476 NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS. 



near Santa Cruz. He states that their habits are very similar to those of the 

 C. tristis, though they feed more on the ground, and more upon weeds than 

 on trees, and are even more gregarious, remaining associated in flocks up to 

 the first of June. Their song greatly resembles that of the common Gold- 

 finch, but is much fainter. 



Dr. Cooper never met with their nest, nor has he received any description 

 of it. Mr. Xantus found one, containing four eggs, on the branch of an 

 Ohionc, about ten feet from the ground. This was at Fort Tejon, the first of 

 May. Dr. Canfield has also found their nests, in considerable numbers, near 

 Monterey. They are built in the forks of trees, in the same manner with 

 the tristis, are structures of remarkable beauty, and evince great skill in the 

 architects. They contain usually four or five eggs. Except in size, their 

 eggs greatly resemble those of the G. tristis, being of a uniform greenish- 

 white, unspotted, of a rounded-oval shape, sharply pointed at one end. They 

 measure .60 by .50 of an inch. 



Chrysomitris psaltria, var. arizonse, Coues. 



ARIZONA GOLDFINCH. 



Chrysomitris mexicana, var. arizonce, Coues, P. A. N. S. 1866. —Cooper, Orn. Cal. I, 170. 



Sp. Char. ( ^ 37,092, Fort Wingate, Arizona, June 28, 1864.) Above, including aui'icu- 

 lars, glossy black, with a faint bluish reflection ; nape, back, and rump much mixed with 

 olive-green, this rather predominating ; larger coverts broadly tipped with grayish-white ; 

 tertials, with almost the entire exposed portion of the outer webs, white; a patch on 

 base of primaries, and the inner webs of the tail-feathers, except the ends, Avhite. Be- 

 neath entirely lemon-yellow. Wing, 2.50 ; tail, 1.70; culmen, .35; tarsus, .50. 



Hab. Southern boundary of Arizona and New Mexico, extending southward into 

 Mexico, and gradually changing into mexicana, and northward into 2Jsaltria. 



The specimen described above is from a series collected in Arizona by Dr. 

 Coues : these examples vary in the relative amount of black and olive on 

 the back, some having one, and others the other color predominating ; the 

 type selected is one which represents about the average plumage of this 

 species from Arizona. 



Habits. Dr. Coues found these Ijirds abundant sunnner residents of Ari- 

 zona, where they are said to arrive the last of Ajiril and to remain until the 

 middle of September. In August the males are stated to assume the dull 

 plumage of the females. In autumn they become decidedly gregarious, and 

 feed almost exclusively upon Inids and seeds. He thinks they are not so 

 numerous in the southern portions of the Territory. In a letter received 

 from him he remarks : — 



" This bird was found to be common in New Mexico near Fort Wingate, 

 at the eastern base of the main chain of mountains. I first observed it on the 

 28th of June, when I found quite a number together, and secured several' 



