SPARROWS 417 



558. Zonotrkhia albkoll'is (Gmel.). White-throated Spar- 

 row; Peabody Bird. 



Plumage of adults : line before eye and bend of wing yellow ; white stripe 

 through center of crown, bordered each side by wide black stripes ; white 

 stripe over each eye backward along side of head ; back rufous, streaked 

 with black; greater and middle wing coverts white tipped; tail grayish 

 brown, very slightly paler edged on feathers ; throat white ; breast and sides 

 grayish ; belly white ; wings deep brown, the primaries edged with whitish 

 and the secondaries with paler brown. Immature plumage: the median 

 crown line and the lines from over eye back to neck (superciliary lines) olive 

 gray ; black of head mixed with chestnut brown ; edge of wing white or 

 only slightly yellowish ; gray of breast buff tinged ; otherwise very similar 

 to adults. Wing 2.95 ; culmen 0.45 ; tarsus 0.90 ; tail 3.10. 



Geog. Dist.— Eastern North America, from the Plains to the coast ; breed- 

 ing from Maine and northern Michigan, rarely from Massachusetts north- 

 ward to Labrador and the Fur Countries ; wintering from Massachusetts, and 

 rarely from southern Maine, to Florida. 



County Records. — Androscoggin ; fairly common summer resident, (John- 

 son). Aroostook; common summer resident, (Knight). Cumberland; com- 

 mon summer resident, (Mead). Franklin; common summer resident, (Swain) 

 Hancock ; common summer resident, even on the outer wooded islands as 

 well as inland, (Knight). Kennebec ; quite common summer resident, (Gar- 

 diner Branch). Knox ; summer, (Rackliff). Oxford ; common breeder (Nash). 

 Penobscot; abundant migrant, very common summer resident, (Knight). 

 Piscataquis ; common, breeds, (Homer). Sagadahoc ; common migrant, (Spin- 

 ney). Somerset; common summer resident, (Morrell). Waldo; common 

 summer resident, (Knight). Washington; abundant summer resident, 

 (Boardman). York; migrant, (Adams). 



The earliest this species has been noted near Bangor is 

 April sixth, but they arrive more usually about April 

 twentieth and remain up to early November, exceptionally 

 until November twentieth. The species has once been recorded 

 at Saco on January twentieth, 1886, (Auk. 3, p. 277) and 

 one also remained about the premises of Walter Rich at 

 Falmouth during the winter of 1904 (Norton, J. M. O, S. 

 1904, p. 54) but their wintering in Maine is an exception. 



On their arrival they are usually silent for a week or so or 

 only utter a "cheep" or "peip" of alarm. As the season 

 advances an occasional individual will utter a clear melodious 

 " pea " and another more ambitious songster will try his voice 



