496 PIPILO ERVTHROPHTHALMUS. 



ill the south for I never met with thein in the yiney woods. While migrating and at other 

 times these birds do not accompany members of the same family but move by themselves. 

 They also differ from most Fringilline birds in not associating in large numbers, for I never 

 saw over twenty in one flock. 



GENUS Xm. PIPILO. THE GROUND BUNTINGS. 



Ge;j. Cll. Bi/I,thiclc, somcwhiU swollen at hnxr of lower mamlible. Upper mandihk, cun)cd. Wmr/s, a Utth shorter 

 than the tail. Feet, large. Sternum, stoxil. Coracoids, shorter than top of heel lohieh is considerably lotver than one half 

 the lenrjth of the coracoids. Size, large. 



Prevaiiing colors above, dark, lighter, below. The tail is usually , tliougli not always, prominently marked with white. 

 Iris, usually highly colored. 



PIPILO ESYTHROPHTHALMUS. 

 Red-eyed Towhee. 



Pipiln rnjthrophthalmus ViElLL., Gal. Ois. I; 1824, 109. 



r!7,.^CTJP':T()N. 



Sp. Cn. Form, robust. Size, largo. Ti.ngus, 1; ng, n ,t vovy llcsl-.y, provided with a bifid tuft of coarse, terminal, 

 l:ai:--like Cbers. Sternum as given al)i)vc. The foat'icis i;f t'-.e head are elongated. 



Color. Adult male. Upjier portion if liody, including wings and tail, throat, sides of head and neck, and upper 

 bre;ist, black. Edgeofwing, outer we'isof hnsal jxirli.n of all the primaries, and elongated spot on the outer four, forming 

 an oblique bar, spots on outer webs of scecntlarios, entire (;uter webs of outer tail feathers and terminal portion of all but 

 the central pair, middle of breast, and alidomen, w!:ito. Sides and flanks liright chestnut, with the lower side of the ante- 

 rior portion narrowly edged with black. Ilndor wing coverts, uuder tail coverts, and erissum, iialc-chestnut. Pcet, brown. 

 Bill, blue-black. Iris, red. 



Adult female. With the bkick replaced )iy reddish-brown. White as in the males. The chestnut is much paler and 

 the fjathers of the back show darker centers. 



Young male. In this stage the wLito < f the tail is less ostentled. The white markings of the secondaries are obscured 

 with ruf )us and the feathers of the rump and upper tail coverts are edged witii it. Tlierc Ls no Idack margin to the chest- 

 nut of the sides. 



Young female. Strongly overwashcd with ruf -.us above, the white markings being obscured by it. The wliitc lielow 

 is tinged with yellowish and tliere are indicatir.n: i.f ruf ;us wing bars. 



Nestlings. Similar to the young f 'male but streaked above and below with dusky. There are strong indicati.;ns of 

 wing bars. The males in this stage may be ku:)wn fi-oni the f.:males by the general darker colors above, the wings and tail 

 being black as their feathers are not moidted until the f .Uowing autumn. Iris likiisli-white. 



OBSERVATIONS. 



There is occasionally a concealed ypot of white ( n tl.e throat. Florida specimen.s do not tlill'er essentially from more 

 northern skins excepting that tlie chestnut is riclicr in shade, but almost all the birds tliat I obtained on the Alleghany 

 Mountains in Pennsylvania show tracts of wV.ite streakings on t'.:e scapularies, thus approaching the western forms of tlic 

 genus. A spring specimen from Peotcnj, Illinois, shows an inclination to albinoism Imt otherwise does not differ from 

 skins taken in Massachusetts. Known fiom the closely allied species from the West by the smaller amount of white on 

 the wings ami from other species by the description as given. For comparison with the new Florida species see observa- 

 tions on page 114. 



Distributi'd in summer throughout the Eastern section of tlie United States between the latitudes of South Canjiina and 

 the White M amtains. Winters from thiC Carolinas to Jliddle Florida. 



DLMENSIONS. 



Average measurements of fifteen specimens. Length, 8-05; stretch, 11-23; wing, 3-50; tail, 3-70; bill, "GO; tai-sus,l.n2. 

 Longest specimen, 8-50; greatest extent cf wing, 12-25; longest wing, 3-70; tail, 4-00; bill, -67; tai-sus, TIO. Shortest 

 spooimon, 7-GO; smallest extent of wing, 10-40; shortest wing, 3-30; tail, 3-32; bill, -GO; tarsus, -95. 



DESCRIPTION OF NESTS AND EGGS. 



Nests, placed on the ground. They are loosely constructed, being composed of grass, leaves, and strijis of bark, lined 

 with fine grass. Dimensions; external diameter, 3-50, internal, 2-00. External depth, 2-50, internal TOO. 



Eggs, four or five in number, elliptical in form, asliy-white in color, spotted, dotted, ami blotched, witli reddish-browa 

 and lilac. Dimensions from -90 x '70 to -95 x -75 



