170 NEW-YORK FAUNA — BIRDS. 



Description. Second and third primaries longest, subequal ; the second slightly longest. 

 Tail deeply emarginate, almost forked, extending 1*2 beyond the tips of the closed wings. 



Color. Bill brownish black above ; lighter beneath. Fore part of the back streaked with 

 brown. Wings and tail deep brown ; the quills tipped and edged with red. Frontlet cream- 

 colored. All the rest of the body of a rich crimson. In the change, a line of lighter crimson 

 over the eye ; outer webs of quills dull red for two-thirds of their length : vent and under 

 tail-coverts streaked with brown. Female, in the State Collection, wholly olive above, striped 

 with white and dusky ; beneath grey-white, with arrow-headed spots of brown : a lighter 

 line above and below the eye. Male of the first year, differs from the female only in the 

 bright olive-yellow of the rump and chin, and a slight degree of the same on the wing-coverts ; 

 the tail-feathers also are edged externally with olive. 



Length, 5-5-6-0. Alar spread, 9*0 -9- 3. 



This species I have seen in the Atlantic district of this State, as late as November, De- 

 cember and January. Audubon met with it in the northern district in June, when it was 

 breeding. They leave us in May for the north. The eggs are bright green. It feeds on 

 buds and the berries of evergreens in winter, and on insects in summer. Tt has a good flavor. 

 Its geographical range is from Mexico to 55° north latitude. It occurs on the Columbia river. 



(EXTRA-LIM1TAL) 



E. frontalis. (Aud. Vol. 3, p. 175, pi. 197.) Greyish brown. Forehead, band over the eye, throat, 

 breast and rump carmine. Head, hind neck and anterior part of the back slightly tinged with 

 red. Rare. Length, 6i inches. Rocky mountains. According to Mr. Giraud, it is numerous in 

 Texas. 



E. tephrocotis. (Id. lb. pi. 198.) Umber brown. Head ashen grey, spotted with black. Feathers 

 of the wings and rump broadly edged and tipped with rose-red. Very rare. Length, 6 inches. 

 Northern regions. 



