LAND BIRDS. 497 



other small shrub, but also not infrequently while entirely hidden in the 

 grass. 



TECHNICAL DESCRIPTION. 



Outer tail-feathers much shorter than middle pair. 



Adult (sexes alike) : Top and sides of head and neck greenish-olive, streaked narrowly 

 with black except on middle of crown, which thus shows a clear pale stripe; a narrow black 

 line from base of upper mandible around and behind the ear-coverts to the back of the 

 eye, and a second black line bordering the white throat on each side; back, scapulars and 

 rump mainly chestnut and black, each feather black centrally, surrounded by chestnut, 

 and narrowly edged with white; breast and sides buffy, sharply streaked with black: 

 belly white; wings and tail without bars or spots, the secondaries and outer tail-feathers 

 mostly chestnut, the primaries and some of the tail-feathers dusky; bend of the wing yellow; 

 bill brownish above, yellowish below; iris brown. Young: Similar to adult, but sides 

 alone streaked, the breast without spots; only a single black streak from base of bill l)elow 

 eye (the one bordering the throat wanting). 



Length 4.75 to 5.25 inches; wing 2.10 to 2.20; tail 1.90 to 2.05. 



224, Leconte's Sparrow. Passerherbulus lecontei (Aud.). (548) 



Synonyms. — Leconte's Bunting. — Emberiza leconteii, And., 1844. — P>ingilla caudacuta. 

 Lath., 1790, Nutt., 1832.— -Ammo'dramus leconteii, A. (). U. Clieck-list, 1886.— CoturniciUus 

 lecontii, Baird, 1858, Coues, 1878. 



Similar to Henslow's Sparrow, but without any yellow on the bend of 

 the wing. The general appearance of the bird is decidedly more buffy 

 or even yellow. Perhaps the most noticeable difference is in the smaller 

 bill which is really minute for such a bird, the culmen measuring only .35 

 of an inch. 



l)istiil)ution. — From the Plains eastward to Illinois and Indiana, and from 

 Manitoba south in winter to South Carolina, Florida and Texas. 



This is a western bird, only stragglers reaching eastward as far as Indiana, 

 and possibly to southern Michigan. Our only record is a specimen in the 

 Museum of the University of Michigan, said to have been taken near Ann 

 Arbor. According to Kumlien and Hollister this species is sometimes 

 fairly abundant in autumn near Lake Koshkonong, Wis., where in 1895 

 hundreds could have been taken. A few occur there every year in Septem- 

 ber, but none are found in spring (Birds of Wisconsin, p. 96). 



The bird is said to be similar in its habits to Henslow's S])arrow and has 

 a similar insect-like voice. 



TECHNIC.\L DESCRIPTION. 



Outer tail-feathers much shorter than middle ones; bill very small and slender. 



Adult (sexes alike): "No tlusky rictal or submalar streaks; median crown-stripe buff 

 anteriorly, the rest pale buffy-grayisli or dull buffy whitish; lateral stripes streaked blackish 

 and brownish, the former usually predoniiiiating (nearly uiiiforin l)iack in sununer); liinil 

 neck streaked chestnut and pale buffy or buffy -grayish; sides of iiead, including broad 

 superciliary stripe, buffy (dee[)er, almost ochraceous, in winter, paler, sometimes nearly 

 white in summer), the lores and ear-coverts light grayish or brownish, the latter bordered 

 above by a blackish streak, becoming larger posteriorly; anterior and lateral lower parts 

 buffy, the sides and flanks streaked with blackish; belly wiiite; upper parts brownish, spotted 

 or striped with blackish and streaked with whitish or buffy. Young: General color buff, 

 deeper above, paler beneath, the belly whitish; upper parts streaked and striped with 

 blackish, the chest, sides and flanks more narrowly streaked with tiie same. 



"Length 4.40 to 5.50 inches; wing 1.87 to 2. (Hi; tail 1.87 to 2.25; culmen about .35" 

 (RidgAvay). 



()3 



