BIRDS OF KANSAS. 511 



sionally winter in small flocks a little farther south. Breed far 

 northward. 



SP. CHAR. "Crest lengthened. Body generally soft, silky brownish ashy, 

 with a purplish cast, the wing coverts and scapulars more brownish, becoming 

 more reddish anteriorly and ashy posteriorly; the rump and upper tail coverts, 

 as well as the secondaries, being nearly pure ash. Anteriorly the color passes 

 gradually into deep vinaceous chestnut on the forehead to behind the eye and 

 on the cheeks; abdomen yellowish white; lower tail coverts deep chestnut. A 

 stripe on side of the head, covering the lores and nasal feathers (scarcely meet- 

 ing across the forehead), involving the eye, and continued back toward the occi- 

 put and beneath the crest, with a large patch covering the chin and throat, deep 

 black; a narrow crescent on lower eyelid, and a short stripe between the black 

 of the throat and that of the chin at the base of the lower mandible, two very 

 broad bars on the wing, one across ends of primary coverts, and the other across 

 ends of secondaries (the first occupying both webs, and the latter the outer), 

 white. Primary coverts, primaries and tail slaty black, the latter growing 

 gradually ashy basally. A broad band across the end of tail, and a longitudinal 

 space along end of outer web of primaries, gamboge yellow the marks on 

 primaries, however, sometimes white, only stained with yellow. Each of the 

 secondaries with an expanded continuation of the shaft, in form of flattened, 

 very thin, somewhat elliptical appendages, of a bright vermilion red, resembling 

 red sealing-wax, with the white of outer web of primaries continued around end 

 of inner webs." 



The following are measurements, etc., of a pair in "The Goss 

 Ornithological Collection : ' ' 



Stretch of 

 Length. wing. Wing. Tail. Tarsus. Bill. 



Male 8.40 14.20 4.70 2.80 .85 .45 



Female... 8.25 13.90 4.60 2.70 .85 .45 



Iris brown; bill, legs, feet and claws black. 



These birds, of elegant plumage, are very social, and live and 

 wander about together in flocks, except during the breeding sea- 

 son. A very irregular winter sojourner or visitant, here to-day, 

 there to-morrow. From my observation (in winter), they are 

 rather silent when at rest; only real noisy on the wing, or as they 

 flutter in the trees and bushes in search of berries, etc. I say 

 flutter, for at such times the rear ones are continually rising and 

 passing over the others, and alighting a little ahead like the 

 Pinon Jay uttering, as they fly, a "Zee, zee-ze" note, that, 

 coming from the throats of many, sounds quite loud and chat- 

 tering. In their regular flights, they are steady and strong, but 

 only moderately swift. 



