Birds of Indiana. 953 



seen October 14, 1896; Chicago, 111., October 3, 1895, October 9, 1896; 

 Brookville, Ind., October 13, 1879, October 16, 1886. In fall they 

 have lost their song and frequent the ed.ges of woods and fields, brier 

 patches, thickets and clumps of weeds. They are then busy eating 

 weed seeds, of which they destroy great quantities. They migrate 

 chiefly through the Mississippi Yalley, and thence many turn off 

 northeast to Labrador and Newfoundland where they breed abundantly. 

 Their scarcity and irregularity along the Atlantic Coast has been 

 noted. Its summer range is a little north of that of the next species, 

 consequently they in migrating pass. them. It has been found breed- 

 ing at Eutland, Vt., Potsdam, N. Y., and in Oconto County, Wis. 

 Mr. Nehrling says: "In northern Wisconsin, and especially in north- 

 em Michigan — in the Lake Superior region — this Sparrow is a rather 

 common summer bird." Mr. 0. B. Warren, however, has never found 

 them breeding at Palmer, Mich. Its food is principally weed seeds 

 and insects, though Audubon adds small mollusks to its bill of fare. 

 I suspect from its habits about our gardens and orchards that it will 

 be found to destroy many injurious insects that frequent such places. 



217. (558). Zonotrichia albicollis (Gmel.). 



White-throated Sparrow. 



Adult. — Edge of wing and spot in front of .eye (sometimes extend- 

 ing to above eye), yellow; throat, abruptly white; two broad stripes 

 on the crown and a narrow one behind the eye, black; a white stripe 

 in middle of crown, and one over ear-coverts, sometimes extending 

 over eye; ear-coverts and jugulum,, deep ash; back, rusty brown 

 streaked with black. Immature, First Winter. — Similar to adult, but 

 head stripes rusty dusky-brown and pale rusty-buff; the yellow in front 

 of eye and white throat-patch, less distinct. First Plumage. — Crown, 

 uniform snuff-brown, with a narrow whitish middle stripe; stripe over 

 the eye, dirty- whitish, with no yellow in front of eye; jugulum, 

 streaked with dusky; throat, not abruptly white. 



Length,. 6.30-7.65; wing, 2.80-3.15; tail, 3.05-3.35. 



Eange. — Eastern North America, west to Montana, north to Labra- 

 dor and the fur countries. Breeds from Montana, northern Michigan, 

 Ontario and Massachusetts north. Winters from Massachusetts and 

 southern New York south along the Atlantic Coast and in the lower 

 Mississippi Valley, north to Missouri and Illinois. Accidental in 

 Utah, California and Oregon. 



