550 



NUKTH AMERICAN BIUDS. 



Cotumiculus henslowi, Dc^nap. 



HENSLOWS BUNTIHO. 



Enihrr>'z>i Jnns/otr,; At'D. Oni. Riofj. T, 1831, 3»;o, pi. Ixxvii. - In. Syn. 1830, 104. -Ib. 

 Binls Am. Ill, 1841, ".'), |>l. clxiii. — Nittall, Man. I, 1832, Apjt. (Mui'niciJns 

 hcishxri, r.t>N. List, 1838. — In. ronspectus, 1850, 48\ — Ij.\iin», Binls N. Am. 1858, 

 451. — Maynaud, Binls E. Mass. 1S70, 117. --S vmukls, 30C. Friiujilla Imnsluwi, 

 NuTTALL, Man. 1, (2el ed.,) 1840, 571. 



Sp. Chak. Uppev parts yellowish-bixiwii, the hood, neck, aiul nppor parts of back 



ting^LMl uith grc'cMiisli-yollow. Interscapular feathers 

 dark brown, siifl'iised externally with bri-dit brownish- 

 retl; each f(Nit her with p:rayish borders. Tertiaries, 

 rump, and tail-feathers abruptly dark chestnut-brown, 

 darkest c?ntrally, paler externally, and narrowly niar- 

 gint'd with jzray. Crown with a broad black spotted 

 istripe on each side ; these spot.s contiiuied down to the 

 back. Two narrow black mandibular stripes and one 

 post-ocular on each side of the head, and an obscure 

 black crescent or si>ot behiutl the aurieulars. Under 

 parts lii,dit brownish-yellow, paler on the throat and 

 abdomen. The jurruluni, upper part of the breast, and 

 the sides of the body, conspicuously streaked with 

 black. Ed<a> of winj? yellow. A stroncr tinjje of 

 pale chestnut on the winj^s and tail. The median 

 tail-feathers and upper coyerts chestnut or rufous 



brown, with sharply detined shaft-streaks of black. Lenjjth, 5.25; wino-, 2.15; tail, 2.15. 

 IIab. Eastern United States as far north as Massachusetts; ^vestward to the Loup 



Fork of Platte. 



Tliis species is related to C. passcrinns, but readily distinguished by the 

 ^vell-ulal■ked stripes on breast and sides, tlie greenisli-yellow, not chestnut- 

 brown, of head and nai^e, and the two niandilnilar dusky stripes. The mid- 

 dle tail-tVathers are reddish with only a very narrow sharply defined niediau 

 shaft-streak of l»lack, instead of liaving the greater portion of the centre 

 dusky with scalloped edges. I have not seen young birds, but they probably 

 di Her little from the adults. 



Habits. The history and general distribution of Henslow's Bunting is 

 still soniewliat imperfectly known. Mr. Audubon first met with it, in 1820, 

 in Kentucky, nearly opposite to Cincinnati. It wiis seen on the ground, 

 amongst the tall grass, and is said to have exhibited all the i^eculiarities of 

 this tribe. He was afterwards informed that this bird is abundant in the 

 Stat<3 of New Jersey, and that it breeds there ; and in evidence of this he 

 mentions receiving a specimen from Dr. Trudeau, obtained by that gentle- 

 man himself. Mr. Audubon also mentions that both Dr. Bachman and he 

 have procured a great number in South Carolina, where they abound, in the 

 latter part of autumn, and wliere, also, a portion remain during the winter. 

 In Florida, ]Mr. Audubon again met with these birds in the winter. They 



Cot urn ic iil us jiass^ rin us . 



