58 The Wilson Bulletin— No. 103 



areas, and while not wild, kept well concealed when followed. 

 Males sang their pleasing songs constantly. The only specimen 

 secured was an adult female in peculiar plumage shot May 25. 

 This, at first glance, might pass for an immature male. It has 

 a reddish wash over the under surface (varying from flesh color 

 to salmon color) with a very faint rosy wash on the back and 

 rump that renders comparison with other specimens somewhat dif- 

 ficult. This bird measures as follows (in millimeters): wing 68.0, 

 tail 53.0. 



Four females of P. c. ciris from South Carolina, Georgia, Flor- 

 ida, and Louisiana give the following measurements: wing 64-66 

 mm. (average 65.1 mm.), tail 50-54 mm. (average 52.0 mm.). Four 

 females of P. c. paUidior from southern Texas have a wing meas- 

 urement of 66-68 mm. (average 67.2 mm.), and a tail measurement 

 varying from 51 to 54 mm. (average 52.2 mm.). The bird from 

 Minco equals C. p. pallidior in measurements, and in addition 

 agrees with birds from Fort Clark, Texas (the type locality of 

 pallidior) in having the green of the crown grayer than in true 

 ciris. This gray tone is less evident on the back because of the 

 reddish wash present in this specimen. 



46. Spiza americana (Gmelin). — Dickcissel. 



Dickcissels, known locally as " field canaries " or " wheat birds," 

 bred abundantly around Minco. Brush or weed grown tracts were 

 favorite haunts, but the birds spread in great numbers everywhere 

 through cultivated fields and along fences. The males sang their 

 odd, emphatic songs all day long perched on a weed, post or some 

 other point of vantage. Occasionally a bird sang while on the 

 wing. A nest was found in a clump of buck brush near the South 

 Canadian River, built in a fork one and one-half feet from the 

 ground. The nest was made of grass and weed-stems and lined 

 with fine grasses. It was thick walled, bulky and strongly built. 

 One egg had been deposited. 



A male Dickslssel, collected May 24, is in full plumage with a 

 black shield on the throat, and a small black spot in the center 

 of the breast below. Another, collected on May 23, was shot for 

 a female, but on dissection proved to be a breeding male. In 

 color and marking it is very similar to females. The throat patch 

 is even more restricted than in many females, and the feathers of 

 the pileum are heavily streaked. On the imderparts the yellow is 

 of greater extent, and the black submalar streak found in females 

 is barely indicated. A breeding female was collected on May 25. 



47. Piranga rubra rubra (Linnaeus). — Summer Tanager. ' 



The Summer Tanager was fairly common and was apparently 



