32 North amkkican luiiiKS. 



He also doserilx's tins s])0(*i(\s as eminently petulant and jiniznarious 

 Two males would often ])nrsne eaeli other until the weaker was forced to 

 nliandon the valley, and seek refui^e elsewhere. II«; seldom saw mon* than 

 two or three pairs in a traet of several miles in extent. \\y the 4th of July 

 tlie youn^ had lett their nests and were foUowiui,' their ]tarents. As from 

 that time the old birds eeased to sin^i, he inferred that thev raised but one 

 brood in a season. liefore he left Lalaador these birds had all disiip]»eare(l, 



Althou,i4;h first diseovered on the eoast of Lidjrad(>r, subsequent explorations 

 liave shown this bird to be far more eonnnon at the West than it is at the 

 Ea.st, where indeed it is exeeetlinifly rare. Xot a specimen, that I am aware 

 of, has ever been found in Maine, although it probably does oeeasionally oecur 

 there; and only a very few isolated individuals had been taken in Massa- 

 chusetts before the siding of 187-, when thev were noticed bv Mr. Brewster 

 and Mr. Ilenshaw in considerable nund)ers. These birds, seven or eight in 

 iium]>er, were shot, with two exceptions, in ^lay, between the 14th and the 

 2r»th. Three were taken in Springtiehl by ^Ir. Allen, one in Xewburv})ort 

 by ^Fr. llo.xie, two in Hudson by ?»Ir. Jillson, and two in Candtridge by 

 Mr. lirewster. The latter were obtained, one in September and the other in 

 October. In ^Fay, 1S72, ^Fr. Brewster obtained six others. ^Fr. Allen had 

 met with this Finch in Wavne Countv, X. V., in Mav, where it was not 

 uncommon, and in Xorthern Fllinois, where it was (piite numerous. A few 

 have been taken near Xew^ York ( 'ity, and in the neighborhood of Bhila- 

 delphia, wdiere they are regarded as very rare. Professor Baird, however, 

 frequently met with them at Carlisle, l*enn. 



Farther west, from the Mississippi Valley to the Pacific, they are much 

 more common. Mr. Kidiiwav .states that thev occasionallv winter in South- 

 ern Illinois, where they freipient retired thickets near open fields. They 

 have been found breeding' near Pacine, Wis., bv Dr. Hov, and have been met 

 with also in X^ebraska in considerable numbers; and, during the breeding- 

 season, ]Mr. Audubon met with them on the Upper Missouri. 



From ]\Farch to ]\Fav ^Fr. Dresser found these birds very abundant in the 

 fields near the San Antonio Piver. and in some swani])y grounds. They 

 seemed to prefer that sort of locality, and the banks of the river, keeping 

 among the flags and rushes. Their stomachs were found to contain small 

 seeds. Mr. Lincecum also met with a few in Washington County of the 

 same State. 



It was not met with in Arizona bv Dr. Cones, but Dr. Ivennerly fovnd it 

 in the month of Februarv from the Big Sandy to the (rreat Colorado P>.ver. 

 It confined itself to the thick bushes along the streams, and when seen was 

 generally busily hopping from twig to twig in search of food. When stalled 

 up, its flight was very ra|)id and near the earth. 



Dr. Heermann obtained this s])ecies, not unfrequently, both in Xorthern 

 California and in the Tejoii Valk'V. On all occasions he found it in company 

 with flocks of S]»arrow"s, composed of se\eral species. 



