17i> VEKTKBRATA. 



winter. Tin- (lav-C'oloked Hintino, E. pallidn^ is five iiiclit-s lout;; light ycllovvish-browii 

 above; beneath grayish-white; loiiinl on the Rocky Mountains. The Yellow-winged Bun- 

 ting — the Ydloio-iv'tnged Sparroir of Wilson — E. jyasserimi, five inches long; light grayish- 

 brown above ; beneath yellowish-gray ; migratory ; found from Texas to New England. Hen- 

 SLow's HrNTiNc!, Ji'. -^('H,v/(*»'/, is five inches long; pale brown above; yellowish-gray beneath ; 

 found throughout the United States; winters in the Southern States. The Field-Bunting — the 

 Field- SiKtrrow of V\'\\?,o\\ — E. jxisilld^ h ^\\ inches long; above chestnut and blackish-brown; 

 beneath grayish-white ; abundant in siuniner from Texas to Maine. The Tree-Sparrow or Ca- 

 nada ]>UNTiNG, E. Canadensis, is six and a quarter inches long; above brown, bay, and yellow; 

 beneath cream color. This is a northern bird, but migrates to the south in winter; it breeds as 

 far south as Maine. It frequents trees, where it hops and dances and sings, and sweetly too, often 

 mixing with the White-throated Finch. In severe weather it is often seen in the elm-trees of 

 Boston ; its migrations are not farther south than Pennsylvania. This bird, which passes for 

 a sparrow, is one of the commonest of its genus in New Englantl. The Black-tiiroated Finch, 

 E. bilincata of Cassin, is five inches long; ashy-brown, with olive, above; under parts white, 

 tinged with ashy and olive; found in Texas and New Mexico. 



tri";??/* PLECTROPHANES: Plectrophanes. — These birds are sometimes Q.^Wedi Lark- Bunt- 

 ings : the most noted species is the Lapland Snow-Bunting — Lapland Song-Sjiarrow of Nut- 

 tall ; Lapland Lark-Bunting of Selby — P. Lapponicus, six and a half inches long ; summer plum- 

 age, head, chin, and breast black; beneath white : the winter plumage is, upper part of the head 

 black, edged with rufous ; neck black, the feathers tipped with white. This is an arctic bird, 

 common to Europe and America; in the depth of winter it moves southward as far as England 

 on the other side of the Atlantic, and as far as Pennsylvania on this. It is often seen in very se- 

 vere seasons in New England, feeding upon the seeds on exposed pieces of ground, that have been 

 swept clear of snow by the wind. It is found usually in small numbers, sometimes mixed with the 

 roving snow-birds; at other times it visits us in large flocks. It feeds on seeds, berries, grass, 

 leaves, buds, and insects; the nest is placed on the ground; the eggs arc five to seven. Some- 

 times immense flocks of these birds are seen in Central Europe in the fall and winter, mino-led 

 with larks. 



The White Snow-Bird — sometimes called the Wliife Bird — P. nivalis, is seven and a half 

 inches long; the colors vary in different species; the common colors are brown, striped with 

 black, above ;beneath white. It is to be distinguished from the Common Snow-Bird — Struthus 

 hyemaUs — though like that it is most abundant in the northern regions of both continents. It 

 usually appears in New England and the Middle States after a severe snow-storm. It has been 

 known in a few cases to breed in Maine and Massachusetts. Its nest is placed on the ground ; 

 the eggs four to five ; the food grass-seeds, insects, and minute sliells. 



Other species are the P. pictus, length six inches; found in the northern regions of North 

 America ; P. ornatus, found on the prairies of the Platte River ; McCowx's Bunting, P. Mc- 

 Coionii, six inches long; found in Texas, New Mexico and California; and P. Stnithii, six inches 

 long; found in Illinois. 



THE ALAUDIN^E OR LARKS. 



This group includes several interesting birds, mostly of the eastern hemisphere. They are pe- 

 culiarly birds of the fields, meadows, and open places, and are distinguished by their vigilance 

 and their musical powers. They build on the ground, usually produce two broods in a season, 

 are generally birds of passage, and in Europe immense numbers are caught for the table in their 

 migrations. 



Gemis ALAUDA: Alauda. — This includes the Sky-Lark or Field-Lark — Alouette of the 

 French ; Lodola of the Italians ; Feld-Lerche of the Germans — the most celebrated song-bird of 

 England, and after the nightingale, the most celebrated of Europe, generally. It is seven inches 

 long, the tail being three inches; it is in size about equal to the boblink. The forehead and poll 

 are rusty-yellow, spotted with blackish-brown ; when the bird is excited the feathers of the crown 

 erect themselves into a crest. The back is brown, blackish-brown, and gray ; the lower parts 

 dingy white. The female, as in most of the passerine birds, is a trifle smaller than the male. 



