FRINGILLID.E — THE FINCHES. 467 



Sp. Guar. {^ 58,589, Great Salt Lake City, Utah, June 1, ISGD.) Above biownish- 

 oray, faintly glossed with red on the nape and back ; wing and tail leathers passing into 

 lighter on their edges, and dorsal feathers with obsolete shaft-streaks of darker. A frontal 

 band, about as wide as the length of the culmen, continuing back in a superciliary stripe 

 to the occiput, throat, jugulum, and a patch on the lower part of the rump (but not 

 on upper tail-coverts) carmine-scarlet. Rest of lower parts white, each feather with a 

 medial streak of brown like the back. Wing, 3.10; tail, 2.G0 ; culmen, .38; tarsus, .65; 

 middle toe, .52. 



(9 58,590, Salt Lake City, June 21, 1869.) Similar, but red entirely absent, the throat 

 and jugulum being white streaked with brown, and the front, rump, etc., grayish, obso- 

 letely streaked with darker. Wing, 3.00 ; tail, 2.40. 



(Juv: 4:0,799, Fort Whipple, Arizona, June 5, 1865.) Generally similar to the ad. 9, but 

 more brownish, and the wing-feathers passing into dull bufFy-ochraceous on their edges ; 

 streaks beneath narrower and less distinct. 



In winter the red is softer and less sharply defined, and usually of a more purplish tint ; 

 the markings generally more blended. 



Hab. Middle Province of the United States, from Rocky Mountains to the interior 

 valleys of California. 



Habits. This form of the House Finch appears to be a very common bird 

 throughout the interior region of the United States, extending to New Mex- 

 ico and Arizona on the south and southeast, and probably to Mexico. On 

 the Pacific coast it is replaced by anotlier and closely allied variety. 



Dr. Woodhouse states that his attention was first called to this interesting 

 little songster while at Sante Fe. It was there known to the American resi- 

 dents as the " Adobe Finch." By the Mexicans they were called Buriones. 

 He found them exceedingly tame, building about the dwellings, churches, 

 and other buildings, in every nook and corner, and even entering the houses 

 to pick up crumbs. They are never disturbed by the inhabitants. He adds 

 that at the first dawn of the morning they commence a very sweet and clear 

 warble, which he was quite unable to do justice to by any verbal description. 

 He has often in the early morning listened with admiration and gratification 

 to the song of this bird, which is deservedly a great favorite. He found it 

 throughout New Mexico, and beyond. He did not distinguish it from the 

 coast variety. 



Dr. Coues also found this bird very abundant in Arizona, where it is a 

 permanent resident, but most abundant in spring and fall. He describes it as 

 eminently gregarious. He found it in all situations, but most common in the 

 spring among the groves of willows and poplars, on the buds of which it feeds. 

 He met with this species all the way from the Eio Grande through New 

 Mexico and Arizona to California, and appears to have noted no differences 

 between this form and the coast variety. He also mentions finding, during a 

 few days' stay in the New Mexican village of Los Pinos, near Alberquerque, 

 on the Eio Grande, this pretty little Finch the most common and character- 

 istic of the local birds. It was there breeding indifferently in the court- 

 yards, sheds, under porticos or eaves, and also in the forks of trees in 

 the streets. It had sharp conflicts with the Barn Swallows, whose nests it 



