844 BIRDS 



scratched out by the bird, and is usually under the protect- 

 ing shadows of shrubs. The nest, the rim of which is flush 

 with the ground, is " strongly built of bark strips, blades of 

 dry grass, and usually lined with yellow straw." 



THE CALIFORNIA TOWHEE* 



California, with its beautiful scenery and its wonderful 

 variety of interesting forms of vegetable life, is the home of 

 the Towhee of our illustration. Its range is long and nar- 

 row, including only that region which lies west of the Cas- 

 cade and Sierra Nevada mountain ranges, from Oregon 

 southward to the northern portion of Lower California. 

 Like many other birds which are abundant and familiar, the 

 California Towhee is known by several common names. 

 Some of these are: Brown finch or towhee, Crissal towhee 

 bunting, and canyon finch. The last name, though very 

 commonly applied to the bird, seems quite inappropriate, 

 for this towhee is found not only in the canyons, but also on 

 the level country wherever there is a gro^vvth of trees or 

 shrubbery. It also frequents the mountain sides to a height 

 of over three thousand feet. 



The California towhee is not only abundant, but it is 

 also one of the most characteristic birds of the State whose 

 name it bears. It belongs to a group of the finch family, 

 which contains a number of species with terrestrial or semi- 

 terrestrial habits. This group is represented in the eastern 

 portion of the United States by a single species — the che- 

 wink, or common towhee. In the southern and western 

 portions of our country, however, there are several species 



