens of dilferent ages. He thinks their notes more like those
of the Siskin of ilurope than of our Goldfinch, uttered l)oth whi'U the Itirds
are on the wing and when they have alighted. They were in small parties of
seven or eight, evidently mend»ers of the .same family. Tiiey were tame and
familiar, and fearlessly returned to the same sp(jt after having been shot
at. They were also remarkably affectionate, and he fre(|uently observed them
passing seeds one to tlie other in the most loving manner.

Dr. Cones also observed this bird in Labrador, and described it as ^E. fas-
cescrns. He found it abundant along the c(jast, and was struck with its re-
sendjlance, in habits, to the Chrt/somifris trisfia. It was remarkably unsus-
picious and familiar, and showed no signs of fear even when very closely
approached. It fre(|uented, almost exclusively, the scrubby junii)ers that
grow everywhere in open places in thick impenetrable patches. He describes
its flight as irregular, rising and falling in curves, and seldom protracted to
any great distance. While jiassing overhead, it uttered a peculiar rattling
chirp. He thinks it has no song.

Dr. Kirtland informs me that earlv in the winter of 1808 his grandson
picked up a wing-broken male licd-Poll, and placed it in his greenhouse. It
began at once to feed on crund)s of bread and hay-seed, and rapidly recovered.
It soon acquired the habitof leai)ing from shelf to shelf, among the plants, and
was finally seen climbing up some stately Pchinjoinv.m shrubs, and suspending
itself, ])arrot-like, by its feet from the limbs, capturing aphides. From that
time it took no other food, living exclusively on the parasitic insects of the
jdants. So active was it in capturing these, that for two months it was not
necessary to fumigate the greenhouse to destroy them. From day to day a
female Ped-Foll hovered over the buihling, and her calls were responded to
bv the invalid. Liter in the season he escajked from his confinement, and
was seen to rejoin his faithful mate, which had remained near him all the
winter. As in Kuro]»e, this s])ecies in the Arctic regions of America has been
found nesting in low trees and bushes, from two to six feet fiom the gnjund.

498 NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS.

The liabits and appear.ince of tlie liirds obscrvtHJ in Europe ai>])ear identi-
cal with those of our own. Mr. Varrell states that of all hirds these are tlie
most easily tamed, and can be readily made to breed in confinement. In
Scotland and in parts of Kngland it is resident throui^diout the year, in the
sununer retirinj^' to the bases of the mountains, and there breeding in the un-
derwood tliat skirts the banks of the mountain streams. It nests in bushes
or low trees, such as the alder and the willow. These are constructed of
mosses and tlie stems of dry grasses, intermingled witli down from the catkins
of the willow, and lined with the same, making tliem soft and warm. The
young are j>roduced late in the season, and are seldom able to Hy before the
first of July. The parent birtls are devoted in their attachment. Pennant
relates that in one instance where this bird was sitting on four eggs, she was
so tenacious of her nest as to suffer him to take her ott* with his hand, and
after having been released she still refused to leave it. In the winter they
descend to the lower grounds, and there feed on the buds of the birch and
abler, to reach which they are obliged, like the Titmice, to hang from the
euvls of the l)ranches, with their backs downward. So intent are they ou
their work that thev are easily taken alive by means of a long stick smeared
with birdlime. Mr. Selby states that its notes during the breeding-season,
though not delivered in a continuous song, are sweet and pleasing. Captain
Scoresby relates that in his ai>})roacli to Si)itzbergen several of these birds
alighted on his ship. They were so wearied with their long journey as to be
easily caught by the hand. The distance of the nearest point of Norway
renders it diilicult to imagine how so delicate a bird can perform this journey,
or why it should seek such a cold and barren country. European eggs are
five in number, of a pale bluish-green, spotted with omnge-brown, princi-
pally aV)out the larger end. They measure .(SZ) by .50 of an inch.

American eggs of this species average .65 by .53 of an inch. Their
color is a light bluish-white, which varies considerably in the depth of its
siiading, and this tinge is exceedingly fugitiye, it* being diilicult t^3 preserve
it even in a cabinet. The eggs are generally and finely dotted with a rusty-
Mrown, and are of a rather rounded oval shape.

iEgiothus canesccns, Cabams.

KEALY BED-POLL.

Linaria cancscois, Gori.D, *' Birds Eurojte, pi. oxciii." Linota canesccns, Boxap. List, 1838.
Aciiidhis aincacciis. Box. ("ons|M'<-tus, 1850, 541. — Box. & Schlegkl, Mon. Loxiens,
1850, 47, tul). li. — Ko.ss, Ell. Pliil. Jour. 1861, 1G3. ^tjiothm caneiiccns, Cabaxi-s
Mu.s. Hcin. 1851, UJl. — Bauii), Birds N. Am. 18,58, 429. —Cocks, P. A. N. S. 1861,
388. — Sami'KLs, 295. ''Frinnilbi horrafi.s, Temmixck, 1835. Not of Vicillot."
Bonapartt'. / Fritujiffo horadis, Ari>. Orn. Biog. V, 1839, 87, pi. ceee. ? Lhwria
h<tn«lis, Ari>. Birds Am. Ill, 1841, 12<», j»l. tlxxviii. ^^ Linarid homrmnvni, HnLnui.L,
Kroycr Nat. Tidskr. 1843." .E'jiothitH ,:iihj)es, CoiKs>, Pr. A. N. Sc. Nov. 1861, 385.
— Elliot, Iliust. N. Am. Bird.s, I, pi. i.x.

FHINlJILLIDJ: — TIIK KINCIIKS. 4()()

Sp. Char. Auinmnnl feinule. nrconlarKl vM'i^ (rane.^cens). ('J:{,.'h 7, < Jrccnliind. T'niv.
Zoul. Miis. Ci)pi'iilia<ron.) In goneral apix'.-inuKv like the rorn'si)on<liii.u pluma^'c of-'ii.
liiHirius, but the whole runip iiimiaciilatc wliitc ; Iroiital l»aii<l nuti*' than twioc as wide as
in h'narius, and better delinod ; lower tail-coverts without streaks, their shafts oven beinjr
white, rarinine vertieal pateli only a little wider than the whitish frontal patch ; head
with a stronjr oehraceous sulfiision. Winu', o.uO; tail, 2.1)0; bill. .3.3 and 30; tarsus, .(JO;
middle toe, .32. WiuL'-fonnula, I, 2. and 3.

Hah. Greenland. Variations with season probably as in smaller Continental race.

A(bdt of loth sexes in spn'it;/. ContiiuMital race {erifiprs). As «leseril)ed for the (Jiccn-
land form, but without the oehraceous suffusion. Sides very sparsely streaked.

Mule in sprinf/. Breast only tinired with delicate peacli-blossoin-pink, thin e.Hendinq
farther hack niedialli/ than latera/li/, — just the reverse of ^E. liuari/is : a very faint tin;.a^
of the same in the while of the rump. Measurements (\o. 10.f)M(;. F,>i t .Simpson. April
30, 1800 ; B. R. Ross, Coues's type) : Wing, 3.00 ; tail. 2 •',.') ; bill, .20 and .25 ; tarsus, .52 ;
middle toe, .30; wing-formula, 2, 1, 3, 4.

Female in spring. Similar, but lacking all red except that of the |)ilciun, which is loss
intense, though not more restricteil, than in the male. ^feasuronK'nts (.\o. 1!),7<»0. Fort
Simpson, April 28; B. R. Ross): Wing, 2.80; tail, 2.35 ; bill, .25 and .22; tarsus, .51;
middle toe, .30.

Both sexes in autumn. ( 9 . Fort Rao.) The white of the wh(»le plumage, except on the
rump, ovorsi)read b_v a wash of pale ochraeeous. this de<^pest anteriorly : on the anterior
upper parts a deep tint of ochraeeous entirely rejdacing the white; wing-markings broader
and more ochraeeous than in the spring plumage. Wing, 2.85 ; tail, 2.50 ; bill, .30 and .25 ;
tarsus, .51 ; middle too, .30.

IIaij. Continental arctic America. In winter south into the United States (;us far a.s
Mount Carroll, Illinois).

Tlioui^li ^E. rnne.^rcna is nearly identical with yE. Ilnnrlu^i in size, these two
siK'cies mav ahvavs be distiniruislied IVoni each other by certain well-marked
and constant diH'erences in coloration ; the princi])al of these have been men-
tioned in the synoptical table, but a few other jjoints may be noted here. In
sprinjjj males of canfsrcns the delicate rosaceous-i)ink of the breast does not
extend, up on to the cheeks, and ba*,'kward it extends fartlier meiTially than
laterally, scarcely tingein;^ the sides at all ; while in ^E. /intn-itts the intensely
rosficeons, almost carmine, tint covers the cheeks, and extends backward
much farther laterally than medially, covering nearly the whole sides.

Though the weakness, or shortness, of the toes comi)ared with the tarsus,
is a feature distinguishing, upon almost microscopical comparison, tlie ^E. ca-
nesmis in its two races from the races of ^. HnariKs, it will not l»v anv means
serve to distinguish cancscena and c j: Hi pes, ^mce,ii^ will be seen by the meas-
urements given, the ])roportion of the toes to the tarsus is a specitic, and not
a race, character. (Kidgway.)

Habits. The history of the Mealy Iied-Poll can only be presented with
some doubts and inicertainties. We cannot always determine how far the
accounts given by others may have belontred to this species, antl we can only
accept, with some reserve, their statements.

This form, whether sj)ecies or race, is known to inluibit (rreenland, where,
according to Dr. lleinhardt, it is constantly resident, and I have received its

500 NORTH AMKUrCAN IJIIiDS.

e^'gs from tliat country, wlu'ie its idoiitificatimi was apparently comj)lete.
Whether this bird is resident in, rei^nlarly migratory to, ur only accidental
in, Europe, is as yet a (piestion by no means fully settled. Degland j^ives
it as resident in (.Jreenland only, and as accidental in (lerniany, Belgium,
and the north of France. He states that it is known to nest in shrubs
and in low trees, and that, in all essential resjieets, its mannere are identical
with the common Ked-lVdl. One of these birds w;is taken alive in a snare
in the vicinity of Abbeville, and kept in a cage, making part of the collec-
tion of M. l*aillon.

Yarrell thought that sufficient evidence existed of its specific distinctness,
but Mr. Gould reiiarded it as a matter of douljt whether the birds found in

O

Europe were natives, or only arrivals from ntjrthern America. He states that
among the London dealers this bird, called by them the Stone IJed-Poll, is
well known, and is considered distinct, but that its occurrence is very rare.
Occasionallv, at j^reat intervals, thev are said to have been abundant.

Mr. Doubleday, of Ei)})ing, procured seveml specimens of this bird in Col-
chester, in January, 1<SS(3, and afterwards obtained a living pair, which he
kept for some time. Their notes were much sharper than those of the Una-
rim. Its occurrence was most frequent in winter, many specimens having
been obtained in England, and some also in Scotland. Its habits throughout
the year are su]»j)Osed to be very similar to those of the common lied-PoU.
Its food is said to be chietly the seeds of various forest trees.

^tr. Temminck describes what is undoubtedly this sj)ecies, under the title
of boreoJi.'^. If this supposition be admitted to be correct, its geographical
distribution becomes much more clearly defined. He states that it is found
during the sunnner in Xorway and Sweden, and is resident of the Arctic
Circle throughout the year, and is also found in Northern Asia, as well as in
America and in other })arts of Europe. He has received specimens from
Greenland, and also from Japan, ditTeriug in no respect from those found in
Europe.

Audubon states that he procured four specimens of this bird in Xewfound-
land. In their habits he couhl see no ditlerence between them and the com-
mon Ked-Poll, but did observe a noticeable difl'erence in their song. He
also states that one was shot bv Mr. Edward Harris near Moorestown, X. J.

Mr. John Wcjlley, in his expeditions to I^ajdand, found there only one
species of this genus which was clearly referrible to the Mealy IJed-Poll, and
was a connnon resident bird. One of these eggs from I^ipland is larger
and a nuich lighter-colored eg<^, than any of the connnon Unarias. The
ground is a greenish-white, sparingly sp(jtted with dark reddish-brown about
the larger end. Its measurement is .80 bv .hi:^ of an inch. An egg fr(>m

cp V cue?

Greenland is not percei)til)ly different in size, color, or markings.

Holboll, in his papers on the fauna of Greenland, demonstrates very dis-
tinctly the specific differences between this bird and the liiiarius. These
are its stronger ami broader bill, the difference in colors at every age, its

FIlINGIIJ.lIhE -THH FINCHIX 5()|

mucli greater size, its v«My (liffcriMit notes, and its (piitc ditTereiit modes of
lil'e, the ra/ioians bein^ u strictly resident species, and tlie limn'itfs ljein<^
miuriatoi'V.

In the summer tliis s])ecies is found to the extreme north of (Jreenland,
and has never l)een known to nest larther south than the (i'Jth i»arallel. It
is more numerous in Xortli (Jreenland than the luKtrins, wliieh is rare at the
extreme north, while this is very common even at latitude 7."^°. This hird
builds its nests in bushes in the same manner with linariiDi, and its e^us
closely resembl those »)f that bird. Its notes, he adds, do not at all re-
semble tlmse of the lled-Poll, but are like those of the ^l/itju/is f/crri'In.'i.

It is a resident of (Jreenland throughout the year, and in the winter keeps
on the mcnintains in the interior, but is much more numerous at latitude 06°
than farther south. In February, 182b, Holl»oll saw many Hocks on the
mountains between Ifitenbank and Omanak, and in the Journey taken in
18;>0 by a merchant from Holsteinborg iuto the interior of the ccmntry a
great many Hocks were observed. They are idso freipiently met with by
reindeer-hunters, who i^o far into the interior. It is rarelv found in South
Greenland at any time, and never in the summer. In mild winters they
sometimes come about the settlements, as ha]»pened in the winter of 1828-20,
and aLjain in 18.">7-'»8. In the intervenin«jr winters it was not seen at (Jod-
haab, and in severe winters it is never to be found near the coast, only single
S])ecimens occurring there in s]»ring aud autunni.

IMr. ^FacFarlane thinks this sj)ecies spends the winter at Fort Anderson, as
he has met with it as late as December and as early as February, and believes
it to have been jjresent in the vicinity in the interval. It nests in May.
Mr. Harriott found one of its nests on the branch of a tree, about five feet
fnmi the irround. It contained five eugs.

Tlie egg of this spef ies resetiiMes tiiat of the Unnrins except in size and its
lighter ground-color. The ground is a bluish or greenish white, dotted with
a lawny-brown. The egg is of a more oval shape, and measures .75 by .GO
of au inch.

JEgiothus flavirostris,' var. brewsteri, Kidgway.

BBEWSTEB'S LINNET.

Sp. Char, frt'iioral appearamv soincwliat that of.E. litiarins. hut no rod on tho crown,
and the sides and nnnp tiuired with suljthni'-ycUow : no hlack gnlar spot, 9 ^'^ (Iround-
color ahovo hjrljt nmhor, ht'coniin<r snlphnr-yt-llow on the nnnp. each feathtT, even on the
cTOwn, with a distinct medial streak of dusky. In-neath white, tinjred with fulvous-yel-
low anteriorly and aloncr the sides; sides and i-rissuni stre.iketl with dusky. Wino-s and
tail dusky ; the former with two pale fulvous bands; the secondaries, primaries, and lail-

1 FritinllJo Iin(rri", Tf.mm. Mass. Orn, 1835, 267 (not of Linnfeus). " Frf^ffiHa nifesccnx,
ViKii.i.. Faun. Fram;. tah. 41, f. 1." LhwUt, wontiuhi, Bi\ & Schlkgel, Mou. Lox. ISoO. "Li-
nariti ^flavirosfris, Bkeum."

FROVINCiAL LIBRARY

ViCTOPlA. B. C

502

XOKTII AMERICAN BIRDS.

foathors narrowly skirted with whitish sulpliur-yrllow. A dtisky loral spot, and a rather
(hstiin-t hjrhtcr supiMcihary stripe. Win;;, 3.<>0 ; tail, 2.')0; tarsus, .')(); middle toe, .30.
Winfr-foriimla, I, 2, 3, etc
Hah. Mussjiehusetti*.

As the ]ire.seiit article on ^■Euiothim is goinij to press, we have received,
throii,y:li the kiiulness ol" Dr. JUewer, a specimen of what appears to be a
tliird species oi' yfJf/iofhff.% allied to the ^iJ. Jfdvirostr is of Pkirope, obtained
in Walthani, Mass., by Mr. William Brewster, of ( 'ambrid«j;e. This bird
was killed in a Hock of ^E. /iiKwius, of which five were also shot at the
same discharge. None of the others, nor indeetl of any of ninety specimens
prepared by Mr. Brewster during the winter, were at all like tlie present one,
which is entirely different from anything we have ever seen from North
America.

The relationship of this bird appears to 1)6 nearest to the yE. flavirostris of
Europe, with the 9 of which it agrees in many respects, as distinguished
from linarius and cancsvens. The European bird, however, lacks the sul-
phur-yellow tinge (which gives it somewhat the appearance of Chrysomitris
pinus), has the throat and jugulum strongly reddish-buff, instead of dingy
yellowish-white, and is nutch browner above ; besides which the tail is longer
and less deeply forked, with narrower feathers.

Habits. Nothing distinctive was observed by Mr. Brewster in regard to
the habits of the specimen killed by him.

Gk.ms LBUCOSTICTE, Swaixson.

Leucoatkfe, Sw.\ixson, Fauna Bur. Am. II, 1S31, 265. iType, Limtrla tephrocotis, Sw.)

Gen. Ch.vh. Bill conical, rounded, rather hlunt at the tip ; the culmen slightly convex ;
the commissure slightly concave ; the ncjstrils and hase of commissure concealed by

Ij'ucosticte tephrocotis.

depressed hristly feathers ; a depressed ridge extending about parallel with the culmen
above the middle of the bill. Another more conspicuously angulated one extending

FinNCILMD.K — TIIK riXCFIKS?.

503

forwanl fniin tin* l()\v«'r posterior anirk' of tin* sidf id" tlio lowt-i- maii<lil)l«\ nearly parallel
with llu' {^oiiys. Tarsus about <'quul to tli«- miilijle toe ami elaw. Inner toe almost the
lonj^er, its eluw not n'aeiiinjj; heyond the hase of the middle one. Hind toe latiier longer,
its elaw lonj,'er than the di^'ital portion. Win^^s very lon^'; tirst (piill lon^'est; all the
primaries longer than the secondaries. Tail Ibrkeil.

This oreims differs from .Kfjiof /(>'.■< in the more obtuse aiuLcuived hill, the
less (leveh)|)nient of bristly i'eatheis at the hase, the lidj^'e on tlu* lower inan-
dihle, the lateral toe not reaehin*' hevond tlie hase of tlie middle (»ne, and
possibly a longer hind toe. Its relationship to the other allies will he found
expressed in the syno}»tical table of VonvthriiHstiinv.

The number of American si)ecies, or at least races, of tli's genus has been
increased considerably since tlie publicaticm of Birds of North Anunica, five
now belonging to the American fauna, instead of tlie three there mentioned.
Of the species usually assigned to the genus, one, L. mrtoa, is ([uite ditlerent
in form, lacking the ridge of tlie mandible, etc., and in having the ends of the
secondaries graduated in the closed
wing, instead of being all on tlie same
line. The colors, too, are normally
different ; in ardoa being dusky,
with silvery-gray wings and tail,
without rose tips to the leathers of
the posterior part of body ; and in
Lcucostictc proper, the wings and tail
being dark-brown narrowly edged
with whitish, or more broadly, like
the ends of the feathers of the body
behind, with rose-color. For the

I^resent, however, we shall combine the species, not having before us any
American specimens of L. arctoa.

From the regular gradation of each form into the other — the extremes
being thus connected by an unbroken chain of intermediate forms — it seems
reasonable to consider all the North American forms as referable to one spe-
cies (Z. tqjhrocotw, Sw\, 1831) as geographical races. They may be distin-
guished as follows : —

Common Characters. Body anteriorly chocolate-brown ; posteriorly tinged
with rose-red. Wing-coverts (broadly) and (piills edged with the same. Head
above light ashy or silvery-gray, as are also the feathers around the base of upper
mandible; the forehead and a patch on crown blackish. Tinoat dusky.

Additional Characters. The chocolate-colored feathers and the secondary quills,
sometimes the tail-feathers and greater wing-coverts, edged with pale brownish-
white or fulvous ; the interscapulars with darker centres. Rose of nimp and
upper tail-coverts in form of transverse bands at end of feathers, that of abdomen
more a continuous wash. Lining of wings and axillars white, tinged with rose
at ends of feathers. Feathers of crissum dark brown, edged with whitish, some-
times tinged with rose. Bill generally reddish or yello\vish, with blackish tip.

Lfucostirte Uphrocotis.

504 NOKTII AMKUR'AN lURDS.

A. A'lriciiljirs ch()c«»laU'-l>ri>\N ii.

1. Wliolf si(U' of lu'jul l>rlow the ey»\ iiicliidiii*; the fturinilars. choco-
l.itf-ln«)\vii. Chill not Itonlcretl aiitt'iiorly with ash. In the l>n'«Mhii;r-
scason, hratl daikcr and ju^h wanting'. Win;,'. 4.;{'j ; tail. .'{.OO; liill .14;

tarsus, .72. llah, Inirrior ri'^/ions of North Aineri<'a. . var. t f ph rocit t i h,

2. ('h»'cks, lores, ami anterior hoidtT of tht> chin iu<h-r<»lor. Winj.'. 4.«M>;
tail, 2.80; bill, .44: tarsu.s, .70. Huh. Cojorailo and Wvoniinj,' Terri-
tories .......... var. camp est ris .

U* Aini<-Mlars ash-eolor.

3. Winjr, 4.;J0; tail, .J.OO; hill. .40; tarsus (?). Chocolate of the l)reast,
etc.. li^dit. exactly a.-* in fejt/irocofis ; rose heneath rtstrieted to the ahdo-
inen ; lores and ciiiii li<,'ht ash. Huh. Xorthwest coast from Kodiak to

Fort Simpson, ciust to Wyoming Territory . . . var. Uttitrah's.

4. Willi,', 4.«iO; tail, 0.40; hill, .40 ; tarsns, .7S. ClnM;olate very dark,
inelinin,:,' to .sepia; ro.se extendinir foiward on to the l>ri'a.>t; lon-s hlack-
ish; chin dusky Lrray . Hah. Alenlian Islands (St. (icorge'.s, I'nalaschka.

and Kodiak) ........ var. g r is ei u u c h a .

A clo.sely allied .s}>e('it'.s ^ iV^iiii Kanit.scliatka and the Kiiiile Island ditlers
mainly in having the na.sal leathers a.s well a.s the head hlacki.sh, but with-
out distinct patch on the top, and the nai)e rusty, in contr.ist with the back.
It is about the size of L. fq>lii'ocotis. This species may yet be delected in
the westernmost Aleutians.

Leucosticte teplirocotis,^ swainson.

OBAT-CBOWNED FINCH.

Lhuirio, (Leucosticte) kphmcotis, Sw. F. Bor. Am. II, iJ^-il, 25.'>, pi. 1. Ltitctstictc tephro-
cutis, Sw. Birds II, lb:J7. — Bon. Consp. lSr)(>, i>o»J. — B.viliD, Stahsbury's Salt Lake,
1852, 317. — Ib. Birds N. Am. 1».'.!S, 430. — Coopkk, Oru. Cal. I, 1G4. Enithrnspiza
tephroeotis. Box. List, 183:S. — Am. .Syn. 1839. - In. Birds Am. Ill, 1841, 170, pL
cxtviii. FriiojiUa t>phrocutis, Arn. Orn. liio;;. V. 1839, 232, pi. ecccxxiv.

Sp. Char. (Xo. 10.2.V).) Mdle in n'infer. General color dark chocolate-brown or
umber, li^diter and more chestnut below : the feathers to a considerabl*- deeroe with paler
edfres (most evident in iinmatnro specimens), those of l»ack with darker centres. Nasal
bristly feathers, and those alonjjf ba.se of maxilla, and the hind head to nape ash-frray, this
color forminir a sqnare patch on top of head, and not extendins; below lev(d of eyes. A

1 Leucosticte hrunncinuchn. Fi'linjilhi {Liii"ri(i) hncnneinueJoi, Ri:an'I>t, Bull. Acad. St.
PctiM-sburg, 1841, 3.5. MontifriiKjiUa {Leuatstictt) bruiiaeiiiuJut, B«tN. & S«iii.k<;kl, Mon.
Loxieiis, 18r»0, 3t), pi. xlii.

2 A.s this .sheet is going through the press, we have Ix'eii pennitted by Mr. J. A. Allen to
examine a series of bird.s, obtaini'il by him in July, 1S71, on Mt. Lincoln, Colorado, above the
timber line, where they were breeding abundantly, .\ltliough ver^- tliHerent from wiiUer L.
feptiroa>tis, they yet strongly suggest the idea of their being that species in summei" dress. They
present the following chara(:teristi<:s : —

Breeding plumage. Differing from the .stage first described aliove. in entire absence of any a.sh
about the head, and in deep black, in.stead of yt'llowi.'ih bill. ^ with the red tints intense
carmuie, in.stead of pca<h-bIos>oni jiiuk, that of the abdomen extending farther forward. 9 hii^k*
ing the red, or with only a tinge of it. Hood dark vandyke-bruwn, becoming nearly black on

^ FIMNr.iMJD.f: -TIIK FrxniK.^. 5^5

frontal liliukish patth exl^'inliu;.' IVoiii Itusf of l»ill (t'Xt'i-pting the bristly feathers imme-
di.itcly mljatoiit to it), and rtatliiu}: sonu-uhat lu'Voml tin- line of tin* eyes, witli con-
vex outliiH' l)«'liiinl, ami txteutiin;,' k's« distinctly on the loral re^'ion. Chin ami throat
• larkt'r chostinit, not ^'rayish anttiiorly. HimIv hchiinl dusky; thij feathers of ahdonjen
and Hanks washed, and t)f erissuni, rump, and njtper tail-eoverts tipp«'d, with rose-re«l ;
winjTf-ooverts, and to sunn* extent jpiills, ed;/rd with the same; otherwise with white.
Bill ycllowisli, witli du>kv tip ; fert l.Jark. Len^'th hefore skinninjr, <)..')( ►; extent, ll.oO.
Skin: L( iijrih, O.o<> ; wini:, l.iJi) ; tail. ;j.tX).

YoKuif. I'attern of euloration as in the adult of A. fffihrocotis ; a>h similarly n'.Ntricted,
but with the blaek frontal pateh badly defnu'd. The l>rown of the plumaire, however, is
of an entirely dilfeient shade from that of adult speeimens ol' kjt/irocotis^ being of a lihuk-
i8h-si'j)ia e-ast, mueh darker, even, than in '/risfiHurha ; eaeh feather uli<o broadly bordered
terminally with palei', these borders being whiti<h «»n the thioat and breast, brownish on
the nape and baek, and light rose (broa«lly) on the .^eapulars. The whole abdomen,
Hanks, and crissum are nearly eontimiously peaeh-l)loss(»!u pink, which, with that of the
lesser and mitldle wing-eoverts and rump, is of a liner and brighter tint than in adults.
The other edgings to wings are pale oehraeeous : under side of wing pun' white. iJill i dl
yellow, dusky toward tip. Wing, 4.'J0; tail, 3.S(>. ((;o.«;,'iS, T'intah Mountains, Utah,
September 'J(>, 1H70; Du. F. V. IIayden.)

The young specinieii deseriljud was obtained during the summer of 1871
in the Uintali Mountains ; and were' it not unmistakahly a bird of the year,
it w^ould be considered abnost a distinct species, so dilferent is it from
adult specimens of tcphrovotis.

Haiuts. Of the liistory and habits of this well-marked and strikingly
peculiar bird, but little is known. It was first described 1>y Swainson from
a single si>ecimen, obtained on the Saskatcliewan Tlains, in May, ])y Dr.
liichardson's party. Specimens were afterwards procured in Captain Stans-
bury's expedition, near Salt Liike City, Utah, in March, 1850. Dr. Hayden
found them very abundant on the Laramie Plains during the winter sea.son,
and ^Ir. Pearsall obtained numbers about Fort Benton. Dr. Cooper has also
seen one specimen brought from somewhere east of Lake Tahoe, in Washoe,
by Mr. F. Gruber. They were said to be i>lentiful there in the cold winter
of 18Gl-(32. Dr. Cooper thinks it probable that they visit the similar
country east of the northern Sierra Nevada, in California.

A single flock of what is presumed to have been this species was seen 1 >y
Mr. Ilidgway, on the 5th of January, in the outskirts of Virginia City, Xe-

tlie forehead ; n^st of head light cliocolat "-brown, sintilar to, but more faded than, that of the
whiter ithnnage ; nasal tufts grayish-white.

Ten siH'ciniens collected by Mr. Allen all agree in the ehai-actei-s pointed out, by which they
differ fronj the winter plumage of L. tephrocotis. Taking into eoll^illel•ation the fact of their
l)lack instead of yellowish bill, more intense red, and generally more dusky colors, as well as
the other points of distinction from the previously known plumages of L. tephrocotis, and also
that they are identical in size and proportion, while specimens of L. tcphrocotia in the breeding
plumage have not before betMi seen, it seems verv' reasonable to supix»se that these sjiecimeus
represi'ut the bi-eeding plumage of that species. There is some resemblance to L. hruniuinucM,
which, from the platt:^ in Bonaparte and Schlegtd's monograph of the Coccothra uMincc, seems to
differ mainly in being lighter colored. Mr. Allen says that these birds were breeding abundantly
in the locality where they were found.

04

506 NOKTII AMKIllCAN niitl'^

Mula. Tlu! flock wiis Hitting restlessly over the snow lu the manner of tho

Nothing has l)een asiiutained, so far us we are now informed, as to its nest,
eggs, or general ilistri lint ion during the breeding-season.

Mr. J. K. L(»rd statt's tha* he met with a floik of these rare and Iwautiful
birds on the sunnnit of tiie Cjiscade Mountains. It was late in Octoljer, and
he observed a tlock of nine or ten l)irds jxjcking along the ground, and feed-
ing somewhat in tlie manner of Lirks. Puzzled to know what birds they
could be at suili an altitude so late in the year, he fired among tliem and
secured three, a female and two niules in fine plumage. (I'erluqw var. littor-
al u.)

In July of the foUowing summer, on the sunnnit of the IJocky Mountains,
near the Kootanie Pass, he again saw these birds feeding on the ground. He
shot sev(Tal, l)Ut they were all young birds of the year. It is therefore ren-
dered probable that these Finches breed on the Cascade and llocky Moun-
tains, in both at aUmt the same altitude, or seven thousand feet, coming
into tlie lowlands during the winter, as it is not likely that they could endure
the cold of the summits, or find there a sutticiency of food, the winter being
very severe, and tin? snow three feet or more in depth.

^Ir. Charles X. Holden, a promising young ornithologist of Chicago, who
observed these birds among the Black Hills, near Sherman, at an altitude
of eight thousand feet above the sea, has furnished me with interesting
observations in regard to them. He informs me that he did not meet with
these birds there in summer. They came in small flocks in the coldest part
of winter. Their food consisted! of small seeds and insects In some in-
stances he found the crops so distended with seeds as to distort their shape.
They become very fat, and are excellent eating. In one specimen, a young
male, the plumage was almost black, as described at the beginning of this
article. These birds were quite numerous, and nearly forty specimens were
secured. He was not able to learn anything in reference to their breeding-
l)laces. Except by dissection, he found it ditficult to distinguish between a
young male of tlie first year and a female.

If the specimen referred to in the foot-note at the beginning of this arti-
cle as collected by Mr. Allen on Mount Lincoln be really this species, an im-
])ortant advance in its history will have been reached, showing tliat their
summers are spent in the high mountain summits, and that the rest of the
year is passed lowcir down on the plains.

KIMNr.IIJ.in.K TIIK KIXCHKS. 5(J7

Leucosticte tephrocotis, vai. campestris, l>\ii:i».

THE OBAT-CHEEKED FIHCH.

L'ucostidc cnim»stris, Baiki*, Cmui'ku, Oni. Cal. I, lt)3, 187(>.

Si". Chau. Hotly li^'lit tlitxolutf-lirowii. the featlvrs rd^rtMl with paler, those of the
h.iek with rather ilarker eeiitres. Featiiers ufanal lej^ioii, Hanks behind, erissiuii, ninip,
and up[)er tail-coverts, win<,'-eoverts. aii<l primary (piills, »'«l<4e«l with rose-retl ; seeondary
• piills and tail-teatla-rs with pale fulvous; little or no trae*' of rose on under winj^'S. Fore-
head and patch on rrown blackish ; the hind head to nape, cheeks iniini'diately under the
eye (but not incluilini^ the auriculars, except, perhaps, tho most anterior) and l>ast' of
lower mandible all round, ashy-gray. Throat dusky. J]ill yellowish, with dusky tip.
Le«;s dusky.

No. 41,527, near DiMiver City, Col., January. 18(;2 (D«. C. Wkijmc.k). Len<rth. 7.00;
wing, 4.00; tail, li 00: I'xposed portion of first primary, o.l(/. Bill from forehead. .(JO;
from nostril, .40; tarsus, .75; middle toe and claw. .80; claw alone. .*_'4 ; hind t(»e and
claw, .80 ; claw alone, .37.

Hab. Colorado Territory (Dh. \Vki{NI(;k) ; Wyominfr Territory (Mu. II. li. Durkkk).

Tliis form beai-s a closi; rL'seinblancc to L. tcphrorotis, and may, iiulucd, l»e
a variety of it ; but as it iliHtTS in the chanic'ters that appear j^'enerally to he
tho.se most constant in LcHrostirfr, and as, in tii'ty skins of the trphrurotis
from one locality, we have seen nothinj^ like it, we are inclined to consider
them distinct. The size and j^eneral ap]»earance are much the same, tlte
difference heini^ tliat in ti phrorotiH the wliole clieeks are chocolate below the
level of the eye, the chin without any ,i,nay ; while in nnnprstri.^ the sides
of head l)eh)W the eye, but not including t!ie ears, witli a narrow border of
the chin, are of this color.

P>om lltfornlix this form may Ije distinjrnished by the less extent of asli
on the cheeks, which in littoraH>i covers the wliole ears, and extends back
farther on the head all round. L. griseinucha is marked like rittoralia, and
is much lar«jer than either. Possi'oiy it mav be well to entertain the idea
of its beinij a liybrid between tiphroeotiii and littornJis or f/ri>iri)HK ho.

The specimen described was presented to the Smithsonian Institution by
Dr. \Vernii,'k, and at the time was sup]iosed to be L. ffjihromfiM.

Of this form, nothinjjf as to its habits is known with certainty. It proba-
]»ly does not differ in any important respect from the allied *\ices.

Leucosticte tephrocotis, var. littoralis, B.\ird.

HEPBITRirS FINCH.

Lewoaticfr grUri nucha, Elliot, lllust. Birds Am. X. Lmcofitictr littoralia, Bah;d, Tr. Cli.
A. S. I, 1869, 318, pi. xxviii, f. 1. — Dall & Baxsisteii, lb. p. 282. — Coopeu, Oni.
Cal. 1, 162.

Sp. Char. Body chocolate-brown, the feathers narrowly marfrined with paler, those of
the back with rather darker centres Abdomen, Hanks, crissum, rum}), uj^per rail-coverts,

508 N(JliTH AMiaaCAN BlliDS.

winir-roverts, and quills t'dp-d with io>i'-ivil, midiv or less c-ontiiiiKnis (least so on the
ruiiij)) ; th«' ouUt (•({•xt-s of st'coiidaiics and tail-li'5itln'rs \ni\v fulvous, the latter with a rosy
shade. Head silver\ -pay ; the ti)rehead ami pateh ou crown blaek ; th" chin gray, con-
tinuous with that of cheek; the throat dark brown, shading into the chocolate of breast.
JJill yellowish, the extreme tip clusky. Masai leathers white. Length, 7.10; ing. 4..{();
tail, .'J.IO; exposed portion of fust primary, .'>.10. Length of bill from forehead, .00; from
nostril, .o't. Tarsus, .70.

Uab, Kodiak (l>i?!cnoFK) : Sitka (nisciioFK) ; Fort Simp.son, liritish Columbia (Uep-
BiRN); (jilmer, Wyoming (Di'kkee).

This rac^c, wliicli we believe to be the Southern coast representative of c/rUci-
7inrh<f,he'dr}i much reseniijlance to that bird, but is considerably smaller ; the
colors are brij^hter and li«,diter, more like tliose of ttphrovotls, and the bill is
shorter and more conical, the dark patch on the head more restricted, the cliiu
more ashy, and the l)ro\vn of the head not so tar forwtird. From fqjhrurvtis
it is distin«'ui.shed bv tlie extension of the ash of head below tlie eve ; and from
cnmpcsfrt'.'i by havinij the ear-coverts ashy, insteail of the anterior ]>ortion of
the cheeks only ; and tliere is aj)]»arentlv a j^neater extent of p-ay on the chin.

Specimens obtained at Kodiak in Febinary are distinguishable from speci-
mens of f/)'iscinnrli(f, (d»tained with them at the same place, only by their
nmch smaller size, and lighter chocolate tints. The occurrence of both these
races at the same place, at tlie same time, is a subject for sjieculnticn. A
perfectly typical si)ecimen (So. ^>[\\)0C)) is in tlie collection from (Jilnier,
Wyoming Territory, obtained by Mr. H. 11. Durkee, a frequent contributor
to the collections of the Smitlisonian Institution, and sent bv him alona with
numerous specimens of L. tq^lirocott^, with which it appears to have been
mixed.

Leucosticte tephrocotis, var. griseinucha, Uaiud.

THE OBAT-EABED FINCH.

Passer nrcfou.t, var. 7, Pat.las, Zoiig. Tiosso-asiat. II (lS:n), 23. FrinqiUn (IJnnria) grisei-
viu-hn, BnANnr, Hull. Aoad. St. rctersburg, Nov. 1841, 36. Mnnfifrimjilla {Lcucos-
ticfe) ffriscimirhi. Box. & Sen' Mon. Loxicns (18.".0), 3.'., pi. xli. Lurosficfe (fns(^i-
muhn, liAiKi), liirds X. Am. 430. — KrrrLirz, Dfiikwurdigkfiten (18."i8), I, 2J>1. —
Dall& Hannistki:, Tr. Ch. Ac Se. I, 186i, 282. — IJAiiin, In. p. 317, pi. xxviii,
f. 2. — EiJ.ioT, Illust. Am. H. pi. xi. — Cuoi'KK, Orn. Cal. I, ItJl. Leucosticte
grisciffcmjs, (Ioild, Voy. Sulphur.

Sp. Char. Description of .<!pooimon No. 54.240: rroneral color dark browni>;h-chooo-
latc anteriorly, the feathers of back ratlier darker in the centre, and with paler edges.
Forehead and crown l)lack; rest of the head, includmg the cheek.s and ears, of a rather
silvery gray ; throat bloi-kisti. .^hading olTinsen-sibly into tlie chocolate of breast. F<\athers
of al)domen (and hinder jiart of breiv«;t to a less degree), flanks and crissum, with the rump
and upper tail-covert<, antl lesser and middle wing-covert.s, tipped with dark pomegranate
or rose-red, allowing mon' f)r less of thin dusky bjises to l)e seen, especiallv above, where
there is an appearance of bars. Wing and tail feathers Itrown, nearly all. inchulinir the
greater wuig-coverts, edged with pale yellow i.sh-gray witJi only a faint tinge of rose. Bill
dusky; darkest at tip. Legs blaek.

FlilMaLLllJj^: — THE FINCIIKS. 5(j(j

Dimensions: Total leiiirtli, 7.;")(> ; winir, t.SO; tail, .'J.oO. Kxftosi'd jxtrtion of first ]>ri-
niarv, .']..'>(». IJill, from loit'liead, .G"J; iiom nof^tril. .I'J. IiC^> : tarsus, .(Jo; mitJdU; toe
and claw, .1>2 ; (.law alone, .o') ; hind toe and elaw. .<>!): claw alone, .38.

IIau. Aleutian Islands (St. George's and I'liahisehka).

This is coii.siik'iaMy the laroest of tlie Aiiu'iican species (d' h n <■(,>;( irti\ and
luis II longer Idll. It also lias the chocolate and rose color darker, and the
rose extending iarther forward on the hreast than in other s])ecies. It could
only he confounded with C. HtfitridiH as to coh>r, hoth having the head above
and on the sicU's, ashy, covering the whole ear-coverts; hut tlie dusky patch
on the crown is more extended, the ash of chin more restricted, and tlie
throat darker. The rose extends farther along the breast, and the tints are
dilferent. The size is much larger.

A specimen, apparently young, ])erhaps a female, dillers in duller tints,
and a tinge of ochreous-ydlow on tlie middle of the abdomen and crissum.
The lining of the wings is with(Uit any rose-c(»lor.

Bonaparte and Schlegel descril)e the young of this species as without rose-
color.

Si)ecimens of this bird were (ddained at St. (Jeorge's Island, with the eggs
(which are white., Itv Mr. W. If. J)all. Dr. Minor found it at rnalaschka.

Habits. The (Iniv-eared Finch is the largest species of this remarkable
genus known to inhabit North Anu'rica. Thus far, exce])t in one instance, it
has been met with only in the Aleutian Islands and Unalaschka. In the latter
j)lace they were met with by Dr. T. T. ]\Iinor, and in the former by Mr. Dall.

]\Ir. I J. r»rown (Ibis, ISOS, ]». A'.Vl) states that a single sjiecimen of this
very r.ire bird was taken at Fort IJu]>ert, Vancouver Island, in June, isr)2
by Mr. 1*. M. CNjm})ttt]i, the (dlicer in charge of that station. This, however,
may have l>elonged to the var. lUfordlis.

Air. Dall states that they abound on the Pribylow and the other Aleutian
Islands. A nnnd)er of s]»ecimens were obtained on tlie St. (Jeorge's in Au-
gust, tliough at that tim«> they Avere moulting. At that season this bird
had no song except a clear chir]>, sounding like irf^'rt-(f vht-a- cec-wict. It
was on the wing a great ]Kirt of the time, rarely alighting on the ground, ])Ut
darting ra])idly in a series of descending and ascending curves. At one time
it would swing on tlie broad to}> of an umbcdliferous plant, and at another
alight on some ledge of the per])endicular bluff, jumping from j>ointto point,
as if deligliting to test its omii agility. Mr. Dall adds that its nest is a
simple hollow on one of tlie ledges, ])rovided with a few straws or a bit of
moss. They deposit tln'ir eggs in May, and these are four in number. In
August tlieir yonng were fidly Hedged.

Tliey feed on the st;eds of grasses and other small plants, but in the crop
of one Air. Dall found two or three small beetles. They were also received
from Kodiak, through Mr. r»ischoff.

Their eggs are of a grayish-white, with a slight tinge of yellowish, and
measure .95 by .70 of an inch.

510

^OUTII AMKRKWN UlUDS.

Genus PLECTROPHANES, Meyer.

ricrtrophancs, Meyeu, " Tasclu'iilMU'li, 1810." Agassiz. (V\\\o^ Emlx-riza nh'olis.)
Ccntrophfims, Kaup, " Kutw. Gj'.sch. Europ. Thierwelt, Ib^D." Agxssiz. (Tyjte, E. lap-
ponica.)

Gen. Char. Bill variable ; conical ; the lower mandible higher than the upper ; the
sidi's of Itoth niandiblc's '^in tiie typical species) guarded by a closely applied brush of
stiflened bristly featliers d rected forwards, and in the upper jaw concjaling the nostrils;

Pffrtrophaii's jiiralis.

the outlines of the bill nearly strr.iirht, or slightly curve*! ; the lower jaw considerably
broader at the base than the upjier, and wider than the gonys is long. Tarsi considerably
longer than tlie middle toe; the late-al toes n«\irh' eciual (the inner claw largest) and
reaching to the base of the middle claw. Tiie hinder claw very long, moderately curved
and acute. ct»nsideral)ly longer than it^ toe ; the toe and claw together reaching to the middle
of the middle claw, or beyond its tip. Wings very long and much [>ointed, reaching
nearly to tlie end of the tail; the first quill longest; the others rapidly graduated ; the
tertiaries a little longer than the secondaries. Tail moderate, about two thirds as long as
the wings: nearly even, or slightly emaririnated.

Tlie species of this genus are essentially lK)real and cosmopolitan, although

America possesses four species
r^:tvj9^./ not found, like lier two others,
in the Old World. Tliey are
all ground-birds, collecting in
large flocks, in autumn and
winter, on imiiries and plains,
some of the species passing far
to the southward. There is
much variation in the color, and
in the details of structure of
bill and feet. In P. nivalis

PUrtrophnnfs nivalis . • ,i n • n ^ • ,^

alone is the tringe oi bristly
feathers along the side of the bill very distinct. The gonys also is excep-
tionally short, being less than half the length of the culmen.

FIUNGILLID.E — THE riXCIIES. oH

The females are less stronj^ly marked tliaii the maU'S, lacking the distinct
patches of black (which, however, are nearly always faintly indicated), and
other characters, and are streaked like the Spht/I ina:

Species and Varieties.
A* Prevailini? color wliito.

1. P. nivalis. ^. Back, scapulai-s, oiids of tcrtials, alula, tcrininal half of
primaiit's and the middle tail-leathers, deep Mack ; otherwise pure white.
9. The hlaek replaced hy grayish with lilack spots; erown jTrayish
spotted with Mack. Young considerably tinged with ochraceous.
/Lib. Circinnpolar regions: south in winter into the United States.

B. Ahove brown, t;})Otted with black. ^. Crown black.

a. Six to ten middle tail-teathers almost wholly black; the rest without
black ends. ^ with a nuchal collar of rufous or bufl". and without rufous
on the wings.

2. P. lapponicus. ^. II- id, all round, and jugulum, deep black; a
post-oeular stripe, running downward behind the black jugular jiatt-h,
and entire lower i)arts from the jugulum, white. Nuchal cdlar chestnut-
rufous. 9 '^^idi the black areas merely indicated l)y a dusky clouding,
and merely a tinge of rufous round the nape. Ifib. (.'ircunipolar
regions; south in winter into the t'nited States.

3. P. pictua. ^. Head above and laterally deep black, bordered
anteriorly and below with white; a p(»st-ocidar stripe, an<l an ovate
auricular spot of the same. Nuchal cidlar and entire lower surface
bright buff. 9* 1*'*'^' grayi.sh-buft", darker above ; above distinctly, and
on the jugulum obsoletely, streaked with black, [Itfh. Interior plains
of North America, Jiortli to Arctic Ocean.

4. P. ornatus. ^. Head above, and whole breast and abdomen,
black; a superciliary striiie, side of head, chin, tliroat, anal region and
cri,«sum, white ; nuchal collar rufous. 9 haidly distinguishable IVoni
that of P. jnctiis.

a. Lesser wing-coverts l»rownish-gray ; black feathers of bn^ast,
etc., without rufous edges. Hub. Interior plains of United States.

var. o r n u i

b. Lesser wing-coverts black; black feathers of breiust, etc., with
rufous edges. Ildb. Southern plains of Nt)rth America, and taV)le

land of Mexico. . var. me .oniHa.

b. Only two middle tail-feathers almost wholly black; the rest with ' .<.
ends. ^ without a nuchal collar of rufous or bull', and with rufous liie

wmgs.

5. P. macco'wni. ^. Crown, and a broad crescent on the .igulum,
black; rest ol' head and neck ashy, approaching white on tn thri>at
and over the eye; beneath white, above grayish-brown, streaked with
black; middle wing-coverts rufous. 9- Above yellowish-umber, be-
neath vi'Uowish-white ; thicklv streaked above, unstreaked ben(\ath.
No rufous on wings, ami no black on head or jugulum. //ab. Plains,
from Texas, northward.

There seems to he no special reason for suhdividini,' this aenus, althouj^h
this has been done, — P. nicalis heinj^ alone retained in Plntroi)hanc>i ; P.
maccou'iii fonning the type and sole member of the genus lllLi/iuvpJiums

512 NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS.

(Bairtl, 1858), and the rest comiiiLj under Ccuh'ophanes (Kaup). The char-
acters upon which tliese are based are very trivial, heinuj mainly the varying
degree of size of the hill and length of tlu; hind claw. In this latter respect
there is too much individual variati«)n in the same sj)ecies to admit of this
being available as a specific, much less as a subgeneric character, while the
size of the bill is not of more than specilic importance.

Plectrophanes nivalis, Meyer

SNOW-BiniTING.

Etah-riza nivnlis, Lixx. Syst. Nat. I, 1766, 308 (not JP/vrtmV/^ nivnlis, \..\. — FoitsTER,
I'hila. Trans. LXIl, 177i;, 4(»3. — Wilsi.x, Am. (hn. Ill, 1811, 86, pi. xxi. _ Ari>.
Orn. Biog. II, 1834, r»75 ; V, 1831>, 4U6, pi. 180. EtnU'riza {PlecfropJuincs) nivalis,
B«.x. Obs. 182r>, No. 89. " Plectrophiiacs nirali,s, Mhykh." — liox. List, 1838. — AuD.
Syii. 1839, 103. —Ii5. Birds Am. Ill, 1841, T.y, pi. I'uk — Max. Cab. J. VI, 1858, 345
(SpitzlH'igi'ii). — Baikij, Birds N.Am. 185^, 432. — Nlwtox, Ibis, 1865, 502. — D.vll
& Baxxisteu, Tr. Ch. A. 8. I, 1869, 282 (Alaska). — Cuopek, Orn. C'al. I, 177.—
Samuels, 296. Ernbcrizti montanu, (J.melix, Syst. I, 1788, 867, 25. Einhcri~a muste-
limi, Gmki.ix, Syst. I, 1788, 867, 7. EialMi'i~aijhicinUs, Latham, lud. Urn. 1, 1790, 398.

Sp. Char. Male. Color.^. in spi-inir pliimaGro, ontirtdy black and white. Mi<ldle of back
between scapulars, terminal hall" of primaries and ti'rtiaries, and two innermost tail-
featiiers, black ; elsewhere pure white. Legs l)lack at all seasons. In winter dress wliite
beneath; the head and rump yellowish-l»rown, as also some blotehes on the side of the
breast ; middle of back brown, streaked with l)lack ; white on wings and tail much more
restricted. Length about 0.7') ; wings, 4..'>5 ; tail, H.O.') ; lirst quill longest. Female.
Spring, continuous white beneath onR : above entirely streaked, the feathers having
blackish centres and whitish edges ; the i)laek streaks predominate on the back and
crown. Ytnni;/. Light gray above with obsolete dusky streaks on the back; throat and
jugulum paler gray, the latter with obsolete streaks; rest of lower parts dull wliite.
Wing-coverts, secondaries, and tail-feathers broaiUy edged with light ochraceous-brown.

Hab. Northern America lirom Atlantic to Pacilic ; south into the United States in
winter, as far as Georgia and Southern Illinois.

Specimens from Xorth America and Europe appear to lie quite identical ;
there is, however, a great amount of variation among individuals.

Habits. The common Snow Bunting is found throughout northern Xorth
America to the shores of the Arctic Sea, and in the winter months extends
its migrations into the United States as indicated above.

Mr. Dall states that in Alaska, when observed, they went altogether in
Hocks. It was at times excessively common, and at others entirely al)sent.
It builds its nests on the hillside, generally on the gi'ound, under the lee of
a stone. He obtained a large number of these birds at Xulato, in the winter
of 1807 - 68. It was much more common there than the P. hipponicua, which
was onlv seen in the sprimx, while this bird was there all the vear round. Mr.
Dall also met with these birds on St. (reorge's Island, and Mr. Uischolf ob-
tained them at Sitka. Accordin*'- to .Mr. IJannister's observations it was
altogether less abundant than the 1*. /ap/'O'iicfn, and seemed to prefer rather

FltlNdlLLIIhK -" 'K FINTITIX 51

o

difll'iviit situations. On St. MicliacVs Nland lie i't.*vi'i' saw one of this spe-
cies iar Iroin liie slit»re, wliile tiie oilier sjH'cies was alauKlanl everywhere in
the interior of the ishnid. HnrinLr the summer hv never saw more than one
or two ot' these hirds at onee, nor anywhere exceid on roeky [H»inls or on
small rockv islands near the shore. These localities thev seemed to sliare
with the Havens an«l Putlins. In tlie autumn thev are niore ure^arious, l»ut
still seem to i)rel'er tlie vicinity of water. Mr. IJannister also ol>servetl this
bird at Tnalaklik, where it is common

Wilson was of tlie opinion that these hirds derive a coiisideialtle part of
their food from the seeds of certain aquatic plants, and tliis hesu]>posed one
of the i»rincii>al reasons why they j>refer rem()t(t northern rei,dons intersected
with streams, ponds, lakes, and arms of the .sea, ahoundiuii; with such plant.s.
On Seneca Kiver, near Lake Ontario, in October, he nut with a larLce tlock
feedinj4 on the surface of the water, supported on the close tops of wee«ls that
rose from the hottoni. They were runin!;.n ahout with ^n-eat activity, and
the st(miachs of tho.se he shot were tilled not only witli the seeds of that
plant, hut also with minute shell-tish that adhered to the leaves.

Ilichardson states that this specifs breeds in the most northern of our
Arctic islands, and on all the shores of the continent, from Chesterfield's Inlet
to liehring Strait. The most soutluM-ly of its breed in jjf-places known to him
was Southampton Island, in the r>iM i)arallel, where Captain Lyons found
a nest on the grave of an Esipiimaux cliild. Tts nest was usually made
of dry I'ras.s, neatlv lined with ih'vvs hair and a few feathers, and is i.ren-
endly fixed in the crevice of a rock, or in a loose pile of tindjcrs or stones.
The e<jfus are described as (»f a «'reenish-white, with a circle of irretjjular
undier-brown spots r uind the larLicr end, with numerous blotches of subdued
lavender-purple, duly 22, in renioviuLi' some drift tind»er on a bv;udi at
Cape Parry, he di.scovered a nest on the i;round, containinu' fouryounu Snow-
bird.s. Care wa.s taken not to injure them, and while they were .seated ai
breakfast, at a distance of only two or three feet, the ]»arent birds made fre-
(pient visits to their oilsin'ing, each time briunini;' lirubs in their l»ills. The
Snowbirds are in no a])])arent haste to leave for the South on tlie approach
of winter, but linger about the forts and open places, i>icking up seeds_ until
the snow Ijecomes too dee]). It is not until December or January that they
retire to *he south of the Saskatchewan. It returns to that river about the
niiddh^ of February, by Ajnil it has reached the (■».~>t]i parallel, and by the
beuiiniing of Mav it is found on the shores of the Tolar Sea. At tlds period
it feeds on the buds of the Sk i ifntf/^f opjiusififoh'tt, one of the earliest of the
Arctic plants. The young are fed witli insects.

The Snow Hunting is also an inhabitant, during the breeding-season, of
the Arctic regions of P^urope and Asia, and the islands of the Arctic Sea.
Scoresby states that it resorts in large Hocks to the shores of Spitzbergen, and
Ca])tain Sabine incbules it among the birds of Oreenland and the North
iieorgian Islands, where it is among the earliest arrivals. Mr. Proctor, who

514 NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS.

visited Iceland in 1837, tbnnd the Snowbird breeding there in June. Ho
found their nests pLaced among large stones or in the fissures ot" rocks, com-
posed of dry grass lined with hair and feathers. The eggs were from four
to si.x in number. The male attends the female during incubation. Mr.
Proctor states that he has seen this bird, wlien coming from the nest, rise uj)
in the air and sing sweetly, with its wings and tail spread in the manner of
the Tree Pipit. Linna^is, in his Tour in La j)land, mentions seeing these birds
in that country about the end of Alay, and also in duly. He also mentions
that this bird is the only living thing that has been seen two thousand feet
above the line of perpetual snow in the Lai)land Alps. This bird also breeds
on the Faroe Islands. Mr. Hewitson found its nest in Norwav. It contained
young, and was built under some loose stones. Young l)irds have also been
noticed early in August among the CJrampians, in Scotland, rendering it prob-
able that tiiey breed in that locality, and j)erha|)S in considerable numbers.
As the severity of winter increases, they leave the heaths where they have
fed upon the seeds of grasses, and descend to the lowlands, frequenting the
oat-stubbles, and, when the snow is deep, approaching the coast. Their call-
note is pleasing, and is often repeated during their flight, which they make
in a very compact body. Before settling on the ground they make sudden
wheels, coming almost into collision witli each other, uttering at the same
time a peculiar guttural note. They run on the ground with all the ease of
Larks, and rarely perch. Temminck states that they are very abundant in
winter alono: the sea-coast of Holland.

Their appe; nice in ^lassachusetts is usually with the first ht^avy falls of
snow, in December and January'. They are most abundant in the open
places near the sea-coast, and formerly were very numerous in the marshes
between Boston and Prookline. A wounded male in full adult plumage was
taken by me, in 18i»8, and kept some time in confinement. It would not
accustom itself to a cage, and a large box was j)repared in which it could
run more at large. It fed readily on grain and cmcked corn, delighted to
bathe itself severa'. times in the day, but would not be reconciled to my near
presence. On my approach it would rush about its prison, uttering its
peculiar call-notes, blending with them a loud guttural cry of alarm. As the
spring approached, it warbled occasionally a few nott^s, but uttered from time
to time such mournful cries, as if bewailing its captivity, that it would have
been relea.sed, had its crippled conditicni permitted it to take care of itself
It was given in charge of a friend, but did not live through the lieat of the
ensuing summer.

It is stated that a nest of this bird \vas found among the White Moun-
tains by Mr. Kirk Boott, of Boston, in the summer «»f 1S;U. It contained
young l)irds. This, if the identification was correct, was probably an acci-
dental occurrence. None have been noticed there since, nor have I ever been
al/le to find any of the ])ermanent residents among tlie mountains that have
met with these birds in that region, except in winter.

FRIXr, ILLID.E — THE FINCHES.

515

Tlie only authenticated nest ami eg<4S (10,4*53) in tlie Smithsonian collec-
tion were received lr(jni Mr. 11. MacFarlane, with the ])art'nt, taken on the
Arctic coast east ol" Foit Anderson, and having- on the lahel, '* Nest situated
in a cave in a sand-l»ank." Tlie nest is (k'eply saucer-shaped, and composed
of wiry •,'rass-stenis, with a few t'eatliers in the lininj^s external diameter
3.75 inches, internal altout :'..()() ; depth, 2.50 externally and 1.5U internally.
The egi^s, five in number, are of ;i dull wliite, witli perhaps a faint bluish
cast, sprinkled and spattered with dilute yellowisli-rufous, the markinus most
numerous toward the larger end ; tliey measure .U5 of an inch in length by .64
in breadtli.

Flectrophanes lapponicus, Si lby.

LAFIANI) LONGSFTTR.

**Frin(jina hipponica, LiNX. Fauna Siici.;!, I7til, .<]>. -io.')." — In. Syst. Xat. I, 1766, 317.
FoKSTEU, Phil. Trans. LXII, 1772, lot. Emhrrizd {Plrrtri^phnirs) hijrjinnica, Sw.
F. B. Am. II, 1831, 248, pi. xlviii. Euibn-hn lopfmiior. Am. Oni. liiog. IV, 1838,
473, j)l. 365. Phcfr(>j)haneslHjij/n)iirif.<i, "SKi.nv,"' Bon. List, lcS38. — Aud. Syn. 1S39,
98. — Ib. Birds Am. Ill, 1S41, ,">(», \>l 1.'.2. - B.uitn, Birds N. Am. 18.^>8, 433.—
DAIL& Bannister, Tr. Ch. A. S. 1, !>•;!', 2n3 (Ala.sk:iK Coupki:, Oni. t'al. I, 178.
— Sami'kls, 300. ** Ce)ifrophi(iie< htpjiDiilctis, Kaii', Kiitw. «;,'.srlj. Kinojic Thierw.
1829." — Caijanis, Mils. Hein. 18.^1, 127. '' Frliiijilhi ohumtu. Pall. Itin. 710,
sp. 20," French od. Ill, 1793, 46-i, pi. i. Ontrnp/umes calairatics, Guay, List
Gen. 1841, App. 1842, 11.

Sp. Chai; Mj7'\ Head all round, and neck black, extendin<j: on the jiiirnlum in a
crescentic patch ; ^ broad line fn^n above ami behind the eye, sides of neck, a patch
in the black of hind head, and whole under part.-*, white ; the .'jides of body streaked
broadly with black. A broad halt- collar of <lu'stinit on back of neck, .separated from
the hood narrowly, and from the aui-iculars and throat broadly, by the white stripe from
the eye. Above brownish-black, the feathers shari)ly edijed with brownish-yellow. Outer
tail-fi>athers white, except tLj ba.sal ]iortion of inner web, and a shaft streak at en<l ;
next feather with a white streak in end, rest !>la»'k. Le,u< black : bill yehow, tipi>ed with
black. In winter nhnnaae the black an<l ether markings overlaid by rusty and fulvous;
l>eneath by whitish. Femah witii the black feath-
eis of head eddjed with yeriowish-rusiy ; the throat
white, bordered on the sides and beliihd by blacki.«:h;
feathers edited with irrayish-whitf, the rufous of nape
olKseure, and .streaked with blackisli. Len.uth .jf male,
(5.2"); win ir, -'^.nO, tail, L>..^0.

ITaij. Xortli«'rn portions o^ the Old and the New
Wftild ; breedim; in an.-tic and subarctic rcijions, and
in winter descendincj .soutliAvard, as far at least as New York, Southern Illinois, and Fort
Garland, New Mexico.

Autuumal s]^ecimens, of both sexes, di^ier in having the pattern of colora-
tion obscured by ochraceous borders to the feathers, and a general rusty cast
to the plumage.

There appears to be no dill'erence between North American and European
sj)ecimens of this bird.

510 Noirrn \MKitirAX wwim.

IIaiuts. The Lapland I.»mL;s|iiir is an Aivtic resident, ludonuing e(|ually
to the two continents, rarely descend inu; even in winter to tenijH'rate re^nons,
and then chielly in its inmialure plumage. In Knr(»j»e, according; to Varrell,
only a lew specimens have heen tonnd in thi; liritish Islands, and these
were single indi\idnals, niostlv I'onnd in company with Lirks. Thev have
also been taken in France, in r>el«,auni, and in ditlerent }>arts of Germany.
Dejudand states that these birds are occasionally snareil on the c<»ast at Dun-
kirk, ami in the neii^diborhood of Antwerp, but these are always young
males in their winter ]>lumage.

Pennant states that it is found in Siberia, and near the Ural Mountains,
migrating in the winter as far south as Switzerland ; and, according to
Netker, they have also been taken, always in company with I^irks, in the
vicinity of (Jeneva. It inhabits Norway, Sweden, the Faroe Islands, Spitz-
bergen, Iceland, and Greenland, in the summer.

liichardson mentions that the Lajiland IJunting is common in the fur re-
gions, wintering on the coast of Hudson's Bay. During its stay it feeds on
grass-seed, the fruit of the juniper, and the pines. As he never met with
these ])irds during the winter, he suspects that their princi})al retreats are on
the bordei-s of Lakes Huron and Sui)erior, and the country westward. In
1827 they ap}»eared on the i>Iains, at the Carlton House, about the middle
of May, in very large tiocks, in company with Shore Larks and the P. pida,
frequenting the open spots when; the tires had destroyed the grass. In
the same season thev came a few davs later to tbe Cumberland House, and
kept constantly a])out the furrows of the new-ploughed fields. The year
before they had been, in smaller flocks, in the vicinity of Fort Franklin,
latitude 60°, in the beginning of May. Their croj)s were found tilled with
seeds of the al])ine arbutus.

Mr. Audubon met with them in enormous tiocks in Kentucky, about Feb-
ruary 15, 181V>. They were in company with the Shore Larks and the Snow
Buntings. Xone of these were in perfect plumage.

!Mr. Kidgway cites this as a common winter visitiint in Southern Illinois,
abundant in unusually severe winters, either v large Hocks l)y itself, or a
few individuals mixed up in flocks of Short' L nks.

Mr. Dall gives May 12 as the date of i\w lirst arrival of these birds at
Xulato, and adds that it is not at any time a very common bird. He was
not able to find its nest at Xulato, but was infoinied by the Indians that it
builds on the bare hillsides, in hillocks of grass, and that it does not leave the
nest when any one api)roaches, but sits ]>erfectly still, and thus often escapes
detection. He considers it a very fine singer. S]iecimens were received from
Sitka, obtained bv Bischoft'. To this account ^Ir. liannister adds that it is
by lar the most abundant (^f the land-birds found at St. ^lichael's. It ap-
peared on that island about the <)th of May, and from that time until about
the middle or latter i>art of September they were observed in great numl)ers
all over the island. He, too, was not successful in finding its nest, though

FKINdlLMD.K- TIIK FINCH K??. 517

the l)ii(ls were .staited ii|» l»v ImiMlriMls mi fvcrv walk (»v» r tlic island. Finiii
this lie iMl'i'is thai they iniist We very eaivlully c-oiiifalcd. He olh'ii scai( lu'<l
for ihciii, Imt always with the s;iine result. Mr. llaunister regarded this
speeies as deeidedlv the l)est suii«ister of its lainilv.

In the iar North it is au extremely ahundant spt-cies tVom (»ne (xcan to
the other, in the winter niovinj^^ i'arther simth, to the I'liited States, in lart^e
Hoeks. It has not heeii found in Calil'orni;,, hut in the eentral ami eastern
regions lias heen ohtained as far south as Leavenworth, Kiin , llacine, Wis.,
l>(j.ston, and Xt;w ^^>rk. It is stated l>y ditferent oi»servers, that, like the
Lark, it sings only while in motion in the air, or while suspended, and that
its notes are agreeahle and melodious.

According to liichard.-^on, they hreed in moist meadows on the shores of
the Arctic Sea, the nest heing placed in a small hillock, among nu»ss and
stones. It is com]»os('d externally of dry stems of grass, interwoven to a
considemhle thickness, and line«l verv neutlv and ccunpactlv with dt'cr's hair.
The eggs, seven in nund)er, he descrihes as pale ochie-yellow, sj»otted with
brown. Sir James IJoss found them hv n(» means numerous in the hiicher
northern latitudes, and ohtained one nest, containing live eggs, in July.

According to IIoUh)!!, this hird is connnon along the shons of Ixith Xurtli
and South (Jreenland. Thev reach (lodliaah in the he^inning of Mav, and
Godhaven a month later. Their migrations do not take place all at once,
but thev are constantly arriving durinu the month. It remains in S»»uth
Greenland until the beginning of St'ptend)er, and longer if the deep snows
do not drive it away. This bird is never met on shii)l)oard until the ves.sels
are in Davis Strait, i»roving that their migrations nnist be from America.
The CJreenlanders call it Narksamatak {inhabitant of the ]ilainsj, — an a]>-
ju'opriate name, as it only lives on the lowlands near the .sea-shore, where it
builds its nest in the manner of the Lark, in the gra.ss, or among the lichens.
Its five eggs, of a dirty olive-color spotted with brown, are smaller than those
of P. nivalis. The song of the male bird, as it hovers in the air <tr rocks ow
a swavinji twit;, is very chnir and melodious. It is even known as the Gi-een-
land Nightingale. Its fo(Kl is S(mm1s, and it is not known to .seek insect-
larva3 on the hou.ses of the Gi-eenlanders, as does the P. /iir<i/i.<i. In their
winter dress they all resemble the female in her summer jdumage, only in
the male some black is .seen in the head-feathers.

Fabricius describes its euus as five or six in nund»er, of a reddisli-<4rav
with brownish sijots. De'jland (lescril)es their iiround-color as an ashv-gniv,
covered with spots of light brown, with lines and sjiots of deep brown, and
also of clear black.

F!ggs from Anderson TJiver exhibit great variations in their ap]>earanc(s
more from the ditference in the distribution of their spots than from varia-
tions in colors. Wlan-e distinctly visible, the ground-color a]>])ears to be of
yellowish-gmy, frcMpiently so thickly s[M)tted as not to be recognizable. The
blotches are of various shadi»s of Ijrown, with shadings of olive, purple, or

518 NORTH AMKRICAN BIItD.S.

red, aiic! at tinios alin(»st Mack. In souil*, Wnv nlivc-lunwii dots cover the e;;;g
so completel us tn make it ajn»ear as of i>ue imilnrin «let'p coIjm'. In others
the l>ri>\vii is lighter and more of a reddish liiif, and ii^aiii in others the
markings are in irre^uhir distrilailion, and ol dillerent shades. They meas-
ure .Sli hv .(»(► <>t" an ineli.

Xes. with euus (7414}, coUeeted on Anih'rson IJiver, Franklin liay, dune
27, hv \l. MaeFarlane, was huilt on the -ground, and i> deejdy saucer-shaped,
nieasuiin^ *>.7.") in external and '2.'M) in internal diameter ; the depth -.75
exteriorlv and l.r>(> interiorly. It is composed ot" coarse wiry ;;ra.ss-stems,
and sol'tly lined with leathers ol Ltf'/njHis. The e^^'s, five in nund)er, have
the gr( und-color liuht und»er-drai», this faintly Motched with di-eper livid
.slate, and with a few stniugly hlack lines, much as in certain httrulo and
in Chondcstis. They nieitsure .80 of an inch in length hy .0;) in l)readth.

Plectrophanes pictus, Swainson

SMITH'S BTTNTINO ; FAINTEO LONOSPUB.

Einhriza {Plrcfrophnh's) j)icf<i, S\v. K. li. Am. II, IS'U, 2.'»0, pi. 49 (.sprin^>. — XuTT.
Mail. II, r.M>. l'I>ctn>i>hiiiuf< />ictiis, Ari». Syii. lN:ilt, 1»1». — lii. Birds Am. HI, 1841,
52, pi. cliii (liitlumlMurs siHciiiu'u). — Haiku, r>ii<ls N. .\m. 1?>.'.8, 434. — Dall &
Hanmstki;, Tr. ("li. A. S. I, iStJ'.t, 283 (Alaska). Kniherizn pir/it. Aid. Orii. liio^r. V,
18;il», i»l, pi. (tec. Ct iifi-npft'iiiis iurtii<<, ('ah. Mus. Ilcin. l>r»l, 127. I'ltctropluiacs
smitlii, Ari>. lUnls .\iii. Vil, 1844, 3;>7, pi. crcilxxxvii ovint«r).

Rp. (^HAH. }fiilp. SjniiiL''. T<>]> and sides of lit-ad Mat-k. A line frion l»ill over the
eye. lores, lower and posterioi- Imrder of the hlaek ehetk.*:, ears (eiieireled l>y hlack), ami a
small pateh in the nape, white. Kntire under pait.s. and (^xtendinir rouinl neck to napo
(where it lionnds ahrnptly the lilaek of head), hnll" or huht einnanion-yellow ; th(.' under
tail-eoveit paler: the inside of win^s. \vhii<'. Feathers of upper surfaces hlaek, cd;.;ed
with vellowish-frrav : slioujilers or le>s('r coverts and the mvater hlack : middle white,
forniinir a eonspieuous j»ateh. (Quills edijed externally with white, this involvinir the
whole outer weh of outenn<»st priniai'v. Whole of oiiter and most of .second tail-tl-ather
white. IJill dusky; lower niandil»le and Ici^s yellowish. Len^'th, 5.50; wiuL'. ."J.oU ;
tail. 2.75; Kill. .45.

FcntdJe. The niarkinirs of male faintly indicated, hut the l»lack and l)ufl' wantinjr.
Head al>ove hrown. streak»'tl centrally with paler. A narrow dark line on each sith? the
throat, and hrownish streaks across the juirulum, an<l aloriLr si<les of hody. Traces visihle
of the white marks of the head. Bil! and feet as in the male.

IIab. Prairies of Illinois and Missouri Plain-s in winter; in summer north to the
Arctic Ocean.

This .s])ecie.s i.s quite similar in form to P. Inpponicns, althongh with slen-
derer bill, and perluips Ioniser hind claw. While the colors of adult males
are verj' diti'ereiit, the females have a decifled re.semblance ; they may, how-
ever, be distinguished in all stages by the black or dusky legs of lapponiciis
and the yellow of pictus, and perha])S by the more dusky upper mandible of
the latter.

KIMXCJILMD.K — Till-: KINCIIKS. ^[•j

JIaUITs. This sjMMMj's was first <tl>tiiiii«'<| hy Sir Jnlm Ijiclianlsnirs jciity
jUmI tIrscrilKMl liv Swaiiisnii in tin- Fimnn liturnl i-A nn in mni. It was oh-
st'i'ViMJ ass(H'i;itiiiL!; witli tlir Laplnml r>imtiii,u;s mi tin- hanks nf tin- Sa^katrlic-
wsiii, Imt no inroiniatinn was nlttaiinMl in rcirard t«i its ln('iMlin,i;-lial»its. No
spccinn'ns in tlic niatmc plinnauc air known to have Ik.'lmi olttaincd in the
Tnitcd States, hut Itinls in tlic inimatnif plumage arc not iintVcijnt'iit. in
furly sprinn, throiiLjIiout Illinois. Mr. Au«liil>*»n, in L'oni|iany with Mi. Har-
ris and Mr. Iit'll, ohtaiiinl sjMcinn'iis of tlicst' hinis neai I'Mwardsx ille, and
iloscrilx'd thf'in as a new s|M'ci('.s. Mr. Utll stat«'s, in irnard to thcs** l>ir<ls,
that he round them \«'ry alaindant on the low j»rairie near a lake, a lew miles
from Kdwardsvilh'. They wcic L:«'nerally in larme flocks, and when once
on liie ground they hc^an to scj>aratc. They ran very nimhly, in a mannei-
resemltlini; that of the (Irass Finch, and when they aro.^e, which they rarely
di<l unless ihey were nearly aj>proaclu'd, they uttered a sharp click, repeated
several times in (pii( k succession, and moved with an easy undulating motion
for a short distance and then aliuhted very suddenly, seemiim to fall ]ierpen-
dicularly several fiM't to the j^round. 'i'liey jucferred the spots where the
<;mss was shortest. When in the iiii' they th'W in circles, to and fro, for a few
minutes, and then alighted, k(»eping u]» a constant chirping or call, somewhat
like that of the IJed-l'oll.

These birds were (thserved in large numher^ at Fort Anderson, and on tlie
Lower Amlerson IJiver, hv Mr. MacFailane, and a laiue numlier of their
nests obtained. These were all on the ground, and usually in open s]>ace<,
but also in the vicinity of trees. The usual numher of eggs lound in a ne<t
appears to have been four. The nests, for the most part, wi'n? ce'istructed
of fine dry grasses, carefully arranged, and lined with down, feathers, or fim-r
materials similar to tho.se of the outer jtortions. In a few there were no feath-
ers ; in others, l'eathei*s in dilferent proportions : and in a few the down and
feathers eomjwsed the chief })ortion of the nest, with only a few leaves as a
base to the nest. They were sometimes sunk in excavations made by the
birds, (»r i>laced in a tussock of grass, and, in one instance, placetl in the
midst of a bed of Labrador tea.

They were also obtainetl at Fort Yukon, at the mouth of Porcupine TJiver,
by Strachan Jones. They were much more abundant in the ^Lukenzie Kiver
district.

S})ecimens of this bird, in the fall plumage, were obtained from Fort
Simj)Son, when; Mr. U. II. LN)ss states that it a]»]>ears on its way north in
]^Iav. Thev resort to the fi«dds around the fort in search of grain. Although
these birds keej) entirely apart from the P. nirolix, Mr. IIoss has frequently
observed several P. /(tjtpotu'i fts as.snciating with them.

When their nests are ap])roachetl, the female ([uietly sli])s off', while the
male bird iikiv be seen h«»j>ping or Hying from tree to tree in the neighbor-
hood of the nest, and will at times du all he can to induce intruders to with-
draw from the neiuhborhooJ.

520 XOKTII AMKl:irAN hlKhS.

The o^^^'s, fivr* in nuniln'r, liavc a li^lit ('l:jy-<'ulnn»«l i^roniul, aro niail\C<l
witli (ihsiiiic lil«»irli('s of lavciulcr ainl darker liiu-s, dots, ami Motclies of
(lark [nirplisli-U'own. They lueasiiru .Hi) by .03 ol an inch.

Flectrophanes ornatus, Towns.

CHESTNTJT-COLLABED BUNTING ; BLACK-BELUED L0N08FTTK.

Phclt:>ith>i,i Hnnnitiis, To\vNsKM», .1. Ar. Nat. S< . VII, 1>:57, 1^S». — In. Nnrrativf, l,s:j'.>, 344.
— Aim. Syii. lii;{lt, !••». In. IJii.ls Am. Ill, L^41, WS, pi. tliv. — Niir. .Man. I, fJd
i'd.J lt<4<», '»:57. — IVmi;i», Hinls N. Am. 1S.'|8, 43.'*. Kmliirizn onmfit, A«i>. Oiii. Uio^.
V, l^.'il^ 44. pi. ('(•'•\,iv, 1. 1. Ci iitrophnncH orantus, Cvu.v.sis, Miw. Htin. 1>51, TiZ.

pp. Thau. P»il] «1ark |)liiiiil»«'oiis. yfule. Crown, a narrow fioscnit oji tlic side of the
IksmI. with a liin- iiniuinir iiiio if tVom hcliiutl tlic* eye, fiitirt? Wreast an<l uppiT part of
liclly all i-oinid, Itlatk ; throat ami siilrs of tin' hcail, lower part of helly and nndcr tail-
roverts, w ith hascs of \\\o tail-feathers, white. Tlie white on the tail-featheis run.'^ for-
ward a.< an aente point. A ehestnnt l»an<l on the hack of the neek e.xtendinL' ronnd on
the .^ide.'J. Ri'.<t of npi)er part.-^ <:rayish-liiown, streaki-d with darkei-. Middlt.' eovort--^
witli a white pate'i. Lesser wini;-eov»'rts like tlu; l»a<'k. Le^^'s dii.sky, bill l)lue, tlarker at
tip. Leiiirth ahout .'). 'J.') inches ; w ini;. .'{.'JO ; tail. 2..'?() ; tarsus. .7').

luiiKilp laekinj; the hlaek and ehestinit colors; the Mack ol" the breast indicated by
dusky streak.< and a line of streak."* each side t)l"the throat. ' ■"

II.M!. IMains of the L'ppcr Missouri. San Antonio, Te.\a.s spring (Dresser, Ibis, I8G0,
4S(;).

H.\RiTs. Tliis species was fii-st disoovoretl by Mr. Townsend, wlio pro-
cured a single sj)ecinien, a male, on the Upp«'r Mis.souri Iiiver. He describes
it as by no means a common bird, keeping in pairs and living exclusively on
the ground. It was renjarkably shy, and Mr. Town.send was not able to pro-
cure more tlian a single s})ecimen.

Mr. Nut tall .states that he met with this hird earlv in May, on the wide
grassy plains of the Platte. Tlte birds were already paired for the season.
He heard them utter no notes other than a chirp, as they kept busily foraging
for tlieir sul»si.stence.

^Ir. J. A. Allen (Ameri'^an Naturalist, ^lay, 1872) speaks of this bird and
the Lark Hunting as by far the most interesting species seen by him in
"Western Kansas. Tiiey were not onlv characteristic of tlie region, but were
also among the few birds strictly cunlined to tlie arid plains. They were
(piite abundant, but were only met with on the higli ridges and dry jdateaus,
M'here they seemed to live sontewliat in colonies. At a few localities they
were always numerous, but else\vln*re would be fre([uently not met with in
a whole (lav's drive. Thev were verv warv and tenacious of life, ofteti flying
a long distance after having been sliot through vital parts. Most of the
specimens had to l)e killed on the wing, at a long range. They are strong
fliei*s, ami seem to didight in flying in the strongest gales, when all the other
hirds a])])ear to move with difficulty, and to keep themselves concealed among
the grass. Tliis bird sings while on the wing.

Kr:iN';FLMr).K tiik FiNriiKa 521

<

Mr. II. K. nrcsser, in his paper on tlit^ Kinls nf Southciii 'IV.xus, nu'ntioii.s
tiiitliiiLj tluM'lii*.stmit-(nlliir«Ml r»uni'n«^ iii Hocks cailv in the spriiij^, on tlie
prairit's near San Antonio, but it was not a coniiuon l»irtl tlicrt'.

Dr. Woodliousu found lliis .sjHJcies (juite ran- in tlic Intliun Territory, wlu-re
h(3 was only aide to secure Ji .sin;4le .s[»eeinien.

Captain lilakiston met with this species on the Saskat< hewaii Plains on
the lOtli of May, 1858, — a higher ranj^e than has heen noticed hy any one
else.

Dr. Iloernmnn, wliile on a trip to the T^ocky Mountains in lS4.*i, met with
this species in small tlotks an«i i»airs, scattered over th<? prairies of the I'latte
Iiiver, and was so fortunate as to meet with <»ne of its nests. It was huilt
on the jjjround, and was ma*Ie of an interweavini,' of tine ^^rasses and lined
with liair. lie descrihes tht^ c«,'^'s, whicli were four in numher, as having a
wliite ground, with black lines at the lui-ger end, and a few faint blotches of
a neutral tint scattered over their whole surface.

This description does not quite correspon<l with the eggs collected ]»y Mr.
Audubon on the Ujiper Missouri. These liave a clay-colored ground with the
slightest possi})le tinge of green, and are marked with Hue dots of ])urplish-
brown, and larger markings, blotclies, and short lines of dark brown. They
measure .70 by ..jo of an inch, and have a strong resemblance U) the eggs of
both /*. pirftts an<l I\ itunmirni.

Five eggs of this s[>ecie.s, obtained at Fort Hays, Kansas, June I, 1871, by
Mr. J. A. Allen, measure .75 of an inch in length by S)?) in breadth. Thev
are small in proportion to the bird, and are somewhat pointed at one end.
Tlieir ground is a gray or grayish-white shade of stone-color, and this is
somewhat spa:'» ., y marked with blotches of dark l)rown, almost Ijlack, and
lighter markings of purplish-brow^n. The nest was placed on the ground, and
was comiK»sed altogetlier of fine stems of grasses.

Flectrophanes omatus, \ar. melanomus, TLvird.

BLACK-SHOULDEREB L0N08PUB.

Plcctrophancs melanomus^ Baird, Birds N. Am. 1858, 436, pi. Ixxiv, f. ± — Heeumakx,
X, c, 13.

8p. Char. Bill yellowi.^h, dark brown aloncj the oulmeii. Mafi'. Crown, a .<5!iort stripe
behin«l the eye. and a .><hort creseent behind the ear-coverts, entire breast as far baek as
the thighs, and the lesser wiiiir-eovert^^. black. The black on the breast margined with
dark cinnamon. Sides of head, chin, throat, and region behind the black of the belly,
white. A broad half-collar of dark cinnamon-brown on the back of the neck. Tail-
feathers mostly white ; the innermost tipped with dark brown ; the white ending in an
acnte angle. Length, 5.30; wing. ;3.40; tail. 2.<)0. (Xo. G,2J)0.)

Hab. Eastern slope of the Ro(,-ky Mountains, Mexico, on the table-lands, north to
Tipper Mis.souri. Orizaba (Sclatkr, 18G0, 251); San Antonio, Texas, s[»ritig (Diik.^sku,
Ibis, 18G5, 480); Fort Whipple, Arizona (Coles, P. A. X. S. ISGG, 84); Vera Cruz,
plateau, breeding (Scmumrast, I, 551).

m

522

NORTH AMKIIICAX IMIIDS.

As already stated, tlii.'^ l>ird is very similar to /*. ornafcs. It appears to
be a very little larger, or, at any rat ', witli considerably longer wini^s.
The bill, however, is shorter and stouter; the hind claw tlecidedly longer.
The chestnut of the back of the neck is darker. The white on tlie <juter
web of the tertiaries and secondaries is much ]»urer and wider. The
rufous marj^ius of the ])ectoral i'eatheis we have never seen in /*. (niiatus.
The most strikinj^ j)eculiarity, however, is in having the shoulders black,
instead of brown like tlie rest of the wing-feathers, edged witli paler. r»<»th
have the white posterior row of lesser wing-coverts.

An immature male ((),!".• Ij has the black of the head mi.xed with brown,
and a ma.xillary series of spots on each side of the throat. A temale has a
similar series of sj)ots ; the under parts generally being brownish-white, the
shafts across the breast and along the sides .streaked with brown, the con-
cealed portions of the feathers ligiit brown, fading out to the whitish exterior.
There is no black on the shoulder, nor die. nut on the na])e.

Fully mature .s])ecimens of this bird and of (tnmft/s are .so rare in collec-
tions as to render it ditticult to decide })ositively as to their true relationshij).
It is by no means im])ossible that they merely represi*nt ditl'erent conditions
of plumage of one species, but for the present, at least, we prefer to con-
sider them as distinct. The /*. me/auounfs is resident on the taljle-lands of
Mexico.

II.M5ITS. Of the habits and general history of this species, very little
is known. Its close resemblance to J\ ormitiiH is suggestive of its probably
e<iually close similarity in nesting, eggs, and manner of feeding. Specimens
ha'.'j been received from Mexico, from Fort Thorn, from New Mexico, I'ole
Creek, and the Black Hills. Fnan the last-named places they were obtair I
in August and Septenibcr.

Dr. Heermann, in his b'eport on tin* birds observed in Lieutenant PjM'ko's
route near the o2d i>arallel, mentions having met with these birds, Avhich
he calls t':. Hlack-shouldered Longs]>ur, at a large i)rairie-dog village some
miles west of Puerto del Dado. Thev were in Hocks, and were associated
with r. iiKuroiCHi From that i»oint to the Kio (Jrande he found bot?. of
these species abundant wherever they struck isolated water-holes, these being
the only places for miles around where drink can be ])r<K-ured. Wiien shot
at, they rise as if to go away, but are fin-ced to return, after describing a few
curves, to the only spot where they can procure their necessary drink. They
may thus be killed in great nund>ers. Dr. Heermann states that he has seen
from a hundred to a hundred and fifty thus brought down in four or five
discharges of a gun.

Mr. Dresser states that on the 4th of A})ril a small flock of what was
at first supposed to Ix^ the P. ornatus was noticed near the town of San
Antonio. They were pursued, and found on the banks of the San Pedro.
They were not very shy, and specimens were ])rocured whiidi ])roved to be
of this s])ecies. Tliis is the only time that they have been observed in

r IMXrj ILLID.E - TIIK KIX( 'III-X

523

tluit ])ait of the cniiiiiiy, tlntuj^li ilu-y may have In-en mistaken lor other
species.

|)r. Cones mentions the taking of a single sjKK'imen of this sjHieies, Octo-
ber 17, on the (tjien unissy )»hiins of Arizona,

Tliis species is also Ljiven hy Mr. Snmichrast as a resident throughont the
year of the great phiins of the phitean of Mexico. From them it occasion-
ally descencls to the distant intervals, as far as Orizaba, or at the elevation,
above the gnlf-level, of 1,220 metres.

«2Na ^

Pl'^ctco >^'^nes maccowni, T.wvnKxrE.

CBE&THVl^yr/rjji:^,^}. L0NG8PUE; MACCOWN'S BXTNTIHO.

Pferfrnjihnn's mnccou-m', . ;wni A ''in. X. Y. I.yc. V. Sipt. IS'A, ^'2•2. Wi-storn Texas.
- I'.vssiN, Illust. I, viii, 18r»r», 2:^8, pi. x.wix. ~ 11i;i:i;m, X, c, \>. 13. — Uaiud, IJirds
N. Am. 1858, 437.

Sp. Char. }f<iJe in sprinti. Top of head, a lnoad stript' t-ach si(l«» the throat from
lower inaitililtlc. ami a liroatl «rt'six'iit -on juiriiliMii,
lilack; si«U* ol" head iiH'Imlin^- ji»r«'s and Itand altovc
the eye, throat, and under parts, a>liy-wliite ; ear-
eoverts l»ordere(l altove and l)ehind l»y l>laekisli. iiui-
nint^: <.)Ut at the maxillary strij)e. Hreast just Iieliind the
black crescent and sides. slio\vin<r dark bases of feath-
ers. Tpper parts 'ly, tinired with yellowish on the
niandil>le, and stfKiked with dusky; least so on nap«;
and rump. Lesser win<r-eoverts ashy; median eh(>st-
nut-brown. with blackish bases .sometimes evident; ^''' '"•'';>*"«« '^«cc"u-,,m. u,«r.

the (piills all bordered broadly externally with whitish, becominix more ashy on secondaries.
Tail-leathers whitt* except at the conccahMl bases and the ends, whieh have a transverse
(not obli(pie) tip of l)laekish : the outermost white to the end; the two central like the
l)ack. l>ill dark plumbeous; leirs blackish. In winter the maikin<,'s more or less
oV)scur'Ml ; the bill and leufs more yellowish.

FeniuJe lacks the black markintifs, '"ich, however, are indicated obsolctcly as in other
Plecfrophanes ; there is . trace of eh- stnut on the wings, no streaks on the brea:it
Len.L'th, r)..')0: wini:, :•.<;<): tail, 'J..')0; bill. .40.

IIai: Eastern slopes of Uocky ^^ounlain8, from Texas to Upper Mi.s.som"!.

This s]iecies varies considerably in nutrkings, but is readily recognized
among otiuT r/rrfrojtJuf/ic^ in all stages by short hind toe, very stont bill,
and the transverse dark l)ar at the end of all tail-feathers excej^t the inner
and outer.

Haiuts. Maccown's Lirk Bunting is yet another of the various s])ecies
of our birds whose history is very little known, and in regard to which the
most we are abl to state, at ]iresent, is that they appear in different })arts
of the interior ]»lains of the United States, between the Ilocky ^[ountains
:md the Missouri River and the lower tributar''^^ of the Mississippi,
extendin'f from New Mexic< and Texas northwa iiuing the breeding-

524 NUliTII AMERICAN lURDS.

seasuii, to tlie noitlieni Itoundiiiy of tlie rnittMl States. It was first disfov-
eiv<l by Captain Maccown, who obtained it in Texas, wlii'ie he found it
in company with a flock of Shore Liirks, and where it winters in con-^ider-
able numbers. ^Ir. Dresser afterward met with it in small Hocks, early in
Ai»ril, on the prairies near San Antonio. It was not very common, and ho
was only able to obtain two specimens during his stay in that section.

Dr. Heermann found this si)ecies congregated in large Hocks, in company
with the lUack-shouldered Hunting. They were engaged in gleaning the
seeds from the scanty urass, on the vast arid ])lains of New Mexico. Insects
and berries formed also a part of their food ; in search of these they showed
great activity, running about with celerity and ease. In the spring, large
flocks were seen at Fort Thorn, having migrated thither from the Xorth
the previous fall. With the return of mild weather they again departed
for the North for the purposes of incubation. Among these large Hocks Dr.
Heermann noticed also the Shore Lark, but they formed only a small pro-
portion of the whole nundjer.

In a letter to ^Ir. Cassin, Dr. Heermann states that he found this species
congregated with large numbers of other l»irds about the isolated water-holes
in the barren i)lains t>f New Mexico.

Mr. J. A. ^Vllen states (Am. Nat., May, 1872) that, during a few weeks' stay
near Fort Hays in midwinter, he found Maccown's Longspur tolerably fre-
quent in that vicinity.

An egg of this species, in the collection of the late Dr. Henry Bryant,
measures .80 by .G() of an inch. Its ground-color is a light bluish clay-color,
marbled, dotted, blotched, and lined with light neutral tints of lavender and
darker markings of purplish and reddish brcnvn. The nest was placed on
the ground, and is composed entirely of coarse grass-stems (No. :^,521, J.
Pearsall, Fort lienton).

SiRiAMiiY PYRGITINiB.

The introduction into the Ignited States, at so many distant points, of the
European House S])arrow (Pi/rt/ita domc'^fica) renders it necessary to intro-
duce it with any work treating of the birds of North America, although
totally different in so many features from our own native forms. I fol-
low Degland and (Jerbe in placing the genus J\i/r(/if(( in a se|)arate sub-
family {Purtjitimr, see ])age 44()), without any distinct idea of its true
alhnities, as it does not come legitimately witiiin any of the sul)families
estal)lished for the American genera. In some res])ects similar to certain
Coecothrausfino', in the short tarsi and covered nostrils, tlie wings are shorter
and more rounded, the sides of the bill with stiff bristh^s, etc. The nnich
larger, more vaulted bill, weaker feet, and covered nostrils, distinguish it from
Spizellinm.

FllIXdlLLID.E — THE FINCHES.

525

(^KNLs PYRGITA, ruviKii.

Pyrrjita, TrviEn, K. A. 1M7. ^Typf, FriiniiUn ilinmstioi, \ass.)

ra.ss4:r, Ukisson, Oru. 170<». Siiiiir tyitc. Dkgi.and & Gk»:ije. Oin. Flurop. I, 1807, 'ioO.

Gks, Char. Bill robiijit. swoIUmi, wi*'i'Mit luiy <listinct ridge ; upper ami iindrr outliiu-s
curved; nnirgiiis inlkx«'<l ; palate vaulted, without any knob; nostrils eovered by spaise,
short, iiieunibent leathers ; side of bill with stitF, appi-essed bristles. Tarsi shoil and stout,
about e([ual to or shorter than the middle toes; claws short, stout, and considerably curved.
Wings longer than tail; somewhat pointed. Tail nearly even, eniurginated, and slightly
rounded.

Pyrgita domestica, Cuv.

THE HOUSE SFABBOW.

Fringilla domestica, Linn. Syst. Xat. 12tli ed. 323, 17t3(>. Pijnjitii domestica, C'rv. li<'g.
An. 2d ed. (1829), I, 439. rasser domesliciui, Dec.land k Geudk, Oniith. Eiuop. 1,
1867, 241.

Sp. Char. }fale. Alcove ehestnut-brmvn ; the interscapulai- feathers streaked by black
on inner webs; the top of head and nape, lower
baekj rump, and tail-eoverts [)lain ashy ; narrow
frontal line, lores, chin, throat, and jugulum
black ; rest of under parts grayish, nearly white
alouir median reirion. A broad chestnut-brown
stripe from behind eye. running into the chest-
nut of ba-k ; cheeks and sides of neck white;
outside of closed wing, pale ehestnut-l)rown,
with a broad w-hite Itand on the middle cov-
erts, and behind showing the brown q ills;
the lesser coverts dark chestnut like the head
stripe. Tail dark brown, edged with pale
ehestmit. Dill black ; feet reddish. Iris

1„.^>^^.„, ?yn;ita .lo,u.sti,:a.

FenKtle. Duller of color, and lacking the black of face and throat : bi-rast and altdomen
reddish-ash; cheeks ashy ; a yellow-ochre band above and behind the eyes, and across
the wings. Head and neck above brownish-ash; body above reddish-ash, streaked lon-
gitudinally with black.

Male ill winter. The colors orenerallv less distinct. Length, 0.(M(; wintr, '2.8o ; tail,
2.o0 ; tarsus. .70; middle toe and claw, .GO.

Tlu» House S])arrow of Kiiro|»c Ims hoeii introduced into so many parts
of tlie United States as to render it ]>r(d)able tliat at no distant day it
will liave become one of our most familiar species. Brou^lit over to tlie
New World within a com]>arativelv lew years it has connnenceil to mul-
ti])ly about the lari^er cities, especially in tlie environs of Xew York, as also
about Portland, l»oston, Newark, and Philadelphia. The first effort made to
naturalize it about AVashinjjfton failed in conse([uence of the death of three
hundred individuals imported by the Smithsonian Institution. A second.

o2G

XOUTIl AMKlilCAX IJIRDS.

however, in 1871, was more sncresst'ul. One thousand Idrds were h't h»ose
in I he laihlic s(iuares of IMiiladelpIiia in the spring «)t 1SI)!>. In and ai>out
Havana it is said to he eonnnon, as also ahout (Jreat Salt Lake, where it
was reeentlv introduced bv the Murnious, aeeordinji to ^Ir. J. A. Allen.
Habits. The coiunion House Sj)arrow (tf pju'ope has, within the past few

years, aehievetl a riglit to u })Liee in the
avi-fauna of Xorth America ]»v its com-
l>lete introduction, and its reproduction in
huge nuiiihers, in various parts of the
covditry, from Portland, Me., to Washing-
ton Citv, as also ahout Salt Lake.

The first attemjtt to introduce these
l>irds, within mv knowlediie, was made
bv a gentleman named Deblois, in Port-
p,r^,ta aon,.st,ra. kml, Mc., iu thc fall of 1S:,8. Sixbirds

were set at libertv in a larije iiai'den in the central i)art of the citv.
Thev remained in the neighborh<»od through the winter, and in the shel-
terinii i>orch of a neiuhboring church thev found places of shelter and
security. In the following s}>ring three nests were built in dwarf pear-
trees in the garden in which they were Hrst set at liberty. One, at
least, of these nests, was successfully occui)ied, and si.x young birds were
reared from it. A second nest, with four young, was also hatched by the
same i)air. Neither of these nests was globular in shape, but open and
coarse, built of hay and straws. These nests were taken, after their use, and
came into my ])ossession. Since then I have been informed that these birds
increased and multiplied, and for a while weiv ([uite abundant in that portion
of the city, and a large colony of this Sparrow appeared in the winter of
1871 ni Kockhmd, Me.

Two years later. Mr. Eugene Schieffelin, of Xew York. im])orted and set
at liberty, near Madison S(|uare, in that city, twelve of these birds, and this
he repeated for several successive summers. In 18G4, fourteen birds \vere ^
set at libertv in Central Park, by the Commissioners. Other birds were also
brought from Kngland, by ditlerent ]»arties, in the Cunard steiuners, and re-
leased at Jersev ( 'itv. These have increased verv largely, and have sitread
to the adjoining cities, until these birds have become familiar and social resi-
dents in all the large cities and towns within an extended area around New
York, as well as in all ])arts of that eity.

They were introduced int<» lioston by the CMty Government in 18«)8. Two
hundred birds were jmrchased in Oermany, but unfortunately all died <>n
their passage excejtt about a score. These were set at liberty in June, but,
weakened !>y their sea-voyage, several of them were found dead in the deer-
park, and the rest disappeared. Tiie foUouing summer more were imported,
but all died excej)t ten. These were well care(l for, and only rtdeased
when in excellent condition. For some moiiths nothing was seen of these

KIMNCIM.ID.E — Tin-; KlN("IIi:s. 527

birds;, anil tlie ox]n'iiiiiont was supposed to l»c a t'ailuiv, wlu'ii it was asi-er-
taiiiiMl iliaL they liad lu'takcn tlieiiist'lves to the xiciiiily of staltles in tlio
soutiieiii part ot" tlie city, liad inerojised an«l iindti))li('i! in l.irL;e mnidters,
reappearing in the winter t<» tlie nuinlier of one huiuhcd and fifty. 'I'hev
were reguhirly ivi\ hy the eity lorester eaeli day in the deer-park, and ronsteil
at ni'djt in tlie tiiatcli of the roofs of the l»uihlint;s. Since then thev lunc
very laru'ely increased. Ah(»nt twenty, that same summer, were set at lilierty
in Monument Sipiare, Charlestown.

In lsr>!l ahout one thctusand hirds were, imported, Ity tlie City Clovern-
ment, into IMiihahdphia. Fortunately they came in Ljood condition, and heiiiLj
released early in ^^ay immediately separated into .scattered parties and pi"e-
]»;ired for ihemselves new homes. Some api)eared in Morristown and other
distant towns in New dersey. Others wandereil to ( lerniantown, and the
rem«)ter suhurhs of IMiiladelidiia, where thev found the eherrv-trees in full
blossom, and where their ex}>loits in strijtjmiL,' the blooms from the trees
«j;ave a not very favorable tirst im]»ression of these new-«'on>.ei'S.

It has been exceedin^lv interesting- to watch the manners and habits of
these strani^ers in their nt;w lionies. They have become ((uite tame, are fear-
less and i^'entle, and as thev have been verv kindlv tieateil live in a e<»ndition
of semi-domestieation. At tirst they built their nests, and passed their win-
ters, in New York, anioni,' the thick ivies that cover the walls of so many
churches, in such eases building' «_ilobular nests. As soon, however, as suit-
able boxes were prepared for them in sutticient quantities, these were taken
possession, of in preferenct' t(» anything else.

At the time of their introduction the >liade-trees in the ])arks and sipiares
of New York, IMiiladelphia, lirooklyn, Newark, and other phices, were greatly
infested with the larwe of the measure-worms that destroyed iheir foliai^e.
Since then these worms have almost entirely disappeared. A doubt has
been expressed whether the Sparrows destroy these insects. That they
eat them in the laiva' form I do not know, but to their destruction of the
chrysalis, the moth, and the eggs, I can testify, having been eye- witness
to the act.

A})prehensions have been ex])ressed lest these new-comers may molest and
drive away our own native birds. How this may be when the Sparrows
become more numerous cannot now be determined, but so far they manifest
no such disposition. Since their introductiitn into lioston the Chipping
Sparrows a])pear to have increased, and to associate by ])refi'rence with their
Kuroj)ean visitors, feeding with them unm(dested. I have been unable to
detect a single instance in whi( ii they have been molested, in any manner,
by their larger com]»anion.s. Their ]iredat<»ry ag^ressi(>ns, however, upon the
rights of the common Hobiu have been noticed, and deserve mention. The
Sparrows a])]»ear to be extravagantly fond of earthworms, but not able to
hunt for them themselves. They have learned to watch the IJohin as it
forages for these worms, kee])ing around, at a res])ectful distance, and as soon

528 NOKTII AMKKU'AN I5IUDS.

as one, witli iiiiuli toil, has draiii^'tMl a worm from its place of concealment,
(.low n swoops the bird and impudently carries it oil'. The })uor l»ewil(lered
and i)liindereil IJohin essays a late and vain attemj)t to protect its food.
The Sparrow is too nimble, and the worm is gone before its rightful owner
can turn to lace the robber.

The Sparrows endure the severest of the winter weather without any
apparent inconvenience, appearing as cheerful, concented, and noisy with the
thermometer at zero as at any other ^hne. They are «[uite fearless, especially
in New York, running about under the feet of the passers-by with perfect
inditference and confidence. In Jjoston I have noticed their nests in con-
venient places, a few feet above crowded sidewalks. In winter they come
regularly about the houses to be fed.

The House Sparrow has also been introduced into Australia, where it has
become acclimated, and was, at the last accounts, rapidly increasing in that
quarter. It is likewise very common about Havana, Cuba.

In the Old World this bird has a widely extended area of distribution, and
is resident wherever found. It is very abundant in the British Islands and
throughout the northern {nid central portions of Europe. In Spain and in
Italy it is replaced by two closely allied species or races. This bird, how-
ever, is also found in Xorth Africa, in the Levant, at Trebizonde, and among
the mountains of Nubia. Specimens have also been received^from the Him-
alayas, from Xepaul, and the vicinity of Calcutta.

Both in Europe and in this country the Sjjarrows ])air early in the season.
I have known them sitting on thdr eggs, in I^oston, in ^larch. They are
very prolitic, have broods of five, six and e\ en seven at a time, three or four
times in a season. They are full of life and animation, somewhat disposed
to brief and nt>isy (piarrels, which are always harndess.

Their great attachment and devotion to their young is dwelt upon by all
Englisli writers as quite remarkalde. Tiiey evince a great partiality for
warmtli, and even in midsummer line their nests with all the feathers they
can pick up. In Xew York it is a tavorite amusement with the children to
carry with them to the public parks (piantities of feathers, which they throw,
one by one, to the Sparrows, to witn 'ss their amusing contests ibr [wssession.

The eggs of this bird are oval in shape, pointed at one end, with a ground
of a light ashen color, l)lotched, dotted, and streaked with various shades of
ashy and dusky brown. They measure from .85 to .95 of an inch in length,
and from .60 to .05 in breadth.

Subfamily SPIZELLINiE. — The Sparrows.

Char. Bill varialilo. usually almost straight; somotimcs curvtMl. Commissure irencr-
a!!y nearly straiirlit, or slighth" concave. Upper mandililc wider than lower. Nostrils
exposed. Wings moderate ; the outer primaries not much rounded. Tail variable.
Feet large; tarsi mostly longer than the middle toe.

FiilNCilLLlDJ!: — Tllfc: FINCHES. 529

The species are usually .'iiiall, and of dull colnr, though Irenuently liaiid-
sonu'lv marked. Nearly all arc streaked ou the hack and crown, often on
the belly. None of tlie Tnited States s])ecies have any red, hlue, or oranj^T,
and the yellow, when ja'csunt, is as a superciliary streak, or on the elhow
edge oi" the wing.

In the arrangement of this sulifamily, as of the others helonging to the
Friinjillida , wc do not i>rofess to give anything like a natural system, hut
merely an attempt at a convt'iiient artificial scheme by which the determina-
tion of the genera may be facilitated.

\» Tail small and short; cotisidcral'ly or ilecidrdly shorter than the wiiiirs,
owing eitiuT to the eloniration ol" the wing or the shortening of the tail. Lateral
toes shorter than the middle without its elaw, Sj>eeies streaked ahove and
below. (Passerculeae.)

a. Thiekly streaked everywhere ahove. on the sides, and aeross the hreast.
Wing pointed ; longest {'riniaries e(»nsideralily longer than the secondaries.
Tail forked.

Centronyx. Hind elav veiy large : rather longer than its digit. The
hind toe and elaw, together, as long us or longer than the middle toe
and elaw. Other toes as in Passercihis. Claws gently ei.rved. Tertials
shortei" than the secondaries. Tail loiked, but the lateral feathers
shorter.

Passerculus. Hind elaw as long as its digit: the toe (Mpial to the
middle one wiihout its elaw : lateral toes lidling eonsiderably short of
the middle elaw. Wings very long; first [)riinary longest. Tertials as
long as the primaries. Tail forked; feathers a<-ute.

Poocaetes. Hind elaw shorter than its digit; the whoh' toe less than
the midtlle toe without its elaw. Lateral toes nearly e(pial to the
middle one, witlu»ut its claw. Tertials hut little longer than secon-
daries. Tail stilleiu'd. forked ; feathers acute, outer ones white.

b. Moderately streaked above, on the sides, and t>n the breast, the latter
sometimes unstreaked ; the dorsal streaks broader, the others fainter than in
the last. Wings short, reaching a little beyond the base of the tail. Xett
much difference between the primaries and secondaries. Tail short, grad-
uated, and the feathers lanceolate, acute.

Coturniculus. Bill short ; thick. Tertials almost etjual to the pri-
maries; truncate at the end. Claws small, weak ; hinder one shorter
than its digit. Outstretched feet not reachinsr the tip of the tail. Tail-
leathers not stitfened. (In one species tail nearly etpial to the wing.)
Ammodromus. Bill slender, .small at l)ase, and elongated. Tertials
not longer than the secondaries; rounded at the tip. Claws large,
iiinder one equal to its digit. Outstretched toes reachi-ng considerably
beyond tbe end of the stilVened. almost scansorial tail.
B. Tail longer and broader: nearly (»r quite as long as, sometimes a very little
longer than, the wings, which are rather lengthene<l. Tlie |>rimaries considerably
longcM- than tht» secondaries. None of the species streaked beneath, and the
back alone streaked above. (Spizelleae.)
a. Tail n^unded t»r slightly gra<luated.

Chondestes. Tail considerably graduate<], not emarginated. Lateral
toes considerably shorter than the miildle toe. without its claw. Wings
very long, decidedlv longer than the tail, reaching the mi«ldle of the
07

530 XnUTII AMKIvMA.N IMKIJS.

tnil. First fjiiill loiiiri-st. llf.id stii|M'«|. IJnck sficiikrd. Whit*?
iH'Iicatli. A wliilc lilolfli oil the clid of llit- t;iil-l('atli('r>.
Zonotrichia. Tail iii<»<l(Taf»'ly irrailnatt'd. Wiii^'"': iiiouiMatt*, alxhU as
loii^' as ihc tail, n-a»'liiii;jf alMHit ovi-r the hasal roiirtli of tlit' tail; lirst
quill K'ss than tin* socoihI to rouith. Fi-t't laiyc Head stripnl witii
black and \vhit<'. oi- with l»rt»wn and ochratvotis. iSack streakt'd.
Junco. Tail vci v nfailv ('(inal to the \vini;s, sli^hily t-marjrinatt', ami
diridrdiy roundt'd. Outer toe rather lonj:er than inner, reaehirir the
nnddle claw. Xo streaks anywhere exeepl in vounir ; hlaek or ash-
color above; belly white; with or without a nitbus back and siiles.
Outer tail-teathers white.

Poospiza. Tail ItiiLrthened, slightly jjfraduated; the feathers innisually
broad to the cntl. IJiil slender. Winj;s about as long as the tail, reach-
ing Init little beyond its external bas«'. Tertials luoad, and. with the
secondaries, rather lengthene(l. Second to lifth quills nearly cipial. an(l
longest. liill daik lead-color. Tail Iilack. Inilbrin ashy-brown
al»(»ve; "white beneath. Sides of head \\\\\i strijtes i>f black and white.
h. Tail decidedly forked ; a little shorter than the wing-, sunietinies a little
lo n ire r.

Spizella Si/^e rather small. Wings long. Lower niandil»le largest.
Umlbrni Deneath. or with a pectoral spot or the chin black.
C Tail lengthened ami graduated ; dee'dedly longer than the wings, which ai-e
very short, scarce! v extending l>eyond the external l»ase of the tail. Feet reach-
ing but little beyond the middle of th«' tail. Species all streaked above; streaked
or nearly unicolor bi-neath. Xo whit*- on wings or tail, (^)uter lateral toe the
longer. First quill not the shorti'si of the primaries. (Melospizeae.)

Melospiza. Culmen and connnissure nearly straight. Claws stout;
hinder one as large as its digit. Tail-feathers rather i»road. Body
stn'ake(l beneatii,

Peucaea. Culmen and connnissm-e ein-ved, (^laws weak; himler one
not nnieh curveil, lU'cidedly slu)rter than its digit. Tail-featlieis narrow.
"Without stri-aks l)cneath, excej)ting a narrow maxillaiv stripe.
D. Tail rather short, and nnich graduated; longer than the wings; the midril*
more meilian. Culmen curved. Tarsus <-onsiderably longer than middle toe.
Outer tt>e longer. But little dill'treiice in the length of the (piills; the outer
ones nuK-h rounded; even the second quill is shorter than any other jirimary
except the first.

Zlmbernagra. Color, olive-greeu above.

Gems CENTRONYX, liAiiti).

Ccntronyx, B.viud, Birds X. Am. 1Sj8, 440. (Tyj>»', Embcrizn bairdi. At i>.)

Gkn. CiiAit. Bill elongated; the lower mandible smaller: outlines nearly straight.
Tarsus lengthened, (-onsideraltly exeeciling the middle toe. Lati'ral toes equal, not reach-
ing the l)ase of the middle claw. Hind toe very large: the claw rather longer than its
digit, and in its elongation resembling Plectritphonfn, but more ctu'ved: the digit and claw
together rather lomrer than the middle toe ami claw. Wings very long, reae-hing beyond
the middle of the tail, and beyond the end of the coverts. Tcitials shorter than the
primaries, and but little longer than the secondaries. Tail short, .nuch less than fioni the
carpal ;oint to end of secondaries; little more than two thirds the entire wing. It is

KKIXiJILMD.K TUK KINCIIHS.

0<)l

sliirlitlv forked, aiiid modcratrlv rouiub'tl lati'iallv ; tlif Icathrrs all lU'iito. C«il<»r sonu-what
as ill Passi'i-rnhis.

This ^I'lms diUcis from /^/.s-.svr/v//;/.'?, a«^ statod in tlic (U'sori])tinn of the
species fartlirr mi. It would he taken for riatwphamx i>n {iccoiint of its
len^'tlieiieil hind, iluw, wii'ch, however, is more cui'vetl than in that ^cniis ;
the tarsi are niudi longer, the tertials U'ss eh)nj^ated. and tlie (.oloration (hf-
ferent, tlioui:!! closL'ly resenihlinLj that of the feniule I'lat/vjthunoi. iJut one
species has tiius far been reeo«;ni/,ed.

Centronyx oairdi, IVmhr

BAIBD'S BUNTINO.

Einh,r'i\<i hiunli, Ari>. P.ir.ls Am. Vjl, Isirj, :',r,'j, pi. d. t',,furnt\i(lus buirdi, linN. Syn.
Ihjo, 481. Cent roil If. r Utii-iii, I5.vii;i), iJinl.s N. Am. l.^^J*. 441.

8i'. Cii.m;. Soniewliat similai- in •jciHMal appearance t<> PasscrmlKs sdiuitina. iJack
gravisli. .-streaked with dnsky. Cmwii nemly covei-cd \>\ l.laek streaks, Imt divided l»v
a hroail median l>and <»t' Iiiitwnisli-yellow.
Kyeli<ls ami a faint .<Mpereiliai-y stripe yil-
lowisli-wliite. Beneath wliite. \\ iih a max-
illary Itl.'iekish stiipe and some nairow
streaks on the upper part of the hreast. and
sides of the throat and hodv. ( )iiter ed ire's
and tips of tail-leathers white; the two
outer leathers ohsolctely wiiite, I5end of
wing white. Leuprth, 4.7"); win;,'-, 2.80; tail,
2.*J0.

IIai!. Mouth of" the Yellowstone Uiver.
One gpeeiinen only known.

(', iilri'iij^x hainli, liiinl.

This species has somewhat of the iiivncral ap]>earance of PoHiiercvhix
firtrnnna, htit with important dilfercnres hoth of form and color. Tlie hill
is much longer, and more slender in ])ro]>ortion. The win^s are (piite un-
usually lon^; the primaries more
than half an inch htn^er than the
tertiarics : the first (piill as long as
the fourth, and hut little less than
the second and third. The tail is
very short ; the feathers narrow
and ]»ointed. The feet are large;
the hind chiw very long and eon-
siderahly curved, as are the other
claws genei-ally.
The species was based by Mr.
Audubon on a skin brought by him from the mouth of the Yellowstone
Kiver, in 184)», in rather defective and worn phnnage. This has hitherto

CtntronVT' bnirtli.

532

XOUTTT AMtlUCAN nTRD.^.

servi'tl as tin* l»asis of all the dose riptiinis n\' tlio spfcii'S wliicli is Justly
considt'ivtl (niu <»t till' raifsl in tii«* Xnitii Anit'iicaii lauiia,

Hai'.its. In n*n;anl to tiii' liahits, (listiiimtioii, or ^ji'iicral history ot" this
vtMV rare sjn'cit's, hut little is kiKiwii, only one specinicn havinLj hctMi nu't
with. This was |»ioi'ui(mI hy Mr. Auduhon s party to the Vcllowstom* Kivor,
in Dakota, on tlu; last day of July, 1S4.1. That it is a rcsidt'iit whert; oh-
tained, certainly during the hreeilinn-season, is a natural inl'crenee t'roni the
circ'unistances of its {•a])ture. That it may Ik' a eoiunion bird in certain
other ])ortions of the rt'Liion, immediately north of Dakota, is cjuite prohahle.
Its clo.se hahits, as descril'ed l>y Mr. Auduhon, favor its cscajtin^ noti<e wher-
ever it may exist.

The specimen was met with in a wet place, over«;rown clos<»ly hy a kin<l
of .slender rush-like ^^rass, from the midst of which the notes of these birds
were heard, and at first mistaken for thos<^ of the Marsh Wren. A search
was innuediately instituted for the singers, which Mr. liell soon ascertained
could not he the Wren in (juestion, the notes hein^ much softer and more
prolonged. Much dilHculty was encountered in the endeavor t(» raise them
from the long close grass to which they closely confined themselves, and
they were several tini- .-•. nearly trodden on hefore they would take wing,
almost instantaneously realighting within a few steps, and running like mice
through the grass. After a while two were shot while on the wing, and
proved to he adult male and female. The i)arty found this y[)ecies quite
abundant in all such situations, and there seems to have been uo doubt t'lat
it was breed i nil.

gexi's passerculus, r..>NAP.

Passm-Hlits, Bowp. Coinit. List IJinls, 1S38. ^TyiK*, Friiujilhi rnvmnm.)

Okv. ruAR. Rill moilcratcly conioal ; the lovror rnan«lil)lc smaller; hoth outlines nearly

stiaiirht. Tardus altout equal to the miildle
toe. Lateral toes altout equal, their claws
t'allinp: far short of the middle one. ITiiid
toe nmeh longer than the lateral ones, reaeh-
in_ir as far as the middle of the midtUe elaw ;
its claws moderately carved. Winj^s 'inusu-
ally lonir, reachinj,'^ to the middle of the tail,
and almost to the end of the ui>[)er coverts.
The tertials nearly or (juite as long as the
primaries; the first jiriinary longest. The
tail is quite short, considerably shorter than
the wiiiiTs; as long as from the carpal joint

Passfrrulii.s mvnnnn. " ,

to the end ot" the secondaries. It is emar-
ginate, and slightly rounded; the feathers pointe<l and narrow.

The essential chamcters of this well-marked genus lie in the elongated
wings, longer than the tail, the tertiaries eoual to the jnimaries, the first

F!:i;s(;iLMI).K-TIIK FINCIIKS. 533

quill almost loHLTcst, TIm' I^lts an* hnv^, llu' outstit'tcIuMl to«'S n-acliini^ to
the end ot" the tail ; tin- lateral toe toiisitleialily shorter than tin- luiihlle,
whieh is not nimh loni:i'r than the hinder. The tail is short, narrow, and
eniarj^inate ; tla^ leathers aeute.

Species and Varieties.

Common Cii ak \<tki!s. A!>ov«' «:rayisli-lir<>\vii, l.tiuatli white ; wliolf u|tj»( r
siirliicf. an well as thf hn-a.-t ami sidt s. strcaknl w !tli diiskv. A liLrht siipiT-
ciliary stripe, ami a whitish iiiaxiilaiy 0110, thf lallor Vionlfred above and Ix-low
by strijH's of eoaleseed diiskv streaks.

A* Hill small, thoeiilmeii slij.-'htly eoneave in the middle portion: a niedian
lij.dit <tripe on the erown.

I. P. savauiia. Superciliary stri[»e yellow anteriorly; stn-aks on tiie
buck lilackish, >hai[>ly delined.

Throat (i)id t(j>jier jHtrt oj <il>*fo))tcu iusfr<<iL<il ; I'dtt^j'-sffipf n'ith-

onf ijtlhnr tiitf/r.

r>ill .',\\ from li»rehead and .'Jo in depth at the base; winir. -.S'r,
tail, -..■)<>. Colors deep; onter sm'liice of winu' (in spi-inL-; deeiileiily
redilish. I/<th. Eastern I'rovinco of North Anu'iica . \ni'. so m u u (i .

Hill, ..'i'i and .20, or less; win^--, 2.7'>; tail, 'J.lo. Colors very i>ale ;
enter surface of winj; (in sprinir) pale ashy. Hub. Western I'rov-
ince of N<trth America, except coast of California, where rcjilaeed
\t\ \nv. ant/iiux.t ....... \;\r. ahi II d i n II s.

JJill. ..■>" and .'J7. or considerably more; win;,'. o.lO; tall, '_M0.
Colors as in savanna. I/uh. Northwest coast of Xorth Ani<iica

var. .s II II il tr i I' li f u a i a .

Tluoat and upper part of abdinnen $tr>nhid; ri rtix-.strijie stroii;/iif

tinged iriti' ijelJow.

Rill, .:>;5 and .10: winir. 'J.oO; tail, \:.M. Colors .larker than var.
saraiina, the liTonnd-color more nnifoini, and the black streaks
ln'avier and more mnnerous. Hah. Coast of Calilbrnia. var. a n t h i n n s.

2. P. princeps. Superciliary stripe white anteriorly ; sti«'aks on the
back sandy-ljrown, badly delined. Wimr. ."b'Jo : tail. *J.(JO; lull, ,4') and
.2;> ; tarsus, .D.j ; middle tv)e, .80. Ilah. Ka^tern Massachusetts (norih-
ein rcL;i(»ns in sunnner?).

B* Bill robust, the culmen arched: no median liirht stripe on the crown.
Superi'iliary stripe white anteriorly ; streaks on the back .*<andy-brown,
obsolete.

3. P. rostratus.

Bill, .4o and .30; winir, 2.00: tail. 2.20. Ground-color above
fulvous-frray, beneath white ; the streaks, aliove and l»elow, sandy-
brown. Colors much as in P. princeps. Hal). C\)ast of Cali-
fornia, to the month of the Colorado Kiver ; Cape St. Lucas in
winter var. rostratus.

Bill, ..>'> ami .22; winir. 2.."); tail, 2.00. Ground-color above
plumbeous-irray ; beneath white: streaks blackish-brown. Ilah.
Cape St. Lucas (resident V) var. (j u f fat us.

A careful exaniinatioti of the very larixo series of r<f,s.>!rrrtth's allied to
savanna in the museum of the Smithsouian Institution, recently made,

oo-k

NORTH AMKRICAX BTUDS.

briuiis vis to the same coiidusion as that reached in IS.IB, namely, that,
granting a single species extending over the whole of X(nth America, there

are several geograjjhical races in different
regions. Thus, taking the eastern bird
as the stan«hird, with its dark C(jlors,
reddish wings, and deep yellow super-
cili.ary stripe, and the comparative or
entire absence of siK)ts on the lower part
of breast, we have in the middle prov-
ince, and to soiiie extent in the western,
ii race ratlier sni;iller, with more attenu-
ated and longer bill, and paler coloi*s ;
the winirs <»ravish, tlie vellow of head
•being scarcely ap})reciable (var. nUnuH-
nus). On the coast of California, an-
other series of tlie size and pro])ortions of the last, lait witli dark yellow
superciliary stripe, — the vertex-stripe even yidlowisli, — dark colors, and
the lower part of breast, as well as ihe throat, decidedly streaked, as well
as the jugulum (var. antJuiuiii) ; and finally on the northwest coast, from
Puget Sound to Kodiak, a fourth race, mucli larger than typical P. savanna^
])ut a1)solutely undistinguishable in color, proportion of bill, etc. (var. saiuJ-
irirhrnsis). P. anthinvs is not found north of (.'alifornia, but the other two
of the western race may occur together at any point of the coast north,
perhaps, of the Columbia lliver.

Pa-^tfrciflifs snvnnnn.

Passerculus savanna, Bonap.

SAVANNA SPABROW.

Frinffilla savanna, Wilson, Am. Orn. Ill, 1811, 55, pi. xxii, f. 2. — In. IV, 1811, 72,
pi. xxxiv, f. 4. — Arn. Orn. Hio^'. H, 1834, <')3 ; V, 1839, 516, pi. cix. Piissrrculus
scn-ioniii, Hon. List, 1838. — In. (;oiibi»ectiis, 1850, 480. — Cad. Mus. Il.nn. 1851, 131.
— Baiiu), IJiids N. Am. 1^58, 442. —Cocks, P. A. N. S. 18*>1, 223. —Samuels,
301. Ejitberi:,! savamw. Aw. Syii. 1839, 103. — lit. liinls Am. Ill, 1841, 68, pi.
elx. ? Fnn'tilla hycmnlis, Gm. I, 1788, 922. — Lkht. Vciz.ivhniss, 1823, Xo. 250.
(Jnn-lin's desi rijition, based on Pennant Ar(;tic Zool. IT, 376 (winter Fineli>, applies
etiually well to a large numl)tM- of sp<>cies. Limxria savanna, Uichaudson, List, 18:^7.

Sp. Ciiau. Featliors of tlio upper parts prtMiorally with a o-ntral streak of hlaokish-
brown; the streaks of the haek widi a .slijrht nilbus sulfiision latorally ; the feathers
edited with gray, whieh is liirhtest on the seai)ul:irs, and forms there two <rray stripes.
Crown with a l»road median stripe of yellowish-j^ray. A superciliary streak from the bill
to the back of the head, eyelids, and edj^e of tlie elbow, yellow, paler behind. A yellow-
i.sh-whiu; niandibnlar stripe eur.inj? behind tlie ear-cov(?rts. and maririned above and
below by brown. The lower maririn is a series of thickly crowded spoti^ on the sides of
the throat, whirl; are also foinid on the s , of the neck, across the upper part of the
breast, and on the sides of body, a dusky : •; - ack of the eye, inakinsr three on the side
of head (including the two mandibulurj. A le>.' faint spots on the throat and clan, llest

FliIX(aLLlD.E — THE FIMCUES. 535

if

of luiiler parts white. (Juter tail-featluTs uikI priuiarios edged with white. Length, b.iJO ;
wing. 2.70; tail. *_M(».

Young. Grouml-i-idor of the nit))er pait> (ox< ept wings and tail) light oehraoeous,
more brownisli on top of ln-ad, np[>er part of back, and on uj>per tail-<-overts ; the' streaks
blacker and more eonspic-nons than in the ailult. iJeneath witli an ochraceons tinge
anteriorly, the streaks ])roadei-, and deeper black, than in the adnlt, thongh less sharplv
defined. The infra-niaxillarv str»'ak exi)anded into a broad lilackish elongated blotch.

IIab. Eastern Noifh America to tin- Missouri plains, and northwest to Alaska. Tuba,
winter (C.vc. Jour. IV, 0).

Specimens vary C(nisi»leral)ly in size, color, and shape of bill, l»ut the
aveiage is as dcscrihcd. Spring; birds have the markin^^'s sharper and
clearer, the dark streaks with little ur no suffusion of rufous.

Habits. The Savanna Sparrow is an abiuidant sijecies througliout Xorth
America, from the Atlantic sea-board to the Great Plains. It is, liowever,
everywhere much less commou in the "interior than nearer the shore. The
Smithsonian specimens are from i)oints as far south as Georgia and Louisi-
ana, and as far west as the Black Hills of Wyoming. It passes nortli through
Massachusetts, from the first to tlie nuddle of A})ril, and some remain to breed
in the eastern part of the State. Mr. ^laynard speaks of it as a common
summer resident. Tliis, hijwever, is true only of a few restricted maritime
localities, but is not so of the entire eastern portion of the Stale. It occurs
both in the salt marshes of Charles Kiver and in the vicinity of Fresh Tond,
but I could never trace it in anv of the neigldjoring' towns. It is occasion-
ally met with in inland situations where we wouLl not naturally look for it.
In the summer of 18G'.>, ^[r. William Ihvwster found quite a colony of these
birds in an open fiehl near the Glen House, at the foot of Mt. Washhigton.
They liad nests with eggs the last of July and the first of xViigust.

In Western Massachusetts, according to ]Mr. Allen, it rarely ("r never stops
to breed. In Western ]\Iaine, Mr. Verrill mentions it as a common summer
visitant, and as breeding tliere in the latter part of ^lay. In the vicinity of
Eastport, and in all the islands of the (J rand ^lenan group, I found tliese
Sparrows very abundant. Tliey almost invariably built tlieir nests in de-
pressions on the edge or just under the projecting to}»s of liigh IduHs of land
near the sea. They were ]»y fm- the most abundant of the land-birds, and it
was quite common to find tlieir nests in close pro.Kimity one to another. •
Tliey arrive there in April, and leave in Sei>tendxM-, i>assing slowly south
more in reference to the abundance of tlieir food than the severity of the
season, until the weather becomes very severe, when they all disappear. They
wintcT in the Soiithern States, from Virginia to Georgia, and are especially
abundant in the Carolinas. Dr. Coues states that they were very commou
about Columbia from Oct(d»er to A])ril, moving in large' f.ocks and associ-
ating with other species. Wilson states that he met with this species, IVom
Savannah to Xew York, in all the low country, and regarded it as resident
in thos ' places, but rarely found at a distatice from tlie sea-shore. He found
them Copecially numerous at Cireat Lgg Harbor, N. J.

536 NORTH AMKKICAN IJIRDS.

Dr. CVnies, in liis visit to LaVmidor, in 180(1, f(»un(l this Sparrow almndant
in tliat region in low nu)ist nieatlows and marshy tracts near the sea-shore,
]»ut never noticed it in any other situations. He freciuentlv observed it there
teedini: on the beds of (h'ied eel-i^rass ah)n<2 the roekv sliores, searchinji; tor
food in company with tlie Titlarks and small Sandpipers.

During my visits to the islands of the liay of Fundy, in one of which I
remained a number of days, I had a good opportunity to notice these birds.
In many respects their habits undergo noticeable changes during the breed-
ing-season. As they pass north or south in their migrations, they are not
])articulaTly shy or ditticult to approach, but when they had nests they seemed
to become particularly cautious and mistrustful. The male and female sat
by turns upon their eggs, but generally one remained within hailing distance,
and always gave i)romptly a signal of danger when the nest was approaclied,
at which the other would glide from the nest, running off on the ground like
a mouse. I found it impossiljle to identify by shooting the parent on the
nest, and only accomplished its identification by means of snares. When
once lost in tl • tall grass, it was impossible to find it again, or if it reap-
peared it was impossible to tell which of the many chirping Sparrows, all of
them out of reach of shot, and keei)ing a sharp lookout on my movements,
had any connecti<jn with the nest. This mameuvre was gone through with
in every nest I found, but I soon learned to distinguish them without the
need of gun or snare.

This Sparrow is eminently terrestrial, confining itself almost entirely to
the ground, and rarely alighting on anything e\en so high as a fence.
Though frecpienting low moist grounds, its nest is always in a dry spot and
usually somewhat elevated. The nest is almost always sunk into tlie ground,
is maile very simply and loosely of dry grasses, with a lining of softer mate-
rials of the same. I have never found any other material than this in the
many nests I have examined, although nests of var. idaiKUnns, in the vicin-
ity of Fort Anderson, are frequently lined with feathers or deers' hair,
according to MacFarlane.

The eggs, five or six in number, vary considerably in their appearance. In
shape they are a rounded oval, one end being nmcli more pointed than the
other. They measure .68 by .55 of an inch. In some the ffround-color,
which is of a greenish-white, is plainly visible, being only })artially covered
by blotches of brown, shaded with red and purple. These blotches are more
numerous al>out the larger end, becoming confiuent and forming a corona.
In others, the ground-color is entirely concealed by confluent ferruginous
fine dots, over whicdi are darker markings of brown and purple and a still
darker ring of the same about the larger end.

FRINGILLID.E -THE FINCIIE??. 537

Passerculus savanna, \.u\ alaudinus, Bonap.

W£ST£BN SAVAITHA SPABSOW.

Pnssemiliis tilaiiifiiwft, T'p. ('(niiiitts RtiHliis, XXXVII, !)<■•■. IS'iS, 018, Talifornia. — Ib.
Notes Oinitliolou'it^iu's I)»'l;ittii', 1>.'>4, 1.S (n'ltrint of prect'dinj^K — Bah;'), liinls X. Am.
18.'»S, 44*), i>l. xlvi. -(.'oopKK & Si« Ki.KV, 197, ]>1. xxviii, f. 2. — Elliot, Illust. Anj.
R III. — Dall ^ P.ANMsTKi:, Tr. Th. Ac. I, 18<)9, 284 (Alaska). —('ixU'Ei:, Orn. Cal.
I, 181. P'lss, rnilns siu'uima aud r. authinus, Dall k B.VN.MSTEU, Tr. Ch. Ac. I,
1869, pp. 28;{, 284.

Sp. Ciiah. Similar t(» /'. snranDn. Imt siiiallcr; the bill slenderer and more elonjratcd.
Little of yellow in the supereiliary stripe (luo^t distinct anteriorly); the rest of the head
without any linw of the same, tn-neral <olor much paler and i^raver than in P. savanna.
IJreast with only a few spots. Len^^th, o.2o ; wing, *J.7.'> : tjiil. l.'.iO.

IIab. Middle and Western Provinces of North America; .sonth to Orizaba, north to
Ahu«ika (Kodiak) and the Arctic coast. Oaxuca (.Scl. Oct.) ; Vera Cruz (winter. Sumi-
ciihast).

This western race of P. fsnrnnna is smaller, considerably paler in general
colors, tlie superciliary strip«^ w ith little yellow in it, and the lull more
slender, and lon<icr. In coloration, some Atlantic coast specimens often
exhibit an approximation, especially in the i)ale tint of the sui)erciliary
stripe; but the bill is always decidedly more attenuated in (iJotidinim.

Tlie Western Savanna Sparrow is a common species throughout the West-
ern Province of North America, from the plains to California, and from
Alaska to Mexico. In California it appeare to l»e reidaced along the Pacific
coast by the variety onUiiiu's, ji (piite different ami very local form. In
Alaska, specimens were obtained by the naturalists of the Itussian Tele-
graph Expedition at varic^us hxalities, chiefly in the interior, and on the
Yukon it was obtaiiuMl by Mr. Lockhart. Dr. Cooper found it at Fort
Steilacoom, in AVashington Territory, wliei(» it was in eompany with P. sand-
wkhinMs, m the wet meadows. In California this species inhabits chiefly,
according to Dr. Cooper, tlie dry plains of the interior of the State. The
statement of the occuiTence of this form anywhere along the coast of Cali-
fornia should be received with considerable doubt, since in the lar^e series
of these birds all speeimens from this region are of the variety cmthinns,
an exclusively littoral type.

Habits. Tlie Western Savanna S])arrow was found throughout the Great
P)asin, by Mr. IJidgway, in all wet, grassy situations, in which preference it
is like its eastern relative. It was verv abvnidant at Cai-son Citv, inhal)iting
exclusively the meadows. At Salt Lake City it was also very abundant,
freciuenting the wet meadows near the Jordan.

This bird was also obtained at Sitka by liischotf, and was found on the
Yukon by Mr. Lockhart. It is the only species found in the Valley of the
Mackenzie, uj) to the Arctic coast.

Dr. Cooper also met with it aimmg the low meadows of Washington Ter-

538 NORTH xVMERICAN IMRDS.

ritory, where thoy arrived in March, and remained until late in October.
They were usually found anionic the grass, from which they rarely rise,
except to sing their fiiint and lisping trill from a weed or some low hush.
Mr. liidgway represents this song as corresi)(»nding with the syllables witz-
witz-v:i1f!-tziiU. This, he states, is uttered in a weak and lisi)ing manner, as
the bird perches on a l)ush l>eside the brook, or on a fence, or as it nestles
among the grass on the ground.

Dr. Cooper speaks of them as only winter visitants in California, and
there residing only on the dry interior plains, as far south as San Diego,
where they remain in large flocks until April. He has never met with
this bird during the summer months, though some are .supposed to remain
and breed in the high prairies. He did not meet with any about the sum-
mits of the Sierra Xevada, in September. They appeared to prefer the dry
rolling prairies to marshes, though they were occasionally found in the
latter.

This species is also a migratory visitant to the Department of Vera Cruz,
Mexico, where they are said by Sumichrast to pass the winter.

Their nests are built upon the ground, and are composed almost entirely
of the dry stems of gra.sses, and are lined with finer materials of the same.
Their ejius measure .75 of an incii in length bv .52 in breadth, have a
greenish-white ground, over which are distrihiite<l numerfnis markings, spots,
and blotches of various sizes, of a light purplish-brown and a deeper red-
brown, confluent about the larger end, where thev form a crown.

Near Fort Anderson nests were found in great nun) hers, no less than two
hundred and four havin«> been obtained duriui^^ four summers in that localitv.
These nests were all taken on the groinid, under low grass, in dry spots in
a large marshy prairie, and it is stated that they were never found in any
other situation or locality.

Fasserculus savanna, var. sandwichensis, Baird.

HOBTHWESTEBN SAVANKA 8FABB0W.

Emheriza sundicichemis, Gyi. I, 1788, 875. Emhrriza nrctioi, Latham, Ind. Om. I, 1790,
414. Fi'ingilla ardicn, ViaoH-s Zool. of Blossom, 1839, 20 (perliaps one of the .smaller
species). — "Bkandt, I<;oii. Koss. 2, G." £uspizit arctiai, Br. Conspectus, iSoO, 460.
Zo)iotrichia arctico, Fi.n.sch, 187'2. Eniheriza eJrn/snps, Pallas, 7ak>^. Rosso-As. II,
1811, 45, tab. xhiii, fig. 1 (Unahi.ska^. Smidvkh Bunting, Lath. Syn. II, 1783, 202.
Uwdnska Bunting, Pennaxt, Arctic Zobl. II, 363, 320, No. 229 (not of p. 364, No.
, 233). P«/.9.*Tr«/<^-srt«rf«riV/</'?M/.s, Baiup, Binis N. Ani. 1858, 444. — Dall & Baxnls-
TEU, Tr. Ch. Ac. I, 1869, 284. — OudPEU, Orn. Cal. I, 180. Fasserculus savanna,
Dall & Bannister, Tr. Ch. Ac. I, 1869, 283.

Sp. Char. Almost ox.iotly like P. savanna, but half an inch lonirer, with much larc'er
bill. Length, G.12 inches; wing, 3.00; tail, 2.55. Bill above, .50; below, .30; j^'ape, .50;
depth, .27.

Hac. Northwestern coast from th(^ Colimibia River to Ru.s.sian .\merica.

FIflXGILLID.K — THE FIN'CHES. 539

Specimens of this nice from Sitka are ahsolutely niulistinfjuishable from
eastern r.^tvintun excejjt in size; the eoU»rs and ju'oportion of bill being
the same. A youn<4 bird (from Kodiak) ditl'ers from that of navanna in
larger size, and a briLjht reddish-fulvous tinji:e to upper parts, and a deep
yelhnvish-fulvous tinge on jugulum and along the sides.

Habits. This variety is the north west -coast form of the common Savan-
na S2)arrow, and is h)und during the summer from Oregon to Alaska. Dr.
Suckley states that he found tliis sjjecies an abundant spring visitor at Fort
Steilacoom. Dr. ('ooj)er, in his Zoology of Washington Territory, states it to
be only a passenger through that section, migrating northwanl, at the end of
April, in i)airs, and not returning until the ei.d of Septendjer. They come
back in tiocks, and frequent the shores and prairies along the sea-coast. Their
plumage seems to be the same at all seasons. Xotliing is known of their
note. They are supposed to spend their winters in Southern (Oregon and
California, thong] 1 their actual presence has not l>een detected in either State.
They do not remain during the sunnner near the Columl)ia, but pass to the
north, or to the interior plains east of the ( 'ascade IJange. Dr. Cooper states
that their habits closely resemble those of /*. authinns.

Mr. Dall states that two specimens of this species were taken at Sitka by
^fr. Bischoff.

Passerculus savanna, var. anthinus, Bonap.

CAUFOBNIA SHORE SFABBOW.

Pasfterailus anthinus, Honap. Coniptes Keiulus, XXVII, Dee. 1853, 919, Russian America.^
— Ib. Notes Ornith. Ddattre, 1854, 19. — Bauid, Birds X. Am. 1858, p. 445.—
Cooi'KK, Oni. Cal. I, 1870, 183.

Sf\ CiiAU. Similar to /*. .s7/>7n/««^/. but smaller. B( noath tinjrcd with reddish. Breast
and upper part of belly thickly spotted with sharply defuied sairittate brown spots,
exhibitinu: a tenden<y to agsrregation on the middle of the belly. Superciliary stripe and
one in the middle of the crown decided irreenish-yellow. the head jrenerally tinged with
the same, iu? also the back and sides of the neck. Cnder tail-coverts somewhat streaked.
Length, 5.00; wing, 2. GO; tail. 2.24.

IIab. Coast of California, near San Francisi.'o ; " Russian America. Kodiak " (Bonaparte).

This is the most stromjlv marked of the several races of P. snvcnina, dif-
fering from all tiie otiiers in several im])ortant respects. The markings be-
neath are more generally dispersed, extending back upon the lower ])art of
the l)reast, and forward over the throat ; the lower tail-coverts have distinct
medial blackish streaks, though thev are somewhat concealed. The median
strijie on tlie crown is decidedly greenish-yellow, not pale ashy ; the whitish
edges to the interscapular feathers, so conspicuous in the other mces, are more
concealed, presentino^ a more uniformly brown surface above, with broader

^ From tlie fact that this form is not fount! in any part of Alaska, nor. indeed, north of Califor-
nia, it is ](rol>able that the localities of anthiitas and ulaudinus were traus}K)&'Hi in Bouapartc'3
original descriptions.

540 XORTir AMERICAN lUUDS.

Mat'k stripes. Tlie lnnad lateral stript's of the crown are deep olive or liair-
browii, with narrow, sliarply detiiied, intense l>l;uk streaks, instead of ])ale
grayish as in (fhnnliiuis (sjirinu <lress), or liglit hrown as in sarcnuia (spring),
with broader, h'ss dee]>, hhuk streaks.

II.VBITS. Tlie Shore Sparrow of California is .said to he, to a rrniarkahle
dei^n-ee, the peculiar marsh s])eeies of tlie Pacific coa.st of that State. Dr.
Cooper states that he very rarely met with these birds out of the salt marshes,
where they lie so close and run so stealthilv amom: tlie weeds that thev are
flushed with ditlicultv. They rise only t(» fly a few r(»ds, and drcu) aj^rain
into their covert. They are not at all iire«:ari(»us, except when migratinj^, and
are found sin«dy or by pairs. They are alamdant about San Francisco in tlie
winter, thoujj^h l)r. Coo])er is not sure that any are found so far .south in the
summer. Near San Dieijo, in February, they had alreaily be«j:un to utter
their short and jilea.sant song, as they perched on the top of some tall weed.
Dr. Coo])er observed them in that neighborhood into April, but did not
succeed in finding any of their nests, nor was he ever able to meet with this
sjiecies at San Pedro in summer.

Dr. Coues speaks of (Ibis, 1800, p. 208) finding three species of the diffi-
cult group of P((ssr)rt(h', and all of them very abundant, in Southern Califor-
nia in November. These were J\ royitrntiix, P. ohuidniu^i, and P. (inthinna.
The aufliiiu's seemed confined to the moist salt gm-ss and sedgy weeds of the
sea-shore itself. It was flushed with ureat ditficulty, and then its flijiht was
very rapid and irregular. It would alight again almost immediately, and run
with great celerity among the roots of the thick grasses, and was therefore
exceedingly difficult to procure. P. alaiuHiuis was common two or three
miles away from the coast, but Pr. Coues did not find one mixing with
P. anthinns. It was a brush and weed, rather than a grass, species, associating
%vith Antkus hidoi'icianuii and Zoiwtrichiu roiwiata.

Fasserculus princeps, ^Iaynard.

IPSWICH 8PABB0W.

Ccntron}jr hairdi, Maynapj), Naturalist's (luidc, 1870, 117, frontispiece (Ipswieh, Mass.).
Fassercuhis princeps, Mayxaud, Amerioan Naturalist, 1872.

Sp. Ciiau. Bill small, exactly tlio sanio in form and size a«? that of Cenfront/x bnirdi,
but proportionally smaller ; teitials seareely ex('e<vlinii' llie st^condaries ; tail emarginate,
the feathers acute, the intermediiP attenuated terminally. Outstretched feet reaching
about half-way to tlic end of the tail. In color almost exactly like /*. rosirufus, hut dif-
ferent in markings. Ahove light ashy, the dorsal feathers light sandy-hrown centrally,
producing an obsoletely spotted a'ppearance; shal'ts of dorsal feathers black. Outer sur-
face of the wings pal«? sandy-bi-own. the feathers darker centrally ; tertials with their
outer webs whitish, and with a conspicuous black ceiitral area. Crown becoming darker
blown anteriorly, where it is divided by a rather indistinct line of <tchraceous-white ; an
nulistinct superciliary stripe, and a .cry conspicuous maxillary stripe of the same; the
latter bordered above, from the i ictus to the end of the auriculars, by a narrow stripe of

<liiskv : loivs aii<l suli-orl>ifjil iT<_rioii lik*' tin- sn|H'niliai y striix*; auriculars pale iMownisli
like lilt' crown. lioiiIrn'M aloiij; the iiiipn- and lower r*\\sr with a dusky Ujirrow stripe.
IJeneatli white, shirhtly tinir<'d with ashy on the thinks: sicK's of the throat, whole l»r«'ast.
side.*;, and Hanks, with narrow streaks of sandy-hrown. more iilaekish toward the shaft ;
alidoineii, erissinn, and lininir of t'ne winir. innnaeulate; throat with a lew uhniite sjweks,
htit aloiii; eaeh side bordered Ity a '* l>ridle" of siillused stnraks.

^. (Collectors Xo. 1,744. Ipswirh, Ma>s. iN-e. t. ISdS; C. .1. Mayiiard.) Win-
.'5.'-'."); tail. 'J.dO; eidinen. .4.'> ; tarsus. .!».") ; niidille toe. .SO ; hind elaw, .4(».

9. (Collect. .r's \o. (;.'J4.'). Ipswich. Ort. 1."). 1S71 : C. .1. M.) \Vin<:, I'.J'O; tail. •J.4();
cnlnuMi, ..'»(>; tarsus, .80 ; nnddle toe, .<;.'» : hind claw . .;iO,

(Collector's No. (;.*J-_'*, Ipswi.li. (Jet. 14. 1S71 : C. .1. M.) Wintr. o.OO; tail. -J.iUt ; cnl-
nuMi, ..")(>; tarsus, .Sr> ; middle toe. .<»0 ; hind claw. .ot>.

Tlio Rjterinien.s «lescril»0(l mImivc wrro at first sii|»]m»s«m1 t(» \\v ('(nfron)/j'
lufirtfi, liavinir sevt'ial points of rcst'inl^laiu't' to that sjiecics, a (*oiii|(;iiisou
witli the tviKi in Professor liaird's colUntion at lirst failing to establish a dif-
ferenee, as it was in faded and inm-li worn siunmer ]»liiinai,'e, wliih' the Mas-
sachusetts speeiniens were in ])erfe(*t, IjlentU'd fall dress, so that a satisfaitorv
comparison was almost inipossihle. A more recent e.xaminatiiai, h(»wever,
with the advantauji' of two additional s|»eciniens of the Massachusetts hird, has
fully convinced Mr. Mayuard that his specimens are not Vintrouji.r Imirdi,
and that, indeed, they are referrihle in all respects to the j^enus J\fssf)r(//us.

In carefully examining the type of ('itifnuif/.r hainii, it is seen that its
char.u'teristic features are the followin<4: Outstretched feet reachino; hevoii<l
the end of the tail ; hind claw as long as its digit, and much ciu'ved ; — whereas
in Mr. ^laynard's specimens the outstretched feet reach to only ahoiit the
mitldle of the tail, while the hind claw is nuu'h shorter than its digit, and
onlv sliiihtlv curved. With a wino- .10 to .45 of an inch hmuer, they have the
tarsus not any h)nger, and ]»roportionally more slender. In coloration they are
still more dillercnt. The most strikitiij feature in C. hi'mli is a hroad and
very conspicuous median stripe of ochraceous-hulf on the crown, hordered on
each side hy an aggregation of hhu'k streaks, which form the ])redominating
color of the lateral strijjcs ; of this median strijie there is scarcely any trace
in the s])ecimens under consideration, while the crown Lifuerallv is ornvish-
brown, with small dusky streaks; ('. hairdi has hroad, cons])icuous, hlack
stripes on the back, while P. lunifiun'tU has obsolete sandy-brown ones ; in
6'. hairdi there are onlv a few small streaks of black across the iuLjidum
and along the sides and flanks, while in P. nuff/turrJi the whole breast, as
well as the sides and Hanks, are thickly streaked with l»roader marks of
sandy-brown.

In point of coloration, as well as in the feet, there is in reality a nnich
closer resenddance io P(fs.'<r)rnhfs rosfnffi'.^ ; but in this the very different
bill and different arrangement of markings are sutftcient distinctive chamc-
ters.

lJj)on the whole, therefore, there can be little doubt that the present birils
are well entitled to the name whicii Mr. Maynard has given thciii ; for after

■-,42 XORTII AMEni<\\N J^IRDS.

liiakiiig all possiMc jillowancc for seasonal (liflVrcnces in coloration, we have
found it inipossihle to reconcile tlieni witli tlu? ('. buinU.

In tliis s]>ecies tlicr*' is a slight suiu'iticial reseniMance t<> /'oorrtfcsf/rn-
ininiiis; luit uj)on conijiarison it will lie iound to he entirely diiVerent: thus,
/*. (/rKinimna lacks the median li,nht stripe on the crown, has the lesser win<4-
coverts ndous and the lateral tail-leathers white, while the streaks are all
hlackisli and the ground-coh)r ditl'erent; the generic details, too, are quite
dilVerent.

Habits. This species has heen obtained only in Eastern Massachusetts,
where, in the nei.^hhorhood of Ipswich, it was found among the sand-hills by
the sea-shore. The jilace where the individuals taken were met with is a
rather remarkable tract, three miles in length and nearly one in breadth. It
is .as treeless as the (Ireat Plains, and as bleak and barren, with no vegetation
exce[)t a scant growth of coarse grass. ]\Ir. Maynard obtained his first speci-
men early in I)ecend)er, liSlJS, Although others were seen, yet this was all
he was then able to obtain. He has since taken others in the same place
and season. Xothing is knowu as to its habits. It uttered, as it rose, a shoi-t
chirp of alarm.

Passerculus rostratus, Baird.

SAN DIEGO 8FABB0W.

Emhcriz'i rofttrain, Cassin, Pr. A. X. S.\ VI, 18.">2, 348. Ammodramus rostratus, Cassin,
I'll. I, 1855, 22«j, pi. xxxviii. Pusscrculus rostratus, Baiud, iiirJs N. Am. 1858, 446.
— C'oiji'EU, Oin. till. I, 1870, 184.

Sr. CfiAK. Bill very lontr Co') of an inch above). Wliolo upper parts and sides of
head and neck pale; brow nish-i^ ray (almost till oiisj, nearly every leather with ii darker
central blotch, darkejjt alonir the .shaft. A scaieel\ ap|>reeiable eential stripe hi the
crown, an obscun' yellowish-white supcicilijiry, and a whitish maxillary one. Tender
parts pure white ; sti-eaked on the breast and the sides of throat and IxKly w'th dark
brown (the streak jtaler externally). Under tail-eoverts nnsj)Otted white. Tail and
Avin;,' feathers and wiiii;s niaririned with the color of the back; the edges of tertiaries
rather paler. LeuL^th. O..30: winir, li.i'O; tail, 2.."i0.

II AB. Coast of California, south to Cape St. Lucaa; mouth of Colorado River (Du.
Palnoou).

The bill of this species is very long and conical, the cutting edge nearly
straight. The wings are rather long, the tertiaries nearly as h)ng in the
closed wing as the i)riniaries; the second, third, and fourth quills longest,
the first rather h)nger than the fifth. The tail is short and emarginate, the
featliers narrow, acute, and moderately stiff. The tai*si are long ; the claws
little curved.

This species resembles the Pas'^crculus savroina rather more than any of
the other sparrows with s[)otted breasts ; the bill is, how^ever, very much
longer and larger, exceeding any of our American s])ecies of its size, the
upper outline more convex. Its colors are much paler, and it lacks the

Ki:iN<iILML).i^- TlIK FlNtilKS. 54;]

i'

yi'llow on tlio lujiul and wiiij;. Tlic iiiiicli slinitcr tail ami rutin* aliscnce of
lut'oiis distiii^fuish it tVcmi tlit* sjHjtted Mi/n.s^>iitfs. In sIiajK' tlic l)ill is likt;
that ot" Aiiunuihutnufi rmuliuutus, but it is larger; the head laek.s the yel-
low, etc.

in some specimen"^ the streaks on tlic liack are ahnost obsolete.

Hauits. So far as is known, this bir«l seems to ha\e a somewhat restricted
hjd)itat, being ai>]»arently contincd to the .sea-coast of Southern ('alilornia.
There it was first met with' by Dr. Heermann, in the neighborhood of San
I)iego, and was described by Mr. Cassin as an Annninhniiuis, with whidi
genus of birds it seemed to have many jjcculiarities in common. I)r. Heer-
mann first met with this bird in lsr»l,on the shores of the bay of San I)iego,
in comj>any with other species, ap])arently in search of grass-seed. Ai'ter-
wards, in the I'acitic Kailroad Survey, with Lieutenant Williamson, he again
met with these birds in considerable mnnbers at Santa l>arbara and San Pe-
dro. In all the phces in which he met with it he found it fretpicnting low
sandy beaches, and the heavy sedge-giass which abonnds on the shores. On
the former it seemed to be feeding on marine insects and seeds thrown up
by the tide, ai'd in the latter to find places for easy aid immediate conceal-
ment when ahunied or ])ursued. Xaturally it ajipeared to be a (juiet and
unsuspicious bird. He heard it utter no other note than a .short shai]) chirp.

Dr. Cooper thinks this species has a much greater affinity to the Annno-
(Iriimi than to the Pa^.'^crcif/i, l)oth in its bill and claw.s, as well as in its
habit.s. He found them very abundant, both at San Pedro and San Diego,
at all season.s, and he does not think that they migrate at all from those
localities. He found them fre(iueiiting the shores cf the bays and the sea-
beaches. They also came confidently and familiarly about the buihlings near
the water, feeding on any .seeds or in.sects they could find. On the beacii
they run along the sand, in the rows of drifted sea- weeds, seeking their
food, and rarely take to flight unless surprised, and then only fly a short
distance. Dr. Cooper has never known thein to alight on any bush, nor does
he think that they have any song. The only note he has ever heard them
ntter is a short chirp. At San Pedro he .saw them, in duly, feeding their
young, but he has never found a nest that he was certain belonged to this
species.

Dr. Coues found this l)ird abundant in Southern California, where it kei)t
amonu: the thick weeds of the drv plain, and was much on the ground, where
it ran as easily as a Pipilo, often flying up into the biLshes and resting there
quietly. They were to be seen also in great num1>ei-s sunning themselves
and catching Hies on the piles of lumber on the wharf so tame as to be almost
liable to be struck by a cane.

It is a winter resident at Cape St. Lucas, where ^Ir. Xantus found them
abundant. They were not seen there in summer, though it is probaVde they
reside on the shores in its neighborhood. Their nest and eggs remain
unknown.

544 N^)in'II AMKKICAN UIIIDS.

Passerculus rostratus, vai. guttatus, Lawk.

ST. LUCAS SPABROW.

PaxwrnitHH rfuttntits, l.www.srv., Ann. N. Y. Lye. VIII, 18fi7, 473. — CuorF.R, Om. Pal.
I, 185.

Sr. CiiAU. Al>«>v«' itlinnlit'ous-iriav • tin* Teat lit -is of the hack with iliiskv <H'ntrcs and
paler ('(Ij^os ; the topof hea<l also stri'ak«'(l with <lii^ky ami with an almost inappreciahK'
nuMlian stripe of lighter. ri)per tail-coverts slij^'htiy darker in the centre. No rulons
cd.irintrs to the leathers. Head with a pale yellowish-white l»and Iroin i»ill over the eye;
and a niandiltiilar one. nearlv white, liorderetl ahove and lielow hv the dnskv lino of
other /'asseiTulns. I'mler parts white, thickly streake<l on jiiiLrnluin, hreast. and Hanks
with dusky, laintly <tn nnder tail-etiv«'ifs. iJill and leirs ratlu-r dusky ; iris hrown. Leiiirtii,
').(>(>; winj,', li.oO; tail, !.*.>'>; tarsns, .SO ; middle toe and claw, .75; bill abo\e. .51 ; ^'■apo,
.o() ; «,'reatest heiiriit, .25.

Hab. Cape St. Lucas (Dec. L^.?.)).

This l»inl, of wliicli a single s])eL'inien only is so far known, is very closely
related to I*, rosfrnfi'.s, tlmuoli veiv easily distinmiished from it. It is con-
si(]eral>ly smaller tlian rasfr<(h(s, tlie l>ill more slender, the nj)per parts much
darker, l>einu plumbeous, not sandy-colored; the stri]>es beneath darker; the
bill and le^s mon^ dusky. These ditlerences may not indieate a distinct
si)ecies, but as tlie specimen here deserilted differs entirely from all the speci-
mens of a lar«(e ntunber of J*, rust rot ii:^:, it is vet entitled to consideration as
a marked variety, — jtrobably the resident race at Cape St. Lucas, where the
var. ru.strati'ii is merelv a winter visitor.

Hahits. Tile St. Lucas Finch is a new species, in regard to the habits
of whieh notliing whatever is as yet known. It was obtained at San Jose,
in Lower California, by Mr. John Xantus, in December, 185*.). It was found
in com])any with a ilock of Posfurrvlux rostratt's, and the presumption is that
its habits may resemble those of that little-known species.

(4i:xus POOC2!TES, RvrnD.

Poocaics, Baiui), Bird.s X. Am. 1858, 447. (Type, Friiigilla graminm, Gm.)

Gex. Cfiar. Bill rather larfjo : upper outline sliirhtly deeiirved towards the end, lower
straijrht ; commissure sliirhtly concave. Tarsus about eipial to the middle toe ; outer toe
a little lontrer than the inner, its claw reachinir to the concealed base of the middle claw ;
hind toe reachiufr to the middle of the middle claw. Winirs unusually lonjr. reacliinix to
the middle of the tail as far as the coverts, and pointed; the primaries considerably lonji^er
than the secondaries, which are not nuich surpassed by the tertiaries; second and third
quills longest ; first little shorter, about etpial to the fourth, short«?r than the tail ; the outer
feathers scarcely shorter: the feathers rather stilf : each one acumiuati' and sharj)ly point-
ed; the feathers broad nearly to the end, when they are oblicpiely truncate. Streaked
with brown above everywhere; beneath, on the breast and sides. The lateral tail-feather
is white. Shoulder ehestnut-brovn. -

i''iiiN(;iLLii)j<: — Till-: fin<iii:s.

045

Tli(M'ss(Mitial cljiiractci' nl" the i;<'iiu.s cniisists in the loiii^' and unintcd win^s,
lon;;^!' llian tin' tail and witlmiii I(»n^ tcrlials ; and tlu' rather btiil, lorkcd
tail, with its acute tuathers. JJut onu spt-eius is rt'cognizcd at i»rcsont.

PoocflDtes gramineus, r.Aiui).

0BAS8 SFABBOW ; BAT-WINOEO BUNTING.
Var. sraiuineus*

Fn'uffiV.f 'friininirft, (IM. Syst. Niit. I, 1788, 922. — Ari). Orn. lMo<r. I, 1831, 473 ; V, r»02,
111. Xf. Eiiihirizii <jrini(im»t, Wilson, Am. Oni. IV, l»ll, r»l, jil. ,\xxi, f. f*. .\ri).
Sva. 183i>, 102. — Ii!. Birds Am. ill, 1S41, 0.>, pi. cli.x. — Max. Cah. Jour, vi, 18.kS,
342. Frimjina {,Z<>iii,tiii-hiii\ tinnniucit, Sw.mnson, F. B. Am. II, 1831, 2'»4. Zi>no-
frichin tjraininat, Bon, List, l.s:)8. — In. (■uiis|M'(!tus, 1850, 478. PiHKcctcs gramineus,
r.AiKi), Birds N. Am. 18')8, 447. - Sa.mikl.s, 3o3,

S. CiiAU. Tail-tt*atlu'rs rather ai-iiic. Ahove li^dit yi'Ilowisli-l.rown ; t1u> H'atluMN
everywhere streaked ahruptly with

dark hrown, evt-n on the .<ides of tlie
neck, ^v hich are paler. IJeiieath yel-
lowish (soinetiiues reddish) white ;
on tlie jiiiridum and sides of neck
and body streaked with I>rown. A
faint li^irlit sn})ereiliary and niaxiUary
stripe; the latter niarLMued aliove
and helow with dark hrown : the np-
per stripe eontinued around the ear-
covert.*, which are darker than the

brown color elsewluMe. Wind's with ^

the shoulder li^dit ehestnut-l.rown, ' Poorates smwineus.

and with two dull whitish bands alonrj the ends of the coverts; the outer odpre of the
secondaiies also is white. Exposed portion of outer tail-feather, and edire and tip of the
gecond, white. Lenjrth, about (5.2.') ; win<r, ."MO; tail, 2.r)(); bill, ..'3.'] from frontal feathers
to point, by ,33 in depth at base ; tarsus, .72. Bill yellow, dusky above ; lei^s yellow.
(^I(>asurenient of No. 10,147 ^, Washiufjton, D. C)
IIab. Eastern Province of United States.

Var. conflnis.

Poocccks grdmiiicm, var. cotifiiix, liAiiin, Birds N. Am, 1858, p. 448 (in text under P. (fm-
miitcim). Poocafc^ (jnntn'uens, t'ouPKU & SrcKLEV, 200. — Cooria:, Orn. i'a\. I, 186.

Sp. Ciiah. Resemblinir P. <jramhieus^ but colors paler, the dark streaks narrower.
Bill more slender, tarsi Ioniser. (Measurement of 40.803 ^. Fort Whipple, Arizona;
Bill, .30 from point of frontal feathers by ,25 in depth through base; t.'»rsus, .78; wing,
3.35 ; tail, 2,80).

IIab. West(M-n and Middle Provinces of United States, south into Mexico ; Oaxaca
(ScL. 1859, 379 ; March).

This species is readily identified by the absence of a median stripe on the
head, the chestnut-brown of the shoulder, and the white hiter.d tail-feathers.
The younf( birds have the ground-color above more whitish, the streaks
blacker, in sharper contrast ; the streaks on jugulum, etc., less sharply de-

09

546

XOPTH AMERICAN BIRDS.

l^for.T' .': v:^n>ii!it> !i%

fintul ; the i^eneml nj^poarance, liowever, is not diffiTont from tho adult. Some-
times there is a decided ciiiiKiinon wash beneatli. Western speeimens (var.
roiijinix) appear to be paler, with loii^^er wings, and longer and mcjre slender
bills, in this respect resembling other Findies (^Mc/osjuza , Pd-^^iicrculus, etc.).

All specimens from west of the liocky Mountains are to be referred to
var. ronjinis.

Haiuts. The liay-winged or CJrass Finch is a very abundant species

wherever found, and has a very ex-
tended distribution. Accepting as
one species the slightly variant
races above indicated, this bird
extends from Florida and ^lexico,
n the south, to the oTtli parallel
of latitude, and from tlie eastern to
the western shores. It was found by
liichardson frequenting the plains
of the Saskatchewan, where it ar-
rives early in May and leaves in
September, and where it nests
abundantly in the short withered gmss of that sterile region. Richardson
did not trace it farther north than the 57th parallel, and it was not obtained
on the Yukon or Andei-son Itivers by Mr. MacFarlane or Mr. Lockhart. It
breeds from Northern Virginia north.

In the Middle States it is partially resident, a portion remaining all the
winter. South of Washington it is chiefly migratory, only found, in any
nund)ers, from Xovend)er to March, and probably but tew remaining to breed.
Audubon states that lie never saw any of this species in any portion of Lou-
isiana, Missouri, Kentucky, or Ohio. Mr. Dresser, on the other hand, found
them common al)out San Antonio in August and September, and also in May
and June, and had no doubt that some remain to breed.

It is very abundant throughout Xew England, arriving in some seasons as
early as March 11, and remaining until cpiite late in the l^ill, often through
XovemV)er. It is found chiefly in dry open fields and pastures, where it
nests, with no pains at concealment, on the ground, in depressions made by
its own work. It is an unsuspicious and fearless species, neitlier seeking
nor avoiding the companionship of man. It does not usually build near
houses, yet is not unfrecpiently known to do so. It may be often found
perched on fences along the roadside, chanting its simple and pleasing lay,
and quite as frecpiently in the road feeding and dusting itself. The latter
operation it is very fond of practising, and almost any day in the summer
these birds may be found in such situations.

West of the Great Tlains is found a marked variety of this species, differ-
ing in many respects from tlie eastern. The western species or race of this
Finch, Mr. Kidgway states, is an abundant summer bird in all the elevated

FK1XG1LLI:j.E — THE FINCHES. 547

grassy portions of the West. It is especially iliuraoteristic of the higher
grassy slopes of the elevated moiintaiiis, jiarticularly in the liocky Mountain
regions, and its sweet and simple song is one of the ]>leasant associations of
those regions. It descends, in the autunui, to the lower districts, having heen
observed during Sei)tenil)er in tiie greatest abundance among the " rye-grass"
meadows of Senot Vallev, at the northern end of the Kast Humboldt liaui^e.
It nests on the ground in grassy banks, in various situations.

Dr. Suckley found this bird abundant on the Xiscpially Plains, about
Puget '^'ound ; and Dr. Cooper says it is common, in sununer, on the jnuiries
of the interior of Washington Territory. Dr. Cooper also found it wintering
in the Colorado Valley, in consideralde numbers, but all disa])j)eared in
April. He thinks they breed in Northern Ca1if(jrnia, tliough he has never
found them doing so. Dr. Xewberry states that they are common in the
Sacramento Valley, both in the summer and in the fall. It was found bv
Mr. Boucard, in winter, near Oaxaca, Mexico.

Their song is a very simi)le and ]dcasant succession of soft notes, resem-
bling that of the Canary, but thinner and feebler. It is begun early in the
morning and continued a few hours, and then renewed at sunset and kept up
often until after dark. It is also not unlike the song of the Song Sparrow,
but is neither so varied nor so loud and strong. It continues to sing until
late in the season.

They feed in the road, eating insects, seeds, and grain. They are fond of
searching also in ploughed fields, and keep })rincipally upon the ground, ex-
clusively so when they are searching for their food.

Although as unsusj^icious as the Song Sparrow or the Chi])i)ing Sparrt)W,
this Finch rarely, like them, comes about the house for cnunbs of bread, but
seems to prefer to forage for itself in the fields and by the roadside. Taken
from the nest, these birds may be readily tamed, and soon become very in-
teresting and familiar little pets, though Nuttall states that where several
are thus kept they become very jealous of each other, and quarrelsome.

Their nest is always jdaced ujwn the ground, and is very simply con-
structed of dry stems of grasses, with no other lining than soft fine materials
of the same. They have two, and sometimes three, broods in a season.
When their nest is approached, they make use of various artifices to draw
away the intruder, and often vary their devices in a very striking manner.
In ^lay, 183G, crossing a field within a few rods of my home in Koxbury, I
nearly stepped upon a female sitting uj)on her nest. She immediately tum-
bled forward towards me, counterfeiting the most extraordinary lameness,
so much so that I supposed that I had really stepped upon and severely
injured her. I stooped to pick up what I supposed to be a wounded bird,
and found her nest and four eggs. Visiting her nest again, as I apj)roached
she flew from it quietly and silently, and immediatidy began the same ma-
meuvres, at some little distance from her nest, which she discontinued as
soon as she noticed that I was examining her treasures. These devices she

548

NORTH AMERICAN. BIRDS5.

varied several times in a verv renuirkal»le manner. In Massachnsetts I have
known this species to have its complement of eggs hy the 15th of April.

The ei^iis of this s])ecies are usuallv live, often four, and rarelv six in
numher. They are of an ohlong-oval shape, the smaller end but slightly
more pointed than the other. They vary greatly in size, ranging from .1)0 to
.80 of an inch in length, and averaging ahout .Of) in breadth. Their ground-
color is a pale green ish-wiiite, marked with spots, lines, dots, and blotches
of various shades of reddish and puri)lish brown. In some eggs the spots
are few and small, chiefly conlhient in a ring about the larger end, while the
ground-color is very plainly distinguishable. In others the ground is nearly
concealed by the abundance of the spots.

Coturn irulus passer in us.

Genus COTURNICULUS, Bovap.

Cotuniiculifft, HoNAP, (Jc'o^f. List, 1838. ^Tyin*, Fringilla piisseriiia, Wils.)

Gex. Char. Bill vory large and stont, (except in C. lecontei) ; the under mandible

broader, but lower than the upper, which is deci-
(UmIIv convex at the basal portion of its upper
outhne. begs moderate, apparently not reaehiuj^
to the end of the tail. The tarsus appreciably
longer than the middle toe : the lateral toes equal,
and with their claws falling decidedly short of the
middle claw; the hind toe intermediate between
the two. The v.ings ar:: short and rounded,
reaching to the base of the tail; the tertiaries
almost as long as the primaries; not much difler-
ence in length in the primaries, although the
outer three or four are slightly graduated. The
tail is short and narrow, shorter than the wing
(except in C. lecontei), graduated laterally, but sliglitly emarginate ; the feathers all lanceo-
late and acute, but not stitttined, as in Ainmodromus.

This genus agrees with Pff.<<in'n//u.'i in the short and narrow tail. The
wings are much shorter and more rounded ; the feet shorter, especially the
middle toe, which is not as long as the tarsus. The tail-feathers are more
lanceolate. The bill is much larger, and more swollen at the base.

The essential characters of this genus consist in the swollen convex bill ;
the short toes, compared with the tarsus ; the short and rounded wings ; and
the very small, narrow, sliiihtlv graduated tail, with its lanceolate acute
feathers (except in the South American C. mauimhe).
~ In some respects there is a resemblance to AmmofIromv>i, in wiiich, how-
ever, the bill is very much more .slender ; the wings still shorter, and more
rounded ; the tail-feathers much stitTer, and even more lanceolate ; the toes
extending beyond the tip of the tail ; the middle toe rather longer than the
tarsus, instead of considerably shorter.

C. lecontei has the same general form, but a much smaller bill. ^

FlilNGILLli 7^ — THE FILCHES. 549

Synopsis of Species.

Common CnAR.vrTKns. down and hack stieakcd with Mack npon an ashy, olive, or
chestnut ground ; liencath whitish, tinged across the hreast with ochraceoiis or ashy,
plain, or witli hlackish streaks on the hreast. A light superciliary stripe.

A» Tail-feathers attenuated, acute at ends, much trraduated. On the crown

a median light strij)e.

a. A dusk}' streak on each side of the throat, and one above tlic light
ochraceous maxdlary stripe.

1. C. henslo'wi. Bill very rol)ust, .35 along culmen by .30 deep
at base ^Ving, 'J.'Ju; tail, "J.'JO. Head ochraceous or greenish
olive, lighter on the throat ; a blackish stiipe on each side of the
crown. Breast streaked with black at all ages. JIab. Eastern
Province of United »States.

b. Ko dusky streak on side of throat nor above the maxilUu.

2. C. lecontei. Bill very narrow, only .10 broad by .20 deep at
base. Median stripe of the crown ochraceous for anterior third,
the remaining part ashy-white; superciliary stripe wholly ochra-
ceous; edge of wing white; breast sparsely streaked in the adu\.
Wing, 2.15; tail, 2.20. Ilab. Plains west of the Missouri, from
Texas to Dakota.

3. C. passeriuus. Bill roltust, .23, or mor(\ broad, by .24, or more,
deep at b;use. Median stripe of the crown oi-hraceous through-
out ; superciliary stripe yellow anteriorly, ashy posteriorly ; L'^h^e
of wing bright yellow, breast unstreaked in the adult, streaked in
the young, in which the head stripes are ashy, with no yellow on
wing or over lore.

Colors dark, the black markings predominating above. Ad.
Anterior lower parts deep bull" at all seasons. Jnv. Dusky
streaks on breast very distinct. Bill, .33 and .30 ; wing, 2. GO;
tail, 1.90. Hub. Eastern Province of United States, and

West Indies xnv. jiasser inus.

Colors pale, the light markings predominating above. Ad.
Buff of the breast scarcely observable in sunnner. Jnr. Dusky
streaks on breast scarcely appreciable. Bill, .33 and .24 ; wing,
2.G0; tail, 1.90. Hub. Western Province of United States

var. p e r^> rt / / ?" f/ « .s\
B« Tail-feathers broad, rounded at ends; onlvsliirhtlv rounded. Crown not
divided by a median stripe.

4. C. manimbe. Head clear asliy, whitish on throat; crown uni-
formly streaked with black. Supra-loral streak and edge of wing
bright yellow. No streaks on breast in adult.

Breast tinged with ashy ; black streaks on upper parts nuich

narrower than the intervening ones of the ashy ground-color ;

dorsal feathers rufescent-umVier medially, edged with ashy, and

' with a shaft-streak of black. Wing, 2.35; tail. 2.00. Hub.

Brazil var. manimbe.

Breast tinged with ochraceous ; black streaks on upper part^
much broader than the ashv ones of the srround-color ; dorsal
feathers black, edgetl with ashy ; wing, 2?25; tail, 1.90. Ifub.
Buenos Ay res and Uruguay var. do7-saIis.

550

NUKTH AMERICAN BIUDS.

Cotumiculus henslowi, Dc^nap.

HENSLOWS BUNTIHO.

Enihrr>'z>i Jnns/otr,; At'D. Oni. Riofj. T, 1831, 3»;o, pi. Ixxvii. - In. Syn. 1830, 104. -Ib.
Binls Am. Ill, 1841, ".'), |>l. clxiii. — Nittall, Man. I, 1832, Apjt. (Mui'niciJns
hcishxri, r.t>N. List, 1838. — In. ronspectus, 1850, 48\ — Ij.\iin», Binls N. Am. 1858,
451. — Maynaud, Binls E. Mass. 1S70, 117. --S vmukls, 30C. Friiujilla Imnsluwi,
NuTTALL, Man. 1, (2el ed.,) 1840, 571.

Sp. Chak. Uppev parts yellowish-bixiwii, the hood, neck, aiul nppor parts of back

ting^LMl uith grc'cMiisli-yollow. Interscapular feathers
dark brown, siifl'iised externally with bri-dit brownish-
retl; each f(Nit her with p:rayish borders. Tertiaries,
rump, and tail-feathers abruptly dark chestnut-brown,
darkest c?ntrally, paler externally, and narrowly niar-
gint'd with jzray. Crown with a broad black spotted
istripe on each side ; these spot.s contiiuied down to the
back. Two narrow black mandibular stripes and one
post-ocular on each side of the head, and an obscure
black crescent or si>ot behiutl the aurieulars. Under
parts lii,dit brownish-yellow, paler on the throat and
abdomen. The jurruluni, upper part of the breast, and
the sides of the body, conspicuously streaked with
black. Ed<a> of winj? yellow. A stroncr tinjje of
pale chestnut on the winj^s and tail. The median
tail-feathers and upper coyerts chestnut or rufous

brown, with sharply detined shaft-streaks of black. Lenjjth, 5.25; wino-, 2.15; tail, 2.15.
IIab. Eastern United States as far north as Massachusetts; ^vestward to the Loup

Fork of Platte.

Tliis species is related to C. passcrinns, but readily distinguished by the
^vell-ulal■ked stripes on breast and sides, tlie greenisli-yellow, not chestnut-
brown, of head and nai^e, and the two niandilnilar dusky stripes. The mid-
dle tail-tVathers are reddish with only a very narrow sharply defined niediau
shaft-streak of l»lack, instead of liaving the greater portion of the centre
dusky with scalloped edges. I have not seen young birds, but they probably
di Her little from the adults.

Habits. The history and general distribution of Henslow's Bunting is
still soniewliat imperfectly known. Mr. Audubon first met with it, in 1820,
in Kentucky, nearly opposite to Cincinnati. It wiis seen on the ground,
amongst the tall grass, and is said to have exhibited all the i^eculiarities of
this tribe. He was afterwards informed that this bird is abundant in the
Stat<3 of New Jersey, and that it breeds there ; and in evidence of this he
mentions receiving a specimen from Dr. Trudeau, obtained by that gentle-
man himself. Mr. Audubon also mentions that both Dr. Bachman and he
have procured a great number in South Carolina, where they abound, in the
latter part of autumn, and wliere, also, a portion remain during the winter.
In Florida, ]Mr. Audubon again met with these birds in the winter. They

Cot urn ic iil us jiass^ rin us .

FRINGILLID/E — THE FINCHES. 551

were in ijreat iiuiubers in ull the pine l)arien.s of tliat State, in li<j:lit and
sandy soil, and in woods bnt tliinly overgrown by taH pines. Tliey never
aliglit on trees, but spend tlieir time on the ground, running with great ra-
pidity through the grass, in tlie inanner of a mouse.

In New .Jersey thev were found in jdcjughed tiehls, wliere they are pre-
sumed to ha^e beer ovei'looked and mistaken for the Vellow-winged Spar-
row. 'Mv. AucUiboij supposed tliat they were not found farther eastward
than that State.

Specimens in tlie Smithsonian eoHection have been procured in ( Georgia
in December ; in Marvhmd in July ; at Fort llilev, Kansas, Southern lUi-
nois, and in Xehraska, in June.

In Ma^ssaclmsetts they are regular summer visitants, though as yet tliey
have been met witli in only a few inshmees and in a somewhat restricted
locality. They are now met with nearly every year, and several nests have
been taken. ^Ir. ^laynard obtained two specimens, ^lay 10, in a wet
meadow in Xewton. Their song-note he descril)es as like the syllables sec-
wid; the lii-st syllable prolonged, the latter giveh (piickly. This bird was
first obtained in Berlin, in that State, by ^Ir. E. S. Wlieeler, who discovered
its nest and eggs. It was mistaken for Bachman's F'inch, and was at fii-st
so placed on the record, though the error was immediately corrected. Since
then, in tliat town, and in one or two others in its neighborhood, other nests
have been met with. Mr. William Brewster obtained several specimens in
Lexington, May 14, 1872. It is quite probable that it has been confounded
with C'.^>^?.S6Yr/« ?<.<?, and it is now supposed to ha more common in the eastern
part of the State than that bird.

One specimen of this Bunting was taken near Washington, during the
summer season, from whicli circumstance Dr. Coues gives it as an exceed-
ingly rare summer resident of the District of Columbia.

In 1871, Mr. Bidgway ascertained that, so far from being rare, Henslow's
Bunting is very abundant on the prairies of Southern Illinois, as well as the
Yellow-winged species, but far exceeding the latter in numbei-s. Though
entirely similar to that bird in habits and manners, it may Ije readily distin-
guished by its note, which is said to be an abrupt ^j //-/?</, much more like tlie
common summer-call of the Shore Lark than the lisped grassho|)per-like
chirp of the 0. passa-inits, and to be uttered as the bird perches on the sum-
mit of a tall weed, the tail being depressed, and the head thrown back at
each utterance. A number of unidentitied eggs were sent to me several
years since, by Mr. Kennicott, from near Chicago. They resembled some-
what the eggs of C. jmsscrinv.s, but were not the eggs of that species. I
have now no doubt they belonged to this bird.

The nest is built in the ground, in a depression, or apparently an excava-
tion scratched out bv the bird itself, and is a well-made structure of coarse,
dry, and soft reeds and grasses, well lined with finer materials of the same
description. The eggs, five or six in number, somewhat resemble those of

552 NOKTII AMKfilCAN BIRDS.

the C. passrrinifs. Their ^'r(Mui(l-c(»h)r is a clear hrij^lit wliite, and they are
spotted with will-defined reddish-ltiown markings, and more subdued tints
uf purple. Tlie marking.'^, so far as I have seen their eggs, are finer and
fewer than those of 6'.^)</.s,>rrm</.s', and are distributed more exclusively around
the larger end. The e^^^^s measure .7<S liy .GU of an inch, and are of a more
oblonu-oval than those of the common Vellow-Win<r.

Coturniculus lecontei, Bonap.

LECONTFS BUNTING.

Emhcriza Iccoutci, Ai'P. Rinls Am. VII, 1S43, 338, pi. cccclxxxviii. - Max. C'al>. Jour. VI,
1858,340. Coturiikiilus lecontei, 13oN, C'ouspcftus, 1850, 481. — li.\ii:L», Birds N. Am.
1858, 45-2.

Sp. Char. Bill much inoro slender than in C. Jienslowi. First quill the lonjrest, the rest
diniiuishintr rapidly. Tail eniarginate and roun<led, with the leathers acute. Upper parts
litrht yellowish-rod, streaked with brownish-black; the margins of the feathers and
scapulars pale ydlowish-white. Tail-feathers dusky, margined with light-yellowi.sh.
Lower i)arts, with the cheeks and a broad band over the eyes, fine buff. Medial line
vellowi.«;li anteriorly, nearlv whitt; behind. The bull" extendini? to the femorals and alonsr
the sides, streaked with brownish-black. Throat, neck, and upper parts of the breast,
without any streaks, and plain bull". Length, 4.40: wing, 2.13; bill along ridge, .37;
edge. .50. Legs tlesh-color ; bill dark blue.

Hak. Mouth of Yellowstone, to Texas.

Since the regret expressed in the Birds of North America (1858) at the
loss of the single si)ecimen known of this species, another has been received
by the Smithsonian Institution from Washington Co., Texas, collected by
Dr. Lincecum. It is in very poor condition, having been skinned for an
alcoholic preparation, and does not admit of a satisfactory description of the
colors. In its uiisi)otted breast, the rufous feathers of the hind neck, the
absence of maxillary stripes, and apparently in the markings of the wings, it
is most like C. passcriaus. Although the inner tail-feathers have the narrow
stripe of hcnslowi, the bill is much smaller, as stated by Audubon, than in
the others, and is apparently bluish, not yellow. The vertical stripe is
deep buff anteriorly, and pale ashy posteriorly, instead of buff throughout,
and the superciliary stripe is continuously buff, instead of yellow anterior to,
and ashy behind, the eye. In the comparative length of wing and tail, it is
most nearlv related to hcnshvi, but the bill is verv much narrower than in
either. LTpon the whole, there can be no doubt of its actual specific distinct-
ness from both its allies.

Habits. Leconte's Sharp-tailed Sparrow was procured ])y Audubon in
his expedition to the Yellow'stone. He speaks of its having very curious
notes, which he describes as of a sharp, querulous nature, and a general habit
of keeping only among the long, slender green grasses that here and there
grew up in patches along the mai-gins of the creeks. So closely did it keep

KKINGILLID.K — THE FINrilKS. 5.-^;^

#

t

in the coverts to wliicli it resoitiMl, tliiit it was very diffieult to ion-c il to
rist' on the winj^^, when only it cmihl lie prmuri'd. Mr. AiKhiltoii did not
niei't with its nest or you 111;, and they remain unknown.

This tyjH* siM'cinien was presented hy Auihihon to Professor liaird. A
second was sent tu the Smithsonian Institution, Ironi Texas, by Dr. Lince-
ceuui.

Cotiirniculus passerinus, liOXAr.

YELLOW-WINGED BVNTINO.

Fi'iiKjilla j>nss,:rl,ii, Wil.s..v, Am. Urn. Ill, IvSll. 7«», ].l. xxvi, i". .'>. — Arn. Orn. Hio;,'. 11,
1S34, ISO ; V, 4!»7, i»l. cxxx. Fiiiujilht {.Sjhz<i) jHusserina, Bon. <)1»s. Wils. 1825,
Xo. 111. CofKrtiiciilu.s fnis.se It na, IJox. List, 1838. — I B. ronspi-etiis, 18".0, 481.--
lUinn, liinls N. Am. 1858, 450. — Samikls, jjo5. Emheriza jHisscri.oi, Aid. Svn.
Is:i9. - - Ib. Birds Am. 1 11, 1841, 73, pi. clxii. FriiujiUa stframirain, (G.M.) XiTTALr,,
Man. 1, 1832, 404. In. ('2i\ ed.) 1840, 570. — ((Imklix, Syst. Nat. 1, 1788, 1)210
<> ' Fritiffifla cufolacHtu, Lath. Ind. Orn. 1, 17lMi, 45i«. - Xrrr. Man. 1, 1832, 50.".
> Piimrina pn'f' nsis, ViKlLLi»T. L'oitinikuhis tiiicrua, (Jossk.

LoCALiTiK.s : Oaxaca, March (8cL. 1859, 370). Guatemala (Scl. Ibis, 1, l.s). ('iil)a ^wiiit.r,
common, «.Ab. Journ. IV, 7). Co>ta Kica (Cab. .Tourn. Vlll, 1800, 411 ; Lawi:. I.\,
103>. Vei-a Cruz (winter, Su.m. Mem, Best. Soc. I, 552).

Sp. Char. Feathers of the upper part.«! brownish-rufous! or chestnut-hrown. mar<;ine(l
narrowly and abruptly with ash-color; reddest on the lower part of the back and nnnp;
the feathers all abruptly black in the central portion; this color visiV>le on the interscaj.n-
lar region, where the rufous is more restricted. Crown bhukish. with a central and supi-r-
ciliary stripe of yellowish tinged with brown, brightest ni front of the eje. Bend of the
wing bright yellow ; lesser coverts tinged with greenish-yellow. Quills and tail-teathers
e<lged with whitish ; tertiaries much variegated. Lower narts brownish-yellow or buft'.
nearly white on the middle of the belly, darkest on the jngulum. The feathers of the
upper breast and sides of the body with ob.soletely darker centre.s, the.-^e sometimes
wanting. Sides of bieast against bend of wing with a few black streaks, usually con-
cealed. Length about 5 inches ; wing, 2.40 ; tail, .2.00.

Hab. Eastern United States ; south to Guatemala ; Jamaica, resident ; Porto Rico.

The young of this species have the jiiguhim and sides of the breast
streaked with black, much more distinct than in the adult, and exliihiting a
slight resemblance to C. henshwi. The upper parts are less varied.

Specimens from the Far West have the bill more slender, the reddish of the
back considerably paler, the dark markings of the back restricted, the light
stripe on the head with scarcely any yellow, a decided spot in front of the
eye quite yellow, and little or no ochraceous on the breast.

The young bird, witli streaked jngulum, may be most readily distinguished
from C. henshici by tlie grayer plumage without any shade of chestnut or
greenish-yellow, the spai-seness of streaks on the side, the absence of the
two mandibular dusky stripes, and the broad dusky centres of the middle
tail-feathers.

Quite a fine series of specimens from Jamaica and other West India Isl-
ands atibrds ample material to judge of the validity of the C. tkcicrui^ of

TO

5.34 NoKTii ami:ki('a\ uikds.

(iosse. It is sciircclv possililc to «listinmiisli tlifsc .I;nn;ii(':in s])0('iiii('Tis from
examples from tlie Kjistcrii Province (»f tlif liiited Stales, tliou^lj minute
ditVerenees are ol»serval»le. Their size is soniew hat smalh-r, l»nt they are resi-
dent in the region where ohtained : and the shach's of color are ju: t aj)j>r»'-
ciahly darker. Thcn'c^ are, Imwi-vcr, no ditfer(;nees sutlicient to justify retain-
hi*s the nanje tij'icrus, to desi-^tiate even a \arietv.

All tin* speeimcns in 'lie co'^ction from Mi'xieo and (Guatemala are in
the autumnal or winter dress, so that it is prol»al»le that they are not resi-
dent there; they appear to he identical with North American specimens, and
referrihle to the variety passcri/uoi as restricted.

IJetween summer and winter specimens ureat ditlepMiees are ohservahle ;
in the former season the edges of the feathers hecome worn, so that often the
chestnut spots disappear entirely, while the other marV.ii.;js become poorly
defined, leaving the hlack blenches predominant.

IIaiuts. The comnntn Yellow- winged Sparrow appears to be a bird of
irregular and une«[ual distribution, found in certain localities in great almn-
dance, and not seen in the intervening districts. According to some writers,
it is partial to sandy i)laces near the sea, and this is certainly true of the
neighborhood of Xew York City, and also of a large portion of the Xew
Jersey coast. It is likewise the case in certain portions of Eastern Massa-
chusetts, as, according to Mr. ^laynard, this species is very numerous in
Xantucket, where it breeds abinidantly. I have never met with this Sparrow
in Mas.sachu setts, except in a single instance, near lioston, nor in any collec-
tions of eggs have I seen any that I supposed could be tho.se of this species ;
yet in the western part of the State, according to Mr. Allen, it is an abun-
dant summer visitant, arriving there about the first week in May, and leav-
ing early in September, bree»ling in dry fields and ])asture.s, and raising two
broods in a .season. According to Mr, l>oardman, it is an occasional visitant
in tlie neighborhood of Calais, yet rare ; arriving there the first of April, five
weeks earlier than it shows itself in Springfield. Yet that this bird has
ever been met with between Boston and Calais does not appear. It was not
seen in Western Maine by Professor Verrill.

In the vicinity of Hartford, Conn., this bird appears also to be a not un-
common sunnner resident. In 18()(), I received f'om Mr. T. S. l*»randiiree
several nests found in that neighborhood. Thev we:e all constructed on the
ground, in a field of thin grass, and their tops were all nearly covered over.
Dr. Heermann states that he found this bird a not uncommon species, in
the summer seascm, near San Antonio ; and Mr. Dresser also jirocured a speci-
men there in the early summer. Dr. Lincecum mentions it as a common
resident in \Vashingtf)n County, in the .same State. He describes it as a
close-hiding Grass Sparrow, running on the ground in the manner of a mouse,
and never seen to alight on trees. Dr. Cones speaks of it as a resident
species in South Carolina., especially abundant during the period of migra-
tion, j

FIMNCJILI.IDJ:- TIIK KINt'llKS. 5.-');",

It has \hh'u I'nund ijJiit*' (mhiihhhi, (luring tin* wiiittr nn)ntlis, in ('ciitial
Aii»«'ii(.'a, sjt!,'(iiii 'US !i,i\iii<4 Ikh'Ii juikmui'iI tliciv l>y Scfior Cniislaiicia, Mr.
SkiiiULT, iiinl Dr. \ in Taiun. It was also lound at Oaxaia, Mcxini, l»v Mr.
linucaid.

Mr. Xultall iin«l Mr. Aiululn>n sj.cak of it as ocTiirrinj^^ in Orri^on. Imt Dr.
Con|K*r (litl not meet willi it on the I'acitic coast. Dr. Ki'micrly ol>taiiKMl a
sinulu sju'cinien on diu' of tin* forks of ilu' [ >lora«U>, in Fchruarv. ^Ir. IJidg-
way met with the western form «»t" this sjjecios, in suitahle i)laees, in the
Sacramento Valley an«l thedivat I'asjn.und j»rojK.-as for it the name of prr-

In the vicinity of Newark, X. d., I have found tliis sporios a])parently one
of the most ahundaut in that nei,i;hhnrlioo«|, liaviui: olilained there in the
month of Junt; more eu^s of this tlian ol any uthrr specitis.

In Xorthtield, III, near the lake sh(»re, Mr. liolwrt Kcuuicott met with
the nests of these birds in ^reat ahuudance. Fmm these facts I infer that
it is not necessarily or ex«lusivelv a hird of tlie sea-shore, hut that in cer-
tain favorable localities it is as ahundaut in 1 1,' interior as on the coast, and
that at intervals it may l)e met with from Texsis to Maine, and from the
Atlantic to the interior, nearly or «iuit<' to tlu* Pacific ct»;ist.

In Jamaica, Mr. March states, this species is not uiuommon in the savan-
nas and grass lands near Spanish T(»wn. It is a resitlent in that island,
and hreeds there in considerahle nund)ers, nesting.,' in tufts of «;rass-roots.
It is only common in certain localities.

I have never heard its note to know it. Wilson s])eaks of it as a short,
weak, interrupted chirp. Acconling to ^Ir. ^id<x^^ay, it hears a close resem-
blance to the note of a iTrasshoj>j)er. Xuttall says they sing in an agreeable
voice, something like that of the Purple Finch, though less vigorously ; and
Audubon characterizes it as an unmusical ditty, composed of a few notes
weaklv enunciated at intervals.

It is terrestrial in its habits, living, nesting, and feeding on or near the
ground. It subsists on larva', insects, and the seeds of grasses and small
weeds.

This bird builds its nest on tlie ground, usually in a small tuft of grass or
in a cluster of plants. It is made of dry grasses, and is lined with tine bent
and horsehair. The young are .sai 1 to foUow their parents for a short time,
but soon separate, and learn to take care of themselves. Tiiis species is not
gregarious, and is )iever seen in Hocks, not even when just about to migrate.

Wilson and Xuttall describe the eggs as grayish-vrhite, sprinkled Mitli
brown. Audubon says they are dingy- white, sprinkled with brown s])ots.
This is not accurate. The ground-color is a clear crystalline white, beau-
tifully dashed and marbled with l)old markings of an almost golden brown.
These spots vary in size, are often (piite large, and occasionally make a
corona al)out the larger end. The eggs are of a rounded oval, almost spheri-
cal, shape, measuring .75 by .03 of an inch.

0-jO

N(JUTII AMKIilCA-X IMUlK^.

Cotumiculus passerinus, var. perpallidus, Kiixway.

WE8TEBH YELLOW- WINOED BUHTINO.

Citturnicidus fKtsserinuH^ sur. j» rjtti/liiliis, HiixavAY, K<'i><)rt of T. S. (Jt'ol. Kxpl. 40th Par.
Cotunu'i-iifus jHisstriiius, (*(M)1'ki:, Orn. Cal. I, 1NJ».

Sp. Ciiau. Adttit (No. :>8.«;o:, ^J, Antclopj' 1., Great Salt Lak«', .Fiit)*- 4, ISCiJ); V. S.
Oi'nl. Ex|tl. 4<Uh paralKl) similar to var. passerinus, luit the li^'lit tints jiltove prt-vjiiliu^',
the irroiiiKl a pale iu-ili-eolor. and the ihestiiut spots in excess ol" tlu' hjack ones. Sj)e<ks
on the naj)e very niiiuite. BnH" tin<r<' to eheoks, throat, and jnirnluni so faint a^ to he
scareely aj»pr«'eial>le. Winjr, -.<><': tail, 1.00; hill, .Xi from frontal feathers hy .24 in
depth at hiLse ; tarsns, .70. YoKnt/ (So. 'hVM'* Knhy Valley, N«'V., July 22. 18<;S) ditferinj,'
from yonnj; of var. passenutis in a predominanee of the light, instead of the dark, mark-
ings on upper surliue, streaks across breast so faint as to he just appreciable, instead of
distiiK't, and nearly black.

II.vi!. Western Piovin«.e of I'nited States, fronj eaj>tern l){use of Rocky Mountains to
th<» l*a<-ifi<'.

This very apjireciahly diffeient race re]>laees the restricted var. passcn'nt's,
ill tlie Western Provinee of the United States. In its paler eidors and
niiu'ii more slender hill than its eastern rejaesentative, it agrees with Pasaer-
ruhis (ilamllmix, }\m:a't<'s ronjinis, etc., as coni])ared with P. savauaa, P. yra-
mim us, etc. It is to this race that the hioorajdiical notes in the preceding
article refer, as far as baseil on western specimens.

Gent s AMMODROMUS, Swainson.

Ammoilramufi, Swainson, Zoiil. .lour. Ill, 1827. (Tvjh', Orwlus oiudacutiui, Om.)

Gkn'. Char. iJill very long, slen<lcr. and attenuatcil. considerably curved towards the
tip above. The gonys straight. A decided lol»e in middle of cutting edge of upper bill.
The legs and toes are very long, and reach eonsideraltly beyond the tip of the short tail.
The tarsus is about equal to the elongat«'<l middle toe; the lateral toes equal, their clav/s
falling consideral»ly short of tin* base of the middle one; the hind claw equal to the
lateral one. Wings short, reaching only to the l)ase of the tail ; much rouiuled ; the

secondari<'s and tertials e<pial, and not much
shorter than the primaries. The tail is rather
shorter than the win<rs, and graduated laterally ;
each feather stillened, lanceolate, and at-ute.

Color. Streaked above and across the breast;
very faintly on the sides.

The essential characters consist in the
slender and elongated hill ; the h>nglegs
reaching considerahly beyond the tail,
with the lateral claws falling considera-
bly short of the middle one ; and the
very short rounded wings, rather longer than the cuneate tail, with its stif-
fened and lanceolate feathers. .

Ammof/romus cawlacutus.

Fi:iN<;iM.II).K — TUK FINCIIKS.

Common Ciiauactkrs. Altovi- olivarroijs or a>!iy, tin- ciown wa>lu'<l with
luowu liitt rallv. tlu' dorsal li-alhrrs darkrr mitrallv ; l>«'in'alli wliitr, tiii«n'<l
a< ross tin' jii^'iiliim with ochraccoiis or ashy ; jiiL'nhmi sfrcakiMl; a dusky "Itriille"
t)M t'Ht'h si<l»* of thioat ; ahovc it a iiiaxilhiry strip*- of orlirafrous or white.

1. A. caudacutus. .1'/ Aliovf oHv«'. the dorsal tt'ath«'rs daikcr ami tdL't'd
with whitish-* ichrat'f oils; su|M'r<Mliary and maxillary stri|M's drrp ^MhractoiH;
juLrnlimi an«l siiU-s tin^frd with thr sariif. and sluirply stn-akt-d with Mark.
Jiir. Wholly ochraci'ous. <larkfr aliovr; rrowii and hark strraki-il with
l>la(k, tlu' I'onner divided in«'ilially Ky a palr-ltnm'u strip*-; lufiust and sidrs
str«'ak*-d with hhuk. flah. Atlantic coast of I'nitcd States.

2. A. maritimus. .1^/. Altovc a.>hy, the dorsal feathers; obsoletely darker
centiallv ; snperciliarv stripe vellowish-ashv. hri<_dit yellow over the lores;
maxillary stripe white; juirulnm and sides titiL'ed with ashy, the formei-
t>hsuli-tt-ly stn-ake<l witii dark ashy. Jtn\ Al»i»ve olivaceons. the erown and
hack streaked with l>lack, tin- tormer not <livitle<l hy a liirhter median lim-;
l>reast and sidi-s washed with ochraccous and distinctly str«'ak«'d with hlack.
Hub. Atlantic coast of United States.

Ammodromus caudacutus, Sw aixf^on.

SHABP-TAILED BirNTING.

Oriohdi rnndanitm, Cmki.in, I, 1788, 3i»4. — LviUAM, Iiid. Oni. 1. 170m, isr. (not
FriiiijiUd oiiuhicuta. Lath.). FriinjiUn atm/tiruttt, Wii,so\. .\iii. (hn. IV. IMl. 7<>,
pi. xxxiv, f. :i. — At i>. Oni. liio;,'. II, l.s:i4, 281 ; V, 4!»9, pi. cxlix. FriniilH" {Sj>i:>i)
ciimliicntii, Hon. Syn. 1N2S, lid. fassiriiic vtnnfuriif'i, ViKll.i.or. AiiiiniKlrn ,,i(ts
onuhu-iitits, SwAiNsoN, Birds, II, lb37, -JSJ*, — Ari>. Syn»»psis, l^:ii^ 111. In. Uinls
Am. Ill, 1841, inS, pi. el.xxiv. — Bonai'. Conspectus, 1850, 482. -- Baii:i., Birds N.
Am. 18r)8, 4.')3. — Samtkls, :i(i7. FrimjlUa /iffnrah'y, Ni'TTAi.!., .Man. I, 18:V2, .".(t4
(2*1 cd. 184U, "»«jn). Shorp-hdhd Ofioh, Penna.nt, Arctii Zoi»l. II, 2»n, New York.

Sp. Ciiah. rpper parts hrownish-olivaeeous. Head hnnvnish. streake*! w itli hlack on
the siiles. and a hroad central strijte *»f ashy. Ba<-k Motched with *larker: edir<-s of iii-
terscrtpnlar feathers an<l inner secondaries Avhitish, just exterior to a hlackish sutVusi«>!i.
A hroad superciliary an*l maxillary stripe, mcetinir behind the ashy ear-coverts, and a
han<l across the upper breast, buff-yellow. The si<les of the throat with a brown stripe;
the upper part of the brcjxst .and the sides of the body streaked with black; rest *»f
und<'r parts whitish. Kdsre of winir yel-
lowish-white. Bill yellowish Ik-Iow; dusky
above. The female appears to have more
bulT on the breast than the male. Length,
5 inches ; wing, 2.30.

Huh. Atlantit.' coast of th«' United
States.

The vouiiij: is of a more yellowish
tiii«,^e above and below; the stretaks
on the back more coii.s2)ieuoiis ; the
scapular feathers without the wliitish

PfhriiKv Animmlromus rmi'tanitiis.

111 autumnal and winter specimens the buff tints are much deeper than in

558 NORTH AMHUICAN lUKDS.

sjiiiii;^'; the sides of the emwii, as well as tlie <laik luarkiiij^'S on the hwk,
more inteiisitieil, ami in •,'reater roiitni.st witli the li<4htei' jisliy ami (►live
tints.

IfAl'.lTS. Tlie Sliarp-tailed Fineh is one of the most strikinL,' ami well-
characterized of huid-hirds, and as |)tn'iiliar to the sea- shore as the Triinjo .
in habits it very closclv resembles tlie whole ft irilv of Waders in many
striking' respects. Like them it feeds upon small crustaceans and minute
marine insects, keeping about the water's ed^'e, walking u|>on the floating
weeds and other sub.stances rai.sed by the tide, preferring this mode of lile
to a more inhmd residence, and (»nly resorting to the ui)lands to feed upon
the seeds of grasses and sedges when their food fails them at the watei's
edge.

Dr. Cones is of the o]>inion that this bird does not breed in the neighbor-
hood of IJeaufort, X. ('., and that it leaves for the North in May, having
a more northern habitat than A. mnrituna. He does not coincide with those
who (h'tect a resemblance lietween the actions of the Atnmoilnnni and of
tlie Sandj»ipers. He thinks the manner in which they climb the reeds, slide
up and down, and hang from them in various attitudes, is more like that
of Xuthatches and Titmice. On the ground they seem to him unmistakably
sparrow- like.

This Shari)-tailed Finch is abundant along the coasts of Connecticut and
Uhode Island, and is also found in Massachusetts, thoug)' sparingly, and only
in a few congenial localities. In the marshes of Charles IJivei", near Boston,
this species is occasionally common in the breeding-season. In the summer
of 18H9, Mr. H. \V. Henshaw found quite a number of their nests. Mr.
Maynard has also taken it among the marshes of Ipswich, which is ])robably
about its extreme northern limit. It has not, so far as I am aware, been
traced to Maine. In these localities it probably raises two broods in a sea-
.son, as it appears there in May, and remains until into October. They are
eminently terrestrial, run on the ground like mice, are difficult to Hush, and
can onlv be shot while on the winij. They lie close to the gi'ound, and con-
ceal themselves in the grass.

They are also very numerous in the marshes in the neighborhood of Xew
York, and especially so in Xew Jersey, breeding along that coast to Cape
^Iay^ How much farther south than this they are found I cannot state, but
I did not meet with any at Cape Charles, where the maritimus was very
abundant.

In the winter this species is found in large flocks along the shores of South
Carolina and Georgia. ^Ir. Audubon, however, did not find any in Florida.
In the marshes near Charleston they are found in inmiense flocks, so nuich
so that Audubon has known of forty being killed at a single shot. They
search in the sedgy marshes for their food when the tide is out, and, on the
approach of the returning w^aters, retreat to the higher shores and to the
rice embankments. : = <- .

FKIN(ilLMI>.K tin: KINCIIKS. 559

The tlij,'lit ol" llii.H .sjH*ci»'H is qiiitr (litr»'H'iit Tnnii that of any (»thL'j hinl.jiml
hv it thi'V niav at micr !»«• n'co'M j/eil. In tivinL.' tln-y iil><'» <hop tlu'ir tails
vfiv htw.

Mr. Au<hi])on states tliat <hiiin,Lr the winter tlie Sharp-taih'tl Fineh is
rurnisl'ed witli an extra quantity ot leathers on the rMnijJ, for whieli lie timls
it «lit!ieult to aeeount.

These l»ir(ls jin; essentially niarilinie, are found only in the vicinity of the
se.i, an<l always keep immediately ahout tin? water, except when the inclem-
ency of the weather drives them to the hi^h gras , of the uplands for sheltei
They walk and run, or remain feedinj^ on the thtatin^ weeds and other suit-
stances raise<l by the tide, with all the eise a:id fearlessness with whicii they
move on the land. They are j^re^arious in the winter, and in the Southern
marshes are found feeding in companies I)uring the hreeding-.seastju they
keep mure in pairs, and are found more isolated. At this time they are also
shy, and dillicult to deteet. Their usual call-note is only a ^ ingle tnnt, and
ill the love-season their series of twitters Mr. Auduhon thinks hardlv wor-
thy to he called a song. They feed indi.scriminately on .seeds, insects, small
crustaceans, and various forms of refuse matter tloated or thrown up hy the
tides.

On the coast of New Jersey, where these birds are found in the greate.st
abundance, they have at least two broods in a season. Their nest is on the
ground, in a small tussock of gra.ss or sedges, but little removed fifun th;-
reach of the tide, and is placed in a depression a[)})arently excavated for the
l)urpose. They are loosely made of soft and slender grasses, arranged in a
circular I'orm. The nest is large for the bird, spacious and deep, and is softly
lined with finer and similar materials.

Their eggs, five or six in number, are of a somewhat rounded oval shape,
having an avemge breadth of .r)l.) of an inch, and vary in length from .7^ to
.70. Their ground-color is a light green, occasionally a dull white, with
hardly a perceptible tinge of greenish, thickly sprinkled e(pially over the en-
tire e.^^'^^, with Hue rusty-brown dots. These are of various sizes, but all tine.
In a few the larger dots are confluent in a ring around the larger end ; in
others, the finer dots are so small as to l)e only distinguishable under a gla.ss,
concealin«r the j^ronnd-color, and giving to the egg an almost uniform rusty
color. These eggs vary but little in sliape, and are nearly e(iually rounded
at either end, though never entirely so.

5G0

XOKTII AMKKICAN UlllDS.

Ammodromus maritimus, swainson.

SEASIDE BUNTING.

Friiigilla vurritlma, Wilson", Am. On;. IV, 1811, t'tS, pi. .xxxiv, f. '2. .\i'i». Orn.
Hio<;. I, 1831, i»l. xciii. ^InunixlrinuH.s iniiritinni>i, S\v. Zoiil. .Tour. Ill, 1>"J7, '^'lii.
— B<»NAi'. List, 1>:{8. In. Consp. lsr,o, 4S_>. -Arn. Synoj^sis, lf<3y, 110. -lu.
Birds Am. Ill, 1841, 103. pi. clxxii. - IVvii:i>, Binls X. Am. 18;'h. 4r>4. — Samtkls,
308. FriinjiUa {Amiuoilromus) Duirifimn, Xr rr. Man. I, ('2»1 tnl., ) 1N40, .'ilfj. Frin-
,jiUi> i,ific(fif/icr(ii/i. All). ()in. llio-j. II, 1834, '2S3 ; IV, 1838, 31»4 ; V, 1^3l^ 4i>9, pi.
rcclv. Aiiutiiidrnmus moetjillivraifi, VntS. Li.st, 1838. — In. Coii.spcctus, 18r»0, 482. —
An». Syn. 183!>. — In. Birds Am. Ill, 1841, 106, pi. elxxiii. Friiujil/a {.hnmodro-
i/iUK) mocifilllrrinji, NrriALL, Man. I, r2d fd.,t 1840, .'»S»3.

8p. CiiAU. Above olivaoeons a.shy-brown ; iioarly iinifonn. l>ut with tho centres .
terscapular tl'atluMS darker and edged faintly witli paler; very obsoletely, almost inap-
preciably streaked elsewhere. es]>ecially on the liea<I, which h.as a faintly dcHned median
stripe of purer lushy. Beneath white ; the Itreast and sides and under tail-covorts with
rather indistinct streaks of dark Jushy-l>rown. tendin<r to form a larj^e spot in centre of
breast: an ashv manchbular stripe continued into the ashv si<les of neck, and cuttini; ofl'
and endosiiiir «'i white strijte aliove it. A spot of yellow anterior to eye, continued over
it as an almost inappreciable giayish stripe. Edge of wing sulphur-yellow. Bill lead-
color; feet dusky. Length about G in Thes ; wing, 2.50. In autimni the breast and slides
tinged with fulvous; the liack with rufous.

Young birds (J. macfjiUivniiii?) have markings n>'!.li more distinct, ami clo.«;ely resem-
ble A. raxdarntd, though larger. They will be most readily distinguished by the absence
of the fnlvous superciliary stripe.

Hab, Atlantic .sea-coast of United States, northward to Long Island Sound.

The same seasonal differences in coloration are observable in this species
as in A. vaudacutus.

Habits. The Seaside Finch has verv nearh' the same distribution, hab-
its, and manners of life, as the ShariJ-tailed species, and the description of
these in one would answi^r almost ecpially well for the other. There are.
however, certain sliades of difference in several respects to be observed.

This bird is, if anything, more southern in its distribution than the other,
and does not extend its visits in summer so far north. While the Sharp-
tailed Fincli is not an uncommon bird on the shores of tlie Xew England
States, as far to the north as Ipsv - h, the Seaside Finch is comparatively
mre, much more so now than it was formerly. Mr. Maynard states that he
has searched carefully for it from the Merrimack to the extreme southern
shores of Massachusetts without finding any specimens, nor could lie find
any on tlie island of Nantucket, a very natural and congenial locality. Dr.
Coues states that it is abundant on the New Hampshire coast, but recent
endeavors have failed to detect it. In 18.*>lj and 1887 a few isolated i)airs
built in the marshes of Stony Brook, near Boston, al)ove tide-water, nesting
not on tlie ground, but in low bushes. They were identified by Mr. Audubon.

In the summer of 1852 I found this species very abundant on the low
sandy islands of Cape Charles, Va. There, in every instance, their iicsts

KUINGILLID.K TIIK FlNCIiKS. 501

we'iv ill low l)uslies, alxnit a foot tVoiu iIil' ground. Tlu'v were tin' oiilv laiul-
birds tbuiul on tlit'si' islands.

Hex. ('. M. fTouL's inl'oriiis iiu; that at Madison, ( "onii., on the ooast, \\n\
Seaside and the Sliarp-tailed Finthes occni' in about et[ual numbers in the
salt marshes, lie was not able to (observe any sj)eeitie ditVereiiee in tlieir
mode ot" nestiiijjf, ex('ei>t that the nuiritimiis seemed to be more common in
tJiat part of the marsli nearest tlu^ .shore, while the rdudurufus was more
abundant fartlier Ijaek towards tlie highlands, though this was not the inva-
riable rule. He sometimes found the nests suspended in the salt grass, tlie
hitter being interwovt'ii with the other materials. Tn all sucli cases the en-
trance was on the side of the nest, in the manner of the Marsh Wren. At
other times he found the nest jjlaced under a ([uantity of lodged grass, but
resting on a portion still lower. In such cases it is generally o]>en at the to]».
He has also found them on the grimiul, jmkI, when thus placed, always much
more bulky than when built as above, a considerate ([uantity of dead grass
being laid down to keep the nest above tlie wet, though not always with
success. On l'obl>'s Island, Va., Mr. Jones (mly found the nun-it i inns, the
7iests of which were in bushes, from one foot to eiiihteen inches from the
ground.

The call-note of this species is said tt^ be a monotonous chirp, and its song
hardly to deserve that name. The notes of which it is com])ose(l are few%
and have neither variety, emphasis, nor attractiveness.

Dr. Coues states that tiiis Fincli begins to sing when mating, and is after-
wards, during the incubating, }mrticularly earnest and }>ersevering about it.
Each pair usually claims some particular copse, and the male usually has his
favorite singing-i>ost, to which it contiiuially resorts. He adds that its
simple song is something like that of the Yellow-shouldered Sparrow, begin-
ning with a few slow notes, then a rapid trill, finnlly slurred, till it sounds
like the noise made by some of the grassho])pers.

These l>irds are at all times shy and difficult to be aj>}»roached. When
their nest is visited, the parents leave it and secrete themselves, and cannot
be tmced without great ditticulty. When thus hidden, they will almost
sulfer themselves to be trodden u])on before they will Hy up.

Mr. Audubon thinks tliey have two l»roods, their first being hatched out
early in June. Their nests, he states, are usually placed next to the ground,
but not sunk in it. Their food consists of marine insects, small crabs, and
snails, as well as small sand-beetles and seeds. Their flesh has a rank, un-
savory flavor, so much so that, having had some made into a pie, he could
not eat it. He states also that they are resident in the Southern States, and
are found alont; the (Julf coast as far as Texas.

The nest is stronulv but coarsely woven of dry sedi^es, stems, and grasses,
and is lined with similar but finer materials. The eggs are five in number,
have a grayish-white ground, and are spotted and blotched with reddish-
brown. The blotches are distributed over the entire egg, and are much

71 _ _ ^ .: . ,.;:-...^.- --■-.^----■.-'- -

.*'>n2

XORTII AM KIM CAN HIRDSi.

liirij;e»r tliaii in the nnidart'tcs TIktc is, iinlctMl, no similarity between the
two egi^s. They measure .SS by lis of ;ui inch.

Gems CHONDESTES, Swafxson.

Cf)»ii(U'sfe.% 8WAINSON, riiil. Ma-;. I, 1^27, i'S't. — In. Fauna Ror.-Ain. 11, 1831. ('Y\\u:
Chnndtsf>s fifrifjatus, i>\\,'., i'iixiid to Friiifjillii (jrunuiuica, iiA\.)

<^KN. Chah. Bill swulN'ii ; Itotli <^»iitliiit's ;i«'iitly curv<*<l ; the lower iiiandiMo jis high as

the upper; the eunuiiissure aiigii-
-^ — ~ lated at the b.ose, and then sliirhtlv

sinuated. Lower iiiandil»le rather
narrower at the l»a>e than the leni^'th
of tile gonys : broader tlian the
upper. Tarsi moderate, about etjual
to the middle toe ; lateral toes equal
and very shoit, reaehinjr but little
l>eyond the midtlle of the penulti-
mate joint of the middle toe. and
falliuir eonsiderably short of the
base of middle elaw. Wings, long,
pointed, reaching nearly to the mid-
dle of tlie tail ; the tertials not
longer than the seeondarie.s ; the

first quill shorter than the second and third, which are equal. The tail is moderately

long, considerably graduated, the feathers rather narrow, and elliptically rounded at the

end.

Streaketl on the back. Read with well-delined large stripes. Beneath white, with a

pectoral spot. Only one species recognized. '

C*ionileSt'x ^rammara.

Chondestes grammaca, Bonap.

LABK SPABSOW.

Frimjillri gramvincfi, Say, in Long's Exped. R. Mts. I, 1823, 139. — Bon. Am. Orn. 1,
182."), 47, pi. V, f. 3. — Aid. Orn. Biog. V, 1839, 17, pi. occxc. Chondestes grmmmtca ,
Bon. List, 1838. —Ib. Conspeetns, 1850, 479. — Baiud, Birds N. Am. 1858, 45t). —
CooPEii & SucKLKV, 200. — Maynaud, Birds E. Mas.s. 1870, 112 <Mas.saohu.setts). —
CooPEit, Orn. t'al. I, 193, Emherizu gnrmmacit, AuD. Synopsis, 1839, 101. — Ib.
Birds Am. Ill, 1841, 03, pi. clviii. — Max. Cab. Jour. VI, 1858, 343. CJvondestcs
striffiitm, Swainson, Philos. Mag. I, 1»27, 435.

Sp. Char. Hood chestnut, tinged with black towards the forehead, and witli a median
stripe and superciliary stripe of ilirty whiti.sh. Rest of upper parts pale grayish-olive, the
interscapular region alone streaked with dark brown. Beneath white, a round spot on the
upper part of the breast, a broad maxillary stripe cutting off a white stripe above, and a
short line from the bill to the eve. continued faintly behind it, black. A white crescent
under the eye, bonlered brjow by black and l»ehind by chestnut, on the ear-coverts. Tail-
feathers dark brown, the outermost edged externally and with more than terminal third
white, with transverse outline ; the whit-.' decreasing to the next to innermost, tipped
broadly with whit<'. I -iiglh. O inches ; wing. 'i. 30.

FKlNiaLLlD.E — THK FINCIIE;?. 563

Hab. From Wis<.'onsin and Illinois (also in Miciii<j^an and Ohio) to the Pacilio coast ;
Cape St. Luca.-J, south to Texas and Mexico. UaxaealScL. IH'>!>, :\7ii) ; Vera Cruz (winter,
Sl"M1C11KAST, O.V2); Eastern ^[assaehusetts, aeeidental (Maynai;i»).

The colors of the feinah' are chiller tliaii in tlie male, tlie (^liestiiut less
brij^^ht, the black not so intense ; the }>attern, however, is the same.

Tlie young bird has tlie lueast and
throat with a good many spots of dark
brown instead of the single large one
on the breast. The other markings are
more obscure.

Habits. The Lark Finch is found
from Eastern Illinois to the Pacific, and
from Oregon to Texas. Within this wide
area of distribution it is everywhere
abundant in the open prairies and
plains. It is not hmnd in wooded re-
gions. This bird was described by Say,
and was nrst met with by Long s ex})e-

dition to the Missouri lUver. It was not known to cither Wilson or Au-
dubon, and its habits were very imperfectly known to Xuttall.

Mr. Dresser found this bird verv abundant in Texas throughout the sum-
mer, arriving in the neighborhood of San Antonio in March, and leaving
there early in October. He found their nests quite common, and usually
built in a mes(|uite tree or bush, of tine roots and grasses. Dr. Heermann
also found it abundant in Xew Mexico. In Arizona, Dr. Coues found it,
chiefly in spring and autumn, a migi-ant, and, at those seasons, very numer-
ous. Many remain during the summer to breed, and u few are found in the
whiter. It was met with near Xew Leon, Mexico, by Lieutenant Couch, but
was not obtained in Vera Cruz bv Sumiclirast. It was taken near Oaxaca,
^lexico, by Mr. Boucard. A single specimen was obtained at Fort Dalles in
Oregon, by Dr. Suckley, but it was not met with l»v him west of the Cascade
Mountains. ^Ir. Townsend states that he also found it in that region.

Dr. Cooper did not find this species in the Colorado Valley, thmigli it has
been obtained at Yoxl Yuma in December; and. as he has met with them in
large flocks in the valleys of San Diegn in February, he concludes that they
winter in the southern part of California. They breetl from San Diego
throughout California, and as far north as the (^olumbia, where they arrive
early in May. Dr. Cooper has never found their nest in California, but
has frequently met with it in Kansas and Xebraska in May and June.
He found them on the ground, and their nests were constructed chiefly of
grass.

He speaks of them as singing very sweetly, and states that in their song
they resemlde the Canary more than any other bird. They fretiuent the
oi)en plains, usually in the neighborhood of trees, upon which they often

504 NORTH AMEKKWX niRD.^.

alij^dit ill Hocks. Their tood ('oiisists ot" tlit* seeds of gi-ass and other small
l>laiits, wliich they collect on tlie «;i'ouiid.

A siii<;le specimen of this bird was shot in Massaihiisetts in 1845, by Mr.
Samuel Jillson. It was taken in (Gloucester, on the coast, where its appear-
ance was, of course, jnirely accidental.

We are indebted to the careful observations of Mr. Ridgway for the prin-
cipal portion of our knowledge of the inannei-s and mode of life of this
species, which he has recently ascertained to be an abundant summer resi-
dent in Southern Illinois. It is probably ei|ually abundant throughout the
State, and is found as far east as (.)hio, where it becomes mre.

The Prairie Lark-Finch was touiid by that accurate observer very abundant
at Sacramento, Cal., where it frequented alike the oak groves, the Cottonwood
and willow copses, and the weedy fields and meadows. At Sacr.imento it was
eminently arboreal, ([uite in contrast with its habits as observed in Illinois. It
was also met with in the interior, where\'er the locality was suited to it. Near
Salt Lake City it is one of the most numerous of the birds inhabiting the
artemisia grounds, in tlie outskirts of the town, in company with Poospiza
hUineata and Spizclla hirweri. It is called by the Utah boys the Snake-Bird,
from the supposed resemblance of its striped head to that of a snake. At
Sacramento it is greatly prized as a cage-bird, and young birds readily sell
there for four dollars a pair. He states that the delightful song of this bird
has no parallel among the North American Fringillida:, and claims that in
this respect it is pre-eminently superior to that of all the other membei'S of
this family. As it perches upon the summit of a small tree, on the telegraph
wire, or upon a fence, its notes may l)e heard throughout the day, in the
morning before those of any otliers, and late in the evening, when all except
for this irrepressible songster is silence

The song of this species is described as composed of regularly divided
parts, almost perfect in compass, in vigor and continuity unsurpassed, if not
unequalled, by any other North American species. It begins with a series
of chants, the style reminding one somewhat of the Cjfanmpiza cyama, but
each syllable loud, rich, and clear, and uttered witli a peculiar emotional trill,
the whole seemintrlv delivered in a hurried manner, in one continuous cush
of sprightly silvery notes, each accompanied by a metallic tremolo. As if
exhausted, the singer falters, and the notes become scarcely audible, then
suddenly reviving, as if in great joy, the song is resumed in all its vivacity,
until the bird at last really appears to be overcome by its eflbrts.

Dr. Coues met with this species in Arizona in the winter. He writes me
as follows : " The most eastern point where I observed this species -svas at
St. Louis, Mo. I saw a good many in the suburbs of that city in May, 1865.
It is one of the most abundant Sparrows about Fort Whipple, particularly
during the migrations ; the ma.jority pass northward in April and May, but
many breed in the vicinity, and some pass the winter in sheltered situations.
It is generally seen in companies, frequenting the skirts of woods, the under-

KKINGILIJD.E — THK FINCHES.

5G-J

brush aloii«x inoniitain rivulets, aiul .similar situations, wliere the seeds of
various ]»laiits an- jancuntlth' ; its i^^cnrral hahits rescuihle those of the sj)ecies
of ZiniiitrirJiiny

The nests were found l»y Mr. Riilgwjiv in various situations; the lander
nunilter were upon the j^round, hut several were in trees varying' in heii^ht
from six to twenty feet from the j^aound. They were found from the latter
])art of May throujih June. A nest obtained in Southern AViseonsin hy Mr.
Thure Kundien is very homogeneous in strueture, consi.stinijj entirely of
loosely intertwined stems of dry j^n*asses, sedges, and cariees. Ft was built
on the ground, is nearly tlat, and has only a very shallow cavity. Its entire
height is less than two inches, and the depth of its depression not half an
inch. The diameter of the nest is three and a half inches, and that of the
cavity at the rim three inches.

The maxinaim number of their eggs is five. Their average measurement
is .«S5 by .65 of an inch. The ground-color is usually a gmyisli-white,
rarely a light brown, marbled and streaked with waving lines, and a few dots
of black or a blackish-brown.

»S.'<

Genus ZONOTRICHIA, Swainson.

Zonofrichut, Swainson, Fauna Bor.-Am. II, 1831. (Type, Emheriza hwnphrys.)

Gen. Char. Body rather stout. Bill conical, .<li,2:litly notched, .'jotnewhat conij»rcs.>^e(l,
e.xcavated inside ; the lower mandible rather lower than the upper ; iron y.-< .^Hirhtly
convex ; commissure nearly straight. Feet stout ; tar.<us rather lonfrer than middle toe ;
the lateral toes very nearly equal. Hind toe Ioniser than the lateral ones ; their claws
just reaching to liase of" middle one. Inner claw contained twice in its toe proper;
claw.s all slender and considerably curved. Wing.-< moderate, not reaching to the middle
of the tail, but beyond the rump ; secondaries and tertials e([ual and considerably k
than longest primaries ; second and
thinl (piills longest ; first about equal
to the fifth, nuich long«'r than tertials.
Tail rather long, moderately rounded:
the leathers not verv broad.

Back streaked. Rump and under
parts inunaculate. except in young.
Head black, or with white streaks,
entirely diflerent from tlie back.

This genus emViraces some of
the most beautiful of American
Sparrows, all of the largest
size in their subfamily. zonntriMa i.ucophrys.

All the species properly Ixdonging to this genus are Xorth American ;
several South American species, have, however, been assigned to it ; but
they are none of thoui strictly congeneric with those given below.

5(;()

XOIJTll AMKUICAN IJIUD.^.

Common" (^lARAf'TERS. Featliors of intorscipular rofrion l»laokish centrally, pass-
inj; into lutoiis-hrMWii ami ctlp-il with paltT. Uuinp and upper tail-roverts
uniform olivaceous-jishy brown. Two white hands on the wings; the tt-rtials
edired with nitons. IJeneath witliout streaks. Head ahove marked with black,
and prenerally with white. Cheeks plumbeous.

A, Hlaek of the erown divided by a median light stripe. Jngulum ashy,
a. Throat tushy, uniform with the breaj^t

1. Z. leucophrys. Median stripe of the erown white. A lilack
stripe from beiiind the eye, and a white superciliary stripe.

a. A black stripe from the eye to forehead, a«Toss lore. Jf<ih.
Eastern Province of North America, west throughout Rocky
Momitains; Cape St. Lucks in winter . . var. J e n rophrys .
/3. No black streak in front of eye, the lores being wholly
a«shy. Ilab. Western Province North America, east to Rocky
Mountains ........ \m: gamhelL

2. Z. coronata. Median stripe of crown yellow for anterior and
ash for posterior half. Black of crown coming down to eye and
ear coverts, h'aving no light superciliary stripe. Hah. Pacific
Province of North America; accidental east of Sierra Nevada.

h. Throat pure white, in sharp contrast with the dark a^jh of cheeks

and juguluni.

o. Z. albicollis. Median stripe of crown white. A light super-
ciliary stripe, yellow anterior to the eye, and white behind it; a
black streak along upper edge of ear-coverts. Hah. Eastern Prov-
ince of North America.
B« Black of the crown not divided, but continuous. Jugulum white.

4. Z. quenila. Lores forepart of cheeks, with the chin and
throat, deep black; whole side of head behind the eye, ashy.
Lower parts pure white. Hah. Mussouri Plains.

Zonotrichia leucophrys, Swainsox

WHITE-CBOWNED SPABBOW.

Eutberiza leucophru^ Foksteh, Thilos. Trans. LXIl, 1772, 382, 426. — Gmelin, Syst Nat.
I, 1788, 874. — Wilson, Am. Orn. IV, 1811, 49, pi. xxxi, f. 4. FrhujiUn {Zminfrichia)
Icmnjihnj.s, S\\. F. B. Am. II, 1831, 255. Zinmtrkhia kucophnis, BoN. List, 1838. —
1b. C.nsp. 18.'>0, 478. — Baiki), Birds N. Am. 1858, 458, pi. lxi.x, f. 2. — CorF.s,
P. A. N. S. 1801, 224. — M.vvNAnn, liirds E. Mass. 187<», 118. —Cooper, Om. Cal. I,
19t>. —Samuels, 309. Friiujilln leucophriis, Arn. Orn. Biog, IT, 1834, 88; V, 515,
pL cxiv. — Ib. Syn. 1839, 121. — I b. Birds Am. Ill, 1841, 157, nl. excii. ? Spizella
imuinui, BoxAi'. Conip. Rend. 1853 (either this or 2. gambeli). IVhite-crow^ncd
Spftn-on\ Pennant.

Figured in Biffon. Ois. IV, 192, pi. coxxiii, f. 2. Winter.

Sp. Char. Head above, upjHM- half of hnal region from the bill, and a narrow line
through and Ix-hind the eye to the occiput, black ; a longitudinal patch in the middle of
the crown, and a short line from above the anterior corner of the eye, the two continent
on the occiput, white. Si<les of the head, forepart of breast, an<l lower neck all round,
pale a^h, lightest beneath, ami shading insen.sibly into the whitish of the belly and chin ;
sides of belly and under tail-coverts tinged with yellow ish-broAvn. Interscapular region
streaked broadly with dark chestnut-brownish. Edges of the tertiaries brownish-chestnut.
Two white bauds on the wing.

FlilNiilLLlD.E — TUK F1N( UK.S.

r)(»7

Zonofn'ffiia hitrophnjx.

Fc Duile AnxWwv. l>ut smalh-r ; iiiiiiiaiiiif Mnls in lir-t wiiittT, with tin- l)la«-k iiixl white
striju'^i on the crown replaced hy dark <he>tnut-1)r<)wn and Itrownish-yellow. I,eM<rtli.
7.10 inches; winj/, o.2'>. Yinnifj of' the i/etw th'u-kW streaked with (hisky on the l>reast
The lateral stripes of the crown dull i>rown, the median t»ne streaked whitish.

IIab. United States Ironi the Atlantic to the Rocky Mountains, where they lieconie
associated with Z. t/itmhrli. Cap** St. Lucas ;
(Jreeidand (Kkimiarut, Ibis, 111, 7). Breed in
Wahsatch Mountains (1Iid<;wav).

The wliito of the crown se]»arates two
bhick stripes on either side, ratlier nar-
rovvin* than itself. The IJaek hue l)ehin(l
the eve is coiitiniieil anterior to it into the
l>laek tit tlie base of the bill. The lower
evelid is white. There are some obscure
chnidin^s of darker on the neck above.
Tlie rump is immaculate. No white on
the tail, except very obscure tips. The
white on the winirs crosses the ends of the middle an<l ureater coverts.

The character distinguishing the western representative (Z. (jnndnii) of
lfncopJir//s is api)arently \ery trithng, but is very constant.

Habits. The White-crowned Sparrow is found from the IJotky Moun-
tains eastward to the Atlantic, and in all the intervenini*- territorv, from the
Soutliern States to the Arctic regions. In the high meadows of the
Wali^atcli Mountains, Mr. liidgway found this l)ird very abundant, and one
very characteristic, breeding there quite as numerously as any other species.
In all that region Mr. IJidgway did not meet with a single individual of Z.
gft.nheli, its western representative. At the encampment at Parley's Park
these birds soon became on verv familiar terms witli the iiarty. Thev were
very sociable, and paid frecj^uent visits to the cook's tent, and picked up, with-
out the slightest signs of fear, the crumbs from the ground. Their sweet
morning carol was, he states, delightful to the ear, and they were held in
great favor by all. A nest of these birds was found on the ground, at Parley's
Park, June 26. It w^as built in a bunch of Gc rani urn. Specimens of this
species were obtained, in winter, at Cape St. Lucas, Lcnver California, by ^Ir.
Xantus.

Although an eastern species, passing, in its migrations, through the South-
ern Atlantic States to Labrador in the s])ring and returning in the fall, it is
a rare species in all Xew Englan<l. ^Ir. I>oardman says that it is not c(»m-
mon in Eastern Maine, and ^Ir. Verrill that it is rare in the western jjart of
that State. In Eastern Massachusetts it is very rare. Mr. Maynard men-
tions obtaining a single specimen, May 27, and regards it as (juite a rare
migrant. I have never met witli the bird near Poston, and do not Kdieve
that it is found there, except singly and rarely. In the western })art of the
State, though less rare, it is very far from being common. It is found there
in the spring, from the 2Uth to the 3Uth of May, and in October from the 1st

rm

\(>KTFI AMKItlCAN BIRDS.

tn tlie lotli. Mr. Allen met with it Iroiii May V to June (», in 18()1, when
tliese hirds were more connnon tlian usual. At this ](eri«»(l, fartlier west, in
(lliio, Western Pennsylvania, and Xew \^)rk, these hinls are very altundant.
From Ai)ril 10 to tlie latter portion of ^lay, in lSo2, they were altundant in
the nei^^dihorhood of Washinijton, tlie ('a})itol «irounds l)ein^- full of tlieni.
They were familiar and fearless, and seemed to delij^lit to search for food
under the large Norway spruces, branching down to the ground. Their
abundance that sj)ring may have been excei)tional, as Wilson ap])ears to have
met with but very few specimens.

]\Ir. Audubon found these Sparrows very abundant in Labrador, where
they were apparently late in breeding. It was not until the Oth of July that
he found one of their nests. This was placed among the moss at the foot of
a low fir. It was made externally of dry hypnum mosses, matted in bunches
like the coarse hair of some quadruped, and internally of fine dry grasses,
arranged with gi-eat neatness, to the thickness of half an inch, with a full
lining of the delicate yellow fibrous roots of the Coptf's trifolia. The nest
was five inches in its external diameter, and two in depth, the cavity two and
a quarter wide and one and three (quarters deep. The eggs, five in number,
he descril)es as of a light sea-green color, mottled towards the larger end
with brownish spots and blotches, a few spots of a lighter tint being dis-
persed over the whole. All the nests found were placed on the ground or
among the moss, and all were alike in their construction. By the Iteginning
of August the party met with young that were able to tly. Wy the middle
of that month they had connnenced their southern migrations.

Dr. Coues also found this Sparrow breeding in great rannbers along the
entire coast of Labrador. Found in all situations, it seemed to l)e particu-
larly fond of deep, thickly wooded, and secluded ravines, surrounded by high
precipitous clifls, and, when in more open districts, confining itself to tan-
gled patches of juniper and scrubby firs. He describes it as a very active
and sprightly bird, almost continually in motion. It seldom alights without
rapidly jerking and flirting its tail, and uttering its loud chirpings. While
the female is incubating, the male usually mounts to tlie top of the cliff or a
neighV)oring tree, and repeats his loud and not unpleasing, though somewhat
monotonous, notes for the space of half an hour or more. He describes its
song as very similar to that of the White-throated Sparrow^ consisting of
two long-drawn syllables with a rising intonation, then three more in a quick,
hurried manner, with a falling cadence, — pee-dee-de-(fe-de ; the whole is
delivered in a mellow whistle. If approached while thus engaged, the per-
former becomes instantly silent, and dives hastily into the nearest coyer.
The nest was always placed on the ground, and usually in little patches of
low heath, abundant wherever the y;round was dry. He found a nest on the
23d of July, containing young just hatched. The female flutters off in
silence when her nest is disturbed, but tlie male bird vociferates his angry
remonstrance, flirting his tail and jerking his body in an energetic manner.

FKINGILLID.E — THE FINCHES. 569

The food of this bird, in Lda-jidor, was found to consist of sm.aU coleop-
terous insects, grass-seeds, a variety of berries, as well as minute shell-tish,
for which tliev searched the niarj'ins of i)onds near tlu^ sea-shore. Thev
were also seen to pursue insects on the wing. Mr. Audubon speaks of its
song as consisting of six or seven notes, and describes it as loud, clear, and
musical, although of a plaintive nature, diminishing in power to the last note.
Its flight he describes as low, swift, and protracted.

Dr. (.'oues did not tind this bird abundant in South Carolina during the
winter, and conjectures that it does not go so far to the south. Its migrsitions
do not appear to be well detin(Ml, and nowhere is it known to be abundant
during this season. Lieutenant Couch met with it at Brownville, Te.xas, and
Tamaulipes, Mexico, and at Charco Escondido, in March, at whicli time they
were in flocks, indicating a more southern migration than is generally sup-
posed.

It extends its northern migrations to the extreme northern and northeast-
ern portions of the continent, and also to Greenland. On the Yukon and
Anderson Rivers it is r»'placed by the Z. (imnheli It is not abundant in
Greenland. Holbidl obtained a single specimen only in August, and after-
wards met with a flock of young- birds.- He infers that they breed in the
interior, but are restricted to a very narrow strip of territory.

Eggs of this species, from AVyoming Territory, measure from .00 to .05 of
an inch in length by .70 in breadth, and are of an oblong-oval shape. The
ground-color is a light greenish-white, thickly marked with reddish-brown
and lighter markings of an obscure purplish-brown. The intensity, depth of
coloring, and size of the darker brown markings, vary. They are princi-
pally disposed about the larger end.

Zonotrichia leucophrys var. gambeli, Gambel.

WE8TEBN WHITB^ntOWVSD 8PABB0W.

Fringilla gambeli, Nutt. Man. I, (2il M.,) 1840, 556. — Gambel, Pr. A. N. Sc. Phila. I,
1843, 262 (Californiti.) Zonotrichia (jamMi, Gambel, J. A. X. Se. 2tl series, I, Dec.
1847, 50. — Bauid, Binls X. Am. 1858, 460, pi. Ixix, f. 1. —Lord, Pr. Pi. A. Inst.
IV, 1864, 119 (British Columbia). — Coui'EU k Sci kley, 201. — Dall k Baxxlstep^
Tr. Ch. Ac. I, 1869, 284 (Alaska). —C«»oper, Orn. Cal. I, 195. Zomtnchia leu-
cophnjx, Newberry, Zoiil. Cul. & Or. Koute ; Rep. P. K. R. VII, iv, 1857, 87.

Sp. Char. Precisely similar to Z. leucophrys. but rather smaller; the lores are gray
throughout, this color continuous with a white superciliary stripe along the side of the
head. Length, 6.25 ; wing, 2.83 ; tail, 3.08.

IIab. Rocky Mountains to the Pacific coast, north to Nulato and Fort Kenai, east
through the valley of the Mackenzie River, and south to Jalisco and Mazatlan, Mexico.

As stated in the previous article, the only appreciable and constant differ-
ence between this race and Z. leucophrys is found in the character of the
black stripe on the side of the crown. Tn Icacophrys the black passes down

72

570

NORTH AMEIMCAX lUIlDa

over the n\)\>eT half of the lores, and in front of the eye, to a line oontinnous
with the cutting edge of tiic hill, and sends back a short ]>ranch to the eye,
which cn^s off the white superciliary stripe. In (jamhili \\\v superciliary
stripe passes continuously forward to the ashy lores, cutting oil" the hlack from
the eye. The lower edge of the hlack anterioily is much higher than in
Ifucophi'i/s, and nearly on a line with the nostrils.

We cannot give any positive character by which immature specimens of
leurophrys and (/(unhrli may Ix* distinguished, unless that the short dark line
from forehead to eye of the former is indicated by a greater amount of dusky
at the base of the feathers of that region.

The young of this species, like that of limoithriis, is streaked with black-
ish on side of the throat, across the breast, and on the sides of body, instead
of being entirely unmarked beneath, as hi the adult.

One specimen, collected in the AVest Humboldt Mountains, connects this
form with kucophnjHy and may possibly be a hybrid. In this there is a
black spot in front of the eye, but sejiarated from the black of the crown by
the usual light superciliary stripe o( yiimhU.

Some specimens from the coast region of ( 'alifornia have the ash of head
and breast duller, and with a brownish cast, and the spots on the back black
instead of deep dark brown.

Habits. The Western White-crowned Sj>arrow is found in great abun-
dance, from Mexico to the Arctic Ocean, between the Iioeky ^lountains and
the Pacific. Dr. Suckley found this l)ird very abundant at Fort Dalles
and at Puget Sound, at both of which places it is a constant sununer resi-
dent. It was always found in excellent condition. He states that it makes
its nest in low bushes, among the stalks of lupins and other shrub-like
weeds. Dr. Cooj)er also mentions that this bird is very abundant in all the
prairie districts of Washington Territory, especially where there are low
bushes. Unlike most of the Sparrows, it was also common on the coast
prairies, where he found it breeding. They arrive at the Straits of Fuca at
the end of March in large nund^ers, and leave for the South in October. He
afterwards found them at Fort Mohave, in the Colorado Valley, ([uite com-
mon throughout the winter, some remaining until the loth of May, but he
does not think that any remain there to breed. They are also abundant, in
winter, from San Francisco south, through all the inhabitable country. In
summer they are found in the Sierra Nevada, to their summits, and are also
plentiful in the regions north of the Columljia. A few remain, during the
summer, in the cool district al)out San Francisco. In June, 1854, Dr. Cooper
met with its nest near the mouth of the Columbia. It was built in a bush,
about a foot from the ground, formed of neatly interwoven grasses, and
lined with softer materials. He describes its song as loud, but short and
melancholy, heard at intervals during the whole year, and frequently at
night.

The Western White-crowned Sparrow was first met with by Mr. Ridgway,

FRINGILIJD.K — THE FINCHES. 57I

at the Summit M<*a<lo\vs,m»nr tho summit of Dnnner Lake Puss of the SipiTJi
Nevada, at an altitude of alxjut si»ven tlmusaud feet. It was there un abun-
dant and cliaracteristic liird. The niah'.s were in full son^' in all j>arts of the
meadow, and wen? nestin*,' in sueh nund»ers that on the evenini; ot July i),
on halting' for tiie ni^dit, in a hurried search no less than twenty-seven of
their e'j;«is were obtained within alH)ut fifteen minutes. In every instance
the nests were enduMlded under a species of dwarf-willow, with which the
ground was ccjvered. The birds were extremely unsuspicious, the male often
sitting on a bush within a few feet of the collector, and chanting merrily as
the eggs were being blnwn. In one in.stanee, having occasion to re]»ass a spot
from which a nest had l)een taken, the female was found sitting in the cavity
from which its nest had been removed. This species is only a winter visitant
of the lower comitry, but is there universally distributed, and always I'ound
in bushv localities.

Mr. IJannister states that this bird was tolerably abundant among the
alder-bushes in certain parts of St. Michael's Island. Mr. Dall found it
connnon at Xulato, and esi)ecially so at Fort Yukon. It arrived at Xulato
about May 20. Its nests and eggs were obtained from Indians at Nowika-
kat, on the Yukon lliver. Dr. Kennerly met with these birds, in February,
at White (.'lill' Creek, New ^lexico. They were first observed on ajjproach-
ing the Big Sandy, and from thence to the Colorado they were found in abun-
dance. They were mostly in flocks, and were generally found among the
bushes, in the vicinity of water. He also met with it in the valley of the
liio (irande, Corralitos, and Janos Kivers. It seemed to prefer the vicinity
of settlements, where it was always seen in greater numbers than else-
where. *

Mr. Dresser found these birds connnon about San Antonio, Texas, during
the winter, arriving late in September. Some may remain and breed, as sev-
eral were observed there in June. Dr. Coues also found them abundant in
Arizona, where he first observed them Se])teraber 15. After this they became
exceedingly numerous, and remained so until January. Later than this only
a few stragglers were seen, until April, when they again became abundant.
By tar the greater ]>art left, and jiroceeded north to breed.

These Sparrows were found breeding on the Yukon and at Fort Anderson
in great luunbers by ^lessrs. MacFarlane, Lockhart, and Ross. Their nests
were in nearly all ca.ses found ui)on the ground, often in tufts of grass,
clumps of Labrador tea, or other low bushes. They were composed of hay,
and, in nearly every instance, were lined with deer's hair, and in a few with
feathers. A few were without any lining. In selecting a situation for their
nests, they seemed generally to give the preference to open or thinly wooded
tracts. The male l)ird was usually seen, or its note heard, in the immediate
vicinity of the nest. The eggs were obtained from the 4th of June to the
1st of July. Their maximum number was six ; the most common, four.

Mr. B. IJ. Boss states that this species arrives at the Arctic Circle from

572 NOUTU AMKUICAX UTUDS.

♦ ■ - ■■ ^

alwjut tlie 15tli to the liotli ot' May, and at Slave Like only a few days
earlier. They are tlien no lonj^er in ilocks, Imt have already paired. They
commence nesting almost immediately nj>on their arrival at the Yukon and
at Fort Clood Ho|>o. Mr. lioss lound nests made as early as May 2(1 to 25,
while there was still considerable snow upon the j^round. They mostly nest,
however, in the fnst iialC »»f dune, the young usually hatching l)etween the
l."»tli and .")Oth, and leaving the nests when less than a month old. They all
lea\e the Arctic Circle alnjut the middle of Sei)tend>er. A few were seen
at Fort 8im])Son in the latter part of that month. When starting, they
gather in small Ilocks. The nest is built on high ground, among low,
open bushes, always at the foot of some shndj or bush, and more or less
protected and concealed by grass. It is never placed in the edges of
marshes, like Me/ospiza lincolni; nor on small prairies, like the J\( sser cuius
savanna ; nor in thick woods, as does sometimes the Z. albicollis. The nest
is neatly built, is more compact and of finer materials than that of the
latter. It is large and deep, formed externally of coarse grass, and lined
with finer materials.

When started from her nest, the female flies off a few yards and flutters
silently along the ground to divert attention. If unsuccessful, she flies
al)out her nest uttering sharp, hai-sli notes of anxiety. The male is less
bold on such occasions. Their favorite habitat is light open bushes, affect-
ing neither oi)en plains nor deep woods and never perching so high as
twenty feet from the ground, and usually, in all their movements, keeping
close to the earth.

Its food, so far as could be observed, consisted almost wholly of seeds,
sought mostly on the ground. It hatches only a single brood in a year.

Mr. B. K. Koss adds that this is the most abundant Sparrow throughout
the Mackenzie Kiver region, and also the most interestinff. Through the
spring and summer its melodious song, which strongly calls to mind the
first notes of the old air, " O Dear ! what can the Matter be i " may be
heard from every thicket, both night and day. When sleeping in the
woods, Mr. Koss states that he has often been awakened by several of
these birds singing near him, answering each other, throughout the short
night, when all the other birds were silent. On this account, but for the
richness and melody of its song the bird would have made itself quite
disagreeable.

The Cree Indians name this Sparrow Wah-si-pis-chan, because they think
this resembles its notes, the last of which are supposed to imitate the sound
of running water. It sings long after the breeding-season is past, and its
not<3s may be heard even into August.

The eggs measure .85 of an inch in length by .65 in breadth, and have a
ground of a greenish -white marked with a rusty-brown. They are of a
rounded-oval shape.

FUINUILLID.K — THE FINCIIKS. 573

Zonotriohia coronata, Uaird.

OOLBEV-CBOWiriD 8PABB0W.

EmlM'rixa coronatd, Pam.as, Z«mi^. Kosso-Asiut. II, iSll, 44, plat*'. Zunotrtrhiti c, Haiki>,
Hinls N. Am. l.S.'.S, 4»;i. -IIkiiim X, .V, 4M (iM'^t). -roopKii k Sitki.ky, 201.—
Uall.V '.ANXi-sTKit, Tr. Ch. Ac. I, ls»)l», 2»4 (Aliiskii). — <'«m>|'kii, (»rn. <;,!. |, I'j;.
Ember izti at rU-iifiil III, Ari». Oiii. \\\u\i. V, 1S:JS', 47, pi. «ccxfiv (not of <!mki,in). Friii-
yiHa africupi/lii, All*. Svii«t|>»is, 183y, \'2'2. — In. Hinls Am. Ill, 1841, 1»)2, i»l. «x<iii.
FriiKjilia (luriM-iipiNii, Nril'Al.L, Man. I, ('Jtl. ••d.,) 1840, ;'».'»'». Zniii,f,irhi,i niii'iHUipinn,
Hon. Consj.. IS.'.n, 478.- Xkvvukuky, Z<m.1. Tal. & Or. Koiit.-, \U'\i. \\ \\. U. VI, iv.
18."»7, 88. Kinlnrivi afriai/>i//i>, <Im. I, 17>*>*, 87.'> (in part oiilyK - La rii. Iiul. 41.').
liUuk-croicmd Buittiuij^ Vv.h\\\i\ Arc Zool, II, 304. — Laih. II, i, 2(>;i, 4i», tab. Iv.

Sp. Char. Hood, from Mil to iipjK'r part of unpo, pine black, tlir niifhlk' loni^itudiual
thin! oc<'iipi«'<l by yrllow on the iiiitt'rior halt" ami pule sisli on tin- posterior. Sides and
under parts of head and nei'k, with unp«'r part of breast, nsh-eolor, passing; iiis«Misil»ly into
whitish on iht! niiddh' <»f the body; sides and nndtr tail-eovcrts tin^'ed with brownish.
A yt'Ilowish spot aliove the eye, bounded anterioily l»y a .«^hort blaek line from the eye to
the i>laek of the Ibrehead. Thi.s yellow spot, however, redueed to a few feathers in
spring dress. Interscapular region, with the feathers. streak<'d with dark brown, sulfused
with dark rufous externally. Two narrow white bands on the wings. Bill dusky aliove,
paler beneath ; legs llesh-color.

Autumnal specimens have more or less of the whoh- top of hcatl gieenish-y«'llow ; th»^
feathers somewhat spottetl with dusky ; the black stripe of the hood reduced to a narrow
superciliary Une, or else to a spot anterior to tlie eye. Length about 7 inches ; wing,
3.30.

Hab. Pacific coast from Ru.ssian America to Southern California; West Humboldt
Mountains, Nev. Black Hills of Rocky Mountains?

Habits. This species, described and fi^'ured by Mr. Atuliil)on as the Frln-
gilla atricapilla, is found in western Xorth America, from Alaska to South-
ern California and Cape St. Lucas, and is almost entirely confined to the
Pacific Province, being known east of the Cascade Mountains and Sierra
Nevada only as stragglers. In its general habits it is said to greatly resemble
the Z. (jambdi. In the vicinity of Fort Dalles, and also in the neighborhood
of Fort Steilacooni, Dr. Suckley found it (juite abundant in the summer.

Dr. Cooper says that it is only a straggler in the h^rest regions west of the
Cascade Mountains, l)ut that it probably migrates more abundantly to the
open plains eastward of them. He met with them but once near Puget
Sound, May 10, when they were apparently migrating. Dr. Cooper found a
few of this species wintering as far south as San Diego, associating with Z.
gamheli. They were much less familiar, did not come about tlie houses, but
kept among the dense thickets. They were then silent, nor has he ever
heard them utter any song. He met with none near the summit of the
Sierra Nevada.

Dr. Newberry found these birds abundant in the vicinity of San Francisco
in winter.

Mr. Nuttall met with the young birds of this species on the central table-

574

NORTH AMEUK^VN BIRDa

lands of tlie Tiocky Muuntains, in the prairies. Tliey were running on the
ground. He lieard no note from them. He afterwards saw a few stra,i^«j:lers,
in tlie early i>art of winter, in the thickets of the forests of the Columbia
liiver, near Fort Vmcouver. He also met with tliem, in the winter and
until late in tlie sj)iin;jf, in the woods an<l thickets of California.

Dr. Heermann found this species very ahumUmt in the fall season, (fener-
ally associated witli the Calif(»rnia Song Sparrow and the Z. gamhdi It
resorts to the <leep shady thickets and woods, where it jnisses the greater part
of its time. In the mountainous districts it ])refei'S the hillsides, covered
with dense undergrowth. It occasionally breeds in California, as iJr. Heer-
mann found its nest in a bush near Sacramento City. It was composed of
coarse stalks of weeds, and lined internallv with fine roots. The eg'jfs were
four in numl)er, and are described as having been of an ashy- white ground,
with markings of brown umber, at times ai)pearing almost Idack from the
dei)th of their shade. They were marked also with a few spots of a neutral
tint.

Many of these birds were obtained in Sitka and in Kodiak, by BischofF,
and also in l>ritish Colum])ia by Elliot.

Only one specimen of this si)ecies was met with by Mr. Eidgway in his
exjdorations with ^Ir. Clarence King's survey. This was taken Octol)er 7,
1807, in the West Humboldt Mountains, in company with a flock of Z.
gamhdi

Zonotrichia albicollis, Bonap.

WHITE-THBOATED SFABBOW.

Frimjilla albicoUis, Gmklix, Syst. Xat. I, 17S8, 9'2i^. — WiL.>()X, Am. Orn. Ill, 1811, 51,
])1. xxii, f. 2. — LuHT. V't'v/. Doul)l. Xo. 247 (lb23). Zonotrichin (dbieollis, Bp.
Cons].. 18r)0, 47s. —('.vr.. Mus. llAu. 1851, 132.— Haihi*. Birds X. Am. 1858, 463.
— Samiels, 311. I'dsstr penitstilranicus, BnissON. 1760, AppMulix, 77. FriiigiUa
pennsi/lviinicK, Lath. Index, I. 17lMi, 445. — Aid. Orn. Biog. I, 1831, 42; V, 497,
pi. viii. — In. Svn. 183i>, 121. — Ib. Birds Am. Ill, 1841, 153, pi. cxci. —Max. Cab.
Jour. VI, 1858, 27«). Fr'tiujiUa {Zonotrichia) peinmilvinira, 8\v. F. B. Am. II, 1S31,
25(). Zoiiofrichid penuftj/lcnnim, Box. List, 1838.

Sp. Char. Two black stripes on the crown, separated by a median one of white. A
broad supen-iliarv stripe IVoni the base of the nianthble to the oceiput, yellow as fur as the
middle of the eye and white behind this. A broad biaek streak on the side of the head
from behind the eye. Ciiin white, abruptly dcfini'd atrainst the dark ash of the sides of
the head and upper part of the breast, fading into white on the belly, and margined by a
narrow black maxillary line. Edge of wing and axillaiies yellow. Back a id edges of
secondaries rufous-brown, the former streaked with dark brown Two nuirow white
bands across the wing-coverts. Length, 7 inches; "vving, 3.10; tail. 3.20. Young of the
year not in the collection.

Hab. Eastern Province of North Ameiica to the Missouri. Breeding in most of the
northern United States and British Provinces, and wintering in tiie United States almost to
their southern limit Aberdinesiiire, England. August 17. 18«j7 (Zoologist, Feb., 18G9,
1547 ; P. Z. S. 1857, 52). Scotland (Xkwtox, Pr. Zo<3i. Soc. 1870, 52).

FltlXr.ILLID.K — THE FINCHES. 575

Female smaTItT, and the colors rather duller. Immature and winter
specimens liave tlie wliite cliin-jKitch less aliniptly defined, the wliite
markinjiis on tiie top and sides of the liead tini^ed witli brown. Some
specimens, api)arentlv mature, show (|uite distinct streaks on the hreast and
sides of throat and hody.

Habits. The AVliite-throated S])arrow is, at certain seasons, an aVmndant
bird in all parts of North America, from tlie (Ireat Plains to the Atlantic,
and from Georuia to the extreme Arctic ii'jjfions. A few Ineed in favorable
situations in ]\Iassachusetts, especially in the extreme nortliwestern pjirt of
the State. It breeds abundantly in Vermont, Xew Hampsliire, and Maine,
and in all the British Trovinces.

Sir John Iiichardstm states that they reach the Saskatchewan in the mid-
dle of ]\Iay, and spread throuulmut the fur countries, as far, at least, as the
Glith parallel, to lireed. He states that he saw a female sittinjjj on seven
eg«,^s near the Cumberland House, as early as June 4. Tlie nest wa^ placed
under a fallen tree, was made of gmss, lined with deer's hair and a few
feathers. Another, found at Clreat JJear's Lake, was lined with the »dw of
the Bn/um vli(jinosuin. He describes the egj^s as of a pale mountain-green,
thickly marbled with reddisli-brown. When the female was disturbed, she
ran silently off in a crouchini; manner, like a Lark. He describes the note
of this bird as a clear song of two or three notes, uttered very distinctly, but
without variety, — a very incomplete description.

Mr. Kennicott states that this species does not extend its migrations as
far to the north as Z. goinhtii, and is even nmch less numerous on the south
shores of the Slave Lake, where he did not observe half so many of this as
of the other. It also nest« later, as he found the first nest observed on the
22d of June, with the eggs (piite fresh, incubation not having c(unmenced,
and found others after that date. On English IJiver he found two nests with
eggs on the 9th and 17th of July, and one near the Cumberland House on
the 30tli of June. Two of these were in low swani])y gi-ound among large
trees, the other on liigh j: round amono: small bushes. They were constructed
on large bases of moss, and lined with soft grasses. When startled from
her nest, the female always crept silently away through the grass.

He met with this species in considemble flocks, accompanied by small
numbers oi Z. hi(copJmjs, on the north shore of Mve Superior, on the 11th of
May. He saw individuals on the 2'Jth of May, near the Lake of the Woods,
and it doubtless breeds as far south as that region. It» the fall it was not
seen at Fort Simpson later than the last of September. As it is a much
more eastern bird than Z. f/a)nhe/i, it is probably in greater abundance on the
eastern end of Slave Lake. Its song he regards as by no means so attmctive
as that of Z. (jmnheli or of Z. fntcophrt/s. Its general habits are very naich
like those of the former, and though by no means a strictly terrestrial bird,
it rarely perches liigh on trees, and generally Hies near the ground, except
in its long migratory flights.

576 NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS.

Xotwithstandin^r the slighting manner in which the song of this bird is
spoken of by some writers, in certain parts of the conntrv its clear, pro-
longed, and peculiar whistle has given to it quite a local fame and popular-
ity. Among the Wliite Mountains, where it breeds abundantly, it is known
as tlie Peabody Bird, and its remarkably clear whistle resounds in all their
glens and secluded recesses. Its song consists of twelve distinct notes, which
are not unfrequently interpreted into various ludicrous travesties. As this
song is repeated with no variations, and quite frequently from early morning
until late in the evening, it soon becomes quite monotonous.

Among the White Mountains I have repeatedly found its nests. They
were always on the ground, usually sheltered by surrounding grass, and at
the foot of bushes or a tree, or in the woods under a fallen log. In that
region it retained all its wild, shy habits, rarely being found in the neigh-
borhood of dwellings or in cultivated grounds. But at Halifax this was
not so. There I found them Ijreeding in gardens, on the edge of the city,
and in close proximity to houses, apparently not more shy than the common
Song Sparrow.

Wilson states that these birds winter in most of the States south of New
England, and he found them particularly numerous near the Koanoke River,
collecting in flocks on the boi ers of swampy thickets, among long mnk
weeds, the seeds of whicli formed tlieir principal food. He gives the 20th
of April as the date of their disappearance, but I have observed them lin-
gering in the Capitol grounds in Washington several weeks after that date.
They pass through Eastern Massachusetts from the lOth to the 20th of May,
and repass early in Octolier. A few stragglers sometimes appear at earlier
dates, but irregularly. In Western Maine, where it is quite common, Pro-
fessor A'errill states that it sometimes arrives by the middle of April. Near
Springfield, Mass., Mr. Allen noted their appearance between the last of April
and the 20th of May ; in fall, from the last of September through October.
Their favorite haunts are moist thickets. The young males do not acquire
their full plumage until the second spring, but sing and breed in the plu-
mage of the females, as Mr. Allen ascertained Ijy dissection. Mr. Hildreth
observed a pair near Springfield during three successive summers, and al-
though he could not find the nest, he saw them feeding their scarcely fledged
young birds.

At Columbia, S. C, Dr. Coues found these Sparrows very abundant, from
October through April. They sing, more or less, all winter, and during the
last few weeks of their stay are quite musical. Many hundreds pass the
months of March and April in the gardens of that city, though during the
winter they were mostly to be found in thickets and fields, in company with
many other species.

A single specimen of this bird was killed in Aberdeenshire, August 17,
1867, and a second was lately captured alive near Brighton (P. Z. S., June
4, 1872).

FRlNaiLLID.E — THE FINCHES. 577

Mr. Audubon says that this bird visits Louisiana and all the Southern
districts in ^vinter, remaining from November to March, in great numbers.
They form groups of from thirty to fifty, and Jjve together in great harmony,
feeding upon small seeds. At this time they are i)lunip to excess, and are
regarded as a gi*eat delicacy.

When kept in confinement tliese birds become quite tame, and in the
spring will sing at all hours of the day or night.

Tlie nest of this bird is usuallv, if not alwjivs, on the ground, but in
various situations, as I have found them on a^hillside, in the midst of low-
underbrush, in a swampy thicket, at the foot of some large tree in a garden,
as at Halifax, by the edge of a small pond, or in a hollow and decaying
stump. Their nest is large, deep, and capacious, with a base of moss or
coarse grasses, woven with finer stems above and lined with liair, a few
feathers, fine rootlets of plants or soft grasses. Tlie eggs vary from four
to seven in number. Their ground-color is of a pale green or a greenish-
white, marked over the entire egg with a fox-ciiiored or rusty brown. Occa-
sionally these markings are sparsely scattered, j)ermitting the ground to be
plainly visible, but generally they are so very abundant as to cover the entire
egg so closely as to conceal all otlier shade, and give to the wliole a deep
uniform rufous-brown hue, tlirough wliich the under color of light green is
hardly distinguishable. They nieasure .90 by .08 of an inch.

Zonotrichia querula, (Iambel.

HARRIS'S SPABROW; BLACK-HOODED SPABBOW.

FringiUa qt'ernla, Xutfall, Man. I, (2de(l.,) 1840, 555 (Wostport, Mo.). Zonotrichia
(jneruhi, Gambel, J. A. N. Sc. 2(1 Ser. I, 1S47, 51. — Bonap. C'onsp. 1850, 478. —
Baiud, Birds X. Am. 1858, 462.^ — Allen, Aiiier. -Xaturalist, May, 1872. FringiUa
Imi-ri.si, Aii». Birds Am. VH, 1843, 331, pi. ncclxxxiv. FrinffiUn comafa, Vn. Max.
Ilt'ise n, 1841. — Ib. Cab.. lour. VI, 1858, 279. Zonotrichia comata, Bp. C'onsp. 1850,
479.

Sp. Char. Hood and nape, sides of head anterior tc and ineliidinir the eyes, chin,
throat, and a few spots in the middle of the np]>er ]>art of the breast and on its sides,
black. Sides of head and neck ash-urray, with the trace of a narrow (nascent back of the
ear-covertvS. Interscapnlar region of back with the feathers reddish-brown streaked with
dark brown. Breast and belly clear white. Sides of body lif^ht brownish, streaked.
Two narrow white bands across the greater and middle coverts. Length about 7 inches;
wing, 3.40; tail, 3.G5.

Hab. Missonri River, above Fort Leavenworth. ChilliT-othe, Mo. (Hoy). Very com-
mon in Eastern Kansas (Allen). San Antonio, Texas, spring (Dresser, Ibis, 1865, -488).

The bill of this species appears to be yellowish-red. More immature
specimens vary in having tlie black of the head abo\e more restricted, the
nape and sides of the head to the bill pale reddish-browu, lighter on the latter
region. Others have the feathers of the anterior portion of the hood edged
with whitish. In all there is genemlly a trace of black anterior to the eye.

73

578

NORTH AMERICAN R1RD8.

This species has a coiisideraldy larger bill than Z. Icnvophvf/s.iXift mandible
especially.

Habits. This species was first descriV)ed in 1840, by Air. Nuttall, from
specimens obtained by liini near Independence, Mo., near the close of the
month of April. He again met with them on the following oth of May,
when not far from the banks of the Little Vermilion Kiver, a branch of the
Kansas. He found them frequenting thickets, and uttering, chieHy in the
early morning, but also occasionally at other parts of the day, a long, drawling,
fiiint, solemn, and monotonous succession of notes, resembling te-de-de-de.

Since tlien but little additional information has been obtained in regard to
their general habits, their geographical distriljution, or their mode of breeding,
single sj)ecimens only having been taken at considerable intervals in the
valley of the Missouri and elsewhere until 1872. Two specimens were se-
cured by Mr. Dresser, near San Antonio, in Western Texas, occurring on the
Medina River during their spring migrations. More recently this bird was
taken twice by Mr. H. W. Parker, in Jasper County, Iowa. The latest of
these was secured ^lay 19.

Professor F. H. Snow, in his List of Kansas Birds, published April, 1872,
enumerates this species as a bird frequently taken in Kansas in the winter,
and probably resident ; and Mr. J. A. Allen (American Naturalist, May,
1872) states that Harris's Finch was, next to the Cardinal, the most abundant
species of the family of Sparrows and Finches in the vicinity of Leaven-
worth, as it was also one of the largest and handsomest. He found it almost
exclusively frequenting the damper parts of the woods, associating with the
AVhite-throated Sparrow, much resembling it both in habits and in song.
Nothing has so iar been published respecting the nest and eggs.

Genus JUNCO, Wagler.

Junco, Waglkk, Isis, 1831. (Tyixs Frimjilla cinerea, Sw.)
iVi))/i<m, Audi- BOX, Syu. 1839. (Y\\^', Emherizahynrndis, {jM.)

Gln. Char. Bill small, conical ; cnlmeii curved at the tip ; the lower jaw quite as high

us the upper. Tarsus longer than the
middle toe ; otiter toe longer than the
imier, I'arcly reaching to the base of the
middle claw ; hind toe reaching a? far as
the middle of the latter; extended toes
reaching about to the middle of the tail.
Wings rather short; reaching over the
basal fourth of the exposed surface of
the tail; primaries, however, considera-
bly longer than the secondaries and t<jr-
tials, which are nearly equal. The second
quill longest, the third to fifth successive-
ly but little shorter ; first longer than

3S411 a

Junco oregonus

sixth, much exc(»eding secondaries. Tail moderate, a little shorter than the winsrs: sliorhtlv

FKIXdlLLID.E — TIIK FINCHES. 5-(j

emarginate and rounded. Feathers rather narrow ; oval at thr end. Xo streaks on the
head or body ; color above unitorni on the head, ba<'k, or rinnp, separately or on all to-
gether. Belly white; outer tail-feathers white. Young birds streaked above an<l below.

The essential characters of this genus are the midtUe toe ratlier shorter
than the sliort tarsus ; the hiteml toes sli«,'htly iineciual, the outer reacliini;
the base of tlie middle claw ; the tail a little shorter than the wings, sliglitly
emarginate. In Jnmo cimrciis the claws are longer ; the lower mandible a
little lower than the upper.

Species and Varieties.

Common Characters. Prevailing color i)lunibeous; aI>domen, crissuni, and
lateral tail-feathers white.

A* Bill entirely light flesh-colorod, dusky only at extreme point. Color of
jugulum (deep ash or plumbeous-black) abruptly defined against the pure
white of the abdomen.

a. Posterior outline of the dark color of the jugulum convex ; sides
pinkish.

1. J. oregonus. Back and wings more or less tinged with dark
rusty, in sharp contrast with the blaek ( ^) or ash (9) of the head
and neck. Hah. Pacific Province of Noith America, from Sitka
southward; east across the Middle Province of United States, to
the Rocky Mountains (where mixed with J. r«»/ff/>.s*)occacsionally
to the Plains (where mixed with J. ////^m'f//.s*).

b. Posterior outline of the <lark color of the jugulum concave: sides ashy.

2. J. hyemalis. Back and wings without rusty tinge.

Wing without any white; three outer tail-feathers only,
marked with white. Bill, .40 and .2.> ; wing, 3.10; tail, 2.80;
tarsus, ,80. Hah. Eastern Province North America. Straggling
west to Arizona (Corns) ; in the northern Rocky Mountains,
mixed with Jl ore'(7o«^^s ..... wix.hy emnlis .

Wing with two white l)ands (on tips of middle and gi-eater
coverts); four outer tail-feathers marked with white. Bill. .50
and .."U); wing, 3.40; tail, 3.20. Hah. High mountains of
Colorado (El Piiso Co., Aiken) .... \ax. aihen i.

3. J. caniceps. Back (interscapulars) rufous: scapulars and wings
uniform ashy. Hah. Central Rocky Mountains of United States.
(Along southern boundary mixed with J. cinerens?)

* Hybrid bi'tween orernmus and aiuiccps, — ' * anneclens," Baird, Geol. Surv, Cal. Om. I,
p. 564.

Char. Pinkish sides and convex outline to ash of breast, as in oregnvuft, with the bright
rufous back and ashy head, with black lores of vanieeps; a tendency in the rufous of baek to
tinge the wings, as in oregonus. Hob. Southern Kocky JMountains. (Fort Whipi)l(', Arizona,
CouES ; Fort Bridger, Wyoming, Drexler ; Fort Burgwyn, Mountains of Colorado, Aiken.)

^ Hybrid between hifemalis and oregonus.

Char. Plumlx'ous back of hifenwlis, with pinkish sides of oregonus; or else reddish back of
oirgomis and plunil>eous sides of hijemalis, or colors mixed both above and lielow. Iloh. Sun
River, Dakota ; McKenzi'- River District ? Fort Whipple, Arizona ; and Yo\t Bridger, Wyonnng.

' Hybrid between cai rps and cincreus, = " liorsolis," Hes»:v, Pr. Phil. Ac. 1858, 117;
Baird, Birds N. Am. 1858, 467.

Char. Rufous restricted to intei-seapular region, as in the former, with black upper mandible,
and pale ash throat of the latter. Uab. Fort Thorn, New Mexico.

580

NORTH AMElllCAN BIHDri.

B. Bill with the upper man<liblo black, the lower yellow. Ash of the
juguluin fading gradually itito the grayish-white of the ahdomen.

4. J. cinereuB. Whole back, scapulars, wiug-covert«, and tertials
rufous.

Throat and jnguluni pale ash ; back bright rufous. Wing,
3.10; tail, 3.00; bill, .34 and .25; tarsus, .80. Hah. Table-
lands and mountains of Mexico. . . . var. c I w ere MS.'

Throat and juguluni deep ash; back dull, or olivaceous-
rufous. Wing, 3.15; tail, 3.10; bill, .44 and .34; tarsus, .90.
Ilah, High mountains of (Tuatenjal.o. . . . var. alticola?

Jiinco hyemalis, 8t later.

SKOWBIBD.

Fringilla hyemcJis, Linn. Syst. Nat. I, 0«Jth e»l.,) 1758, 183 (not of Gmelin or Latham).

— AUD. Orn. Biog. I, 1831, 72 ; V, .505, ]>!. xiii. — Max. Cab. Jour. VI, 1858, 277.
Fringilla {JSpiza) hyrmulis, PxtN. Syn. 18*28, 109. Emberiza hijemalis, LiNN. Syst.
Nat. I, 1766, 308. Struthus hycrnalis, Bon. hist, 1838. — Ib. Consp. 1850, 475.
Xiphcea hyemafis, AuD. Synopsis, 1839, 106. — Ib. Birds Am. Ill, 1841, 88, pi. clxvii.
Jmuo hyenudis, Sclatek, Pr, Zool. Soc. 1857, 7. — Baird, Birds N. Am. 1858, 468.

— CouEs, P. A. N. S. 1861, 224. — Ball & Bannister, Tr. Ch. Ac. I, 1869, 284.—
Sami^els, 314. Fringilla hudsoniii, FoKsTEii, Philos. Trans. LXII, 1772, 428. —
Gmelin, I, 1788, 926. — Wilson's Index, VI, 1812, p. xiii. Fringilla nivalis,
Wilson, II, 1810, 129, pi. xvi, f. 6.

Sp. Char. Everywhere of a grayish or ilark ashy-black, deepest anteriorly ; the mid-
dle of the breast behin<l and of the belly, the under tail-coverts, and first and second
external tail-feathers, white; the third tail-feather white, margined with black. Length,
6.25 ; wing, about 3. Female paler. In winter washed with brownish. Young streaked
above and below.

Hab. Eastern United States to the Missouri, and as far west as Black Hills. Stragglers
at Fort Whipple, Arizona, and mountains of Colorado.

The wing is rounded ; the second quill longest ; the third, fourth, and
fifth, successively, a little shorter; tlie first longer than the sixth. Tail
sliglitly rounded, and a little emargiuate. In the full spring dress there is

1 Junco cinrrens, Cabanis, Mexican Snowbird. Fringilla cincrca, Sw. Syn. Birds Mex. in
Phil. Mag. I, 1827, 435. Junco cinerem, Cabanis, Mus, Hein. 1850, 134. ~ Baihd, Birds
N. Am. 1858, 465. ^'Fringilla rufidorsvt. Light.," Bonaparte ; probably a catalogue name.
Junco phceofwtm, Wagler, Isis, 1831, 526. — Bonap. Comptes Reudus, XXXVII, 518.

Sp. Char. Ash-color above ; with a broad quadrate interscapular patch of rufous-chestnut,
this extending over the w-ing-coveris and inner secondaries. Beneath paler ash, lighter in
middle region below, but without distinct line of demarcation. Lores and anterior region of eye
dusky ; in decided contrast. Outer three tail-feathers white, but dusky at base and on outer web
at end ; the amount increasing internally. Upi>er bill entirely black ; lower yellow. Length,
6.40; height of bill, .25; culmen, .46. Hab. Table-lands of Mexico.

2 Junco alticola, Salvin, Guatemalan Snowbird. Junco alticola, Salvin, P. Z. S. 1863, 189
(Highlands, Guatemala). — Ib. Ibis, 1866, 193.

Sp. Char. Sinular to ,/. cinereus, but darker than Mexican species, with less contrast between
the rufous of back and the ash of head. Tail with less white. Bill much larger : height, .34 ;
culmen, .56. Hab. Highlands of Guatemala.

/ FRINGILLID.E — THE FINCHES. 581

no trace of uny secoud color on the back, except an exceedingly faint and
scarcely apprecialjle wash of dull brownisli over the whole upper parts.
The markings of the third tiiil-featlier vary
somewhat in specimens. Sometimes the
whole tip is margined with brown ; some-
times the white extends to the end ; some-
times both webs are margined with brown ;
sometimes the outer is white entirely ;
sometimes the brownish wash on the back
is more distinct.

Some specimens (No. 52,7^2 and 52,701,
males) from Sun River, Dakota, appear to
be hybrids with orcgoniis. They have the
general appeamnce of hyemalis, the back
being nearly uniform with the head (with ' .Tuneo oresonus

a wash of sepia-brown, however), and the head and neck of the same dark
plumbeous ; the sides, however, are pinkish, and the plumbeous on the
jugulum has its posterior outline convex, as in on-gomts. If, as there is
every reason to believe, these specimens are really hybrids, then we have tlie
two extreme forms of the genus connected by specimens of such a condi-
tion ; thus, hyemalis with orcgomis, orcfjonus with canicqjs (==anncdc)is,
Baird), and caniceps with cinercus (= dorsalis, Henry). It may perhaps be
considered a serious question whether all (including alticola) are not, in
reality, geographical races of one species. However, as there is no possi-
bility of ever proving this, it may be best to consider them as representative
species, and these specimens of intermediate characters as hybrids.

Habits. The common familiar Snowbird of the Eastern States is found
throughout all North America, east of the Black Hills, from Texas to tlie
* Arctic regions. Wherever found, it is at certain seasons a very abundant
and an equally familiar bird.

It nests as far south, in mountainous regions, as Virginia, and thence to
New York and the northern parts of the New England States, breeding only
in the highlands, but descending more and more into the plains as we pro-
ceed north. As it is a very hardy bird, its migrations are irregular and
uncertain. In some seasons I have observed but few at irregular intervals ;
and in others, in which the spring was cold and backward, I have met with
them in every month except July and August.

Mr. Kennicott found but few birds of this species breeding as far south as
Fort Resolution or Slave Lake, and was unable to find any of their nests,
though he met w4th a few birds that were evidently breeding there. He
found it afterwards nesting in the greatest abundance about latitude G5°.
They were very numerous on the Yukon, and Mr. MacFarlane found them
breeding plentifully on the Anderson River, at the edge of the barren-ground
region.

582 NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS.

The nests found by Mr. Keniiicott were all on the pn'^iuul, more or less
concealed in tufts of gniss, <lry leaves, or jaojectinj^ roots. Some were in
tliick woods, others in more ojMin regions, and were lined with moose-hair.

Mr. Itoss states that this species fre([uents all the Mackenzie Itiver region
in sunnner, arriving about the 20th of Ai)ril, and leaving about tlie lOth of
Octo])er. Besides its call-note, or chirp, it has a very j)retty song.

Mr. Dall also pemarks that they were cpiite common at Nulato in the
spring, not arriving there, however, until about the first of »hine.

According to Mr. Dresser, it is found occasionally about San Antonio
in winter, and Dr. Woodhouse says that it is also common in the Indian
Territory in fall and winter. According to Mr. Audubon, it makes its
appearance in Louisiana in November, and remains there until early spring.
It is also abundant in South Carolina, arriving there in October and leaving
in April.

This species was observed by Mr. Aiken in Colorado Territory for about
three weeks following March 20, after which they were seen no more.

It breeds more or less abundantly in the noithern and eastern portions of
Elaine. Al)out Calais and in all the islands of the Bay of Fundy, and
throughout New Brunswick and Xova Scotia, I found this by far the most
common and familiar species, especially at Pictou, where it abounded in
the gardens, in repeated instances coming within the outbuildings to build
its nests. In a woodshed connected with the dwelling of Mr. Dawson, my
attention was called to the nests of seveml of these birds, built within reach
of the hand, and in places where tlie family were passing and repassing
throughout the day. In Pictou they were generally called the Bluebird by
the common people. On my ride from Halifax to Pictou, I also found these
birds breeding by the roadside, often under the shelter of a projecting bank,
in the manner of the Fasscrcidiis savanna. I afterward found them nesting
in similar situations among the White Mountains, the roadsides seeming to
be a favorite situation. In habits and notes, at Pictou, they reminded me
of the common Spizella socialis, but were, if anything, more fearless and
confiding, coming into the room where the family \vere at their meals, and
only flying aw^ay when they had secured a crumb of sufficient size.

In Western Massachusetts they breed in all parts of the range of Green
Mountains, from Blandford to North Adams. Tliey appear about Spring-
field in October and November, and are for a while abundant, and are then
gone until March, when they return in full song, and remain numerous into
April, and less common until into May. In the eastern part of the State
they are found from October to late in ^lay, with some irregularity and in
varying numbers. Mr. Audubon did not meet with any on the coast of
Labrador, and Dr. Coues did not find them so abundant as he expected, and
did not observe any until the latter part of July, at which time the young
were already hatched, and they were associated in small companies. They
kept entirely in the tliick woods, and seemed rather timid.

/ FRIN(;iLLID.K — TIIK FINCIIKS. 583

Tlieir food is snijill berries, seeds of giiisses and siiiidl plants, insects,
and larvie. They seek the latter on tlie j^ronnil, antl in the winter are said
to frequent th(^ ])onltry-yards, and avail themselves of the services of the
fowls in turnini,' u]) tlie earth. On the {ground they hop aljont in a peculiar
manner, a])parently without niovinij tlieir feet. At ni«,dit and (hninjj; storms
they shelter tijemselves in tlie thick Immches of evergreens, and also in
stacks of liay and piles of lnushwood.

During the winter the Snowliird apjiears to W. rather more numerous in
the Middle and Southern States than in New England. In tlie former they
ap])ear late in October, at first on the borders of woods, searching for fo«»d
among the fallen and decaying leaves. Ljiter in the season, as tlu; weather
becomes colder, and the snow deprives them of this means of feeding,
they resort to the roadsides and feed on the seeds of the taller weeds,
and to the farm-houses and farm-yards, and even enter within the limits of
large cities, where they l)ecome very tame and familiar. They are much
exposed to attacks from several kinds of Hawks, and tlu'. apparent timidity
they evince at certain times and places is due to their aj>preliensions (»f
this danger. The sudden rustle of- the wings of a harndess fowl will cause
the whole Hock to take at once to flight, returning as soon as their alarm is
found to be needless, but repeated again and again when the same dreaded
sounds are heard.

Neither Wilson, Nuttall, nor x\i\dnl)on appear to have ever met with the
nests or eggs of this bird, though the first met with them breeding l)oth
among the AUeghanies, in Virginia, and the highlands of Pennsylvania and
New York. In Otsego County, in the latter State, Mr. Edward Ai)pleton
was the first to discover and identify their nest and eggs, as cited by ^Ir.
Audubon in the third volume of his Birds of America. They were found
in considerable numbers in the town of Otsego. Their nests were on
the ground in sheltered positions, some of them with covered entrances.
Their complement of eggs was four. One of their nests was sent me, and
was characteristic of all I have since seen, having an external diameter of
four and a half inches and a depth of two. The cavity was deep and capa-
cious for the bird. The base and periphery of the nest were made of slender
strips of bark, coarse straws, fine roots, and horsehair, lined with fine mosses
and the fur of smaller animals. The eggs were of a rounded-oval shape ;
their ground-color is a creamy yellowish-white, marked with spots and
blotches of a reddish-brown confluent around the larger portion of the egg,
but rarely covering either end. They measure .75 by .60 of an inch, not
varying in size from those of J. oregonus.

584

Mnvm AMKUU'AN BIRDS.

Jiinco hyemalis, var. aikeni, Ii'idcway.

WHITE-WINGED SNOWBIRD.

Sp. Char. Gonorally similar to J. ht/etnalis, but oonsiilerably lar<ror, with more robust
bill; two wliito bands on the winjr. ami three, instead of two, outer tail-feathers entirely
%vhite. No. (;i,;5t>2 f$,K\ Pjiso Co., Colorado. December 11, 1871, (\ E. Aiken : Head,
neck, jn^uhnn, ami entire ujiper |>arts dear ash ; the biu.k with a bluish tin^a' ; the lores,
quills, and tail-feathers darker; middle and se<'ondiiry winj^-coverts rather broadly tipped
with white, fonninir two conspicuous bands. Low»'r part of the breast, alxloinen, and
crissiMii pure white, tlie anterior outline a^rainst the ash of the juj^ulum convex; sides
tinged with tish. Three lateral tail-feathers entirely white, the third, however, with a
nairow streak of dusky on the terminal third of the outer wel); the ne.xt feather mostly
plumbeou>, with the basal fourth of the outer web, and the terminal hall" of the inner, along
the shaft, white. Wint:, 3.40 ; tail, 3.20 ; culmen, .50 ; depth of bill at base, .30 ; tarsus, .80.

Hab. El Paso County, Colorado.

At first siglit, this h'm\ apfH^ars to be a very distinct species, being larger
than any other North American form, and jKissessing in the white bands on
the wini,' cliaracters entirely peculiar. Its large size, however, we can at-
tribute to its alpine habitat, agreeing in tliis respect, as compared with J.
ht/cmalis, witli tlui J. a/tiro/a of Guatemala, whicli we can only consider an
alpine or somewliat local form of./, ciiicreus. Tliat the wliite bands on the
wing do not constitute a character sutticiently important to be considered of
specific value is proved by the fact tliat in many specimens of J. orcf/onus,
and occasionally in J. hi/vmalis, there is sometimes quite a distinct tendency
to these bands in the form of obscure wliite tifis to the coverts.

Habits. Ihit litth; is kn(»wn as to the habits of this variety ; probably
they do not differ from those of its congeners. It was met with by Mr.
C. K Aiken, near Fountain, El Paso County, in Colorado Territory, in the
winter of 1871 - 72. They were rare in the early winter, became rather
common during the latter part of February and the first of March, and had
all disappeared by the first of April. During winter only males were seen,
but, in the spring, the females were the most numerous. They were usually
seen singly, or in companies of two or three, and not, like the others, in
larger flocks.

Junco oregonus, Sclater.

OBEOON SKOWBISD.

Fringilla oregona, Towxsem>, J. A. N. Sc. VII, 1837, 188. — Ib. Narrative, 1839, 345. —
AuD. Orn. Biog. V, 1839, 68, pi. eccx(n'iii. StnUhus oregonus. Box. List, 1838. — Ib.
Consp. 1850, 475. — Xewbekry, Zool. Cal. & Or. Route ; Rep. P. R. R. VI, iv, 1857,
88. Kiphmi oregmm, Arn. Syn. 1839, 107. — Ib. Birds Am. Ill, 1841, 91, pi. clxviii.

— Cab. Mus, Hein. 1851, 134. Junco oregonus, Sclatkr, Pr. Zobl. Soc. 1857, 7. —
Bairi), Hinls N. Am. 1858, 466. — Lord, Pr. R. A. Inst. IV, 120 (British Columbia).

— Cooi'FR & SucKLEY, 202. — OoiTEs, Pr. Phil. Ac. 1866, 85 (Arizona). — Dall k,

f VVASi'.WAADA: TIIK FINCHKS. 5J^5

n.WNlsTKii, Tr. <'h. A.-. I. lSt)!», 2M. r.MM'KU, Orn. Cal. I, 11>!». Frii»iilla hti<lH»,u,i,
LniiT. I{.it. Fuuii. (ill. ill Al.li. Aku.l. Wivs. Ij^rlin, fur 1838, l.s;v.», 424 ui<>t F.
hudsuuiii, FoKSTKU). *' Friinjilfit ittrata, BllANUT, Kou. IJnsso-As. tiilt. ii, f. 8"
(CabJ.

►Sp. riiAH. Ih'ud ami iwck all rouiul sooty-Mark ; tlii.s (.-olor ♦•xtfiidiiij; to tin- u|»p»T
part of tlu' l»ifa>t. but not aloii;_' the sides iiinler the wiiitrs, uiul with convex outline
behiml. Iiiterscajuilar re<,Mon <»!" the bark and expose<l siulace of the uinjj-covtMts and
seeoudariea dark rutous-browji, forming' a square jtatch. A lijrhter, nioic pinkish tint of
tlie same on the sides of bn-ast and belly, llest of under parts clear white. Kuiiip
brownish-ash. Upper tail-eoverts «hisky. Outt^r tw<» tail-featluM-s white ; tlie tliird with
oidvaii obscure streak of white. Bill llesh-color, <hiskv at tip. Le-rs llesh-colur. Leui'lh
about (i.oO inches ; wiui;, 3.00.

IIaij. I'aeitio coast of the United States to the east«'rn side of the Hockv Mountains,
and north to Alaska. Stra^'glers as far east as F(Mt Leavenworth in winter and (Jreat
13end of Missouri.

Sitka and Orp<?oii sjiecimens have t]u» back of a chirker nifoiis than tliose
from California and the Miihlle Tn^vinee, in whicli this portion of tlic hody,
as well as the sides, is ]>aler, and in more ahrupt contrast with the head.

Immature and the majority of winter s])ecimens d(» not have the lilack
of the head and neck so well defined, luit ed^ed above more or less with the
color of the back, below with li«;ht ashy.

The Oregon Snowbird in full plumage is readily distinguishable from the
eastern species b}- the purer white of the belly ; the more sharjdy «letined
outline of the black of the head passes directly acro.ss the uj>i>er jjart of the
breast, and is even convex in its posterior outline, without extending down
the side of the breast, with its posterior outline strongly concave, as in h)/f-
maiis. The absence of black or ashy-brown under the wings, with the rufous
tinge, are highly characteristic of on'jonus. The head and neck are consid-
erably blacker ; the rufous of the back and wings does not exist in the other.
The wings and (juills are more pointed; the second quill usually longest, in-
stead of the third, etc. The dusky of the throat reaches in J. onyouuH oidy
to the upper part of the breast ; to its middle region in hfcm^dis.

Sometimes, in adult males, the middle and greater wing-coverts are faintly
tipped with white, indicating two inconspicuous bands.

In a large series of Jum-os collected at Fort AVhipple, Arizona, by Dr.
Coues, are several specimens so decidedly intermediate between J. omjimm
and J. canirej^'i as to suggest the probability of their being hybrids ; others,
from Fort Bui-gwyn and Fort Bridger, are exactly like them. With the ashy
head and jugulum, and black lores, as well as bright rufous back, of the latter,
the sides are pinkish as in the former ; while, as in this too, the posterior out-
line of the ash on jugulum is convex, not concave, and the rufous of the back
has a tendency to tinge the wings, instead of being confined to the interscap-
iilai-s. (See foot-note to synoptical table, p. 579.)

Habits. Dr. Suckley found this bird extremely abundant in Oregon and
Washington Territory, where it holds about the same ]>osition that the hf/c-

" 74

nSC NORTH AMEniCAN IJIRDS.

mnfiA (Iocs in tin* Eastern Statrs. T)r. Cooper states it to bo a very conunoii
birtl ill Wasliin<4oii Tt'iritorv. rsiKMiallv in tin* wmtrr, wlicu it coiiu's alxuit
tlui liouscs ami tanns with j)reris«'ly tlic same lia])its as thf t'ommou Atlantic
sjK'cics. In the .summer it is seen alx)ut l'iij4;et Sound, in which nei^hhorJKujd
it hrei'ds. He met with voun'' He<l«rlin«'s as earlv as l»iav 24. At that season

ft c^ i r* V •/

tlieywere not j,'re;^'arious, and were found prineipallyahout the edges of womls.

Mr. Itidgway also regards the western Snowbird as, in all appreciable
rosj)ects, an exact counterpart of the eastern hi/nnaliH. In summer he found
it inlmbiting the }»ine woods of the mountains, but in winter descending to
Mie lowlands, and entering the towns and gardens in the same manner with
the eastern species.

Dr. Cooper states this species to be numerous in winter in nearly every
part of California. In the summer it resides among the mountains down to
the i>2d paiallel. On the coast he has not <let(!rmined its residence farther
sf>uth than Monterev. The coolness of that locality, and its extensive for-
ests of pines extending to the coast, favor the residence of such birds during
the summer. At San Diego he observed them until the first of April, when
they retired to the neighboring mountains. A few also were found in the
Colorado Vallev in the winter. On the Coast ^lountiiins south of Santa
Clara he found them breeding in large numbers in ^lay, 1864. One nest
contained young, just ready to fly, as early as May 13. This w^as built in a
cavity among the roots of a large tree on a steep l)ank. It was made of
lepves, grasses, and fine root-fibres. On the outside it was covered with an
abundant coating of green moss, raised above the surface of the ground. The
old birds betrayed the presence of the nest by their extreme anxiety. On
the 20th he found anotlier nest on the very summit of the mountains, sup-
posed to be a second laving, as it contained but three eggs. It was slightly
sunk in the ground under a fern, and formed like the other, but with less
moss around its edge. It was lined with cows' and horses' hair. The eggs
were bluish-white, with blackish-brown spots of various sizes thickly sprin-
kled around the larger end, and measuring .74 by .60 of an inch.

The only song Dr. Cooper noticed, of this species, was a faint trill much
like that of the SpizcUa social vi, delivered from the top of some low tree in
March and April. At other times they have only a sharp call-note, by which
they are distinguishable from other Sparrows. While some migi-ate far to
the south in winter, others remain as far north as the Columbia River, fre-
fpienting, in large numbers, the vicinity of barns and houses, especially when
the snow is on the ground. They raise two broods in a season.

Dr. Coues found this species a very connnon winter resident in Arizona,
arriving at Fort Whipple about October 10, soon becoming very abundant,
and continuing so until the second week in April. Stragglers were seen until
May 10.

Dr. Woodhouse also observed numbers of the western Snowd)ird on the
San Francisco Mountains, in the month of October, where they were very

^ FRLV(iILLIDJ<:--TIIK KIXCriES. 5Ji7

abundant. Many .sp*"'inu*ns were nlitjiincd in Sitku l»y Mr. lUscholl. Soim
have so far bfiMi ri-cnnU'd tmni the Ahnitian Islands.

I)r. Kennerlv fnuiuentlv saw tliese birds near the IMieldo of /uiii in New
Mexieo; in the niontlis of OctoluT and Novenilnir they were very al)nndant
anion^' the cedars to the westwanl of that settlement n.n far as tlie Little
Colorado. Dr. Heerniann also met with them near Fort Yuma in l)ecend>er,
having' previously noticed them during' the fall, mi^'ratin^ in lar^'e flocks.

Mr. Aiken frecjuently found this species throu^^hout the winter in Colo-
rado. It was very common (luring March and the tirst of A]»ril liy May
only a few stra^^«,ding females were seen, and then they all disapju'ared.

The nests of this si)ecies have a general resemldance in structure to those
of the connnon hifeiiKdis. They are well constructed and remarkably sym-
metrical, made externally of mosses and other coarse materials, within which
is very nicely woven an inner nest of fine, l)ent stems of grasses, lined
with hair. The eggs, four or five in numl)er, resemble those of the h//< ma/is,
but are lighter. They have a ground-color of greenish-white, marked about
the larger end with fine dots of reddish-brown. Their measurement is .75
by .60 of an inch.

Junco caniceps, B.mbd.

BED-BACKED 8V0WBIBD.

Struthm canicepn, WootjHoi'se, Pr. A. N. Sc. Thila. VI, Dtc. 18rr2, 202 (New Mexico aiitl
Texas). — 1b. Sitgreaves's Kepoit Zufii & ( olorailo, 18;j3, 83, \A. iii. J a nco caniceps,
Baiud, Birds N. Am. 1858, 468, ]>1. Ixxii, f. 1. — C.m.ikh, Orn. Tal. I, 201.

Sr. Char. Bill yoUowish; Mack ut tiKMip. Above ashy (of th»' saino sha«l«' before
and behind); the head and neck all roinid of this eolor, whieh extends (palin'r a littk-)
alonp the sides, leaving the middle of the belly and erissnin quite abrnptly white. Lores
conspicuously but not very abruptly darker. Interseapular re<rion abrujitly reddish chest-
nut-brown, which does not extend on the winjrs, and makes a trianjrtdar patch. Two
outer tail-feathers entirely white ; third with a long white terminal stripe on the iimer
web. Young streaked with blaekish above and below, exeept along middle of belly and
behind. Length, COO; wing, 3.2.3; tail, .3.04.

Hab. Rocky Mountains; from Black Hills to San Francisco Mountains, Arizona.
Wahsatch and Uintah Mountains (Ridgwav;.

This species is similar to the common J. Jn/rmalis in color, though paler;
the tint of the under parts and sides is not quite so dark, and is less abruptly
defined against the white. The conspicuous chestnut patch on the l)ack and
the dusky lores will distinguish them. The edge of the outer web of the
third tail-feather is bro\vn, not white. It differs from oregonus and cine re us in
having no chestnut on the wings, especially the tertials, and from the former
in the extension of the ash of the neck along the sides and nmch lighter head.

Young birds are streaked above and below as in other species ; they may
be distinguished from those of cinereus by the rufous being confined to the
interscapular region, the same as in the adult.

588 XOIiTH AMERICAN P'HDS.

The type skin of Jtnno dorsal ui of Dr. Henry (see foot-note to synoptical
t;il)le, p. 580) (litters mainly in having tlie whole upper inunclible entirely
bliick, as in J. cine/rus ; luul, as in the latter, the juguluni is pale ash, fading
gradually into the white <»f the abdomen, instead of deep ash abruptly de-
fined. It is Aery prt)bably, as suggested by Mr. Hidgway, a hybrid witli
J. cinercus.

Habits. Tliis species was first discovered and descri))ed by Dr. Wood-
house from specimens oi)tained by him anmng the San Francisco Mountains
in Arizona. Wlien procured, it was feeding in com))any witli tlie J unco ore-
(jonv^ and various species of Paras. Its hal)its appeared to be very similar
to th(jse of tlie western Snowbird, as well as to those of the common J.
hycmalU.

Dr. Coues states that he found this bird a not very common winter resi-
dent at I\)rt Whipple, where its times of arrival and departure, as well as its
general habits, were identical with those of J. orcgofias, with which it very
freely associated. From this we niav naturallv infer that in New Mexico
and Arizona it appears only as a winter visitant, and that in summer it goes
elsewhere to breed. Its summer resorts, as well as our knowledge of its
breeding-habits, nest, and eggs, remain to be determined, or are only imper-
fectly known. It evidently retires to the highlands and to mountain regions
to breed, and probably has a much more extended habitat than that of
which we now have any kiiowledge. Upon this problem Mr. Ilidgway's
observations have already shed some valual)le and suggestive light. He
met with this bird only among the pine woods of the Wahsatch Mountains,
where, however, it was a very common bird, and where it was also breeding.
Its manners and notes were scarcely different from those of J. orfgonvA. It
is, however, a shyer bird than the latter, and its song, which is only a simple
trill, is rather louder than that of either the hiiemalk or the oirf/oniui.

Dr. Cones writes me that both " the ( J rav-head and the Oregon Snowbirds
are common species about Fort Whipple in winter, arriving about the middle
of October, and remaining in nund)ers until early in April, when they thin
ott', although some mav usuallv be observed during the month, and even a
part of the next. Orrf/omfs far outnumbers caniceps. So far as I could
see, their habits are precisely the same as those of the eastern Snowbird.
During snow-storms they used to come familiarly about our quarters, and I
once captured several of both species, enticing them into a tent in which
some barley had been strewn, and having the flap fixed so that it could be
pulled down with a string in a moment. They always associated together,
and once, on firing into a flock, I picked up a number of each kind, and one
Junro hyemalvi. The latter can only be considered a straggler in this region,
althougii I secured three specimens one winter."

This species was very nire in Colorado, according to Mr. Aiken, in the
winter of 1871 -72, but became common in March, and a few remained up
to the od of May. No females of this species were observed by him.

VUI N(l ILLI D. K — TH K KlNCf T I-:S.

580

Mr. J. A. Allen mentions first nicctini,' witli this spj-cics at an elevation
of seven tliousan*! I'eet, and from that heiiilit it was common, on tlio slopes
of Mount Lincoln, to tlie extreme limit of the timber line.

Poospiza biltnenta.

ClFATs FOOSPIZA, Cabanis.

Poosqnza, Cabanis, Wi<';,Mii;inii'.s Aivliiv, 15)47, i, M'd. (Type, Eiiibcrizii lUijro-nij'a, D'Ord.,
or Pipilo p''r.s(nuttn, Sw.)

Gkx. Ciiak, liill sk-ii(l<'r, coiiicul, both oiulitU's <i;i'iitly ciirvtMl. rndcr jaw wiili tht*
edges c'onsi«lerji])ly iiincfttMl ; not so hi<rh as the up-
per. Tarsi eloni^atiMl. sK-mier; eonsiderahly l»)no;i!r
than the niiddle toe. Toes short, weak; the outer
decidedly longer tlian the iiuier. l»ut not reaching
to the base of the middle claw. Hind toe about
equjxl to the middle witiiout its claw. All the
elaws compressed and moderately cinved. Wings
rather long, reaching about over the basal fourth
of the exposed portion of the rather long tail.
Tertiaries and secondaries about equal, and not
much shorter than the lengthened primaries; the
second to fifth about equal and longest; the first
considerably shorter, and longer than the seventh.
Tail long, slightly emarginate, graduated; the outer
feather abruptly shorter than the others. Feathers
broad, linear, and rather obliquely truncate at the en<ls, with the coiners rounded.

Color. Uniform above, without streaks. iJeneath white, witii or nithout a black
throat. Black and white stripes on the head.

We are by no means sure that the two Xortli American specimens here
indieattid really belong to the genus Pooxpiza, but we know no better position
for them. They may be distinguished as follows : —

Common Ciiaractkrs. Lores an<l lieneath the eve black, a white orbital rinjj,
white spot above the lore (in hilitteata continued back in a su[)erciliary stripe;;
a white maxillary stripe. Lateral tail-feathers, with outer web. and terminal
border <^f inner, hoary or pure white.

A* Throat black in adult : si<les not streaked.

A coiifinnons ivliite supercilim'y stripe.

\. P. bilineata. Black patch of throat covering jugulum, with a
convex outline behind. Crown and back without streaks, concolored.
• Wing-coverts without white bands; lesser coverts ash. Wing, 2.75;

tail, 2.8">; bill, from nostril. .o7 ; tarsus, .(35.

No white snperrUiary stripe.

2. P. mystacalis. Black patch of throat not extending on jugulum;
it« posterior outline truncated. Crown and back with distinct black
streaks. Back scapulars and rump rufous in contrast with the ash of
head and neck. Wing-coverts with two narrow, shaiply deliued white
bands; lesser coverts black. Wing, 2.80: tail, '.\'M^: bill. .40; tarsus,
.80. Hah. Mexico.

590

NORTH AMJ^llICAN BIRDS.

B« Throat wliite; sides stresikod.

',]. P. belli. Xo white sii{)en'ili.irv stripe. A dusky spot in middle of
the lireast. Upper parts ashy, eoncolored, with iiuhstinct streaks on the
Imck. Wings somewhat more brownisli, the coverts with two inihstinet
h<,dit (not white) hands.

a. Wing, 2.r)0; tail, 2.50; bill, .31 ; tarsus, .74. Dorsal streaks
obsolete. Hah. California. ...... var. belli.

8. Wing, :J,20 ; tail, ;}.20 ; bill, .35 ; tarsus, .76. Dorsal streaks
distinct. Hub. Middle Province of United States. \av. n e vadensis.

Poospiza bilineata, Sclater.

BLACX-THROATED SPABBOW.

Eidhcriza bilineata, Cansix, Pr. A. X. Sc. Th. V, Got. 1850, 104, pi. iii, Texas. — Ib.
Illust. I, V, 1854, 150, pi. xxiii. Poospiza bilineata, Sclateii, Pr. Zool. Soc. 1857, 7.
— Baiud, IJirds X. Am. 1858, 470. — Ib. Mex. Bomid. II, Buds, 15. — Hekum. X,
c. 14. — Cooi'EU, Orn. Cal. I, 1870, 203.

Sp. Char. Above uniform unspotted ashy-gray, tinged with light brown ; purer and
more plumbeous anteriorly, and on sides of head and ne<'k. Under parte? white, linged

with plumbeous on the sides, and with
yellowish-brown about the thighs. A sharply
defined superciliary and maxillary stripe of
pure white, as also the lower eyelid, the
former margined internally with black. Loral
region i)lack, passing insensibly into dark
slate on the ears. Chin .ind throat between
the white maxillary stripes black, ending on
the upper part of tlic breast in a rounded
outline, '''.til black, the lateral feathers edgetl
exter, id tipped on inner web with

white. 1' ill blue. Length, 5.40 ; wing, 2.75 ;
tail, 2.90. Sexes alike.

Hab. Middle Province of United States
north to 40°, l»etween Rocky Mountains and Sierra Xevada. (As fiir west as Janos and
the Mohave villages.) Matamoras (rare at San Antonio; Dresser, Ibis, 1805, 488).

This specit^s in external form is very similar to P. hclli, and will probably
fall in the same jijenus. The cuttinj]j edt^'es of the bill are much intlexed.
The first quill is shorter than the sixth. The tail is a good deal rounded ;
the feathers broad.

The white maxillary stripe does not come ijuite to the base of the under
jaw, which there is black. There is a hoary tinge on the forehead. The
white superciliary stripes almost meet on the forehead.

In the immature bird the throat is white with a dusky clouding along
each side ; the upper part of the breast streaked with brown.

Habits. The Black-throated Sparrow, generically associated with lull's
Finch, has several well-marked distinctive peculiarities in habits. Their
eggs fire also totally unlike those of the present species, being much more

Poospiza bilineata.

f FRINCilLLirhE — TIIK FINCHES. 591

like those of tlie Prfiran and of Lcurostirfr fjrUfiuvrhn^ and, like them, white
and iinsj)otted.

This species was fii-st doscrihed hy Mr. ('assin»froni specimens ohtaiiied in
Western Texas hy Jolin W. Au(hil)un, and its hahitat was at first supposed to
l)e restricted to the vallevs of tlie IMo (Jrande and the (lihi, hut more recent
explorations show it to have a much wider distrihution. It is found from
Western Texas throuj,di i)art of Mexico, New Mexico, the Indian Territory,
and Arizona, to Soutliern California, and towards the north throui^hout tlie
region of the Great Basin to an extent not yet full) determined. In portions
at least of this territijry it is migratory, and only resident in the summer
months.

Mr. Dresser found this Sparrow very ahundant during July and xVugust in
the mes(piite thickets in the town of Matamoras. In Decemher it was
equally common at Eagle Pass, l)ut at San Antonio it was quite a rare hird.
He only ohserved it on two or three occasions at a raneiio on the Medina
liiver, ar 1 late in June a nest and four eggs were ohtained. IJetween Liiredo
and Matamoras, after crossing the Nueces, he found these birds \ ery numer-
ous, and near Laredo met with several nests, some containing young and some
eggs nearly hatched. One taken on the 20th of July contained three fresh
eggs, probably indicating a second laying. This nest was in a low bush,
carefully concealed. It was composed of straws and lined witli tine roots.
The eggs, when fresh, were nearly white, with a delicate bluisli tinge. On
his journey down the river he found many nests, all euipty or containing
young. Some of these were i)artially lined with cotton. Though not wild,
the birds were so restless that he found it difficult to shoot them. Dr.
Woodhouse obtained one specimen on the Kio Pedro, in Texas.

In Mexico this Sparro\v was found by Lieutenant Couch to be numer-
ous in parts of Tamaulipas, Xueva Leon, Coahuila, and other States on the
Rio Grande, immediately south and west of the limits of the territory of the
L^nit^d States. It was first seen at Santa Eosalio, and specimens obtained,
though none were noticed at Brownsville, only twenty miles east, tluring a
month's residence. At Charco Escondido, forty miles fartlier in the interior,
it was very plentiful, and although it was early in ^larch, had already reared
a brood of young, one specimen appearing to be a young bird only a few
weeks old. Its favorite home appeared to be the scattered mestpiite, on
the plains east of the Sierra Madre. During the warm houi-s of the day it
does not seek the shade, but may always be found chirping and liop]»ing from
one bush to another. South of Cadoreita the birds disappeared, but after a
month's loss of their company he again met with them among some flowering
Leyuminom, between Pesquieria and Pinconada. He thus found it several
times entirely absent from districts of considerable extent, but always reap-
pearing again throughout his journey. Tlie usual note of this bird, at the sea-
son in which he met with it, w^as a simple chirp ; but on one occasion, having
halted during a norther in Tamauli})as, he heard a " gay little black-throated

592

NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS.

fellow," regardless of the hitter wind, from the top of a yellow mimosa then
in hloom, give utterance to a strain of sprightly and sweet notes, that would
compare fa^ orably witli those of many more famed songsters.

Dr. Coues found tliis Sparrow very abundant in the southern and western
portions of Arizona, though mre at Fort Whipple, where tlie locality was
unsuited to it, as it seemed to prefer open plains, gmssy or covered with sage-
brush.

Mr. J. H. Clarke, wlio met with these birds in Tamaulipas, Texas, and
New Mexico, speaks of them as abundant and widely distributed. He
found them on the lower Ifio Ornnde, but more abundantly in the interior,
seeming to prefer the stunted and sparse vegetation of the sand-hills and
dry plains to the cotton wood groves and willow thickets of the river val-
leys, where they were never seen. They would be very inconspicuous did
not the male occasionally perch himself on some topmost branch and pour
fortli a continuous strain of music. In the more barren regions they were
the almost exclusive representatives of the feathered tribes.

Dr. Hee? manu first remarked this Finch near Tucson, in Arizona, where he
found it associated with other Sparrows in large flocks. They were flying
from l)ush to bush, alighting on the ground to pick up grass-seeds and in-
sects. They were quite iniraerous, and he traced them as far into Texas as
the Dead Man's Hole, between El Paso and San Antonio.

Dr. Cooper found a few of these birds on the treeless and waterless moun-
tains that l^order the Colorado Valley, in pairs or in small companies, hopping
along the giound, under the scanty shrubbery. In crossing the Providence
Range, in May, Dr. Cooper found their nest, containing white eggs.

Both species of Poospiza, the helli and the bilineata, according to Mr.
Eidgway, are entirely peculiar in their manners, habits, and notes. Botli, he
states, are birds characteristic of the arid artemisia plains of tlie Great Basin,
and, with the Erciaophila vornuta, are often the only birds met with on those
desert wastes. The two species, he adds, are quite uiillke in their habits and
manners. Tliey each have about the same extent of habitat, and even oft^n
frequent the same locality. While the P. hilineata is partial to dry sandy
situations, inhabiting generally tlie arid mesa extending from the river val-
leys back to the mountain?, the P. belli is almost confined to the more
thrifty gi*owth of the arteni, ia, as found in the damper valley portions.
Tlie P. belli is a resident species, and even through the severest winters is
found in abundance. The P. bilineata is exclusively a summer bird, one of
the latest to come from the South, and much the more shy of the two;
its manners also are quite different.

Both birds have one common characteristic, which renders them worthy
of especial remark. This is the pecidiar delivery and accent, and the strange
sad tone of their spring song, which, though unassuming and simple, is in-
deed strange in the effect it produces. This song, so plaintive and mournful,
harmonizes Avith the dull monotony of tlie desert landscape.

, FRINGILLID.E -THE FINCHES. 593

Mr. liidgway states tliat the P. hllineata is not so abundant as the other
species, and is more retirin.t,' in its lialiits. It principaUy fretpients the desert
tracts and sandy wastes, on which are found only the most stunted forms of
sage-brusli. Its soni,', though (piite simple, is exceedingly tine, its modula-
tion being somewhat like ii'ut' -irut' -zr-e-c-c-c-c , the first two syllables bcin^'
uttered in a rich metallic tone, while the final trill is in a lower ki;v, and of
the most liquid and tremulous character imaginable. This simjde chant is
repeated every few seconds, the singer being perched upon a bush. He adds
that this bird arrives on the Truckee Ileservation about the 13th of May.
The nest is built in sage-bushes, and the eggs are found from the 7th to
the 21st of June. The nests are usually about one foot from the ground, or
thereabouts.

The eggs vary in size from .70 by .55 of an inch to .75 by .60. They are
of a rounded-oval shape, and of a pure white with a slight tinge of blue,
somewhat resembling the eggs of tlie Bachman Finch.

Poospiza belli, Sclater.

BELL'S SPABSOW.

Emberiza belli, Cassin, Pr. A. X. Sc. Philii. V, Oct. 1850, 104, pi. iv (San Diego, Cal.).
Poospiza belli, Sclater, Pr. Zobl. Soc. 18.'.7, 7. — Baikd, Birds X. Am. 1858, 470. —
Heerm. X, s. p. 46. Zonotrichia belli, Elliot, Illust. Birds X. Am. I, pi. xiv. —
Cooper, Orn. Cal. I, 204.

Sp. Char. Upper parts generally, with sides of head and neck, uniform bluish-ash,
tinj^ed with yellowish-gray on the erown and baek. and with a few very obsolete dusky
streaks on the interscapular region. Beneath pure white, tinged with yellowish-brown on
the sides and under the tail. Eyelids, short streak from the bill to above the eye, and small
median spot at the base of culmen, white. A stripe on the sides of the throat and spot
on the upper part of the breast, with a few streaks on the sides, with the Irral space and
region round the eyes, plumbeaus-black. Tail-feathers black ; the outer edged with white.
Wing-feathers all broadly edged with brownish-yellow ; the ell)ow-joint tinged with
yellowish-green. Bill and feet blue. Length, 5.70; wing, 2.80; tail, 2.U0. (Largest
specimen, G,338 J. Cosumnes River).

Hab. Southern California.

The colors are softer and more blended in the autumn; the young are
obsoletelv streaked on the l)reast.

Habits. Bell's Finch has apparently a more restricted distril)ution than
the Black-throated species, and is resident wherever found. It has been met
with at Posa Creek, Cal., by Dr. Heermann, at Fort Tliorn by Dr. T. C.
Henrv, and aloui^ the Colorado Itiver bv Drs. Kennerlv and Mollliausen.
It has likewise been found in Soutliern California, as far north as Sacramento
Valley, and in the valley of the Gila.

Dr. Cooper states that all the extensive thickets throughout the south-
ern half of California are the favorite resorts of this l»ird. Tliere they
apparently live upon small seeds and insects, indifterent as to water, or

75 ^^..: ------ ^ ^

594

NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS.

depeiidinju; upon what they obtain from dews or fogs. They reside all the
year in the same localities, and were also numerous on the island of San
Nicolas, eiglity miles from the mainhmd. In spring the males utter, as Dr.
Cooper says, a low monotonous ditty, from the top of some favorite shrub,
answering each other from long distances. Their nest he found about tlnee
feet from tlie ground, composed of grasses and slender weeds, lined with
hair and other substances. The eggs, four in nund)er, lie describes as }>ale
greenish, thickly sprinkled over with reddish-brown dots. At San Diego he
found the young hatclied out by May 18, but thinks they are sometimes
earlier. It is also a common bird in the chaparral of Santa Clara Valley,
and also, according to Dr. Heermann, along the Cosumnes lliver.

In Arizona, according to Dr. Coues, it is rather uncommon about Fort
Whipple, owing to the unsuitable nature of the locality, but is abundant
among tlie sage-brush of the Gila Valley, wdiere it keeps much on the
giound, and where its movements are very much like those of a Pipilo.

Dre. Kennerly and Mollliausen met witli these Sparrows on the Little
Colorado Iliver, in California, December 15. They w^ere found during that
month along the banks of the river wherever the weeds and bushes were
thick. It was never observed very far from the water, and its food, at that
season, seemed to consist of the seeds of various kinds of weeds. Its
motions were quick, and, when started up, its flight was short, rapid, and
near the earth.

Dr. Heermann states that in the fall of 1851 he found this species in the
mountains bordering the Cosumnes River, and afterwards on the broad tract
of arid land between Kerr Kiver and the Tejon Pass, and again on the desert
between that and the Mohave Eiver. He often found them wandering to a
great distance from water. With only a few exceptions, these were the only
bii;ds inhabiting tlie desj^'nle plains, ^li^re the arten^^sia is the almost exclu-
sive vegetation. When undisturbed, it chants merrily from some bush-top,
but, at the approach of danger, drops at once to the ground and disappears
in the shrubbery or weeds. Its nest he found built in a bush, composed of
twigs and grasses, and lined with hair. The eggs, four in number, he
describes as of a light greenish-blue, marked \vith reddish-purple spots, dif-
fering in intensity of shade. •

Foospiza belli, var. nevadensis, Ripgway.

ASTEHISIA SFABROW.

Poospiza belli, var. nevadensis, Ridgway, Report on Birds of 40th Parallel.

Sp. Char. Resembling P. belli, but purer ashy above, with the dors.il streaks very
distinct, instead of almost oV)solete. Wing, 3.20 (instead of 2.50) ; tail, 3.20 (instead of
2.50) ; bill (from forehead), .35 ; tarsus, .70. (Type, No. 53,516 ^, Western Humboldt
Mountains, Xev., United States Geol. Exj>l. 40th Par.)

FRINGILLIDJC — THE FINCHES.

595

Yonnq. f*troake(l abovo, tlu» rrown obsoletcly. the back distinctly. Wliolo broast and
sides with numerous short (Uisky streaks ujk)ii a white ground. Markings about the head
indistinct, wing-bands more distinct than in the adult

Had. Middle Province of United
States, north to beyond 40° (resi-
dent).

The difference in size between
the race of the Great Basin and
that of the southern racitic Prov-
ince, of this species, is quite re-
markable, being much greater
than in any other instance with-
in our knowledge. This may,
perhaps, be explained by the fact

that the former is not migratoty, ~ ^""'^'^ *''"' ™'- ^^"•

but resident even in the most northern part of its range ; while the Califor-
nia one is also resident, and an inhabitant of only the southern portion of the
coast region, not reaching nearly so .far north as the race of the interior.

The coloration of the two mces is quite identical, though in all specimens
of var. helH the dorsal streaks are obsolete, sometimes even apparently
wanting, while in the var. ncvadeusis they are always conspicuous. The
former appears to be more brownish above than the latter.

Habits. These birds, Mr. liidgway states, have a very general distribution,
extending as far west as the eastern base of the Sierra Nevada. At Carson
City, February 27, he heard for the first time their sweet sad chant. A week
later he found the sage-brush full of these birds, the males being in full song
and answering one another from all directions. In»walking through the sage-
brush these Sjwarrows wAe seen on'every side, some running upon the ground
with their tails elevated, uttering a chipping twitter, as they sought to conceal
themselves behind the shrubs. Some were seen to alight upon the tops of
dead stalks, where they sit with their tails expanded almost precisely after
the manner of the Kingbird. The song of this bird is feeble, but is unsur-
passed for sweetness and sadness of tone. While its effect is very like the
song of a Meadow Lark singing afar off, there is, besides its peculiar sad-
ness, something quite unique in its modulation and delivery. It is a chant,
in style somewhat like the spring warbling of the Shore Lark.

On the 24th of March, at Carson City, he found these Sparrows very
abundant and everywhere the predominating species, as it was also the most
unsuspicious and familiar. It was even difficult to keep them from under
the feet. A pair would often run before him for a distance of several rods
with their unexpanded tails elevated, and when too nearly approached would
only dodge in among the luislies instead of flying off.

On the 9th of April, walking among the sage-brush near Carson City, ^Ir.
liidgway found several nests of this Sparrow, the female parent in each

596 NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS.

instance betraying? the position of her nest hy running ont, as he ap-
proached, from the hush heneatli which it was concealed. With elevjited
tail, running rapidly and silently away, they disappeared among the shrub-
bery. In such cases a careful examination of tlie spot was sure to result
in finding an artfully concealed nest, either eml)edded in the ground or a
few inches above it in the lower branches of the bush. He did not find this
species east of the northern end of CJreat Salt Ljike, nor was it seen in the
neighborhood of Salt Lake City, where the other species was so abundant.

The eggs of this species differ very essentially from those of the P. hiline-
ata. They are oblong in shape, have a light greenish ground, marked all
over the q<^)I^ with very fine dots of a reddish-brown, and around the larger
end with a ring of confluent blotches of dark purple and lines of a darker
brown, almost black. They measure .80 by .60 of an inch. They resemble
very closely a not unconmion variety of the eggs of the Spizdlct pusilla.

INDEX TO PLATES OF LAND BIRDS.

iEgiothus hrewsteri,
exili|H>s,
fusct'scens,

r. 501,
cf " 498,
d " 493,

pl. 22,

tig. 6

(t o

Agelaius gubernator {shouhkr)^

e II.

guVrnator, 9

l>lKcniceu.s, cf

9

•• {shoulder), cf

tricolor {shoulder), d

<f
9
Alauda arvensis.

163,
159,

165,

\A. 33,
tt

it

it

((

<t

it

<(

n
i(

136,

pl. 32,
Ammodromus caudacutus, I. 557, pl. 25,

cf

ill.
I.

560,
401,
396,
250.
171,
173,

mantimus,
Ampeli.s cedrorum,

garnilus,
Anteiior uuicinctus,
Antlius ludoWcianus,

pratensis,
Antrostoinus carolinensls,

cf II. 410,

uuttalli,

vociferius,
Acpiila oanadt'iisis,
Archibuteo ferrugiiieus,

saneti-johaunis,
Astur atricapillus,
Asturina plagiata,
Atthis heloisii,
Auriparus tlaviceps.

<f " 417,

(f " 413,

III. 314.

♦' 300.

•' 304.

•* 237.

" 246.

cf II. 465,

I.

pl. 18,
pl. 10,
pl. 46,

(«
it

t i

4(

((
((
ti

Bouasa .sabiiiei,

umbelloides,

umbellus,
«t

Bubo arcticus,

paciticiLs,

virginianus,
Budytes flava,
Buteo Iwrealis,

calurus,

cooperi,

elegans,

harlani,

krideri,

lineatus,

lucasanus,

oxypteru.s,

peniisylvanicus,

swainsoni,

zonocercus.

III. 454.
" 453,

<<

448,

pl. 47,
pl. 7,

pl. 61,

64.

65.

62.
I. 167,
III. 281.
286.
295.
277.
292.
284.
275.
285.
266.
259.
263.
272.

pl. 10,

t<
<<
((
(<
<<
(<
(<
((
<(

3
5

4

8.

1
o

3

s;

61

71

3i

7

■8|

O 1

- i
1

3'
4

Calainospiza bicolor, 9 II.
CalliiH'piii .s(pmmata, cf III.
Calyptf aima, cf

('Ost;K, cf

CaniiK'philus juincipalis,

(f

9

C'anijtyloi'hyiR'lms attinis,

biunnt icapillus,
Cauace canadensis.

II.

I.

i«

tVanklini,

luliginosus,

obscurus,

ricliardsoni,
Cardinalis coccineus,
ign<'us,
plKi-niceiis,
virginianus,

III.

9 *•
cf "

n

cf
9

(f
S
d

61, pl. 29,
487, pl. 63,
454, pl. 47,
457, *•

496, pl. 49,

133, pl. 8,
132, *'
416, pl.61,
*' pl. 59,

419, *♦
495.
422, '•

tii

II.

pl. 3U,

4 •

9

cf

1 Cai-podacus calilorniciis,
3 c

2i i

M

" 6
" 11

" 10
♦' 3
" 9

Calamospiza bicolor, d II. 61, pl. 29,

cassiui,
((

frontalis,
((

h(x»rnorrliou.s,
rhodocolpus,
puii>urt'U.s

<f
9
<f
9

cf
cf
cf
9

Cathaiista atrata. III.

Cather[H's nM'xicanus, I.

Centroct'rcus uropluisianus,

cf III.

427,
103,
100,

465, pl. 21,
t( t<

460, "

465, "

<( ><

468, '*
462, "

351.

139, pl. 8,

pl. 60,

Centronyx bairdi,
Centurus aurifrons,

carolinus,
<(

uropygialis.

d
9
cf
9
<f
9

I.
II.

(C

I.

((

n

Certhia americana,

mexicana,
Certhiola bahamensis, cf
Ceryle alcyon, d

cabanisi, cf

Chaetura ])elagica, d

vauxi, 9

Chamaja fasciata, I.

Cham{Bj>elia pas.serina, cf III.
Chondestes granimaca, cf II.

II.

< (

429,
531,
557,

554,

K

558,

125,
128.
428,
392,
396,
432,
435,
84,
389,
562,

pl. 61,
pl. 25,
pl. 52,

pl. 8,

pl. 19,

pl. 45,
i<

pl. 45,

i(

pl. 6,
pl. 58,
pl. 31,

3
6

7
8

2
6
5
5
6
5
3

1
2
4

8
0
9
6
7

10
11
4
5
3
6
12
9
7
8

2
4
6
3
3
6
1
4
2

5
11

5
6
9

7
8
8
6
1

11

INDEX TO PLATES OF LAND BIliDS.

Chopli'iles henni, cf \l.

tcXt'Iisis, cf "

C'hry.souiitris lawrcnci, d I.

niizniiie, cf

liK-xicana,

])inu8,
jtsaltria,

tristis (summfr),

Cinc'lus iiicxicaiius.
Circus liiulsoiiiu.s,
C'istot bonis palustris,

•Stella lis,
( '(X'cy^us aiiicricnmis,

i'lythrophthalmu.s,

minor,

Coluptcs aiiratus,
it

chrysoides,

hyliridus,
int'xicauus,

9

cf
<f

9

1 1
(<

<t

«(

404, pi. 40,
4<i7.

40.;, '•
47>, 1.1. 22,

47«>,

4. HO,
474,

471,

<i
ti
t «
< i
(<
<i
it

cf

cf

cf
cf
V
cf

III.
I.

X

II.
ti

it

it

it

it

50, pi. 5,
214.
i<;i, pi. 9,

it

it

H.

it

it
it
ti
it

CoUurio l>orealis,

{Juv.)

excultitoroi<les, <f

ludoviciamis, cf

robust ii.s,
Colnniba I'asriata,

llavirofttris,

leucoft'pliala,
Contopus borcalis,

jK'rtiiiax,

ricliardsonii,

vireiis,

Conuruscarolinensis, {.id. ) "

(Juv.)"
Corvus aTneri(;anus, cf "

caruivorus,

raurinus,

cryptoleucus,

tloridanus,

riiexicanus, d

ossi tragus,
Cotuniiiulus henslowi, 9

It'couti, 9

o(hrocei)halus,

passeriuus,

perpallidus,
Cotyle riparia,
Crotophaga ani,
Cupidonia cujjido,

477, pi. 48,
484,

482,

iJ7'>, pi. 55,
it ft

583, pi. 54,

tt 1 1

582, *•

578, pi. 55,

1. 415, pi. 19,

(t

cf
cf
cf
cf

d
d

d

9
d

421,
418,

420.

300, pi. 57,

300,

303,

353, pi. 44,

350, "

300,

f i

it
ti

41
ft
f(
tt
it
ti

cf

9

pallidicincta,
C'yauocitta arizoiiie,

californica,

couelii,

floridana.

sordida,

suniichrasti,

woodhousei,
Cyanospiza arucena.

cms,
<t

cyanea,

d

d

d
d
d
9
cf
9

L

it

IE

E

ft

if

IE

HE

it

ft

IE

it

tf
ft
it
it
if
ti
ft
if
ft
ft

857,

587, pi. 50,
(( if

243, pi. 37,

234,

248,

242,

247.

233,

251,

553, pi. 25,

552, "
pi. 46,

553, pi. 25,
556.

353, pi. 16,

488, pi. 48,

440, pi. 61,
if ft

446.

202, pi. 41,
288, pi. 40,
293.

285, "
292, pi. 41,
pi. 40,
291, "
84,' pi. 29,

87,
f f

82,

ft
ft
ft
ft

tig. 4 ('yanosjii/a ryaiM-a,

pan-Iliiia,

versirolor,

ii

C'yanuni < orouatii,
• listata,
frontalis,
niarrolopha,
sti'lleri,

I'yrtonyx ma.sM'iia,

tt

II.

t i

it
ii
ii
it
ii
ii
it

ii
.f

it

ii
« i

tt
tf

ft

tt
i(

it

it

ii

ii
it
ti

tt
tt
i t
tf
ft
ft
ft
ft
if

tf
ft

tt
tf
ft
i f
tf
f f
ft
tf
tf

14

15

11

12

13

10

9

10

7

8

1

/

3
5
4

1

2

1

2
3
3
4
1
2
3
4

2
3
4
1
2
4
3
1
2

5
6

O

8
9
4
t
5
0
6
4

• i

it

Dundrnii a sestiva,

alliiiora,

autlulK>ni,

blatkburiiiiv,
it

tjerulea,
ft

caeniU'sceiis,

it

i-astanea,

chrysoimreia,

(■oronata,
if

discolor,

doiuinica,

gracia',

kirtlaiidi,

maculosa,

uioiitana,

nigrcsccus,

occidcntalis,

olivacca,

palnianun,

l)ennsvlvanica,

pinus,

striata,
It

townsendi,
virens,
Dolichonyx orizy vonis,

9
cf
cf

9
cf
cf
cf
cf
cf

III

d '•

9 "

I.

tt
ft

ft
f f
f f
tf
ft
it
if
f f
ft
tf
ft
i f
i t
ii
ft
ti
tf
ft
ft
tf
t(
tf
ft
f (
1 1
ft
1 1
it

IE

pi. 39,
273, ].l. 42,
279, pi. 39.
281, ••
277, *•
492, pi. 01,
" pi. 04,

it
it
ti
it

82, pi. 29, tig. 14
6

86, •• •• 9
10
4
3

3
1
2
3
6

d

9

cf
9
cf
9

cf

9
cf

cf

9
d

d
d
d
d

d
d
d

cf

d
d
d
d

V
cf

d
d

222, pi. 14,

240, "
229, pi. 13,
237,

ft

ft
ft
ft

it ft

235,

it

254, pi. 12,

it ft

251, pL 13,
ft it

200, pi. 12,

227, ••
it < f

276, pi 14,
240, ••
243, "

272, "
232, "
271, "
258, pi. 12,
266, •'

1>1. 14,

273, "

245, pi. 13,
ft

268,
248,

ft
ft
ft
tf ft

if 14

" 2

" 1

ft 7

2
1

4
1
o

3

11

12

7

8

13

Ectoi)istes migratoria, d **

Elanus Icucurus, III

I Embernagm rutivirgata, II

Empidonax acadicus, d *'
i ditficilis,

flaviventris, d *'

hammondii, d "

minimus, cf •'

obscurus, d *'

pusillus, cf '*

traillii, d "

Eremophila cornuta, d "

Euspiza americana, d *'

I " 9 "

townsendi, 9 "

265, pi. 12,
201, "
149, pi. 32,

368, pi. 57,
198.

47, pi. 28,
374, pi. 44,
380.

378,
383,
372,
381,
366,
369,
141, pi. 32,

ft
ft
ft
f f
ft
ft

ft
ft

Falco anatum,
I candicans,

I columbarius,

j IVraorali.s,

1 isabellinus.

in.

65, pi. 28,

ft

68,

132.
111.
144.
155.
17E

ft
it

it

ft
it
it
ft

•* 10
♦• 11
" 10

" 11

tf
ft

ft

tf
ft
f <
ft
ft
ft
ti
ft
ft
tf

1

7
1
2
3

4

5
6
9

ft
ft
ft
ft

♦• 12
" 9
•* 5
" 10
5

2
3

8
5
4

8

7

8

6

9

" 12
ft 7

" 4
" 4
" 5

3
11

12
7

10

6

9

8

1

2

11

12

13

/

IXDKX TO PLATES OF LAND lURDS.

•••
111

Fali'o isliiiHlicus,
liilirmlora,
|M'iil«'i,
|M)lya<;ni.s,
rit-liiinlsoui,
siiccr,
s|Kirv«'rius,
sucklcvi.

««
It

<«

Oah'tisoopte.s caroliin'iisis, I.
Oi'ococcvx calitorniiiiius,

(f II.
(Ifothlynis niacgillivravi,

'e I.

(« $ "

philadi'lphia, cf "

(< Q (<

triclias, cf "

(( Q it

Glaucidiiun californiruin, III.

ft'iru^iin'imi, '*

Guiraca < iLMiilca, cf II.

tt 9 "

Ovmnokitta cyanocfplialu,

cf "

III.

<<

HalLaetus albicilla,

li'Ui'<)('<'i»lialiis,
Hari»oihyncliu.s cinereus, I

crissalis,

curvirostiis,

Ircontci,

longirostris,

j)almi'ri,

ivilivivus,

rufus,
H«'(lyiiu'l('s ludoviciami^,

cf II.

ni('lanoet'i>halns, cf "

(< 9 "

Heliopiedica xaiitii.si, cf "
Hehuinthophaga buclimani,

cf I.
eelata {var. Cape Luca.^),

" {var. Florida), "'
♦♦ {vat: Kockv Mts. ),

I.

chrysoi>tora, cf *'

luciaj, "

IM'icgriua {in spriiKj), '*

*' {manfinmi),^'

pinus, <f *'

niiicapilla, "

(i-rtr. Calif.),"

Virginia?,

Helmitherus swainsoni,

vemiivorus,
Hesperiphona montana.

vesportina, cf ' '

Hirundo horreonnn,
Hylotomus pileatus,

113.
117.
1:57.
1J:J.
US.
115.
1G9.
147.

r.2, pi. 3,

41t2, 1.1. 48,

:io:?, pi. 15,

:5<il, ♦'
it <i

•2!)7, ••

t ( it

81.

S.'i.

77, pi. 21),
<( ((

2^0, pi. 38,

324.

32(5.
4<>, pi. 4,
47, "
41, pi. 3,
44, j.l. 4,
39, pi. ;J,
13.

4.-., 1)1. 4,
37, pi. 3,

70, pi. 30,

a it

73, "

(( it

4<;7, pi. 47,
194, pi. n,
204, "

202,

192,

2<><t,

205,
(<

19.5,
196,

n
(<
((

(<
<i
(<
((
(<
((
((

t<

cf "
9 II,
cf "

199,
190, pi. 10,
187, "
449, pi. 22,

339, pi. 10,
550, pi. 56,

Icteria longicaxtda,

virens.
Icterus auduboni,

baltiniore,

bullocki,

I.

cf "
cf II.

<f "

cf "

309.

307, pi. 1.'),
1S6, pi. 35,
19.5, "
199, pi. 34,

ii

Ictcnis bullocki, 9

rUfUlhtlll>, cf

piui^oniui, cf

sparine, >f

♦* (J»r.) cf

wagb'ri, cf
Ictiiiia iuis.sissippi('iisis, III. 203.

II. 109. pi. 34, fig. 7

" li»;J, pi. 3.'., " «

" ISS " ♦♦ 7

" 190, pi. 34, " 4

pi. 3.-,,

" 1

•Tiinco aikt'iii,
ciiiiiccps,
hy(iiiali>,
ongoiius,

cf I. 584, pi. 26,

cf " 5>7, •'

cf " 580, •*

cf •' 5M,

4
6

5
o

9

10

11

1

<

8
12
9
10
4
1
9
4

12
1
5
3

hagopus albiis,

" (■•tummri'), cf
" {irinfr,'), rf
** {snmiiirr), ^
u'Utuni.s {.uiiniitr,-),S
rupistris (irintcr), cf
" (:i'nimrr), 9
Lanivirto <a>.sini, cf

llavitVoiis, cf

plmiil)».'a, cf

solitaria, cf

LeiU'ostictc arctou.s,

au-trulis

(•aiu[»"stris,

gvixi nucha, cf

littorali.s

t»'phro« otis,
I.oplioithancs atrit.ri:status,

bicolor,

iiiornatus,

wolhvcbcri,
Lophortyx caliiV)ini<iis, I

111. 4:

pl.61,
pi. 62,

. i

464,
462,

t.

376, pi. 17,
39,
377,
373, "
pi. 23,

ff

anibdi,

,o.\i:i anioncana.
it'iicoptera,

* •

nicxicana,

cf
r

9

((
H

a
ii
n

n
((

6,

4<

507,

503,
507,
504,
90, pi

87,

91,
03, •'
479, pi. .;i,

" pi. 64,
<( k.

482, "

(( it

484, pi. 23,
488, '•

Mdanerpes angu.stifrons.

cf II. 573, pi. 5.3,

crythrocepljalus.
tonnicivorus,

tor<iuatus,
Melca^'ri.s gallopavo,

nicxii'ana,
Mclop'lcia leucoptcra,
ilclo.spiza fallax,

guttata,

lieernianni,

in sign is,

lincolni,

melodia,

palustris,

4(

nifina,

.sannudi-s
Mirratlioiip whitneyi,
^lilvulus tbrtieatus,

tyrannus,
Vilnius iKilyglottus,

r

9

III

cf

9

cf
9

564,
566,

561,
404.
" 410.
" 376,
II. 22,
•27,
24,
30,
31,
19.
34,

29,
26,
87.
.311,
309.
40,

((
(<
(<
((
<(
((

111.
II.

pi. 54,
pi. 53,

pi. 54,

pi. 58,
pl. 27,

I.

pi. 28,
pi. 27,

pi. 43,
pi. 3,

it

6

6

3

.'»
•>

8

1

3
•>

6
4

.t

<»

5

10

S

10
9

7

5

6

8
•>

4

4

1
.>

4
.5
1
4
2
3

3

4

4

1
o

4

10

12

9

8

13

6

1

2

11

7

" 1

" 4

IV

INDEX TO PLATES OF LAND BIRDS.

Mitn'phonispallescpns, S
Miiintilta viiiiii, cf*

Molotliius jHToris, V

ol»s«uru.s, <f

MntiK-illu nDtii,
Myiiitlt'stcs townsmdi, cf
" (.//'/.)
Myiarchu.s ciiuTasi'en.s, cf

rrinitus, cf

liiwn-iK'ii, cf

Myimlioctt's (.'aiiiulensis, cf

iiiiiiutus,

niitratus, cf

I)il«'olatu.s,
pu.sillus, cf

9

II.
^1.
II.

386, 1.1. 44,
!«(». pi. 10,
154, pi. 32,

I. 1«5.'», pi. 10,
" 40J». pi. 18,

II. 337, pi. 43,

t( ;<

tt <i

320, pi. 16,
31 r», "
314, pi. 15,

319.

317, pi. 16,

NaucltMUs foitit'atus,
Ncoeorys spragiU'i,
N'cpha'c'ctcs nigiT,
Nisus e(X)]>eri,

fus<Mis,

iiK .vicanus,
Nyc'talc richaidsoni,

acailiea,
Nyctea scaiuliaca,

Onychotes ^ruberi,
Oporoinis agilis,

fonnosji,
Onopolcia niartiuica,
Oreortyx j>ictus,
Orccst'optcs ii'ontanus,
Ortalida niacalli,

Ortyx texanus,

ti

virginiaiius,

Otus brachyotus,
wilsouianus,

III. 192.

9 I. U.'), pi. 10,

9 il. 429, pi. 45,

III. 23U.

'• 224.

•• 231.

•' 40.

" 43.

'* 70.

" 254.
cf I. 290, pi. 15,

Q (( <( it

cf "

(fill.

cf "

I.

II.

9 in.

(f "

cf *' 468,

Q (( ((

293, "
393, pi. 58,
475, pi. 63,
32, pi. 3,
398, pi. 57,
474, pi. 63,

(i

Pandion carolinensis, "

Panyptila iiielanoleuca,cf II.
Panila americana, cf I.

Pariis atricapillus,

carolinensis,

hudsonicus,

niontanus,

occideiitalis,

nifescens,

septentrionalis,
Passerculus .ilaudinus,

anthinus,

caboti,

guttatns,

princeps,

rostr.it us,

saiidwiehensis,

savanna,
Passerella iliaca,

megarrhyncha,

schistacea,

townsendi,
Pedifecetcs colunibianus, III

phasianellus, "

Perisoreus canadensis, cf II

((

K
((
{(
((
((
((
(i

IL

J.

<(

((
((
(<

IL

i(

((

<(

22.
18.

184.

424, pi. 45,

208, pi. 10,

96, pi. 7,
102,
105,

95,
101,
104,

99
537,' pi. 24,

539, "
pi. 46,

544, pi. 25,

540, "
542, pi. 24,
538, "
534, "

50, pi. 28,

57, "

56.

53 "
434,' pi. 60,
436, "
299, pi. 41,
pi. 42,

fig. 13

" 6

'• 6

" 8

•' 1

" 5

" 6

" 8

•' 7

" 0

•' 6

'* 2

*• 10

" 11

" 3

'* 4

it
it

(t
it
it

it
<t
tt
it
((
<(

(t
((
ti
it
if
<(
((
ft
if

Peri.sf)rpiis capitalis,

obsrurus,
P('ri.s.s(»glo.s.sa t'arl>onata, 1

tigrina, cf '*

it 9 "

Pt'tr<x'li<'li<lonlunifron.s. cf "
IVucH'a sestivalis,

arizon;e,

carpalis, ^

cjis-sini,

nilitt'ijs,
Ph;T>noiK'pla nitens,

(f II. 302, pi. 41, fig. 4

PhonifMim zona.

cf
cf
cf

9

Phyllopupuste lK)r('alis.
Pica biidsonica, cf

nuttalli, cf

Picicorvus columbianus,
Picoid«"s aniericanus, cf

arcticus,
Piciis allwlarvatus.

borcalis,
gairdntri,
hanisi,
lucasanus,

nuttalli,

tt

pubescens,

ft

scalaris,
tt

villosu.s,
**

iJuv.)
Pinicola cnucleator,

Pipilo aWrti,
albigula,
jilleni,
arcticus,

cf
cf
9
cf

cf

9

cf

9

cf

9

cf

9
cf

cf

9

cf

<f

cf
9

cf
cf

5
7
1
4
7
5
3
6
o

" 11
" 10
" 9

" 1

ft i)

Art

ft 22
" 9
" 8
" 7

cblonna,
crissalis,
erytliroj)hthalmiis, cf

cf

niegidonyx, 9

nicsolcu'us, cf

oicgonus, 9

Plectrophanes lapponicus,

cf
niaccowni,
nu'lanomus,
nivalis,
ornatus,
pictus.

ft

10

" 8

" 1

" 3

" 3

" 4

Polioptila cTprulea,

niclanura,

plu!n1)ca,
Polyborus auduboni,
Poociietcs gnimineus,
Poospiza belli,

inlineata,

ncvadensis,

Prognc cryptoleuca,

subis,
ft

Protonotaiia citrea.

cf
cf
cf
cf
cf
9

t i

214, pi. 12,

212, *'
-tf ft

334, pi. 16.

3!», i»l. 2.^,

41.

pi. 46,

42, i>l. 28,

45 "
405,' pi. 18,

it

IL 9.3, pi. 29,

I

II
tt

it

1 1

tt

. t

ft

1 1

tt

ft

ft

ft

1 1

ft

ft

tt

it

it

if

ii

n
it

it

it

f <

ft

ft
it
ft
ft
ft

it

it

pi. 5,
266, pi. 38,
270, "
2.'.5, "
532, pi. 50,
530, "
526,

it
tt
tt

524, pi. 49,

512.

507.

519.

521, pi. 50,

«c

509, pi. 49,
ft it

515, pi. 50,
it

503, pi. 49,

ft

it
it

453, pi. 21,

ft it

128, pi. 31,
127, "
112.

119,

if

131,

122,

109,
<i

113,
12.5,
116,

f (

ft
ft
ft
ft
ft
f f
ft
ft

51.5, pL 24,

523, "

521,

512,

520,

518,

ft

it
it
it
ft
ft
ii

9

<f

ft
(f

it

in

IL
L

f (
f f

ft
tf
tt
it

78, pi. 6,
81, "
80, "
178.

545, pi. 29,
593, pi. 26,
590, "
594.
332.

329, pi. 16,

if it

184, pi. 10,

*' 3

•* 1

♦* 2

*' 13

*' 4

ft
tt
ft
if

8
5
6
3
4
15
16

it
ft

tt
it
it
it

it
it
1 1

1

3

4
2

1
7

8
8

3
(>
6
7
4
5
3
4
5
1
2

7
11

5
6
4

8
2

3
9

" 10
" 12

it

it
ft
it

it
it
ft
ft
ft
ft
ft
it
it

ft
ft
ft
ft

ft
ii
it

if
ft
ft
ft
ft
t f
ft
ft
tt
ti

7
1
6
2
3
4
5
5
7
6

" 1
*' 9

'• 8

" 10

ft

8

INDEX TO PLATES OF LAND illlii)6.

r.sal 1 1 i pa nis melanotic

t

I

10<*, pi. 7. f

a- ^

S|M'otyti> livpucjiTa,

III.

OO.

iiiiiiiiiiiH,

«t

los»,

" t»

.S|H'rni(ipliila inonlcti.

d

91, pi. 29, fi;

,'. 17

pluilllMUS,

tt

110. "

" 10

i^^pliyruiiicu.^ nuchalis,

d

542, pi. 51, •

• 3

rsfiuloj^ryjilius californiiii

lUS,

i i

9

tt ii i

' 4

III

338.

rulx-r.

d

54j, '; '

' »;

r>il()iliiims lunrio,

9

11

3n4, pi. 42.

i. o

lliyroideus,

d

517, pi. 5t;, '

' r.

rvian^a astiva,

d

1.

441, J. 1. 20,

" 5

variu.s.

d

53it, pi. .»1, '

' 1

n

9

<i

t i t i

'* 0

It

9

tt ii i

i o

foop<'ri,

e

t(

444, "

" 1

\vi!li;inisoni,

9

515, " '

' .5

t«

9

tt

it i «

" 2

Spizella ari/(>n;e,

11.

lii'patifa.

d

(<

440, •'

'• •.♦

atri;{ularis,

d

].'., id. 20, *

' 11

tt

9

It

«( it

" 10

tt

d

t . ii t

* 12

lu(lovi<'ian:i.

(f

tt

437, '*

" 3

lirtweri.

13, pi. 27, '

' 4

tt

9

tt

tt it

" 4

iiiontirola.

3, "

' 5

niltra,

<f

tt

435, "

" 7

piilida.

11, " '

• 3

it

9

>i

it .1

•' h

pusilla.

9

5, " '

' 2

Pyrfjita doiiM'stica,

i.

52.-), pi. 23,

"12

socialis.

7, " '

' 1

Pyroffithalu.s intxicanu-s.

Starudiias eyanoceplia

la.

rf

11.

3S7, pi. 44,

" 5

c

111.

3it.'., pi. 58, '

' 5

Pynhiila cassini,

cf

I.

4:.7, i»l. 23,

" 11

Stelffidoptervx serriiKMuiis,

Pynliuloxia sinuata,

rf

II.

S>.'), \A. 30,

" 3

d

I.

3.'.0, pi. 10, •

' 12

.•^telluli < alliojH-.

d

II.

445, pi. 47, •

' !»

Quiscalus leiK'us,

tt

21 S.

Strix itratiiicul.i,

Ill

13.

a;,'la'us,

cf

tt

221, 1.1. 37,

2

Sturnilia ni.ii^na.

d

II.

174, pi. 34, '

i .>

inaci'ourus.

cf

tt

225. pi. 3G,

'• 1

nc;,decfa.

d

tt

170, *•

' 1

tt

9

tt

it

" 2

Sturnus viilifaiis.

d

ti

229, pi. 3.-,, '

' 8

major,

d

tt

222 ' '

" 3

Surniii ulula,

III

75.

it

9

t i

it i •

•'. 4

Syrniiim cincreunj.

1 1

3;».

purpurciis,

d

it

214, pi. 37,

•• 1

ncl)ulosinii,
occideutaU',

it

t i

34.
38.

Rfguhis calendula.

1.

75, pi. 5,

" 0

euvit ri,

tt

it .i

' 7

Tacliyciueta hicolor,

d

I.

344, pi. 10, '

' 8

satiupa,

i(

73, ••

• ft

tllala^>illa,

d

it

347, *' '

' 11

l»hiiio<rn i»hus aura,

III.

344.

Tliauniatias linna-i.

11.

4t;s.

IJostrhainus soeiabilis.

f (

20i>.

Thryothiinis herlandicri.

1.

144, pi. 9, '

' 2

bewii ki.

d

ii

14.-., - '

' 3

Salpinctes obsolctus.

I.

135, pi. 8,

•• 3

t<

tt

ft i

* 4

Saxicola (riiantlit',

tt

r.o, pi. 5,

• 6

leu.'o^iaster,

t i

147.

J^ayornis fuMUs,

d

IL

343, pi. 4.J,

•• 2

ludovicianus.

,i

14->, "

V 1

nigricans.

d

((

340, '^

• 1

spilurus,

it

147.

say us,

d

tt

347, "

•' 3

Trodiilus alcxandri.

d

II.

4.50, pi. 47, *

' 1

SoardaiVlla inca,

(fill.

387, pi. 58,

" 7

colubris.

d

. t

448, "

i 2

Scoleeephalus cyauoce

)lia

us,

Troglodytes ividon.

I.

1 4!>, pi. 9, '

5

9

11.

20f., pi. 35,

' 3

alasccusis.

ti

157, " '

' 8

fernif^ineus.

d

(i

203, "

* 4

hycinalis.

ii

1.-.5, " '

' 9

Scops asio,

III.

4I>.

pacilicus.

tt

ft t

' 10

tlami'U'olta,

<t

5S.

parkinauni,

<f

153.

iloridana,

t(

57.

Turdiis aliciir.

ft

11, pl. 1, '

' 3

kcnnicotti.

ii

53.

audultoui.

tt

21, " '

' 8

niaccalli,

<i

52.

conliiiis,

tt

27, pl. 2, '

' 1

Seiurus aurocapillus,

I.

280, pi. 14, '

• 11

I'uscescens,

ii

9, pl. 1, '

' 5

ludovicianus.

d

it

287, "

' 13

iliacus,

t i

23, pl. 2, '

' 4

novehoraccnsis,

d

it

283, "

• 12

niigratorius,

tt

25, '•

*>

Selasphorus platycercus.

mustelinus.

t t

7, pl. 1, '

' 1

d

11.

462, pi. 47,

' 5

Uicvius,

<t

29, pl. 2, '

' 2

rufus,

d

1 1

459, "

" 4

nanus,

t(

20, pl. 1, '

' 7

Sctophaga pieta.

d

it

pi. 4^

'' 7

pallasi,

tt

18, - '

' <;

it

d

.i

pi. 50,

" 3

swainsoni.

tt

14, " '

' 4

nitioilla.

d

I.

322, pi. 10,

" 1

ustulatus,

t i

it t

it

9

i (

it tt

" 5

Tyrannus carolinensis,

d

11.

310, pl. 43, '

' 2

Sialia arctica.

tt

07, pi. 5,

" 4

couclii.

d

tt

329,

' 0

nicxicana.

tt

65, "

' 2

dominicensis.

d

tt

310. "

' 3

sialis.

it

02, "

" 3

verticalis.

d

ft

324, "

' 4

Sitta aculcata.

((

117.

voeiferaus,

d

(f

327, "

' 5

canadensis.

d

It

118, pi. 8,

' 7

<t

9

1 1

<t it

' 8

Vireo atrioapillus,

,.?

1.

.383, pl. 17, '

' 0

carolinensis,

d

tt

114, "

' 1

belli.

d

it

3>9, "

' 13

((

9

it

it it

' 2 '

huttoni.

rf

tt

3<*7, " '

' 12

pusilla.

t<

122, "

' 9

nove'oracensis,

d

tt

385, " '

' 11

pyguiaja,

<f

120, " •

' 10

pusillu.s.

d

if

391, "

'14

VI

INDEX TO PLATES OF LAND BIRDS.

Vireo vicinior, <f

Vireosylvia baibatula, <f

flavoriridis,

gilva, d

olivacoa, d

philadelphioa,

swainsoui,

it

it

393, pi. 17, fig.

360, "

366.

368, "

363,

367,

371.

Xanthocephalus icteroccphalus,

d II. 167, pi. 32,

" ? " ♦' pi. 33,

Xautlioura luxuosa, " 295, pi. 42,

7 Zenaida amabilis, cf III. 379, pL 58, fig. 3

1 Zcnaidura carcUneusis, cf " 383, *'
' Zonotrichia albicoUis, cf I. 574, pi. 26,

3 coronata, cf " 573, "

2 gambeli, cf " 569, pi. 25,

4 " {Jhv.)
leucophrys, {Juv.) <f " 566,

querula, {Ad.) cf " 577, pi. 26,
9 ** (autumn)

9
1

(I

" 2
" 10
" 1
*♦ 11
" 12
" 9
" 10

<< A

PLATE I.

1. Tunius niiistclimis. Ow. Penn., 1570.

2. " ustulatus. Xutt. Orcxon, i^J4^.

3. " alici.-v, Jutn-i/. Illinois, ivX).S4.

4. " swainsnnii, Gi*. Penn., 9P1.

5. Tiirdus fuscescens, Steph. D C, 28331.

6. " pallasii, Cith. Penn., 2146.

7. " nanus, Aud. Cala., i7'>07.

& " auduboni, Bai.d. Rocky Mts., 10886.

I

»

PLATE II.

^

! J

i ^ ^

o -

c. "

^•5

§ K
o c

vt

3
•3
&■ •
3 •

PLATE III.

I

s §•

o o
in ^

V

.- c
- ii

= 3

•5 iJ

'e:''>i:

C»

<>

0

E o

O

a

-• ci

PLATE IV.

y

fi

•J

11

3

a

1*)

u

.2 3

J u

e

o
a

S

PLATE V.

1. Cinclus mexicanus, Sw. N. M. , 8496.

2. Sialia mcxicana, ^zf. Cal., 10623.

3. " sialis, Baird. D. C, 23245.

4. " arctica, Su\ Rocky Mts.. 18319.

5. Phyllopneuste Ixirealis. Alask.i, 43909.

6. Saxicola ccnanthe, Rcclist. France, 18959.

7. Rcffulus cuviori, .-/«.f. (From Aud.'s plate. )

8. " satrapa. l.iiht. D. C , 11 6.3.

9. " calendula, Licht. Penn., 736.

PLATE VI.

1. Lophophancs bicolor, i7f»f . III., 39679.

2- " atricristatus, Cass. Tex., 12107.

3- " inornatus, CiTj.f. Cal., 37031.

4- " woUweberi, Bon. Ariz., 40743.

S PolioptiLx cxrulea, Sil. IlL, 1021^

6. " plumbca. A'<t/></. Ariz., 11341.

7. " niclanura, l.a-u.-r. Cal., 7191.

8. Chanusa fasciata, Oamt. CaL, 5924.

•'%«»■•

PLATE VII.

I. Parus atricapillus, /.Oni. c^ N. York, 12851.

7ar. septcntrionalis, Harris. Missicjn \'a!L-
-\xr. I cciilcnt.ilis, BatrJ. Washiniiton Terr,
caruliiieiisis. And. cf D. C, 7)6.

5. ■■ nioiitaiius, (;.iw»^/. Ncv.ila, 5U5fi-

6. " rufcMiMis, To7VHs. Pacific coast. xv)\b.

7. I'arus huilsonic r^^rst. N- Srntia.

8. I'saltriparus iiiclanotis. />.»/. Mexico.

9. " niiiiiinus. Tonus. California. 2^417
lA " t.ir. plunil)cus, Raiy.i. Arizon.i.
II. Auriparus flavtcips Sunt/- 42210.

PLATE VI! I.

.^'

rv ^ E;^ »'Sv^ >"'^- :^-

^■;n

1. Sitta carolincnsis. Cm. O P.i , "op4.

=. ?

3. Salpinctcs ohsolctus, Sirjr. CaL, 7157.

4. Cathcrpcs iiifxicanus, S7t:, var. Mcx. 534^5.

5. Campylorhyntlius hrunriLicapillus, I.u/r. C Cal, 7i4>

^ •• afHnis, A'tDtfiis. O Cnpc tt. Lucas, 13965.

7. Sitta canadensis, /,»■»«. o Pa., 818.

a " " " 9 Ta , 3073.

9. " pusilla. Lath. Gn., 1925.
la " pyijnui'a, /Vf. Cal., 3';42.
II. Ccrthia amcricana, /)c';;. C Pa., 827.

PLATE DC.

#■

-X

1. Thryothorus ludovicianus. Lath I'a., 17S4.

2. " berlanJieri, Couch Texas.
J " bewickii, Aud. <S Pa., 2047.
4. " •' " var.

5- Troglodyta aedon, I'leiU. D. C.

6. Cistothoms palustris, U'ils. Pa., 1454.

7. " stcllaris, I.icht. Ga., 3073.

8. Troj;lod>'tcs alasccnsis, Raird. Alaska, 54447.

9. " hyemalis, Vieill. O V'a., 31045.

la '* " T'lir. pacificus, .fftiiri/. W. T., 17434.

PLATE X.

:'^^' c . ^^>^:!»;"

N V

vN"

1. Motacilla alba, I.t'itn. EurojM".

2. Budytci flava. Linn. Alaska, 45912.

3. Anthus ludovicianus, Gtn. Labrador, 18081.

4. " pratensis, Linn. Europe, 18590.

5. Ncocorys bprajjuci, And. 9 L>acota, 1SS4.

6. Muiutilta varia. Linn, cf 1R685.

7. I'arula aiinritana, Linn, q I'a., 533E5.

8. Protonotaria citrca, ^i\fi/. 111., loii.

9. Hclinithcrus swaiiiNoni, Aud. S. C. 1054.
10. " vcriiiiviirus, Orn. Pa., 2148.

PLATE XI.

y

T'f.-.-.-

m

it

3

.3

<

J:

c

\

a

•i

8 ^. <?

I*

^

a

2

<3

<j Si u.

■* l« <C)

I'D «

.OS
tn SJ S
2 t~

!*
t)«
«3

j:
a
o

•5 : :

c

S
"3

•" M rt

1^

PLATE XII.

I'

■ i'L.^

'■' P:'4

t "4

ii
^)o♦

o

jj : 2

I

- .a 7

^ w '**

< ^ ^

5 t; fl*

t/! i/^ 2

III

— S u

<«

I

f^ ae *

»

llf

•* lO ■d

M 3

I

•do >s

c o

^
"m

I

PLATE XIII.

' -^^

"/ .

|:;'.;^^v,Vi^-.;,..

'.^1

\ "c

w^O*

C: ?

d - 5

J*!

.- - ^^

It

^

J - r

X 2. 2.

5 5 -

t; H

._- "3

CO A
a

PLATE XIV.

PLATE XV.

»f|.

<'i.

/

'■t>:.^, '/' .,J'..-,,\ '••■ . '■■'/''/ '.

•3 ' -D

S

C 'C

d - fi

r)

1.

in

u

r

3*

c

"t.

>•

*2

■r. ^

o
O

i "dCH-^

I 5 I

c

O

^ vn

o

O

ei f»5

PLATE XVI.

A

,V-

^'^

-'■/

' 'uif:

t\

■:;.ii^y

■^

r<^

p- t: i. U

i — 3

^— « ^

>• 5 e

— = t«

i "^ 3

X <4

O

5 ^

/o*

—

ft

_5;

■J

^

*<

'-/

■J

^^

b.

ra

3

tjC

'^

rt

^

O

:r*

£

5o

^

'>»

0

1*

^

X

^

^

uS

o

t^

= 00 in

. ^ O CI

^ ^ _; 1

rt t^ w ;,

^ y

-■ ti rt »}■

PLATE XVII.

"'■'.7'' ' ■ ■■... ■ r :J

^r'wlr:^)^

00

i/: , ::..--'

..^^

i':^

% ■ 'h-

.-^

./'■y^

I

I

3

i = v 3

2 o

C

.a

<

c: - 2
.•• It -i

S .~ ^

- = -2
I 5 I

^ U Si
O

I ■-

(X <} 4

ii\

il:

i?J#.:';J'" ' .- -/v^

^^.^

S S? ^ 3
~ .•: J: ^
5 "5 'Si s.

PLATE XVIII.

/■

% ,t

1 .1 /' ^

•1>^$^
^i^^

o .r

1:

S3*

e

St :

s

3

lA

•3

o

P13

re -"

s

PLATE XIX.

•^?^-*

':'■ '-my-

'■^Z^^

CI

_0

3

a
o
U

E

<«

15

r

u
U

%

8:

I
o

X

■3

PLATE XX.

I. Pyranga cooperi, RiJj^v. r? N. Mex., 34344.

X 9.

J, •• ludoviciana. n't/s. cf Neb., 38388.

M •• 4< •■ V

^ " xstiva, Cm. <S Ga., 13190.

6. Pyran^ aestiva. Gnt. V .

7. *• rubra, Linn. (^ Iowa, 34177.
& " " .. 9.

9, '* hepatica, Swains, cf Mex., 23414.
lA •• •• " 2.

PLATE XXI.

531

*0O

a
U

H

ji

W

I

: : o

"CO

V

s

5

8
P

c3

U

I

1 ij y

>. ^ 2

I C !t ^

! « '-J ^•

•do §

in
3
u
n

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