1850.] 105 



The following is Mr. Bell's note relating to this species : This bird T shot 

 first near Sonoma, and afterwards at San Diego ; its habits much resemble those 

 of the painted bunting, [S. ciris.) I observed several of them amongst the worm- 

 wood at the edge of the hills, sitting on the tops of the small bushes, singing, and 

 when disturbed would dart downwards. The song is quite unlike that of any of 

 our finches, rather low and plaintive, and perhaps most resembles that of the 

 Swamp sparrow, (Amm. palustris.) It is neither a very active nor a shy bird, 

 and was not rare at the localities mentioned." 



In a collection of birds deposited in this Academy by Mr. E. L. Kern, and 

 collected by him while with the expedition of Col. Fremont in 1846, there is 

 a specimen of a young bird very much resembling that now described, but much 

 larger, being about the size of the E. hypochondria D'Orb., and is, I think an 

 unknown species. The specimen is not only in bad plumage, but so much injured 

 as scarcely to admit of being mounted. 



5. Carduelis Lamrencei, nobis. 



Form. Bill rather conical, three outer primaries longest and nearly equal ; 

 tail coverts long, tail emarginate. 



Dimensions. Total length of skin from tip of bill to end of tail about 4i 

 inches, wing 2 and 8-lOths, tail 2 inches. 



Colors. % . Head above and a small space around the bill and upon the throat, 

 black ; head behind and sides of the neck pale cinereous, shading into fine brown- 

 ish olive upon the back, and into a paler cinereous upon the sides under the 

 wings, nearly white upon the abdomen and inferior tail coverts. Lesser and 

 exposed portion of greater wing coverts, rump, breast and belly fine pale yellow; 

 upper tail coverts cinereous. Spurious wing, black, conspicuous. 



Quills brownish black, primaries and succeeding secondaries externally edged 

 with yellow; shorter secondaries edged and tipped with ashy white. Tail 

 brownish black, the external feathers each with a large spot of white on its inner 

 webj very conspicuous. 



Hab Sonoma and San Diego, California, discovered by Mr. John G. Bell. 



o . Without black upon the head or throat, those parts being brownish olive ; 

 the yellow color upon the inferior surface more restricted. 



Obs. This beautiful little bird resembles no other Carduelis which has come 

 under my notice. Mr. Bell's note respecting it is as follows : " This bird I first 

 observed at Sonoma. In habits it much resembled our common Goldfinch (C. 

 tristis.) The flock, out of which I shot these two, was feeding in company with 

 the small black headed species ( C psaltria,) on the seeds of plants growing near 

 the ground, and when disturbed alighted upon the nearest bushes. When flying, 

 they keep up a constant chattering or calling like our common species. I also 

 saw this bird at San Diego, feeding as above in company with the crimson fronted 

 Bullfinch, {Enjthrospiza fro7itaUs,) in the open prairie. I never saw it in the 

 mountains." 



1 have named this bird in honor of Mr. George N. Lawrence, of the city of 

 New York, a gentlemen whose acquirements, especially in American Orni- 

 thology, entitle him to a high rank amongst naturalists, and for whom I have 

 a particular respect, because, like myself, in the limited leisure allowed by the 

 vexations and discouragements of commercial life, he is devoted to the more 

 grateful pursuits of natural history. 



