PRINGILLID.B — THE FINCHES. 581 



no trace of any sect)nd color on the back, except an exceedingly faint and 

 scivrcely api)ieciable wash of dnll brownish over the whole upper parts. 

 Tlie markings of the third tail-feather vary 



somewhat in specimens. Sometimes the ,^ JJ^- 



whole tip is margined with brown; some- -^:. J^^^^^-' 



times the white extends to tlie end ; some- ^- Jjd^^^^^^' 



times both webs are margined with brown ; >.,^- - .^^^^^I^V " 

 sometimes the outer is white entirely ; ^'NiS^I^^^^^^^/ 

 sometimes the brownisli wash on the back ii^B^^HP^^ 



is more distinct. ^R^B^^I^m 



Some specimens (No. i>2,7(>2 and 52,701, -^^m^-^^^^^^^ms^ 

 males) from Sun River, Dakota, appear to 'Mj^ ~ r^-^-'^'-r^^'BtT- 

 be hybrids with ortY/owMs. They have the '"-z= Jt/ 



general appearance of hyemalis, the back P ' 



being nearly uniform with the head (with •^"""' <"•'«<""" 



a wasli of sepia-brown, however), and tlie head and neck of the same dark 

 plumbeous ; the sides, however, are pinkish, and the plumbeous on the 

 jugulum has its posterior outline "convex, as in orcffomis. If, as there is 

 every rea.son to believe, these specimens are really liybrids, then we have tlie 

 two extreme forms of the genus connected by specimens of sudi a condi- 

 tion ; thus, hyemalis with orcgonua, onyonns with caniceps (=(tHncdc)is, 

 Baird), and caniceps with cinereus (= dorsalis, Henry). It may perhaps be 

 considered a serious question whether all (including alticola) are not, in 

 reality, geographical races of one species. lIowe\er, as there is no possi- 

 bility of ever proving this, it may be best to consider them as representative 

 species, and tli se specimens of intermediate charactei-s as hybrids. 



Habits. The common familiar Snowbird of tiie Eastern States is found 

 throughout all North America, east of the P»lack Hills, from Texas to the 

 Arctic regions. Wherever found, it is at certain seasons a very abundant 

 and an equally familiar bird. 



It nests as far south, in mountainous regions, as Virginia, and thence to 

 New York and the northern parts of the New England States, breeding only 

 in the highlands, but descending more and more into tlie plains as we pro- 

 ceed north. As it is a very hardy bird, its migmtions are irregular and 

 uncertain. In some seasons I have observed but few at irregular intervals ; 

 and in others, in which the spring was cold and backward, I have met with 

 them in every month except July and August. 



Mr. Kennicott found but few birds of this species breeding as far south as 

 Fort Kesolution or Slave Lake, and was unable to find any of their nests, 

 though he met with a few birds that were evidently breeding there. He 

 found it afterwards nesting in the greatest abundance aliout latitude 05°. 

 They were very numerous on the Yukon, and Mr. MacFarlane found them 

 breeding plentifully on the Anderson TJivcr, at the edge of the barren-ground 

 reiiion. 



