110 



NORTH AMERICAN lURDS. 



A youii!^ hinl has the prevailing; coh>r re«Mish-<»live alM)ve, spotted with 

 li^'hter ; lieiie; th hrownish-white, streakeil tliiekly with l»inwn. 



The ileseriptiun .ilR)ve j,'iven may Ihj taken as rejnesentin^' the average of 

 the species in the Northern and Middle States. Most specimens t'rnm the 

 Mississip]>i Valley dilfer in having the two white j>atehes on the primaries 

 confluent ; but this feature is not sutliciently constant to i •. ke it worthy of 



213'^- '^ 



2135 



Pipilo erythrophtknlmus. 



more than passing notice, for occasionally western specimens have the white 

 si)aces separated, as in the majority of eastt*rn exami)les, while among the 

 latter there may, now and then, be found individuals scarcely distinguishable 

 from the average of western ones. 



In Florida, however, there is a local, resident race, quite different from 

 these two northern styles, which are themselves not enough unlike to be 

 considered separately. This Florida race differs in much smaller size, very 

 restricted white on both wing and tail, and in having a yellowish- white in- 

 st(?ad of blood-red iris. Further remarks on this Fhjrida race will be found 

 under its ])r<)per heading (p. 708), as P. crythrophthalmna, var. allaii. 



Specimens of en/throphfhalmus, us restricted, from Louisiana, as is the case 

 with most birds from the Lower Mississip]»i region, exhibit very intense 

 colors compared with those from more northern portions, or even Atlantic 

 coast specimens from the same latitude. 



Hahits. The Ground Koljin, Towhee, Chewink, Charee, or Joreet, as it is 

 variouslv called, has an extended distribution throuijliout the eastern United 

 States, from Florida and Georgia on the southeast to the Selkirk Settlements 

 on the northwest, and as far to the west as the edge of the Great Plains, 

 where it is rei»laced by other closely allied races. It breeds almost wherever 

 found, certainly in Georgia, and, I have no doubt, sparingly in Florida. 



This bird was not observed in Texas by Mr. Dresser. It has been found 

 in Western Maine, where it is given by Mr. Verrill as a summer visitant, 

 and where it breeds, but is not common. It arrives there the first of ^lay. 

 It is not given b\^ ^Ir. Boardman as occurring in Eastern Maine. In Massa- 

 chusetts it is a very abundant summer visitant, arriving about the last of 

 April, and leaving about the middle of October. It nests there the last of 



