BLACK-THROATED BUNTING. 343 



The nest is built either on the ground or in trees. It is constructed 

 of grass, moss, and fibrous roots, with hair and feathers. The eggs are 

 light bluish-white, thickly spotted with rusty-brown. They measure 

 .92 by .70. 



Gknus EUSPJZA. Bonaparte. 



Bill large and strong, swollen; the lower mandible nearly as bigh as, and considerably 

 toroader than, the upper, the edges much inflected and shutting within the upper. Tarsus 

 barely equal to middle toe; lateral toes equal, not reaching base of middle claw. Wings 

 long, sharp pointed, longer than the emarginate tail, and reaching nearly to its middle. 

 Inner secondaries lengthened, but much shorter than primacies. 



EUSPIZA AMERICANA (Gm.) Bp. 



iBIsLclz-tfaLroated l^uiii^ixig. 



Fringifla mmervMna,, Kirtland, Ohio Geolog. Surv., 1838, 164, 183, 

 Emberiza amerieana, AuDCHON, Orn. Biog., iv, 1838, 579; B. Am., lii, 1841, 60. 

 Muspiza Americans,, Wheaton, Ohio Agric. Rep. for 1660, 366, 37C; Eeprint, 1861, 8, 18; 

 Food of Birds, etc., Ohio Agric. Ecp. for 1874, 566; Keprint, 1S75, 6.— CoUES, Birds 

 of N. W., 1874, 166.— Baird, Brewer and Eidgway, ii, 1874, fi7.— Lan«don, Cat. 

 Birds'of Cin^ 1877, 9; Journ. Cin. Soc. Nat. Hist., i, 1878, 114; Eeprint, 5; Revised 

 List, Journ. Cin. Soc. Nat. Hist., i, 1679, 176; Reprint, 10.— Brewster, Ball. Nntfe. 

 Orn. Club, iii, 1678, 122; iv, 1679, 41. 



Emberiza afii/eHcan^, Gmhun, Syst. Nat , i, 1788, 872. 

 FriwgiUa americana, Bonaparte, Syn., 1828, 107. 

 Enspiza amerkana, Bonaparte, List, 1838, 32. 



Male: above grayish-brown, the Middle of the back streaked with black, the hind 

 neck ashy, becoming on the crown yeliowish-oUve, with black touches; a yellow super- 

 ciliary line, and maxillary touch of the same; eyelid white; ear-coveits ashy; chin 

 white; throat with a large |et-biaek patch; under parts in general white, shaded on 

 the sides, eKteneively tinged with yellow on the breast and belly; edge of wing yellow; 

 lesser and middle coverts rich chestnut, the other coverts and inner secondaries edged 

 with paler; bill dark horn-blue; feet brown. Female; smaller; above like the male, but 

 head and neck plainer; below less tinged with yellow, the black throat patch wanting, 

 and replaced by sparse sharp maxillary aed pectoral streaks. Length, 6^-7; wing, 2^; 

 ttail, 2f . . 



"Auimm.naiplum.a^: young. Crown, shoulder, and ramp, with sides of head and neck, 

 Sight olive- brown, the centres of the feathers slightly darker; a little concealed, chestnut 

 on the shoulders. Feathers of the interscapular region with dull black centres and 

 brownish-fulvous edges. Wing-bands, with outer margins of wingcoverts and second- 

 aries, dull browniah-fulvoius. Superciliary line brownish- yellow, fading anteriorly to 

 torownish-white. TJiroat, central area of the abdomen, and the crissnm, pale brownish- 

 white. Sides of breast and body brownish-olive, with dark brown streaking on the 

 flanks. Breast dull reddish-oraage, streaked with dark brown, and washed with ob- 

 scure ashy-white. From a specimen in the collection of Dr. J. M. Wheaton, obtained at 

 Circleville, O., August, 1878." {Brewster, 1. c, 1879.) ' 



. "Firet plumage. Above pale fulvous, with broad markings of dark brown upon the 

 feathers of the interscapular region, and. narrawer fainter ones of lighter brown upon 



