FEINGILLID^ — THE FINCHES. 269 



Zonotrichia albicoUis (Gmel.) 



■WHITE-THEOATED SPAEEOW. 

 Popular synonyms. Poabody Bird (New England) ; Yellow-browed Sparrow. 

 FringiUa alhicoUis Gmbl. S. N. i, 1788, 926.— WiLS. Am. Orn. ili, 1811, 51, pi. 22,flg. 2. 

 Zonotrichia albicoUis Sw. 1S.37.-BAIKD, B. N. Am. 1858,463; Cat. N. Am. B. 1859, No. 349. 

 — CouEs,Key, 1872,144, fig. 88; Check List, 1873. No. 182, 2d ed. 1882, No. 275; B. N. W. 

 1874,151.— B. B. &R. Hist. N. Am. B. i,1874, 574, pi. 26, fig. 10.— KiDGW. Nom. N. Am. B. 

 1881, No. 209. 

 FringiUa pennsyleanica Lath. Ind. Oru. 1790, 446.— AuD. Orn. Biog. i, 1831, 42, pi. 8; 

 Synop. 1839, 121; B. Am. iii, 1841, 153, pi. 191. 

 Hab. Eastern Nortli America, breeding Iron) northern United States north to the "Fur 

 Countries." Winters in the United States, chiefly south of 40°, and west to the borders ot 

 the Great Plains; accidental west to Utah and Oregon; also. in England. 



"Sp. Chab. Two black stripes on the crown, separated by a median one ot white. A 

 broad superciliary stripe from the base of the mandible to the occiput, yellow as far as 

 the middle of the eye, and white behind this. A broad black streak on the side ot the 

 head from behind the eye. Chin white, abruptly defined against the dark ash of the 

 sides ot the head and upper part ot the breast, fading into white on the belly, and mar- 

 gined by a narrow black maxillary line. Edge of wing and axillaries yellow. Back 

 and edges of secondaries rufous brown, the former streaked with dark brown. Two 

 narrow white bands across the wing-coverts. Length, 7 inches; wing, 3.10; tail, 3.20. 

 Young of the year not in the collection." (.Hist. N. Am. B.) 



Few birds, if any, are more abundant or more generally distrib- 

 uted than is the present species, during the winter, throughout the 

 more eastern United States. From the eastern border of the Great 

 Plains to the Atlantic coast it is decidedly the most numerous of 

 the Fringilhdse, — every hedge-row, brier-patch, brush-pile or similar 

 place being frequented by dozens or scores of individuals. During 

 the day these occupy themselves silently in gleaning for food among 

 the dead leaves, but at the approach of dusk congregate more 

 closely together, and before seeking their "roost," in the thicker 

 growths of a swamp, in brush-piles, etc., become quite noisy, calling 

 to one another with a sharp, penetrating, almost metallic chirp, 

 which is peculiarly in accord with a cold, drear winter evening. In 

 the spring, before their departure for the north, the males occa- 

 sionally wliistle their monotonous but exceeding clear and plaintive 

 chant, sounding like pe-pe-pebody,i)ehodij, pebody, — on which account 

 the species has in parts of New England received the name of 

 "Peabody Bird." 



Genus SPIZELLA Bonaparte. 



SpueUa BoNAP. Geog. and Comp. List, 1838, 33. Type, FringiUa canadensis Lath., 



=F. monticola Gmel. 

 "Gen. Chab. Bill conical, the outlines slightly curved; the lower mandible decidedly 

 larger than the upper; the commissure gently siuuated; the roof of the mouth not 



