BIRDS OF PENNSYLVANIA. 233 



Habitat. Northern portions of the Northern Hemisphere, breeding far north ; in 

 North America south in winter to the northern United States, irregularly to the Mid- 

 dle States, accidentally to South Carolina, and abundantly in the interior to Kansas 

 and Colorado. 



The Lapland Longspur is a tolerably common and regular visitor 

 about Lake Erie, and at the bay, from November until late in March, 

 when it is found in small flocks, or scattered individuals are often seen 

 in company with Horned Larks, Snowflakes or other species of the spar- 

 row tribe. In other parts of Pennsylvania this species occurs as a rather 

 rare and irregular winter visitor, and it appears to visit the eastern and 

 southern parts of the state only in excessively cold weather, accompa- 

 nied by great snow falls. Feeds on seeds of weeds and grasses, and fre- 

 quents the same localities as the Snowflake. 



GENUS POOC^E3TES BAIRD. 

 Poocsetes gramineus (GMEL.). 



Vesper Sparrow ; Grass Pinch ; Bay-winged Bunting-. 



DESCRIPTION (Plate 32. Fi<j. I}. 



Length about 6 inches ; extent about 10 inches. 



No yellow anywhere ; outer tail feathers partly white, above brownish streaked 

 with dusky ; below dull white, streaked on sides, throat and breast .with pale brown- 

 ish ; lesser wing-coverts chestnut. 



Habitat. Eastern North America to the plains, from Nova Scotia and Ontario 

 southward ; breeds from Virginia, Kentucky and Missouri northward. 



The Bay-winged Bunting- is a common summer resident in Pennsyl- 

 vania, and during' the winter months is quite frequently to be met with 

 in the southern portions of the state. This plainly attired songster may 

 readily be recognized from other of the Frinyillidce by the bright chest- 

 nut colored lesser wing-coverts and the white lateral tail feathers, the 

 latter being- most conspicuous when the bird is flying. These birds in- 

 habit chiefly dry pasture fields and meadows ; they visit plowed grounds, 

 and are frequently to be observed perched on fence rails in fields or 

 along the roadsides, and, as Nuttall remarks, they are fond of dusting 

 themselves and basking in dry places. Although the Vesper Sparrow 

 is mainly terrestrial in habits, he may often be seen searching most in- 

 dustriously in apple trees for various forms of insect life. These birds, 

 when not engaged in breeding, are more or less gregarious and are often 

 seen in company with other sparrows. The nest, composed of dried 

 grasses, is built in a depression in the ground. The top of the nest is 

 generally on a level with the hollow in which it rests ; sometimes it is 

 partly concealed by overhanging grasses ; eggs, four to five, grayish- 

 white or rusty-brown, spotted, lined and blotched with brown and black ; 

 about .83 of an inch long and .60 of an inch wide. 



Bay-winged Buntings subsist principally on seeds of grasses, weeds 



