16 



SINGINCx BIRDS — OSCINES. 



and sides of tlir Imdy. brmvn olive. lij,diter lli:in the l):iel<. An obsoure ashy superciliary- 

 stripe, and anotlier lir;liter beneatli tlie eye. Ear coverts and an indistinct maxillary 

 stripe, (larii brown ; the shafts of the former whitish. Ends and tips of tail feathers obso- 

 letely paler. Lenslh, \i.r>0 inches; extent, l.S ; wing, 4.20 ; tail, .').7,') ; tarsus, 1..50. Iris 

 and feet brown ; bill black. 



Hah. Caliiiirnia, west of the Sierra Nevada: north to lat. S8°. 



This (Hlil-loiikiiig ami pLiinly colored l)inl is common in all the valleys 

 and hnsliy hillsides south of San Francisco, frequenting chiefly the dense 

 " chapparal," or low thickets, which often cover the gravelly sides of valleys 

 for miles, with an almost impenetrable growth of shrubs from two to six 



*S^- ^ - 



feet high, and occasionally a small tree rising above them. In such places 

 these birds are constant residents, raising their young in nests built in the 

 low trees or higher shrubs, and finding their subsistence mostly among the 

 dead leaves on the ground, and from the berries which are sometimes ntmier- 

 ous about such places. 



In Santa Clara valley I found several nests in May, 1864, each containing 

 but three eggs, and built in a low bush about five feet from the ground. 

 Tliey were formed of stout, thorny, or rough twigs, and lined with grass, etc. 

 The eggs are pale bluish green, streaked and specked with faint umlier, 

 chiefly at the large end. They measure 1.10 X ')..So inclies. They also buihl 

 about San Diego, and seem to migrate little if any in all their range, being 

 found in winter at San Francisco. Their sliort Avings are not suited for 

 long fliglits, and they generally run off on the ground, seeking concealment 



