SPIZELLA SOCIAL1S. 95 



SPIZELLA SOCIALIS. 



Chipping Sparrow. 

 Spi:ella socialis BON., List, 1838. 



DESCRIPTION. 



Sr. CH. Form, rather slender. Size, medium. Tongue, horny, provided with the terminal, Imir-like fibers. Upper 

 mandible, slightly curved. Sternum, as given under generic characters. 



COM PH. Ailuit in summer. Top of head, back, outer edges of upper wing coverts, and other wing feathers, chestnut, 

 brightest (,n the head, but with the occiput slightly, and the back broadly, streaked with black. Neck above, forming a 

 i-ollar, through which the black extends, rump, upper tail coverts, outer edges of tail feathers, ear coverts, side* of neck, 

 and sides, ashy. Wing? and tail, brownish-black. Forehead, line from bill, passing through eye, nnd bill, black. Medi- 

 an lin.', through Muck of forehead, superciliary line, throat, under wing coverts, under tail coverts, tips of upper wing cov- 

 ert--, f pniiin^ liars, white. Remainder of under parts, ashy-white, darkest across the breast. Feet light-brown. 



Adull in irintrr. Differs from the above in having the crown overcast with blackish, and the chestnut of the crown is 

 extended down cm the neek, almost obscuring the collar. The lines of black above are not as clearly defined, but there Is 

 1 m ish] 1'. l:iw. The Mil is reddish, especially on the under mandible. 



Young. In this stage the top of the head, and usually the rump, are more or less streaked with black. The marking 

 of the f ire'iead is n it as prominent. 



You iiij of the i/inr in autumn. Show hut little chestnut on the crown, but are mere rufous on the wings, the white 

 bars b.'ini; r. placed by reddish. 



.\istlinys. Arc similar to the above, but are streaked below, on all portions, excepting the abdomen, even the throat 

 and -idc-s , if head, including superciliary stripe, are so marked. The throat is yellowish, and the sides are reddish. The 

 an' similar in all stages. 



OBSERVATIONS. 



Specimens van' greatly in amount of chestnut on the back, where the black usually predominates, but I have seen a 

 bird which had the buck almost wholly chestnut. The black of the forehead also varies in width. It is always present, but 

 in some specimens the white median line becomes much extended, reaching over a greater portion of the anterior crown. 

 There is sometimes a slight trace of chestnut on the ear coverts. 



Kradily known in the adult and young stages by the chestnut crown, black forehead and white median line. The nest- 

 lings always show an indication of the reddish crown. This species may be distinguished frompiailla in having less red a- 

 Imve. The ever present black line through the eye is a characteristic marking. Distributed, while breeding, across the 

 i 'on tin -nt from the latitude of South Carolina, north, at least to that of Canada. Winters from the Carolina* south ward to 

 Cuba, but is not common below Middle Florida. 



DIMENSIONS. 



Average measurements of fifteen specimens. Length , 5'45; stretch , 8'50; wing, 2'65; tail, 2*35; bill, '38; tarsus, -03. 

 : -pecimen, 5'60; greatest extent of wing, 8'75; longest wing, 2'75; tail, 2'60; bill, '42; tarsus, '73. Shortest speci- 

 men, 5'40; smallest extent of wing, 8' 15; shortest wing, 2' 12; tail, 2'20; bill, '35: tarsus, '55. 



DESCRIPTION OF NESTS AND EGGS. 



Nrst>, placed in trees. They are compact structures, composed outwardly of fine roots, lined with horse hair. Dimen- 

 sions; external diameter, 3-25, internal, 2'00. External depth, 1'75, internal, 1-00. 



Eyys, four or five in number, oval in form, blue in color, spotted, dotted nnd lined with black and lilac. Specimens va- 

 ry from the above in being marked with reddish-brown, but it Is usual to find some spots or dots of black. I once had a set 

 that was unspotted. Dimensions, from '75 x '50 to '80 x '55. 



HABITS. 



One can scarcely enter a field of a plantation, in Northern Florida, which is overgrown 

 with woods, without starting large flocks of birds. Usually a large proportion of them will 

 be Chipping Sparrows. They remain all winter enjoying the bright sunshine of this mag- 

 nificent climate, spending their time in comparative idleness; for seeds are abundant, and 

 it requires but a slight effort to obtain them. It is quite noticeable that the birds of this 



