CHAPTER XXX. 



July 16 July 22. 



THE DICKSISSEL. 



Order Passeres Suborder Oscines 



Family Fringillidse Genus Spiza 



Species Spiza americana 



Length 5.75 to 6.80 ; wing, 2.80 to 3.30 ; tail, 2.35 to 2.90. 

 Migration North, May; south, August. 



"Sir Richard Cecil was a 'night of very high degree. 

 He came to preach some English fad in North Amerikey; 

 But a clever Indian medicine man transformed him to a bird, 

 With the funniest, drollest, driest note that ever yet was heard; 

 And now he sings the livelong day, from mullin or from thistle, 

 The first of his intended speech, "Oh, I am Dick, Dick Cissell." 



The dickcissel is a member of the family Fringillidae. For- 

 merly it was known as the black-throated bunting. Some thir- 

 ty or forty years ago it was a locally common bird in the Mid- 

 dle Atlantic States, but about that time it seems to have 

 changed its range, and is now rarely found east of the Alle- 

 ghenies. It made its appearance in the Middle West about 

 the time of its disappearance east of the Alleghenies, and now, 

 as Mr. Butler says, "is an abundant summer resident." It is 

 also known as the meadow lark and little field lark. 



The bill of the adult male dickcissel is conical, acute and 

 of a grayish-blue color ; iris of the eye hazel ; forepart of the 

 head greenish-olive; hind head, neck and cheeks dark ash- 

 gray; narrow pale yellow stripe over the eye; back bright 



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