592 ■pErNGn.LiB^!. 



on each side by a band of chestnut, streaked with black along the 

 sides of the crown ; hind neck and sides of neck ashy brown ; lores 

 and a broad eyebrow whitish, as well as the eyelid, except in front 

 and behind, where the latter is black like the black line which goes 

 through the eye above the ear-coverts, which are chestnut ; below 

 the eye a line of white, and another behind the ear-coverts joining 

 the cheeks, which are also white ; before the ear-coverts a black 

 mark ; throat and under surface of body white, with a broad malar 

 streak of black, and a few black spots on the fore neck ; sides of 

 body, flanks, and thighs pale ashy brown ; under tail-coverts white ; 

 under wing-coverts and axillaries pale ashy brown, those near the 

 edge of the wing mottled with blackish bases ; quills below dusky, 

 ashy along the inner edge : " bill reddish flesh-colour, the upper 

 mandible tinged with dusky ; feet and claws flesh-colour " (Audubon) : 

 bill bluish, the culmen and tip dusky ; feet fleshy ; iris brown " 

 (Sumichrast). Total length 5'8 inches, culmen - 55, wing 3-35, 

 tail 2-4, tarsus 0-85. 



The adults in winter plumage are generally browner than in 

 summer, when there is an ashy tinge to the upper surface, and the 

 margins to the wing-coverts are broader and more decidedly sandy 

 buff ; the black spots on the fore neck are less distinct. 



The Western birds have been separated by Mr. Ridgway as C. 

 grammica strigata, and are said to bo distinguished by the more uni- 

 form and paler chestnut bands on the sides of the crown ; but there 

 seems to be such a complete connection between specimens of true 

 C. grammica and C. strigata, that I have been unable to separate them. 



Nearly all the specimens in winter plumage have some streaks on 

 the hinder part of the chestnut bands on the sides of the crown ; and 

 I should like to see some more specimens of the true S. grammica 

 to assure myself that the two races do not run into one another, as 

 I firmly believe they do. 



Young. Marked like the adult, but less distinctly streaked, and 

 the rufous on the crown less pronounced ; ear-coverts reddish brown, 

 the black spots and facial markings as in the adult ; sides of the 

 breast with black spots, like those on the fore neck ; wing-coverts 

 more broadly edged with sandy buff. 



The young bird is at first thickly spotted with black on the fore 

 neck, breast, and sides of the body, the spots being very large 

 and triangular ; the sandy-buff ends to the wing-coverts are very 

 large and distinct. 



Hah. From the eastern edge of the prairies and even Iowa and 

 Illinois to the Pacific States (Coues), south into Mexico and Guate- 

 mala. 



a. S ad.sk. Chicago, Illinois, May 16, 1875 R. B. Sharpe, Esq. 



(H. K. Coale). [P.]. 



b. Juv. sk. Riverside, Illinois, July 4, 1877 R. B. Sharpe, Esq. 



(H. E. Coale). [P.]. 



c. Juv. sk. Hyde Park, Illinois, July 4, R. B. Sharpe, Esq. 



1877 (H. K. Coale). [P.]. 



d. $ ad. sk. Fort Dufferin, Manitoba, June N. A. Boundary Com- 



23, 1873 (G. Daioson). mission [P.]. 



