FINCHES. 231 



mon from September until May ; in winter, for the most part, 

 only present with the snow, or just before storms.* 



a. 6-6J inches long. Outer tail-feathers, always pure 

 white. In full plumage, slaty black, with the breast and belly 

 abruptly white. Often, especially in winter specimens or the 

 females, the black and white of the under parts are shaded 

 into one another, and all the black is less pure, with brown 

 edgings on the wings (and back), or is even replaced by a 

 rich, warm, dark brown, which also tints the breast and sides. 



5. The nest is built on the ground (often near roadsides), 

 sometimes on a stump or log, and rarely in a bush or low ever- 

 green. Four or five eggs are laid about the first of June 

 among the White Mountains, and often others in July. These 

 average .80 X .60 of an inch, and vary from pale grayish white, 

 marked thickly and delicately, but very faintly, with lilac, to 

 bluish or greenish white, spotted and blotched, chiefly about 

 the crown, with reddish brown, umber, and often purplish. 

 The nest may be found both in woods and pasture-land, differ- 

 ing from those of the various Warblers in being much larger, 

 and sometimes coarser. 



c. The Snow-birds spend the summer in the woodland of 

 the White Mountains, and other parts of northern New Eng- 

 land (occasionally in the highlands of western Massachu- 

 setts ?), but in the autumn pass with regularity to the south- 

 ward of their summer range. They are common in winter from 

 New Hampshire to Florida, and near Boston occur so early as 

 the latter part of September, and so late as the middle of May. 

 They frequent, while here, the woods, roadsides, stubble-fields, 

 etc., for the most part in small flocks, and often accompanied 

 by Sparrows. They are so tame as fearlessly to approach our 

 houses and barns in the country ; and they may be attracted 

 to piazzas, particularly those with shrubbery near, by the 

 scattering of cracked-wheat or oats. In spite of their familiar- 

 ity, they are easily startled, and fly immediately, at the pres- 



* The Snow-bird breeds abundantly sparingly in the northern parts of 



throughout most of northern New Eng- Worcester County, Massachusetts, 



land, very commonly on Mount Gray- Elsewhere it is an abundant spring 



lock and several other mountains in and autumn migrant and a more or 



western and central Massachusetts, less common winter resident. W. B. 



