BIRDS OF 



GENUS SPIZA BONAPARTE, 



230. SPIZA AMERICANA (GMEL.). 604. 



Dickcissel. 



Male, above grayish-brown, the middle of the back streaked with black, 

 the hind neck ashy, becoming on the crown yellowish-olive, with black 

 touches ; a yellow superciliary line and maxillary touch of the same ; eyelid 

 white ; ear-coverts ashy ; chin white ; throat with a large jet-black patch ; 

 underpai'ts in general white, shaded on the sides, extensively tinged with 

 yellow on the breast and belly ; edge of wing yellow ; lesser and middle 

 coverts rich chestnut, the other coverts and inner secondaries edged with 

 paler ; bill dark horn-blue ; feet brown. Female smaller ; above like the 

 male, but head and neck plainer ; below less tinged with yellow, the black 

 throat patch wanting and replaced by sparse sharp maxillary and pectoral 

 streaks. Length, 6^-7 ; wing, 2^ ; tail, 2f . 



HAB. Eastern United States to the Rocky Mountains, north to Massa- 

 chusetts, New York, Wisconsin and Minnesota, and south in winter through 

 Central America to Northern South America. 



Nest, on the ground or in a low bush, built of leaves and fine grass. 

 Eggs, 4 to 5 ; greenish-white, sometimes speckled with reddish-brown. 



The only record we have at present of the Black-throated 

 Bunting as a bird of Ontario is that furnished by Mr. Saunders 

 in the " Auk " for July, 1885, page 307. The writer describes 

 finding the species in June, 1884, at Point Pelee, at the west end 

 of Lake Erie. The birds were tolerably common and evidently 

 breeding, one or two pairs being in every field within a limited 

 district, but it was only after considerable waiting and watching 

 that the party succeeded in discovejing a nest with 5 fresh eggs. 



It is just possible that " Dickcissel," like some others, having 

 reached the north shore of Lake Erie may come along as far as 

 Lake Ontario, but it is rather a weakly, tender species, and we 

 hardly expect to see it much north of the present limit, although 

 there are several records of its capture in Massachusetts and 

 Connecticut. 



232 



