2 2 A. Cooke 0n Har^is^s Finch. [October 



(Bulletin, III, July 1878, p. 92) that during the winter of 1876-77 

 it disappeared, being driven south by the cold weather. From 

 the printed records, then, we may say that its southeastern limit 

 is somewhere near the middle of Eastern Texas. 



The northern limit is entirely indeterminate. It reaches into 

 British America, but how far we know not. 



It will be thus seen that its habitat may be characterized as : 

 Plains of the United States, from Southwestern Texas to British 

 America. East rarely to the Mississippi River. Accidental in 

 Wisconsin and Illinois. 



' We turn now to its migration. Dr. Coues speaks of its appear- 

 ing in Northern Dakota late in September. At White Earth, 

 Minnesota, I used to note its arrival about the ixiiddle of that 

 month, and it loitered as long as possible, leaving just before the 

 first snow fell. During its sojourn it was the commonest and most 

 conspicuous species. Last fall the first one reached Manhattan, 

 Kansas, oil October 37, and the species became immediately 

 abundant, remaining so until the latter part of December. Like 

 many other birds, the very severe weather of the last of December 

 and the first of January sent it farther south than usual. At 

 Pierce City, Mo., it was abimdant in the ftdl, but after the 2d of 

 January none were seen. At Darlington, Ind. Ter., it was pre- 

 sent all winter, and the same was true at Caddo, Ind. Ter., and 

 at Gainesville, Tex. 



For an account of its behavior last winter at Caddo, Ind. Ter., 

 thirty miles north of Denison, Texas, I think I cannot do better 

 than quote from my diary : 



Nov. 8. In the evening two birds alighted on the fence in my 

 back yard ; one having the black head- and throat-patch, the other 

 with no really black feathers. They were the first of the season. 



Nov. 24. A small party seen. 



Dec. 2'^. Common. The arrivals from the north seem to be 

 about all in. It is an abundant winter resident of Caddo. 1 found 

 them to-day even slightly outnumbering Cardinalis. They were 

 in small parties, quite evenly scattered along the water-courses. 

 As I passed they would keep flying ahead of me until several 

 parties had united, making a flock of forty to fifty birds. Cardi- 

 nalis acted in the same way. Contrary to my expectations, I 

 found some of the males in full dress — with the black head and 

 jet black throat. Possibly one out of a dozen was thus attired, 



