500 MICHIGAN BIRD LIFE. 



including bristles or hair. The eggs are three to five, white or ])liiish white, 

 rather thinly spotted with brown, purple and black, and usually with dark 

 irregular pen-scratches. They average .80 by .61 inches. 



TECHNICAL DESCRIPTION. 



Adult (sexes alike) : Top of head with a median stripe of whhe or grajdsh-white, bordered 

 on either side with a broader dark stripe, which is black on the forehead, bright chestnut 

 on the crown, and mixed witli black on the nape; a narrow black line tlirough the middle 

 of the lores, with a long white stripe above it and over the eye, and a shorter white stripe 

 below it and the eye; ear-coverts chestnut, with black spots before and behind; a broad 

 white stripe from the base of lower mandible along side of head, separated from the white 

 throat by a narrow black stripe; back brownish gray, the scapulars and interscapulars 

 streaked with blackish, the hind neck, rump, and upper tail-coverts mostly unstreaked; 

 under parts white or grayish-white, the chest with a patch of five or six small black spots; 

 wings grayish-black, edged with white externally, and with two more or less conspicuous 

 whitish bars; tail rounded, all but the middle feathers black with broad white tips, the 

 outer pair about half white, the amount decreasing regularly on the next four pairs, the 

 middle pair brownish-gray without white tij)s; bill dusky alH)ve, l)hiish lielow; iris brown. 



Young birds are more or less streaked with l)lackish on the breast, and the head markings 

 are much less distinct, the crown entirely grayish-brown streaked with blackish, and the 

 ear-coverts plain grayish-brown. 



Length 5.75 to 6.75 inches; wing 3.20 to 3.80; tail 2.70 to 3; culmen about .45. 



227. Harris's Sparrow. Zonotrichia querula (Niiit.). (553) 



Synonyms: Fringilla querula, Nutt., 184(1. — l''ringilla harisii, And., 1843. — Zonotrichia 

 querula of most other authors. 



With the proportions and general appearance of the White-throat, but 

 rather larger, the top of the head without any stripes, and mainly clear 

 black in the adult, as is also the chin, throat and middle of the breast. 

 In immature birds these black feathers are ashy on buff tipped, more or 

 less hiding the black. 



Distribution. — Middle United States from Illinois, Missouri and Iowa 

 west to middle Kansas and the Dakotas, and from Texas north to JManitoba. 



This appears to be a rather rare straggler from the west, yet from its 

 similarity to the White-throat and White-crown, with which it associates, 

 it may occur more frequently than we suppose. Thus far but three specimens 

 have been recorded from INIichigan, as follows: (1) An immature female 

 shot at Palmer, Marquette county, September 30, 1894, by O. B. Warren; 

 the skin now in the Agricultural College collection. (2) A male shot at 

 Battle Creek, Calhoun county, October 12, 1894, by Edward Arnold; this 

 bird was with a flock of White-throated Sparrows. (3) A female collecteil 

 at Sault Ste. Marie, Chippewa county, February 22, 1900, by Richard 

 Ryan, and identifietl by the Division of Biological Survey, U. S. Depart- 

 ment of Agriculture. This specimen is now in the museum of the Sault 

 Ste. Marie high school (Melville). 



Mr. Warren states that he first noticed this species at Palmer in the fall 

 of 1893 among flocks of the White-throated and White-crowned Spai-rows 

 and found it tolerably common in the fall migrations of 1894 and 1895, 

 but was unable to find it in the spring.. 



It appears to be similar in its habits to the other members of the genus, 

 but its nesting habits and eggs are imperfectly known. 



TECHNICAL DESCRIPTION. 



Adult: Whole top of head black, without lighter median strijie; rest of ujiper parts 

 brownish-gray or grayish-browji, tiie scajjiilars and middle of hnck broadly streaked 



