FRINGILLID^ : FINCHES, BUNTINGS, SPARROWS, ETC. 387 



286 c. bi'ooior. (Lat. hicohr, two-colored. Fig. 24(5.) Lauk Bunting. White-winged 

 Hlac KiUKD. $, in suininer. Black, with a large white patch on the wings; the quills and 

 tail-feathers frequently marked with white; bill dark horn-blue above, paler below; feet brown. 

 Length G.00-6.75; extent 10.00-11.00; wing 3.2.5-3.50 ; tail 2.50-2.75 ; bill 0.50-0.55 ; tarsus, 

 tir middle toe and claw, 0.90-1.00. Sexes unlike: 9 tnore resembling a sparrow. Above, gray- 

 ish-brown, streaked with dusky-brown, on the back the edges of the dark streaks often of a 

 purer brown than the general ground-color. Below, white, shaded on the sides with grayish- 

 brown, thickly streaked with blackish-brown everywhere excepting the throat and belly, the 

 .streaks mostly sharp and distinct, but blended on the sides, tending to aggregate on the breast, 

 and run forward as a maxillary chain. A poorly-defined light superciliary stripe. Wings 

 dusky, with a large white or whitish speculum, much as in the $, but not so pure nor so 

 extensive ; inner secondaries edged with brown and white. Tail-feathers, the middle excepted, 

 blackish tipped with white. Young $ like the 9 > ^ut colors more sufiuse and brighter ; 

 upper parts pure brown ; under parts tinged with fulvous, the wing-markings quite fulvous ; 

 under surface of wing quite 

 blackish. In very young 

 birds the markings more 

 motley than streaky ; the bill 

 brownish, flesh-colored be- 

 low. $ wears the black 

 plumage only during the 

 breeding season, like the 

 bobolink ; when changing, 

 the characters of the two 

 sexes are confused. In the 

 form of the bill, this interest- 

 ing species is closely allied 

 to the grosbeaks ; and this, 

 with the singularly enlarged 

 secondaries, as long as the 

 primaries in the closed wing, 

 renders it unmistakable in 

 any plumage. A prairie 

 bird, abundant on the central jjlains 



W. to the Rocky Mts., and southerly to the Pacific. The male has the habit of soaring and 

 singing on wing like a lark ; nest on the ground, sunken flush with the surfiice, of grasses; 

 eggs 4-5, 0.90 X 0.G5, pale bluish-green, normally unmarked, occasionally speckled. 

 88. SPI'ZA. (Gr. <miCa, spiza, a kind of finch, probably F. ecehhs.) Silk Buntings. Bill 

 much as in Calamospiza, but longer for its depth and not so strongly angulated. Wings very 

 long and pointed; 2d primary usually longest, 1st and 3d little shorter,' 4th and rest rapidly 

 graduated ; one inner secondary a little elongated, but not nearly reaching point of wing. Tail 

 short, neariy even, but a little emarginate. Tarsus and middle toe and claw of about equal 

 lengths ; lateral toes of neariy equal lengths, not reaching base of middle claw ; hind toe with 

 claw as long as the middle toe \vithout claw. 

 28 r. S. america'na. (Lat. of America. Fig. 247.) Black-throated IJunting. $ : Above, 

 grayish-brown, the middle of the back streaked with black, the hind neck ashy, becoming on 

 the crown yellowish-olive with black touches. A yellow superciUary line, and maxillary touch 

 of the same ; eyelid white ; ear-coverts ashy hke the cervix ; chin white; throat with a large 

 jet-black patch. Under parts in general white, shaded with gray on the sides, extensively 

 tinged with yellow on the breast and belly. Edge of wing yellow ; lesser and middle coverts 



Fig 246. 



N. 



-LaikBuiitin-; cf 9, itdnced (Sheppard del Nichols sc.) 

 to 49° at least, in the Missouri and Milk River region. 



