FR1NGILLID.E — THE FIXCHES — POCECETES. Jg^ 



paler. Bciieatli yellowish-wliite ; the breast and sides of ncek and body streaked with 

 brown. A faint light sui)ereiliar)- and nuixiUary stripe ; the latter margined above and 

 below with dark brown ; the upper stripe continued around the ear coverts, which are 

 darker than the brown color elsewhere. Wings with the shoulder light chestnut-brown, 

 and with two dull whitish bauds along the ends of the coverts ; the outer edge of the 



secondaries also is -white. Outer tail feather, and edge and tip of the second, white. 

 Length, about G. 25 ; extent, U. 75 ; wing, 3.50. Iris brown ; bill brown, paler below ; feet 

 whitish-brown. 



Hab. United States, from Atlantic to Pacific ; or else one species to the high central 

 plains, and another from this to the Pacific (var. coiijiitis, Baird, differing in grayer hues, 

 legs and wings longer, bill more slender and straighter, streaks on the breast narrower). 



I fouud this Liixl winteiiiig in the Colorado Valley in considerable numbers, 

 but it disappeared by April. I have not seen them near tlie coast, and 

 they seem to seek the interior vaUeys chiefly in summer. Their favorite re- 

 sorts are grassy meadows and open woods or orchards, where the grass grows 

 high ; they also seek food along roads when migrating. I am not sure 

 whether they breed in this State, but think tliey do towards the north. 

 Their nests (in the East) are built on the ground under tufts of grass, and 

 usually sunk below the surface ; they are formed principally of withered 

 wily grass, lined with softer grass and hairs. The eggs, four or five, are 

 white, with several shades of dark reddish-brown scattered in spots, chiefly 

 at the larger end. They probably raise several broods annually, and do 

 not migrate much from the Middle Atlantic States. (Nuttall.) 



Their song is quite freipient, and resembles that of the canary, though 

 less loud and varied. They also sing sometimes late in tlie evening. They 

 feed much along roads, and are fond of dusting themselves in such jjlaces, 

 running along instead of flying when followed. 



According to Dr. Xewberry they are common in the Sacramento Val- 

 ley in summer and fall, but I have not observed them myself in the Sierra 

 Nevada. Tliey do not go very far north, and the only late record of tlieir 

 occuiTence south of the United States is at Oaxaca in Western jMexico. 

 They have not yet been observed in the West Indies. 



