FRINGILLID-E — THE FIXCIIKS — GUIKACA. 



229 



son" wliicli resembles that of tlie robin, Imt is londur and sliorter. In the 

 coast mountains in ^lay their music is deliglitful, the males vying with 

 each other from the tops of tlie trees, and making the hilLs fairly ring with 

 their melody. 



A nest I found ]\Iay 12, at the eastern base of the Coast Eange, was 

 built on a low horizontal branch of an alder, consisting of a few sticks and 

 weeds, very loosely put together, and with a lining of roots and grass. The 



Female. 



eggs were only three, pale liluish-white, thickly spotted with Ijrown, densely 

 near large end ; size 0.9.5 X 0.70. According to Heerniann, they also build 

 in bushes. 



They frequent the ground in search of food, but also live much in trees, 

 and feed sometimes on their buds. They are not very gregarious, merely 

 assembling in families in the autumn, and, unlike the evening gro.sbeak 

 {Heqicripliona), to which they have much external resemblance, do not fly 

 high, nor make any sound when flying. 



This bird amved at Santa Cruz, in 1866, about April 12th, — the same 

 day they reached San Diego, three hundred and fifty miles farther south, in 

 1862 ; May 23d, I found a young one just fledged. Xo bird near the coast 

 equals this in loudness and sweetness of song, though it is surpassed by the 

 bow-bill thrush in variety. 



Dr. Coues states that this bird is a summer A'isitor to Fort "Whipple (Pres- 

 cott), Arizona, where it is abundant, remaining until the latter part of 

 September. It then frequents the thick brush of ravines, etc., and the 

 Cottonwood copses of the creek bottom. Its ordinary note, according to the 

 Doctor, " resembles that of Gambel's partridge, but its song is superb, a 

 powerful but melodious succession of clear, rich, rolling notes, somewhat like 

 those of the Baltimore oriole." 



