436 



THE BIRDS OF MAINE 



a pleasure to hear, but this is something yet remaining for 

 me, neither do I know their nests and eggs. Nests have been 

 found on the Magdalen Islands, in Newfoundland, Labrador, and 

 Alaska. The various authorities state that the nests are placed 

 on the ground under overhanging branches of evergreens or 

 other shrubbery, and that grasses and moss are used in their 

 construction. Four to five pale bluish green eggs, speckled, 

 spotted and blotched with reddish brown or chocolate brown 

 are said to be laid, and the avei'age measurement is stated at 

 0.93 X 0.65. (Davie). 



Genus PIPILO Vieillot. 



587. Pipilo erythropthahmis (Linn.). Towhee; Chewink; 

 Joree; Ground Robin; Marsh Robin; Swamp Robin; Towhee 

 Bunting. 



Plumage of adult male : head, throat, breast, back, rump, wing coverts, 

 tertiaries, wing and tail black; three outer tail feathers white tipped and 

 outer web of primaries white ; sides rufous ; belly white ; eye red in adult 

 males and females. Plumage of adult female : head, back, throat, breast 

 brown, also wings and tail in juvenile females ; otherwise much as in male. 

 Immature plumage : above cinnamon brown, obscurely striped with olive 

 brown ; eye sepia brown ; otherwise in general similar. Wing 3.40 ; culmen 

 0.56 ; tail 3.72. 



Geog. Dist. — Eastern North America, west to the Plains; breeding from 

 the lower Mississippi Valley and Georgia northward to southern Maine, Onta- 

 rio and Manitoba. 



County Records. — Androscoggin ; rare summer resident, (Johnson). Cum- 

 berland ; near Portland a few small colonies exist during the breeding sea- 

 son, (Norton, J. M. O. S. 1904, p. 56); rare, (Mead) ; a large flock, seemingly 

 scores, was seen on top of Pleasant Mountain, July 31, 1906, (Mead, J. M. O. 

 S. 1906, p. 114). Franklin; rare, (Sweet). Kennebec; seen at Gardiner, 

 Nov. 21, 1906, (Dill, J. M. O. S. 1906, p, 108). Oxford; breeds commonly, 

 (Nash). Sagadahoc; common summer resident, (Spinney). York; very 

 abundant, (Adams). 



The range of this species in Maine is restricted to the south- 

 western sections, and though very definite migration data is 

 lacking, we can show that it occurs in the State from about 

 May eighteenth until (probably very exceptionally) November 



