84 



NOUTII AMKKICAN BllibS. 



liiul cvidt'iitlv taken from tlu' lirs of our jiraiif vinos. Each vear tlio nest 

 was irpairt'd with tlie sanii* niati'iial. Onrcnnlv tlicv liad two hroo<ls in one 

 season. The second lnood was not hateluMl out until Se]>tend)er, and the 

 family was not ready to mi^nate until after nearly all its kindred had assem- 

 Med and ;;one. This nest, tliou^h j)rineii»ally made of hare mattin«.j, was 

 very neatly and thoroiiujldy lined with hair. Other nests are made of coarse 

 i'rasses and sedLres, and all are usually lined in a similar manner. 



Auduliou and Wilson descrilte the ej^'i^s of this hird as Idue, with i)urplish 

 spots at the larj,'er end. All that I have ever seen are white, with a sli;L,dit 

 tiui^e of ij^reenisli or hlue, and uns])otted. I have never Ix^en able to meet 

 with a s]>otted ei;'' of this l)ird, the identification of which was hevond 

 sus])ici(>n. They are of a roumled-oval sliape, one side is only a little more 

 pointed than the other. They measure .73 of a.i inch in lenjj;th by .58 in 

 breadth. They resemlde the e;^'gs of C. lUinnuf, but are smaller, and are not 

 so deeply tinged with blue. 



Cyanospiza amcena, r>Aina 



LAZTTLI FINCH. 



Embcri'za aimrnii. Say, Long's Kxpf*!. II, 1823, 47. Fringilla {Spizn) amainn, Ronap. 

 Am. Orn. I, \^'l't, t>l, jil. vi, f. o. Frinijilhi innirna, Ai'D. Orn. Hiog. V, 1839, U4, 

 23<>, j»l.N, oci'xcviii ami ccccxxiv. Spiz" (nna'iin, Buvap. List, 1838. — Ai'D. Syn. 

 1>3;», 10!>. — In. IJinls Am. MI, 1S41, 100, pi. ilxxi. — Max. Cal.. Jour. VI, 1858, 

 283. — Hkeiim. X, s, 4(5. i'i/'niosjiiit( ainana, Baikd, Birds N. Adi. 1858, 504. — 

 Cooi'Eit & SrcKLEV, 2o5. — Coopeu, Orn. Cal. I, 233. 



Sp. Char. Male. Upper part^^ irenerally. with tho head and nock all round, greenish- 



bhu* ; tho interscapular rojrion ilarker. Uppor part 

 of breast pale brownish-chostnut extending: along 

 tho sidos and sopanitt'd from the blue of the throat 

 b)' a faint white or(\<oont ; rest of under parts and 

 axillar.s ■wlntt-. A white patch on tho middle 

 winrr-coverts, and an ol)scurely indicated white 

 l)and acros.*; the ends of tho irroater coverts. Loral 

 roirion black. Length, about 5.50; wing, 3.90; 

 tail. *J.<)0. 



Femitle. Brown above, tinged with blue on rump 

 and tail ; whitish beuoath, tinged with bud' on the 

 broa.st and throat ; faint white bands on winufs. 

 IIap.. HiLrh CtMitral Plains to tho Pacilic 



Cyannxpizn nmrrna 



This species is about the size of C. 



cynnra ; tlie bill exactly similar. The 



females of the two sj)ecies are scarcely 



di.stinguishable, except by the f^iint traces of one or two white bands on the 



wings in anvt na. Sometimes both the throat and the upper part of the 



breast are tinged with ]iale brownish-bulf. 



Habits. Tlie Lazuli Finch was first obtained bv Mr. Say, who met with 



