550 



NURTU AMERICAN BIRDS. 



Coturniculus henslowi, Bunap. 



HENSLOVS BUNTIVO. 



Embcrhd haishnri, Ann. Orii. liioj;. T, 1831, 3i'.0, pi. Ixxvii. - In. Syn. 18;i0, 104. -In. 

 Dinis Am. Ill, 1841, 75, pi. clxiii. — NrnAi.i., Man. I, 1832, App. Coluntiinilus 

 hiuishiiri, l?iiN. List, 1838. — In. Conspectus, 1850, 481. — Baiiid, Hiiils N. Am. 1858, 

 451. — M.\YNAl!i), Minis K. Muss. 1870, 117. — Sa.\iuki,s, 30G. Friiujilla hemluwi, 

 NuiTAiL, iMaii. I, (2a ed.,) 1840, 571. 



Si'. CiiAK. Upper \)i\v\» ^-ellowisli liiown, tlit; 'lood, neck, ami upper parts of liaek 



tiiifreil with prwni.-^li-j'ullow. Iiiter.s(.'a))iilar leathers 

 dark brown, .^ulliused externally with luiglit browni.'^li- 

 reil; cacli fcMtlier witli jirayi.sh borders. Terliaries, 

 rnnip, and tail-featliers aliriii>tly dark ehe.stinit-brown, 

 darkest eenti'ally, paler externally, and narrowly inar- 

 ginctl with frray. Crown with a broad Iilaek .^potted 

 sstripe on each side ; these s])ots continned down to the 

 back. Two narrow blaek mandibular .stripes and one 

 ]>ost-oeular on each side of tlie head, and an obscure 

 l)lack ereseent or spot behind the auricuhus. Under 

 parts li,u;ht lirowiiish-yellow, paler on the throat and 

 abdouien. The juf^uluni, upper part of the breast, and 

 tlie .sides of the body, eonspieuously streaked with 

 blaek. Edjje of wing yellow. A strong tinge of 

 pale ehe.stnut on the wings and tail. The median 

 tail-feathers and upper coverts ches nut or rufous 



brown, with .sliar])ly delined .shaft-.streaks of blaek. Length, 5.25; wing, 2.15; tail, 2.15. 

 Hau. Eastern United States ius liir north as M.i.ssaehuselts ; westward to the Loup 



Fork of Platte. 



Tliis species is related to C. jmascrinns, but readily distiiiguishetl by tlio 

 Avoll-niarked strijies on bieiist and sides, tlie oreoiiisli-yellow, not chestnut- 

 brown, of iiead iind nii])e, and the two mandibular dusky stripes. The mid- 

 dle tail-feathers are reddish with only a very narrow sliiirply defined median 

 sliaft-stretik of liluck, instead of having the greater jiortiou of the centre 

 dusky with .scnllojnHl edges. I have not seeu young bird.s, but tiiey probtibly 

 dillur little from the adiilt.s. 



Habits. Tlie history and general distribution of Ilenslow's Bunt inn is 

 still somewhat imperfectly known. Mr. Audubon first met with it, in 1820, 

 in Kentucky, nearly opposite to (^'inciimiiti. It was seen on the ground, 

 ? inongst the tall grass, ami is said to have exhibited all the ]toculiarities of 

 Ills tribe. He was afterwards informed that this bird is abundant in the 

 ritate of New Jersey, and that it breeds there ; and in evidence of this he 

 mentions receiving a si)ecimen from J)r. Trudeau, obtained by that gentle- 

 man himself. Mr. Audubon also mentions that both J)r. Bachman iind he 

 ha\'e procured a gretit number in Scjuth Ctu-olina, where they abound, in the 

 latter part of autunm, and where, also, a portion remain during the winter. 

 In Florida, ^Ir. Audubon again met with tliese birds in the winter. They 



Coturniculus jtafS' ritiiis. 



