FBINGILLID^ : FINCHES, BUNTINGS, SPABROWS, ETC. 



389 



289. 



290. 



Z. ludovicla'na. (Lat. of Louisiana. Figs. 218, 249, 2.55.) Rosf.-breastei. .'^oxr; Gro.s- 

 BEAK. Adult $ with the head and neck all around and most of tlie upper jiarts black, the 

 rump, upper tail-coverts and under parts white, the breast and under wing-coverts exquisite 

 carmine or rose-red ; wings and tail black, variegated with white ; bill white ; feet grayisli- 

 bluc; iris brown. 9 above, streaked with blackish and olive-brfiwn or flaxen-brown, with 

 median white coronal and superciliary line; below, white, more or less tinged with fulvous and 

 streaked with dusky ; under wing-coverts 

 saffron- II elloto ; upper coverts and inner 

 quills with a white spot at end; bill brown. 

 Young ^ at first resembling the 9 ; I'ut "the 

 rose ccilor appears with the first full feather- 

 ing. Two or three years are required to 

 produce the perfect beauty. Sexes of same 

 size. Length 7.75-8.50 ; extent 13.00-13.00 ; 

 wing 3.90-4.25; tail 3.25; tarsus 0.90. 

 Eastern U. S. and British Provinces, N. 

 to Labrador and the region of the Saskatche- 

 wan ; W. in U. S. to the Red River Valley, 

 and edge of the Missouri River pilains ; win- 

 ters extralimital ; breeds from the Middle 

 States northward. A splendid bird! Few 

 combine such attractions for the eye and ear. 

 Nest in bushes and low trees, chiefly of root- 

 lets and slender fibres ; eggs 3-4, 1.00 X 

 0.75, dull greenish, fully splashed and dotted 

 with dark brown, laid in June. 

 Z. melanoce'phala. (Glr. jxiXas, jxtKavos, 

 melas, melanos, black ; Ke(pa\ri, lepliaJe, head. 



^%^ 



Fio. 249. — Rose-bre;istet] Grofibouk, reiiuced. 

 parti del. Nichols so.) 



(Sl.rp- 



Fig. 250.) Black-iieaued Song Grosbeak. 

 Adult $ with the crown, sides of head, back, wings, and tail black ; the back usually varied 

 with whitish or cinnamon-brown, the wings spotted with white on the ends of the ecjverts, and 

 usually also tow.irds the ends of the quills, and -with a large white patch at base of primaries ; 



several lateral tail-feathers with 

 large white spots on inner 

 webs near their ends. Neck all 

 around, rump, and under parts 

 rich orange-brown, changing to 

 li right pure yellow on the belly 

 and under wing-coverts; l>ill 

 and feet dark grayish -blue. 

 Size of the last. The 9 and 

 young differ much as in the last 

 species, but may be recognized 

 by the rich sulphur-yell(yLO under 

 wing-coverts ; the bill is shorter 

 I tiHNl. and more tumid, 0.66-0.75 along 



Fig. 250. — Black-headed Grosbeak, reduced. (Sliepparddel. Nichols sc.) culmen 0.60 deep at base 9 

 adult : Under parts like those of the <? , but paler, though the belly and Uuing of wings 

 are as pure yellow. Upper parts dark brown with an idive shade, varied with whitish or 

 brownish-white, the head blackish with white or brownish coronal and superciliary stripes- 

 Wings dusky, marked as in the $, but the basal white spot on primaries restricted ; tail as in 



