FIMN'OILMD.K — TIM'; KIXCMKS. 



71 



Heitymttes vulaiuictiihalus. 



IIaii. Easlcrii rnitctl Stales to tlic ^[i.ssnlll•i pliiins; soiitli to Rciiiulor. Iloiiiluras 

 (MoouK, 1*. Z. S. 1S5!», oS); Xalnpa (Sa.. 18.')!), ;!(!:)); Ho-,'ota (Sol. Is').-., 151); C.nloviv 

 |S('i.. lH,')ii, ;iOl); (.iiiatt'iuala (Soi,. Il>is, I, 17); Ciilia (Cvii. J. VI, !)) ; Ecuador (Soi,. 

 18(J(l, 2i)8j; Cosla Hica (Caii. J. <>1, 71); (Lawk. IX, Ki'j) ; Panama (Lawii. VII, 18(!1, 

 '2!t7) ; V(;ia (.'ni/,, wiiiUT (8iM. M. U. S. 1, o.VJ) ; Viiuataii (Lawk. Ann. IX, '210). 



Habits. The liose-breasted Gni,sl)eiik, during the summer months, appears 



to have a wididy extended area of ilistri- 



l)Ution, tlioiigh nowhere a very abundant 



species, and one of somewhat irregular 



occurrence. It is i'ound as I'ar to the east 



as Nova Scotia, to tlie north as Selkirlv 



.Settlement and the valley of the Sas- 

 katchewan, and to the west as Nebraska. 



It winters in great numbers in (iuate- 



mala. In tiie last-named country, while 



al)undant in the Vera I'az, it was not 



found at Diiefias, but was a common 



cage-bird in the city of (Juatemala. It 



was also i'ound conmion at llerradura, in Colombia, South America, by Mr. 

 C. W. Wyatt. 



Tiiis bird was notict.'d on a single occasion near Ran Antonio by Mr. 

 Dresser, but was not observed by Dr. Woodhouse in Texas, or in the Indian 

 Territory. Sumichrast did not meet with it in A'era t'ruz. At St. Stephens, 

 N. 1$., Mr. Boardman found this species a regular summer visitant, but rare, 

 nor did Mr. Verrill find it common in the western part of Maine. In Mas- 

 sachusetts this bird becomes more common, but is nowhere very abun- 

 dant. It has been met with in various places in the eastern part of the 

 State, but rarely, and only in restricted localities. In the western i)art of the 

 State it is more numerous, as well as throughout the whole of the Connecti- 

 cut Valley. At Springfield, Mr. Allen notes it as a summer visitant, breed- 

 ing in the open woods, but not abundant. He is of the ojiinion that 

 during the past twenty-five years this bird has increased in numbers in all 

 parts of the State, ^fr. Allen found this bird quite conunon in Southern 

 Indiana, in Northern Illinois, and in Western Iowa, where he found it fre- 

 quent in the groves along the streams. Dr. Coues mentions it as rare and 

 only migratory in South Carolina. Mr. Mcllwraith gives it as a stimmer 

 resident in the vicinity of Hamilton, Canada, where it is very generally dis- 

 tributed throughout the open woods, arriving there the second week in May. 

 It is also found throughout Vermont, in favorable situations in open woods, 

 on the borders of streams. It is not uncommon in the vicinity of Randolph, 

 where it regularly breeds. 



Wilson, who enjoyed but few opportunities of studying the habits of this 

 species, states that it eagerly feeds on the ripe iruit of the sour gum-tree. 

 He was also aware of its fine song, its value as a caged bird, and that it 

 frequently sings during the night. 



