FKL\(ilLLIlhE — THE HNCllEti. 



585 



■ A); 



of un.loi' parts wliito. Outer tnil-rcatlicrs and primiirics oajrcd with wliitc Luii^tli, 0. 

 winj;-, 2.70; tuil, 2.1(1. 



Young. Grouiiil-i-clor of tliu upper p:-'s (;excupt win.^s and tail) light odirap«oiis, 

 more brownish on top of head, n|)iR'r part of baek, and on upper tail-coverts ; the streaks 

 blacker and more eonspienoiis than in the aibilt. lieneath with an oehraceoiis tinge 

 anteriorly, the streaks liroader, and deeper blaek, than in the adnlt, tliongh less sharpK- 

 delincd. The infra-nnixillary streak <'Xpaiided into a broad blarkish elongated l)lotch. 



Haii. Eastern North Anu'iiea to l\n- Missouri plains, and northwest to Alaska. Cuba, 

 winter (Cab. Jonr. IV, (J). 



Si)ecinieiiH vary C(iiisi(loral)ly in size, color, and .shape of iiill, l.nt the 

 average is a.s tlescrilied. Spriiio- birds have the niarkinj^.s .sltarper and 

 clearer, the dark streaks with little ur no snd'nsion of rufous. 



II.VBIT.S. The Savanna Sparrow is an abundant .species throuoliout North 

 America, from the Atliintic sea-board to tlie (Jreat Plains. It is, however, 

 everywhere iiuicii less common in tlie -interior tiiiin nearer tiie shore. The 

 Smith.soniiin specimens tire from points its iar south as Gcorj-ia and Loiiisi- 

 anii, and as far west its the Dlack Hills of Wyomin---. It passes north throiioh 

 Mas.sacliii.setts, from the first to tiie middle of April, and some remain to lireed 

 in the eastern part of the State. Mr. Maynard sjieaks of it as a common 

 summer resident. Tliis, h(j\vever, is true only of n few restricted maritime 

 localities, but is not .so of tlie entire eastern ]iortion of the Stale. It occurs 

 l)oth in the sidt inar.slies of C'liarles liiver and in the vicinity of Fresli Toiid, 

 but I cotdd never trace it in any of the neigid)oring towns. ?t is occtision- 

 ally met with in inland situations where we would not naturally look for it. 

 In the summer of ISG'.l, :Mr. William I'.rcwster found quite a colony of tlieso 

 birds in an open field near the (ileii Hou.se, at tlie foot of Ml. Wasliington. 

 They had nests with eggs the last of July and the first of August. 



In Western Massachusetts, according to Mr. Allen, it rarely or iie\er stops 

 to breed. In Western i\Iaiiie, Mr. Verrill mentions it as a common summer 

 visitant, and as lireeding tlicre in the latter part of May. In the vicinity of 

 Eastport, and in all the i.slands of the (irand Menan group, I found these 

 Sparrow.s very abundant. Tliey almost invariably built tlieir nests in ile- 

 pressions on the edge or just under the projecting tops of high bliitfs of liiiid 

 near the sea. They were liy far the most abundant of the land-birds, and it 

 Wiis quite common to find their nests in close jiro-ximity one to anotlier. • 

 Tliey arrive there in April, an,! leave in September, passing slowly south 

 more in reference to the abundance tjf their Ibod than the severity of the 

 season, luitil the weather becomes very .severe, when they all disappear. Tliey 

 v'nter in liie Southern States, from Virginia to (Jeorgia, and are especially 

 abundant in the Carolintis. Dr. C'oues states that they were very common 

 about Columbia from October to April, moving in large flocks and associ- 

 ating with other s])ecies. Wilson states that he met with this species, from 

 Savannah to Xew York, in all the low country, and regtirded it as resident 

 in those jdaces, but nirely found at a distance from the sea-shore. He found 

 them e.s])eeially numerous at (Jreat Egg Harbor, N J. 



