YELLOW OR ORANGE CONSPICUOUS 529 



to alight again a few feet farther on, singing the same gay 

 " perchicoree, per-chic-o-ree " as do their Eastern kinsfolk. 



531. LAWRENCE GOLDFINCH. — A sir agalinus 



lawrencei. 



Family : The Finches^ Sparrows, etc. 



Length: 4.50-4.70. 



Adult Male: Upper parts brownish gray (the back sometimes tinged 

 with olive-green), changing to bright greenish yellow on rump and 

 wings ; crown, face, and throat black ; median under parts yellow ; 

 lateral under parts light brownish-gray, becoming white on tail- 

 coverts and midille of belly. 



Adult Female: Similar to male, but colors duller, and without black on 

 head or throat. 



Young: Similar to female, but duller and lower parts indistinctly 

 streaked. 



Geographical Distribution : California west of the Sierra Nevada ; south- 

 eastward in winter to Arizona. 



California Breeding Range: Local in u[tper and lower Sonoran zones 

 west of the Sierra Nevada, as far north as Chico. Recorded from 

 ViMitura County and San Gorgonia Pass. 



Breeding Season: April, May, and June. 



Nest : Composed of wool, fine grasses, down, and feathers, closely woven 

 together ; lined with long hair ; placed on extreme end of the limb 

 of a live oak tree. Sometimes the nest is composed entirely of 

 grasses. 



Eggs: 4 or 5 ; i)ure white. Size 0.tJ2 X 0.44. 



The Lawrence Goldfinch is a haunter of the canons 

 and the lower range of pine forests. Like the Arkansas 

 and willow <>j()hUinches, it is found in small Hocks feed- 

 ing on the seeds of weeds and Hitting from one foraging 

 ground to another in tlie winter days. Early in April it 

 seeks its breeding ])laces in the foot-hills, where, securely 

 hidden from prying eyes in the unfreciuentcd canons, it 



34 



