494 HISTORY OF THE 



Sp. Char. "■Male: Sides of the head, aud sides and back of the neck, ash: 

 crown tinged with j-ellowisli green, and faintly streaked with dusky. A super- 

 ciliary and short maxillary line, middle of the breast, axillars, and edge of the 

 wing, yellow. Chin, loral region, patch on side of throat, belly aud under tail 

 coverts white. A black patch on the throat, diminishing to the breast aiid end- 

 ing in a spot on the upper part of the belly. Wing coverts chestnut. Inter- 

 scapular region streaked with black; rest of back immaculate. Female: With 

 the markings less distinctly indicated; the black of the breast replaced by a 

 black maxillary line and a streaked collar in the yellow of the upper part of the 

 breast. 



"Among adult males, scarcely two individuals exactly alike can be found. In 

 some, the black of the throat is continued in blotches down the middle of the 

 breast, while in others it is restricted to a spot immediately under the head. 

 These variations are not at all dependent upon any difference of habitat, for 

 specimens from remote regions from each other n)ay betfound as nearly alike as 

 any from the same locality. Some specimens from Central America are more 

 deeply colored than North American ones, owing, no doubt, to the freshness of 

 the plumage." 



stretch of 

 Length. wing. Wing. Tail. Tarsus. Bill. 



Male 6.2.5 10.00 3.20 2.3.5 .90 .56 



Female... 6.00 9.55 3.00 2.20 .90 .54 



Iris brown; bill — dusky on ridge, rest bluish; legs, feet and 

 claws brown. 



These well-known birds are rare in the eastern portion of their 

 range, rather common in the middle, and abundant westward. 

 They prefer for their homes the open fields and prairies, where 

 they are to be met with in pairs and family groups. The males, 

 during the early breeding season, especially while the females 

 are sitting, make themselves very conspicuous, throughout the 

 day, by perching upon tall weeds, bushes or fence posts, and 

 zealously uttering at short intervals their monotonous attempt 

 at song, making up in quantity what it wholly lacks in melody. 

 In the latter part of the season they do not attempt to sing, and 

 even their call note is seldom heard. 



Like most all of the seed eaters, their diet consists also of 

 berries and the various forms of insect life. Upon the wing 

 the birds are strong and easy, and in their migratory flights or 

 when going a distance fly quite rapidly and high, but, about 

 their haunts, low and in rather an undulating manner. 



Their nests are built upon the ground and in low bushes; a 

 rather compact structure, usually made of grass, and lined with 



