SAVANNAH FINCH. 119 



olive, sonfe of the feathers curiously edged with semicircles of white ; 

 sides under the wings buif, spotted with black ; wing coverts and tertials 

 black, broadly edged with light reddish buff; tail cuneiform, short; all 

 the feathers sharp pointed ; legs a yellow clay color ; irides hazel. 



I examined many of these birds, and found but little difference in the 

 color and markings of their plumage. 



Since writing the above, I have become convinced that the bird de- 

 scribed by Mr. Latham, under the name of Sharp-tailed Oriole ( Oriolus 

 caudacutus), is the present species. Latham states, that his description 

 and figure were taken from a specimen deposited in Mrs. Blackburn's 

 collection, and that it came from New York. 



Species XIII. FRINGILLA SAVANNA. 



SAVANNAH FINCH. 



[Plate XXXIV. Fig. 4, Male.] 



The figure of this delicately marked Sparrow was drawn from a very 

 beautiful male, and is a faithful representation of the original. 



The length is five and a half inches, extent eight and a half; bill 

 pale brown ; eyebrows Naples yellow ; breast and whole lower parts 

 pure white, the former marked with small pointed spots of brown ; 

 upper parts a pale whitish drab, mottled with reddish brown ; wing- 

 coverts edged and tipped with white ; tertials black, edged with white 

 and bay ; legs pale clay ; ear feathers tinged with Naples yellow. The 

 female and young males are less and much darker. 



This is probably the most timid of all our Sparrows. In winter it 

 frequents the sea shores ; but as spring approaches migrates to the 

 interior, as I have lately discovered, building its nest in the grass nearly 

 in the same form, though with fewer materials, as that of the Bay-winged 

 Bunting. On the twenty-third of May I found one of these at the root 

 of a clump of rushes in a grass field, with three young, nearly ready to 

 fly. The female counterfeited lameness, spreading her wings and tail, 

 ai.d using many affectionate stratagems to allure me from the place. 

 The eggs I have never seen. 



