GREEN-TAILED TOWHEE. 
592.1. Oreospiza chlorura. 7 inches. 
These are characteristic birds of the Western moun- 
tains. They are typical brush birds, satisfied in living 
a life of security in their own way, and rarely appear 
above the surface of the thick shrubbery except to 
mount to a conspicuous twig, pour forth their sweet 
melodies and then retreat again. 
Notes.—A loud chip; a soft, mewing note; song, 
finch-like, musical but rather simple. 
Nest.—KHither on the ground or in bushes near the 
ground. Made of grasses the same as that of any of the 
sparrows. Eggs pale bluish gray, thickly speckled with 
reddish brown. The nests are built in very thickly 
tangled underbrush and are difficult to locate. 
Range.—Western United States, from the eastern 
base of the Rockies west to the eastern slope of the 
Sierra Nevadas. 
