THE GRASS FIXCH. 303 



Tlie male, durino- the matins: and the earlr part of the 

 oreeduig season, has a verv sweet and pretty song which he 

 chants most often at morning and early evening, and during 

 dark and cloudy weather. 



This song is difficult of description : it resembles nearly 

 tlie syllables ^clieivee ^chewitt ^cheivitt ^cheicitt ^cheiveet ^cheivSe, 

 uttered slowly and plaintively. It has also a short chirp, 

 quite faint, yet shrill, which, as Mr. Xuttall truly remarks, 

 almost exactly resembles the chirping of a cricket. 



About the first week in October, this species gathers in 

 small, detached flocks; and, after frequenting the stubble- 

 field." and gardens a week or two. the whole leave for the 

 South. 



POOC.ETES, Baird. 



Bill rather larjje: upper outline slightly decurved towards the end, lower straight; 

 commissure slightly concave; tarsus about equal to the middle toe; outer toe a 

 iittle longer than the inner, its claw reaching to the concealed base of the middle 

 claw, hind toe reaching to the middle of the middle claw; wings unusually long, 

 reachmg to the middle of the tail, as far as the coverts, and pointed, the primaries 

 considerably longer than the secondaries, which are not much surpassed by the 

 tertiariHs; second and third quills longest; first little shorter, about equal to the 

 fourth, shorter than the tail; the outer feathers scarcely shorter; the feathers rather 

 stiff, each one acuminate and sharply pointed ; the feathers broad nearly to the end, 

 when they are obliquely truncate: streaked with brown above everywhere; beneath, 

 en the breast and sides; the lateral tail feather is white. 



POOCiETES GEAMINEUS. — Baird. 



The Grass Finch; Bay-winged Bunting. 



/•ymgiHa graminea, Gmelin. Syst. Xat.. I. (17S8) 922. And. Om. Biog., I. 

 1831, 473; V. 502. 



Fmheriza graminea, Wilson. Am. Orn., IT. (1811) 51. 



Description". 

 Tail feathers rather acute; above light yellowish-brown; the feathers everywhere 

 streaked abruptly with dark-brown, even on the sides of the neck, which are paler; 

 beneath yellowish-white; on the breast and sides of neck and body streaked -with 

 brown . a faint light supercili.w- and maxillary stripe ; the latter margined above 

 and below with dark-brown ; the upper stripe continued around the ear coverts, 

 which are darker than the brown color elsewhere; wings with the shoulder light 

 chestnut-brown, and with two dull-whitish bands along the ends of the coverts; the 

 outer edge of the secondaries also is white ; outer tail feather, and edge and tin 

 of the second, white. 



