FBINGILLID^ : FINCHES, BUNTINGS, SPARROWS, ETC. 



Z. ludovicia/na. (Lat. of Louisiana. Figs. 248, 249, 255.) Rose-breasted Song Gros- 

 beak. Adult (J with the head aud neck all around and most of the upper parts black, the 

 rump, upper tail-coverts and under parts white, the breast and under wing-coverts exquisite 

 carmine or rose-red ; wings and tail black, variegated with white ; bill white ; feet grayish- 

 blue; iris brown. 9 above, streaked with blackish and olivc-bro^vn or flaxen-brown, with 

 median white coronal and superciliary line; below, wlute, more or less tinged with fulvoub and 

 streaked with dusky ; tinder wing-coverts 

 saffron-yellow ; upper coverts and inner 

 quills with a white spot at end; bill brown. 

 Young (J at first resembling the 9 ? hut the 

 rose color appears with the first fuU feather- 

 ing. Two or three years are required to 

 produce the perfect beauty. Sexes of same 

 size. Length 7.75-8.50 ; extent 12.00-13.00 : 

 wing 3.90-4.25; tail 3.25; tarsus 0.90. 

 Eastern U. S. and British Provinces, N. 

 to Labrador and the region of the Saskatche- 

 wan ; W. in U. S. to the Red River Valley, 

 and edge of the Missouri River plains ; win- 

 ters extralimital ; breeds from the Middle 

 States northward. A splendid bird! Few 

 combine such attractions for the eye and ear. 

 Nest in bushes and low trees, chiefly of root- 

 lets and slender fibres ; eggs 3-4, 1.00 X 

 0.75, dull greenish, fully splashed and dotted 

 with dark brown, laid in June. 

 Z. melanoce'phala. (Gr. fifKas, fifXavos, 

 melas, melanos, black ; Ke(f)a\r], kephalc, head. 

 Adult $ with the crown, sides of head, back 



Fig. 249. —Rose-breasted Gropbeak, letluced. (Shep- 

 pard del. Nichols sc.) 



Fig. 250.) Black-headed Song Grosbeak. 

 wings, and tail black; the back usually varied 

 with whitish or cinnamon-brown, the wings spotted with white on the ends of the coverts, and 

 usually also towards the ends of the quills, and with a large white patch at base of primaries ; 

 -,, - several lateral tail-feathers with 



-*-^'^'CV-d<' -^^^ large white spots on inner 



webs near their ends. Neck all 

 around, rump, and under parts 

 rich orange-brown, changing to 

 bright pure yellow on the belly 

 and under wing-coverts; bill 

 and feet dark grayish - blue. 

 Size of the last. The 9 and 

 young difier much as in the last 

 species, but may be recognized 

 ^^^— by the rich sulphur-ifellow under 



^"^ ~ ' wing-coverts ; the bill is shorter 



\\\\ h.h.Vni. and more tumid, 0.66-0.75 along 



Fig. 250. — Black-Leaded Grosbeak, reduced. (Shepparddel. Nichols sc.) culinen 0.60 deep at base. 9 

 adult: Under parts like those of the <?, but paler, though the belly and lining of wings 

 are as pure yellow. Upper parts dark brovra with an olive shade, varied with whitish or 

 brownish -white, the head blackish with white or brownish coronal and superciliary stripes. 

 Wings dusky, marked as in the <J, but the basal white spot on primaries restricted ; tail as in 



