1;LLE GROSBEAKt^. 509 



HABITS. 



Tliis i.-: OIK' of tln' coiiinioii hirds of our EnsteTii section with wliicli I am not familiar, 

 ]ia\iiig 8t'en Ijut o- sii-gle living sj)t'cimcn. This was at Wi'stcnitown, IV'inisylvaiiia. maii\- 

 Aoars ago. Tlic bird was piMciicd on thi- top of a. huge l)lack w.ilnut tree tliat .stood in 

 tilt' \ai(l of the house in whieli I was living. It lisped out its singular apology for a song 

 a few times, then tlew away. Tiie Blaek-tlnoated Bunting has been taken a few times in 

 Mas.saehiiSL'tts, twice at least, during the breeding season, a female taken in Watertown by 

 Mr. L. L. Thaxter, a number ol" years ago m summer and a pair taken at West Newljury 

 in June, 1872, by Mr. Gilman Brown. 



GENUS XX. CALAMoSriZA. TIIE LARK BUNTINGS. 



Gen. Ch. Bill, large, and short at base, with culmuii a little curved. Winy;s, lung and pointed. 

 Secondaries, enlarged, one of them reaching the point of the closed wing. Tail, shorter than the wing. Feet, 

 stout. Hind claw, about as long as the toe. The wing is characteristic and somewhat resembles that of 

 the Tit Lark (Anthus). We have a single species. 



CALAMOSPIZA B!COLOR. 

 Lari< Bunting. 



DESCRIPTION. 



Sp. Ch. Size, rather large. Form, stout. 



Color. Adult male in summer, black, with a large patch of white on the middle of the wing. 

 Female,, above, grayish brown, streaked with dusky brow-n. White, beneath, tinged with grayish brown on 

 the sides, thickly streaked everywhere, e.xcepting on the head and abdomen, with dark bro^vn. There is a 

 poorly defined supercilliary stripe. Wing, much as in the male, but the white is not as extended. Male in 

 winter and the young are like the female. 



OBSERVATIONS. 



Known from all other North American Birds of a similar size by the conspicuous white patch on the 

 •wing. Occurs on the prairies of the Central plains, but is accidental as far east as Massachusetts. 



DIMENSIONS. 



Length, r..90 to 7.20; stretch, ll.mto 11..0O; wing, 3.30 i)3..o0; tail, L'.!iO to ild; bill, .02 to .Ho: 

 tarsus, .53 to .56. 



DESCRIPTION OF NESTS AND EGGS. 



Nests, placed on the ground composed of grasses and weeds, lined with fine grass, hairs, etc. Eggs, 

 four or five in number, oval in form, pale blue in color, unspotted. Dimensions, .(38 by .88 to .70 by .90. 



HABITS. 

 I have never met with this singular Lark Bunting living. They are said to have a 

 sweet song which is given when the bird is hovering in the air, much after the manner of 

 a Yellow-breasted Chat. 



GENUS XXIL GUIRACA. THE BLUE GROSBEAKS. 



Gen. Ch. Bill, rather stout, upper mandible, slightly nirvcd. Wings, long and pointed, folding about 

 the middle of the tail. Tail, shorter than the wings and slightly rounded. Feet, rather small, middle toe a 

 little longer than the tarsus. 



