246 SINGING BIRDS — OSCINES. 



scattered within the margin. Eyelids and sides of head, anterior to the eye, ruibus, lilce 

 the throat. One or two featliers on the lower part of the breast with a conceale<l brown 

 blotch. Outer primary not edged with white. Length, 9.00; extent, 12.00; wing, 3.75; 

 tail, 5.00. Iris brown ; feet paler ; bill brown, fleshy below. 

 Hah. California, except the more eastern parts. 



This is one of the most abundant and characteristic birds of California, 

 residing constantly in all the lower country west of the Sierra Nevada, and 

 uj) to the summits of the Coast IMountains, three thousand feet high, as 

 well as higli up the slopes of the Sierra, probably to the same elevation. 

 The name of Canon finch, given by most authors, seems ratlier inappropri- 

 ate, as it is found plentifully in level districts also, wherever there are trees 

 and shrubbery. There they have habits very similar to those of the other 

 species, frequenting the ground, and seeking their food among the dead 

 leaves, which they much resemble in color. Tliis resemblance serves them 

 as a protection from hawks, their hues corresponding as fidly with that of 

 the earth and dusty foliage, during most of the year, as the dark colors of 

 the preceding species do with tlie gloomy thickets which they inhabit. 

 Being less conspicuous in the light, they ventm-e more fearlessly forth and 

 feed in open grounds. 



They have little power of song, merely uttering a few quaint chirping and 

 hurried notes, as they sit perched on a low bush in spring. 



At San Diego I saw the first nest with eggs on April 17th ; but some laid 

 much earlier, as I found young hatched by the 20tli. I afterwards ob- 

 served many more, all built in bushes, from two to four feet from the ground, 

 and containing but three eggs, except one, which contained four. I ha\e 

 also seen them built in low trees, and in a vine growing over the porch of 

 a house. The nest is formed of coarse twigs, bark, and grass, thick and 

 large, and Lined with fine grass and root-fibres. Tlie eggs are pale blue, 

 spotted with purplish-brown blotches mostly small and scattered, measuring 

 0.90 X 0.65 inch. 



As remarked by Heermann, the eggs much reseml:>le those of the redwings, 

 and are unlike those of other Plpilos ; I am inclined to think that they lay 

 four oftener in the more northern jiarts of their range than near San Diego. 

 I also belie\-e that they raise two broods, as their altundance would indicate 

 it. According to Newberry, they are common along streams throughout 

 the Sacramento Valley (probably to near lat. 41°). At Santa Cruz, in 186G, 

 I also found young of this species hatched as early as April 18th. 



Professor Baird is strongly inclined to the opinion that the coast species 

 of California is not the true fusca of Swainson, in which case tlie name will 

 become P. crissalis, Vigors. A\1rether, as suggested, the true fusca be the P. 

 mcsolcuca remains yet to be decided by a critical examination of the various 

 closely allied North American and Mexican brown Piinlos. 



