CALAMOSPIZA BICOLOR : LARK BUNTING. 279 



LARK BUNTING. 

 CALAMOSPIZA BICOLOR (Towns.} 



Chars. " Male : Entirely black, with a large white patch on the 

 wings, and the quills and tail-feathers frequently marked with 

 white ; bill dark horn color above, paler below ; feet brown ; 

 6-6 ; wing, 3^ ; tail, 2|. Sexes unlike ; 9 resembling one of 

 the Sparrows, brown above, streaked, white below, somewhat 

 streaked, but always known by the whitish wing-patch ; $ said to 

 wear the white plumage only during the breeding season, like the 

 Bobolink (Allen). In the form of the bill this interesting species 

 is closely allied to the Grosbeaks (Zamelodia) ; and this, with 

 the singularly enlarged tertiaries, as long as the primaries in the 

 closed wing, renders it unmistakable in any plumage. A prai- 

 rie bird abundant on the Western plains to the Rocky Moun- 

 tains." (Coues.) 



This is another Western bird which has occurred in 

 New England far away from its native prairie. One 

 such instance -has been recorded by Mr. Allen that 

 of a male in autumnal plumage, shot at Lynn, Mass., 

 by Mr. N. Vickary, Dec. 5, 1877 (Bull. Nutt. Club, iii, 

 Jan., 1878, p. 48). 



BLACK-THROATED BUNTING. 

 SPIZA AMERICANA (Gm.) Bp. 



Chars. Male : Above, grayish-brown, streaked with black on the 

 middle of the back, the nape ashy, the crown yellowish-olive with 

 black touches. A yellow supraciliary line ; eyelids white ; auric- 

 ulars ashy ; chin white ; throat with a large jet black patch. 

 Under parts otherwise white, but shaded on the sides with 

 brownish, and extensively tinged with yellow. Edge of wing yel- 

 low. Lesser and middle wing-coverts chestnut. Bill blackish- 

 blue ; feet brown. Length, 6.50-7.00 ; extent, 10.50 ; wing, 3.25 ; 

 tail, 2.75. Female : Similar ; smaller ; upper parts less boldly 

 marked ; wing-coverts not chestnut ; lower parts less tinged 

 with yellow, and no black breast-plate, but sharp maxillary and 

 pectoral streaks instead. 



