832 ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. 



leaves, and lined with fine stalks of the same and the slen- 

 der hair-like tops of the bent grass (^agrostls'), with a very- 

 few cow-hairs, though sometimes they make a substantial 

 lining of hair. Tlie eggs are four or five in number ; and 

 their color is a nearly pure white, sometimes with a- bluish 

 tint. In a large number in my collection from L. E. Rick- 

 secker, of Pennsylvania, a few have scattered blotches of 

 reddish-brown. Their size varies from .80 by .60 to .70 by 

 .52 inch. But one brood is reared in the season in New 

 England. 



About the middle of September, the whole family leaves 

 New England, and winters in tropical America. 



PIPILO, ViEILLOT. 



Pipilo, ViEILLOT, Analj-se (1816) Agassiz. (Type Fringilla erytkrqphthalma, 

 Linn.) 



Bill rather stout; the culmen gently curved, the gonys nearh' straight; the com- 

 missure gently concave with a decided notch near the end ; the lower jaw not so 

 deep as the upper, not as wide as the gonj's is long, but wider than the base of the 

 upper mandible; feet large, the tarsus as long or a little longer than the middle 

 toe; the outer lateral toe a little the longer, and reaching a little beyond the base 

 of the middle claw; the hind claw about equal to its toe; the two together about 

 equal to the outer toe; claws all stout, compressed, and moderately curved; wings 

 reaching about to the end of the upper tail coverts; short and rounded, though the 

 primaries are considerably longer than the nearly equal secondaries and tertials; 

 the outer four quills are graduated ; the first considerably shorter than the second, 

 and about as long as the secondaries; tail considerably longer than the wings; 

 moderatelv o-raduated externally; the feathers rather broad; most rounded off on 

 the inner webs at the end. 



The colors vary; the upper parts are generally uniform black or brown; the 

 under white or brown; no central streaks on the feathers. The hood sometimes 

 ditferently colored. 



The essential characters of the genus are in the curved culmen and commissure; 

 the strong feet; the outer toe rather longer than the inner; the wings rounded, but 

 the primaries decidedly longer than the others; the outer four quills considerably 

 graduated, but tbe first usually not shorter than the secondaries. The graduated 

 tail longer than the wings. 



PIPILO ERTTHROPHTHALMUS.— F/e«7fo<. 



The Ground Robin ; Towhee ; Chewink. 



Fringilla eryihrophthalma, Linnaeus. Sj'st. Nat., I. (1766) 318; Aud. Orn. Biog., 

 L(1S32) 151; V. 511. 



