BIRDS OF MINNESOTA. 



257 



tricts, where only brush and shrubs are found,— and from ten 

 to fifteen feet from the ground where there are trees, and 

 rarely below seven where there are only bushes. It is very 

 compact, neat, and externally constructed of wood and weed 

 bark fibers, mixed with vegetable down in an artistic manner, 

 and lined with delicate fibers of the same in which the down is 

 prominent, and rarely a few hairs from the tails of horses and 

 cattle. In a few instances it has been placed on the upper 

 side of a leaning sapling, and in such cases it has never been 

 saddled over, or across it, but has been embraced in forks of 

 twigs or limbs rising from it and deeply imbedded in the sides 

 of it. The eggs are from three to four, in number, and are 

 pure white. 



It lingers later into the autumn than the other members of 

 its genus, individuals not infrequently being met late in Octo- 

 ber, but the great southern hegira occurs from the 20th to the 

 30th of September. 



SPECIFIC CHARACTERS. 



Second quill longest, third and fourth but little shorter, 

 fifth a little less, first intermediate between fifth and sixth; 

 tail even; above olive-brown, darker on the head, becoming 

 paler on the rump, and upper tail coverts; the middle of the 

 back most strongly olivaceous; the nape (in some individuals) 

 and sides of head tinged with ash; a ring around the eye, 

 and some of the loral feathers, white; the sides of the throat, 

 and across the breast, dull ash; the color on the latter some- 

 times nearly obsolete; sides of the breast similiar to the back, 

 but of a lighter tint; middle of the belly very pale yellowish- 

 white, turning to pale sulphur on the sides of the belly, 

 abdomen, and lower tail coverts; wings brown; two narrow 

 white bands on the wing formed by the tips of the first 

 and second coverts, succeeded by one of brown; the edge 

 of the first primary, and of the secondaries and tertials white; 

 tail rather lighter brown, edged externally like the back; 

 feathers narrow, not acuminate, with the ends rather blunt. 

 In autumn the white parts are strongly tinged with yellow. 



Length, 5 to 5.50 inches; wing, 2.65 or less; tail, 2.25 to 2.50. 



Habitat, eastern North America, south in winter to Central 

 America, breeds from the northern states northward. 



