TOWHEE OR CHEWINK. 



587. Pipilo erythrophthalmus. 8 inches, 

 A bird of swamps, brushy pastures and open wood- 

 lands. They are ground birds and usuail}^ found 

 scratching among the leaves; the male, with his black, 

 white and brown clothes, makes a conspicuous object, 

 while the female, with her brown and white dress, 

 harmonizes with the leaves so that it is difficult to 

 see her. While his mate is sitting on her nest, the 

 male will frequently sit in a tree top and persistently 

 sing for many minutes at a time. 



Song. — Loud and clear, "tow-hee-e-e" or "see tow- 

 hee-e-e," with the last notes tremulous; call, a sharp 

 "cherink." 



Nest. — Usually on the ground, but rarely in bushes; 

 of strips of bark, grass and leaves; eggs white with 

 reddish-brown dots over the whole surface (.90 x .70). 



Range. — Eastern N. A., breeding from the Gulf 

 States to southern Canada ; winters in southern U. S. 



Sub-species. — 587a. White-eyed Towhee (alleni) has 

 white eyes instead of red and less white on the tail; 

 found on the South Atlantic coast. 



