FINCHES, SPARROWS, ETC. 375 



b 1 . A buffy line over the eye and at the side of the throat, breast 

 generally washed with buffy; haunts only salt marshes (rarely 

 found far from the vicinity of the seashore). 



549. SHARP-TAILED SPARROW. 



6 2 . No buff on the sides of the head or breast ; upperparts black- 

 ish; song tslp-tslp-tslp'se-e-e-s'r-r-r; rarely breeds south of 

 New York City; haunts both salt- and fresh-water marshes. 



542a. SAVANNAH SPARROW. 



b 3 . Back reddish, head and neck buffy olive; haunts generally 

 wet pastures; song an inconspicuous see-wick (rather rare, 

 living in small colonies of local distribution). 



547. HENSLOW'S SPARROW, 

 2. Underparts not distinctly streaked or spotted. 



A. Underparts not white or whitish, all one color. 



a. Throat pure white, sharply denned from the grayish breast, a 

 yellow spot over the eye; crown black, with a central stripe of 

 white; haunts thickets or bushy woodlands; song a high, clear, 

 musical whistle; call-note a sharp chink. 



558. WHITE-THROATED SPARROW. 



6. Throat not white. 



a. Throat and breast black. 



a 1 . Sides of the throat and belly white, crown ash, sides of the 

 head chestnut ... HOUSE SPARROW. 



a 2 . Length 8'00; sides of the body light rufous, outer tail-feathers 

 tipped with white; haunts thickets and bushy woodlands; 

 call-note a vigorous towhee or chee-wink . . 587. TOWHEE. 



b. Throat and breast slate-color, like the back; belly and outer tail- 



feathers white; bill flesh-color (nests, in the Middle States, only 

 on the higher parts of the Alleghanies) . . . 567. JUNCO. 



B. Underparts white or whitish, practically all one color. 

 a. Haunts wet marshes. 



a 1 . Haunts always salt marshes, generally near the sea; back 



grayish 550. SEASIDE SPARROW. 



a 2 . Haunts both salt- and fresh-water marshes; back brown, 

 streaked with black; cap and wings chestnut; song a loud, 

 sharp, rapidly repeated weet-weet-weet, etc. 



584. SWAMP SPARROW. 

 6. Haunts dry fields, pastures, roadsides, lawns, thickets, etc. 



6 1 . Outer tail-feathers white, middle of the breast with a small 

 black spot (not found east of the Alleghanies). 



552. LARK SPARROW. 

 c 1 . Outer tail-feathers not white. 



c 2 . Upperparts reddish brown, bill pinkish flesh-color; haunts 

 bushy fields and pastures; song a musical, plaintive, c/ier- 

 wee, cher-wee, cher-wee, cheeo-dee-dee-dee-dee-dee. 



563. FIELD SPARROW. 



c 3 . Bill dark brown, a buffy line through the center of the 

 ground; song an insect-like pit-tuk, zee-zee-zee-zee-zee. 



546. GRASSHOPPER SPARROW. 



c 4 . Back streaked with black, cap chestnut, a white line over the 

 eye, bill black; song a monotonous chippy-chippy-chippy, etc. 



560. CHIPPING SPARROW. 



c 5 . Larger, length about 7*00; crown black, with a white central 

 stripe ; throat not noticeably different from the breast ; no yel- 

 low over the eye (rare; nests north of New England). 



554. WHITE-CROWNED SPARROW. 



514. Hesperiphona vespertina vespertina (W. Coop.}. EVENING 

 GROSBEAK. Ad. d*. Forehead yellow, crown black ; upperparts olive- 

 brown, becoming dull yellow on rump ; belly and scapulars yellow, wings and 



