84 



NOIlTll AMEUICAN BlUbS. 



had evidently taken from the tics of our fjinipcvinoa. Eacli year the nest 

 was repaired with tiie same niaterial. Oih'comIv tlicv liad two broods in one 

 season. The second hrood was not liatched out until Septeniher, and the 

 family was not I'eady to mij,'rate until after nearly all its kindred had assem- 

 bled and >,'one. This nest, thou<j;h principally made of bare matting, was 

 very neatly and thorougiily lined with hair. Other nests are made of coarse 

 grasses and sedges, and all are usually lined in a similar maimer. 



Audubon and Wilson describe the eggs of this bird as blue, with purplish 

 spots at the larger end. All that I have ever seen are white, with a slight 

 tinge of greenish or blue, and unsjtotted. I have never been able to meet 

 with a sjiotted egg of this bird, the identification of which was beyond 

 susjjicion. They are of a ronnded-oval shape, one side is only a little more 

 pointed than the other. They measure .7o of an inch in length by .oS in 

 breadth. They resemble the eggs of C. tiDiunit, but are smaller, and are not 

 so deeply tinged with blue. 



Cyanospiza amoena, Haird. 



LAZULI FINCH. 



Embcriza aiiwi)", Say, I,()ii;,''s ICvpcil. II, 18'2;!, 47. Fiingilla (Spivi) amiriia, Bon'ap. 

 Am. Oni. I, \i<-l'\, til, pi. vi, I'. ;"). Friiuii/la (imu-iui, Al'D. Oni. Itiog. V, 183y, 04, 

 23(1, \i\s. ct'c.voviii iiiiil occcxxiv. Sphu ininain, IJoXAP. List, 18138. — .\ui). Syii. 

 18311, lOii. — 111. Birds Am. Ill, 1841, 100, pi. cl.vxi. - Ma.k. Cab. Jour. VI, 1858, 

 283. — Hki;i!.m. X, s, 4l). ('//iniosjiiM aimvim, ItAiiii), Birds N. Am. 1858, 504. — 

 Cooi'Kli & SccKLEV, 205. — t'cHU'KR, Orn. Cal. I, 233. 



Sp. CiiAH. Male. Upper piuij; ireuenilly, willi tlie ii(>a(l and nerk all round, grecnish- 



Miie ; the iiitersi^iipidar re,u:ioii (linker. Upper part 

 of hrea.st pale browiiish-eliesliiut extelidiiipr along 

 the sides and separated IVoin the blue of the throat 

 by a faint white er(>.';eent ; re.st of under parts and 

 axillary wiiite. A white patch on the middle 

 winf:-eoverl.-i, and an ob.scuiely indicated white 

 band aero.-i.s the end.-; of the ^'reater eovert.s. Loral 

 reirion lilack. benjjth, about 5.50; wing, 3.90; 

 tail, •_'.(;(). 



Fcmnh: Brown above, tiinred with l)luc on rnnip 

 and tail : whitish beneath, tinu'ed with bull' on the 

 bi'east and throat : faint white bands on wing.s. 



IIaii. llish Centr.nl Plains to the Paeilie. 



Ci/aiwxpnn ammn 



This species is about the size of C. 

 cj/rint'ci ; the bill exactly similar. The 

 females of the two sjieeies are scarcely 

 distinguishable, excp]it by the faint traces of one or two white bands on the 

 M'ings in ammKi. Sometimes both the throat and the upper part of the 

 breast are tinged with jiale iirownish-bufl'. 



Habits. The La/uli Finch was first ol)taiued bv Mr. Say, who met with 



