FBINGILLID^ : FINCHES, BUNTINGS, SPABBOWS, ETC. 



389 



289. Z. Indovicia/na. (Lat. of Louisiana. Figs. 248, 249, 255.) Rose-breasted SoNG GroS' 

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

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

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

 blue; iris brown. 9 above, streaked with blackish and olive-brown or flaxen-brown, vidth 

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

 streaked with dusky ; tmder wing-coverts 

 saffron-yellow ; upper coverts and inner 

 quills with a white spot at end ; bill brown. 

 Young ^ at first resembling the 9 : but the 

 rose color appears with the first fuU feather- 

 ing. Two or three years are required to 

 produce the perfect beauty. Sexes of same 

 size. Length 7.75-8.50; extent 12.00-13.00; 

 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 plains ; win- 

 ters extraUmital ; 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, duU greenish, fully splashed and dotted 

 with dark brown, laid in June. 



290. Z. melanoce/phala. (Gr. fieKas, iieXavos, 

 melas, mekmos, black ; K€(f)a\fi, hephale, head. 



Fig. 249. — Rose-breasted Grosbeak, reduced, 

 pard del. Nichols sc.) 



(Shep- 



Fig. 250.) Black-headed Song Grosbeak. 

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

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

 usually also towards 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 

 bright pure yellow on the belly 

 and under wing-coverts; bill 

 and feet darlc grayish - blue. 

 Size of the last. The ? and 

 young diflfer much as in the last 

 species, but may be recognized 

 by the rich sulphw-yellow under 

 wing-coverts ; the bill is shorter 

 I HJrUi and more tumid, 0.66-0.75 along 



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



adult: Under parts like those of the $, but paler, though the belly and lining of wings 

 are as pure yellow. Upper parts dark brown with an olive 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 



