IG 



NORTH AMKIIK'AN lURDa 



sexual orj,'aii.s. TIic soiij,' is very a<,'reoal)le, nut, in tho least rofMilling the 

 nutniitonous tlitty ol' tlie Cliip liinl, or tlio ratlier weak ijeilorniaiices of some 

 oilier .s])i!eies of the j,'enus. In tlie latter part itt' sununer and early autunni 

 the liirds were generally seen in small troops, ])erliaps families, in weedy 

 ydaees, associatinjf with tho western variety of tSjiizclla tiociulis, as well as with 

 duldlinches." 



lieutenant ("ouch met with individuals of this species at Aj,'ua Nueva, in 

 Coaluiila, Mexico, in May, ]H'>:\. Tliey were found in small tlocks amony 

 the nuamtains. Their nest and eii<'s are unknown. 



Mtln.sjiiza vitlfiilitt. 



Urnus MELOSPIZA, liAiiti). 



Mclospixa, RAriii), Rinls N. Am. 1808, 478. (TyiK-, Frimjilla melodia, Wii.s.) 



Gkn. Ciiah. Body .stout. Bill conical, very oltsoletely notcliod, orisiiiooth; .somowhnt 



com pressed. Lower inaudible not so deep 

 as tlie upper. Coniiiii.ssiirc nearly straif,'lit. 

 Gonys a little curved. Feet stout, not 

 stretchini,' beyond the tail; tarsus a little 

 longer than tho middle toe ; outer toe a 

 little longer than tho inner; its claw not 

 quite reaching to the i)ase of the middle 

 one. Hind too appreciably longer than tho 

 middle one. Wings quite short and roiiiid- 

 c<l, .scarcely reaching beyond the ba.se of 

 the tail ; the tertials considerably longer 

 than the .secondaries ; the quills considera- 

 bly graduated; the fourth longest; the first 

 not longer than the tertials, and almost the 



.shortest of the priinaiics. Tail moderately long, rather longer from coccyx than the 



wing.s, and considcralily graduated ; the feathers 



oval at tho tijis, and not stifTened. Crown and 



b.ack similar in color, and streaked; beneath thickly 



stre.iked, except in if. puhialris. Tail iinmaeulato. 



Usually nest on ground ; nests strongly woven of 



grasses and fibrous stems ; eggs marked with rusty- 

 brown and purple on a ground ol'a clay color. 



This genus differs from Zoiiotrichia in the 

 shorter, more graduated tail, ratlier longer 

 hind toe, much more rounded wing, which is 

 shorter; the tertiaries longer ; the first quill 

 almost the shortest, and not longer than the 

 tertials. The under parts are s))otted ; the 

 crown streaked, find like the back. 



There are few species of American birds 

 that have caused more perplexity to the 

 ornithologist than the group of M'hich Melospiza melodia is the type. Spread 



Meto.ynza wetotha. 



