BIRDS — FRINGILjIilDAE — MELOSPIZA PALUSTRIS. 



483 



MELOSPIZA PALUSTRIS, Baird. 



Swamp Sparroiv. 



Pringilla palustns, Wilson, Am. Orn. Ill, 1811, 49; pi. xxii, f. 1. — ,%uddbon, Orn. Biog. I, 1831, 331 : V, 508; 



pi. 64. 

 Fringilla {Spiza) palustris, Bonap. Obs. Wilson, 1825, No. 105. 

 Passerculus palustris, Bonap. List, 1838. — Ib. Conspectus, 1850, 481. 

 Ammodromus palustris, Am. Syn. 1839. — Ib. Birds Amer. Ill, 1841, 110 ; pi. 175. 



? Fringilla georgiana, Lath. Index Orn. I, 1790, 460. (May Peuccea aestivalis.) — Light. Verz. 1823, No. 251. 

 Fringilla (Ammodromus) georgiana, Ndtt. Man. I, 2d ed. 1840, 588. 



Sp. Ch. — Middle of the crown uniform chestnut ; forehead black ; superciliary streak, sides of head and bacli and sides of 

 neck, ash. A brown stripe behind the eye. Back broadly streaked with black. Beneath whitish, tinged with ashy anteriorly, 

 especially across the breast, and washed with yellowish brown on the sides. A few obsolete streaks across the breast, which 

 become distinct on its sides. Wings and tail strongly tinged with rufous ; the tertials black, the rufous edgings changing 

 abruptly to white towards the end. Length, 5.75; wing, 2.40 inches. 



Female with the crown scarcely reddish streaked with black, and divided by a light line. 



Hah. — Eastern United States from the Atlantic to the Missouri. 



In autumn the male of this species has the feathers of the crown each with a black streak ; 

 and the centre of the crown with an indistinct light stripe, materially changing its appearance. 



The forehead is usually more or less streaked with black. 



A supposed young of this species from the Missouri plains has the head above nearly uniform 

 blackish ; the back pale yellowish brown streaked conspicuously with black, the under parts 

 dirty white, the breast and sides distinctly streaked with black. 



In the uncertainty whether the Fringilla georgiana of Latham be not rather the Peucaea 

 aestivalis than the swamp sparrow, I think it best to retain Wilson's name. It certainly 

 applies as well to the latter, which has the black sub-maxillary streak, and the chin and 

 throat more mouse colored than in palustris. 



List of specimens. 



