SPIZELLA SOCIALIS. 



479 



SPIZELLA SOCIALIS. 



Chipping Sparrow. 

 Spizella socialis IioN„ List, 1838. 



DESCRIPTION. 



Sp. Cn. FoiTTi, rather slender. Size, medium. Tongue, homy, provided with the terminal, hair-like fibers. Upper 

 mandible, shglitly curved. Sternum, as given under generic characters. 



Color. Adu// in summer. Top of head, back, outer edges of upper wing coverts, and other wing feathers, chestnut, 

 brightest on tlie liead, but with the occiput sliglitly, and the back broadly, streaked with black. Neck above, forming a 

 coUar, through which the black extends, rump, upper tail coverts, outer edges of tail feathers, ear covert«, sides of neck, 

 and sides, ashy. Wings and tail, brownLsh-black. Forehead, line from bill, pa.«sing through eye, and bill, black. Medi- 

 an lino, t'lroug'i black of fjrehead, su])erciliary line, throat, under wing coverts, under taU coverts, tips of upper wing cov- 

 erts, forming lull's, white. Remainder of under parts, ashy-white, darkest across the breast. Feet light-brown. 



AduH in xointcr. Differs from the above in having the crown overcast with blackish, and the chestnut of the crown is 

 extended down cn the neck, almost obscuring the coUar. The lines of black above are not as clearly defined, but there is 

 less ashy bol.nv. The bill is reddisli, especially on the under mandible. 



Younij. In this stage tlie top of the head, and usually the rump, are more or less streaked with black. The marking 

 of the fjrahcad is n.it as prominent. 



Younrj of the year in autumn. Show but little chestnut on the crown, but are more rufous on the wings, the white 

 bars bjing replaced by reddish, 



Ncsl/inr/s. Arc similar to the above, but are streaked below, on aU portions, excepting the abdomen, even the throat 

 and sides of licad, including superciliary stripe, are so marked. The throat is yellowish, and the sides arc reddish. The 

 sexes arc similar in all stages. 



OBSERVATIONS. 



Spec imens vary croatly in amount of chestnut on tlie back, where the black asually predominates, but I have seen a 

 bird wl'.ich liad t!ie hack almost wholly chestnut. The lilack of the forehead also varies in width. It is alwaj\s present, but 

 in some specimens the white median line becomes much extended, reaching over a greater portion of the anterior crown. 

 There is sometimes a sligh.t trace of chestnut on the ear coverts. 



Readily knawn in the adult and young stages by the chestnut crown, black forehead and white median line. The nest- 

 lings always show an inilication of the reddish crown. Tliis species may be distinguished from pusilh in having less red a- 

 biivo. T''.o ever present black line through the eye Ls a characteristic marking. Distriliuted, while breeding, across the 

 Continent from the latitude of South Carolina, north, at least to that of Canada. Wintei-s from the Carolinas southwaril to 

 Cuba, but is not conunon below Middle Florida. 



DIMENSIONS. 



Average measurements of fifteen specimens. Length, 5-45; stretch, S'-W; wing, 2T)5; tail, 2-35; bill, '38; tarsas, 'CS. 

 Longest siiccimcn, 5-fiO; greatest extent of wing, 8"75: longest wing, 2'75; tail, 2TiO; bill, -42; tarsus, -73. Shortest speci- 

 men, 5'40; smallest extent of wing, 8-15; shortest wing, 2' 12; tail, 2-20; bill, -35; tai'sus, -55. 



DESCRIPTION OF NESTS AND EGGS. 



Nests, placed in trees. T!iey are comjjact structures, composed outwardly of fine roots, lined with horse hair. Dimen- 

 sions; external diameter, 3-25, internal, 2-00. External depth, 1-75, internal, I'OO. 



E;j;js, I'.iur or f.va in number, oval in form, blue in color, spotted, dotted and lined with black and lilac. Specimens va- 

 ry from t!ic ab:)ve in being marked with reddish-brown, but it is usual to find some spots or dots of black. 1 once had a set 

 tliat was uns]>.itt.'d. Dimensi ms, from "75x'50 to 'BOx'So. 



HABITS. 



One ran scfircely eiitor a field of a plantjilimi, in Norilioru Florida, which is ovoi\irrown 

 with woods, without starting large flocks of hirds. Usually a largo proportion of (horn will 

 bc! Chipping Sparrows. Thc^y remain all winter enjoying the bright sunshine of this mag- 

 nificent climate, spending their time in comparative idleness; for seeds are abundant, and 

 it reijuires but a slight cllort to obtain them. It is quite noticeable that the birds of this 



