WHITE-THROATED SPARROW. 481 



from the mouth over the auriculars ; and then from the base of the 

 lower mandible extends another broad, curving, white line ascending 

 towards the ears ; another very dark, unequal line stretches from the 

 same mandible along the sides of the throat, which last with the 

 chin is, apparently, of a cream white. The neck and breast dull 

 cinereous, a dusky brownish spot on the latter ; belly and vent nearly 

 white. Above cinereous umber-brown, the back feathers centred 

 with a more dusky hue, and the wings and tail edged with very pale 

 brown ; 2d primary longest ; a white angular spot on the wing. A 

 white spot on all the tail-feathers but the 2 central ones, increasing 

 in size to the outer. Bill pale horn-color. Legs and feet pale yel- 

 lowish-brown. Iris dark-brown. — The female is duller in color. 



WHITE-THROATED SPARROW. 



{Fringilla pennsylvanica, Lath. x\udubon, pi. 8. Orn. Biog. i. p. 

 42. F. alhicollis, Wilson, iii. p. 5L pi. 22. fig. 2. [male]. Phil, 

 Museum, No. 6486,} 



Sp. Charact. — The head striped with dusky and white ; a yellow 

 line from the nostril to the eye ; shoulder of the wing edged with 

 greenish-yellow ; cheeks and breast cinereous ; throat and belly 

 white ; above varied with dusky, bay, and light brown, — Female, 

 below, and stripes on the head, light drab. 



This large and handsome Sparrow is seen in this part 

 of Massachusetts, only as a transient visitor at the ap- 

 proach of winter, or in spring, about the first week in 

 May. In the Middle and Southern States, they pass the 

 inclement season, and appear there as a numerous spe- 

 cies. A flock even of these birds has been observed in 

 the state of New York in the month of January. In 

 their hibernal resorts, they are seen in bands, and show 

 a predilection for thickets, swamps, small streams, and 

 the borders of ponds, where, among the tall and bleach- 

 ing weeds, they continue to collect the seeds, and proba- 

 bly insect larvae, which constitute their usual fare. While 

 here they keep much on the ground, and seek out cool 

 and shady situations, scratching up the fallen leaves in 

 41 



